The Ukrainian-Russian Ceasefire … Prelude for Another War?

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 5:

“Under this military pressure, Kyiv agreed to a ceasefire… Ukraine had no choice. In fact, it capitulated to Russia’s superiority. Russia’s role is now far too great, with tanks, rockets and more and more new soldiers. The cynical and dishonest Kremlin continues to deny this is the case. But that it continues to lead the war in Ukraine is now well documented. Russian soldiers were captured and the fallen are buried in Russian cemeteries. Braver elements of the Russian media and the Union of the Committees of Soldiers’ Mothers of Russia have now reported it even inside Russia.

“With the ceasefire, Ukrainian President Poroshenko made a decision under duress…  Russia demands a high price: the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk will remain in the hands of the separatists… This moves Moscow one step closer to its goal:… the region will in the long run remain outside the control of Kyiv…

“Many Ukrainians were disappointed. Some regard Poroshenko and his government’s orientation towards Europe as the wrong choice, and that the Kremlin may be in the right…

“For the separatists and the Russian special forces, the ceasefire means a first respite. They can now consolidate their positions. And they can regroup, perhaps for an attack on other areas in eastern Ukraine. Therein lies the great danger, if it proves impossible to transform the ceasefire into a permanent truce.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin may have already given the go-ahead for further attacks. He recently questioned the statehood of Ukraine. He brought up the notion of ‘Novorossiya’ (New Russia), a vast area that could reach from Donetsk and Luhansk to Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa. This area was conquered by the Russian Empire during the 18th century war with the Ottoman Empire, but was never an independent state. Above all, Putin may want to create a corridor to the annexed Crimean peninsula, which can currently only be reached from Russia by sea or air…

“Some Ukrainians are already talking about treason and collusion between the West and Moscow, because Europe and the US have left them virtually alone militarily… [Ukraine is] at war with Russia. And the ceasefire hasn’t changed this predicament.”

Ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will join forces and collaborate against continental Europe. However, in the meantime, it was reported in the German press (by Stern and Bild), on September 6, 2014, that the “cease-fire,” which started Friday evening, was already broken and fighting resumed on Saturday, with Ukrainians and Russian separatists blaming each other. Further incidents happened subsequently as well. The occasional reports in the press that the cease fire was “holding” are therefore not completely accurate.

More European Economic Sanctions Against Russia

The EUobserver wrote on September 11:

“Poland and Slovakia have said gas supplies from Russia are down, as the EU prepares to impose new sanctions… Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary are involved in shipping “reverse-flow” gas to Ukraine after Russia cut off Ukraine gas in a price dispute…

“Gazprom’s reductions come the same week the EU adopted a new round of economic sanctions against Russia following its invasion of east Ukraine. Some EU states had wanted to wait and see if a ceasefire deal with Russia holds before implementing the new measures. But EU Council chief Herman Van Rompuy announced on Thursday that they will enter into life the following morning… The Van Rompuy announcement saw the ruble fall to a historic low against the dollar.

“Russia… has threatened to block EU airlines from flying over Siberia to Asia… it also threatened to curb import of used cars, light industry materials, and some textiles.”

The USA announced on September 11 that they will also issue further sanctions against Russia.

NATO United?

Fox News wrote on September 5:

“President Obama on Friday delivered a tacit warning to Russia’s Vladimir Putin amid the unrest in Ukraine, vowing at the close of a NATO summit that the allies will not tolerate an attack on any member nation. ‘An armed attack against one shall be considered an attack against them all. This is a binding treaty obligation. It is non-negotiable,’ Obama said at a press conference…

“The U.S. has effectively ruled out military action in Ukraine, which is not a NATO member…”

It will still have to be seen what NATO will do if or when a NATO member is being attacked.

Germany’s Future Role

The Local wrote on September 5:

“The Western defensive alliance agreed on Friday to the creation of a ‘spearhead’ force to deter possible Russian aggression against its Eastern members. It will consist of between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers and be capable of deploying within two to three days. Weapons, vehicles and equipment will be stockpiled in countries where they might be deployed, allowing the troops to travel light.

“Six German Eurofighter interceptors have been patrolling the Baltic Sea since September 1. Germany has also promised to send 60 more soldiers to Nato’s eastern headquarters in Stettin, Poland. Integrating German soldiers into the Nato ‘spearhead’ may be difficult, as the Bundestag has to approve any deployment of military forces overseas, a process which usually takes longer than a few days…

“Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry convened a meeting of a ‘core coalition’ of 10 nations on Friday to discuss tactics to fight terror group Isis on the sidelines of the conference. The coalition, which includes Germany, will need to ‘prevent [Isis] from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own,’ Kerry said.

“Germany has already begun delivering military supplies, vehicles and weapons to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq, who have found themselves on the front lines of Isis’ rapid territorial expansion.”

Bild Online speculated on September 5 that Germany’s new military role might necessitate the reinstitution of the draft. 

The New NATO Spearhead Force—Mixed Feelings in Eastern Europe

The Associated Press wrote on September 6:

“Leaders in most Eastern European nations are just short of jubilant after NATO created a rapid-reaction ‘spearhead’ force to protect the region from Russian bullying… But not all share in the joy. Some who spent decades under the Soviet yoke — politicians and ordinary people — think that the move could enrage Moscow and undermine the sense of security they have felt since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the expansion of NATO in the 1990s…

“Poland’s former ambassador to NATO, Jerzy Maria Nowak, believes that NATO’s decisions may be a comfort for some, but ‘for Russia they may be a provocation and a violation of the agreements’ it has with NATO…

“In Romania, which borders Russia across the Black Sea, reaction to NATO’s spear-shaking was also divided… Valerica Stefanescu, 57, who runs a small café on the sea front in the resort of Mamaia said everyone was ‘worried about the situation in Ukraine… But we don’t want to see more military presence on the Black Sea, we’d feel like it was war’…

“Nearby, retired mechanical engineer, Niculae Oprea, 66, drew an even gloomier picture. ‘[President Traian] Basescu will get us into a war, we are too small compared to Putin, who didn’t even bat an eyelid with Crimea. The sanctions aren’t hurting him. You saw how he placed an embargo and now you have fruit and vegetables rotting in Europe. The Russian bear won’t let us off lightly… He will turn off the gas and we will go to Russia crying and on our knees.’”

Russian Nuclear Pre-Emptive Strike on USA?

Newsmax reported on September 4:

“A Russian defense minister wants his country’s official military doctrine rewritten to allow for a pre-emptive nuclear attack against the United States and NATO, the Russian-language news agency Interfax reports.

“Russian Army Gen. Yury Yakubov said the doctrine, last revised in 2010, should be updated to classify the United States and other NATO countries as the ‘main enemy’ of Russia, Interfax reported on Wednesday…

“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told children at a Kremlin-sponsored youth camp, ‘I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers.’”

Russia will not attack the USA prior to Christ’s return, but rumors of a Russian attack on Europe will prompt a future German leader to launch a pre-emptive strike against Russia.

Terror Attacks in Europe and USA in one or two Months?

The Washington Times wrote on August 30:

“Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has a stark warning to America: The Islamic State’s terror will visit American shores in one month if it is not confronted in Syria and Iraq. ‘If we ignore them, I am sure they will reach Europe in a month and America in another month,’ the king said Saturday, Agence France Presse reported.”

Radical Islamists—Not Just a Tiny Minority

Breitbart wrote on September 4:

“Over the weekend, former President Jimmy Carter attended the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) conference in Detroit. There, he assured Muslims that the ‘principles of Allah; were designed to ‘bring peace and justice to all’… Carter isn’t alone… This week, Barack Obama said, ‘ISIL speaks for no religion’… Eric Holder has said that radical Islam is not consistent with the teachings of Islam. For years, George W. Bush assured Americans that Islamic extremists represented but a tiny minority of Muslims…

“American politicians, mostly Christian or atheist, know less about the nature of Islam and Islamic radicalism than members of ISIS… the polls show that Islamic extremism is on the rise… the enemy we face is not a ‘tiny minority’ of Muslims, let alone a rootless philosophy unconnected to Islam entirely…

“A new, widely-covered poll shows that a full 16% of French people have positive attitudes toward ISIS. That includes 27% of French between the ages of 18-24. Anne-Elizabeth Moutet of Newsweek wrote, ‘This is the ideology of young French Muslims from immigrant backgrounds…these are the same people who torch synagogues.’…

“In 2006, a poll for the Sunday Telegraph found that 40% of British Muslims wanted shariah law in the United Kingdom, and that 20% backed the 7/7 bombers. Another poll from that year showed that 45% of British Muslims said that 9/11 was an American/Israeli conspiracy; that poll showed that one-quarter of British Muslims believed that the 7/7 bombings were justified…

“A poll in 2011 showed that 32% of Palestinians supported the brutal murder of five Israeli family members, including a three-month-old baby. In 2009, a poll showed that 78% of Palestinians had positive or mixed feelings about Osama Bin Laden. A 2013 poll showed 40% of Palestinians supporting suicide bombings and attacks against civilians. 89% favored sharia law. Currently, 89% of Palestinians support terror attacks on Israel.

“After the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the Gilani Foundation did a poll of Pakistanis and found that 51% of them grieved for the terrorist mastermind, with 44% of them stating that he was a martyr. In 2009, 26% of Pakistanis approved of attacks on US troops in Iraq. That number was 29% for troops in Afghanistan. Overall, 76% of Pakistanis wanted strict shariah law in every Islamic country…

“A 2009 poll showed that 68% of Moroccans approved of terrorist attacks on US troops in Iraq; 61% backed attacks on American troops in Afghanistan as of 2006. 76% said they wanted strict sharia law in every Islamic country…

“72% of Jordanians backed terror attacks against US troops in Iraq as of 2009. In 2010, the terrorist group Hezbollah had a 55% approval rating; Hamas had a 60% approval rating…

“In 2009, a poll demonstrated that 26% of Indonesians approved of attacks on US troops in Iraq; 22% backed attacks on American troops in Afghanistan. 65% said they agreed with Al Qaeda on pushing US troops out of the Middle East. 49% said they supported strict sharia law in every Islamic country. 70% of Indonesians blamed 9/11 on the United States, Israel, someone else, or didn’t know. Just 30% said Al Qaeda was responsible…

“As of 2009, 87% of Egyptians said they agreed with the goals of Al Qaeda in forcing the US to withdraw forces from the Middle East. 65% said they wanted strict sharia law in every Islamic country. As of that same date, 69% of Egyptians said they had either positive or mixed feelings about Osama Bin Laden. In 2010, 95% of Egyptians said it was good that Islam is playing a major role in politics…

“In short, tens of millions of Muslims all over the world sympathize with the goals or tactics of terrorist groups – or both. That support is stronger outside the West, but it is present even in the West. Islamist extremism is not a passing or fading phenomenon – it is shockingly consistent over time…”

The concept that the “Holy Koran” –which was allegedly handed by the archangel Gabriel to Mohammed–preaches a peaceful way of life is an illusion. The Koran was not delivered through Gabriel, and Islam under its prophet Mohammed and his successors and different factions (Sunni and Shia) was a warrior religion from its very inception. Note the next article.

“Terrorizing the Enemy Part of Islam”

Newsmax wrote on September 5:

“A British imam gave a television interview this week in which he defended acts of terror, including the beheading of foreign journalists, as consistent with the teachings of the Koran, Breitbart News blogger John Sexton reported.

“London-based cleric Anjem Choudary told Russia Today that ‘terrorizing the enemy is in fact part of Islam’ in an interview with the English-language RT news program, ‘Worlds Apart.’

“Choudary cited a passage of the Koran that calls for Muslims to use ‘steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah.’ ‘So terrorizing the enemy is in fact part of Islam,’ Choudary said. ‘I mean this is something that we must embrace and understand as far as the jurisprudence of Islam is concerned.’

“Sexton wrote that, ‘Choudary went on to say that Muslims make no distinction between civilians and armed forces since civilians elect the leaders who direct the armed forces.’ Choudary, also a lawyer who lectures on Sharia law, headed an Islamic group, Al Muhajiroun, which was banned in the United Kingdom.”

President Obama said in his speech on September 10 that ISIS or ISIL is not a religion and does not represent Islam. He said this: “ISIL is not ‘Islamic.’ No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim.” In light of the foregoing articles and a correct understanding of Islam, the President’s statements are clearly erroneous. ISIL is a radical Sunni group. ISIS murdered Shiites and those more liberal Sunnis who do not agree with ISIS. But that does not disqualify ISIS as being Islamic.

President Obama Pushes for War

The Washington Post wrote on September 11:

“Nearly six years into a presidency devoted to ending U.S. wars in the Muslim world, President Obama faced the nation Wednesday night to explain why he has decided to engage in a new one…

“Obama’s escalation of airstrikes and the use of U.S. personnel to help ‘degrade and destroy’ the extremist Sunni group represents a major setback for [the] commander in chief…”

Germany and Britain Will Not Participate in Airstrikes Against Syria

Deutsche Welle reported on September 11:

“German and British foreign ministers said on Thursday that their countries would not participate in airstrikes in Syria. The statements were in response to an address the previous day by US President Barack Obama that the US planned to expand its military campaign against the ‘Islamic State’ (IS)…

“Meanwhile on Thursday, the Syrian government criticized the US military campaign against IS militants within Syrian territory… Russia, the closest ally of Syrian President Assad’s government, also slammed the US’ strategy saying it would be a blatant violation of international law.”

USA in Cahoots with Iran?

The Washington Post wrote on September 5:

“The urgent fight to keep Islamic State forces­ from taking over more of Iraq has led the Obama administration to tolerate, and in some cases even approve, things it once would have loudly protested.

“When Iraqi Shiite militias, backed by Iran and long branded illegal by the administration, retook the town of Amerli from the Sunni Muslim militants last week, U.S. officials breathed a sigh of relief…

“Farther north, Kurdish fighters have occupied the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a prize the Kurds have long claimed but which lies outside the borders — recognized by both Baghdad and Washington — of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurd­i­stan region. Far from insisting the fighters withdraw, the administration is glad that someone is defending the city from the Islamic State…

“It is not, as one administration official said with significant under­statement, an ideal situation, and there is widespread recognition that facts are being created on the ground that are likely to cause problems in the future…

“While the administration has acknowledged discussing the Iraqi crisis with Iranian officials on the margins of separate talks about Iran’s nuclear program, ‘we do not coordinate military action or share intelligence with Iran and have no plans to do so,’ National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said Friday… Asked whether there was a role for Iran in the international coalition the administration is forming to fight the militants in Iraq and ultimately in Syria, a senior administration official this week said, ‘I don’t know.’ But, the official acknowledged, ‘they already . . . have a role on the ground.’

“Iranian contributions have extended beyond weapons and advisers to the Shiite militias. Despite Tehran’s concerns about separatism within its own Kurdish community, it ‘was the first country to provide us with weapons and ammunition’ to fight the militants, Kurdish President Massoud Barzani said late last month during a visit of Iran’s foreign minister.

“Iran is also believed to have conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State, U.S. officials said.”

Iran, a Shiite nation, would obviously be opposed to a radical fundamental Sunni group. The idea of collaboration between the USA and Iran is very troublesome. See also the next article.

An Unusual Fragile Alliance

The Washington Post wrote on September 5:

“For weeks, Iraqi Kurdish fighters had joined an unusual alliance to free this dusty highway town besieged by Islamic State fighters. Shiite militias, Iranian trainers and U.S. military pilots had all contributed, finally wresting the city from the Sunni extremists and saving the 15,000 residents from starvation or brutal slayings.

“But on Friday, as the Kurdish pesh merga fighters approached the city to greet the residents they helped save, they were treated less like liberators and more like intruders. ‘Pesh merga forces are not allowed to enter this city!’ yelled a Shiite militiaman with Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi group. He waved his rifle at them and the pesh merga retreated…

“The Obama administration’s strategy in Iraq is predicated on the country’s competing militia groups, as well as its battered army, setting aside their differences over territory, ethnicity and religion to form a grand coalition to battle the radical Sunni members of Islamic State. The aftermath of the fighting in Amerli shows how quickly this hodgepodge of militia forces can turn on each other as they fight for influence and the spoils of battle…

“The U.S. government has largely looked at the Kurds, who live in a semi-autonomous zone in northern Iraq, as a stabilizing force in the region. But the months of fighting are wearing on the pesh merga troops, who have begun to view everyone with distrust. The pesh merga forces — which are divided into two groups that report to the two major Kurdish parties — even suspect each other. Around Amerli, the pesh merga fighters complain that the best weapons from the U.S. government and Iran are going to Kurdish fighters associated with their rival party.

“The Sunnis and Shiites, meanwhile, say the Kurds are using the chaos to grab territory well beyond the Kurdistan region’s traditional borders with an eye to independence…”

UK Sends Heavy Machine Guns to Iraq

BBC News wrote on September 9:

“Heavy machine guns and ammunition are being donated to Iraq to help fight Islamic State militants, the Ministry of Defence says. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the equipment was worth about £1.6m, and there would be an estimated £475,000 in transport costs. He said the UK was committed to aiding the Iraqi government and helping Kurdish forces defend themselves.”

Venezuela Worships Hugo Chavez—Quite Literally

Deutsche Welle reported on September 8:

“‘Our Chavez, who art in heaven’ – Hugo Chavez’s most ardent admirers have been praying to the late Venezuelan leader with presidential support… At a recent congress of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, an activist actually recited a version of the Lord’s Prayer dedicated to Hugo Chavez, and was joined by hundreds of voices shouting ‘Viva Chavez!’ in place of Amen…

“As expected, the Catholic Church in Venezuela has denounced the use of Chavez’s name and called for respect for Christianity’s most sacred prayer… Less expected, however, at least from a rational perspective, was the reaction of the current Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro…  comparing the prayer to the work of Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda and calling critics ‘new inquisitors’…

“Maduro said during the 2013 presidential campaign that Chavez’s spirit had inspired him in the form of a ‘very little bird’… he spoke of Chavez as a ‘leader who embodied the values ​​of Christ.’…”

Hugo Chavez had been Venezuelan president for 14 years. The leftist leader was a staunch critic of the US. He retains huge popularity among the country’s working classes. Chavez lost his battle with cancer on March 5, 2013, at the age of 58.

Respiratory Illness for Children to Become Nationwide Problem in the USA

ABC News reported on September 7:

“A respiratory illness that has already sickened more than a thousand children in 10 states is likely to become a nationwide problem, doctors say. The disease hasn’t been officially identified but officials suspect a rare respiratory virus called human enterovirus 68… Doctors say they are not even sure yet how this particular virus spreads…

“Dr. Christine Nyquist, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said the virus usually ends up appearing similar to a severe cold but can be particularly dangerous for children with asthma because of how it affects the respiratory system… To stay healthy… basic sanitary practices [are recommended] to avoid spreading the virus, including washing hands, avoiding those who are sick, and covering the nose and mouth during sneezes or coughs.”

Meteorite Hits Nicaragua

BBC News reported on September 8:

“A small meteorite landed near the international airport in the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, on Saturday night, government officials say. Residents reported hearing a loud bang and feeling the impact, which left a crater 12m (40ft) wide and 5m deep. Government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo said the meteorite seemed to have broken off an asteroid which was passing close to Earth…

“Astronomer Humberto Saballos said the meteorite could have broken off from the 2014RC asteroid which passed Earth at the same time. 2014RC, which is the size of a house, came closest to earth at 18:18 GMT on Sunday, when it passed over New Zealand at a distance of about 40,000km (25,000 miles).The asteroid was first discovered on 31 August and, at its closest approach, was about one-tenth of the distance from the centre of Earth to the Moon…

“It is expected to orbit near Earth again in the future. In February 2013, a meteorite exploded over Chelyabinsk in Central Russia, injuring more than 1,000 people. Nasa currently tracks more than 11,000 asteroids in orbits that pass relatively close to Earth.”

“Dwarf”—Only Existing Animal of Its Kind

The Local wrote on September 5:

“Diederode, near the university town, boasts the world’s only living sheep-goat hybrid, which is now the object of study by scientists.

“Goats and sheep belong to the same sub-family of species, the Caprinae, but almost never produce offspring together. Livestock researcher Professor Christoph Knorr of Göttingen University told Focus that a cross between the two species is an extremely rare case. The animal in Diederode is the only one in the world which has been confirmed by scientists to be a true hybrid.

“Sheep farmer Dirk Pieper called it ‘Dwarf’ as it was so small, he told the Göttinger Tageblatt.”

The fact that even sheep-goat hybrids are extremely rare, even though they belong to “the same sub-family of species,” confirms the scientifically proven fact that a cross between two unrelated species from different families (such as a cross between a bird and a mammal) is impossible. This in turn proves the utter ridiculousness of the concept of the atheistic evolution theory.

Find of Largest Terrestrial Animal—So Far…

The Washington Post wrote on September 4:

“Scientists have discovered the fossilized remains of a new long-necked, long-tailed dinosaur that has taken the crown for largest terrestrial animal with a body mass that can be accurately determined. Measurements of bones from its hind leg and foreleg revealed that the animal was 65 tons, and still growing when it died in the Patagonian hills of Argentina about 77 million years ago. ‘To put this in perspective, an African elephant is about five tons, T. rex is eight tons, Diplodocus is 18 tons, and a Boeing 737 is around 50 tons,’ said study author and paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara at Drexel University. ‘And then you have Dreadnoughtus at 65 tons.’

“Dreadnoughtus, meaning ‘fears nothing,’ is named after the impervious early 20th century battleships. Although it was a plant-eater, a healthy Dreadnoughtus likely had no real issues with predators due to its intimidating size and muscular, weaponized tail… ‘How do you come up with a body size that is so enormous when you’re a terrestrial animal?” said Luis Chiappe, director of the National History Museum of Los Angeles’s Dinosaur Institute, who was not involved in the study. ‘You need to have a structural design that allows you to support a body like that, and you have to be potentially adapted to eat 24 hours a day, nonstop, with a minimal amount of sleep.’

“The huge creature also had a smaller companion, which Lacovara and his colleagues also dug up. Both got caught in quicksand, which is how their bones became so well-preserved… The skeleton of Dreadnoughtus schrani is remarkably complete for a dinosaur of this size — over 70 percent of the bones were dug up, excluding the head…”

 

Remains of Largest-Known Carnivorous Dinosaur Found

BBC News wrote on September 11:

“A giant fossil, unearthed in the Sahara desert, has given scientists an unprecedented look at the largest-known carnivorous [aquatic] dinosaur: Spinosaurus… Scientists say the beast had flat, paddle-like feet and nostrils on top of its crocodilian head that would allow it to submerge with ease… Spinosaurus aegyptiacus remains were first discovered about 100 years ago in Egypt, and were moved to a museum in Munich, Germany. However, they were destroyed during World War II, when an Allied bomb hit the building…”

These huge dinosaurs did exist long before the creation of man. Please read our current series in our Q&As on whether there were dinosaurs prior to man.

USA—No Strategy Yet?

CNN wrote on August 29:

“It’s too soon to say what steps the United States will take against ISIS in Syria, President Barack Obama said Thursday. ‘I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,’ Obama told reporters during a White House news briefing. ‘We don’t have a strategy yet.’”

President Obama’s Unpopular Strategy

Fox News wrote on September 3:

“President Obama does have a strategy on dealing with the Islamist militants who have been beheading Americans and slaughtering religious dissenters in Iraq and Syria, but he apparently doesn’t feel very comfortable talking about it. Trying to mop up his mess from last week when he said he didn’t have ‘a strategy yet’ for dealing with the group, the president veered a bit in his press conference on a trip to Estonia… but then clarified that his aim was not to destroy the Islamist army but to hem in its forces until it was ‘a manageable problem.’ One sees now why Obama has been so reluctant to share his strategy since it is not one which Americans will likely accept. He probably should have just stuck with ‘we don’t have a strategy yet.’…

“In Estonia today, President Obama gave his first news conference since Steven Sotloff was beheaded by Islamist militants [see our report below]. It was also the first time the president answered questions since his infamous ‘we have no strategy’ line last week. And the president did something remarkable: He dug deeper. The big news going in was to see how the president ‘cleaned up’ last week’s statement. So after a strong opening about the atrocity of the newest beheading, the president said the strategy is to ‘degrade and destroy’ ISIS. But later, he backtracked and said [the] goal was to make ISIS a ‘manageable problem.’ So which is it? Destroy or manage? And how exactly do you manage barbarians who are beheading your citizens? What promised to be a clarifying moment instead offered more fuzzy wording. And we’re left again with the question – what is our strategy with ISIS?…”

Time published the following headline on September 2: “Obama Offers Muddled Message to Europe in Face of Crises.”

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel found stronger words than the Commander in Chief, saying on CNN on September 3 that the US is trying to destroy ISIS. But he also said that there will be no American boots on the ground, while admitting that airstrikes alone will not accomplish the goal. He never explained this glaring inconsistency.

Likewise, Vice President Joe Biden was far more outspoken than the President (even though this does not surprise too many), stating, according to Time (September 3) that “we will follow ISIS to the gates of hell because hell is where they will reside.”

USA Arms Lebanon—a Smart Move?

Reuters wrote on August 29:

“The United States has begun delivering nearly $20 million of arms including assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and mortars to bolster Lebanon’s army after Islamist insurgents seized a border town for several days this month…”

Germany Sends Weapons to the Kurds—A Smart Move?

The Local wrote on September 2:

“400 German citizens were currently fighting with Isis in Iraq and Syria and could return to carry out attacks in Europe, [Angela Merkel said]… For the first time, weapons from the Bundeswehr (German army) arsenal will be sent, including 40 machine guns, 500 anti-tank rockets, 16,000 rifles and 10,000 hand grenades.

“Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that the arms would be used to outfit 4,000 Kurdish soldiers by the end of September. Some of the soldiers may be brought to Germany to be trained in their use… In a symbolic vote late on Monday, the Bundestag supported the government’s plans, with CDU/CSU and SPD members voting for and the Left and Green parties largely opposed.

“Left party leader in the Bundestag Gregor Gysi and Green leader Anton Hofreiter said that Germany would lose control of the weapons once they had been delivered… However, [Foreign Minister] Steinmeier shared his concerns about arming the Kurds, possibly enabling their longer-term goal of an independent state… ‘An independent Kurdistan in northern Iraq would lead to more secessions in the rest of the country,’ he said, causing ‘new battles over new borders and state territories.’”

The Massacres of the Demonic ISIS

The website of npr.org wrote on August 29:

“Ever since the Islamic State seized Mosul more than two months ago, it’s been difficult to get a detailed picture of life inside Iraq’s second largest city. But glimpses have emerged. This week, the United Nations human rights chief, Navi Pillay, presented details of a massacre that took place at the city’s Badoush prison in June. Islamic State fighters seized more than 1,000 inmates. The group spared the lives of their fellow Sunni Muslims, but gunned down some 670 people.”

Newsmax wrote on August 29:

“Islamic State has issued a new video threatening the United States with more decapitations of prisoners and hostages while showing a Kurdish soldier being beheaded… The video was released just hours after the terror group… posted footage of the mass execution of 300 Syrian national army soldiers in the desert… The footage concludes with ISIS fighters parading near Mosul in armored personnel carriers, waving their black flags and brandishing weapons in the air…”

BBC News wrote on September 2:

“An Islamic State video has appeared which [shows] the beheading of Steven Sotloff, a US journalist [formerly with Time magazine] being held hostage by the militants… A militant in the latest video also threatens to kill a British hostage… The masked man, whose voice is similar to that of the executioner in the Foley video, then describes the act he is about to commit as retribution for the US air strikes…

“The US has launched more than 120 air strikes in Iraq in the last month, in an attempt to help Kurdish forces curb the advance of Islamic State militants and protect minorities threatened by them.”

