WANNSEE Remembered

J-Wire published the following on January 21, 2012:

“On January 20, 1942, the Nazi leadership gathered in a villa on the outskirts of Berlin and adopted the ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Question.’ The Wannsee Conference, as this became known, from the suburb where the meeting was held, formalized the process that exterminated so much of European Jewry…writes Danny Ben-Moshe.

“As we mark the 70th anniversary of that 90-minute meeting in which 15 people condemned millions to death, there are many crucial lessons to learn from the Holocaust…”

The Jerusalem World News, on January 25, 2012, adds:
 
“Presiding over the conference was SS-Lieutenant General Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Security Police and Security Service. In attendance were 14 high-ranking German military and government leaders, among them Adolf Eichmann. Imagine, over lunch 15 men in 90 minutes changed the world forever. January 20, 2012 marks the 70th anniversary of that fateful conference. We dare not let this dubious anniversary pass without marking how little time it takes to alter the course of history.

“As events of the 1930s led ominously toward a Second World War, the Nazis under Hitler searched for a ‘final solution’ for what they considered to be ‘the Jewish problem.’ As the meeting began that day, Heydrich was determined that none should doubt his superiority or his authority, which was not limited by geographical borders. He briefed those in the room on the measures that had already been taken against the Jews in an attempt to eradicate them from both the German culture and the German homeland.

“Initially, steps had been implemented to allow German Jews to immigrate to whatever countries would accept them, but the move proved to be too slow for the Fuhrer and the Reich. Now the men had gathered to implement Hitler’s new solution. Heydrich provided a list of Jews in each country, a total of 11 million Jews were to be involved. In his zeal, he determined, ‘In large, single-sex labor columns, Jews fit to work will work their way eastward constructing roads. Doubtless the large majority will be eliminated by natural causes. Any final remnant that survives will doubtless consist of the most resistant elements. They will have to be dealt with appropriately, because otherwise, by natural selection, they would form the germ cell of a new Jewish revival.’ Translation: All will die.

“According to the minutes of the meeting, Jews were to be purged beginning in Germany, Bohemia, and Moravia. From there they were to be expunged in Europe from east to west. Many questions arose as to how to identify those who were to be considered Jews. The issue was not resolved during the Wannsee meeting.

“Of course, this was not the beginning of the extermination of the Jewish people. Many of those in attendance had already participated in the murders since the summer of 1941. Even before the gathering at Wannsee, more than a half-million Jews had been murdered behind army lines. The question was how to attain the goal of mass extermination in areas outside the battle zone. A more efficient way needed to be found to eliminate larger numbers. No, the meeting was not called to determine how to begin the process, but rather to spell out how the ‘final solution’ would be achieved. By the following January, death camps equipped with gas chambers were under construction.

“The ordinary citizenry of Germany did not enter the war determined to annihilate six million of their neighbors. It began with a subversive program of anti-Semitism aimed at blaming the Jewish people for all the ills that had beset Germany following its losses in World War I. Even Hitler did not begin with total extermination in mind. That seed began to germinate only after Jews were denied entry into other countries.  It seemed to him that he had been given a green light to do whatever he wished with the Jewish population.

“The accusations resonate yet again today as Israel is routinely accused of crimes worthy of its being wiped off the map. Given the state of the economy—an integral factor in Hitler’s rise to power—anti-Semitism is being reborn at a sickening rate, even as Holocaust denial has reached alarming proportions. Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has jumped on the bandwagon with others in the Arab world, as well as the likes of British author and Holocaust denier David Irving, an active anti-Semite and racist whose books are widely read.”

The fact that seventy years have passed is significant, because as time slips by, the bitter lessons of what occurred at this conference are fading into history. Already, rumblings of extreme nationalistic and far right outcries in some European nations are arousing a dark foreboding for what might be happening all over again!

As the articles cited correctly point out, it was astounding how quickly everything changed! Biblical prophecy warns of a time immediately ahead in which even greater atrocities will take place and, as before, will take place so abruptly that the vast majority will find themselves totally unprepared!

In Egypt, Islamists Win!

From The Guardian, January 21, 2012:

“The final results in Egypt’s first parliamentary elections since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak have confirmed an overwhelming victory for Islamist parties.

“The Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned under Mubarak’s regime, won the biggest share of parliamentary seats (38%), according to the High Elections Committee. Its Freedom and Justice party (FJP) has named Saad al-Katatni, a leading Brotherhood official who sat in the old parliament as an independent, as speaker of the assembly.

“The hardline Islamist Al-Nour party came second with 29% of the seats. The liberal New Wafd and Egyptian Bloc coalition came third and fourth respectively.

“The result means that Islamists will wield major influence over a new constitution, which is set to be drafted by a the country’s first freely elected parliament.”

Reuters also reported on January 21, 2012:

“Having secured the biggest bloc, the FJP named Saad al-Katatni, a leading Brotherhood official who sat in the old parliament as an independent, as speaker of the assembly.

“While the strong Islamist performance has alarmed liberal Egyptians and Western governments who had close ties to Mubarak, it is unclear if rival Islamists will team up in the assembly.

“The FJP expressed its ‘confidence that Katatni will be at the same distance from all representatives, either those of the FJP or other parties.’

“This would ‘uphold the principle of democracy and consolidate the rules of political participation,’ the party said in a statement.

“The rise of the Islamists in Egypt’s first election since Mubarak’s overthrow in February last year marks a monumental shift from the past when parliament was a compliant body stuffed with members of his National Democratic Party and the Muslim Brotherhood was officially banned but tolerated.”

In Nigeria, Islamists Attack!

On January 21, 2012, BBC News wrote the following update concerning Nigerian violence:

“Co-ordinated attacks by Islamist militants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Friday killed about 150 people, witnesses and reports say.

“Hospitals are struggling to deal with the numbers of killed and injured.

“A series of explosions ripped apart police buildings, passport offices and immigration centres around the city, which is now under a 24-hour curfew.

“Boko Haram militants said they carried out the attacks, which would be their bloodiest assault to date.

“The group has said it wants to overthrow the national government and install an Islamic state.

“Its members have frequently attacked police stations and other symbols of state power, but the group has also bombed churches and killed hundreds of people – including many Muslim and Christian civilians…

“Boko Haram, which loosely translates from the local Hausa language as ‘Western education is forbidden’, has been behind a string of attacks in recent years.

“The group wants Islamic law across Nigeria, whose population is split between the largely Muslim north, and the south where Christianity and traditional beliefs predominate.”

Iraq Becoming A Police State

The washingtonpost.com wrote on January 22, 2012:

“Iraq ‘cracked down harshly’ on freedom of expression and assembly in 2011 by intimidating, beating and detaining activists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said Sunday in announcing its World Report 2012.

“‘Iraq is quickly slipping back into authoritarianism as its security forces abuse protesters, harass journalists and torture detainees,’ said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ‘Despite U.S. government assurances that it helped create a stable democracy, the reality is that it left behind a budding police state.’

“Many of the problems reported by Human Rights Watch occurred before Dec. 18, when the final U.S. troops left the country. The group reported similar problems last year.

“But in its new report, the organization also highlights recent incidents.

“In the weeks leading up to the U.S. withdrawal, Iraqi security forces rounded up hundreds of Iraqis accused of being former Baath Party members, according to Human Rights Watch. Most of them ‘remain in detention without charge,’ the group said.

“This month, according to Human Rights Watch, Iraqi authorities were able to curtail anti-government demonstrations by flooding weekly protests with pro-government supporters and undercover security agents.

“’Dissenting activists and independent journalists for the most part said that they no longer felt safe attending the demonstrations,’ Human Rights Watch said.”

Despite all of the self-congratulatory claims by U.S. officials, Iraq is not an example for claiming victory; rather, the United States has left Iraq ripe for a dramatic move into Islamic extremism–just as we see now happening throughout Northern Africa and much of the Middle East.

U.S. Threatens to Close Embassy in Syria

Reported in the washingtonpost.com edtion on January 20, 2012:

“The Obama administration is preparing to evacuate American personnel and close the U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria, by the end of this month unless the embattled government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad provides additional security for the facility, senior administration officials said.

“Officials said they have not reached a final decision and are engaged in talks with the Assad government, but there so far have been no tangible results in providing more protection for the embassy.

“’We have serious concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Damascus, including the recent spate of car bombs, and about the safety and security of embassy personnel,’ a State Department release Friday evening said. ‘We have requested that the government of Syria take additional security measures to protect our embassy, and the Syrian government is considering that request. We have also advised the Syrian government that unless concrete steps are taken in the coming days we may have no choice but to close the mission.’

“A drawdown of the staff at the embassy, which is located on a busy street in Damascus, began last week after three unexplained car bombings in recent weeks jarred the previously calm capital and left as many as 80 people dead.

“Government claims that al-Qaeda was responsible for the recent attacks were widely scorned by activists who accused the government itself of responsibility. Although the administration has not ruled out Syrian government involvement in the attacks, U.S. officials said signs point to Syrian and Iraqi militants that have been affiliated with al-Qaeda.

“‘It smells like a terrorist attack and looks like a terrorist attack, but none of us knows for sure,’ said a senior Obama administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in discussing the sensitive situation.”

The article adds this very insightful report:

“If even a small number of Sunni extremists from Iraq have become involved in the Syrian conflict, it would add an alarming new dimension to what has been an overwhelmingly peaceful uprising that has been brutally attacked by the decades-old dictatorship.”

Unmistakably, the U.S. is facing a diminishing role throughout most Arab nations. In the face of the unrelenting insurgency by Islamist extremists, such as al-Qaeda, it appears that America and its allies are either backing down or relinquishing once dominant positions of infuence in this volatile part of the world.

More Sanctions Against Iran!

Voice of America wrote on January 23, 2012:

“The European Union has imposed an oil embargo on Iran, effective July 1 – taking away 20 percent of Iran’s current oil sales. The embargo is intended to increase pressure on Iran’s government to allow inspections to ensure its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, as Iran’s leaders say it is.

“The ban on importing oil from Iran was unanimously approved by the 27 European Union foreign ministers during a meeting in Brussels Monday. Its effective date was delayed to give some members time to implement existing contracts and to enable the ministers to review Iran’s reaction, and any change in its behavior, before putting the ban into force.  But EU members will not sign any more contracts for Iranian oil, effective immediately.

“The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said the embargo is aimed at convincing Iran to return to talks about its nuclear program.

“’I hope that Iran will respond positively to the letter that I sent, that it will respond positively to the messages we have sent, and come back to the negotiating table,’ she said.

“The EU also froze assets of the Iranian Central Bank that are deposited in the EU and banned trade with Iran in gold, diamonds and precious metals. And it tightened restrictions on selling Iran technology that has military applications.”

In a related report on January 24, 2012, The New York Times wrote:

“As the Obama administration and its European allies toughened economic sanctions against Iran on Monday — blocking its access to the world financial system and undermining its critical oil and gas industry — officials on both sides of the Atlantic acknowledge that their last-ditch effort has only a limited chance of persuading Tehran to abandon what the West fears is its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“That leaves open this critical question: And then what?

“While the United States and Israel have not taken military options off the table, pursuing them is unpalatable, at least for now. Several American and European officials say privately that the most attainable outcome for the West could be for Iran to maintain the knowledge and technology necessary to build a nuclear weapon while stopping short of doing so. That would allow it to assert its sovereignty and save face after years of diplomatic tensions.

“While that might seem to be a big concession on the part of the United States, Iran would first have to make even bigger ones: demonstrate that it could be trusted and drop its veil of secrecy so that inspectors could verify that its nuclear work was peaceful, steps Iran has resisted.

“In other words, Iran would have to become a country like Japan, which has the capability to become an atomic power virtually overnight, if need be, but has rejected taking the final steps to possessing nuclear weapons. ‘If you’re asking whether we would be satisfied with Iran becoming Japan, then the answer is a qualified yes,’ a senior European diplomat said. ‘But it would have to be verifiable, and we are a long ways away from trusting the regime.’

“Today’s Iran is nothing like Japan, which has a deep aversion to nuclear weapons dating to the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And settling for an Iranian state that could quickly produce a nuclear weapon would be hard for the United States to embrace because of Israel’s deep antipathy toward Iran and Western and other nations’ fears of setting off a regional arms race.”

Of all the issues arising in the Middle East, the most explosive is that of the Iranian stand-off with Western powers! While sanctions and embargoes play out over time, the Iranians skillfully negotiate delaying tactics, giving them more and more time to achieve the technology needed to create nuclear weapons! The wild card in all of this is the grave potential that a random and unplanned “event” might just trigger an all out confrontation–especially involving Israel and the United States.

Croatia Wants In!

The New York Times wrote on January 22, 2012:

“Croats voted by a two-to-one margin on Sunday to join the European Union, signaling that the bloc retains its allure despite the debt crisis engulfing the euro currency that many of its members use.

“The state referendum commission said that with almost all the votes counted, about 66 percent in Croatia supported membership, while 33 percent were opposed and 1 percent of the ballots were invalid. The commission put the turnout at about 44 percent of eligible voters.

“Once seen as a sure route to prosperity, membership in the union has been tarnished lately by the bloc’s struggle to come to grips with debt crises in several of the 17 member nations that use the euro. Even so, nearly all leading politicians and members of the Croatian Parliament came out in support of a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum.

“If Croatia is admitted to the European Union as scheduled on July 1, 2013, it would be obliged to adopt the euro as well, though not immediately — that would not occur until the nation of 4.5 million people could meet the economic criteria for joining. The Croatian prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, has said that that would not happen before 2015 or 2016.

“Because of its legacy of nationalist politics, Croatia was not included in the last two waves of union expansion, in 2004 and 2007. Of the states that, with Croatia, formerly made up Yugoslavia, only Slovenia has been admitted so far, in 2004.”