ISIS Operates in Mexico, Plans Attack on USA

Judicial Watch wrote on August 31:

“Islamic terrorist groups are operating in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and planning to attack the United States with car bombs or other vehicle borne improvised explosive devices… High-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources have confirmed to Judicial Watch that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border has been issued…

“Specifically, the government sources reveal that the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) is confirmed to now be operating in Juarez, a famously crime-infested narcotics hotbed situated across from El Paso, Texas. Violent crimes are so rampant in Juarez that the U.S. State Department has issued a number of travel warnings for anyone planning to go there. The last one was issued just a few days ago.

“Intelligence officials have picked up radio talk and chatter indicating that the terrorist groups are going to ‘carry out an attack on the border,’ according to one JW source.  ‘It’s coming very soon,’ according to another high-level source, who clearly identified the groups planning the plots as ‘ISIS and Al Qaeda.’…

“The disturbing inside intelligence comes on the heels of news reports revealing that U.S. intelligence has picked up increased chatter among Islamist terror networks approaching the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks…”

Islamist Terrorists in Possession of Stolen Libyan Passenger Jets?

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on September 2:

“Islamist militias in Libya took control of nearly a dozen commercial jetliners last month, and western intelligence agencies recently issued a warning that the jets could be used in terrorist attacks across North Africa.

“Intelligence reports of the stolen jetliners were distributed within the U.S. government over the past two weeks and included a warning that one or more of the aircraft could be used in an attack later this month on the date marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against New York and Washington, said U.S. officials familiar with the reports.

“Meanwhile, officials said Egyptian military forces appear to be preparing to intervene in Libya to prevent the country from becoming a failed state run by terrorists, many with ties to al Qaeda. Libya remains an oil-rich state and if the country is taken over completely by Islamist extremists, U.S. counterterrorism officials believe it will become another terrorist safe haven in the region.”

Breitbart added on September 3:

“According to veteran reporter Bill Gertz, U.S. officials said that they received intelligence indicating eleven commercial aircraft could be used to attack New York City or Washington, D.C. on the anniversary of the September, 11, 2001 jihadi attacks on America… Tripoli Airport is currently occupied by two rival groups deemed ‘terrorists’ by the Libyan parliament: Misrata and Zintan, who had previously worked together to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.

“On Monday, Libyan officials announced that their capital city in Tripoli had been completely lost to Islamist forces…”

Threat from Foreigners Overstaying Their Student Visas?

Newsmax wrote on September 2:

“The Obama administration is unable to locate 6,000 foreign nationals who have entered the United States on student visas, raising concerns about the government’s ability to track potential terror suspects who may already be in the country… The news comes as Prime Minister David Cameron  announced plans to block British jihadists with passports from re-entering Britain…

“U.S. immigration officials have had difficulty keeping track of the escalating number of foreign students entering the United States. In the past year alone, 58,000 students overstayed their visas… There are currently 9,000 institutions of higher learning which are on the government approved list certifying them to accept overseas applicants. But Congress has raised concerns that immigration officials have continued to grant schools certification even when they lack accreditation, state certification, or other measurable academic standards…”

In an atmosphere of hysteria, even these harmless categories become the subject of suspicion. But the real threat comes from another source: To demand state certification or accreditation of universities is far-fetched and supports universities which follow the dictates of state and government school curriculums.

Sinai Terrorists Behead Four Egyptian Men

JTA wrote on August 28:

“Four Egyptian men were beheaded by a Sinai-based terror group for allegedly spying for Israel… The terror group said that the men provided intelligence to Israel used in a July airstrike on northern Sinai… The Egyptian army said at the time of the strike that no Israeli aircraft had been in Egyptian airspace.”

Ukraine Turmoil Heating Up

Reuters reported on September 1:

“In the latest in a string of setbacks in the past week, Ukraine’s military said it had pulled back from defending a vital airport in the east of the country, near the city of Luhansk, where troops had been battling a Russian tank battalion… Ukrainian armed forces… fled a new rebel advance in the south which Kiev and its Western allies say has been backed up by Russian armored columns.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin… called on Sunday for immediate negotiations on the ‘statehood’ of southern and eastern Ukraine…

“[Ukrainian] Defense Minister Valery Heletey [said] that Ukraine no longer faced a threat from separatists but outright war with Russian troops…

“Putin made his statehood remarks two days after comparing the Kiev government with Nazis and warning the West not to ‘mess with us’…

“[German Chancellor Angela] Merkel took a hard line [advocating new sanctions against Russia], although she acknowledged the sanctions have hurt German exporters to the Russian market… EU leaders asked the executive European Commission to prepare further sanctions within a week…

“Putin called for the EU to think twice about stepping up the sanctions… ‘A political solution is the only way out. Sanctions do not help to solve the underlying problems in Ukraine,’ Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

“Several EU countries heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria, opposed new measures, which require unanimous agreement. ‘I consider sanctions meaningless and counterproductive,’ Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday. ‘I reserve a right to veto sanctions harming national interests of Slovakia.’”

Ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine?

Deutsche Welle reported on September 3:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko have said their two sides have reached a ceasefire deal… The ceasefire plan, agreed to during a telephone conversation, aims to end fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists…

“Putin spoke to the conditions of a ceasefire, saying Ukraine must withdraw all its troops and pro-Russian separatists must agree to stop offensive actions in eastern Ukraine. He said international monitors must be in place to observe any truce that is reached. The plan, published on the Kremlin’s website, says both sides must agree on an unconditional exchange of prisoners. It also rules out using combat aircraft against civilians in the conflict zone and calls for the creation of ‘humanitarian corridors’ for refugees and aid deliveries…

“Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk slammed Wednesday’s peace proposal announcement, calling it an attempt by Russia to deceive the West and avoid new sanctions. ‘The real plan is to destroy Ukraine and to restore the Soviet Union,’ he said in a statement. ‘All previous agreements made with Russia – in Geneva, in Normandy, in Berlin and Minsk – were ignored or brazenly violated by the Russian regime,’ Yatsenyuk added.”

…and Yatsenyuk is absolutely right.

New EU Sanctions Against Russia?

The EUobserver wrote on September 3:

“EU ambassadors are holding talks in Brussels on new proposals for Russia sanctions – seen by EUobserver – with ideas including ‘action’ to block its 2018 World Cup. The talks are taking place amid news of a ‘ceasefire process’ agreed between Kiev and Moscow, which EU diplomats regard with caution… [A proposal] adds that EU firms should stop providing ‘future associated services’ to Russian oil firms, in areas including: seismic services; drilling; well-testing; supply of floating vessels for deep water oil exploration and production; Arctic oil exploration and production; and shale oil projects in Russia…

“The ambassadors’ talks began after Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko announced earlier on Wednesday that he had agreed a ‘ceasefire’ with Putin by phone. But Russia later quashed the news, saying it cannot agree a ceasefire because it is not a party to the conflict… A Kiev-based EU diplomat said Poroshenko was ‘tricked by the Russians into making the announcement – this just gave them another chance to deny involvement in the conflict’.”

Russia Has Severed Its Relationship with Europe

The Local wrote on September 2:

“Russia has ‘effectively severed its partnership’ with Europe and wants to establish a new order, German President Joachim Gauck said on Monday…  Gauck [spoke] at a ceremony in Gdansk to mark the 75th anniversary of Germany’s invasion of Poland that set off World War II. Invoking the ‘miracle’ of post-war reconciliation between Germans and Poles, Gauck said he was disappointed with the turn of events in Russia…

“‘It was a shock when we were confronted with a new conflict on Europe’s borders. An armed conflict aimed at establishing new borders and a new order. It’s a fact, stability and peace on our continent are once again endangered,’ he added…”

Putin’s Further Ambitions

International Business Times wrote on September 1:

“Fears are growing in Kazakhstan over Moscow’s rhetoric towards the country following Russia President Vladimir Putin’s claim that ‘Kazakhstan never had any statehood’, it was ‘created’… Kazakhstan was the last Soviet republic to declare independence from the Soviet Union when it finally did so in December 1991…

“Putin’s comments conjure memories of a statement he made to former US President George Bush in 2008 when he said that ‘Ukraine is not even a state!’ during a Bucharest summit… Russia’s annexation of the Crimea Peninsula and its alleged incursion into eastern Ukraine and support of pro-Russian separatists have contributed to fears in Astana that Moscow may set its sights on other areas of the former Soviet Union.”

The New York Times added on September 2:

“President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia reportedly told a European official that he could ‘take Kiev in two weeks’ if he wanted to, adding a new dimension to the tensions building in Ukraine as Russian forces become more involved in the fighting there… The Kremlin did not deny the remark, which was published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Monday, but on Tuesday it denounced the European official, José Manuel Barroso, for leaking details of what Mr. Putin understood to be a private telephone call.”

What IF Russia Were to Cut Off Gas Exports to Europe?

The EUobserver wrote on September 3:

“Finland would experience gas shortages even if Russia cut off exports just for one month, while other EU countries would last between three to nine months without Russian gas, according to a German study… Since Finland has no storage capacities and 100 percent of its gas comes from Russia, it would be the first country to experience supply shortages – up to 10 percent in the first month and over 50 percent if Russia halts gas exports for three months.

“A three-month Russian embargo would leave Poland with a 1.8 billion cubic metre shortfall and Turkey with a shortfall of 3.8 billion metres. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, the Balkan countries and Estonia would feel the effects of a six-month embargo.

“Meanwhile, if Russia switches off the tap for nine months, gas supplies in Germany, Italy and France would be ‘severely affected’ and a total of 46 billion cubic metres of European gas demand could not be served. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia would also have problems, as well as the countries already in trouble after three months (Finland, Poland, Turkey, Greece, Austria, the entire Balkan, Estonia and Switzerland).

“The countries in which gas supply would be secure even during a nine-month disruption are those who still have their own gas reserves, such as Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Romania and the UK. Countries importing from their neighbours or with LNG terminals would also be safe: Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

“The study also looks at the impact of one extremely cold week during a six-month disruption: ‘Supply shortfalls would occur in almost the entirety of Europe.’ In that scenario, Ireland, the UK, Belgium, Romania and Bulgaria would also be affected.

“But Russia would be hit too, as it would lose €4-4.5 billion of revenues for each month of an embargo, some 3.5 percent of Gazprom’s annual revenue…

“Similar ‘worse case scenarios’ are also being considered in the European Commission, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to affect the gas supplies to EU countries this winter. ‘That Putin would use false information, lies and weapons was beyond my imagination,’ energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger said in Brussels on Tuesday. ‘That’s why I am not ruling out worst case scenarios anymore,’ he added, referring to Europe’s energy security… Europe’s reliance on Russian gas is expected to last for at least another 10 years, according to US ratings agency Fitch. ‘Any attempt to improve energy security by reducing European reliance on Russia would require either a significant reduction in overall gas demand or a big increase in alternative sources of supply, but neither of these appears likely,’ Fitch said in a report on Tuesday.”

Planned NATO Military Exercise in Ukraine

Reuters reported on September 2:

“As fighting between the army and Russian-backed rebels rages in eastern Ukraine, preparations are under way near its western border for a joint military exercise this month with more than 1,000 troops from the United States and its allies.  The decision to go ahead with the Rapid Trident exercise Sept. 16-26 is seen as a sign of the commitment of NATO states to support non-NATO member Ukraine while stopping well short of military intervention in the conflict…

“In addition to staging air force exercises, the United States is moving tanks and 600 troops to Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for joint maneuvers in October, replacing a more lightly armed force of paratroopers…

“The United States European Command (EUCOM) says the exercise this month will involve about 200 U.S. personnel as well as 1,100 others from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Britain, Canada, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania and Spain…”

Another NATO exercise in Ukraine (“Sea Breeze”)  with 400 US soldiers and 600 Allied soldiers is planned for the end of October. Russia responded that these planned exercises constitute provocations, fearing that NATO troops will stay in Ukraine after the exercises. Russia announced that in retaliation, it will conduct military exercises with more than 4,000 soldiers.

Italy’s Federica Mogherini New EU Foreign Police Chief and Poland’s Donald Tusk New EU Council President

BBC News reported on August 30:

“EU leaders have appointed Italy’s Federica Mogherini as EU foreign policy chief and Poland’s Donald Tusk as European Council president… Ms Mogherini, a centre-left politician, is Italy’s foreign minister. She will replace the UK’s Catherine Ashton. Mr Tusk, Poland’s centre-right prime minister, has been Polish leader since 2007. He will chair EU summits.

“The full-time appointments mean that the EU’s three top jobs are now filled. Mr Tusk and Ms Mogherini will work closely with the new European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker… Mr Van Rompuy said Mr Tusk would face three major challenges: the stagnating European economy, the Ukraine crisis and ‘Britain’s place in Europe’. He said the EU leaders were convinced that Ms Mogherini, 41, ‘will prove a skilful and steadfast negotiator for Europe’s place in the world’. He noted Italy’s ‘long-standing tradition of commitment to the European Union’.”

Who Is Donald Tusk?

The Guardian wrote on August 31:

“The elevation of Donald Tusk to one of the top jobs in Europe marks a coming of age for his native Poland. Ten years after joining the EU, Poland has secured the presidency of the European council and its prime minister has become the fixer for and mediator between Angela Merkel, François Hollande, Matteo Renzi, David Cameron and other European leaders. Tusk has already won the prestigious Charlemagne prize for leadership.

“Quiet, unassuming, firm and politically ruthless, the German-speaking centre-right liberal from Gdansk, the cradle of Poland’s anti-communist, anti-Russian revolution, has been one of the EU’s most successful and most pro-European prime ministers of recent years at a time when faith in the EU has been tested.

“… under Tusk’s seven years in charge of Poland and with the help of his anglophile foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, the country performed a strategic shift, redefining the country’s national interest. Coming into the EU, Poland was a natural ally of Britain… wary of the Franco-German dominion that ran the EU until the 2004 enlargement.

“Tusk inherited a Poland that was hostile to Russia and intensely suspicious of Germany, for good historical reasons. The alliance with the UK was reinforced by Britain’s championing of Poland’s membership against deep-seated west European reservations…

“Under Tusk and Sikorski, this has all changed. The keen pro-Americanism waned, leaving a sour taste. Tusk and Sikorski concluded that Britain and David Cameron in particular were making a mess of their tactics and strategy in Europe and with other EU governments.

“Tusk bonded with Merkel, the EU’s first among equals, cemented a close Polish-German alliance, and concluded that Poland’s destiny rested on its closest possible European integration, setting it at odds with a UK travelling in the opposite direction.”

What If Yellowstone Were to Erupt?

Time wrote on September 2:

“An eruption could blanket the east coast in a few millimeters and bury the Rocky mountains in several meters of ash. If Yellowstone erupted into a massive, ash-spewing volcano, how far might the plume travel across the continental United States? From coast to coast, blanketing every city in ash, according to an unsettling new study…

“[The] resulting ash cloud, depending on wind conditions, would blanket the continental United States in ash deposits of varying thickness… New York and Washington D.C., would get a light dusting of ash measuring roughly one-tenth of an inch, while San Francisco and Seattle would get a heaping 2 inches. Billings, Montana, meanwhile, would have to dig out from a 70-inch pile up.

“If the findings sound far-flunged, so to speak, researchers point out that Yellowstone’s last massive eruption spewed ash over tens of thousands of square kilometers. Deposits from that eruption have been traced as far afield as Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, the last time Yellowstone erupted on that scale was some 2 million years ago and counting…”

The above-mentioned report (published on onlinelibrary.wiley.com) reached the following conclusion:

“Geological activity at Yellowstone provides no signs that a supereruption will occur in the near future… [We] suggest a confidence of at least 99.9% that 21st-century society will not experience a Yellowstone supereruption. But over the span of geologic time, supereruptions have recurred somewhere on Earth every 100,000 years on average… As such, it is important to characterize the potential effects of such events. We hope this work stimulates further examination of ash transport during very large eruptions.”

Even IF one was to accept these figures as correct, since the last Yellowstone eruption allegedly took place 2 million years ago, and supereruptions occur on an average every 100,000 years, then this would mean that the Yellowstone eruption has been overdue for the last 1,900,000 years. This is not very assuring.

Russia Is Preparing for Invasion in Eastern Ukraine

The New York Times wrote on August 22:

“The Russian military has moved artillery units manned by Russian personnel inside Ukrainian territory in recent days and was using them to fire at Ukrainian forces, NATO officials said on Friday. The West has long accused Russia of supporting the separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, but this is the first time it has said it had evidence that the Russian military was operating in Ukrainian territory.

“The Russian move represents a significant escalation of the Kremlin’s involvement in the fighting there and comes as a convoy of [100] Russian trucks with [alleged] humanitarian provisions has crossed into Ukrainian territory without Kiev’s permission…

“NATO’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, criticized the Russian moves in a statement issued in Brussels on Friday. ‘I condemn the entry of a Russian so-called humanitarian convoy into Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian authorities and without any involvement of the International Committee of the Red Cross,’ Mr. Rasmussen’s statement said… adding: ‘We have also seen transfers of large quantities of advanced weapons, including tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery to separatist groups in Eastern Ukraine. Moreover, NATO is observing an alarming buildup of Russian ground and air forces in the vicinity of Ukraine.’”

BBC News added on August 22:

“Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the [aid lorries] convoy was a ‘pretence’, that allowed Russia to encroach on Ukraine through unauthorised means… Meanwhile, Lithuania – a fierce critic of Russia’s actions in Ukraine – has said its honorary consul in Luhansk has been [kidnapped and brutally] murdered ‘by terrorists’, a term routinely used by Ukraine for pro-Russian separatists… The news came amid reports that some Russian aid lorries had reached Luhansk without any permission from Ukraine.”

Deutsche Welle reported on August 25:

“Moscow says it is sending more humanitarian aid to Eastern Ukraine – despite international condemnation of a first such convoy. Kyiv refused permission for the move, accusing Moscow of aiding the rebels.”

The Associated Press reported on August 25:

“For several evenings this month, convoys of military weaponry passed with clockwork-like regularity through Krasnodon, a rebel-held town in eastern Ukraine near the porous border with Russia. The convoys were seen three times last week by Associated Press reporters, and one of them carried about 30 units of weaponry and supplies. All were coming from the direction of Russia and heading west to where pro-Moscow separatists were fighting Ukrainian troops.”

In spite of Russia’s continued denials and juvenile lies, it is obvious that they are supporting the separatists in eastern Ukraine with the ultimate goal of invading the area. In fact, notice this report from BBC News, dated August 27:

“Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had received Polish intelligence reports that regular units of the Russian army were operating inside Ukraine… Accusations that Russia is sending both weapons and men into eastern Ukraine gathered force this week when 10 Russian paratroopers were captured on Ukrainian territory, near the Russian border…”

In addition, the Washington Post wrote on August 28:

“Russian soldiers, tanks and heavy artillery began rolling into southeastern Ukraine in earnest Thursday, the Ukrainian government said, as well-armed detachments captured key towns, burned buildings and sent the under-equipped Ukrainian forces into full retreat — a show of military force that the United States now considers an invasion in all but name.”

Please view our newest StandingWatch program,“Will Russia Invade Eastern Ukraine?”

Angela Merkel Spearheading Efforts to Resolve Crisis in Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 23:

“Merkel… has been spearheading efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine… Germany has also been a major force behind the imposition of economic sanctions on Moscow… Since the outbreak of the crisis over four months ago, Merkel has regularly put pressure on Putin to use his influence on the separatists to bring an end to the fighting…”

Sounds good, even though it is clearly not good enough, but read the next article…

Merkel: Ukraine Can Go!

The EUObserver wrote on August 25:

“Germany’s Angela Merkel has said Ukraine is free to ‘go to’ Russia’s ‘Eurasian Union’, amid signs of a new willingness to make peace with Russian leader Vladimir Putin… ‘if Ukraine says we are going to the Eurasian Union now, the European Union would never make a big conflict out of it, but would insist on a voluntary decision,’ Merkel added. ‘I want to find a way, as many others do, which does not damage Russia. We [Germany] want to have good trade relations with Russia as well. We want reasonable relations with Russia. We are depending on one another and there are so many other conflicts in the world where we should work together, so I hope we can make progress’…

“[Some] fear Berlin is making a deal with Moscow over the heads of Brussels and Kiev… Andrey Illarionov, a former aide to Putin who works for the Cato Institute, a think tank in Washington, also wrote on his blog on Sunday there is a Merkel-Putin deal in the making. He said it includes: Ukraine talks with pro-Russia rebels that would freeze the conflict and give Putin de facto control of east Ukraine; a promise that Ukraine will never join the EU; a promise it will never join Nato.

“Merkel in her ARD interview said ‘Nato membership for Ukraine is not on the agenda’. She added that Poroshenko’s participation at a Nato summit in September in Wales is part of Nato-Ukraine co-operation, ‘but not membership.’”

One is reminded of the infamous non-aggression pact between Stalin and Hitler, which did not last long. Any peace agreement between Germany (or Europe) and Russia is predestined to fail.

Ukrainian Parliament Dissolved

BBC News reported on August 25:

“Ukraine’s president has dissolved parliament and called snap elections, as government forces continue to fight pro-Russian rebel forces in the east.

“Petro Poroshenko said many current MPs were backers of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and that the majority of Ukrainians wanted a new parliament. Elections would be held on 26 October, he said in a TV address.”

One wonders what is really behind this move.

The Gaza War Continues…

BBC News reported on August 22:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said military operations will ‘intensify’ after an Israeli boy was killed by fire from Gaza. The four-year-old died in a mortar attack on a southern Israeli village near the Gaza border. [The missile landed near a kindergarten in the Sdot Negev region.]

“Meanwhile Israeli air strikes have continued, killing at least four people on Friday, Palestinian officials say. More than 2,090 Palestinians – mostly civilians – and 67 Israelis have been killed in recent weeks.

“On Thursday, an Israeli air strike killed three senior Hamas leaders… on Friday, Hamas sources in Gaza said 18 people accused of collaborating with Israel had been executed…”

 
The Washington Post wrote on August 25:

“After 49 days of war, the armies of Israel and Hamas appear to have run out of new ideas — but not bombs… As the conflict enters its eighth week, the populations on both sides are less angry than exhausted… In Gaza, more than a quarter of the population has been at least temporarily displaced… In Israel, communities along the border with Gaza now resemble ghost towns, as families with children have fled…

“The 2006 Lebanon war between Israel and Hezbollah lasted 33 days. The last two wars in Gaza against Hamas, in 2009 and 2012, went 22 days and eight days, respectively. This time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning that a war that began July 8 might continue into September, when Israeli schoolchildren are scheduled to return to classes — a potential setback for Netanyahu and Israeli military leaders, who have made a return to ‘peace and quiet’ their metric for success…

“On Monday, Israel pounded two mosques that it said were used as storehouses for weapons or as meeting points for militants. For its part, Hamas has sworn that it will never surrender or give up its arms. In a raw display of power — or panic —the group publically executed 24 alleged collaborators over the past five days…

“But despite calls from the Israeli right wing to strike a decisive blow against Hamas, neither Netanyahu nor the Israeli majority appears to have the stomach for a massive ground invasion and the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, which is what it would take for Israel to bring the Islamist resistance movement to its knees… there are no public signs in Gaza that the people are putting pressure on Hamas to stop. Nor has the military or political wing of Hamas been hurt in any existential way — so it is possible that Hamas’s campaign will go on and on.”

We can safely say that Tuesday’s ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will not hold. Hamas declared already that they “will refuse to disarm, as demanded by Israel, until all ceasefire demands are met,” stating that “the latest 50 days of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas would not be the last round of conflict between the two…” (Deutsche Welle, August 28, 2014).

Iraq Conflict Intensifies at a Critical Moment

BBC News reported on August 22:

“An attack by suspected Shia militiamen on a Sunni mosque in Iraq’s Diyala province has killed at least 68 people. Officials say a bomber blew himself up in the mosque during Friday prayers and gunmen fired on fleeing worshippers…

“The attack is seen as a blow to government efforts to secure backing from Sunni groups in its battle against Islamic State (IS) jihadists [consisting of radical Sunnis].

“Prime Minister designate Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shia, is trying to form a more inclusive government… But two influential Sunni politicians… have suspended participation in talks on a new cabinet in protest at Friday’s massacre…

“It’s just the kind of sectarian provocation that is threatening to plunge the country back into the dark days of 2006 and 2007, when many thousands died in a vicious spiral of communal carnage… Bringing the Sunnis on board is a key element in the American strategy for isolating the Islamic State militants, who have capitalised on Iraqi Sunni grievances. But actions like the latest massacre in the mosque are not going to make that task any easier.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 23:

“A suicide bomb attack in Baghdad has killed at least 11 people, in what looks like revenge after Friday’s mass murder at a Sunni mosque… It was unclear Saturday whether the attack at the village mosque was carried out by Shiite militiamen or IS insurgents who have been advancing into mixed Sunni-Shiite areas in Diyala. Though IS is a self-proclaimed Sunni group, their fighters have also been known to kill Sunni Muslims who refuse to submit to their harsh interpretation of the Islamic code and Sharia law.”

Sunnis and Shiites will never work together under a powerful Islamist leader, as some suggest. They are too much divided amongst themselves.

Is ISIS Preparing to Blow Up Major US City?

Newsmax wrote on August 22:

“Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe has warned that Islamic State extremists are attempting to develop a weapon to blow up a major city in the United States. ‘We’re in the most dangerous position we’ve ever been in as a nation,’ the ranking GOP member of the Senate Armed Services Committee told Fox…

“Referring to the beheading of American journalist James Foley, Inhofe said that the terror group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has now set its sights on Americans and targets on U.S. soil. ‘They’re crazy out there, and they’re rapidly developing a method of blowing up a major U.S. city, and people just can’t believe that’s happening,’ he said.”

Cities which have been suggested as potential targets include New York, Chicago and Las Vegas.

IS Sleeper Cells in Europe and USA

Newsmax wrote on August 21:

“A former CIA officer said Thursday he has no doubt Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells are already planted on U.S. soil. An unnamed U.S. intelligence official told CNN there’s already an indication of ISIS sleeper cells in Europe that could target U.S. embassies and other American interests. But former CIA officer Bob Baer told the network ISIS is already on this side of the Atlantic. ‘I have been told with no uncertainty there are ISIS sleeper cells in this country,’ he said…

“In several telephone conversations with a Reuters reporter over the past few months, Islamic State fighters suggest their leader, Iraqi Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is planning something for the West – and that attacks could take place through sleeper cells in both Europe and the United States… About 100 Americans are being tracked by the FBI because of their travels to Syria, some to join ISIS, analysts say. And ISIS is actively recruiting Westerners and European Muslims who could easily enter the US.”

IS Recruit in Canada

The Telegraph wrote on August 25:

“A Canadian imam known for his pacifist sermons has warned that Islamist militant group IS was actively recruiting in Canada and said one member issued him a death threat… In February, intelligence services said at least 130 Canadians were fighting with IS in Iraq and Syria.”

James Foley’s Murderer Identified—Britons Fight for ISIS

Newsmax reported on August 24:

“A 23-year-old British former rapper was identified on Saturday by British security officials as the man suspected of beheading American journalist James Foley, according to news reports.  Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, who is said to be known by Islamic State members as ‘Jihadi John’ because of his British accent, was identified by unnamed British intelligence sources as the masked terrorist standing by Foley in a video ISIS posted on the Internet of the execution, The Sunday Times of London reports…

“Bary, whose music has been played on BBC radio, left his family’s home in West London last year to go to Syria, The Telegraph reports…

“According to the Evening Standard, Bary is the son of high-profile al-Qaida terror suspect Adel Abdul Bary, the Egyptian militant who was extradited to the United States in 2012 over allegations that he masterminded the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa…

“The British intelligence agencies and police estimate that up to 20 extremists from the U.K. are now traveling to Syria and Iraq to fight with ISIS every month, the Times reports…

“Britain’s Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Sunday that the killing of Foley by a man speaking with an English accent was an ‘utter betrayal of our country… our values and everything the British people stand for.’… Hammond also warned that IS was ‘turning a swathe of Iraq and Syria into a terrorist state as a base for launching attacks on the West.’ He added: ‘Unless they are stopped, sooner or later they will seek to strike us on British soil.’…

“More than 500 Britons have traveled to Syria or Iraq to fight with jihadists in the last few years…”

Ebola Outbreak Unprecedented

BBC News reported on August 22:

“The World Health Organization has said the speed and extent of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is ‘unprecedented’… The organisation confirmed 142 new cases of the disease had been reported since 19 August, as well as 77 deaths… At least 1,427 people have now died in the outbreak so far, with the number of cases now standing at 2,615…

“In Liberia on Friday, a boy of 16 shot during a protest about a quarantine died… Senegal has defended the closure of its border with Guinea because of the Ebola outbreak…

“Senegal also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – the three worst-hit countries… Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya and South Africa have also imposed travel bans.”

President Obama Plays Golf on Vacation—Indifferent to the Turmoil Surrounding Him?

The New York Times wrote on August 21:

“He had just hung up the telephone with the devastated parents before heading in front of the cameras. Unusually emotional, President Obama declared himself ‘heartbroken’ by the brutal murder of an American journalist, James Foley, and vowed to ‘be relentless’ against Islamic radicals threatening to kill another American.

“But as soon as the cameras went off, Mr. Obama headed to his favorite golf course on Martha’s Vineyard, where he is on vacation, seemingly able to put the savagery out of his mind. He spent the rest of the afternoon on the links even as a firestorm of criticism erupted over what many saw as a callous indifference to the slaughter he had just condemned…

“Yet the juxtaposition of his indignant denunciation of terrorists and his outing on the greens this week underscored the unintended consequences of such a remove… after the outcry over Wednesday’s game, he defied the critics by golfing again on Thursday, his eighth outing in 11 days on the island.

“It was all the more striking given that Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain canceled his vacation after the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria released the video showing Mr. Foley’s death because the accent of the masked killer suggested he came from Britain.

“… the criticism went beyond the usual political opponents. Privately, many Democrats shook their heads at what they considered a judgment error. Ezra Klein, editor in chief of the online news site Vox, who is normally sympathetic to Mr. Obama, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that ‘golfing today is in bad taste.’ The Daily News published a front-page photograph of a grinning president in a golf cart next to a picture of Mr. Foley’s distraught mother and father…”

“Mr. Obama is not the first president to get in trouble with a golf club in hand. On the course one day in 2002, President George W. Bush delivered a tough-worded statement denouncing a suicide bombing in Israel and then, barely missing a beat, told reporters, ‘Now, watch this drive.’ Mr. Bush later concluded that such scenes sent a bad message, and in the fall of 2003, with the Iraq war raging, he gave up golf for the remainder of his presidency.”

“What Is It About August?” – Troubles Galore

The Associated Press reported on August 25:

“While in office, former President George H. W. Bush once plaintively asked, ‘What is it about August?’

“Indeed, this sultry month usually associated with the doldrums of summer has burdened modern presidents with personal, domestic or international crises. And for President Barack Obama, who returned to Washington Sunday from a two-week Martha’s Vineyard vacation, what remains of the August calendar looks perhaps more daunting than when he left.

“Islamic militants personalized their fight in Iraq and Syria by beheading American journalist James Foley. Russia escalated tensions in Europe by moving artillery and troops on the Ukrainian border… And a Chinese fighter jet provocatively buzzed a Navy plane in international air space…

“Obama faces his own self-imposed end-of-summer deadline for how to sidestep Congress on changes to U.S. immigration policies. And while racial tensions in Ferguson, Missouri, over the police killing of an unarmed young black man have subsided, the St. Louis suburb remains under the White House’s wary gaze…

“He certainly is not the first commander in chief to find August so vexing.

“President George H.W. Bush had to respond to Saddam Hussein’s August 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Bill Clinton admitted to an inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinski in August of 1998 and days later ordered air strikes against terrorist bases in Afghanistan in retaliation for the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania earlier in the month.

“For Obama, it’s the overseas trouble spots in Iraq and Syria and along Ukraine’s eastern border that present the president with his most immediate challenge… Obama, who has already ordered limited air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq, now must decide whether to expand that fight into Syria — a step he has previously been reluctant to take…”

Strong Earthquake Hits California

Deutsche Welle reported on August 24:

“California has been struck by its strongest earthquake in 25 years, with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale [later downgraded to 6.0]… The quake, which was the region’s strongest since 1989, struck at 3:20 am local time, 6 kilometers (3 miles) northwest of American Canyon and 64 km northeast of San Francisco… the epicenter was located only 11 km under the earth’s surface…

“California lies on the San Andreas Fault, which forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, two of the large moving plates that form the Earth’s crust. In 1906, a devastating San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires destroyed over 80 percent of the city, killing more than 3,000 people. In 1989, San Francisco was hit by 6.9-magnitude earthquake, also known as the Loma Prieta earthquake, resulting in 63 deaths and close to 4,000 injuries.”

The website of nbcbayarea.com added on August 24:

“Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency after a 6.0-magnitude quake jolted the Bay Area early Sunday morning, igniting fires, damaging buildings, injuring dozens, knocking out power to tens of thousands and sending residents running out of their homes in the darkness…”

CBS SF reported on August 25:

“In just over 24 hours following the… Sunday earthquake the USGS recorded 124 minor quakes and counting in the area… The largest of the tremors was 3.6 magnitude, just hours after the initial earthquake.

“Immediately following the quake seismologists said there was over a fifty percent chance that a magnitude 5.0 earthquake will hit within the week in the same area, though that percentage begins to drop significantly more than 24 hours after the initial earthquake…

“Seismologists believed there was a 5-percent chance of an even larger quake over magnitude 6.0 in the next few days.”

On August 24, another “large 6.9-magnitude earthquake has struck a sparsely populated area of central Peru” (The Associated Press).

French Government Collapses

Deutsche Welle reported on August 25:

“The French government has resigned after infighting in the cabinet about the country’s economy. French President Francois Hollande has announced there will be a cabinet reshuffle… The new ministers will not include former economics minister Arnaud Montebourg, whose harsh criticism of French austerity sparked the government’s collapse.”

Even though France would like to become the leader of continental Europe, they will have to realize that it is Germany which is pre-ordained to fulfill that leadership role in these end times.

Europe Sends Weapons to Iraq

Deutsche Welle reported on August 15:

“The European Union agreed on Friday to back the arming of the Pashmerga – Kurdish Iraqis who are fighting against IS militants. Individual EU governments now have the go-ahead to send weapons as long as they have the consent of national authorities…

“Britain and France have already begun plans to provide weapons to Iraqi forces… Most surprising was the support from EU member states who are historically less inclined to supply military arms abroad, such as Germany…”

The Local added on August 20:

“Germany is ready to send weapons to support Iraqi Kurds in their battle against the “barbaric” jihadist militants of the Islamic State, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Wednesday… He called the onslaught of the IS ‘barbaric’, the suffering of refugees ‘unimaginable’…

“Sending military hardware is unusual for Germany which, burdened by its past aggression in two world wars, shies from foreign military engagements and as a rule does not export weapons into live conflict zones. Critics oppose the idea of sending weapons to a war zone where fighters and arms can quickly change sides…

“The change of position is politically difficult in Germany, where recent polls have shown more than 70 percent of respondents reject the idea of German arms shipments to Iraq…”

Der Spiegel Online reported on August 20 that the Kurds are terribly divided among themselves, and at least one of the groups fighting ISIS (the “PPK”) has formerly been classified as a terrorist group by the USA, EU und Turkey.

Pope Endorses Use of Force

The Associated Press reported on August 18:

“Pope Francis… was asked if he approved of the unilateral U.S. airstrikes on militants of the Islamic State who have captured swaths of northern and western Iraq and northeastern Syria and have forced minority Christians and others to either convert to Islam or flee their homes.

“‘In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor,’ Francis said. ‘I underscore the verb “stop.” I’m not saying “bomb” or “make war,” just “stop.”’… But, he said, in history, such ‘excuses’ to stop an unjust aggression have been used by world powers to justify a ‘war of conquest’ in which an entire people have been taken over.

“‘One nation alone cannot judge how you stop this, how you stop an unjust aggressor,’ he said, apparently referring to the United States…

“… the Vatican has been increasingly showing support for military intervention in Iraq, given that Christians are being directly targeted because of their faith and that Christian communities which have existed for 2,000 years have been emptied as a result of the extremists’ onslaught…

“Church teaching allows for ‘just wars,’ when military force can be justified under certain circumstances. And in recent days, a few Vatican officials have edged increasingly toward acknowledging the Iraq situation fits the bill… The Vatican’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi [said]… ‘Maybe military action is necessary at this moment.’”

The Catholic Church’s teaching on “just wars” is not in accordance with the Bible. In the past, it has caused much injustice and terrible atrocities. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?”    

Pope Francis Only Three More Years to Live… May Retire Sooner?

AFP reported on August 18 that “Pope Francis (77) on Monday publicly broached the prospect of his own death for the first time, giving himself ‘two or three years’ but not ruling out retirement before then.”

The article went on to cite Pope Francis as saying: “I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud. Because I know it will last only a short time. Two or three years and then I’ll be off…”

The article also stated that “a Vatican source said he had previously told those close to him that he thought he only had a few years left,” and that “Pope Francis also mentioned the possibility of retiring from the Papacy, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did last year, if he felt he could no longer adequately perform his duties… Resigning the papacy was a possibility ‘even if it does not appeal to some theologians’, he told reporters. He added that 60 years ago it was practically unheard of for Catholic bishops to retire, but nowadays it was common. ‘Benedict XVI opened a door,’ he said.”

Are the IS Terrorists Unstoppable?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 18:

“Last week, thousands of Yazidis were evacuated from the Sinjar Mountains in Iraq, where they had fled due to marauding fighters from the Islamic State. Kurdish fighters from the PKK helped them escape, but it remains unclear if anyone can stop the IS jihadists…

“[There have been] stories of neighbors who suddenly became turned into their enemies, becoming accomplices to the IS… First, a discrete network of informants was established over a long period of time, including Arabs from surrounding villages, Turkmens and even some Kurds. The informants then directed the Islamist fighters to the houses full of valuables and showed them where Sunnis, Christians and Yazidis lived. The result was that the IS knew how strong their opponent was and who they should kill first. It’s the same blueprint the group followed in their attacks on cities and villages in northern Syria and on the Iraqi city of Mosul at the beginning of June…

“… the precision air strikes launched by American F-18 fighter jets have not stopped the IS… assault weapons and rocket-propelled grenades have proven ineffective in stopping the jihadist fighters, equipped as they are with armored Humvees, rocket launchers and artillery captured from the Iraqi army. It is weaponry that was initially delivered to the Iraqi military by the United States…”

This might remind us of end-time events when, on a grand scale, “friends” and “neighbors” will betray true Christians to dictatorial governments.

IS’ Brutal Murder of an American Journalist

BBC News reported on August 20:

“Prime Minister David Cameron has said the… beheading of a US journalist by an Islamic State militant with an English accent is ‘shocking and depraved’. James Foley, 40, has been missing since he was seized in Syria in 2012… The Metropolitan Police… warned that ‘viewing, downloading or disseminating’ the video may be an offence under terrorism legislation…

“Earlier Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told BBC Breakfast the government was aware of ‘significant numbers’ of British nationals involved with extremist organisations overseas… ‘We’re absolutely aware that there are significant numbers of British nationals involved in terrible crimes, probably in the commission of atrocities, making jihad with Isil [now known as IS—“Islamic State”] and other extremist organisations,’ he said… It is estimated that IS, which has seized large parts of northern Iraq and Syria, has up to 400 recruits from the UK in its ranks.”

The New York Times wrote on August 20:

“President Obama declared that the entire world was ‘appalled’ by the beheading of an American journalist by militants in Syria… The president called ISIS a ‘cancer’ in the region and accused them of having ‘rampaged across cities and villages, killing unarmed civilians in cowardly acts of violence.’ He said it had committed torture and rape against innocent women and children and continued to enslave those they did not kill…

“Mr. Obama gave no indication that the gruesome video would change United States strategy in Iraq, although he vowed to protect Americans from the militants and bring those responsible to justice. He made no mention of Mr. Sotloff, who was shown in a similar orange outfit to the one Mr. Foley was wearing. Mr. Sotloff’s life depends on Mr. Obama’s ‘next move,’ a masked militant in the video says…

“But the killing of Mr. Foley and the subsequent threat of another slaying if the United States continues to target militants in Syria and Iraq creates a searing and personal dilemma for the president: he cannot give in to demands from terrorists, but continuing the bombing of militants in Iraq could lead directly to another gruesome death of an American.

“The video could intensify pressure on Mr. Obama to broaden the American military offensive against ISIS… Republican lawmakers who have been pressing for a more aggressive American response against ISIS seized on the beheading as evidence that Mr. Obama had not done enough to confront the Sunni militants and to acknowledge them as a direct threat to Americans…”

Did Syria’s Assad Turn James Foley Over to ISIS?

Business Insider wrote on August 20:

“Following the grisly murder of an American journalist by extremist militants, one key question remains: How did ISIS abduct James Foley, who was widely considered to be in the custody of groups loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad?…

“Bashar al-Assad helped create ISIS by releasing many of its original members from Syria’s notorious Sednaya prison on May 31, 2011. He then let the group metastasize over three years to build a narrative that if the U.S. wants to choose sides in the Syrian war, it has to choose between the regime and ISIS…

“… it is well within Assad’s means and motives to give Western captors to the extremists that he helped make strong. ‘This is now the key question: Was Foley taken by the Assad regime?’ Middle East analyst Kyle Orton writes. If he was, then those who believe that Bashar al-Assad is a bulwark against [extremist jihadists] have yet another question to answer about their thesis.’” 

EU Offers to Take Charge of Gaza’s Border Crossings

The Associated Press reported on August 16:

“The European Union offered Friday to take charge of Gaza’s border crossings and work to prevent illegal arms flows, insisting on a durable truce and saying a return to the status quo before the latest war ‘is not an option.’…

“The EU is prepared ‘to play a strong role’ in managing the crossings while assuring that Israel’s security is guaranteed, said the 28-nation bloc’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton… The EU foreign ministers said the bloc is also prepared to prevent arms smuggling and launch a training program for Palestinian Authority police and customs officers to be deployed in Gaza…

“Israel… has demanded that Hamas be disarmed — a non-starter for the militant group — or at the very least be prevented from re-arming. Hamas… has an arsenal of several thousand rockets, some of which can reach major Israeli cities.”

Ultimately, Europe will play a major political role in the Middle East, claiming that military invasion and occupation may be necessary to establish “peace” in the region.

Gaza Fighting Continues…

Deutsche Welle reported on August 20:

“Israel is continuing strikes on the Gaza Strip. A ceasefire broke down Tuesday amid rocket fire, air attacks and the failure by negotiators to agree on a longer-term truce.

“The most recent airstrikes took place Wednesday, when Israeli media reported the military had killed Hamas leader Mohamed Deif. A woman and child were killed in a Gaza City airstrike on Tuesday night, with speculation circulating through the media that they were Deif’s wife and child. [This was confirmed by the New York Times, on August 20.]… Hamas officials say Deif was not killed…

“In Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called together his security Cabinet to discuss Israel’s next steps. Hard-liners in the prime minister’s government have called on him to launch a broad military operation against Hamas, the Palestinian political faction that runs Gaza.

“Israel’s government has faced international criticism over its military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The war has destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in Gaza and seriously damaged its infrastructure, including water systems and the only power plant. More than 10,000 people have been left homeless in Gaza.”

More Terrorist Groups in Gaza

In addition to Hamas, JTA wrote on August 15 about additional terrorist organizations in Gaza which are determined to destroy Israel:

“Palestinian Islamic Jihad — Sometimes known in Israel simply as Jihad, this is the second-biggest terrorist group in Gaza after Hamas. Founded in 1979 as a break-away from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Jihad resembles Hamas in many ways. It’s a Palestinian national movement, it receives funding from Iran and has a small social service wing that includes schools, hospitals and family mediation services… It is also party to the negotiations taking place in Cairo…

“The Popular Resistance Committees, or PRC, is a break-away from the Palestinian Fatah Party, which governs the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The PRC was founded in 2000 and opposes Fatah’s peace process with Israel. Unlike many groups operating in Gaza, the PRC is not Islamist. In 2012, Yediot Aharonot estimated that it was the third-strongest militia in Gaza and that it receives much of its funding from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran…

“There are a number of jihadi groups reported to be active in Gaza and allied with, or supportive of, the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda agenda of reestablishing an international Islamic caliphate. Among them [is] the Army of Islam…

“[Other terrorist groups are] Tawhid wal’Jihad [and] Jund Ansar Allah…”

Truly, Israel is surrounded by enemies…

Did Ukraine Destroy Russian Military Vehicles?

AFP wrote on August 15:

“Ukraine said on Friday it had destroyed part of a Russian armoured column that entered onto its territory in an incursion that has sent cross-border tensions rocketing. NATO accused Russia of active involvement in the ‘destabilisation’ of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Kremlin separatists have been fighting against Kiev for four months…

“Fears that the border clash could spill into all-out war between Kiev and Moscow sent major share markets tumbling across Europe and the United States…

“The European Union demanded that Russia ‘put an immediate stop to any form of border hostilities, in particular to the flow of arms, military advisers and armed personnel into the conflict region, and to withdraw its forces from the border.’…

“NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen backed reports of the ‘Russian incursion’ after British media said it had seen the column of some 20 military vehicles cross the border on Thursday.”

Steinmeier Warns of War

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 17:

“German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the conflict should not turn into ‘a direct confrontation between Ukrainian and Russian armed forces.’… The separatists shot down another Ukrainian warplane overnight. A military spokesman confirmed the downing of the Mig-29 fighter in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, saying the pilot had ejected and been found after a search.

“Separatists have brought down some 10 Ukrainian aircraft since June. They also stand accused of having shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on July 17, killing 298 people…”

Europe is very concerned that Russia might intervene in Ukraine, and they should be. Based on Scripture, a collaboration between Russia and Ukraine will occur, which will ultimately be directed against Europe. Then, a powerful political and military European leader, the beast or the king of the North, will try to stop Russia and other Far Eastern nations militarily, but he will not succeed.

Useless Talks

Deutsche Welle reported on august 18:

“The Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on Monday traded accusations after unconfirmed reports that rocket fire had hit a convoy of buses carrying refugees from the city of Luhansk… [A Ukrainian] spokesman said rebels were responsible for the strike and that the death toll was still unknown. However, rebel sources claimed that the government had carried out the attack on the convoy.

“Around 500 people a day have been leaving the city, a rebel stronghold that has been under siege from government forces and left almost without water or electricity for more than two weeks…

“The reports come after crisis talks in Berlin on Sunday between the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France aimed at bringing peace to the region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that the talks had brought no progress toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine…

“However, Lavrov said that ‘all questions’ regarding a Russian humanitarian convoy to Ukraine had been resolved with Kyiv and the Red Cross. The convoy has been parked at the border between Russia and Ukraine for days amid objections from Kyiv…

“The conflict in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking east is in a critical phase, with Kyiv and Western governments fearing a possible Russian military intervention in support of the pro-Moscow insurgents, in view of a build-up of troops on Ukraine’s border…”

Now It’s Germany Spying on Clinton, Kerry and Turkey

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 18:

“A few months ago, following revelations about the NSA tapping her cell phone, Merkel famously stated, ‘Spying between friends is simply unacceptable.’ This quote is now being used in nearly every report about the alleged espionage carried out by Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND).

“A major humiliation for the German government could be in the works. After all, it was only recently that German politicians were harshly criticizing the US for spying on Germany. And Germany also expelled the top CIA official in the country after the activities of two US spies came to light.

“Now it has been revealed that the BND intercepted at least one call made by Hillary Clinton during her time as US secretary of state in 2012. The German government has responded by saying that the call was picked up ‘by accident’ as part of an intelligence-gathering focus on the Middle East. And in 2013 the agency allegedly recorded a call made by Clinton’s successor John Kerry…

“But while it seems that the Clinton and Kerry calls intercepted by the BND were indeed just a by-catch, the agency has been accused of not deleting one of them as it claims to do.

“Meanwhile, the German government has indirectly confirmed media reports that the BND has been spying on fellow NATO country Turkey for years… Turkey belongs to the core target countries under observation by the German intelligence service…

“The German government has defended this line of practice vehemently, saying that Turkey cannot be compared to the US or European countries like France and Great Britain. What happens in Turkey has a direct influence on domestic security in Germany, government sources told FAS. This includes the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, left- and right-wing Turkish groups in Germany, drug smugglers and people smugglers… According to Christian Democratic Union faction deputy chairman Andreas Schockenhoff, all of this justifies systematic spying on Turkey – a NATO member and EU accession candidate.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 18:

“Turkey on Monday summoned the German ambassador in Ankara, Eberhard Pohl… after news magazine Der Spiegel reported on the weekend that Germany’s intelligence services had been spying on its NATO ally since 2009.  In a statement, Turkey’s foreign ministry said such spying would be ‘a serious matter’ if the report were true…”

These are embarrassing developments for Germany, and they will not help to better the relationship between Germany and the USA… or Turkey.

Racial Tension and Police Misconduct in Missouri

Deutsche Welle reported on August 15:

“Information released by police was met with skepticism after the shooting of an unarmed black teenager [Michael Brown] by a white police officer [Officer Wilson], which sparked outrage and put the spotlight on racial tension and police conduct…

“According to information released by authorities on Friday, the young black man had been a suspect in a ‘strong-arm robbery’ of nearly 50 dollars’ worth of cigarillos at a convenience store with a friend before he was shot dead around noon time… the family’s lawyers [were] claiming the link with the robbery was a ‘devious attempt’ to smear the teenager. ‘There is nothing based on the facts that have been placed before us that can justify the execution-style murder of their child by this police officer as he held his hands up, which is the universal sign of surrender,’ the lawyers added.

“Officer Wilson had not known that Brown had been a suspect in a robbery at the time of the shooting, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said. He declined to comment on why the officer had stopped the two teens…”

The Associated Press reported on August 18:

“An unarmed black teenager killed by a white officer in Missouri was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, a preliminary private autopsy has found… The autopsy by Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner, found that one of the bullets entered the top of Michael Brown’s skull… Witnesses say the teenager had his hands in the air as the officer fired multiple rounds.

“Baden told the [New York] Times that Brown was also shot four times in the right arm and that all the bullets were fired into his front. The newspaper said the bullets did not appear to have come from very close range because there was no gunpowder on his body.”

Racial and ethnic strife and misconduct by an increasingly “militarized” police force are major problems in the USA.

Missouri Keeps Arresting German Journalists

“‘To be arrested and yelled at and be rudely treated by police I had to travel to Ferguson and St. Louis in the United States of America,’ writes [a German] veteran reporter of his ordeal. Ansgar Graw and Frank Hermann were cuffed and jailed for three hours the day after arriving in the beleaguered suburb of St. Louis. Graw and Hermann were there to cover the town of Ferguson, whose African-American population has clashed fiercely with local police since the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer on August 9.

“The journalists had wanted to take pictures of a burned out gas station on Florissant Avenue, the street at the centre of the week-long protest. The building was looted and burned the night of Brown’s death. ‘The street was empty at the time, there was no hint of violence or riotous assembly,’ Graw wrote for Die Welt of his ordeal… Graw took the pictures… but was then cuffed in zip ties… The [young] officer gave his name as Donald Duck.

“This was Graw’s first arrest. ‘This was a very new experience. I’ve been in several conflict zones: I was in the civil war regions in Georgia, the Gaza strip, illegally visited the Kaliningrad region when travel to the Soviet Union was still strictly prohibited for westerners, I’ve been in Iraq, Vietnam and in China, I’ve met Cuba dissidents. But to be arrested and yelled at and be rudely treated by police? For that I had to travel to Ferguson and St. Louis in the United States of America.’

“[A] Tabloid paper also wrote on Tuesday that one of their reporters had also been arrested by police in Ferguson. Lukas Hermsmeier spent the night in St. Louis County Jail in Clayton, Missouri.”

The tabloid paper was Bild, the most influential and popular tabloid in Germany, and normally very supportive of and friendly towards the USA. Bild has been reporting ever since on a daily basis about their journalist’s ordeal, expressing their outrage and consternation with American injustice and incompetency.  Apart from the militarization of police forces in America, it seems that many (young) police officers are simply not up to the task and due to their feelings of power and superiority, they act in a (perceived or real) conflict situation in a manner which is outside the bounds of propriety and sound reasoning.

A Feeling of Being Left Behind

The Washington Post wrote on August 18:

“Our society expects the police to keep unemployed, poorly educated African American men out of sight and out of mind. When they suddenly take center stage, illuminated by the flash and flicker of Molotov cocktails, we feign surprise…

“Millions of African Americans took advantage of the opportunities created by the civil rights movement to climb into the middle class — and in some cases far beyond, as exemplified by President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.

“Yet millions of other black Americans did not reach the middle class. This group, mired in poverty and dysfunction, finds the paths others took are blocked. They live in neighborhoods with failing schools that cannot prepare them for today’s economy. Secure, high-paying blue-collar jobs are a thing of the past. Racial bias in policing means African Americans are much more likely to be arrested and jailed for minor nonviolent offenses, such as drug possession, than whites who commit the same crimes.

“Increasingly, these African Americans who were left behind are invisible… What happens in poor black neighborhoods has less and less to do with the everyday lives of middle-class Americans, white or black.

“Yet in Ferguson and other such pockets across the nation, millions of young black men and women grow up knowing that the deck is stacked against them. Did Michael Brown have a chip on his shoulder? Not according to his friends and family, although the convenience store video suggests otherwise…

“Brown had no police record. He had graduated from high school. He was about to enter a technical college. Given where he came from, it’s hard to do a whole lot better — and easy to do a whole lot worse.

“Now that the streets are filled with incoherent rage — and the rioting must be strongly condemned — we can see Brown’s struggle. Momentarily, at least. After the smoke clears, we will be blind once again.”

Shocking! America—the Richest Nation on Earth—One of the POOREST?

cnsnews.com reported on August 20:

“109,631,000 Americans lived in households that received benefits from one or more federally funded ‘means-tested programs”’— also known as welfare — as of the fourth quarter of 2012, according to data released Tuesday by the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau has not yet reported how many were on welfare in 2013 or the first two quarters of 2014.

“But the 109,631,000 living in households taking federal welfare benefits as of the end of 2012, according to the Census Bureau, equaled 35.4 percent of all 309,467,000 people living in the United States at that time.

“When those receiving benefits from non-means-tested federal programs — such as Social Security, Medicare, unemployment and veterans benefits — were added to those taking welfare benefits, it turned out that 153,323,000 people were getting federal benefits of some type at the end of 2012.

“Subtract the 3,297,000 who were receiving veterans’ benefits from the total, and that leaves 150,026,000 people receiving non-veterans’ benefits.

“The 153,323,000 total benefit-takers at the end of 2012, said the Census Bureau, equaled 49.5 percent of the population. The 150,026,000 taking benefits other than veterans’ benefits equaled about 48.5 percent of the population.

“When America re-elected President Barack Obama in 2012, we had not quite reached the point where more than half the country was taking benefits from the federal government. It is a reasonable bet, however, that with the implementation of Obamacare — with its provisions expanding Medicaid and providing health-insurance subsidies to people earning up to 400 percent of poverty — that if we have not already surpassed that point (not counting those getting veterans benefits) we soon will.

“… the CIA World Factbook says there are 142,470,272 people in Russia. So, the 150,026,000 people getting non-veterans federal benefits in the United States at the end of 2012 outnumbered all the people in Russia.

“63,742,977 people live in the United Kingdom and 44,291,413 live in the Ukraine, says the CIA. So, the combined 108,034,390 people in these two nations was about 1,596,610 less than 109,631,000 collecting welfare in the United States.