Bloomberg Businessweek on January 24, 2012, adds:

“Two decades after the country won independence in the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia, the government expects EU entry to boost investment and economic growth and cement its break from communism. Enthusiasm for EU unity is waning among its eastern members, including Hungary and the Czech Republic, as the continent faces a return to a recession and politicians balk at efforts to merge fiscal policies.

“’Citizens have voted for a European Croatia,’ Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said on state television yesterday. ‘This is also great news for Europe. It’s a message to Europe that its values are still supported and recognized.’

“Membership in the world’s largest trading bloc may provide the Adriatic nation with hundreds of millions of euros in regional development and infrastructure subsidies. Companies such as Germany’s Siemens AG and Deutsche Telekom AG and Sweden’s Ericsson AB expect to expand into the Balkans as western Europe’s growth stalls over the debt crisis…

“’The European Union gives us a ticket to the world in which we can be successful,’ Davor Majetic, head of the Croatian Association of Entrepreneurs, said by phone. ‘We want to work and have an opportunity to turn our ideas into profitable products that can reach that market of 500 million people.’”

More Power to the EU

The euobserver.com reported on January 26, 2012:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said transferring more powers to EU institutions rather than increasing the size of the eurozone’s future bail-out fund is the way to overcome the euro crisis.

“‘We have said right from the start that we want to stand up for the euro, but what we don’t want is a situation where we are forced to promise something that we will not be able to fulfil,’ Merkel said Wednesday (25 January) in the opening speech of the World Economic Forum, an informal gathering of leaders and business magnates held every year in Davos, a Swiss mountain resort.

“Merkel resisted calls made by the International Monetary Fund and the Italian Prime Minister to increase contributions to the European Stability Mechanism, set to come into force in July with a firepower of €500 billion and aimed at lowering the borrowing costs of large euro-economies such as Italy and Spain.

“’Some say that it has to be double the size, then if that’s not big enough, others will say it has to be three times as big,’ she said.

“’If Germany, as the representative of all European countries, promises something that can’t be kept in the event of a harsh attack by the markets, then Europe would have a wide-open flank.’

“Instead, her solution is more ‘integration’, by transferring more powers from a national level to EU institutions such as the European Court of Justice, so that the continent is ‘turned into a Europe that works.’

“‘We have taken some steps closer to a fiscal union, but we can get faster, gain speed and become more decisive,’ she added, in reference to the inter-governmental treaty on fiscal discipline currently being negotiated among 26 member states, except Britain.”

Abortion Adverts in Britain

MailOnline reported on January 21, 2012:

“Private clinics that carry out abortions for profit are to get the  go-ahead to promote their services with TV and radio adverts.

“Advertising watchdogs will trigger a storm of controversy by announcing the decision on Monday after years of argument, the Mail can disclose.

“Pro-life campaigners reacted with fury, saying the move would trivialise human life by putting the choice to have a termination on a par with buying washing-up liquid or cereal…

“More than 35 private hospitals in England currently offer abortion services, though many are better known for their maternity and fertility services.

“Critics say the reforms risk leaving the UK with among the most liberal advertising rules in the world…”

The Guardian, on January 21, 2012, also reported:

“Clinics offering a range of ‘post-conception advice services’ (PCAS), including counselling and terminations, will be free to advertise in broadcast media because there is no justification to prevent it as long as they are not harmful, offensive or misleading, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) said.

“Not-for-profit pregnancy services are already allowed to advertise on television and radio and for-profit clinics can already advertise in all other media, including newspapers.

“Under new rules clinics will have to make it clear in all advertising if they do not offer referral for termination…

“Matt Wilson, a spokesman for BCAP, said: ‘There is not going to be some sort of free-for-all saying “come to us to get an abortion”. They are not there to promote abortion, they have to promote an array of services. It is about being responsible and commercial pro-life pregnancy services will now be able to advertise too.’

“But the Tory MP Nadine Dorries told the Daily Mail: ‘What this is actually going to do is desensitise what abortion is and the seriousness of it, and making it sounds like it’s as easy as having your lunch.

“‘It’s appalling.'”

Now It’s a Law!

Time.com wrote on January 25, 2012:

“Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed into law this week an ordinance requiring porn actors to wear condoms while performing.

“The law will take effect 41 days after it is posted by the city clerk, which could happen before the end of the week, the Associated Press reports.

“Porn producers say the regulation may prompt them to leave L.A., which is regarded as the porn capital of the nation. As many as 90% of all porn films produced in the U.S. are made in L.A., mostly in the city’s San Fernando Valley. But porn producers, who insist that films with performers wearing condoms don’t sell as well as those without them, are threatening to move their productions outside of city limits.

“The L.A.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation helped write the new law and has advocated for the regulation for many years. The group says condom requirements are crucial for protecting the health of porn actors — a cause that was bolstered by a recent moratorium on production after an L.A. adult-film actor tested positive for HIV.”

With laws permitting and “regulating” such abominable activities as reported from both Britain and Los Angeles in these last two articles, is it any wonder that our nations are unable to find success in those things that should matter most–stable families with successful marriages; healthy people; the blessings of a robust economy; and a relationship with the God who has created us? Rather, we find ourselves spiraling into deepening problems with no solution seemingly available!

More Negotiations?

The New York Times wrote on January 18, 2012:

“Israel moved to calm the increasingly tense discourse over Iran’s nuclear program on Wednesday, with the Israeli defense minister asserting that any decision on a possible pre-emptive military strike on Iranian targets was ‘very far off.’

“The assertion by Defense Minister Ehud Barak was at least the third indication from the Israeli government in the past few days that it was not considering armed confrontation over the nuclear issue with Iran anytime soon, and it came amid signs that Iran and Western powers led by the United States might resume talks that have been stalled for a year.”

While reports of this sort paint a more promising picture for peace in the Middle East, there always lurks the dark reality that an inevitable confrontation is waiting to explode between Israel and Iran–which will pull many other nations into the clash. More insightful information on this critical issue can be found in a recent message given by Norbert Link, titled: “The Covenant With Levi.”

But is Time Running Out For Diplomacy?

As reported by the Jerusalem Post on January 19, 2012, General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Israel this week to make the case for more negotiations with Iran along with enforcing sanctions. However, comments quoted in this same article from Israel’s IDF Chief of Staff, Lt-Gen. Benny Gantz, show that the nearness for conflict is growing ominous:

“Addressing a meeting of NATO military commanders at the western military alliance in Brussels, Gantz said that the world needed to ‘strengthen moderate elements and weaken the radicals.’

“’Only through joint work combining tough and soft power can we deter and in the long term overcome these radical elements,’ Gantz said.

“Earlier in the day, Gantz met with the Canadian and Italian chiefs of staff.

“Gantz said that NATO’s decision to establish a missile defense system throughout Europe was a demonstration of the severity non-conventional weapons pose to the world.

“’Ballistic missile defense systems need to be the last line of defense and the initiative needs to come earlier by exhausting all of the available means to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,’ he said.

“On Tuesday, Gantz called on NATO military commanders to think up new strategies for dealing with the growing instability in the Middle East and the subsequent increase in threats.

“’We are today in a different and more dramatic reality that includes new threats and a period of instability requiring all of us to reassess,’ he said during a meeting with General Knud Bartels, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

“Gantz also met with Britain’s Chief of Staff General Sir David Richards and Russia military chief Nikolai Makarov, as well as the chiefs of staff of France, Spain, Australia, Greece and Poland.”

Eastern Europe: A Return to Populism and Nationalism!

Spiegel Online International wrote on January 18, 2012:

“A dangerous storm is brewing in the shadow of the euro crisis. The devastating consequences of the 2008 global financial crisis were never fully overcome in Eastern Europe, and more countries in the region are falling into financial and economic imbalance, battling sprawling debt, high budget deficits, recessions and unemployment.

“But it’s not just the fragile economies that are at risk. Many central and southern European societies also lack political and social stability. These regions have two decades of uninterrupted reforms and tough austerity policies behind them. Many people there are exhausted, and democracy fatigue, euroskepticism, and aversion towards the once deified West are on the rise.

“‘In many respects, it’s a process similar to the disillusionment in Eastern Europe with socialism in the 1970s and 1980s,’ says Hungarian economic scholar and publicist László Lengyel. ‘The danger of this is that entire social classes or regions like those in eastern Poland, Slovakia and Hungary fall victim to hopelessness and extremism…'”

“…The EU has long since lost its role as a force for order in Eastern Europe. From the Baltic States to Bulgaria, hardly an Eastern European country truly stands behind EU projects. In the Czech Republic, President Václav Klaus has always agitated against the EU and the euro and has thereby stirred political turmoil in the country. Most recently, the battle over the EU fiscal pact has led to a government crisis. In Estonia, resentment is growing against the cost of the euro bailout efforts. After elections in March the populist Robert Fico, who previously governed between 2006 and 2010, could take the helm again. And when in doubt, Romania’s populist President Traian Bsescu supports the United States rather than the EU. Meanwhile there have recently been major clashes in Bucharest against his government’s austerity measures…

“Polls reveal a climate of hate spawned by the right-wing nationalist and extremist discourse of the last few years. For example, nearly two-thirds of Hungarians believe that the influence of Jews is too great in their economy, and that the Roma have a genetic predisposition towards criminality.”

In spite of this unrest–particularly from the Hungary’s prime minister–the EU exerts powerful influence, and it seems more than willing to enforce its control, as the next article shows.

Hungary Gives Way

Reuters reported on January 18,2012:

“Hungary’s prime minister yielded on Wednesday in a dispute with the European Union that threatens aid for his country, saying he was willing to change contested laws tightening government control over institutions including the central bank.

“Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s conservative Fidesz party has been criticised by the international community for introducing measures that threaten the independence of the media, the judiciary and the central bank since sweeping to power in 2010.

“The Commission, the EU’s executive, said in a letter sent on Tuesday that new laws on the central bank, the retirement age of judges and the country’s data protection authority violated EU rules. They needed to be changed within one month if Hungary wanted to avoid a procedure that could end up at the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court.

“On Wednesday, Orban offered amendments and said he could accept some of the criticisms made by the Commission.”

EU Parliment Presidency Goes to Shultz

The euobserver.com reported on January 12, 2012:

“Martin Schulz has promised to live up to his reputation as something of a political bruiser in his new role as European Parliament president, with references to his “temper” and “strength of personality” featuring in post-election appraisal speeches by colleagues.

“The German Socialist MEP was elected to the largely ceremonial post after one round of voting Tuesday morning (17 January), gaining 387 of the 699 votes cast.

“Although the outcome was virtually pre-ordained given the agreement between the Socialist and the centre-right EPP to divide the 5-year presidency, Schulz was clearly emotional as he told the chamber that his family, his former primary school teacher and members of his youth football team were all present to witness the vote.

“Schulz, who differs enormously in style to his emollient predecessor – centre-right Pole Jerzy Buzek – promised that he was ‘not going to be an amenable president.'”

BNO News reported:

“The 56-year old German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) replaced the outgoing President Jerzy Buzek of Poland and will lead the parliament for two and half years until the beginning of the next legislature in July 2014.

“‘We must grasp the fact that people in Europe have little time for institutional debates because they are too busy worrying about their future, their jobs, their pensions,’ Schulz stated in Strasbourg following the vote. ‘This Chamber is the place where the interests of the people are defended.’

“Schulz received a total of 387 votes, more than the 336 votes needed to win an absolute majority under the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

“President Schulz also warned that ‘for the first time since it was founded, the failure of the European Union is a realistic possibility’, adding that ‘our interests can no longer be separated from those of our neighbors; on a shared understanding that the EU is not a zero-sum game, in which one person must lose so that another can win.’

“‘The reverse is true’, Schulz continued, ‘either we all lose – or we all win. The fundamental basis for this is the Community method. It is not a technocratic concept, but the principle at the heart of everything the European Union stands for.'”

The European Union is facing tremendous challenges on many fronts, but as biblical prophecy emphatically reveals–the EU will coalesce to emerge as the world’s most influential political and religious power. More incisive information on this can be found in our free booklets, “Germany In Prophecy” and “Europe In Prophecy–The Unfolding of End-Time Events.”

“Bombshell” For France!

The euobserver.com wrote on January 14, 2012:

“US-based ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has cut France’s triple-A rating and trashed the EU’s new fiscal treaty.

“It said in a statement out Friday (13 January) the EU draft fiscal compact ‘does not supply sufficient additional resources or operational flexibility to bolster European rescue operations.’

“It noted that: ‘a reform process based on a pillar of fiscal austerity alone risks becoming self-defeating, as domestic demand falls in line with consumers’ rising concerns about job security and disposable incomes, eroding national tax revenues.’

“It added ‘there is a risk [of] reform fatigue’ in the worst-hit countries, creating ‘lower levels of predictability’ on the political front.

“The agency also downgraded Austria, Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, scalping another triple-A country (Austria) and moving Cyprus and Portugal into junk territory.

“On the positive side, it kept Germany’s triple-A status and praised the European Central Bank, saying it ‘has engaged in unprecedented repurchase operations for financial institutions, greatly relieving the near-term funding pressures for banks.’

“The blow comes two weeks before 26 EU countries aim to sign the new treaty at a summit in Brussels. It also comes 100-or-so days before French leader Nicolas Sarkozy tries to get re-elected.”

“Darkness” Falls on the Internet

Reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, January 18, 2012:

“In an unprecedented display of Internet force, thousands of websites went dark or censored themselves Wednesday to protest twin antipiracy measures pending in Congress.

“The blackout represented a culmination of months of intensifying outcry over the bills, echoed and amplified by social media, blogs and tech publications, that drew more and more popular sites into the official day of protest, including Google, Wikipedia, Craigslist, Wired, Reddit, Boing Boing, Reporters Without Borders, Pressthink, Greenpeace and McSweeney’s.