“It may be more telling, however, to compare the 109,631,000 Americans taking federal welfare benefits at the end of 2012 to Americans categorized by other characteristics.

“In 2012, according to the Census Bureau, there were 103,087,000 full-time year-round workers in the United States (including 16,606,000 full-time year-round government workers). Thus, the welfare-takers outnumbered full-time year-round workers by 6,544,000.

“California, the nation’s most-populated state, contained an estimated 38,332,521 people in 2013, says the Census Bureau. Texas had 26,448,193 people, New York had 19,651,127, and Florida had 19,552,860. But the combined 103,984,701 people in these four massive states still fell about 5,646,299 short of the 109,631,000 people on welfare.

“In the fourth quarter of 2008, when President Obama was elected, there were 96,197,000 people living in households taking benefits from one or more federal welfare programs. After four years, by the fourth quarter of 2012, that had grown by 13,434,000…”

These numbers do not point at a success story under President Obama’s leadership. But they also show the incredible decline of America’s prosperity, which can only be explained by the fact that God has been withdrawing His blessings, as it was prophesied to occur, due to our national and individual sins. 

Oregon to Pay for Transgender Surgeries

The Associated Press reported on August 14:

“Oregon’s Medicaid program will soon pay for gender reassignment surgery, hormone therapy and other treatments for transgender patients, becoming… the third state besides the District of Columbia to extend coverage to gender dysphoria treatments…  ‘This is an historic step forward toward fairness and equality for transgender Oregonians,’ said Danielle Askini, policy director for the advocacy group Basic Rights Oregon. Oregon joins California, Vermont and Washington, D.C., in covering gender dysphoria treatments under Medicaid, Askini said.

“The coverage for gender dysphoria, previously known as gender identity disorder, is set to begin Jan. 1. The Oregon Health Authority still must formally change its rules to eliminate a prohibition against covering gender reassignment surgery…  Oregon insurance regulators in 2012 ordered private insurance companies to cover treatments for gender dysphoria. A lawsuit forced the state to cover treatments for public employees.

“With Medicaid patients gaining coverage, the last segment of Oregon’s health insurance market not required to cover gender dysphoria treatments is the Oregon Educators Benefit Board, which covers school district employees, Askini said.”

This is truly a terrible testimony against a country claiming to uphold Christian and biblical values. By no stretch of the imagination could it ever be said that the true God of the Bible would remotely support transgender operations. He calls this kind of conduct a blatant abomination.

Rick Perry Indicted

Newsmax reported on August 17:

“Texas Gov. Rick Perry, indicted late Friday [by a grand jury] on abuse of power charges, said he would make the same decision if the situation repeated itself. Perry is accused of threatening to withhold funding from the Travis County District Attorney’s Office after D.A. Rosemary Lehmberg, who was arrested for driving while intoxicated and seen in a police station video kicking a door and demanding to see the sheriff. ‘This is not the way we settle differences —  political differences —  in this country,’ Perry said of the indictment in an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ ‘You don’t do it with indictments. We settle our political differences at the ballot box.’

“The two felony counts of abuse of power against Perry could result in up to 99 years in prison if he is convicted. Perry told Fox News he takes the rule of law seriously, but doesn’t believe he has broken any laws. Instead, he said, he had done the same thing governors have done for decades…

“The indictment does not deal with Perry’s veto of $7.5 million in funding for the D.A. office’s public integrity unit. He is legally entitled to veto any law passed by the Texas Legislature. Instead, the charges are based on Perry’s public statements threatening to withhold the funds if Lehmberg refused to resign. That action constituted using his official capacity to coerce a public servant, the indictment claims.

“But Perry pointed out that liberals such as David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, and Alan Dershowitz, noted Harvard Law professor, have called the Perry indictment politically questionable.”

Dershowitz “Outraged” Over Perry’s “Political” Indictment

Newsmax wrote in an accompanying article, dated August 17:

“Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz calls himself a ‘liberal Democrat who would never vote for Rick Perry,’ but he’s still ‘outraged’ over the Texas governor’s indictment Friday on charges of abuse of power and coercion. The charges are politically motivated and an example of a ‘dangerous’ trend of courts being used to affect the ballot box and politics, he told Newsmax on Saturday.

“‘Everybody, liberal or conservative, should stand against this indictment,’ Dershowitz said… ‘This is another example of the criminalization of party differences…  This idea of an indictment is an extremely dangerous trend in America, whether directed at [former House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay or [former President] Bill Clinton.’ Further, Dershowitz said, such indictments are something that’s done in totalitarian countries and should not be done in the United States…

“Dershowitz also told Newsmax Perry was well within his rights when he vetoed the money for Lehmberg’s office, as he ‘saw a drunk serving as DA’ who ‘shouldn’t be enforcing criminal law.’ Dershowitz believes Perry will be acquitted, and the indictment will become an embarrassment to those involved.

“Perry is often named as a potential candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016, and has opted not to seek a fourth term as governor of Texas…”

Some Republicans Partly Responsible?

Breitbart added on August 18:

“In light of the malicious prosecution of Governor Rick Perry, Republican lawmakers are rushing to jump on the bandwagon opposing the Democrats politically motivated action. But several House Republicans loyal to liberal House Speaker, Joe Straus, bear responsibility for setting the stage leading to the indictments.

“In fact, 18 Republicans joined with the chamber’s Democrats in stopping Gov. Perry’s 2013 initiative to move the Public Integrity Unit out from under convicted drunk driver Rosemary Lehmberg, Travis county’s Democrat district attorney.”

Politics IS such a dirty business!

Ebola Out of Control

The Sidney Morning Herald wrote on August 16:

“The Ebola crisis in west Africa is outstripping the ability of aid organisations to stem the epidemic, the head of international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Friday, likening it to a war. ‘It’s moving, and advancing, but we have no clue how it’s going. Like in a war time, we have a total collapse of infrastructure,’ she added. The outbreak started at the beginning of this year in the forested border zone between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and has also spread to Nigeria.”

The Mirror wrote on August 17:

“Here in the hellish Ebola zone of West Africa, the victims’ remains have to be cremated quickly as even the dead are contagious. This is the heart-breaking drudgery of life in disease-racked Liberia, where the worst outbreak of this violent disease in history claims fresh lives daily. The World Health Organisation admitted that the official death toll of 1,145 in the region ‘vastly underestimates the magnitude of the outbreak’…

“Survival rates are less than 40%, and there is no vaccine or treatment… That is why the capital Monrovia is currently gripped by paranoia and ­suspicion over the spread of the disease… Yet in the filthy slums, many seem to be going about their… business as normal. Torrential rain [turns]  the shanty town tracks into a putrid quagmire. It must be the ideal breeding ground for a virus so contagious a quick touch on the arm from a sufferer is apparently enough to spread it. By the time you know you should have been more careful, it might already be too late… Incubation can take up to 21 days…”

The Bible prophesies that worldwide diseases and pandemics will increase in these last days, just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy—From Now Until Forever.”

Hamas Reign of Terror

The Times of Israel reported on August 12:

“Israel may wish that Gaza’s dire situation would push residents of the Strip to rise up against their Hamas rulers, but more than a month into Operation Protective Edge, there are very few indications of that happening…

“Bassem Eid, a veteran Jerusalem-based human rights activist and political analyst, said that Gazans are reluctant to demonstrate for fear of Hamas… ‘Hamas has a physical presence in almost every house in Gaza and can listen to what’s being said. It’s a Stasi regime par excellence,’ he continued, referring to the East German secret police notorious for its eavesdropping capabilities…

“‘The population is much more scared of Hamas than it is of the Israeli soldiers,’ Eid said. Hamas, for its part, is more worried about the possible return of control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority than it is of an Israeli military incursion…

“Palestinian Authority media repeatedly gives credence to Eid’s reports of an atmosphere of terror in Gaza. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA has told of Fatah activists being placed under house arrest by Hamas from the early days of the Israeli operation. Fatah’s official Facebook page reported shots being fired at the legs of Fatah members, including the bodyguards of Fatah official Abdullah Ifranji…

“But Mkheimer Abusada, a political science professor at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, said that anti-Hamas demonstrations were unlikely to emerge in a society which largely regards Israel as the main cause of its suffering. ‘Even if there’s anger at Hamas, people are mostly angry at Israel,’ Abusada told The Times of Israel in a phone conversation from Gaza. ‘Hamas may bear responsibility for the war, but it’s Israel which is destroying homes and killing civilians.’ (Of almost 2,000 deaths reported by health officials in the Hamas-run Strip, Israel says 750-1,000 are Hamas and other gunmen.)…

“Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza have launched over 3,000 rockets and mortar shells into Israel during Operation Protective Edge, many of them from densely populated areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has charged Hamas with using the civilian population in Gaza as ‘human shields’ — firing rockets and building tunnels from residential areas, providing Gazans with no protection, and sometimes even urging civilians to remain in fighting zones despite IDF warnings — while Hamas’s leadership has taken to hiding in underground tunnels. But Abusada indicated that Gazans viewed themselves as victims of Israel, not Hamas…”

There is a REASON why Hamas has been rightly classified as a terrorist organization. All the sugarcoating by analysts such as Professor Abusuda notwithstanding, it is surprising that people cannot see what is really going on. Of course, one looks for a scapegoat, and Israel has always been an easy target. This has been prophesied to occur, especially in these end times. 

There Will Be Miracles… If You Believe…

Jews News wrote on August 6:

“An Israeli commander claimed that hundreds of Israeli lives were saved recently when ‘the hand of God’ stopped a Hamas rocket:

“‘A missile was fired from Gaza. Iron Dome precisely calculated [its trajectory]. We know where these missiles are going to land down to a radius of 200 meters. This particular missile was going to hit either the Azrieli Towers, the Kirya (Israel’s equivalent of the Pentagon) or [a central Tel Aviv railway station]. Hundreds could have died. We fired the first [interceptor]. It missed. Second [interceptor]. It missed. This is very rare. I was in shock.

“‘At this point we had just four seconds until the missile lands. We had already notified emergency services to converge on the target location and had warned of a mass-casualty incident. Suddenly, Iron Dome (which calculates wind speeds, among other things) shows a major wind coming from the east, a strong wind that … sends the missile into the sea. We were all stunned…’

“One Hamas member was asked why they couldn’t aim their rockets better and actually hit an Israeli target. He responded: ‘We do aim them, but their God changes their path in mid-air.’ The first prime minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion, said this once: ‘In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.’”

Israel’s Existence Has Nothing to Do with the Bible?

Yes News wrote on August 3:

“In a special interview with Die Tagespost last week, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, named by Pope Benedict to represent the Vatican in the Jewish State, declared that ‘Israel’s existence as such has nothing to do with the Bible.’ He then compared Christians’ condition in today’s Jerusalem with Jesus’ Passion: ‘We Christians never forget that even our Lord himself suffered and was mocked in Jerusalem.’…

“A few days ago, Patriarch Twal responded enthusiastically to the agreement reached between Hamas and Fatah. He also denounced ‘the Judaization of Jerusalem’ and attacked Israel for ‘trying to transform it into an only Hebrew-Jewish city, excluding the other faiths.’… Twal’s position on Israel and the Bible has been embraced at the highest levels in the Catholic Church. The Vatican synod in 2010 declared that Israel cannot use the Biblical concept of a promised land or a chosen people.”

Perhaps a review of both the Bible and historical evidence might be helpful to these so called scholars and theologians!

Israel’s Monetary Costs of the Gaza War

The Times of Israel wrote on August 12:

“… through last week, including both direct military expenses and indirect hits to the Israeli economy, the total cost of the four-week conflict is estimated at $2.5 billion to $3.6 billion… [For instance] Iron Dome intercepted 584 of [the Hamas’ rockets] — at $50,000 a piece. That comes to a total of $29 million, or about $1 million per day…

“Israeli planes have bombed Gaza approximately 4,900 times during the war — roughly 150 times a day… each of the Air Force’s 4,900 sorties cost $15,000, for a total of over $73 million…”

What a terrible waste of money, while millions of people starve for lack of food.

Little Progress at Cairo Truce Talks

JTA wrote on August 12:

“Negotiators at the Israel-Hamas truce talks in Cairo said they were still far from an agreement. Palestinian officials said Tuesday that the current three-day cease-fire between the sides will be the final one unless Israel and Hamas make progress toward a truce. The cease-fire, which began Monday, is the second three-day truce between the sides after a month of fighting…

“Hamas is demanding an end to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and the building of an airport and seaport, and Israel is demanding Gaza’s demilitarization…”

It was announced on August 14 that Hamas and Israel agreed to extend the truce for five days to continue negotiations in the Egyptian capital. However, there will be no lasting peace in the Middle East until Jesus Christ returns.

Waiting Too Long to Stop ISIS?

Breitbart wrote on August 8:

“Yazidis in Iraq are telling stories of mass murder and rape to their relatives abroad – including in Israel… [According to Der Spiegel Online, dated August 11, “Yazidis [is] an ancient, pre-Muslim religious community, with roots in Zoroastrianism, whose members worship seven angels, including a peacock angel, in addition to god.”]

“Obama announced action against the Islamic State as if that chamber of horrors sprang into existence last night, and he immediately leaped into action against it.  Nonsense.  He’s known this stuff was happening for weeks and months.  Contrary to his feeble excuses about learning everything at the same time we do, by watching the news, he gets presidential intelligence briefings.  The brutality shown by ISIS toward Christians has been a matter of record for a long time, and Obama said nothing.  No surprise the Islamists are even more brutal toward the Yazidis, who they consider ‘devil worshipers.’

“This was all as predictable as the sunrise, but Obama did nothing, said nothing, until global media lit up with pictures of those fifty thousand people stranded on the slopes of the mountain that looms above their ancestral homeland, dying of hunger and exposure…

“Foreign policy is all about timing.  Stopping ISIS when it was on the move into Mosul – with an almost laughably small initial invasion force that nevertheless caused Iraqi forces to break and run – would have been relatively simple…  Ejecting them from their conquered territory is impossible with only a few targeted bombing runs.  They’re mixed in with civilian targets now, and they won’t hesitate to take hostages.  They can threaten to blow up the Mosul dams.  They’re far stronger, better armed, and better financed than they were when they first came across the Syrian border…

“And no matter what happens next, there’s no way to bring back the people ISIS has already murdered, no way to undo the rape and pillage.  Obama treats foreign policy like he’s in college writing a thesis about something that happened a long time ago.  But the present is bad, and the future might be worse.  If ISIS uses its manpower and resources to launch terror strikes in the West – something they are very interested in doing – the same people trying to cover for Obama’s incompetence today will be asking why nobody stopped the Islamic State long ago, when it could have been done with relative ease…”

Sunnis and Turks Support ISIS

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 11:

“The IS advance would hardly be possible without support from Iraqi Sunnis.

“… the American air strikes on IS positions still won’t solve the fundamental conflicts in these two countries… the lack of strong governments in Iraq and Syria has allowed the IS to operate freely in large swaths of the region…  the Turks have sealed the border to Kurds attempting to flee. At the same time, Turkish officials are doing hardly anything to hinder jihadists who travel in and out of Turkish airports as they make their way into the region…”

ISIS Wants Conflict with USA

Newsmax wrote on August 10:

“ISIS has said it desires a direct conflict with the United States on American soil, and the current conflict may also be serving as a lure for new members… ISIS has stated it intends to form a caliphate, or Muslim religious state, and is known for its brutality, including beheadings, of non-Muslims and even non-Sunnis. It formerly was an al-Qaida affiliate, but broke from the group after al-Qaida criticized it for its tactics.

“Members of the Iraqi army laid down their arms and fled earlier this year as ISIS forces advanced. As a result, ISIS now possesses American weapons left for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki. It also has raided banks and taken over oil wells, adding to its power…

“Of ISIS’s estimated 10,000 members, up to half are thought to be from outside Iraq and Syria. And about 100 Americans are thought to have tried or succeeded in traveling to ISIS territory. That trouble[s] U.S. officials because they fear those Americans could return to launch terror attacks on the homeland.”

Iraq’s Political Turmoil –Shiites vs. Shiites

The New York Times wrote on August 11:

“Iraq’s president formally nominated a candidate on Monday to replace Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The step broke a months-long political deadlock, but it also seemed to take Iraq into uncharted territory, as Mr. Maliki gave no signal that he was willing to relinquish power.

“The Obama administration, which has been pushing Iraqi lawmakers to name a replacement for Mr. Maliki, added to the pressure on him by welcoming the nomination of the candidate, Haider al-Abadi, a member of Mr. Maliki’s own Shiite Islamist Dawa Party…

“The nomination of Mr. Abadi came hours after a dramatic late-night television appearance in which a defiant Mr. Maliki challenged the Iraqi president, Fuad Masum, and threatened legal action for not choosing him as the nominee…

“The United States has been reluctant to help the Iraqi government militarily as long as it is led by Mr. Maliki, a Shiite Islamist who is seen by many as exacerbating sectarian and ethnic tensions, alienating some Sunnis and driving them to join the militants…”

The Washington Post wrote on August 11:

“Iraq’s president chose a veteran Shiite politician to lead the government on Monday, setting the stage for a vicious political showdown in a country already struggling to contain an extremist Islamist insurgency…

“In his eight years in power, Maliki has consolidated power in his hands, ruling in a dictatorial style that has chipped away at his support among fellow Shiites and Sunnis alike. He is widely blamed for the fostering [of] an environment that has allowed for Sunni extremists from the Islamic State to seize control of huge chunks of Iraqi territory…” 

BBC News reported on August 14 that due to worldwide pressure, Maliki stepped down. The article stated:  

“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has stepped aside, ending political deadlock in Baghdad as the government struggles against insurgents. He resigned on state TV to make way for Haider al-Abadi, who was asked by Iraq’s president to form a government. Mr Maliki had been under intense pressure to make way for Mr Abadi, a deputy speaker of parliament…

“There had been fears that Mr Maliki might use the power base he built up through his control of the armed forces to stay in power. But, with his own party and the Shia clerical establishment, not to mention influential outside powers such as Iran and America and the entire international community backing Mr Abadi, the writing was clearly on the wall for MrMaliki’s hopes of clinging to power.”

 

USA Provides Weapons to Kurds

The Telegraph wrote on August 11:

“The Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces who have started to make gains against Islamic militants in northern Iraq, but the aid has so far been limited to automatic rifles and ammunition.

“Previously, the US only sold arms to the government in Baghdad, some of which would then be transferred to the Kurdish forces in the north.”

Germany Might Send Weapons to Iraq

The Local wrote on August 12:

“Germany said on Tuesday it was ready to send non-lethal military aid such as armoured vehicles to help Iraq push back against the advance of Islamist insurgents… Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that, aside from humanitarian aid, Germany could possibly send equipment such as helmets, night-vision equipment, booby-trap detectors and medical supplies for Iraqi soldiers…

“Von der Leyen reiterated her government’s official position that Germany as a rule does not send arms into conflict zones but added that, if a ‘genocide’ loomed in Iraq, this question should be ‘debated intensively’ in Germany.

“Several German politicians across the party spectrum, including Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, have suggested the rule may have to be reviewed in light of the IS onslaught across vast areas of northern Iraq. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also signalled a willingness to pave the way for German weapons shipments to support Baghdad, citing the ‘existential threat’ posed by the IS…”

Sending weapons to volatile areas is never without great risk. But it is interesting that the German stance on the matter is apparently changing.

Back Into Iraq

The Huffington Post wrote on August 11:

“Obama has stated that the U.S. will not become the Iraqi government’s air force. Such an unequivocal declaration, though, presupposes that there is a functional substitute — and one that will be available in time to deal with military threats of the first order that could emerge literally any day. So, this is a typical Obama fudge. Barack Obama is a temporizer, a devotee of half-measures, ‘too clever by half’ as with his time-table limited mini-surge in Afghanistan in 2009.

“… He too often deceives himself that verbal declarations or pat phrases constitute a policy or program. Although the preferred course of action is far from clear, evasion of the tough issues and postponement of hard choices will lower the odds on coming up with wise decisions once they have to be taken…

“What are Obama’s time-frames? They seem to be confused… Certainly, there are no signs of a general strategy emerging in Washington.

“What role (explicit, tacit, or pantomime) for other outside powers, e.g. Iran, Turkey, Syria and Egypt?… On this question, too, we have no signs of the Obama administration’s overall thinking — much less the outlines of a strategy… This is a major liability and potentially highly dangerous…”

Regarding the President’s time frame, the Washington Post wrote on August 12: “Obama vacations as the world burns.”

Clinton vs. Obama

Newsmax wrote on August 10:

“Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has put the largest amount of space yet between herself and a rapidly more-unpopular President Barack Obama, calling his refusal to ‘build up a credible fighting force’ in Syria to battle the Assad regime a ‘failure’ that led to jihadists such as the Islamic State (ISIS) moving in… 

“Goldberg notes in his article that Clinton’s separation from Obama was only a matter of time, and as she comes closer to announcing her own candidacy, she was notably more blunt in her interview with him…”

Deutsche Welle added on August 11:

“Clinton… ‘is basically a believer in the use of military force for humanitarian purposes and is less sensitive than President Obama is…’ says David C. Unger, the long-time member of the New York Times Editorial Board…  As Obama’s previous secretary of state, Clinton had strongly argued for arming the Syrian opposition, but that argument lost out against a more cautious approach generally favored by Obama and others in the administration.”

 

Arming the Rebels?

The Daily Beast wrote on August 11:

“The argument that America should have done more in Syria, made for years by foreign policy leaders in both parties and several members of Obama’s senior national security team, was brought back to the fore this past weekend. Obama and Hillary Clinton gave dueling interviews in which they publicly split on whether the security and humanitarian catastrophe in Syria could have been avoided if the United States had played a larger role. Obama’s outburst on July 31, one week prior, reveals the criticism was already getting to him, even before the White House tried to deflect Clinton’s remarks as pre-presidential political posturing.

“Just before the congressional recess, President Obama invited over a dozen Senate and House leaders from both parties to the White House to talk about foreign policy. According to two lawmakers inside the meeting, Obama became visibly agitated when confronted by bipartisan criticism of the White House’s policy of slow-rolling moderate Syrian rebels’ repeated requests for arms to fight the Assad regime and ISIS.

“According to one of the lawmakers, Sen. Bob Corker asked the president a long question that included sharp criticisms of President Obama’s handling of a number of foreign policy issues—including Syria, ISIS, Russia, and Ukraine. Obama answered Corker at length… But days after the White House meeting, Corker wrote a blistering op-ed for The Washington Post criticizing Obama’s handling of foreign policy. ‘Today, after three years of bold rhetoric divorced from reality, 170,000 Syrians are dead, and we are not innocent bystanders. The president encouraged the opposition to swallow deadly risks, then left them mostly hanging,’ the senator wrote. ‘Extremist groups from Syria have surged into Iraq, seizing key territory and resources, and are threatening to completely undo the progress of years of U.S. sacrifice.’

“Top Democratic lawmakers agreed with Corker and Clinton that doing more to support the moderate rebels would have at least had a chance of averting or mitigating the current crisis, which has now spread to large parts of Iraq as ISIS expands its newly declared Caliphate…

“In a New York Times interview published Aug. 8, Obama said that the idea arming the rebels would have made a difference had ‘always been a fantasy.’ ‘This idea that we could provide some light arms or even more sophisticated arms to what was essentially an opposition made up of former doctors, farmers, pharmacists and so forth, and that they were going to be able to battle not only a well-armed state but also a well-armed state backed by Russia, backed by Iran, a battle-hardened Hezbollah, that was never in the cards,’ Obama said…

“Not all lawmakers support arming the rebels; Sen. Rand Paul, for example, is on the record opposing the use of U.S. military resources to fight ISIS in Iraq or Syria. Also, Clinton and many lawmakers acknowledge that arming the rebels was risky and might not have worked. The weapons could’ve fallen into the extremists’ hands…”

Arming rebels is indeed a very dangerous endeavor. Now, the discussion has shifted to arming the Kurds and others in Iraq to defend against ISIS, as previous articles discuss. However, today’s “friends” can very quickly become tomorrow’s enemies. Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are prime examples.

The Lawless United States—Always at War Somewhere

The Huffington Post wrote on August 10:

“Ukraine. Gaza. Syria. Yemen. Pakistan. If it feels like the United States is always at war somewhere, that’s because it is. Not just Iraq and Afghanistan – the two wars we all know about. And, granted, we’re not only talking boots on the ground. It’s our money, our weapons and – more often in recent weeks – our Secretary of State, engaged in high-stakes diplomacy to uneven results… investigative journalist Kevin Gosztola put the U.S. war count at 74. These are mostly unannounced and undeclared wars against enemies that have different aspirations, strategies and ideologies…

“While the eyes of the American media and public might have shifted back to Iraq for now, just a week ago they were, momentarily, back on Afghanistan. In another example of how dangerous the country still is for our military, we heard about the killing of Major General Harold Greene, who was killed by an Afghan soldier in a green-on-blue gunfire exchange… Three in four Americans believe that history will judge the war in Afghanistan a failure…

“What we are leaving behind is in fact… ‘more war, and more terror.’ What we’re leaving behind in terms of our reputation is the idea of American lawlessness… Our lawlessness doesn’t just hurt us abroad. Lawlessness has encroached into the U.S.’s domestic affairs, with the NSA’s almost Orwellian reach into civic life…”

There is indeed a connection between fighting in war and engaging in lawlessness. Please read our free booklets, “Should YOU Fight in War?” and “And Lawlessness Will Abound…”

Wild West in Ferguson, Missouri

The Washington Post wrote on August 14:

“The killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., has produced a rare and surprisingly unified response across the ideological spectrum, with Republicans and Democrats joining to decry the tactics of the city’s police force in the face of escalating protests… Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)… criticized what he called the growing militarization of local police forces…

“The images of police in riot gear, with armored vehicles and heavy weaponry, shooting a tear-gas canister at an Al Jazeera camera crew… have drawn alarming reactions from the left and the right.

“The rough treatment and detainment of two journalists, Wesley Lowery of The Washington Post and Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post, has added to the public outrage about the Ferguson Police Department’s handling of the protests over Brown’s killing.”

Erdogan Becomes Head of State in Turkey… Is This Bad for the World?

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 11:

“The Turkish presidential election is decided: [Outgoing] Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will become head of state [i.e., President]. It’s a bitter win, and not just for opponents of further Islamization…

“The outcome was fully democratic and therefore irrefutable. That’s one side of the coin. But on the other side is the fear that Turkey could now head further down the path of transformation into an Islamic republic – with increasing religious requirements for citizens in everyday life.

“With Erdogan’s victory, the secular reforms of Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk fall further to pieces… Erdogan was chosen because he gave the Turkish people a whole new sense of self-esteem based on religious values…

“Surrounded by ongoing crises in places like Iraq and Syria, and the conflicts in Gaza/Israel and Ukraine/Russia, not to mention the recently renewed fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Erdogan must overcome fears that he will only add fuel to these fires. It’s something he has often done in the past. The EU – and especially Germany – will have to cope with an increasingly uncomfortable relationship with Erdogan…”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 6:

“Erdogan, 60, has been in power for 11 years, and because he can no longer serve as prime minister after three terms in office, he has now [been elected as] president… [He] has become more and more authoritarian with each election win. He has had protests quelled and critics arrested, and has gradually implemented Islamic moral values…

“Istanbul law professor Bertan Tokuzlu believes that… [Erdogan] will transform Turkey into a one-man state, once and for all… Erdogan himself makes no secret of how he intends to govern in the future. In a television interview in late July, he announced his intention to introduce a presidential system, and he cited China and Russia as models…”

Turkey will continue to play a very controversial role in the near future. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy.” 

 

“High Probability” for Russian Invasion in Eastern Ukraine

The New York Times wrote on August 11:

“The prospect of a Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine appeared to rise sharply on Monday, threatening to take to new lows what is already the sharpest East-West confrontation of the post-Cold War era.

“As the Kremlin announced it had sent a convoy of humanitarian aid to Ukraine under the auspices of the International Red Cross, the secretary-general of NATO said there was a ‘high probability’ of a Russian attack…

“With increasing urgency, Western governments have condemned in advance any Russian aid missions, which they fear could serve as a pretext for a military incursion to support hard-pressed pro-Russian separatists fighting the Ukrainian Army in the country’s southeast…

En Route Russian “Aid” Convoy Will Be Denied Access

Deutsche Welle reported on August 12:

“Just hours after Russia deployed 280 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine on Tuesday morning, a spokesperson from Ukraine’s military said the convoy would be denied access at the border… pointing out that Russia’s army was managing the convoy and that its contents had not been verified by the ICRC [Red Cross].

“… The aid column is expected to complete its 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) journey from Moscow to eastern Ukraine within two to three days… French President Francois Hollande [said] that he had ‘grave concerns’ prompted by the ‘possibility of a unilateral Russian mission on Ukrainian soil.’…

“According to… NATO, roughly 45,000 Russian soldiers have been deployed to Russia’s southwest, close to the country’s border with Ukraine.”

The EUObserver added on August 12:

“The Red Cross says it has no agreement to govern what will happen when Russian ‘aid’ trucks arrive at Ukraine’s border…

“The UN estimates that some 168,000 people have fled from east Ukraine to Russia over the past three months of fighting, while another 117,000 people have become ‘internally displaced’… The Red Cross said on Monday: ‘The situation is critical – thousands of people are reported to be without access to water, electricity, and medical aid’.”

The Bible shows that ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will collaborate and become “friends,” at least temporarily. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy — From Now Until Forever”. See also our Q&A on the prophetic relationship between Russia, Ukraine and continental Europe. 

The Paralyzed US Superpower

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 5:

“John Kerry has spent months rushing from one conflict to the next, but has little [to] show for it. His failures are symptomatic of an America that lacks a foreign policy identity — and of a country that seems uncomfortable with its role as a superpower…

“In recent days, global diplomacy has seemed like an absurd form of theater, with John Kerry in the role of the tragic hero. He doesn’t look like the secretary of state from a world power, Haaretz jeered, but like ‘an alien who just disembarked his spaceship in the Mideast’…

“The helplessness of the world’s most important foreign minister shows just how little influence the US still has in the Middle East. And with each failure, Washington’s influence in the rest of the world erodes as well. A civil war is raging in eastern Ukraine, an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program is still a long way off, Islamist terrorists now control large swaths of Iraq — and the US doesn’t appear to be in a position to do anything about it.

“… as part of a government that is steering America away from its traditional role as global hegemon, Kerry also embodies the dilemma of the United States’ global role in the 21st century: How successful can a US foreign policy be if it depends more on strong words than it does on tanks and aircraft carriers?…

“The US remains the world’s only superpower, but it is also on the search for a new foreign policy identity. It is a country divided…”

The USA has lost the pride of its power, as was prophesied to occur thousands of years ago.

Did Israel Spy On John Kerry?

JTA wrote on August 3:

“Israeli intelligence reportedly eavesdropped on telephone conversations made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. In addition to Israel, at least one other intelligence agency also listened in on the phone calls, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported…

“‘Revelations of the eavesdropping could further damage already tense relations between the US government and Israel,’ der Spiegel wrote.”

USA And British People Condemn Israel

JTA wrote on August 3:

“‘The United States is appalled by today’s disgraceful shelling outside an UNRWA school in Rafah sheltering some 3,000 displaced persons, in which ten more Palestinian civilians were tragically killed,’ State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Sunday. ‘The coordinates of the school, like all U.N. facilities in Gaza, have been repeatedly communicated to the Israeli Defense Forces…’

“The State Department statement was the harshest condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza… ‘The suspicion that militants are operating nearby does not justify strikes that put at risk the lives of so many innocent civilians.’”

JTA added on August 3:

“Much of the British public is ‘deeply disturbed’ by the impact of Israel’s operation in Gaza, the new foreign secretary of England said, and the response could be more widespread anti-Semitic attacks… Anti-Semitic incidents [in Britain] have doubled since Israel began its operation in Gaza nearly a month ago…”

Anti-Semitism Worldwide

The Hill wrote on August 26:

“The civilian casualties, though almost certainly overstated to include Hamas fighters in civilian clothes, are tragic.  The death of so many children is heartbreaking.

“But… Anti-Semitism has reared its head almost everywhere there are pro-Palestinian street protests.

“A heavily Jewish section of Paris was looted and attacked as crowds shouted ‘Gas the Jews,’ in what correctly has been called a pogrom.  Multiple synagogues and Jewish centers in Paris and elsewhere in France were firebombed, and neo-Nazi salutes were center stage.

“In Berlin protesters shouted ‘Jew, cowardly pig, come out and fight.’ While in Frankfurt they carried signs such as ‘The Jews are Beasts’ and the Star of David is ‘The Star of the Devil.’

“In the Hague, Netherlands, crowds chanted ‘death to all Jews,’ shocking local officials.  In England, particularly London, there have been over 100 anti-Semitic incidents, and anti-Israel protesters pushed The Protocols of the Elders of Zion anti-Semitic tract.

“And it was not just overseas.  In Miami, protesters chanted ‘Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammed is returning’ commemorating an Islamic war victory. In Boston, pro-Israel supporters had to be rescued from an angry crowd that shouted ‘Jews back to Birkenau’ and ‘Drop dead, you Zionazi whores.’  A pro-Israel student was attacked by a woman insisting that Jerusalem would be cleansed of Jews, while another crowd shouted that ‘Jews better learn how to swim.’…”

These horrible developments are not just rare exceptions of a few deceived and hateful Islamists. Sadly, they are becoming more and more commonplace. At the same time, Israel is not helping in winning the support of others, as the next article shows.

Israel’s Fears And The Military Messianic Right

On August 5, Der Spiegel Online published an interview with Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz. We are bringing you the following excerpts from her comments:

“Israel has a split, schizophrenic self-awareness: It cultivates its strength and yet cannot stop seeing itself as weak and threatened… Israel is a colonial military power, a militarized society and a democracy all folded into one… It is a militarized civil society because almost every family has a father, son or brother in the army and because the military plays an enormous role in the ordinary mentality of ordinary Israelis and is crucial in both political decisions and in the public sphere… But it is also a democracy, which grants rights to gays and makes it possible for a citizen to sue the state…

“The messianic right has progressively gained power in Israel. It used to be marginal and illegitimate; it is now increasingly mainstream. This radical right sits in Parliament, controls budgets and has changed the nature of discourse. Many Israelis do not understand the radical nature of the right in Israel. It successfully disguises itself as ‘patriotic’ or ‘Jewish.’ …

“Fear is deeply engrained in Israeli society. Fear of the Shoah, fear of anti-Semitism, fear of Islam, fear of Europeans, fear of terror, fear of extermination. You name it. And fear generates a very particular type of thinking… You always think about the worst case scenario… many Israelis still hold on [to] the view they are morally superior…

“The real danger to Israel and its sustainability comes from within. The fascist and racist elements are no less a security threat than the outside enemies… Israelis pay a price, but we are not really aware of it… People don’t make a connection between the bad living conditions they have and the amount of resources invested in the settlements and in the army…  Israeli society has become very insensitive. Not only to the suffering of others, but also to its own suffering.”

Trust in weapons and the military will lead to the ultimate downfall of any country.

A New Order For The Middle East

On July 21, Der Tagesspiegel (translated by Federal Foreign Office) published the following article by German Foreign Minister Frank‑Walter Steinmeier:

“We Europeans are preoccupied by the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, the Middle East is coming undone. The uprising against the Syrian dictator Bashar al‑Assad first turned into a civil war and then into a regional proxy war. Now the crisis in Syria is affecting neighbouring Iraq and has reignited the smouldering embers of the conflict there, which had not been resolved.

“Shiites are fighting against Sunnis, radical against even more radical fundamentalists, Kurds against Arabs, terrorists against democrats and against dictators. Neighbouring countries in the region, as well as major powers, are providing their proxies with money, as well as arms. The international community has not adopted a coherent approach. Some are acting out of a sense of responsibility, while some are reckless, some defensive and others proactive. Neither those involved nor outsiders can say exactly whether the other side is acting out of strength or weakness.

“Millions of people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, thus placing a crushing burden on state‑provided services there. The ISIS terrorist group is extending its power base in Syria and Iraq and wants to sweep away the existing states…

“We should think about a new order for the Middle East which could redefine and guarantee the security interests of all parties… Parallel interests which could form a basis for a new order are there: all neighbouring countries and the international community are united in their concern that terrorist groups such as ISIS could become a permanent fixture. None of the states in the region want to see force being used to move borders. All of them are afraid that arms could fall into the wrong hands and be used against them. And it is in the best interest of all of them to ensure that minorities within their countries, whether ethnic or religious minorities, do not drift into open hostility towards the state.

“No‑one expects such efforts to lead to overnight success. However, a start should be made, and the sooner the better. We owe that not only to people in the regions where tens of thousands have been murdered and millions forced to leave their homes. For this will also help ensure our own security. Syria is a training ground for thousands of European jihadists who practice there what they subsequently want to carry out in our cities. And there is a real threat that Iraq will go the same way.

“This cannot be allowed to happen. For this conflict concerns us, and much more so than many want to believe.”

In due time, Europe will attempt to create such a new order for the Middle East. Steinmeier’s words almost sound prophetic.

Germany May Have a Decisive Role in Gaza

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 7:

“In an article to be published Friday in the Bild newspaper, Frank-Walter Steimeier said that he could see Germany having a role in Gaza following Israel’s month-long war there… ‘Together with our European partners, we are ready to make a contribution, for example with an EU monitoring mission of the border crossing,’ Steinmeier told Bild. ‘We are holding intensive talks with all sides to work out what would be necessary for this,’ he added.

“On Wednesday, a diplomatic source said Germany, Britain and France would consider reactivating a European mission to monitor the flow of goods across Gaza’s border with Egypt… Launched in 2005, the EU Border Assistance Mission monitored the Rafah border crossing after Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza, but it was discontinued two years later after Hamas seized power in the coastal territory.”

The Local added on August 7:

“‘The Germans, as Europe’s political leaders, must take a very decisive role in the Gaza conflict,’ Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman told the Bild newspaper on Thursday. He also called for Germany to bring EU governments together to develop a solution to avert the unfolding economic and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

“Lieberman demanded that Germany and the EU send inspectors in to the region to oversee trade between the Palestinians and neighbouring countries. Germany should ‘take responsibility as instigator of such a mission,’ said Lieberman, with the aim of preventing violence escalating further.”

“The Man Who Would Be Kaiser”

The Irish Times wrote on August 2:

“[After] Germany lost a second World War, the Allies in occupied Berlin passed a law stating: ‘The Prussian state, which from early days has been a bearer of militarism and reaction in Germany, has de facto ceased to exist.’…

“Prussia dominated Germany’s history for centuries. Mention Prussia to Germans today and they’ll trot out the ‘Prussian virtues’ – discipline, punctuality, deference to hierarchy – that many outsiders consider utterly German traits…

“Prince Georg [Kaiser Wilhelm II’s great-great-grandson] has no crown – and is not a prince under the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, which recognises the old title Prince of Prussia only as part of his surname – but has the calm energy of a man on a mission: to exhume and rehabilitate his family’s history, good and bad. His striking resemblance to Kaiser Wilhelm II, he jokes, makes it a delicate affair…

“[Prince Georg lost] his father when he was just a year old. In 1994 he lost his grandfather Louis Ferdinand snr, making the [then] 18-year-old head of the house of Hohenzollern…  Although they lost their aristocratic titles in 1918, the Hohenzollerns and other former ruling houses live on around Germany…

“The Hohenzollerns’ unhappy role in German history continued after 1918. Before Kaiser Wilhelm died in exile, in the Netherlands, in 1941, his son August Wilhelm flirted with the Nazis in the hope of taking back the throne. The relationship cooled after Hitler took office…

“After seven decades in the Third Reich’s shadow, Prussia is emerging again as a new generation of Germans shuffle the historical hand they have been dealt… Berlin is back on the political map and Germany’s role in Europe is shifting before our eyes. Understanding this country, and how it sees itself, means taking Prussia out of historical quarantine.

“Prince Georg sees Germany’s role in Europe differently from previous generations. He dismisses as absurd the former chancellor Helmut Schmidt’s recent remark that Third Reich crimes exclude Germany from a leading role in Europe for centuries to come. ‘I think it is clear to all that Germany should assume a leading role in Europe,’ he says.

“And what does he think about the leader shaping this new role, Chancellor Angela Merkel? ‘She represents the positive Prussian virtues of modesty, conscientiousness and sense of duty.’ Is such generous praise a sign that Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preussen, the man who would be kaiser, is happy to remain in the conditional tense? ‘The question of a return of the monarchy is not relevant at the moment,’ he says…”

Maybe not “at the moment”…

German Officer New Head Of U.S. Army Europe [USAREUR]

Army Times wrote on July 31:

“A German Army brigadier general [Markus Laubenthal] who recently served with NATO forces in Afghanistan is assuming duties as the chief of staff of U. S. Army Europe, the first time a non-American officer has held that position…

“Army sources in Europe said the first-ever assignment of a German general to the USAREUR staff is unrelated to the political furor over the spying revelations, but does reflect the increased importance of multinational operations in NATO… [It] is part of an American effort to give a more multi-national flavor to its major overseas commands.”

Germans are becoming more and more powerful and influential on the world scene.

Pope Celebrates Jesuits, Canonizes First Follower

Zenit wrote on August 6:

“Pope Francis on Saturday celebrated the feast of St. Peter Favre, the first follower of the founder of the Society of Jesus. St. Peter was the first of St. Ignatius’ followers, as Ignatius set the foundations for what would become the Society of Jesus.

“Some compare Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope, to St. Peter Favre. For his part, Francis has noted his own devotion to the saint, and as Pontiff, dispensed with some of the requirements of the canonization process in order to declare him a saint…

“Many note that Fr. Favre and Pope Francis have many characteristics in common and share many of the same ideas. Like Francis, Fr. Favre supported Catholic reform and was a pioneer of ecumenism…

“Fr. Favre became a canonized saint through the process of ‘equivalent’ canonization, which Pope Francis used also for now Saint John XXIII, canonized this April 27. ‘Equivalent’ canonization is a rare procedure, meaning popes can declare that someone who has enjoyed widespread reverence over time deserves veneration by the universal Church without having to go through the usual canonization steps. These steps include proving two miracles attributed to the candidate’s intercession. With ‘equivalent’ canonization, the Pope can override the two miracle requirement enabling the individual to become a canonized saint.”

The Jesuits have been viewed with great suspicion… and that for convincing reasons. Under Pope Francis, this perception is gradually changing. And not unlike President Obama who is circumventing Congress and the Senate through more and more “executive orders,” so Pope Francis ignores “usual canonization steps” by unilaterally declaring someone a saint through “equivalent canonization.”

Pope Pleads for Help

Reuters reported on August 7:

“Pope Francis appealed to world leaders on Thursday to help end the crisis in northern Iraq after a sweeping advance by radical Islamic state militants forced thousands of residents of Iraq’s biggest Christian town to flee their homes.

“‘His Holiness addresses an urgent appeal to the international community to take action to end the humanitarian tragedy now underway, to act to protect those affected or threatened by violence and to provide aid, especially for the most urgent needs of the many who have been forced to flee and who depend on the solidarity of others,’ the Vatican said in a statement.”

The Telegraph wrote on August 7:

“Islamic State, the jihadist group formerly known as Isis, have occupied churches in Iraq, removing crosses and destroying manuscripts, witnesses report, having overrun Kurdish troops forcing 200,000 to flee.”

Obama Authorizes Air Strikes in Iraq “If Needed”

The New York Times reported on August 7:

“President Obama said Thursday that United States military aircraft had dropped food and water to thousands of Iraqis besieged by Islamic militants on a mountaintop in northern Iraq… the president said he had directed the United States military forces to conduct targeted airstrikes on the militants if they moved to take Erbil, threatening the American citizens and military personnel there.

“And he said that at the request of the Iraqi government, he had authorized the military to use airstrikes to help provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi citizens, many of them religious minorities, who are trapped on the mountain.”

Twelve Years Of CIA Lawlessness?

The Huffington Post wrote on August 6:

“Twelve years. The time has flown by. Seems like just yesterday that the Justice Department sent over its torture memos to then-CIA General Counsel John Rizzo, ramping up a CIA torture program that horribly abused more than a hundred men, killing a few of them. No one at the CIA was ever even charged with a crime. Some agents, in fact, got job promotions…

“The CIA, with the backing or orders of the White House, ran a worldwide network of secret prisons where it tortured men with barbaric techniques… kidnapped people from European streets; and then reportedly lied to Congress, the White House, and the Justice Department about it.

“The lawlessness continued, even after horrified Americans found out what was happening. More legal memos were written to try to keep torturing, even after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) convinced Congress to pass yet another law to stop it. Top CIA officials ordered evidence — videotapes of men being subjected to simulated drowning — destroyed before investigators could view them…

“CIA officials, and all Bush officials, dodged any criminal indictments, were protected from lawsuits by courts that deferred to CIA secrecy and immunity claims, and did whatever they could to get in the way of Senate investigators. The lawlessness remains because the Constitution’s system of checks and balances is broken. The president, Congress, and the courts seem unwilling or unable to hold the CIA accountable.

“Incredibly, more than 200 CIA employees who were involved in the torture program are today still employed at the CIA. The acting general counsel of the CIA until this past March was the very same person who had been one of the CIA’s top torture lawyers a decade ago…

“The lawlessness seems to be coming to a head this year. The CIA’s internal watchdog, its inspector general, just gave a report to the Senate Intelligence Committee that found that the CIA spied on the computers used by the Senate committee to investigate the CIA torture program…

“An uncontrolled — and seemingly uncontrollable — CIA threatens the very foundations of our Constitution… It is long past time for Congress and the president to forever ban the CIA from holding anyone in its custody and running a secret prison. But President Obama must also stand up to the CIA and to John Brennan himself…”

There is little hope that this will happen. A country allowing for and engaging in more and more lawlessness disconnects itself from the Author of all righteous Law—the God of the Bible. 

Why Armored Tanks for Californian City Police Department?

The Daily Mail wrote on August 7:

“A war of words has broken out over police force in California getting a new armored vehicle built more for a state of war than patrolling in the Golden State. The Salinas Police Department recently issued a news release proudly announcing the arrival of the armored truck built to survive minefield explosions, which it got compliments of federal taxpayers as part of a program to convert military equipment to law-enforcement use.

“Critics took to the police department’s Facebook page to ask exactly why a city of 150,000 on the northern California coast really needs a vehicle designed for battlefield use. It’s more likely to be used against its own citizens, they said…

“This country only two months ago saw rangers for the National Park Service – National Park rangers, for God’s sake – turn into a bunch of storm troopers keeping World War II vets out of their own monument, and visitors from ‘recreating’ at Yosemite…”

Eleven Countries At Risk Of Default

USA Today wrote on August 1:

“After years of bitter court battles with creditors, Argentina has defaulted on its debt… the country missed necessary bond payments on July 31, triggering the default announcement…

“Alongside Argentina, Moody’s currently lists [these] 10 other countries… at risk of default:

“Ecuador… Egypt… Pakistan… Venezuela… Argentina… Belize… Cuba… Cyprus… Greece… Jamaica… [and the] Ukraine.”

More countries might soon follow, or they are already in the same category, without being listed in the article. Many fear that another worldwide great depression might not be that far off. Also notice the next article.

The Sanctions Game

The Guardian wrote on August 6:

“Vladimir Putin has banned the import of agricultural goods from countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia in a tit-for-tat move that deepens the economic standoff between the Kremlin and the west… The import ban follows a threat of retaliation from Russia’s prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, in response to the grounding of the budget airline subsidiary of Aeroflot as a result of EU sanctions. Russian officials are reported to be considering banning European airlines from flying to Asia over Siberia.

“Food has also been caught up in political tensions between Russia and the west. In recent days Russian food safety authorities have banned the import of Polish fruit and vegetables, while McDonald’s cheeseburgers and milkshakes are being investigated…

“The import ban will hit all EU countries and the United States, which last week stepped up punitive action against Russia in response to Moscow’s support for eastern separatists in Ukraine, unwavering despite the downing of Malaysian airliner MH17…

“Russia is Europe’s second largest market for food and drink and has been an important consumer of Polish pig meat and Dutch fruit and vegetables. Exports of food and raw materials to Russia were worth €12.2bn (£9.7bn) in 2013, following several years of double-digit growth… Russia banned EU pork at the start of the year as the Ukraine crisis escalated, cutting off 25% of all European pig meat exports in a move that the European Commission said exposed European farmers to significant losses.

“Russia’s state-owned banks have been cut off from Europe’s capital markets, while Russian defence and energy firms will no longer be able to import hi-tech western equipment that could have been used for military purposes, fracking or Arctic oil exploration.”

Ebola Outbreak

Reuters wrote on July 25:

“A Liberian man who died in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos on Friday tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said… If confirmed, the man would be the first case on record of one of the world’s deadliest diseases in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy and with 170 million people, its most populous country…

“Nigeria has some of the continent’s least adequate healthcare infrastructure, despite access to billions of dollars of oil money as Africa’s biggest producer of crude…”

Deutsche Welle added on August 7:

“Liberians stocked up on food Thursday after President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced emergency powers lasting 90 days. ‘Operation White Shield’ allows Liberia’s government to contain the epidemic by restricting movement, deploying troops and giving police the power to impose quarantines on badly affected communities.

“Lacking the medical equipment and training to handle the new disease, some 32 health workers have already died of Ebola in Liberia and many sick people have gone untreated after doctors deserted their posts…

“In eastern Sierra Leone – the worst-hit area of that country – police chief Alfred Karrow-Kamara said security forces had been deployed on Wednesday ‘to establish a complete blockade’ of the Kenema and Kailahun districts, setting up 16 checkpoints on major roads. ‘No vehicles or persons are allowed into or out of the districts,’ he added.

“The World Health Organization reports that 932 people of the 1,700 diagnosed so far have died…”

Bloomberg added on August 7:

“As the death toll rises in West Africa amid the worst Ebola outbreak on record, a separate threat is compounding the problem: the rainy season and the malaria that comes with it. In Sierra Leone, with the most Ebola cases in the epidemic, a fearful population is failing to seek medical attention for any diseases, health officials say. If they have malaria, the feeling is they don’t want to go near a hospital with Ebola cases. If it’s Ebola, they don’t believe the hospitals can help them anyway, instead turning to traditional healers.

“It’s a widening challenge complicated by the fact that Ebola, malaria and cholera share common symptoms early on, including fever and vomiting, which can cause confusion among patients…”

Europe’s Unique Success In Spacecraft Maneuvering… But At What Price?

BBC News wrote on August 6:

“Europe’s Rosetta probe has arrived at a comet after a 10-year chase. In a first for space history, the spacecraft was maneuvered alongside a speeding body to begin mapping its surface in detail… ‘We’re at the comet!’ said Sylvain Lodiot of the European Space Agency (Esa) operations centre in Germany… Getting a spacecraft to match the speed of a comet and effectively ride alongside it is a landmark in space exploration… The comet is travelling at 55,000km per hour (34,175 mph). The spacecraft’s speed has been adjusted so that in relative terms it will be flying beside the comet at a slow walking pace of 1m/sec (2.2mph, 3.6kph)…

“Total cost of the mission is said to be 1.3bn euros.

“… in November… mission controllers will attempt to put the Philae lander on the surface. The lander will use harpoons to anchor itself and will carry out a series of experiments, including drilling into the material that makes up the comet.

“The mission aims to add to knowledge of comets and their role in ferrying the building blocks of life around the early Solar System.”

We will be spending 1.3bn euros for this “mission” to ultimately “prove” the creation of life without a Creator. Also, a top NASA representative announced recently on American television that the only (!)  reason for the existence of NASA and its costly endeavors is to find alien life somewhere out there. What an incredible waste of money and resources.

Ebola Crisis Spreads

Herald Sun reported on July 31:

“A leading medical charity has warned that the outbreak of the deadly west African Ebola virus is out of control and there are fears it ‘can only get worse’. 
 
“Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says the crisis gripping Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone could spread to other continents and warns there is no overarching strategy to handle the world’s worst-ever outbreak of the disease.

“Amid rising fears that the deadly virus could spread to the US, there are already plans to subject even healthy Americans into forced quarantine in the event of an Ebola pandemic.

“Western doctors are now on the lookout for symptoms of the disease after the death of US citizen Patrick Sawyer, who travelled through a major transport hub in Nigeria[,] prompted fears that the disease could spread to the US.

“Symptoms of the disease, which has anywhere from a 50 to 90 per cent mortality rate, include headache, fever, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and lack of appetite.

“There are now fears that the deadly and highly contagious virus will be passed on through air travel.”

North Korea Threatens US

Yahoo News wrote on July 28:

“A top-ranking North Korean military official has threatened a nuclear strike on the White House and Pentagon after accusing Washington of raising military tensions on the Korean peninsula.

“The threat came from Hwang Pyong-So, director of the military’s General Political Bureau, during a speech to a large military rally in Pyongyang Sunday on the anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

“Hwang, who holds the rank of vice marshal in the Korean People’s Army, said a recent series of South Korea-US military drills, one of which included the deployment of a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier, had ramped up tensions.

“‘If the US imperialists threaten our sovereignty and survival… our troops will fire our nuclear-armed rockets at the White House and the Pentagon — the sources of all evil,’ Hwang said in his speech broadcast Monday on state television.”

While no one believes North Korea actually possesses the capability to deliver on these threats, the next article shows what they can do to create problems which nag at the heels of American influence.

North Korea Arms Hammas

National Post reported on July 27:

“Hamas is attempting to negotiate a new arms deal with North Korea for missiles and communications commitment that will allow it to maintain its offensive against Israel, according to Western security sources.

“Security officials say the deal between Hamas and North Korea is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and is being handled by a Lebanese-based trading company with ties to the militant Palestinian organization.

“Hamas officials are believed to have already made an initial cash downpayment to secure the deal and are hoping that North Korea will soon begin shipping extra supplies of weapons to Gaza.

“’Hamas is looking for ways to replenish its stocks of missiles because of the large numbers it has fired at Israel in recent weeks,’ said a security official. ‘North Korea is an obvious place to seek supplies because Pyongyang already has close ties with a number of militant Islamist groups in the Middle East.’

“Using intermediaries based in Lebanon, Hamas officials are said to be intensifying their efforts to sign a new agreement with Pyongyang to provide hundreds of missiles together with communications equipment that will improve the ability of Hamas fighters to coordinate operations against Israeli forces.”

Mid-East Crisis: Death and Blame

BBC reported on July 30:

“Israel attacked a UN-run school housing refugees in Gaza despite warnings that civilians were there, the UN has said.

“UN spokesman Chris Gunness said ‘the world stands disgraced’ by the attack, in which 15 died and dozens were hurt.

“Israel said an initial inquiry suggested soldiers responded to mortar fire. It called a partial, four-hour humanitarian ceasefire but Hamas, which controls Gaza, said it was meaningless.

“More than 1,300 Palestinians and 55 Israelis have died in the conflict.

“Most of the Palestinian deaths have been civilians.

“Fifty-three Israeli soldiers have been killed along with two civilians. A Thai worker in Israel has also died.

“Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after a surge in rocket fire from the territory.

“Hamas says it will not stop fighting until the blockade, maintained by both Israel and Egypt, is lifted.”

The Globe And Mail wrote on July 30 contrasting the differing positions of the US and Canada:

“The United States is condemning Israel’s shelling of a U.N. school in the Gaza Strip that was sheltering displaced Palestinians.