“Their actions and the frenzy of media coverage in the buildup raised mainstream awareness of what, until recent days, had been a wonky set of proposals only lightly covered outside tech circles. Congressional phone lines were reportedly flooded Wednesday in what could begin the final unraveling of the already troubled measures.

“The stated goal of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), is to confront the sale and distribution of pirated movies, drugs, music and consumer goods by rogue overseas sites. But in doing so, critics say the bills threaten crucial legal protections that foster online innovation while undermining due process and free speech.

“On Wednesday, many Republican backers of the bills agreed the approach was flawed, even if the goal was sound. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, John Cornyn of Texas and Orrin Hatch of Utah all withdrew support, following in the footsteps of several House colleagues in recent days. The Obama administration came out strongly against the proposals over the weekend.

“Some observers said the day of protest may come to represent a fundamental shift in the legislative landscape, a flexing of a newfound and untraditional source of political power in the Internet sector.”

While the freedom we experience to utilize the Internet is taken for granted, the legislative moves so far proposed may prove just a first step in restricting content on the Internet. More and more laws are passed, but what is truly missing is the kind of character and self-control that answers to God’s perfect and righteous way of living–something not often, if ever, considered in the governments of our day!

American Double-Talk

AFP wrote on January 8, 2012:

“The United States will respond if Iran tries to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta… told CBS television… Panetta was seconded by Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said Iran has the means to close the waterway, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. ‘But we would take action and reopen the Straits,’ the general said on the same show, ‘Face the Nation.’

“Their comments follow Iranian threats to close the strait if the European Union slaps an embargo on Iranian oil, the latest step in a U.S.-led campaign to pressure Tehran to give up their nuclear program. Western powers suspect Iran is bent on gaining atomic weapons, which Tehran denies. The rising tensions have driven oil prices soaring over 100 dollars a barrel, hitting an eight-month high earlier this week, and sent jitters throughout the oil-rich Gulf amid growing fears of a spiral into conflict…

“Panetta said the United States does not believe Iran is actively developing a nuclear weapon, and reaffirmed Washington’s preference for diplomatic and economic pressure over military action as the way to deter Tehran. But he bluntly warned Tehran against going from developing a nuclear capability to developing an atomic weapon. ‘I think they need to know that if they take that step that they’re going to get stopped,’ he said.

“At another point, Panetta said, ‘Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No…’ Dempsey sidestepped questions on the difficulty of taking out Iran’s nuclear capability, but said planning was underway for a military option… Asked whether the United States could take out Iran’s nuclear capability without resorting to the use of nuclear weapons itself, Dempsey said, ‘I absolutely want them to believe that that’s the case.’

“Panetta, meanwhile, suggested the United States would not welcome unilateral military action by Israel against Iran’s nuclear facilities. ‘If the Israelis made that decision, we would have to be prepared to protect our forces in that situation…’ he said.”

To analyze this hotchpotch of different and inconsistent answers: the USA does not believe that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon; the USA will stop them if they did, but not with nuclear weapons;  the USA is concerned that Israel might act militarily towards Iran; the USA will protect American forces under those circumstances; the USA is going to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Iran is going to close it, without saying how the USA would do that… With this double talk, we leave it to the reader to try to make some sense out of this…

Iran Accuses Israel and USA of Assassination

Bloomberg reported on January 12:

“The Iranian government said in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that a civilian nuclear scientist who was killed by a bomb yesterday was the latest victim of a foreign terror campaign… Iranian officials have accused the U.S. and Israel of targeting Iranian nuclear scientists in an effort to halt Iran’s nuclear program… Mostafa Ahamdi Roshan, who was killed in a Tehran bomb blast, was the fourth prominent Iranian scientist to be targeted in similar attacks…

“Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said by telephone that he had no comment on the reports… ‘I want to categorically deny any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran’, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters yesterday in Washington…

“Some Republican presidential candidates in the U.S. have supported efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program by attacking its scientists. In a November debate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich endorsed ‘taking out their scientists,’ and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum called it ‘a wonderful thing’ when Iranian scientists are killed.

“Previous attacks against Iranian nuclear scientists involved the assassination of Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, killed by a bomb outside his Tehran home in January 2010, and an explosion in November of that year that took the life of Majid Shahriari and wounded Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who is now the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization…

“The attacks on scientists may be the work of a foreign intelligence agency such as Israel’s Mossad, according to a U.S. official who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because intelligence matters are classified. They also could have been carried out by an Iranian exile group such as the People’s Mujahadeen Organization of Iran working independently or in cooperation with a foreign intelligence agency, the official said in a telephone interview. Attributing the murder to the Mujahadeen is ‘absolutely false,’ the group said in an e-mailed statement…

“European Union foreign ministers plan to meet on Jan. 23 to discuss imposing an oil embargo on Iran. Iranian officials have threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a transit route for a fifth of the world’s oil, if crude exports are sanctioned… Yesterday’s attack ‘comes in the middle of heightened tensions, and it helps Iran to play on a sense of threat that it is under a lot of pressure,’ Gala Riani, a Middle East analyst at London-based forecaster IHS Global Insight, said by telephone. ‘It can also be beneficial to more extremist elements in the government who are supporting further military drills in the Strait of Hormuz.’

“Iran conducted naval exercises near the Strait for 10 days that ended early this month. Iran also announced on Jan. 6 plans for ‘naval war games’ to be conducted by the Revolutionary Guard Corps next month.”

The Associated Press added on January 12:

“A hard-line Iranian newspaper called Thursday for retaliation against Israel, a day after the mysterious killing of a nuclear scientist in Tehran with a magnetic bomb attached to his car. Iran’s top leader blamed Israel and the U.S. Provocative hints from Israel reinforced the perception that the killing was part of an organized and clandestine campaign to set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions…”

America’s Attack on Europe

Der Spiegel Online wrote on September 9:

“Europe is socialist, bloated and a threat to the global economy. That appears to be the message from the ongoing presidential campaign in the US. Republicans in particular have discovered Europe as a convenient punching bag — and have even begun accusing each other of being too ‘European.’

“An apparition is stalking the United States. That, at least, is what the Republicans seem to believe in this election season. And the apparition has a name: Europe. US President Barack Obama, said leading Republican candidate Mitt Romney during the Republican debate on Saturday, wants to turn the US into a ‘European welfare state’…

“In an election year overshadowed by the threats posed by the European economy and concerns about the break-up of the European common currency, it is a message that Romney has been delivering every chance he gets. And he’s not alone. Europe bashing has become an important stump-speech cornerstone for the entire Republican field…

“Negative portrayals of Europe are, of course, by no means a novelty when it comes to American political campaigns… This time around, though, with Europe deep in crisis, the Continent has become an even more prominent element of Republicans’ stump speeches…

“‘You want to see America after the Obama administration is through,’ arch-conservative candidate Rick Santorum said on the campaign trail last week, ‘just read up on Greece’… The US president, in other words, is merely a European in disguise… Newt Gingrich, in particular, never tires of calling Obama a ‘socialist’… And Ron Paul, perhaps the most extreme of the Republican field full of extremists, advocates pulling US troops out of Europe, in part so that America is no longer in the position of subsidizing ‘socialist Germany.’

“Such attacks would, of course, be ridiculous were they not so effective at a time when the economic outlook in the US is far from rosy, particularly given the danger that the euro-zone debt crisis could put a quick stop to America’s fragile economic recovery… Indeed, even Obama himself has become a fan of Europe bashing… The Obama administration has… repeatedly demanded that European leaders — first and foremost German Chancellor Angela Merkel — take more decisive action. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has traveled to Europe several times in recent months to lend urgency to the message…

“But for the Republicans, the focus on Europe has a different motivation. The war on Europe is not merely one guided by economic concerns. It is presented as a cultural confrontation. ‘American elites are guided by their desire to emulate the European elites,’ says Gingrich. ‘As a result, anti-religious values and principles are coming to dominate the academic, news media and judicial class in America.’ Secular Europe, in other words, has become a threat to Christian America…

“Santorum prefers to take a slightly more historical approach, comparing the European welfare state to the absolute rule of monarchies. The founders of America, he says, left Europe because they no longer wanted to be ruled by monarchs…

“It is [a] statement that sounds absurd from a European point of view — even more so given the current state of the US economy…”

Europeans are not happy with such accusations. They will retort in kind—and worse—as long as those statements continue… and we can expect that “Europe bashing” will get much worse during this election year. Note the next articles as well:

Mitt Romney Makes History

Fox News wrote on January 11:

“Mitt Romney improved his own 2008 New Hampshire primary showing by about 20,000 votes and is the first Republican non-incumbent ever to win both the Iowa caucuses and in New Hampshire… The Democrats aren’t expected to ever praise Romney for anything, but it is revealing for the GOP frontrunner that conservatives are so unwilling to credit him for anything. And it shows some of the difficulty of the task ahead for an increasingly inevitable-looking Romney…

“The conservatives, sensing the imminence of their defeat, have resorted to the best, most damaging line of attack on Romney: that he was unethical and greedy in his work as a private equity dude at Bain Capital… Voters are already tired of this ugly process. It seems unlikely that they will opt to prolong it by unhorsing Romney now.”

If this is true, then Mitt Romney’s victory speech in New Hampshire should be taken note of. It is full of charges and promises—but ate they believable or even realistic? We are bringing the following excerpts from his speech:

The National Journal wrote on January 11:

“Americans know that our future is brighter and better than these troubled times… President Obama… wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society. We want to ensure that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity… This President puts his faith in government. We put our faith in the American people… I will cut, cap, and balance the budget… I believe a strong America must – and will – lead the future… I will insist on a military so powerful no one would think of challenging it… I want you to remember when our White House reflected the best of who we are, not the worst of what Europe has become.”

The Bible prophesies the exact opposite and warns us never to put our trust and faith in the people or in government. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Big Brother?

Reuters reported on January 12:

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s command center routinely monitors dozens of popular websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, WikiLeaks and news and gossip sites including the Huffington Post and Drudge Report, according to a government document… the operations center ‘will retain information for no more than five years.’

“The monitoring scheme also features a five-page list, attached to the privacy review document, of websites the Department’s command center expected to be monitoring… blogs related to terrorism and security are also on the list. Some of the sites on the list are potentially controversial. WikiLeaks is listed for monitoring… Another blog on the list, Cryptome, also periodically posts leaked documents and was one of the first websites to post information related to the Homeland Security monitoring program… Also on the list are various video and photo-sharing sites, including… Youtube and Flickr.

“While a DHS official involved in the monitoring program confirmed the authenticity of the list, officials authorized to speak for the Department did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.”

Will Britain Declare War on Europe?

The Express wrote on January 9:

“David Cameron has three weeks to decide whether to bless a new eurozone treaty or use Britain’s veto and place the country in a ‘very grave position’, a senior observer warned last night. Peter Ludlow, president of the European Strategy Forum think tank, said Germany and France are confident they will secure a deal to save the long term future of the euro by the end of this month. That would mean tougher financial rules for members of the eurozone and the use of existing EU institutions to enforce them, a move Mr Cameron has indicated is a step too far.

“However, veteran EU analyst Mr Ludlow said one ‘very senior member’ of the European Council had told him that if Britain were to try to block the deal it would be ‘tantamount to a declaration of war’. He said: ‘If Cameron is stupid enough to try and block the use of the institutions it would be a very, very dramatic development which could only have grave consequences in terms of ¬Britain’s own interests. It would be his nuclear weapon and that’s why all the messages I get from various people give the impression he will not do that.’

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy want a new ‘fiscal compact’ that commits countries to running a balanced budget. They want the rules enshrined in EU law so that sanctions can be levied on any member breaching them. That would mean a bigger role for the European Court of Justice and un-elected European Commission, which would also have a larger say on the ¬single market, not just matters relating to the euro.

“Mr Cameron said on Friday he would be against such a development but Mr Ludlow, who lectures around the world on EU affairs, told the Sunday Express: ‘The Germans and the French are absolutely serious. They are confident they can get the political agreement on this treaty by the end of this month and they will go ahead. I don’t think for a moment that Britain will join this scheme within 50 years, let alone five. However, I don’t think there is much that ¬Cameron can do. I don’t think there is any intention of the Germans or French or anyone else of pushing Britain out of the EU but there is nevertheless a realistic assessment that the ¬British may edge themselves out or at least redefine their position in such a basic way that they are to all intents and purposes in another category of membership.’

“Mr Ludlow also questioned the description of Mr Cameron’s ‘veto’ at talks in Brussels last month. He said: ‘He didn’t veto, the negotiations were terminated by his partners who could see he had no negotiating position.’”

Sooner rather than later, Britain will cease to be a full member of the EU.

Jamaica Wants to Cut Ties with British Monarchy

Al Jazeera wrote on January 7:

“Jamaica’s new prime minister has said that it is time for her country to cut ties with the British monarchy and declare itself an independent republic. Speaking at her inaugural address on Friday, Portia Simpson Miller said her government would ‘initiate the process of detachment from the monarchy’, establishing a republic with a president as head of state, and breaking off links with the former colonial power.

“Jamaica is a constitutional parliamentary democracy and also a Commonwealth realm… Currently under Jamaica’s constitution, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, and the prime minister is formally appointed by the governor-general, who represents the queen. The announcement comes ahead of celebrations to mark 50 years of the country’s independence from the UK.”

Britain’s once dominating role in the world is certainly diminishing.