“It’s the sharpest criticism the U.S. has levelled at Israel over the more than three weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

“White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan says the U.S. is also ‘extremely concerned’ that thousands of Palestinians aren’t safe in U.N.-designated shelters in Gaza even though Israel’s military has told them to evacuate their homes.

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper reiterated his government’s hard line on Hamas Wednesday, saying the organization is solely responsible for the death and destruction in Gaza following almost a month of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.

“’Obviously no one likes to see the suffering and loss of life that has occurred,’ Harper told reporters in Air Ronge.

“’That said, we hold the terrorist organization Hamas responsible for this. They have initiated and continue this conflict and continue to seek the destruction of the state of Israel.’”

Kerry Creates More Crisis

TPM wrote on July 28:

“Obama administration officials were fuming Monday over a torrent of Israeli criticism of Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest bid to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

“In unusually harsh language, officials said the criticism of Kerry could put the relationship between the U.S. and Israel in jeopardy. They also said the personal attacks on Kerry crossed a line and were particularly disappointing at a time of active conflict.

“Israeli media commentators have leveled almost nonstop criticism at Kerry in recent days over his attempts to bring Qatar and Turkey — two countries viewed by Israel as strong Hamas supporters — into the cease-fire negotiations. Kerry was also being accused of abandoning some of Israel’s key demands during the negotiations.

“In trying to implement the cease-fire over the weekend, ‘U.S. Secretary of State of State John Kerry ruined everything,’ wrote columnist Ari Shavit in Monday’s Haaretz, Israel’s leading liberal newspaper. ‘Very senior officials in Jerusalem described the proposal that Kerry put on the table as a ‘strategic terrorist attack’.”

Putin’s “Little Green Men”

Foreignpolicy.com reported on July 30:

“As Malaysia Airlines’ 298 passengers died over the skies of eastern Ukraine, so did the last trace of hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would back down from his support of eastern Ukraine’s separatist rebels or agree to a negotiated settlement to the seven-month-long conflict. Since the deadly incident, it is no longer in doubt whether or not the future of eastern Ukraine — or Novorossiya (New Russia), as pan-Slavic nationalists call it — will be decided by force. The only question remaining is how deadly the fight will be.

“At the moment, the government in Kiev is ramping up its fight to reclaim Ukraine’s restive eastern regions. At the same time, thousands of Russian troops are amassed along Ukraine’s eastern border, and not just the elite Airborne or Spetsnaz troops that took over Crimea in February, but also units designed to fight conventional wars and armies, like Ukraine’s. The result could be explosive.

“There was little Ukraine could do to stop the “little green men” who invaded Crimea. By the time Kiev had realized what was going on, Russia’s most elite and best-trained Naval Infantry, Airborne, and Spetsnaz troops (including the new Senezh unit, which seized the Crimean parliament) had prevented Ukrainian reinforcements from entering Crimea. But the separatist militiamen in eastern Ukraine, despite being equipped, trained, and funded by Moscow, are a different story. There, Kiev retains a vast advantage in firepower, [material], and troops, along with the implicit backing of the international community against an increasingly fragmented and uncoordinated separatist movement.”

Vladimir Putin is playing a very high stakes game, and it now seems inevitable to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine–an action that will only serve to further unify European plans for creating their own powerful military!

ISIS Forces All Christians Out of Mosul

On July 19, 2014, The Associated Press wrote the following:

“The message played over loudspeakers gave the Christians of Iraq’s second-largest city until midday Saturday to make a choice: convert to Islam, pay a tax or face death. By the time the deadline imposed by the Islamic State extremist group expired, the vast majority of Christians in Mosul had made their decision. They fled…and headed for the largely autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq or other areas protected by the Kurdish security forces.

“Their departure marks the latest — and perhaps final — exodus of Christians from the city, emptying out communities that date back to the first centuries of Christianity, including Chaldean, Assyrian and Armenian churches.”

Minorities Persecuted by ISIS and Iraqi Militias

The New York Times added on July 18:

“Christians are among several minorities who are being systematically expelled or killed by ISIS…

“Among them are Yazidis, a tiny sect that has survived for centuries and whose theology fuses elements of Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism; Shabaks, who are often described as Shiites whose language is close to Persian and who take beliefs from different traditions; and Shiite Turkmen. The Yazidis and the Shabaks are being persecuted in the Sinjar area west of Mosul… The United Nations has documented scores of abductions and killings as well as the destruction of shrines.

“The United Nations report noted that extrajudicial killings had also been carried out by Iraqi security forces and allied militias, and warned that the executions on both sides might constitute war crimes…

“As the Christians leave Mosul, ISIS has painted the Arabic letter that means ‘Nasrani,’ from Nazrene, a word often used to refer to Christians, on their homes. Next to the letter, in black, are the words: ‘Property of the Islamic State of Iraq.’ The militants have also told Muslims who rent property from Christians that they no longer need to pay rent, said a businessman who rents from a Christian. The landlord now lives in Lebanon.”

This is so reminiscent of the systematic persecution and ultimate extermination of Jews and other minorities in Nazi Germany. The demons which possessed Hitler’s henchmen resurface now in ISIS and others.

Persecution of Christians in the Middle East

Breitbart wrote on July 22:

“Jews are not the only religious minority in the Middle East under fire… Christians have come under the heaviest hand in the Middle East in generations thanks to the weakness of the United States…

“The rise of the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant (ISIS) has led to the wholesale slaughter or exile of hundreds of thousands of Christians…

“Thousands upon thousands of Christians have been forced from Syria… opposition fighters drove some 80,000 Christians from Homs alone…

“The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt led to a massive spike in persecution of Christians within the country.

“… the Christian population under Palestinian rule has dwindled with each passing year….Even though Hamas denies involvement in the attacks and claims that it is attempting to protect the small, ancient Christian community in Gaza, attacks on the 3,000 Christians residing there have increased since the Muslim terror militia came [to] seized power…

“Iran has been a disaster area for Christians since the fall of the Shah, but an increasing number of Iranian Christians are fleeing the country now…  Christians have been persecuted in Iran with more and more alacrity as fear of the United States wanes…

“Christianity is no more welcome in Libya after the Arab Spring than under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi before it…

“In the 1970s, before the collapse of the country [Lebanon] into Islamist violence, Christians represented a majority of the population. Now, that number has dropped to 34%…. continued violence and the rise of Islamist groups like Hezbollah has dramatically decreased the Christian population.

“No wonder Pope Francis stated in November 2013, ‘We will not resign ourselves to imagining a Middle East without Christians.’ That reality is already well within imagination, thanks to the Islamist Spring…  and the persecution of Christians continues to increase in other countries, including Turkey, Nigeria, and Pakistan.”

Worldwide Demonstrations Against Israel

The Times of Israel wrote on July 19:

“Tens of thousands protested in London Saturday afternoon against Israel’s military operations in Gaza, denouncing Israel as a terrorist state and castigating British Prime Minister David Cameron for backing Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas rocket fire… Saturday’s demonstration in London came on the heels of numerous protests Thursday and Friday worldwide, including Cairo, Istanbul, Cape Town, Berlin, New York and Washington. Many of the protests have turned violent… Calls for the destruction of the Jewish state were heard in both Turkish cities [Ankara and Istanbul].”

Anti-Semitic “demonstrations”, instigated and stirred up by Palestinians, radical Islamists and ignorant and gullible “observers,” are a sign of our time. Note the next article.

Anti-Israel Demonstrations Instigated by Islamist Groups

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 22:

“In many European cities, what began as peaceful protests turned into outpourings of anti-Jewish sentiments and violence against counter-demonstrators. The situation became particularly heated in France… The Gaza conflict has stirred up public opinion in Europe, and it has brought Israel-hatred to Germany along with it… the current demonstrators are mostly members of Islamist groups…

“Many of the participants openly express support for Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah or Islamic jihad… there is a perfidious tactic behind the Islamists’ campaign… In a recent survey by the ‘Stern’ magazine, more than half of respondents place the blame for the conflict on both Israel and Hamas – and 86 percent believe that Germany should not publically stand on the Israeli side… In the meantime, pro-Gaza demonstrations are set to continue in Germany and other European countries…”

Turkey Condemns Israel

The Times of Israel wrote on July 19:

“Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of ‘barbarism that surpasses Hitler’ during its ground invasion of Gaza… He has been speaking out strongly against Israel during its offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 300 Palestinians. Hamas has fired some 1,500 rockets at Israel and carried out a series of terrorist infiltrations via tunnels and from the sea in recent days.

“Erdogan accuses Israel of using disproportionate force and has said the operation there has derailed efforts to normalize Turkish-Israeli ties…

“Early Saturday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning to Israeli citizens against nonessential travel to Turkey… Israel decided Friday to pull some of its diplomatic staff out of Turkey in the wake of violent protests targeting the buildings of its embassy and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul, an embassy spokesman said, as well as recent statements that accused Israel of attempting a ‘systematic genocide’ on the Palestinian people…

“Turkey’s foreign minister also ‘vehemently’ condemned Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza…”

The Bible shows that Turkey (biblical Edom) will become a fierce enemy of the Jews and support military actions against the state of Israel. 

UN Warns Israel of War Crimes

BBC News reported on July 23:

“The UN’s top human rights official has condemned Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, saying that war crimes may have been committed… She also condemned Hamas for ‘indiscriminate attacks’ on Israel.”

South Africa Praises Adolf Hitler

Newsmax reported on July 20:

“An aide with the African National Congress, South Africa’s ruling party, has drawn sharp rebukes from Jewish groups for an outrageous Facebook post praising Adolf Hitler for the Holocaust. Rene Smit, a social media manager with the ANC in the Western Cape province, posted an image of Hitler with the comment: ‘Yes, man, you were right!’ Below Hitler’s face were the words: ‘I could have killed all the Jews, but I left some of them to tell you why I was killing them.’ …

“Smit’s original post came just days after ANC Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte posted a statement on the ANC’s website comparing Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to Nazi war crimes.”

With all these unqualified attacks on Israel, one should not forget who the real terrorists are. Please note the next article.

Hamas’ Abominable Terrorist Activities

The Telegraph wrote on July 20:

“Hamas militants sent a donkey laden with explosives on a suicide mission in one of the most unconventional tactics yet seen in the fighting in Gaza, the Israeli army has said. Troops said they were forced to open fire on the animal – blowing it up – as it approached their position in the southern city of Rafah, near the Egyptian border…

“‘They used this donkey as a human shield, or an animal shield, if you like,’ said… an army spokesman. ‘Anything, an animal or an international building, that can help make use of innocent people or international [citizens], they will use it.’… Soldiers in the field have reported ‘multiple incidents’ of dogs trying to approach with explosives attached to them, according to the army.”

Bild Online added on July 18 that Hamas uses children, families, sick and old people as “human shields,” placing them in locations where they are bound to be killed by the Israeli rockets, while the cowardly Hamas leaders seek protection in bunkers.

Why Hamas Tunnels Must Be Destroyed

The Washington Times wrote on July 22:

“A Hamas force wearing Israeli army uniforms emerged from a tunnel inside Israel and inflicted losses on Israeli troops before being wiped out… Israeli losses as of tonight in the four-day-old incursion were 25 dead and several score wounded. An Israeli official said the number of Hamas combatants killed amounted to ‘several hundred.’ Hard fighting was continuing in Gaza as dusk fell, with artillery and air strikes pounding Hamas positions. The fighting focused on the town of Shujaiya. Located only a mile from the Israeli border, it is the source of many tunnels leading towards the border…

“Meanwhile… Hamas gunmen have been killed in the past two days after they emerged from the mouths of tunnels inside the Gaza Strip. Ten of them emerged from a tunnel inside a mosque. Among them was a female suicide bomber who attempted to charge the Israeli soldiers… A senior Israeli officer in Shujaiya said yesterday that one tunnel he had examined was 27 meters deep—equivalent to a seven-story building—and was lined with at least 800 tons of reinforced concrete. He said the existence of such tunnels leading into Israel would have permitted Hamas to send commando forces at night through all of them simultaneously to wreak havoc in the Israeli villages in the area.”

Sunni World Bitterly Divided

The Times of Israel wrote on July 19:

“… the continuing escalation of the conflict in Gaza has actually got nothing to do with Israel itself. Unfortunately, Israel has found itself tangled up in a battle of far wider proportions — a war between two competing axes in the Sunni Muslim world. On the one side are Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, with Jordan and Saudi Arabia likely to join them… On the other, Qatar, Turkey and Hamas, as well as other global supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“This is a proxy war for all intents and purposes… Hamas remains committed to the destruction of Israel. But Hamas is firing rockets at Tel Aviv and sending terrorists through tunnels into southern Israel while aiming, in essence, at Cairo. It is backed in this by Doha and Ankara.

“… the Sunni war rages and the possibility of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel becomes more remote. Abbas is still trying to bridge the gap between the parties — between Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, that is; not between Hamas and Israel. But it’s doubtful he will be the man to reunite the bitterly divided Sunni world.”

It is interesting that the Muslims are terribly divided amongst themselves. Not only are Shiites and Sunnis at each other’s throats, but Sunnis are fighting against each other. The view that an Arabic “King of the South” will arise in the Middle East, who will unite all the hostile Sunni and Shia nations under his banner, sounds far-fetched and hardly believable, nor is it in accordance with biblical teaching. For the biblical revelation on this matter, see our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy.”

Flights to Israel Suspended or Cancelled

JTA reported on July 22:

“The Federal Aviation Administration prohibited all U.S. airlines from flying to Israel for at least 24 hours. All three U.S. carriers with nonstop flights to Israel – United, U.S. Airways and Delta Airlines — canceled their flights to Tel Aviv on Tuesday… The FAA order came after a rocket fired from Gaza struck and destroyed a home in Yehud, an Israeli town about a mile from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv…

“A slew of other airlines also canceled their flights to Tel Aviv, including Air Canada, Lufthansa, Austria Airlines, Germanwings, Turkish Airlines and Swissair…

“Delta diverted a flight en route to Tel Aviv from New York’s Kennedy Airport on Tuesday… Delta said it made its decision to suspend all flights to Tel Aviv ‘in coordination with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’ and ‘to ensure the safety and security of our customers and employees.’ Korean Air suspended its flights to Tel Aviv last week.”

The Washington Examiner commented on July 22:

“For Hamas, [the ban] could be the biggest break the Islamist group has had since the most recent fighting started — potentially increasing Israeli’s physical and psychological isolation from the rest of the world. The airport handles about 14 million travelers a year.

“Most of the more than 2,000 rockets fired at Israel in the past two weeks have had little effect. Only two Israeli civilians have died, and the Iron Dome missile system — partially funded by the U.S. and incorporating U.S. technology — has been almost 90 percent effective at intercepting rockets fired at populated areas.”

“Russians Did It! Putin’s Rebels BLEW UP MH17 Plane”

Sunday Express wrote on July 19:

“… damning evidence emerged that Moscow supplied the Buk anti-aircraft ­system to pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine… US President Barack Obama also laid the blame for the outrage on Russia while investigators from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe were blocked from accessing the crash site by rebel forces…

“President Obama confirmed that the plane was shot down from Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, which is controlled by Putin supporters fighting for independence. He said the rebels could not ‘shoot down fighter jets without sophisticated equipment and sophisticated training and that’s coming from Russia’…

“Among the dead were 80 children, including three babies, and more than 100 Aids experts on their way to a conference.”

Russia Is to Blame… One Way or the Other

The Washington Post wrote on July 18:

“This plane crash is a result of the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine, an operation deliberately designed to create legal, political and military chaos. Without this chaos, a surface-to-air missile would not have been fired at a passenger plane.

“From the beginning, the Russian government… sent Russian mercenaries and security service operatives… With the help of local thugs, these Russian security men besieged police stations, government offices and other symbols of political authority to delegitimize the Ukrainian state. In this task, they were assisted by the Russian government and by Russia’s state-controlled mass media… Just in the past week, Russian reporting on Ukraine reached a new pitch of hysteria, with fake stories about the supposed crucifixion of a child…

“Into this ambiguous and unstable situation, the Russians cynically funneled a stream of heavy weapons: machine guns and artillery and, eventually, tanks, armed personnel carriers and anti-aircraft missiles. In recent days, the separatist forces were openly using man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and boasting of having taken down large Ukrainian transport planes, clearly with Russian specialist assistance.

“Indeed, Strelkov on Thursday afternoon reportedly boasted online of having taken down another military plane before realizing that the plane in question was MH17. The blog post was removed. In late June, several different Russian media sources published photographs of Buk anti-aircraft missiles that they said had been captured by the separatists — though they were probably outright gifts from Russia. These posts have also been removed.”

Separatists Shoot Down Two Ukrainian Fighter Jets

Deutsche Welle reported on July 23:

“Separatists have shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets just under a week after the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. According to reports, the two pilots managed to parachute out… the planes went down about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17… Local health officials say that fighting since the removal of Ukraine’s previous president in February has led to the deaths of 432 people and left 1,015 injured.”

Russia Supplied Missile Launchers to Separatists

The Washington Post wrote on July 19:

“The United States has confirmed that Russia supplied sophisticated [Buk] missile launchers to separatists in eastern Ukraine and that attempts were made to move them back across the Russian border after the Thursday shoot-down of a Malaysian jet liner, a U.S. official said Saturday…

“Russia and the rebels have denied any involvement in the attack on the Boeing 777…

“In an oped column in the Sunday Times, British Prime Minister David Cameron said: ‘The growing weight of evidence points to a clear conclusion: that flight MH17 was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area. If this is the case then we must be clear what it means: this is a direct result of Russia destabilising a sovereign state, violating its territorial integrity, backing thuggish militias and training and arming them.’”

Putin’s and the rebels’ denial of any involvement is ridiculous and blatantly untruthful. Such lies would be laughable, if they were not that horrible. Putin, a former KGB spy,  should be viewed as a ruthless “leader” without any credibility. From all the evidence available, it is abundantly clear and beyond the shadow of any doubt that Putin’s Russia is directly or at least indirectly responsible for the terrible situation in eastern Ukraine and the most recent destruction of almost 300 innocent lives in shooting down the Malaysian passenger plane. One may also still ponder, in this context, what actually happened to the previous Malaysian airliner which disappeared without any trace. 

Bild Online reported on July 22 that a Russian rocket killed 298 people on board of the Malaysian airliner, but that the Euro bosses are intimidated by Putin. The paper wrote that they are behaving in a “despicably passive” way. Even further sanctions are being hotly debated, partly due to German business bosses warning that sanctions might hurt the economy. In addition, London has been recently described as a “safe haven” and the “Las Vegas” for “Russian investors.”

According to Der Spiegel Online, Europe’s hesitancy might cause a further rift with the USA.

On the other hand, we also understand that Bible prophecies show that, ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will join forces and collaborate militarily against continental Europe. 

Japan’s New Military Drone Ambitions

The website of defenseone.com reported on July 21:

“For decades Japan has been the world’s playground for design innovation. But now it may become ground zero for the future of something far more hostile: military drones. The country has positioned itself as one of the unlikely players in the escalating global race for military drones… A veteran Japanese politician even warned that the country’s re-armament looked like ‘a kind of pre-war revival.’…

“Japan is now in a position it hasn’t been in for nearly 70 years, when it gave up its right to engage in conflict outside its borders… The country will invest [$372 million] in the coming decade to drastically expand its virtually non-existent military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program… which would make Japan’s the fastest growing UAV program in the world… The military alliances could quickly devolve into something much larger. Japan’s drone situation isn’t just a boom, it’s a potential game changer with global implications…”

Berlusconi Acquitted

The Local wrote on July 19:

“An Italian appeals court on Friday cleared Silvio Berlusconi of having sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power in a surprise ruling that will strengthen the former prime minister on the political scene…

“The [decision] effectively scraps Berlusconi’s seven-year sentence and lifelong ban from holding public office…”

Like a cat with nine lives, we should not dismiss Berlusconi quite yet from any future political role in Europe.

What It Means to Be a German

The victory of the German national soccer [football] team in the World Cup has caused understandable euphoria in Germany. Some have hastily concluded that this event has now given rise to renewed German feelings of nationalism. They even tried to use biblical passages for their opinion. Their conclusion, however, is premature and unrealistic. American audiences became very supportive of their American soccer team, but no one would suggest that this has caused a renewed feeling of American nationalism. International success in sporting events comes and goes, without a real lasting effect. On the other hand, growing self-confidence can be observed in Germany, but it is still a country uncertain of itself. This will change in time.

The following article in Der Spiegel Online, dated July 17, gives an interesting picture of the present status in Germany—pointing out some facts which might not be realized by some.

“[Germany] has indisputably become a nation of immigration…  Germany [is] ranking second in the world after the United States in attracting permanent immigrants, beating out even such melting pots as Britain and Canada… Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats still don’t like thinking of Germany as a country of immigration, and the nation could also be a lot more generous in its handling of refugees. Some immigrants, on the other hand, could also make more of an effort to integrate.

“Germany has become one society, but also a diverse one — and that is contributing to this new lightness of being. This is also reflected in the national football team, for which immigrants have since become indispensable, with players like Mesut Özil, a Turkish-German, Jerome Boateng, who has a German mother and a father [who] originates from Ghana, and Sami Khedira, who has Tunisian roots…

“Nothing occupies Germans more than the idea of Hitler’s return, regardless in what form. It could be a swastika tattooed on the chest of a Russian opera singer at the Bayreuth Wagner festival that sparks a massive debate. Or it could be a rower on the German national team who is engaged to a neo-Nazi, which again triggers a national uproar… People from other countries also sometimes like to hold us prisoner of our own history. Even during the semifinal against Brazil, this celebration of beautiful football and lightness, some felt compelled to evoke the Nazis. ‘The Germans have stormed into a foreign country and taken charge,’ tweeted New York Times Washington correspondent Binyamin Appelbaum…

“Today we can remember the past with anger and with sadness, but without becoming overly uptight about it… German virtues… too contribute to the country’s lightness. Prosperity makes life easier and improves moods everywhere. And prosperity, thanks to hard work, discipline and harmony, is currently on the rise… Fully 42 million people have jobs in Germany, more than ever before, and wages have risen substantially…

“Angela Merkel… runs a country that regained its sovereignty with reunification… A strong feeling of self-confidence is bound up in Germany’s lightness… A German chancellor thinking beyond the country’s borders? Here too, things have changed.

“… the US is making it difficult for the Germans to stand by their side…

“One still can’t speak of a relaxed German nation; rather it is a country that is losing its inhibitions. It is finding its way back to itself, but is still searching for its role in the global community. Should it sit quietly in the corner or should it take on a leadership role reflective of its size and economic strength? What is missing is a national team coach, one that stipulates a clear path forward.”

This national team coach will arise in due time.

July 20, 1944

Deutsche Welle reported on July 20:

“On July 20, 1944, Adolf Hitler cheated death when military officers planned an assassination attempt. It took a long time until the Germans came to honor those who took part in the coup attempt…

“In the summer of 1951… [o]nly a third… had a positive opinion about the men and women who had tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Nazi regime…The resistance fighters [especially Count Stauffenberg] came mainly from the German aristocracy and the upper echelons of the Wehrmacht… [They] were portrayed [by the Nazi Government] as traitors who had broken the oath of allegiance they had sworn to Adolf Hitler. This opinion was shared by many Germans even after the end of the Second World War.

“But Theodor Heuss, West Germany’s first postwar president, played a key role in persuading Germans that the resistance against Hitler was not treason and Stauffenberg’s insubordination was even honorable. ‘The oath of allegiance was paid to a man who formally, legally, morally and historically had many cases of perjury behind him,’ Heuss said in 1954, on the tenth anniversary of the attempted assassination. It was the first official memorial service for the resistance fighters of July 20… ‘There have been cases of refusal to carry out orders that have achieved historic greatness.’…

“In 1958, Social Democrat Carlo Schmid said there was a moral obligation to kill a tyrant… It is striking how often speeches and debates of that era address the limits of oaths and obedience, with a ‘duty to commit high treason’…

“A remarkable memorial service took place in 1990: the first all-German remembrance for the resistance. East Germany’s communist leadership had ignored the assassination attempt for decades, mainly because the conservative and aristocratic conspirators around Stauffenberg did not match the socialist ideal… In 1990, Herzog [Constitutional Court President Roman Herzog, later German president] warned about people ‘who have done nothing but look the other way.’ Even today, he said, most people would behave that way…

“In this respect, the words of Theodor Heuss in 1954 are still valid today: ‘The legacy is still effective, the obligation has not yet been removed.’”

In a related article, Deutsche Welle wrote:

“President Joachim Gauck said [on July 20, 2014] that the events of July 20, 1944 were a reminder to Germans about the importance of ‘bravely standing up for our values.’… Earlier, the president had taken part in a church service in Berlin Cathedral, where the head of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Nikolaus Schneider, said it was important to honor the efforts to resist Hitler made by the conspirators.”

These reports mix truth with error, which is not surprising; given the fact that humanity as a whole is still eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, deciding for themselves what is right and wrong. God, in the Bible, reveals to us true knowledge and understanding—including how to behave as true Christians in a hostile environment and in a world ruled by Satan—but most reject this precious truth, as Adam and Eve neglected to eat from the tree of life which would have given them godly knowledge.

Very Few Support U.S. Drone Strikes and Spying

“People around the world overwhelmingly oppose U.S. drone strikes targeting extremists in countries such as Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia, a new poll reveals… A majority of respondents in only three nations approve — the United States (52 percent), Israel (65 percent), and Kenya (53 percent), which has suffered terrorist attacks in recent years.

“The strongest opposition to the strikes is in Venezuela, where 92 percent disapprove and just 4 percent approve… followed by Jordan (90 percent disapprove), Greece (89 percent), and Nicaragua (88 percent). A majority of respondents in several strong U.S. allied nations also disapprove of the drone strikes against extremists, including South Korea (75 percent disapprove), Italy (74 percent), France (72 percent), Germany (67 percent), and the United Kingdom (59 percent). Not surprisingly, just 3 percent of respondents in Pakistan approve of the strikes.

“… people around the world generally oppose the National Security Agency’s surveillance practices. Asked if they consider U.S. monitoring of citizens from their country ‘Acceptable’ or ‘Unacceptable,’ 81 percent say it is unacceptable and just 12 percent consider it acceptable.  Sixty-two percent say U.S. monitoring of Americans is unacceptable.

“Asked about monitoring of leaders in their country, 73 percent say it is unacceptable. However, 64 percent of respondents believe that monitoring terrorist suspects is acceptable, and just 29 percent say it is unacceptable… overall ratings for the United States remain mostly popular… 65 percent have a favorable view of America, while 25 percent have an unfavorable view. The lowest favorable rating in the survey is in Egypt, just 10 percent.”

Sadly, the overall ratings for the United States will dramatically change in the not-too-distant future, when only very few will retain a favorable view of America.

Big Earthquake Hitting Los Angeles Inevitable

The Telegraph wrote on July 19:

“The southern section of the San Andreas fault that runs near the city [of Los Angeles] has not had a ‘mega-quake’ of more than magnitude-7.5 since 1680 and it is, according to seismologists, more than a century overdue.  A flurry of lesser earthquakes in recent months has refocused attention on whether America’s second city can withstand a major hit…

“‘A big earthquake is inevitable,’ Los Angeles’ recently appointed ‘quake tsar’ Dr Lucy Jones, told The Telegraph. ‘Each earthquake that happens increases the probability. We know… it will happen. We know everything but the time.”

It is indeed only a matter of time.

“Extreme Concern” Over Terrorist Bomb

NewsMax wrote on July 13:

“New intelligence reports indicate that Yemeni bomb-makers are joining terrorists in Syria to build new types of virtually undetectable bombs, says Attorney General Eric Holder… Holder called the prospect ‘more frightening than anything I think I’ve seen as attorney general … ‘

“The Yemen-based bomb-builders… have traveled to Syria to meet with members of the Islamic State (ISIS), the group that has declared a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq… About 7,000 people with American or European passports have joined the fighting on behalf of the Islamic State, and officials fear they may attempt to return and carry out acts of terrorism in the West.”

These concerns are most certainly valid.

Middle East Conflict—No Winners but a Big Loser

The Washington Post wrote on July 12:

“… the latest bout of fighting in and around the Gaza Strip has produced no clear winners. But it has yielded a nearly indisputable loser: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who… has now been relegated to bystander status as his two longtime foes once again slug it out.

“… Here in the West Bank, where Abbas and his allies have long held sway among Palestinians, residents speak admiringly of the Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, while despairing that Abbas’s advocacy for nonviolence has led nowhere…

“The overall impact is the opposite of what the United States has long sought in the Middle East — a strengthened hand for Abbas and marginalization for Hamas and other militant groups…”

Ultimately, all will be losers, and only the return of Jesus Christ will bring an end to the madness of our futile wars.

Israel Launches Ground Invasion

The New York Times wrote on July 16:

“A senior Israeli military official said Wednesday the likelihood of a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip was ‘very high’… The stark assessment came as Israel bombed 60 targets, most of them in northern Gaza, after warning 100,000 residents to evacuate their homes by 8 a.m. via leaflets, text messages, and automated telephone calls. The Palestinian death toll reached at least 205 by late afternoon, including four children killed in a strike on the seashore…

“Scores of rockets from Gaza continued to fly into Israel, several of them intercepted by the Iron Dome missile-defense system over Tel Aviv and the southern city of Ashkelon. Hamas, the militant Palestinian faction that dominates Gaza, on Wednesday officially rejected an Egyptian cease-fire proposal that Israel had initially approved Tuesday morning…  the [Israeli] government moved to call up 8,000 additional reservists, adding to the 42,000 already mobilized…

“Mr. Netanyahu has been under pressure from some members of his cabinet and party to start a ground operation…”

Subsequently, Israel began a ground invasion on July 17, 2014. JTA reported:

“Israel launched a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip to destroy tunnels it says are used for terrorist activities. The Israel Defense Forces’ spokesman’s office announced the operation by a ‘large IDF force’ late Thursday on its Twitter feed following the order given by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister MosheYaalon… The operation is limited for now to tanks targeting 10 tunnels in Gaza, the IDF said… Israeli troops earlier Thursday stopped an attempted Hamas infiltration from the Gaza Strip, forcing 13 infiltrators back into tunnels.”

Anti-Semitism Worldwide

Breitbart wrote on July 14:

“With Hamas’ decision to begin firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, precipitating Israeli action to stop that rocket fire, anti-Jew sentiment has now exploded full-force onto the public scene. This isn’t unprecedented – each time Israel acts in its own self-defense, whether in Gaza or in southern Lebanon, Jew-haters around the world have utilized the opportunity to target Jews.

“Such evil has now shown its ugly face around the world. Here are the latest incidents across the globe against Jews, utilizing Israel’s defensive activities as an excuse:

“Los Angeles. When some 2,000 Israel supporters showed up at the Federal Building in Los Angeles on Sunday, a group of pro-Palestinian men – they were identifiable by the large Palestinian flags they carried – attacked the demonstrators with sticks. LAPD attempted to stop the fight, and the attackers reportedly drove off in their truck…

“Paris. Anti-Jewish thugs attempted to break into a Paris synagogue carrying bats and chairs… The synagogue was full of Jews memorializing the three Jewish boys killed by Hamas operatives.

“Frankfurt. Neo-Nazi protesters threw stones at police. Fellow anti-Israel protesters, who numbered 2,500, screamed ‘God is great’ and ‘children-murderer Israel.’ One sign stated, ‘You Jews Are Beasts!’ The groups apparently tried to find Jewish institutions to attack after their rally. According to the Jerusalem Post, ‘student organization Left-SDS, Islamists and some members of the Neo-Nazi group National Socialists Rhein-Main attended the anti-Israel protest. Flags from Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Hamas were on display at the protest. Banners compared Prime Minister Netanyahu with Adolf Hitler.’ Police reportedly allowed demonstrators to use ‘a police vehicle and loudspeaker to blast anti-Israel slogans.’

“Seattle… pro-Israel rallies were met with anti-Israel rallies in the city with protesters screaming ‘anti-Israel slogans calling for the destruction of the Jewish state while waving signs and marching through the downtown sidewalks…signs comparing Jews to Nazis were commonplace.’… posters utilizing the blood libel were present in the crowd, including ‘a Jew eating a gentile child along with a cup of blood to wash it all down.’

“Boston. Pro-Israel protesters were called ‘Jesus killers’ and swarmed at a rally outside the Israeli consulate…

“As Israel’s enemies are emboldened in the Middle East, Jews’ enemies are emboldened around the globe. It is no surprise, then, to watch as Jews across the world come under attack, given the unprecedented level of tacit and spoken global support for anti-Israel activity.”

JTA added on July 13:

“Rocks were thrown at police in Berlin during a protest by some 1,000 demonstrators — most of them Palestinians — against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza… By some estimates, Berlin is home to 35,000 Arabs of Palestinian origin.”

The Bible prophecies that the poison of anti-Semitism will spread and grow. As it occurred in the past, so will all again become targets who are considered “Jewish.” This will include true Christians who keep the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days and who abide by the biblical dietary laws. Martin Luther once wrote a terrible tirade against the Jews and all other Sabbath-keepers (“Gegen alle Juden und die den Sabbat halten.”) Many feel that Luther and others set the stage for Hitler’s diabolical conduct of mass murder against millions of Jews and other minorities, including some Christian “sects.” Something similar will happen again—only this time, it will be so much worse.

Syria’s Assad’s Position as Secure As Ever

Reuters reported on July 16:

“Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for a new term as Syria’s president on Wednesday, after an election which his opponents dismiss as a sham but which he said proved he had achieved victory after a ‘dirty war’ to unseat him. Once written off in the West as certain to fall, he launches his seven-year term in his securest position since the early days of the three-year-old war.

“Those close to Damascus say he now believes his Western and regional foes will be forced to deal with him as a bulwark against Sunni Islamist militants who advanced across northern Iraq last month. At his inauguration he delivered a defiant speech, vowing to recover all Syria from Islamist insurgents and warning that Western and Arab countries would pay dearly for supporting rebels he described as terrorists.”

This article proves once more how human imagination and concepts of the future can drastically change within a heartbeat.

Malaysian Passenger Aircraft Crashed in Eastern Ukraine

Deutsche Welle reported on July 17:

“[A] Malaysian airliner has crashed in eastern Ukraine near Donetsk. The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur… On board reportedly were 295 people [the accurate count seems to be 298, including three infants] — 280 [or 283] passengers and 15 crew members…”

It is presumed that everyone on board was killed.

ABS News added on July 17:

“A statement from the Foreign Ministry in Kiev said, ‘A large passenger aircraft Boeing 777, performing a flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur, was shot down in the eastern part of Ukraine… by the Russian Buk missile system as the liner was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters… because the Russian air defense systems was affording protection to Russian mercenaries and terrorists in this area.’”

Breitbart reported on July 17:

“Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera  said, ‘I believe Vladimir Putin has the blood of these airline passengers on his hands.’”

Subsequently, it was reported (but not independently verified by the respective governments) that at least 23 Americans, one Canadian, four Germans, 154 Dutch, six Brits, four Belgians, 27 Australians, 45 Malaysians, 11 Indonesians, and three Philippine citizens were killed.

Bild Online reported that Kiev and the USA “are convinced” that “pro-Russian rebels” shot down the plane with Russian weapons—perhaps erroneously believing that the plane was an Ukrainian fighter jet. The Sun wrote: “Putin was facing universal condemnation last night after pro-Russian separatists shot down a passenger jet carrying 295 people over Ukraine.”

Also note these additional messages:

The Associated Press wrote on July 17:

“An Air Force fighter jet has been shot down by an air-to-air missile fired from a Russian plane, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Security Council said Thursday. Andrei Lysenko also said Ukrainian troops had been fired upon by missiles from a village just inside Russia…Pro-Russia rebels, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for strikes Wednesday on two Ukrainian Sukhoi-25 jets…

“On Monday, Ukraine said one of its military transport planes carrying eight people was shot down by a missile fired from Russian territory. Security Service chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko said he had ‘unconditional evidence’ that Russia was involved in downing the craft… Rebels claimed to have shot that plane down.”

The situation involving Russia and the Ukraine is bound to escalate.

Germany Demands a No-Spy-Agreement–Growing Anti-Americanism in Germany

The Guardian wrote on July 12:

“Germany is determined to extract a public commitment from the US over future spying activity… Anger is running so high in Berlin that several earlier overtures by the US have this week been rejected by Berlin, which instead asked the CIA’s station chief to leave the country…

“‘We need to find something that satisfies the German public mood,’ said the senior German diplomat on Friday, who warned of growing anti-Americanism in the country…”

Experts agree that the USA will never enter into a formal no-spy agreement, but the hope is that something “informal“ could be worked out, and if this could be achieved, that it will not be broken at the next “expedient” opportunity.

Widespread German Support for Decision to Expel CIA Top Spy

The Local wrote on July 11:

“… ordering America’s top spy to leave Berlin was ‘unprecedented’ in the German-US relationship…  ‘The expulsion confirms a noteworthy increase in the level of frustration felt by the political elite [in Germany],’… ‘People’s trust in America has been decreasing ever since 2003 with the Iraq War.’…

“The Süddeutsche Zeitung called the expulsion ‘an unequalled act of protest against American arrogance’…

“Former Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg wrote in Bild, the country’s biggest-selling tabloid, that Barack Obama risked raising anti-Americanism in Germany…

“The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung warned Germany and America were ‘on the threshold of a diplomatic war’… ‘Merkel is not Obama’s poodle. The message which she sent him now was necessary and without ambiguity…’

“Journalist Jakob Augstein, meanwhile, quoted Britney Spears in his Spiegel Online column. ‘The Americans spied on us again. Oops! And they humiliated us again. Oh, baby, baby! They played with our hearts. We thought it was love. But that was a mistake.’ Augstein added: ‘The bitter truth is the relationship between the Americans and us resembles that between a dog and its owner. And unfortunately the American owner doesn’t love the German dachshund. The owner only needs it to occasionally fetch something.’…”

These excerpts show the disgust of many Germans with American duplicity.

Wake-Up Call for USA–Is Obama Losing Germany?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 12:

“Expelling intelligence officials is an act usually associated with countries with which the US does not maintain friendly relations… disappointment with Obama is widespread…

“Listening in on the German chancellor’s telephone was inexcusably ‘stupid,’ as former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Berlin…

“The New York Times soberly noted that German-American relations have reached their low point with the expulsion of the CIA’s representative from Berlin. Experts on Germany in Washington view the events more dramatically: President Obama, they fear, is on the verge of losing Germany.”

In fact, he has already lost Germany.

Most Challenging Crisis Since End of World War II

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 14:

[Klaus Scharioth, Germany’s ambassador to Washington from 2006 to 2011, said:]

“… this is a very very serious crisis… If the United States wants to know what the Germans are thinking, what the people in the foreign ministry or in the chancellory are thinking they should just call. That’s very easy. I know from my days in Washington in office that we have such a close relationship that we talk practically about everything and we also don’t hesitate to talk about differences. So there is and was no reason for this kind of espionage. And therefore I think this was basically a waste of taxpayers’ money…

“Yes I think [this is the most profound and challenging crisis in German-American relations since the end of the World War II].”

On July 15, Deutsche Welle ran the following headline: “Moronic spying may turn German friends into enemies.”

It continued:

“… it is Washington, and not Europe, that is presently – in the most stupid manner imaginable – endangering the most important alliance in the history of the world… An increasingly neutralist Germany now has a further reason to continue drifting away from America… American tone deafness over espionage is nothing less than a cancer that could effectively end the vital alliance as we know it between these two great powers.”

We hear these words, but do we really grasp what is being said here? For many decades, we have proclaimed that the relationship between the USA and Germany will deteriorate, and that hostilities and WAR will be the consequence. Now we are seeing the beginning of these developments, but most do not understand the signs of the time… including many of those who once had some knowledge of biblical prophecy. But their desire to be part of the world; their involvement with futile activities; and their setting of wrong “priorities,” as well as their willingness to compromise with God’s truth, have clouded their spiritual understanding.

No More Trust in the American President

The Financial Times wrote on July 13:

“… less than 40 per cent of Germans consider the US a trustworthy partner… Most Americans say they no longer personally trust Mr Obama. And fewer than 30 per cent express trust in the office of the presidency…

“Mr Obama has now played golf 179 times – considerably more than George W Bush, his golf-loving predecessor. Mr Obama dislikes spending time with fellow politicians. But he seems happy to attend endless fundraisers. He has now clocked up 393 fundraising events since becoming president, almost double that of Mr Bush.

“If Mr Obama put half as much effort into co-opting or wrongfooting his opponents as he does raising cash from the wealthy, people might be less sceptical…  If you seek an explanation for why Mr Obama riles so many voters – and not just Tea Party conservatives – the perception of double standards is at the root of the problem.”

These are interesting comments, describing a leader who is unwilling or unable to lead.

Impeach and Sue President Obama?

Breitbart wrote on July 16:

“A week after former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin called for President Barack Obama’s impeachment over his lawlessness on illegal immigration… two in three Republicans believe impeachment is justified and a majority of independents believe that Obama has exceeded his constitutional limits.

“A YouGov/Huffington Post poll found that 49% of Americans, 89% of Republicans, and a majority of independents (52%) ‘think that President Obama has exceeded the constitutional limits of Presidential authority.’ But 35% of Americans ‘say impeaching Obama would be justified,’ including 8% of Democrats, 37% of independents, and 68% of Republicans.”

The Washington Times wrote on July 15:

“A prominent law professor and avowed supporter of the Obama White House will tell the House on Wednesday that the president has created one of the biggest constitutional crises in the country’s history and will endorse House Republicans’ effort to sue to rein him in.

“Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University, will say President Obama is trampling the founders’ vision for the country in his push to circumvent Congress, and he will demand Republicans and Democrats alike forget their party labels to unify against this White House’s power grab.”

The “United States of America” (USA), a/k/a the “Unsuccessful Superpower (of) America”

The Huffington Post wrote on July 14:

“… And speaking of the ‘sole superpower,’ it remains true that no combination of other militaries can compare with the U.S. military or the moneys the country continues to put into it and into the research and development of weaponry of the most futuristic sort…

“In addition, the U.S. still maintains hundreds of military bases and outposts across the planet… In 2014, it still garrisons the planet in a way that no other imperial power has ever done…

“And yet, recent history is clear: that military has proven incapable of winning its wars against minor (and minority) insurgencies globally, just as Washington, for all its firepower, military and economic, has had a remarkably difficult time imposing its desires just about anywhere on the planet.  Though it may still look like a superpower and though the power of its national security state may still be growing, Washington seems to have lost the ability to translate that power into anything resembling success.

“Today, the U.S. looks less like a functioning and effective empire than an imperial basket case, unable to bring its massive power to bear effectively from Germany to Syria, Iraq to Afghanistan, Libya to the South China Sea, the Crimea to Africa.  And stranger yet, this remains true even though it has no imperial competitors to challenge it… All in all, the situation is puzzling indeed… the wounds Washington has suffered on numerous fronts in these last years are self-inflicted. Just what kind of decline this represents remains to be seen.”

We have recently published several articles of writers who begin to point out that America lost all its wars since the end of World War II. However, it is a puzzle to them as to why this should be, since America is still THE superpower of the world. But the explanation is very simple: God has withdrawn His support and protection from this country. The reasons are described in our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Putin vs. Britain vs. USA over Falkland Islands

The Telegraph wrote on July 14:

“Vladimir Putin has weighed into Argentina’s dispute with Britain over the Falklands, backing Buenos Aires’ bid to open ‘negotiations’ over the islands’ future… Phyll Rendell, head of the Falklands legislative assembly, responded to Mr Putin’s comments by insisting that the islands’ status as a British overseas territory was of its own choosing… Mr Putin’s visit to Argentina came as part of a charm offensive to woo Latin American nations back into Moscow’s sphere of influence. It is seeking to take advantage of Argentina’s ongoing run-ins with Washington…

“The Russian expression of support for Argentina’s claim to the Falklands comes amid growing British frustration with America’s equivocal stance on the issue. Anxious not to upset Argentina, President Barack Obama’s administration has remained ‘neutral’ on the dispute, a stance that has caused some annoyance given Britain’s firm backing of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In April, a House of Commons inquiry into the health of the ‘special relationship’ said: ‘We are disappointed that the US administration fails to give priority to the principle of self-determination in its position on sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.’”

The Bible shows that even Britain (modern Ephraim) and America (modern Manasseh) will be against each other. The same can be said about the relationship involving Canada (which is also a part of Ephraim). As Breitbart reported on July 14, the “Canadian Prime Minister condemned Obama for not supporting Israel.” Breitbart continued that now Canada has become the ONLY friend of Israel, and that the USA can no longer be viewed as one of Israel’s true friends.

Women Bishops in the Church of England

BBC News wrote on July 14:

“The Church of England has voted to allow women to become bishops for first time in its history…

“The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he was ‘delighted’…

“It is hard to exaggerate the significance of today’s decision at the York Synod. It breaks a hitherto unbroken tradition of exclusively male bishops inherited from the first Christians almost 2,000 years ago…

“The Archbishop of York said it was a ‘momentous day’ … Mr Cameron said it was a ‘great day for the Church and for equality’… Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg praised Archbishop Welby’s ‘leadership’ on securing the Yes vote, adding that it was a ‘big moment’ for the Church of England.

“Labour leader Ed Miliband said it was “wonderful news’… The Anglican Communion has the largest Christian denomination in Britain and a presence in more than 160 countries. Women bishops are already in office in a number of provinces including the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.”

This latest move is in complete violation of the Holy Bible. It is interesting that the Roman Catholic Church happens to follow the Bible on this issue, but it stated at the same time that they will in no way abandon their desire to continue to build close ties with the Anglican Church of England. It can be expected that the Catholic Church, in its ongoing attempts to bring back all “daughter churches” into its fold, will be willing to make some “compromises” in order to reach that goal.

“‘One in 50’ Catholic Priests, Bishops and Cardinals a Pedophile

The Independent wrote on July 14:

“Pope Francis has revealed that ‘reliable data’ collected by the Vatican suggests that one in every 50 members of the Catholic clergy is a paedophile… He pledged that he would drive away the ‘leprosy’ of child abuse that was infecting the ‘house’ of Catholicism… He also warned of much greater figures for people who were aware of the existence of abuse – sometimes within their own families – but who stayed silent because of corruption or fear…

“His comments came a week after the Pope met with six victims of clerical paedophilia to apologise for their abuse at the hands of priests. The meeting, with six British, Irish and German Catholics, was designed to acknowledge the gravity of the Church’s guilt and complicity.”

That figure might even be much higher.

HIV Exploding Among Homosexual Men and Transgender Women

AFP wrote on July 14:

“HIV infections are rising among gay men in many parts of the world, the World Health Organization warned Friday, urging all men who have sex with men to take antiretroviral drugs to prevent infection. ‘We are seeing exploding epidemics,’ warned Gottfried Hirnschall, who heads WHO’s HIV department…

“While images of skeletal men dying of AIDS in the 1980s pushed the world to act, a younger generation that has grown up among new treatments that make it possible to live with HIV are less focused on the disease, he suggested. Today, this group is 19 times more likely than the general population to be infected by HIV, Hirnschall said…

“Globally, transgender women and injecting drug users, for instance, are around 50 times more likely than the general population to contract HIV…”

Again—the signs of the time are clearly visible, but most are unwilling or unable to connect the dots.

“Billions Could Starve…”

NBC News reported on July 6:

“The once bounteous quantities of water that flowed under his farmland in the Texas Panhandle are a distant memory–pumped to the last drop. Now there is only one source of water… the sky above…

“The scope of this mounting crisis is difficult to overstate: The High Plains of Texas are swiftly running out of groundwater supplied by one of the world’s largest aquifers – the Ogallala. A study by Texas Tech University has predicted that if groundwater production goes unabated, vast portions of several counties in the southern High Plains will soon have little water left in the aquifer to be of any practical value.

“The Ogallala Aquifer spreads across eight states, from Texas to South Dakota, covering 111.8 million acres and 175,000 square miles. It’s the fountain of life not only for much of the Texas Panhandle, but also for the entire American Breadbasket of the Great Plains, a highly-sophisticated, amazingly-productive agricultural region that literally helps feed the world…

“‘This country became what it became largely because we had water security,’ says Venki Uddameri, Ph.D., director of the Water Resources Center at Texas Tech…

“With the world population increasing, and other critical global aquifers suffering equally dramatic declines, scientists acknowledge that if the American Breadbasket cannot help supply ever-growing food demands, billions could starve. ‘The depletion of the Ogallala is an internationally important crisis,’ says Burke Griggs, Ph.D., consulting professor at the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University…”

Sadly, terrible famine and drought are exactly what the Bible has pronounced thousands of years ago, especially for the USA. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.” 

Pope Francis—“Sunday Day of Rest for ALL”!

The Associated Press wrote on July 5:

“Pope Francis has lamented the abandoning of the traditionally Christian practice of not working on Sundays, saying it has a negative impact on families and friendships. Francis on Saturday traveled to Molise, an agricultural region in the heart of southern Italy where unemployment is chronically high. While he said poor people need jobs to have dignity, he indicated that opening stores and other businesses on Sundays as a way to create jobs wasn’t beneficial for society… He added: ‘Maybe it’s time to ask ourselves if working on Sundays is true freedom.’

“He said that spending Sundays with family and friends is an ‘ethical choice’ for faithful and non-faithful alike. Francis, 77, appeared to have bounced back from a spate of illnesses which have caused him to cancel several appointments recently. He flew by helicopter to Molise for a full day of activity, including a lunch appointment with poor people and a visit to a prison.”

Sunday is the day of worship for pagans and Gentiles—NOT for true Christians. But Sunday worship is also part of the mark of the beast which will be inflicted on most people. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

 

While the US Retreats, Russia Takes Over

Yahoo News reported on July 9:

“As the crisis [in Iraq] has deepened, U.S. contractors, U.S. Embassy personnel and most of the U.S. service members from the embassy’s Office of Security Cooperation have abandoned the threatened capital. The exodus has coincided with Russian contractors and support personnel pouring into BIAP to help launch the 25 Russian SU-25 warplanes that Moscow is rushing to Iraq in its hour of need…

“Thus in June U.S. contractors employed by Bell Helicopter, Beechcraft and General Dynamics Land Systems have all pulled their support personnel out of Iraq, depriving Iraqis of maintenance and repair for their U.S.-manufactured Bell ARH-407 armed reconnaissance helicopters, Beechcraft T-6 military trainer aircraft and M-1 tanks. Given the deteriorating security situation, a knowledgeable source says that virtually all U.S. contractor personnel have left Iraq…

“Making matters worse, that Iraqi arsenal notably does not yet include a single one of the 34 F-16 fighters that Iraq has had on order since 2010; nor the 24 Apache helicopter gunships on order that were held up by Congress until last January and still have not flown; nor the 24 Beechcraft AT-6 Texan II armed turboprop planes that the State Department approved for sale to Iraq back in May.

“The retreat of U.S. contractor and embassy personnel, and failure to follow through in a timely fashion on U.S. promises of military equipment for Iraq, is feeding a widespread narrative of declining American influence and commitment to the Middle East. The perceived power vacuum as the U.S. military presence wanes has been noted by adversaries and allies alike.

“The perception of a U.S. retreat from the region was reinforced by the Obama administration’s failure to follow through on promised military strikes against Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria after it used chemical weapons last year, emboldening Assad’s security forces and badly demoralizing the more moderate Syrian rebel factions. Those secular Syrian rebel groups last week threatened to lay down their weapons altogether if more military equipment and support was not forthcoming.

“Against U.S. wishes, Massoud Barzani, the president of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, declared that he will soon hold a referendum on Kurdish independence, reportedly with a green light from NATO ally Turkey. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly distanced itself from Washington in disagreements over U.S. nuclear talks with Iran, inaction in Syria and opposition to the military coup in Egypt. Critics say a pattern is developing of once staunch allies going their own way out of frustration with U.S. inaction.

“Meanwhile, U.S. tentativeness before and during the Iraq crisis is in marked contrast to the approach of Russia and Iran, which rapidly sent military advisers and support personnel to bolster the regime of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The first of the SU-25s began arriving in Baghdad aboard Russian military transports last week. Speaking to the BBC, Al-Maliki complained that if Iraqi Security Forces had the necessary airpower represented by the F-16s, they could have turned back the juggernaut offensive launched by the Islamist militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and allies among the Sunni tribes…”

The Failure of US Middle East Policy

Deutsche Welle reported on July 10:

“US dithering in the Middle East threatens years of peace work – and is destroying the country’s influence in the region. Many are blaming the president, calling him weak and indecisive…

“Over just a few years, the Middle East has been transformed into a region overcome by a single highly dangerous crisis. Conflict in Libya, Egypt, Iran and Syria, the bloody fighting tearing apart Iraq and the dramatically re-inflamed Palestinian-Israeli confrontation are back at the focus of world attention…

“Following Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli reprisals, the conflict threatens to reach a new level of escalation with a possible large-scale Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. After the peace initiative promoted by US Secretary of State John Kerry went nowhere, the Americans are now seemingly powerless, their efforts in tatters.

“The liberal Washington Post [says] the fighting in Iraq is a particularly dramatic example of the failure of current US Middle East policy. The paper’s Jackson Diehl writes ‘the Obama administration’s strategy of re-creating a unified Iraq under a strong central government will, like its previous Middle East schemes, prove a mirage.’…

“The administration’s indecisiveness has badly wounded US standing in the region. It is weaker than it has been in a long time. The Obama administration threatened the Egyptian generals with an end to the billions in military aid if they continued human rights violations, only for Secretary of State John Kerry to travel to Cairo a short time later to sheepishly announce the resumption of military aid – only a few days after supporters of former President Morsi were sentenced to death en masse…

“Ultimately, the region needs an outside power to serve as mediator…”

Such a “mediator” will arise on the world scene, but it will not be the United States.

Barack Obama–Incompetency or Conspiracy?

The Washington Times wrote on July 6:

“Maybe we’ve been conned. There’s a growing recognition that Barack Obama is an incompetent poser, working out of his depth, and his administration is the gang that can’t shoot straight. There’s a lot of evidence to support that belief.

“Everything he touches becomes a bloody mess, like crushed bones and bits of flesh caught in the tracks of a tank slicing through a rank of soldiers (or civilians). Iraq, Syria, Egypt — all gone, as prospects for countries with a prosperous and democratic future. The ‘reset’ with Russia, meant to ensure that America and the replacement republic of the old Soviet Union can be friends, is a reset, sure enough. The new Russia looks more like a reset to the Cold War, more adversary than friend, transformed by a feckless American president and an ambitious Russian leader eager to take advantage of weak and incompetent American leadership.

“The ‘humanitarian crisis’ on the southern border is the most persuasive evidence of all that America is adrift in a sea of incompetence, blown about by every ill wind that blows. The mighty ship of state is bereft of a rudder, traveling in endless circles with the captain stumbling on the bridge, trying to make sense of navigation charts he can’t read.

“However, this may be ascribing to incompetence what is better explained by conspiracy. Mr. Obama promised in 2008 that he intended to transform America, and he is well on his way. Anyone who looked closely at the man and the influences that shaped who he would become risked being called a racist, a nativist, a bigot and a redneck yahoo. He was the messiah everyone was waiting for.

“The ruins of American foreign policy are not likely to catch the attention of a culture drunk on the entertainment of the trivial, the trifling and the unimportant. But everybody begins to notice when the chaos comes close, when those responsible for monitoring the border begin to tremble and sag under the weight of a tsunami of illegal immigration. The scary implications for the future of the exceptional nation begins to weigh on Congress.