“Germany No Longer Has a President”

Der Spiegel wrote on January 9:

“German President Christian Wulff refuses to step down amid a scandal involving a threatening phone call to a major newspaper and dodgy business dealings. German commentators warn that his resignation could cause Angela Merkel’s government to collapse…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘…The result of a new presidential election could persuade the humiliated FDP to try one last attempt to save themselves, namely by ending their coalition with the conservatives. That would mean the end of Merkel’s government.’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘The opposition is right: Of course Wulff is Merkel’s president… The Wulff affair poses one big danger for Merkel’s party. Wulff’s behavior challenges Christian Democrats’ image of themselves. The president makes a mockery of values that the conservatives like to believe in, such as integrity, honesty and standing up for what you believe in.’

“… The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Christian Wulff will lose this war, even if he doesn’t have an enemy. He himself is the enemy. He himself organized — or disorganized, if you will — his life in such a way that all of these questions must be asked of him. Three weeks after the affair began, he has created more confusion than clarity with his answers. He has misused his tool of the trade, the word. With that, he has done himself in. Germany no longer has a president.’”

Since Germany “no longer has a president,” the question must be asked who the next President will be… and will new presidential elections in fact destroy the Merkel government? The Local added on January 12 that “President Christian Wulff hosted what was reportedly a tense New Year’s reception on Thursday, as the first open calls for his resignation came from members of parliament in his own political party.”

Germany Benefits from “Euro Crisis”

Der Spiegel wrote on January 10:

“Its neighbors may be suffering, but the euro crisis has created conditions that actually benefit the German economy. Not only is the government enjoying the windfall of negative interest rates on bonds, but unemployment is down and exports are booming… the German government… borrowed €3.9 billion ($5 billion) for the next six months at the unbelievable interest rate of -0.01 percent. Even the German Finance Agency was stunned. ‘This has never happened before,’ a spokesperson said.
 
“The Finance Ministry should be pleased. In the last four years, they’ve had to shell out around 1.8 percent in interest for such bonds. But recently even interest rates on German bonds with longer maturities have decreased significantly. The federal government is saving a bundle. The reason for the windfall? Amid the ongoing euro crisis, Germany is one of the few borrowers that are still regarded as a safe haven. Many investors would rather lend the government money at bargain-basement rates than risk losses…

“It has become a rule of the euro crisis: While a number of euro-zone countries suffer, Germany profits… The German economy… is still expected to grow by 0.4 percent this year.

“The imbalance between Germany and many other euro-zone countries is most apparent on the job market, though. Euro-zone unemployment now averages 10.3 percent, but in Germany the figure sank to 7.1 percent for 2011… Indirectly, Germany also profits from a simple symptom of the crisis — the weak euro, which has fallen to about $1.27, its lowest value since Sept. 2010.

“For German companies, the sinking euro acts as a kind of crisis buffer. While it reduces demand for German products within the euro zone, these make up only around 40 percent of the country’s exports. But for the rest of the world, a weak euro means cheaper German products…Indeed, German exports grew by 2.5 percent month-on-month in November, reaching €94.9 billion. Compared to a year earlier, exports were up by an impressive 8.3 percent. The crisis notwithstanding, exports for 2011 as a whole surpassed the historic trillion-euro level,  a benchmark not even reached during the boom year of 2008.”

Interesting, isn’t it? Bible prophecies come true, predicting Germany’s powerful leadership role in Europe.

Germany Gets Involved in North Africa

The Local wrote on January 10:

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has thrown strong support behind North Africa’s emerging democracies during an historic visit to Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, saying Germany wants to play a key role in helping them succeed. Westerwelle, who wrapped up his weekend trip with a visit to Tunisia’s capital Tunis on Monday, singled out the country for particular praise, calling it a potential ‘model,’ despite European concerns that Islamic parties are growing in strength there.

“‘I think the concerns have absolutely no justification,’ Westerwelle said. ‘Tunisia can become a model for transformation in the region if it succeeds in perpetuating the fledgling democratization process.’

“Germany has pledged €32 million in aid to Tunisia and is helping the country reschedule €60 million in debt, said Westerwelle, who also called for deepening economic ties between the two countries. Westerwelle’s travels have been portrayed as an important signal that Berlin is willing to invest key resources in the attempt to help democratic governments in North Africa.

“This comes after Germany took a largely hands-off approach in the ‘Arab Spring’ series of revolutions. Germany upset many allies by refusing to play a military role in NATO’s military campaign that eventually toppled Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Berlin has, though, offered significant material and financial support to new governments – including an offer of more than €100 million in humanitarian aid to Libya where German doctors are already working. In Tripoli, Westerwelle pledged continuing assistance on Sunday, saying ‘Germany stands beside this new Libya.’

“Amidst his democracy-building travels, the Foreign Minister has had strong words for Iranian authorities who have become isolated from the West because of their alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. On Monday he called a death sentence… handed down to a man in Tehren suspected of spying for the CIA ‘in no way acceptable.’”

We see how Germany is getting actively involved in exerting influence in several North African countries. Of course, Guido Westerwelle’s assurance that there is no danger emanating from the power grip of Islamic parties in the region is highly naïve and unrealistic—and the Bible prophesies that Germany will finally recognize their error in judgment and in turn become very aggressive in their dealings with those countries.

Doomsday Clock–Five Minutes to Midnight

Fox News reported on January 10:

“In a sign of pessimism about humanity’s future, scientists today set the hands of the infamous ‘Doomsday Clock’ forward one minute from two years ago. ‘It is now five minutes to midnight,’ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) director Kennette Benedict announced today (Jan. 10) at a press conference in Washington, D.C. That represents a symbolic step closer to doomsday, a change from the clock’s previous mark of six minutes to midnight, set in January 2010.

“The clock is a symbol of the threat of humanity’s imminent destruction from nuclear or biological weapons, climate change and other human-caused disasters. In making their deliberations about how to update the clock’s time, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists focused on the current state of nuclear arsenals around the globe, disastrous events such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and biosecurity issues such as the creation of an airborne H5N1 flu strain.

“The Doomsday Clock came into being in 1947 as a way for atomic scientists to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons. That year, the Bulletin set the time at seven minutes to midnight, with midnight symbolizing humanity’s destruction. By 1949, it was at three minutes to midnight as the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated. In 1953, after the first test of the hydrogen bomb, the doomsday clock ticked to two minutes until midnight.

“The Bulletin — and the clock ¬— were at their most optimistic in 1991, when the Cold War thawed and the United States and Russia began cutting their arsenals. That year, the Bulletin set the clock at 17 minutes to midnight. From then until 2010, however, it was a gradual creep back toward destruction, as hopes of total nuclear disarmament vanished and threats of nuclear terrorism and climate change reared their heads. In 2010, the Bulletin found some hope in arms reduction treaties and international climate talks and nudged the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock back to six minutes from midnight from its previous post at five to midnight.

“With today’s decision, the Bulletin repudiated that optimism… ‘The world still has approximately over 20,000 deployed nuclear weapons with enough power to destroy the world’s inhabitants many times over,’ said Lawrence Krauss, an Arizona State University professor and the co-chair of the BAS Board of Sponsors. ‘We also have the prospect of nuclear weapons being used by terrorist non-state actors’…”

Even though scientists have been wrong before with their prognostications, it should be rather obvious that we are getting closer to the time of the Great Tribulation, which would destroy ALL FLESH on this planet, if God were not to intervene and shorten these days.

Intentional Misrepresentations?

Zenit reported on December 25:

“Benedict XVI has restored the tradition of proclaiming the birth of Christ with the chanting of the ‘Kalenda.’ The chant culminated the prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square on Christmas Eve, which was accompanied by the unveiling of the life-size Nativity Scene. Here is an English translation of the proclamation, provided by the U.S. bishops:

“THE PROCLAMATION OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

“Today, the twenty–fifth day of December, unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth and then formed man and woman in his own image.

“Several thousand years after the flood, when God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.

“Twenty–one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah; thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.

“Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges; one thousand years from the anointing of David as king; in the sixty–fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.

“In the one hundred and ninety–fourth Olympiad; the seven hundred and fifty–second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.

“The forty–second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus; the whole world being at peace, Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy Spirit, and nine months having passed since his conception, was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary.

“Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.”

By giving historical dates for all of the above-stated events (even though we are not saying that those dates are correct), and then culminating the proclamation with the sentence that “today” (December 25) is the nativity of Christ, it is clearly being postulated, as a historical fact, that Christ was born on December 25—not only, that orthodox Christianity celebrates Christ‘s birth on that day. Now, this is a false statement, and it could be construed as being made intentionally, since the Catholic Church knows that Christ was NOT born on December 25. Other religious leaders know this too, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, who recently admitted that Christ could not have been born in December.

All of this means that the Pope and the Catholic Church appear to knowingly mislead the masses about the date of Christ’s birth, and it is no surprise that many ill-informed Catholics who are trusting in the veracity of their church’s teachings, are believing the lie. In addition, by changing or at least participating in the change of the European calendar in such a way that Sunday is being designated as the last day of the week—even though the Catholic Church knows (and even teaches) that Saturday is the last day of the week and the biblical Sabbath—further misrepresentations appear to be perpetrated with the goal of deceiving their followers in believing that Sunday is the biblical Sabbath.

In this context, make sure to read our Q&A in this week’s Update.

Radical Jihadists in the USA

WND wrote on January 3:

“A radical jihadist group responsible for nearly 50 attacks on American soil is operating 35 terrorist training camps across the nation, but the U.S. government refuses to include the organization on the State Department’s list of foreign terrorists. Jamaat ul-Fuqra, known in the U.S. as ‘Muslims of America,’ has purchased or leased hundreds of acres of property – from New York to California – in which the leader, Sheikh Mubarak Gilani, boasts of conducting ‘the most advanced training courses in Islamic military warfare.’

“In a recruitment video captured from Gilani’s ‘Soldiers of Allah,’ he states in English: ‘We are fighting to destroy the enemy. We are dealing with evil at its roots and its roots are America.’ Though Gilani and his organization is suspected of committing assassinations and firebombings inside the U.S., and is also suspected of the beheading murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, the terrorist camps spread through the country continue to expand in numbers and population…

“Muslims of the Americas Inc., a tax-exempt organization, has been directly linked by court documents to Jamaat ul-Fuqra. The organization operates communes of primarily black, American-born Muslims throughout the U.S. The investigation confirmed members commonly use aliases and intentional spelling variations of their names and routinely deny the existence of Jamaat ul-Fuqra.”

It seems to be quite a paradox that those dangerous developments are allowed to continue in the USA, while, at the same time, an apparently unconstitutional law is being signed by the President, which, according to many observers and legal experts, threatens the liberty and freedom of many potentially innocent people. See the next articles on the NDAA.

Controversial NDAA Becomes Law

The Huffington Post wrote on January 3:

“Back in the beginning stages of the War on Terrorism, President Bush enacted the Patriot Act. This allowed the government to spy on citizens, monitoring their activities in order to discern whether or not someone is a terrorist. It brought about changes in law enforcement that allowed agencies to search phones, financial records, etc. One of the most controversial aspects of the law is authorization of indefinite detention of non-U.S. citizens. Immigrants suspected of being terrorists would be detained without trial until the War on Terrorism finished.

“On December 31, 2011, President Obama signed a law known as the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2012 fiscal year, or the H.R. 1540. Congress passes this act every year to monitor the budget for the Department of Defense. However, this year the NDAA bill has passed with new provisions that should have the entire country up with pitchforks… the indefinite detention has been extended to U.S. citizens as well. If people are spied on and suspected of being terrorists, they may be detained indefinitely without trial.

“In a country famous for the belief that one is innocent until proven guilty, this is an upsetting change that is being foisted upon the American people with many unaware of what it means. The provisions of the Patriot Act allow the government to spy upon U.S. citizens and the NDAA allows the government to whisk a citizen away for no reason other than being suspected of terrorism.

“So why has this law been passed when it is very easily seen as unconstitutional? The Fourth Amendment grants liberty from unreasonable seizures, while the Sixth [Amendment] guarantees every U.S. citizen a trial in front of a jury. No matter what supporters of the bill might have said about the provisions being misunderstood, the simple fact is that it is unconstitutional…

“President Obama has released a statement regarding the H.R. 1540 (NDAA): ‘Moreover, I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation. My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law’…

“Obama says his administration will not authorize the indefinite detention of citizens. But that could change. The interpretation of this bill can change on a dime. These politicians who say there is nothing to fear could quickly change whenever they see fit.

“These implications grow larger as we know there is no single accepted definition of terrorism present in the United States. The State Department defines terrorism as ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.’ Under this definition, the entire United States can be seen as terrorists. The government had planned the operations in Iraq [which have] resulted in over 100,000 civilian deaths…

“Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has stated that there are laws regarding terrorist suspects in America in place by the Department of Justice. Issues such as having an armed weapon or having a food supply lasting at least seven days can be grounds for terrorism.

“I look to my well-supplied pantry filled with foods my loving mother had purchased from Costco. I’m not one to count it all, but I’d say it would last my entire family over a week. My father legally owns a handgun… I am writing a story that is against what the politicians in Washington have voted for. Can I be seen as aiding Al-Qaeda because I am attempting to change the views of the public to something that is against government; because there is a gun in my home and we have a well-supplied pantry? Can I be seen as a terrorist under the definition of terrorism? Yes I can. Will I? I hope not.”

Infowar wrote on January 1:

“As Americans look upon the treacherous legislation passed under NDAA 2012, it should first be remembered that the very bill President Obama threatened to veto was controversial due to the language the Obama White House itself pressured Congress to add to the bill, according to Sen. Carl Levin…

“After the legislation cleared Congress, the ACLU commented that signing the bill ‘will damage both his legacy and American’s reputation for upholding the rule of law,’ while executive director of the Human Rights Watch blasted the President for being ‘on the wrong side of history,’ noting that ‘Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in US law.’ Presidential candidate Ron Paul went even further, declaring that the NDAA bill begins the official establishment of martial law in the United States.”