“This week, a Texas congressman who does not have the luxury of looking the other way because he sees trouble in every direction he looks, said what the nice people think must never be said. The tsunami will change everything. ‘Either we’re going to enforce our laws and remain strong, economically or otherwise, or we ignore the rule of law and go to being a Third World country,’ Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican, told Fox News. ‘You’ve got to follow the law. You cannot bring hundreds of thousands of people in this country without destroying the country. Then there’s no place that people can dream about coming.’

“No one knows this better than Barack Obama. Making the United States over into a Third World country is exactly what this president is about. He is of the Third World. He spent his formative years in the Third World, and when his mother, obsessed with the Third World, brought him back to America, he sought out the company of those who dreamed of making America over into the world’s largest welfare state…”

The Bible prophesied that because of our national sins, the country will experience an unprecedented downfall due to incompetent and helpless leadership.

USA No Longer a Country?

Newsmax reported on July 8:

“Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan has slammed President Barack Obama’s ‘inaction’ on the immigration crisis while warning that a country that cannot control its borders is no longer a country… ‘As Ronald Reagan said, “A country that won’t or can’t control its borders is not a country anymore,”’ Buchanan said.

“‘What’s happening on our southern border and Europe is [that] the failed states of the Third World are driving people basically to try to seek to have what exists in the West and the United States. But the truth is, if you do not get control of folks pouring into your country from all over the world, they will alter the character and composition of your country and change it forever without the consent of the American people.’…

“Buchanan blamed former President George H.W. Bush for helping to create the current crisis by not securing the border back in the early 1990s when he said 5,000 illegal immigrants were crossing the border every weekend. ‘If the government had acted then we would be dealing not with 12 million or 20 million, but 3 million. Many of them would have been gone. But it’s a failure of both political parties, presidents of both parties…”

NSA Greatest Threat to American Society Since US Civil War

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 3:

“A former NSA technical chief has told Germany’s parliament that the US agency has become a ‘totalitarian’ mass collector of data… William Binney described the US National Security Agency in Berlin on Thursday as an entity that had abandoned every rule-of-law principle and breached the democratic freedoms of citizens.

“Testifying, Binney accused the NSA of having a ‘totalitarian mentality’ and wanting ‘total information control’ over citizens in breach of the US constitution. It was an approach that until now the public had only seen among dictators, he added. Mass collection was ‘senseless’ and did not help in counterterrorism, and actually hindered the agency’s capabilities, Binney said. The NSA represented the ‘greatest threat’ to American society since the US Civil War of the 19th century, Binney added.

“Binney left the NSA as its technical chief in 2001 shortly [after] it began mass scanning in the wake of 9/11 hijack attacks by al Qaeda terrorists on New York and Washington…

“Another former NSA staffer, Thomas Drake, who left the NSA after trying to use official complaint channels, told the inquiry that almost all data that transited Germany was accessed by the NSA and Germany’s BND foreign intelligence service — or the NSA alone. The US government was exercising the ultimate form of control, Drake said, adding that the German BND’s silence on the issue was ‘terrible.’… Drake said the United States would soon become a ‘real surveillance’ nation in which the private lives of individuals were becoming more and more the property of the state…”

German Government Powerless?

The Local wrote on July 4:

“… critics said the German government is looking increasingly powerless against the capabilities of the NSA and British GCHQ.

“The government’s only answer had been to tell citizens to keep themselves safe online by encrypting their data, said Konstantin von Notz, Green MP and chairman of the German parliamentary inquiry into the NSA affair. ‘And now we find out that the very ones who encrypt and use that are the ones being watched. That is perverse and insane,’ he told the broadcaster.

“… the German inquiry heard evidence from former NSA employees-turned-whistleblowers Thomas Drake and William Binney, who gave weight to serious allegations against the German intelligence service (BND).  Drake said the BND had become a ‘vermiform appendix of the NSA,’ referring to accusations it had been passing data on German citizens on to the American service – an act forbidden under Germany’s constitution.”

German “Double Agent” Creating a Stir—“Huge Breach of Trust of Transatlantic Relationship”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 7:

“The fallout from the arrest of a German ‘double agent,’ who was allegedly filtering information to the NSA, continues to create a stir…  The [BND] employee was detained on suspicion of espionage…

“The suspect allegedly sold 218 documents to an unnamed US intelligence agency for 25,000 euros ($33,000)… The German daily tabloid newspaper Bild reported on Friday that three of the 218 documents were related to Germany’s parliamentary inquiry into NSA surveillance operations. The suspect allegedly received orders directly from the US embassy…

“German parliamentarians across the political spectrum… have already expressed outrage over the allegations. ‘If it turns out to be true that a BND employee worked for the US embassy for years, it would be a huge breach of trust in the transatlantic relationship,’ Stephan Mayer, the internal affairs spokesman for Merkel’s conservative parliamentary grouping, told Bild.”    

American Conduct Either “Stupid” or “Shameless”—Whoever Is Responsible “Must Go”—Obama Either “Lied” or “Not in Control”

The New York Times wrote on July 6:

“With mystery enveloping a German intelligence service employee accused of spying — reportedly for the United States — German officials and commentators on Sunday angrily demanded a response from Washington, warning that an already troubled relationship was at risk of deteriorating to a new low…

“President Joachim Gauck, whose role is largely ceremonial but who increasingly speaks out on daily matters, told German television that if it turned out that the United States had been spying on Germany, ‘then that is really a gamble with friendship, with a close alliance.’ ‘Then we really have to say, Enough,’ Mr. Gauck added…

“Perhaps the most striking sign of the strained relationship was Germany’s decision to summon the American ambassador, John B. Emerson, to the Foreign Ministry on the Fourth of July, just before the American Embassy’s holiday party for hundreds of guests. The newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported that the ambassador had smiled and greeted guests, but that the tension was noticeable: ‘It was as it has so often been recently when official America meets official Germany. The facade was perfect, but behind it there was little accord.’…

“Over decades of friendship since 1945, sharp language like that of recent months has been rare in German-American dealings. Those ties have been strained since last summer, when documents leaked by Edward J. Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, suggested that the N.S.A. had monitored the electronic data of millions of Germans. The German government then appeared to receive assurances from Washington that nothing illegal had occurred. But the subsequent revelation that Ms. Merkel’s own cellphone had been monitored stirred new anger in a nation that remembers the role played by a snooping state under the Nazis and the Communists.

“The German government tried reaching a ‘no spy’ accord with Washington, but the Obama administration rejected the idea. Months of attempts to restore relations have yielded the beginnings of a dialogue about how to deal with electronic data, cybersecurity and privacy. Those talks, and much else, would be jeopardized if the Americans recruited an agent, German commentators warned.

“Stefan Kornelius, the foreign editor of the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and usually a pronounced Atlanticist, wrote a blistering commentary on Saturday, saying it was hard even to summon words to describe the potential damage. If United States intelligence agencies acted as suggested, he wrote, that would be ‘either stupid or shameless.’ Either way, relations would turn icy, because confirmation of the espionage accusations would mean either that President Obama does not have the intelligence services under control, or that he lied when trying to smooth things over in recent months, Mr. Kornelius said. ‘The United States must now make plain publicly in whose name, and why, the German partner service was infiltrated,’ Mr. Kornelius added. ‘Whoever is responsible for this damage must go — in Washington just as in Berlin.’”

Der Spiegel Online commented that the USA underestimates the gravity and severity of the problem, ignoring the underlying Anti-Americanism of a growing minority of the German people.

German Spying on US?

The Independent wrote on July 8:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is planning to scrap a no-spy agreement Germany has held with Britain and the United States since 1945 in response to an embarrassing US-German intelligence service scandal which has deeply soured relations between Berlin and Washington. The unprecedented change to Berlin’s counter-espionage policy was announced by Ms Merkel’s Interior Minister, Thomas de Maizière. He said that Berlin wanted ‘360‑degree surveillance’ of all intelligence-gathering operations in Germany.

“The intelligence services of the Allied victors, the United States, Britain and France, have hitherto been regarded as ‘friendly’ to Germany. Their diplomatic and information-gathering activities were exempted from surveillance by Berlin’s equivalent of M15 – the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND). But Mr de Maizière told Bild that he was now not ruling out permanent German counter-espionage surveillance of US, British and French intelligence operations. His remarks were echoed by Stephan Mayer, a domestic security spokesman for Ms Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats. ‘We must focus more strongly on our so-called allies,’ he said.”

“Enough Is Enough!”

The Local wrote on July 7:

“Following a spate of scandals where US agencies including the NSA targeted subjects in Germany – including the illegal tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone – the new case was one apparent double-cross too many, national and regional media said. ‘Enough grumbling,’ Zeit Online commented on Monday. ‘The Federal Republic is not some kind of tin-pot state where hostile or allied intelligence services can do whatever they like. If – or rather because – the US government and its machinery are making a laughing stock of all notions of German-US friendship, then it’s time to get tough,’ the paper wrote…

“In a Spiegel magazine survey conducted amid the latest revelations, 57 percent of respondents now favoured ‘greater independence from the United States.’ And 69 percent said their trust in the US had recently plummeted… Another 60 percent of respondents in the Spiegel survey, however, said they wanted ‘greater independence’ in German relations with Russia, with another 40 percent calling for active closer cooperation.

“Meanwhile, the Stuttgarter Zeitung on Sunday commented that the paltry sum of €25,000 that was supposedly paid for the 218 documents showed how casually the United States was prepared to gamble with its relations with Germany. The latest spy scandal clearly showed US ‘disdain for democratic institutions and contempt for the smaller partner,’ the paper wrote.

“‘We now have the next confirmation that we are not such good friends as people would have us believe,’ agreed Tagesspiegel.”

A Second Spy Case?

The Associated Press reported on July 9:

“German authorities are investigating a second spy case reportedly involving the U.S., a week after the arrest of a German intelligence employee cast a new shadow over relations between the two countries. Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that police raided properties in the Berlin area on ‘initial suspicion of activity for an intelligence agency.’… ‘We have investigations in two cases of suspected espionage, a very serious suspicion,’ government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin…

“The daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported, without naming sources, that the man being investigated worked at Germany’s Defense Ministry and is suspected of spying for the United States. Die Welt newspaper reported, also without naming sources, the man was a soldier in the German army who had aroused the suspicion of Germany’s military counter-intelligence agency because of his close contacts to alleged U.S. spies.”

The Local added on July 9:

“The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Wednesday they were investigating a further case of espionage in Germany, allegedly involving a US agent who was reportedly an army officer at Germany’s Ministry of Defence.”

The Local wrote on July 10:

“Germany has asked the United States’ spy station chief in Berlin to leave the country in retaliation for the latest espionage scandal, marking a new low in recent relations between the countries…”

This latest case will further strain transatlantic relations.

Tensions Mount in the Middle East

Deutsche Welle reported on July 8:

“Israel has launched an aerial offensive, targeting Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip… At least nine people were injured in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning in an air raid by the Israeli military. Warplanes targeting Hamas militants struck more than 30 sites as part of Israel’s ‘Operation Protective Edge.’…

“On Monday, air sirens were sounded across southern Israel as militant group Hamas stepped up its attacks, which have been occurring frequently in recent days. The Israeli army reported that the Gaza Strip-based group had launched dozens of rockets in quick succession… Meanwhile on Monday, three of the six men arrested for the murder of the 16-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, admitted their guilt.”

Breitbart wrote on July 8:

“Photos have surfaced… showing Israeli tanks and armored vehicles stationed on the border with the Gaza Strip.”

BBC News added on July 9:

“Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Wednesday that the campaign against Hamas would expand in the next few days and ‘exact a huge price’. Israel has warned it may send ground troops into Gaza. It has authorised the call-up of up to 40,000 military reservists. Hundreds of reservists have already been drafted.”

JTA wrote on July 9:

“Hamas claimed responsibility for three rockets fired at Dimona in southern Israel, saying the terror group was aiming for the city’s nuclear reactor.”

Again—EU Condemns Israel

The EUObserver reported on July 8:

“EU countries have urged Palestinian militants to stop firing at Israel, while ‘deploring’ Israel’s killing of civilians. They said in a statement on Tuesday (8 July) the EU ‘strongly condemns the indiscriminate fire into Israel’ from the Gaza strip, while adding it ‘deplores the growing number of civilian casualties, reportedly among them children, caused by Israeli retaliatory fire’…

“For its part, the US on Tuesday urged both sides to ‘de-escalate’.  A US State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, added that Palestinian ‘terrorists’ are ‘deliberately targeting’ Israeli civilians. ‘No country can accept rocket fire aimed at civilians, and we certainly support Israel’s right to defend itself’”.

ISIS Becomes IS

Newsmax wrote on July 7:

“The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shortened its name to Islamic State (IS) because the militant insurgent group is looking to establish a ‘universal kingdom’ of believers, said Lt. Col. Ralph Peters. ‘Now that they’ve dropped to just IS, Islamic State, it tells you that they’re looking far beyond Iraq and Syria,’ Peters, a retired Army Lt. Col., told Fox News…

“Peters said the IS fighters are so dedicated to their beliefs that they are ‘willing, and even anxious, to die for their beliefs.’ This stands in opposition to the Iraqi army, which saw many of its members retreat as the ISIS threat advanced…”

It has also emerged that ISIS is in possession of chemical weapons and nuclear material.

ISIS Destroys Presumed Tombstone of Jonah

Mail On Line reported on July 9:

“This is the shocking moment ISIS militants took sledgehammers to Iraqi tombstones  – smashing them to pieces.

“The rebels, who are members of the Islamic State terror group, were filmed attacking centuries-old graves in the north-west city of Mosul in Ninevah province…One of the devastated tombstones belonged to the Prophet Jonah (Younis in Arabic) and was revered by Muslims and Christians alike, according to Iraqi authorities.

“The prophet, who is the central figure in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Jonah, is best known for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation… The attack is the latest in the ISIS’s violent rampage across Iraq.

“Earlier this week, a series of images emerged showing the destruction of almost a dozen Shia and Sunni religious shrines in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, and the town of Tal Afar, which is also currently under ISIS control… ISIS militants believe giving special veneration to tombs and relics is against the teachings of Islam…”

Final Showdown in Eastern Ukraine?

The New York Times wrote on July 8:

“Rebel fighters in eastern Ukraine may be on the defensive, but they are not melting away, at least not here in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine’s regional capital. Over the weekend, hundreds of them poured into this city after the Ukrainian military forced them out of Slovyansk, a stronghold north of here. Now they are preparing for a final showdown with the Ukrainian military that they say is coming soon.

“Whether it does is an open question. Moscow, whose support the rebels say they cannot live without, has called for a negotiated truce and seems to be unwilling to come to their aid, at least openly. But negotiations have faltered. Ukraine recently called off a cease-fire, worrying that it was playing into the rebels’ hands. On Tuesday, hopes for talks seemed to flicker again. On a surprise visit to Slovyansk, Ukraine’s president, Petro O. Poroshenko, emphasized that he was prepared to negotiate with those ready ‘to lay down their arms’ and opt for ‘a future amnesty’… Mr. Poroshenko has refused to deal directly with the leaders of the armed separatist rebellion.

“It was far from clear that such an offer would suit any of the rebels, who are far from defeated. In the neighboring city of Luhansk, which, like Donetsk, was also occupied this spring, a rebel leader said his forces had actually pushed back government troops in recent days, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. On Tuesday, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, reiterated the Kremlin’s demand for a cease-fire in the Ukrainian conflict, and said Mr. Poroshenko was being counterproductive by demanding that insurgents surrender before engaging in any peace talks…

“The government in Kiev also warned that it was prepared to take the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk by force… Moscow’s role remains a mystery. But rebels seem to be growing increasingly disenchanted with what they call meager support…”

Domestic Backlash Against Putin Over Ukraine?

The Christian Science Monitor wrote on July 7:

“Russia’s leading ultranationalist philosopher, sometimes labeled ‘Putin’s Brain,’ says that Kremlin ‘hesitations’ over extending military support to east Ukraine’s embattled pro-Russian rebels could lead to a domestic political backlash against Vladimir Putin.

“Alexander Dugin, whose extreme right-wing ‘Eurasianist’ ideology has often seemed to foreshadow Kremlin actions, says that war between Russia and Ukraine is inevitable. Mr. Putin’s apparent decision to abandon retreating east Ukrainian rebels to their fate risks turning into outright betrayal, which could split Putin from his key electoral base of ‘patriotic’ Russians, he says. ‘Putin started this by signaling that Russia should defend east Ukraine from attacks by Kiev military forces,’ Mr. Dugin told the Monitor in a phone interview Monday. ‘He declared the unity of the Russian World, and this was understood by leaders in east Ukraine that Russia would help them. But after a difficult struggle inside the Kremlin, the decision to help has been delayed. This is seen as a sign of betrayal by the patriots…. I wouldn’t call it betrayal yet. But Putin has changed the timing, and this has created a very critical situation,’ he says.

“Dugin is widely viewed as chief ideologist for the hawkish wing of Russia’s ruling elite, and his persistent influence inside the Kremlin has been widely documented. A good deal of Western commentary portrays him in somewhat hyperbolic terms as ‘Putin’s Rasputin,’ or the guiding mind behind Kremlin geo-strategy…

“Russians are almost evenly split on extending military aid to east Ukraine’s insurrection, though most oppose direct Russian intervention in the conflict… 64 percent support Russian volunteers participating in the conflict on the rebel side, and majorities consistently say Moscow should do more to back the rebels. But 68 percent also say they fear the local conflict could develop into full-blown war between Russia and Ukraine, while 54 percent worry it could grow into ‘World War III.’… On [the] one hand, people want Russia to give more backing [to the Ukrainian rebels]. On the other hand, they deeply fear [a] catastrophic development of the situation…

“Russians have grown increasingly alarmed and pessimistic about the drift of events in next-door Ukraine, and more than three-quarters now believe things are going to get ‘markedly worse’ in the near future.

“Dugin, who is in regular contact with east Ukrainian rebel leaders, says that without more Russian aid they probably can’t hold out more than a few weeks against the full-scale Ukrainian military operation now arrayed against them. He says that Putin’s ‘hesitations’ will come back to haunt him if he fails to come to east Ukraine’s assistance. ‘When Kiev finishes with the revolt in Donetsk and Luhansk, the next target will be Crimea,’ which was annexed by Russia in March, he says. ‘War is inevitable. Either we start to fight now, or we shall have to fight later.’

“Dugin alleges that Putin is holding back from taking this fateful step out of fear of Western sanctions and hopes that he can work with European leaders to fashion a negotiated peace settlement. ‘Putin’s dilemma is that he could lose the momentum of the Russian Spring, while no matter what he does he will never win any understanding from the West,’ he says. ‘The US uncritically supports Kiev’s military operation against east Ukraine, and it will support them if they attack Crimea. There is nothing to gain by waiting,’ he adds…

“‘Putin has realized that it was easier to start these events than to end them,’ says Nikolai Petrov, a professor at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics. ‘We can see that Putin is not interested in more direct involvement in Ukraine’s civil strife. But there are influential forces in Russia who are clamoring for action, and Putin cannot ignore them,’ he adds.”

New Scottish Law—Reminiscent of Hitler, Stalin and Communist East Germany

The website of reason.com wrote on June 30:

“Scotland wants to treat all families as potentially abusive and appoint a ‘named person’ (that is, a guardian) as soon as the child is born and up through age 18 to oversee the parenting. This ‘shadow parent’ would be empowered by the government under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act, which will take effect in 2016… in substance, the role of the named person is not actually to supplant the family, to state-raise children, but rather to insert a surveying, coercive authority – a spy – in the midst of every family…

“This idea grows out of the conviction that… all children are in danger at all times, and hence need constant oversight. Sometimes it’s the police arresting a dad for letting his kids play outside, sometimes it’s the police arresting a mom for letting her children walk to the pizza shop, and sometimes it’s even the local library reporting a mom who let her kids, 12 and 15, walk home without coats on a night the authorities deemed too cold.

“True danger lies in the notion that the state should decide if you are parenting your kids correctly. The care of your own children is not up to you.”

Another Example—Don’t Serve on a Jury!

The Huffington Post wrote on July 8:

“An Iowa terminal cancer patient showed up to court Tuesday wrapped in a blanket, still wearing hospital identification wristbands, to testify at his trial on felony marijuana charges. He’s been barred from a defense that explains the marijuana was to relieve his aggressive and rare cancer of the blood vessels.

“Benton Mackenzie, 48, faces up to five years in prison if he’s convicted of marijuana manufacturing and conspiracy for growing plants he says he used to make canabidiol, or CBD, a non-psychoactive compound in cannabis, to treat his tumors…

“Mackenzie was rushed out of Scott County District Court on Monday to a hospital after complaining of extreme pain and hallucinations. He suffers from severe angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer of the blood vessels that produces large skin lesions. His family said he was treated for anemia and other symptoms overnight…

 “District Judge Henry Latham in May barred Mackenzie from using his condition as a defense for growing marijuana… Mackenzie has said he’s been threatened with jail if he discloses his medical condition in court. Mackenzie on Tuesday filed a motion arguing that a law that Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) signed in May that legalize the use of CBD oil to treat epilepsy should protect his use of the oil. The new law, however, focuses narrowly on treatment for ‘intractable epilepsy’ and does not apply to Mackenzie, Latham ruled Tuesday.

“‘The change in law benefits only a small group of Iowans with the most organized lobbying efforts,’ Des Moines Register editorial board wrote over the weekend. ‘Other sick Iowans should have legal access to marijuana extracts, too. These include people with painful and debilitating conditions like cancer, spinal cord injuries and severe arthritis, who may benefit from the drug. But if these people obtain cannabis oil, they will still be considered criminals in this state.’”

Judge Latham’s decision makes a fair trial virtually impossible. This is another example why true Christians must NOT serve on a jury. Sadly, far too many members in the broader Church of God community miss this point entirely and become complicit in and responsible for the rendering of false judgments and unjust guilty verdicts.

The Future World of Lying Robots

Business Insider wrote on July 5:

“‘Today there’s no legislation regarding how much intelligence a machine can have, how interconnected it can be… [You are] going to see that the top species will no longer be humans, but machines.’

“These are the words of Louis Del Monte, physicist, entrepreneur, and author of ‘The Artificial Intelligence Revolution.’ Del Monte spoke to us over the phone about his thoughts surrounding artificial intelligence and the singularity, an indeterminate point in the future when machine intelligence will outmatch not only your own intelligence, but the world’s combined human intelligence too.

“The average estimate for when this will happen is 2040, though Del Monte says it might be as late as 2045. Either way, it’s a timeframe of within three decades. ‘It won’t be the “Terminator” scenario, not a war,’ said Del Monte. ‘In the early part of the post-singularity world, one scenario is that the machines will seek to turn humans into cyborgs. This is nearly happening now, replacing faulty limbs with artificial parts. We’ll see the machines as a useful tool. Productivity in business based on automation will be increased dramatically in various countries. In China it doubled, just based on GDP per employee due to use of machines.’

“‘By the end of this century,’ he continued, ‘most of the human race will have become cyborgs [part human, part tech or machine]. The allure will be immortality… The concern I’m raising is that the machines will view us as an unpredictable and dangerous species.’

“Del Monte believes machines will become self-conscious and have the capabilities to protect themselves. They ‘might view us the same way we view harmful insects.’ Humans are a species that ‘is unstable, creates wars, has weapons to wipe out the world twice over, and makes computer viruses.’ …

“A 2009 experiment showed that robots can develop the ability to lie to each other. Run at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems in the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, Switzerland, the experiment had robots designed to cooperate in finding beneficial resources like energy and avoiding the hazardous ones. Shockingly, the robots learned to lie to each other in an attempt to hoard the beneficial resources for themselves. ‘The implication is that they’re also learning self-preservation,’ Del Monte told us…”

Kenya’s Bull Elephants at Brink of Extinction

The Times Magazine wrote on July 5:

“There are a dozen tuskers left in Kenya: the spectacular bull elephants, whose tusks fetch poachers $1 million each, are on the brink of extinction. And five weeks ago, the most iconic of them all, 45-year-old Satao, was killed.”

God will destroy those who destroy the earth and wipe out animals for pecuniary gain.

The Elephant Cried

Huffington Post reported on July 7:

“For 50 years, Raju the elephant was abused, held shackled in spiked chains and forced to live off scraps from passing tourists. All that changed when he was rescued last weekend by wildlife conservationists who said the animal cried when he was finally set free.

“Wildlife SOS, a group established in 1995 to protect endangered wildlife in India, set out to rescue Raju on the night of July 2. Raju is around 50 years old and was likely captured as a baby and bought and sold many times over the course of his life. He was forced to work as a begging elephant in Allahabad. His legs were bound in spiked chains that made walking difficult and left him with chronic wounds. He was also beaten…

“Raju was in chains 24 hours a day, an act of ­intolerable cruelty. The team were astounded to see tears roll down his face during the rescue,’  Pooja Binepal, a spokesman for Wildlife SOS, said, per the Mirror. ‘It was incredibly emotional. We knew in our hearts he realized he was being freed. Elephants are majestic and highly intelligent animals. We can only imagine what torture the past half a century has been for him.’

“[Nikki Sharp, the executive director of Wildlife SOS-USA]… echoed Binepal’s statement while speaking with HuffPost. ‘[The rescue team] went in to rescue him and [his captors] had bound him up so tightly that he was in a lot of pain,’ she said. ‘The vet and our team came with fruits and just started speaking softly to him and to reassure him that we were there to help, and it was at that time that tears flooded down his face. The founder of Wildlife SOS, who was there are the time of the rescue, said …. that really caught him off guard. They’ve done a lot of elephant rescues and the fact the tears were just coming down … he was weeping. It was an emotional moment and everyone was more motivated to get him on the truck and to safety.’…”

“These Creatures Are More Fact Than Fiction”

The Huffington Post published an interesting article on July 7 about mystical creatures which are believed in existence today. While excluding the obvious incredibility of some legends, we are bringing you excerpts about two samples which have the benefit of at least some credibility—the “Loch Ness” monster and “Mokole Mbembe”:

“… while believing in… sea serpents or the like might throw someone’s credibility into question, consider that people who believed in the giant squid, the platypus and the Komodo dragon were ultimately proven correct. These three very real creatures were long considered the stuff of myth and make-believe.

“Is it really so far-fetched to imagine that other fabled beasts could also occupy the realms of reality? We’ll leave the formal investigations to the cryptozoologists and for now take a look at some of the more interesting creatures that cultures around the world believe in…

“The legend of the Loch Ness monster stretches back to the sixth century, when it was first referenced in the biography of St. Columba. The Irish missionary reportedly stumbled upon a funeral for a man who had been killed by a loch (the Scottish word for ‘lake’) serpent. People’s beliefs about the monster were reinvigorated in the 1930s when a couple reported the first modern-day sighting of it…

“Many early explorers of the Congo Basin wrote about an other-worldly beast they observed or heard tales of during their travels. With a long neck and an elephantine body, the creature has been described as a water-dwelling monster that looks like a sauropaud dinosaur, according to National Geographic. It is known as Mokole Mbembe in the Likouala region of the Congo, which is said to be its home.

“To date, there have been more than 50 expeditions to try and figure out whether the creature is the last living species of the dinosaur. Thus far, researchers have come up empty-handed. However, according to BBC, 80 percent of the Likouala region of the Congo has yet to be charted. That’s 66,000 square kilometers of unexplored terrain. ‘I’d put Mokele-mbembe in the same category as the Loch Ness Monster,’ Bill Laurance, a professor at James Cook University in Australia, told the BBC. ‘My gut sense is that the likelihood of the creature actually existing today is small. However, one thing you learn early on in science is never say never. We are still discovering new species all the time.’”

For more information, please read our Q&A on the existence of sea monsters.