Fox News wrote on January 2:

“In a scathing statement, the head of the ACLU, and other leading civil liberties and human rights groups who were among President Obama’s most ardent campaign supporters said the President’s decision to sign a sprawling defense bill including controversial detainee provisions would tarnish his legacy… human rights groups on the left say… the act is a sweeping expansion of executive power — beyond what was seen under the Bush administration. The ACLU and others slammed the president for putting his name to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, out of concern that it would continue to allow indefinite detention while mandating military custody for some detainees…

“The national Muslim rights group CAIR slammed the legislation ‘as a stain on our nation’s history — one that will ultimately be viewed with embarrassment and shame.’… The Center for Constitutional Rights, or CCR, said the NDAA kills any prospect for relocating detainees and shuttering the Guantanamo camps because it requires the defense secretary to certify that the transferred men will not commit hostile acts in the future. In a statement, CCR said ‘the same presidential signature that ordered the closing of Guantánamo almost three years ago, has now ensured their release or transfer is practically impossible.’

“On the detention of American citizens, critics say section 1021 of the act is overly broad because it does not rule out indefinite detention and ‘…includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons.’ Section 1022, which makes military custody mandatory for a subset of detainees, does make an exception for U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.”

All in all, President Obama’s signing of this controversial bill has antagonized the Muslim community as well as many of his liberal supporters. Whether or not this will help in any way his Republican challengers will have to be seen, as most Republicans in Congress supported the bill. Overseas, attention is being drawn to these new laws as well. Der Spiegel Online published a critical article, in German, on the issue on January 4, titled, “Obama’s Anti-Terror-Law Antagonizes Civic Rights Supporters.” Please view our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “Destruction of US Democracy?”, discussing the NDAA and other controversial laws.

The Iowa Republican Caucuses

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 4:

“Mitt Romney barely won the Iowa Republican caucuses, and he’s likely to become the party’s presidential candidate. The former governor is profiting from his rivals’ weaknesses, but this could damage him in the end. If he doesn’t improve his image, the chances of beating Barack Obama are slim…

“Barack Obama, a relatively inexperienced former community organizer, university professor and senator, won the election in 2008 thanks to a triad of lucky coincidences. Party rival Hillary Clinton underestimated the young Democrat, while Americans yearned for “change” after the Bush years, and his Republican opponent John McCain turned out to be a weak campaigner. Obama’s ascent began in the Iowa snow. And it is there that fate has once again smiled on another lucky politician: Mitt Romney, the winner of the Republican presidential caucus in the tiny agrarian state. Romney’s victory wasn’t decisive on Tuesday evening, when he came in just barely ahead of fellow conservative Rick Santorum, a favorite among the religious right.

“But Romney is likely to soon become Obama’s official challenger in the November 2012 presidential election, being the best prepared for the upcoming caucuses in South Carolina and Florida — unlike Santorum, who has so far concentrated almost exclusively on Iowa votes. Romney’s position also contrasts with that of his third-place rival Ron Paul, the idol of young radicals who want to end America’s involvement in wars and shut down the US Federal Reserve…

“Romney is mainly plain lucky. Just like Obama before him, he has been helped by three things:

“The rivals–The field of Republican candidates for the 2012 election isn’t just disappointing. It’s amusing — a kind of circus with ever-changing attractions… Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann could have been the voice of the influential Tea Party movement, but her shrillness left the ears of moderate Republicans ringing. She came in sixth in Iowa. Texas governor Rick Perry, armed with oil money, came off as broad-chested but narrowly educated during television debates. He managed to just barely beat Bachmann, and has announced he will return home to ‘determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race.’ [In the meantime, Bachmann announced that she will drop out of the race.] As for the former speaker of the House of Representatives and original thinker Newt Gingrich, he was unconvincing in the role of conservative standard-bearer. Past scandals involving his three marriages and having made millions as a Washington lobbyist were too much for his candidacy to bear.

“Timid potential candidates: Prominent Republicans who would have made more formidable opponents than Romney’s current rivals decided against running because they believed their time had not yet come and feared the Obama campaign. Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, is among them, as is Paul Ryan, a promising young conservative congressman. And, naturally, there is Jeb Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush. Conservatives hold him in high esteem, but he bears a surname that, thanks to his brother, remains more of a curse than a blessing.

“America’s worries: Four years ago, conservative Iowa caucus voters were still concerned about abortion and Romney’s Mormon beliefs. Today, the United States is a nation where fears of unemployment trump those about Mormons. The key issue for the 2012 campaign will be ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ — and economic policy is one of the key skills possessed by Romney, formerly a successful businessman…

“Romney must improve his candidacy to convince the many conservatives who are still skeptical of his multiple changes in position and alleged lack of principles. If he fails to do this, then fate will only be smiling on one politician when November comes around: Barack Obama.”

Of course, we understand that it is not “luck” which determines who will be the next president. We are convinced that it will be God who sees to it that the “right” person occupies the position of President—but this is not to say that the right” person is the “right” person—only, that he or she will be “right” within the meaning of prophesied events which will have to occur.

A Pretty Crazy Night

The Daily Mail wrote on January 4:

“Even by the standards of American elections, this has been a pretty crazy night. Out of more than 122,225 votes cast – a record for the Iowa caucuses – Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were separated by just eight votes. Mercifully, this is an official state Republican party result and we are told there won’t be any recounts – though I’m still a tad sceptical because Romney’s margin of victory was somehow cut by six votes in the two minutes it took me to get to my room from the hotel bar (where non-Mormon members of his staff were celebrating enthusiastically with alcoholic beverages).

“At one point in the night Santorum led by four votes, at another Romney, supposedly, by a single one. There were reports of ballots going missing in trucks, dodgy adding up. And to put things in perspective there were 745 votes cast for Jon Huntsman, who did not compete, and 58 for former pizza magnate Herman Cain, who withdrew after a little… women trouble a month ago…

“Santorum is a winner not because he’ll be the next President of the United States (he won’t) or even the next Republican nominee (which would take a miracle) but because the former two-term Senator who was rejected by the people of Pennsylvania by an 18-point margin in 2006 will find he is taken a lot more seriously now. Ultimately, he’ll become a big figure in the Christian conservative movement and maybe get a much more lucrative Fox News contract. He almost certainly can’t beat Romney because he is far to the right of the party and hasn’t yet been exposed to negative attacks – which are surely coming his way.”

Ridiculous Prediction

Newsmax reported on January 4:

“The Iowa caucuses failed to produce a clear Republican winner, but former candidate Pat Robertson says God has shown him who will win the next election – and it won’t be President Barack Obama. The 81-year-old evangelist won’t say who the Almighty is picking for the White House, claiming on his 700 Club, ‘I’m not supposed to talk about that so I’ll leave you in the dark.’

“Robertson, who finished second in the 1988 Iowa caucuses, made it clear on Tuesday’s show that Obama is not popular in heaven. ‘Your country will be torn apart by internal stress,’ Robertson said God told him. ‘A house divided cannot stand. Your president holds a radical view of the direction of your country, which is at odds with the majority. Expect chaos and paralysis. … It’s a radical view of the future of this country, and so that’s why we’re having this division. This is a spiritual battle which can only be won by overwhelming prayer. The future of the world is at stake because, if America falls, there’s no longer a strong champion of freedom and a champion of the oppressed of the world. There must be an urgent call to prayer.’”

God has revealed to Mr. Robertson who the next President will be, but he can’t talk about it? Oh please…

Military Action Against Syria?

The Washington Times wrote on January 2:

“A Syrian opposition leader says most of his colleagues now support international military action to oust President Bashar Assad ‘but they might not be brave enough to express it openly.’ Samir Nashar, a member of the Syrian National Council’s executive board, said the ‘majority of SNC leaders agree with international military intervention as early as possible,’ although no consensus has been reached…

“The Assad regime’s deadly crackdown on dissent has continued despite last week’s arrival of Arab League monitors who are observing Syria’s implementation of a peace plan. The U.N. estimates that more than 5,000 Syrians have been killed since March… Mr. Nashar noted why U.S. officials might be ‘very hesitant to pursue this particular policy,’ citing the recent U.S. military exit from Iraq and upcoming elections…”

The Bible says that ultimately, Syria will be defeated in a war, and its capitol, Damascus, will be destroyed. See our Q&A on Syria.

“Iran Is Playing with Fire”

Der Spiegel wrote on January 2:

“Tensions between Iran and the West escalated again on Monday as Tehran announced it had test-fired two long-range missiles in international waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz… Monday’s maneuvers came after the country announced the launch of a medium range missile the day before… Both the US and Israel have not ruled out a military response in the conflict over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and US forces based in Bahrain have said they will not allow a closure of the important Strait of Hormuz — through which 40 percent of the world’s crude oil is transported.

“Iranian officials have made conflicting statements about possibly blocking the passage if sanctions were imposed on its oil exports, which are vital to the country’s economy. Despite threats to the contrary from Iranian officials last week, on Monday military officials insisted there were no plans to close the waterway…

“On Sunday, Iranian state television announced a breakthrough in their nuclear progress, reporting the country had produced uranium fuel rods for power plant use for the first time…

“Center-left daily Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The United States and Iran are playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse… The US sanctions are the toughest yet to be levied against Tehran in the battle over Iran’s nuclear program. And they are risky… But alternatives would be far more uncomfortable: Iran with nuclear weapons or an Israeli military strike.’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… When Washington votes in favor of tougher sanctions against Iran, even as President Barack Obama adds that he is not in agreement, their allies should take notice… it’s important that such invasive measures be approved on an international level. They should not be the result of domestic policy maneuvering.’

“Conservative daily Die Welt writes: ‘Ten years ago former US President George W. Bush coined the phrase “axis of evil” when he gave his State of the Union speech on Jan. 29, 2002, describing Iraq, Iran and North Korea as regimes who aimed to threaten the West with terror and weapons of mass destruction. In Europe, no one wanted to accept this culturally antiquated moral-religious speech, also finding the term “axis” confusing, as it implied these nations were forming an alliance. … Today, Iran, Syria and North Korea do advise and support each other about rockets and even nuclear questions. Bush was right in his diagnosis. Dictators remain dictators, evil and hostile…’

“The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘Iran is playing with fire. With even the tiniest wrong move, the Middle East could be left in flames…’”

We know that in the future, the powder keg of the Middle East will explode. It is therefore important to watch developments in that region of the world, which will ultimately affect all of us.

Ten Years of the Euro… and No Euro Crisis!

Deutsche Welle reported on January 1, 2012:

“Exactly 10 years ago, the euro was introduced as a common currency in 12 European countries… The euro notes and coins were formally launched as a currency in the eurozone on January 1, 2002… On its first trading day on January 4, 1999 after being introduced in 11 countries as a deposit currency, the euro traded at 1.18 US dollars.

“… there is no euro crisis. Although many countries in the eurozone have massive debt problems, the euro has proven itself as a currency. It has saved companies billions in transaction costs. It has resulted in booming exports for the German industry and given peripheral countries low interest rates for many years. It is the world’s second most important reserve currency after the US dollar. And despite all the turbulence, it has remained stable against the dollar…

“In the 10 years of the euro, inflation in the eurozone has been lower than it was when the deutschmark was the official currency… Economists largely agree that the euro is also not the cause of the financial problems in several eurozone countries. ‘The problems of the southern European countries, especially Greece and Portugal, are homemade,’ writes the Cologne Institute for Economic Research…’”

The euro is strong and will survive. It is the U.S. dollar which we should be concerned about. However, this does not mean that Europe is not facing tough challenges. See the next article.

Europe’s Challenges and Opportunities

The EUobserver wrote on January 2, 2012:

“EU leaders have said in their festive messages the single currency is still at risk unless they take decisive action.

“For her part, German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted that the danger coincides with the 10th birthday of the now-familiar red, blue and brown banknotes with their little motifs of EU maps and Romanesque or Gothic windows. ‘We must never forget that the peaceful unification of our continent is a historic gift. It has given us over half a century of peace, freedom, justice, human rights and democracy … You can rest assured that I will do everything I can to strengthen the euro. But this will only succeed if Europe draws lessons from past mistakes. One is that a common currency can only be truly successful if we work together more than ever in Europe.’ Her lesson on ‘working together’ comes ahead of intergovernmental negotiations on a new treaty that will transform the Union into an economic federation with one central authority deciding how member states spend their money….

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy used more alarming language. ‘This extraordinary crisis, without doubt the most serious one since World War II, this crisis is not over … To get out of it, to construct a new model of growth, to give birth to a new Europe – these are just some of the challenges which await us,’ he said.

“The theme was repeated all around the continent… Leaders warned there will be more spending cuts, more taxes, less welfare and a growing threat to liberal values… Merkel also devoted a large part of her speech to condemning a neo-Nazi fraternity exposed in December for having murdered nine people of Turkish and Greek origin in recent years… The New Year’s messages voiced optimism the euro will pull through. But the villains of the crisis – bankers and profligate former leaders – got bloody noses despite the festive season…”

“Disasters Made 2011 Most Expensive Year Ever”

The Local reported on January 5:

“According to a report published Wednesday by the Munich-based insurance company Munich Re, the world faced total losses of $380 billion, over $150 billion more than 2005, the previous record year.  But 2011 was not merely a year of financial losses, as over 27,000 lives were claimed by natural catastrophes.

“The figures reveal that two-thirds of the final figure stem from earthquakes early in the year in Japan and New Zealand… Over 16,000 people were killed in what was believed to be the most powerful earthquake in Japan’s history, causing waves of up to 40 metres to sweep across huge areas. The quake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and caused total losses of around $210 billion, mainly caused by the tsunami and the subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant…

“Earlier in the year, a string of powerful earthquakes hit Christchurch, New Zealand… One earthquake alone, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, caused $16 billion worth of damage…

“Aside from the geophysical events of 2011, heavy rainfall caused the worst flooding for 50 years in Thailand. Over 800 people were killed and the losses amounted to tens of billions of dollars, as well as reducing the world’s supply of computer hard drive components by 25 percent.

“In the USA, storms amassed billions of dollars worth of damage, with tornadoes alone racking up $46 billion in losses. Tropical cyclones, the number of which was far above the US average, were less damaging, as few hit the American mainland.  One that did, however, was Tropical Storm Irene, which caused $16 billion in damages…”

Jesus Christ warned us that in these end times, these terrible devastations would increase…

More Birds Die…

Mail On Line wrote on January 1:

“Ancient Mayan legend says that 2012 will bring the end of the world. A small Arkansas town might have shown the first example of that as approximately 5,000 blackbirds dropped dead from the sky last night in the early hours of the new year. As if the incident was not strange enough, it is the second time in two years that the birds have fallen as the calendar year changes…

“Given the amount of birds and the condensed time and location of their deaths, there has to be some commonality behind the bizarre event, but scientists remain baffled. The fact that the birds were even flying in the middle of the night makes no sense because that is not something that they are trained to do…

“Initially, last year’s deaths were blamed on celebratory fireworks, with people thinking that the birds were startled to death. A flash hail storm or massive lightning strikes were all discussed as possibilities as well. All three theories have been debunked, however, as the weather was calm in Arkansas last night and police even imposed an impromptu firework ban in an effort to prevent it from happening again.”

Even though the world will not come to an end in 2012, the Bible warns that in these end times, many birds and fish will be destroyed. Compare Hosea 4:3.

Devastating Volcanic Eruption in Germany?

Mail On Line reported on January 2:

“A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up. It’s lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See… near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma… several small earthquakes in the region last year indicate that it could be awakening from its deep sleep…

“Experts believe that if it did go off, it could lead to widespread devastation, mass evacuations and even short-term global cooling from the resulting ash cloud blocking the sun. The effect on the UK is hard to predict but it’s possible that large parts of southern England could be covered [with] ash.

“It’s thought that the volcano is similar in size and power to Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, which blew in 1991 and became the biggest eruption of the 20th century. It ejected 10 billion tons of magma, 20 billion tons of sulphur dioxide, 16 cubic kilometres of ash and caused a 0.5C drop in global temperatures.

“Volcanologists believe that the Laacher See volcano is still active as carbon dioxide is bubbling up to the lake’s surface, which indicates that the magma chamber below is ‘degassing’.”

This is interesting in light of the fact that in the future, Germany will become “full of darkness” for a while. Compare Revelation 16:10. See also our recent Q&A on the “Day of the Lord.”

German President in Big Trouble

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 2:

“German President Christian Wulff personally called the editor-in-chief of [the German mass tabloid] Bild last month and threatened legal action if it published a story on a private home loan he received at cheap interest rates.

“Bild confirmed media reports on Monday that the head of state had left a message on its chief editor Kai Diekmann’s voicemail, in which he threatened the paper with legal action and expressed outrage about its plans to publish details of a private home loan that has prompted widespread criticism… When he was still the state premier of Lower Saxony, Wulff borrowed the money from the wife of a business friend, Egon Geerkens, which he later exchanged for the low-interest bank loan.

“The state prosecutor’s office in Hanover has received about 20 criminal complaints from private citizens concerning the loan affair, but has said it was not going to pursue the case further because there was no evidence that a criminal offense was committed.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 3:

“Die Welt reported that Wulff had also intervened to try and stop [Bild’s] sister paper Welt am Sonntag, from publishing an article last summer. He summoned one of the authors to Bellevue Palace, his official office, and threatened him with ‘unpleasant and public consequences’ if the article was published, Die Welt wrote. The newspaper did not indicate what the contents of the article had been, but said it went ahead and published it…

“In the last two days, the silence of his allies has been deafening. Leading members have refrained from making any public comment about the reports that he effectively tried to censor negative media coverage about him. Support also seems to be dwindling among CDU members in his home region of Lower Saxony, as well… A member of the national parliament for the pro-business liberal Free Democratic Party, the junior collation partner in Merkel’s coalition, attacked Wulff directly on Tuesday…

“If Wulff does resign, it would be a blow to Merkel and to the office of the German head of state, a largely ceremonial post that nevertheless plays a distinct role in German public life, largely through speeches, but also by signing legislation. Merkel proposed Wulff as president and would have to nominate a successor capable of winning support in the Federal Assembly, the special body convened to elect German presidents. It’s the last thing she needs at the start of [a] difficult year…

“Wulff’s predecessor, Horst Köhler, who was also nominated by Merkel, resigned in May 2010 in disgust at the public criticism of remarks he had made about the purpose of German military missions abroad. On Tuesday, German newspapers, even conservative ones, poured scorn on Wulff, further weakening his position by implying strongly that he isn’t up to the job…

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘A president who expresses his commitment to press freedom only to trample on it at the decisive moment seems out of place in an open society…’

“The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes that Wulff’s behavior ‘is that of a head of state who has taken leave of his senses. How else can one imagine a president on his way to meet the Emir of Kuwait talking at length with the editor in chief of a tabloid newspaper on his mailbox about “waging war” and threatening legal action and a “final break with the Springer publishing house” if an undesired article about him, Wulff, is published?…’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘…A man who talks about press freedom while not respecting it is the wrong president.’

“The left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘If Wulff had any remnants of credibility left, he completely destroyed them with these phone calls. The naiveté of the president is not the only surprising aspect. To assume that a newspaper as adept at street-fighting as Bild would really be deterred from printing an article is crazy. It is just as striking how this president ignored the dignity of his office. Wulff behaved like a provincial mayor who thinks he can tell the local newspaper to write what he wants. As president he constitutes an organ of state, he must protect and defend press freedom…’”

Der Spiegel added on January 5:

“The pressure on German President Christian Wulff to resign has been mounting in recent days. But in a highly anticipated television appearance on Wednesday evening, the head of state made it clear that he had no intention of stepping down.

“During a joint interview with the German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, Wulff admitted that his Dec. 12 phone call to Bild editor in chief Kai Diekmann, where Wulff apparently tried to stop the powerful tabloid from printing a damaging article about his private loan arrangements, had been a ‘serious mistake that I regret and for which I apologize.’ He added, however, that he had not tried to prevent the story from being published, but had only wanted the newspaper to ‘wait’ before publishing the story.

“Bild reacted to the interview by directly contradicting Wulff’s version of events. Referring to Wulff’s claim that he had not tried to stop the loan story from being published, Nikolaus Blome, the newspaper’s deputy editor in chief, said that ‘we had a very different impression at the time.’ The voicemail message ‘clearly had the objective of stopping this piece from being published,’ Blome told Deutschlandfunk radio…

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… Wulff cannot be allowed to get away with that… This is unworthy of a German president… The president has not regained the moral authority that would enable him to perform his duties.’”

If or when Christian Wulff resigns, it will be interesting to see who the next German President will be.

NATO Afraid of Russia and Germany?

RT.com reported on December 26:

“Although Germany and Russia have developed into modern democracies with free-market systems, NATO still fears the revival of the former Nazi and Soviet states, says Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin… ‘No matter what Russia may be – imperial, communist or democratic – they see us with the same eyes as they did in the previous centuries,’ he said.

“The same attitude applies to Germany, Rogozin says, the largest and most successful economy in the European Union. ‘The relationship with Germany also remains complicated, because they still fear it,’ he said…

“Indeed, many in Germany have been calling for the creation of a European army that will eventually replace NATO…’ The long term goal is the establishment of a European army under full parliamentary control,’ German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle told an audience last year at the Munich Security Conference, noting that the German government ‘wants to advance along this path.’”

The comments of the German Foreign Minister regarding a European army are quite telling, as this will undoubtedly be the next big event in the development of a United States of Europe. In addition, we will also see a revival of the former Soviet states and the build-up of a confederation of Russia and other Far Eastern countries, such as Japan and China.

Russians Protest Against Putin

The Los Angeles Times wrote on December 24:

“More than 100,000 people took to the streets Saturday in the biggest show of protest in Russia’s capital since the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. ‘Russia without Putin!’ the crowd chanted as it protested alleged election fraud during the recent parliamentary vote that saw Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party garner nearly 50% of the vote.

“Many in the crowd said they were fed up with Putin, who served as president for eight years beginning in 2000 and is now seeking a return to the presidency in an election scheduled for March… Thousands of people also protested in cities and towns across Russia…”

Whether or not Putin will be re-elected, the upheaval in Russia signifies developments which may not be good news for Europe.

Iran’s Military Exercises

AL Jazeera reported on December 25:

“Iran’s navy has started a 10-day drill in international waters near the strategic oil route that passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The exercises… could bring Iranian ships into proximity with United States Navy vessels in the area… The war games cover a 2,000km stretch of sea off the Strait of Hormuz, northern parts of the Indian Ocean and into the Gulf of Aden, near the entrance to the Red Sea… submarines, surface-to-sea missile systems, missile-launching vessels, torpedoes and drones will be employed in the maneuvers…

“The Strait of Hormuz is of strategic significance as the passageway for about a third of the world’s oil tanker traffic. Beyond it lie vast bodies of water, including the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet is also active in the area, as are warships of several other countries that patrol for pirates there… Both the US and Israel have not ruled out a military option against Iran over its nuclear program.

“Iranian hard-liners have come out with occasional threats that Tehran would seal off the key waterway if the US or Israel moved against the country’s nuclear facilities. The US, Britain and Canada announced new measures against Iran’s energy and financial sectors last month and the European Union is considering a ban, already in place in the US, on imports of Iranian oil.”

Iran’s PressTV reported on December 26:

“‘The [Iranian] Navy’s military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman indicate the power and dominance of Iran’s Navy in regional waters,’ member of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Zohreh Elahian said Monday… Elahian added foreign media have admitted that Iran and its Navy are so powerful that if threatened, the country can take control of the Strait of Hormuz as the global economic and energy conduit.”

Reuters reported on December 28:

“The U.S. Fifth Fleet said on Wednesday it would not allow any disruption of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran threatened to stop ships moving through the world’s most important oil route… Analysts say that Iran could potentially cause havoc in the Strait of Hormuz, a strip of water separating Oman and Iran, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. At its narrowest point, it is 21 miles across.

“But its navy would be no match for the firepower of the Fifth Fleet which consists of 20-plus ships supported by combat aircraft, with 15,000 people afloat and another 1,000 ashore… The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if sanctions fail to rein in Iran’s nuclear work.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 29:

“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have rejected a warning from the United States not to close the strategic oil transport route, the Strait of Hormuz, saying it will protect the country’s vital interests… Iran says it will close the Strait if the US and European Union impose fresh sanctions over Tehran’s suspected nuclear program. Deputy President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said earlier this week that ‘not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait’ if the West broadens its current sanctions.”

It is to be feared that Iran will retaliate if it should be attacked by Israel and the USA, and the turmoil that would ensue may plunge the Middle East into a major war, forcing Europe to intervene militarily.

The Rise of a New Egypt?

ynetnews.com wrote on December 22:

“Last Saturday, violent groups of Islamic-Salafi radicals burned the famous scientific institute established by Napoleon in Egypt after its first encounter with the West. Some historians consider it the start of modern times in the Middle East. The site, L’Institut d’Egypte, held some 200,000 original and rare books, exhibits, maps, archeological findings and studies from Egypt and the entire Middle East, based on the work of generations of western researchers. Most of the artifacts were lost forever, burned or looted…

“All of this is happening while the confused West is lauding the new democracy established in Egypt, without understanding that this democracy is erasing the historic Egypt that was intimately connected to the West and its culture; a new Egypt shall rise on the ruins of the great fire. What we are seeing here is not a battle for power, but rather, a battle for perception, memory, heritage and historiography; that is, the writing of history.”

The Arab Spring has been a devastating development from the start, and the future will show how wrong those have been who applauded and supported the revolutions and rebellions in the Middle East. See also the next article.

Egypt’s Forces Raid Offices of U.S. and Other Civil Groups

The New York Times reported on December 29, 2011:

“Egyptian security forces stormed the offices of 17 nonprofit groups around the country on Thursday, including at least three democracy-promotion groups financed by the United States, as part of what Egypt’s military-led government has said is an investigation into ‘foreign hands’ in the recent outbreak of protests.

“In Cairo, heavily armed men wearing the black uniforms of the central security police tore through boxes, hauled away files and computers and prevented employees from leaving the offices of the two American groups, the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, which are affiliated with American political parties and financed by the United States government. The security forces also raided the offices of Washington-based Freedom House.

“The raids were a stark escalation in what has appeared to be a campaign by the country’s military rulers to rally support by playing to nationalist and anti-American sentiment here. But for the military rulers to suggest that American government funding may have played a role in the recent unrest is remarkable, in part because the Egyptian military itself receives $1.3 billion in annual American aid.”

Israel Cancels Contract With Turkey

The Washington Times wrote on December 23:

“Israel’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday the last-minute cancellation of a $140 million contract with Turkey over fears that a sophisticated aerial surveillance system could end up in Iran’s hands. The Israeli electronic defense firms Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries had contracted three years ago to provide the multimillion-dollar surveillance system to Turkey, which has cooled relations with the Jewish state and has warmed to Iran— Israel’s existential enemy. All defense-related contracts are subject to Defense Ministry approval…

“The cancellation comes a week after Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told parliament in Ankara that Turkey’s Middle East policies had ‘brought Israel to its knees’ and had isolated the Jewish state… Israel’s once close defense and political relationship with Turkey began to unravel as the Turkish government sought to extend its influence in the Arab world during the past few years. The relationship turned hostile after Israeli naval commandos killed nine Turkish militants last year on a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.”

The relationship between Turkey and Israel is bound to deteriorate.

Turkey Accuses France of Genocide in Colonial Algeria

 BBC News wrote on December 23:

“The Turkish prime minister has accused France of committing genocide during its colonial occupation of Algeria. Recep Tayyip Erdogan was speaking after French MPs passed a bill making it a criminal act to deny that Ottoman Turks committed genocide in 1915-16 Armenia… Ankara has already recalled its ambassador to France and frozen political visits and joint military projects over the bill…

“If passed into law, Thursday’s bill would mean anybody who publicly denied the Armenian ‘genocide’ would face a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros (£29,000; $58,000)… More than 20 countries have formally recognised the killings as genocide.

“France invaded Algeria in 1830 and it remained under French rule until independence in 1962. The number of people killed in the eight-year independence war from 1954-1962 varies widely according to different sources, ranging from 300,000 to more than one million.”

Even though Turkey is angry with France at this time, the Bible shows that ultimately, Turkey will support Europe against the state of Israel.

Ethiopia Provokes Europe

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 27:

“Two Swedish journalists are considering a legal appeal after an Ethiopian court on Tuesday sentenced them to 11 years in prison for supporting terrorism and entering the country illegally… Last week’s guilty verdict was slammed in Sweden, where Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said the two journalists were innocent and should be let free. The convictions also provoked anger and accusations in the Swedish media that the case was politically motivated.

“Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have criticized the trial, and the Swedish Union of Journalists has called for Schibbye and Persson’s release… Schibbye and Persson say they met ONLF leaders in London and Nairobi before travelling to Ethiopia as part of a journalistic investigation into the activities of Swedish oil firm Lundin Oil. The ONLF has been fighting for independence of Ethiopia’s southeastern Ogaden region since 1984.”

Ethiopia will still play an important role in its relationship with Europe.

“There Is No Euro Crisis”

On December 29, 2011, Der Spiegel Online conducted an interesting interview with “the former head of Deutsche Bank, Hilmar Kopper [(76), who] was once the most powerful banker in Germany.” We are bringing you the following excerpts:

“Never in the history of mankind has there been so much money in circulation, and never before was it possible to trade with it so quickly. And never before has this money used the entire planet as a playing field, as is the case today in the era of globalization… We’re dealing with multi-causal failure. It didn’t just start with the American central bank, the Federal Reserve, which permanently made money cheap after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2011. It was the declared goal of American policy, under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, that every American was to own his own home. Many poor people, in particular, were lured in, people who couldn’t afford this dream at all. The banks turned this into a huge business, the rating agencies provided incorrect ratings, and many countries — both the United States and in Europe — did not have their debt under control before the financial crisis erupted…

“I’ve hardly heard it [the Occupy movement] utter a single reasonable sentence so far. It’s all vague criticism of capitalism, markets and the market economy in general. I’m not interested in political correctness and I’m not about to pretend to have any sympathy for this movement now… The United States isn’t my role model. If that was ever the case, it was after World War II, when we were slowly emerging from the Stone Age we had fought ourselves into…

“[Spiegel: Fifteen-trillion dollars in debts, a crumbling infrastructure, high unemployment, food stamps for one in five children …] … and the Americans still want to spend even more money. I’m horrified when I look at the politics there, with all the backstabbing and squabbling in Washington… I see a dollar crisis, but not a euro crisis. Europe has a debt problem, whereas the United States also has a problem with its balance of payments.

“[Spiegel: Can the euro still be saved?] Of course… The Maastricht Treaty ratified by all member states provided the rules, so that more pressure could be applied to countries that don’t have a handle on their budgets. It was legitimate, and it still is legitimate. And now we Germans are seen as the evil ones in the European concert, just because we insist on stability and sticking to the rules…”

SOPA and NDAA

The Business Insider wrote on December 22:

“The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) — a censorship bill — and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — which contains provisions allowing Americans to be detained without trial, and even transferred to foreign prisons — near ever closer to becoming reality in the United States…

“The cable networks continue to ignore these bills, in favor of covering holiday shopping lists… One noteworthy exception: Judge Napolitano on FOX Business Network… is the only American news anchor giving this issue the serious and dire coverage it probably deserves.”

The Hill added on December 26:

“GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul warned that the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by Congress this month, will accelerate the country’s ‘slip into tyranny’ and virtually assures ‘our descent into totalitarianism.’”

Politico added on December 27:

“The conservative and liberal blogospheres are unifying behind opposition to Congress’s Stop Online Piracy Act, with right-leaning bloggers arguing their very existence could be wiped out if the anti-piracy bill passes… ‘Of course, restrictions of results provided by Internet search engines amount to just that: prior restraint of their free expression of future results. Google and others, under SOPA, are told what they can or can’t publish before they publish it. Kill. The. Bill,’ conservative blogger Neil Stevens argued…”

These laws may indeed be a grave threat to our constitutional freedom and liberty. For more information, please view our StandingWatch program, “Destruction of US Democracy?”

More New Controversial Laws in the USA

The Washington Times wrote on December 26:

“California… becomes the first state to mandate the teaching of gay history. A new law requires schools to include in the public-school curriculum the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, along with disabled persons and others. The statute, which has no age limit, also bans instructional material that discriminates against those groups… Also in California, children must remain in car booster seats for an additional two years, until they reach the age of eight, or until they hit 4 feet 9 inches, whichever comes first…

“In Delaware and North Dakota, public workers will be required to make larger contributions to their retirement funds. In Arizona, public workers employed after Jan. 1 will receive benefits lower than those of current staffers…”

Request to Raise Debt Ceiling

CNN reported on December 27:

“The Obama administration will formally ask Congress later this week to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion… The latest request is the third of three requests authorized by the contentious debt ceiling agreement reached last August and is expected to come on December 30 – the day the debt is projected to fall within $100 billion of the current $15.194 trillion ceiling. The new request asks the ceiling be raised to $16.39 trillion.”

First Christmas Celebration in Pagan Shrine

ABC News reported on December 25:

“A recently discovered pagan shrine dedicated to Rome’s legendary founder Romulus and his brother Remus is being linked by some experts to the first celebration of Christmas held on the date that still marks the festivity today. Last month Italian archaeologists unveiled an underground grotto, which they believe ancient Romans worshipped as the place where a wolf nursed the legendary twins. Now, a top Italian scholar thinks a church built on the site of the shrine was where Christmas was first marked on Dec. 25 — making it a symbolic place in efforts to link pagan practices and Christian celebrations…

“He said the site of the ‘Lupercale’ shrine was chosen by the 4th century Emperor Constantine to build the Basilica of St. Anastasia — the first church to rise not on the ancient city’s outskirts, but on the Palatine Hill, the palatial center of power and religion in imperial Rome… Placing the church just a few steps from an important pagan shrine was part of Constantine’s strategy of promoting Christianity while linking it to the practices of the more ancient religion… [Constantine] presided over the Council of Nicaea in 325, which among other things homogenized the dates of important Christian festivals.

“The council opted to mark Christmas… on Dec. 25 to coincide with the Roman festival celebrating the birth of the sun god… The ‘Lupercale’ shrine was named after the ‘lupa’ — Latin for she-wolf — who according to legend saved Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of [Mars,] the god of war [whom Mars] abandoned in a basket and left adrift on the River Tiber…”

This article gives further evidence for the thoroughly pagan nature of Christmas. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.” Please also read the next articles, showing the irresponsible conduct of parents and governmental officials in an effort to perpetuate the stupid lies of “Santa Claus” or their waste of exorbitant amounts of tax payers’ money on “Christmas vacations” so as “not to disappoint the children.”

Why Do Kids Believe in Santa Claus?

On December 23, the Associated Press reported the following:

“Why do kids believe a chubby guy in a flying sleigh can deliver joy across America? Because their parents do. A whopping 84 percent of grown-ups were once children who trusted in Santa’s magic, and lots cling to it still… Two-thirds of parents with kids under 18 say Santa’s an important part of their celebrations this year…

“In multicultural America, Father Christmas isn’t just for Christians any more. Three-fourths of non-Christian adults say they believed in Santa when they were children. And half feel he’s important to their holiday celebrations now. Developmental psychologist Cyndy Scheibe… said lots of Jewish children told her that Santa Claus was real, even though he didn’t stop at their houses on Christmas Eve.

“And many non-Christian parents embrace Santa because they see Christmas serving as a secular as well as religious holiday in the U.S., she said… Even among Christians, there’s tension about how big a role, if any, a jolly old elf deserves in the celebration of Christ’s birth…”

Kids believe their parents. Parents lie, and kids believe them. But even once they find out the truth, they still go ahead and tell the same lies to their children. However, God is not the author of lies. Satan is. He is called the father of lies, and the truth is not in him. And don’t believe that these are just harmless lies. A lie is a lie. Period. And God thunders at us: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

…And the Stupid Lie Continues…

USA Today wrote on December 23:

“NORAD, the premier U.S.-Canadian air defense directorate, is once again using its super high-tech tracking equipment to keep tabs on jolly old Saint Nick. For 365 days of the year, NORAD is dead serious about tracking the skies over North America. But beginning at 3 a.m. Saturday, the generals and air-sovereignty commanders will be telling Virginia that, yes, there is a Santa Claus. And they’ve got the satellite tracking of his sleigh to prove it.

“This is the organization’s 56th year of providing children with up-to-the-minute telemetry on Santa’s whereabouts. Calls to 1-877-Hi-NORAD will be answered by one of more than 1,200 volunteers who crowd into the call center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. For many it’s a family Christmas tradition, says NORAD’s Lt. Cmdr. Bill Lewis. Last year, the volunteers logged 80,000 calls, he says.

“Each year at www.noradsanta.org, families can track Santa’s flight across the world — live. Last year the site had more than 15 million visitors. There’s also a second-by-second Countdown to Track Santa clock [sic]. For kids who can’t wait, a Kid’s Countdown Village has links to holiday facts on Google Maps and North Pole-themed games.

“Clicking the house labeled 22 in the village opens up a ‘Super Top Secret NORAD File’ featuring technical details of Santa’s sleigh and reindeer. This year, the organization is also making a Track Santa app available for smartphones via Google Maps for mobile at the noradsanta.org site…”

This is really the epitome of incredible stupidity. And whole countries engage in such irresponsible nonsense!

“Modern” History of the Christmas Tree

The Local wrote on December 23:

“…the history of the Christmas tree remains… mysterious to many… Christmas does of course have a pre-Christian history, and decorating the house during the dark winter months is a tradition that precedes Christianity, and its German connection, by thousands of years.

“Many ancient societies included the custom of bringing evergreen plants into homes during the cold months as a reminder of the summer. From northern European Vikings, to the Romans and ancient Egyptians, urging the sunny months back and warding off evil spirits with evergreens was commonplace.

“Skip forward a millennium or so, and a more recognizable Christmas tree was beginning to take shape, thanks to a guild of German merchants who supposedly erected the first [modern] Weihnachtsbaum in 1510… The introduction of the Christmas tree to the US can also be credited to Germans. Reports suggest that German settlers in Pennsylvania and Ohio put up the first American Christmas trees in the 18th century. It took a while for the custom to spread through the country, however, as the Puritan movement managed to force a ban on Christmas trees into the 19th century.

“But as Puritanism waned, it was the power of the celebrity that finally brought the Christmas tree transatlantic popularity, when a picture of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and family with a decked-out Christmas tree was published… The man behind the Queen’s continental Christmas choice was none other than her German husband, Prince Albert, who apparently longed for a reminder of home in the palace during the festive season…”

Of course, the Christmas tree predates the birth of Christ by thousands of years. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

Costly Vacation

Newsmax reported on December 23:

“President Barack Obama may need a vacation from his vacation. Obama plans to travel Friday afternoon to Hawaii for a delayed Christmas vacation. But the cost of the trip — about $4 million total — has created a firestorm.

“Michelle Obama insisted on the pricey Hawaiian holiday while her husband had said he preferred a short trip to the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md., The Daily Mail reported Friday… The trip to Hawaii is expected to cost taxpayers almost $4 million, and is the latest example of Michelle Obama’s skyrocketing spending…

“‘The President’s advisers have told him that Michelle’s spending has spiraled completely out of control,’ the National Enquirer quoted one source as saying. ‘Barack read his wife the riot act, but his words fell on deaf ears. Michelle said there was “no way” she was going to disappoint her daughters.’

“The White House announced the president’s departure plans Friday shortly after the House and the Senate approved a deal to extend payroll tax cuts after House Republicans reversed course Thursday night and dropped their opposition. With Washington deadlocked, Obama delayed his annual December trip to the Honolulu area… The president’s wife and daughters have been in Hawaii since late last week. The Obamas plan to return to Washington in early January.”

Especially during times of great financial hardship and national debt, such wasteful spending of tax payers’ money is hardly justifiable.

Total Martial Law in the USA?

On December 18, the Drudge Report posted several articles which appeared in infowars.com. The following was pointed out:

“Leading GOP candidate Ron Paul has warned in recent interviews that the amendments passed in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) are not only dangerous, but authorize the establishment of total martial law inside the United States. Not only does the bill, in sections 1031 and 1032, declare the unconstitutional right to detain Americans indefinitely without trial, but it authorizes an Internet offensive and online Pentagon takeover under the pretext of cybersecurity and stopping online piracy…

“Real preparations for martial law and WWIII have taken place– including recent calls to staff emergency detention camps ready for use if an national emergency is signaled over civil unrest and a takeover goes red hot… various emergency provisions have long worked in conjunction to build a framework for martial law takeover inside America… from TSA at the airports, to highway checkpoints and now, the claimed power to indefinitely detain anyone the feds view as a threat to national security…

“Now, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and portions of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) have openly declared ‘offensive war’ on the Internet, implementing Pentagon censors & spies and instituting a Kill Switch to selectively shut down content on the basis of suspicion or accusation, without a vehicle for recourse, appeal or the burden of proof…”

These are indeed frightening developments. But there is even more! The following articles show that the tendencies can be clearly seen (if we have eyes to see) of attempting to abrogate individual freedom and liberty, and to place EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN AT RISK.

US Democracy Being Destroyed?

The Business Insider published the following article on December 14, under the headline, “American Democracy: 1776-2011.”

The article stated:

“It turns out that destroying the American democratic republic was easy to accomplish, historians will write someday. Simply get the three major cable news networks to blather on about useless [“information”] for a few days, while legislators meet in secret behind closed doors to rush through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA), and its evil twin sister, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which is a clever name for an Internet censorship bill straight out of an Orwellian nightmare.

“Sure, some independent media web sites and Jon Stewart warned us about this. Ron Paul & Son warned us about this. Amnesty International and the ACLU have been screaming from the rooftops… But the American people let it happen, because the vast majority of us simply didn’t find out in time. And now President Obama’s advisers are saying he is withdrawing his veto threat against NDAA, so it will become law. As will SOPA…

“I have no idea why an American media blackout on NDAA is still in effect — Anderson Cooper, Chris Matthews, Bill O’Reilly and the other broadcast ‘journalists’ have been disgustingly silent on what is undoubtedly the most important news story of the past decade. The single most important news story since September 11th, 2001.

“Combined, NDAA and SOPA simply destroy American democracy. That isn’t hype. That isn’t exaggeration. Within a few days, your freedom of speech will be gone — post something controversial online, and the government can legally ‘disappear’ it.

“Annoy the government too much, or criticize Congress’ infinite wisdom and mercy, and you may find yourself in military prison for the remainder of your life, without access to a trial or attorney. Even if you’re an American citizen on US soil.

“This is a brave new world. Watch what you say. Be mindful of who you associate with. You may criticize your government within the privacy of your own home, amongst close family or friends, but do not post negative comments online. Do not assemble. Do not protest. Do not agitate. Do not give ‘comfort’ to the ‘enemy.’

“This is a sad day for all of us… it turns out democracy was attacked from within, the historians will write someday. We didn’t even see it coming.”

The Examiner added on December 15:

“The National Defence Authorization Bill 2012 (NDAA FY2012)… contains language allowing the Pentagon to wage cyberwar on domestic enemies of the state, a human and civil rights violation of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, as reported by MSNBC Wednesday, potentially impacting both Occupy movement and Tea Party participants plus independent news reporters and whistleblowers exposing government corruption…

“On December 5, Forbes reported, ‘If Obama does one thing for the remainder of his presidency let it be a veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, a law that would place domestic terror investigations and interrogations into the hands of the military and which would open the door for trial-free, indefinite detention of anyone, including American citizens, so long as the government calls them terrorists.’

“Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said about NDAA FY2012 that it ‘denigrates the very foundations of this country.’ Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) [son of Ron Paul] has repeatedly said that NDAA FY2012 ‘puts every single American citizen at risk.’”

SOPA Endangers Our Freedom

Roll Call wrote on December 14 (The article was posted on the Drudge Report’s website on December 21):

“The legislation that campaigns across the country should be concerned about is the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)…

“Imagine you are running for Congress in a competitive House district. You give a strong interview to a local morning news show and your campaign posts the clip on your website. When your opponent’s campaign sees the video, it decides to play hardball and sends a notice to your Internet service provider alerting them to what it [deems] ‘infringing content.’ It doesn’t matter if the content is actually pirated. The ISP has five days to pull down your website and the offending clip or be sued. If you don’t take the video down, even if you believe that the content is protected under fair use, your website goes dark.

“The ability of any entity to file an infringement notice is one of SOPA’s biggest problems. It creates an unprecedented ‘private right of action’ that would allow a private party, without any involvement by a court, to effectively shut down a website…

“Another damaging aspect of SOPA is the increased liability the bill would place on ISPs and search engines. SOPA effectively guts the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbors — one of the big reasons companies such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter weren’t crushed in their early days by harassing lawsuits. Without these safe harbors, the risk of frivolous lawsuits greatly increases…

“By creating legislation that allows sites to be shut down at will, with limited recourse available to the sites’ owners, SOPA greatly threatens the democratizing tool the Internet has become. With the Internet playing an ever increasing role in the political process, the powers the bill creates could be greatly abused by those wishing to silence their opponents. Political campaigns and anyone interested in an open political process should be greatly concerned about the regulations SOPA creates and the freedoms it restricts…”

For more information, please make sure to view (and circulate) our recent StandingWatch program, “Destruction of US Democracy?” 

US Politics Galore—and We All May Have to Pay!

The Washington Times wrote on December 20:

“The House officially voted Tuesday to start negotiations with the Senate on the payroll-tax fight — but Senate Democrats have said they won’t cancel their vacation to conduct the talks, leaving an impasse that could mean an average $1,000 tax increase on 160 million taxpayers in the new year… the House on Tuesday officially sent [the Senate] bill back to the Senate, which means, according to legislative rules, the Senate has to act next, and the House cannot take up the Senate’s proposal anymore…

“The House has passed a one-year extension of the current 2 percent payroll-tax cut, along with a two-year extension of full payments to doctors who take Medicare patients and another round of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. But the Senate, which couldn’t agree on a long-term extension, instead passed a two-month bill last week, arguing it gave all sides breathing room to keep trying for a longer-term deal. The White House has endorsed the Senate compromise.”

America’s Downfall

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 16:

“The US has officially declared the war in Iraq to be over with a flag-casing ceremony in Baghdad. President Barack Obama said that America was leaving behind a ‘sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq.’ German commentators ask if the conflict, which lasted almost nine years, was worth the toll… Many in America and elsewhere will continue to ask, however, if freeing Iraq from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein was worth the high cost of the war. The conflict, which began in March 2003 with a ‘shock and awe’ assault on Baghdad, left almost 4,500 Americans and over 100,000 Iraqis dead. Around 30,000 American soldiers were wounded, many of them permanently maimed as a result of the notorious improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which were used against coalition forces. Today, the country is still racked by religious conflict, and there are fears that sectarian violence could flare up again. The country’s political structures are weak and Iran continues to exert influence…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘Even nearly nine years after the events, it is hard to contain the outrage that boils up when one remembers the fabricated justification for the war and the way the conflict proceeded. On the contrary, the distance to the events makes it even clearer how George W. Bush vacillated in his justification for the war and how he combined weapons of mass destruction, al-Qaida terror and the dictatorship into a single threatening brew. The politically twisted logic behind the invasion was coupled with a botched military strategy that laid the ground for an orgy of violence and hatred…

“‘America’s current decline is the logical consequence of the over-extension that was visible everywhere in the early 2000s, including its military strength, bloated budgets and promises of growth, its foreign policy ambitions and the verbal radicalism which ultimately promised to forcefully create democracy at gunpoint. With this form of extremism, America betrayed its own best ideals. And in the process the country lost its natural attraction, which historically had repeatedly given hope to freedom-seekers and those fleeing persecution.’

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Every American schoolchild knows today that George W. Bush’s mission has not been accomplished. Iraq has not become the democracy that the neo-cons dreamed of, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein did not lead to democratization in the region and the regime in Tehran has not been weakened. On the contrary, Iran has more influence than ever in Iraq. And what about the people who were liberated? For them, life eight years after the start of the war is still dangerous. Everyday life, characterized by shortages of water and electricity, abuses of power by the police and the threat of attacks, is unspeakably difficult… the country that American troops are now leaving is not the ‘sovereign and stable’ nation that Obama spoke of in his speech at Fort Bragg. The US troops may indeed have conquered Baghdad in three weeks, but after eight years of occupation, they have still not won in Iraq.’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘The last nine years of the American presence in Iraq is further proof that the political balance of power within a country cannot be changed by an external military intervention. What the US experienced in Iraq, Israel also experienced in the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. One can only hope that both have learned their lesson before they start planning military operations against Iran… With its interference in Iraq, the US did lasting damage to the concept of democratization…’”

We should especially take note of the statements that America is in decline, and that the USA did NOT win the war in Iraq. The sad truth is that America did not win any war for a long time, and that it will NOT win any future wars. The Church of God began to proclaim this FACT over 40 years ago; it has been established and confirmed to be the absolute truth; and it will remain to be true. See also our other articles on Iraq in this issue.

“America On Its Deathbed”

In his December 6, 2011 newsletter, Gerald Celente, Founder and Director of The Trends Research Institute, wrote the following about the USA:

“Be it healthcare, education, longevity or working longer and vacationing less, the world’s former quality-of-life leader no longer wins, places or shows. In a blink of the calendrical eye, the United States of America had gone from first world to borderline third world…

“A record 47 million Americans – one of every six people… are impoverished, according to government statistics. If you take into account those who are teetering on the edge of poverty, that figure almost doubles. This means nearly one-third of the American populace is struggling to achieve what they once considered their inalienable rights – putting food on their tables, gas in their cars, and heat in their homes… nearly one-quarter of all American children are living in poverty… as we enter a national election year, no candidate… speaks directly of a nation in decline. Even as the country piles up more and more debt, the Washington Beltway is gridlocked …

“On the economic front, the trend towards wealth concentration… continues. The richest 1 percent of Americans now owns 70 percent of all financial assets. Even the November 2011 ‘drop’ in unemployment to a two-year low of 8.5 percent meant virtually nothing. The rate doesn’t consider the new class of people that the Bush/Obama Administrations have created – the millions of permanently unemployed Americans who have been down so low so long they’ve stopped looking for work and aren’t even counted as unemployed…

“In the decade since 9/11, under the guise of protecting its citizens from terrorism, the government has steadily abrogated individual rights, compromising the very liberties it pretends to preserve. As thousands of protestors occupied Wall Street and Main Streets across America, police department cameras recorded their every step. In New York City alone, more than 4,000 cameras monitored the marching, chanting throngs. Banks – which now charge us to hold and spend our money  – watch our every financial move… America has become a country of fear, not freedom…”

These statements are very true. No politician—regardless of what party he or she might belong to, or whether he or she might run as an “independent”– will be able to reverse the trend of America’s downfall. Our false hope in human accomplishments, while forgetting to give glory to and rely on God, awaits a rude awakening. The sooner we understand as to where our real hope and strength lie, the better it will be for us.

Pakistan Attack–Washington Admits Mistakes, but Does Not Apologize

The Washington Times wrote on December 22:

“An investigation into a NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani troops last month near the Afghan border has concluded that a combination of mistrust and bad maps led to the airstrikes on two Pakistani outposts… It’s unclear whether the report, which says mistakes were made on both sides, will reduce the tension between Pakistan and the U.S. over the incident. The Pakistani army has said its troops did nothing wrong and claimed the attack was a deliberate act of aggression.

“A statement issued by the U.S. Department of Defense did not apologize for the attack, as the Pakistanis have demanded, and instead defended the actions of American forces… Since the Nov. 26 attack, a furious Pakistani government has shut down NATO supply routes to Afghanistan and thrown the U.S. out of its Shamsi Air Base in southwestern Baluchistan province…”

Euro Permanent and Irreversible

The EUobserver wrote on December 19:

“The euro is ‘irreversible’ and will overcome the crisis, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said in his first appearance in front of the European Parliament’s economics committee on Monday (19 December), while making the case for austerity and fiscal discipline… the ECB chief said he has ‘no doubt in the strength, permanence and irreversibility of the euro,’ dismissing as ‘morbid speculation’ any eurozone break-up scenarios…”

German Economy Defying European Gloom

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“German companies and consumers are upbeat about the future, according to economic surveys released on Tuesday. They show that Europe’s largest economy has remained resilient in the face of the euro crisis… The index increased to 107.2 points from 106.6… surprising economists who had on average predicted a decline… There have been increasing signs that the euro zone as a whole, including France, its second largest economy, will slide into recession in 2012.

“But Germany, thanks to its broad industrial base and strong exports to countries outside the euro zone, especially emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil, will weather the storm, economists said… Another positive surprise came earlier on Tuesday with the release of the December consumer climate index from market research institute GfK, which showed the first rise in economic expectations in five months.”

Savior or Destroyer?

On December 20, The Local published the following English translation of a German editorial, which originally appeared in Die Zeit:

“Who is to blame for the split? Is it Cameron, who insisted that special rules must apply to Britain’s financial sector – or is it Merkel, who put the subject of a treaty change on the table in the first place? At any rate, it’s Cameron who came off worst, since he is now isolated in Europe, without having gained anything for his country’s interests. Knowing Merkel, an adept player of power games, she will have planned for such an eventuality. She and Sarkozy had a good argument on their side: as the French president said, we cannot agree stricter rules for the eurozone and then allow Britain room to deregulate its financial sector.

“But this success has not come cheap. The impression that 22 states stand firmly at Germany’s side is false. Most other heads of state are following Merkel with little enthusiasm – not out of conviction, but because they know that no solution to the debt crisis is possible without Germany. Even those that support the German vision of more budget discipline are unsure whether this is the right time or the right path to take.

“The eurozone states will now agree a new contract that will exist alongside current EU law… [Either] Merkel will go down in history as the saviour of the euro [or…] as the one who divided Europe.”

And there may be a third—and more likely–alternative: The German Chancellor will be remembered as both.

Britain Resists…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“EU finance ministers wanted to raise 200 billion euros to boost the International Monetary Fund’s firepower in the euro crisis, but they only raised 150 billion on Monday, largely due to resistance from Britain… the United Kingdom refused, at least for the time being, to contribute its share of around €25 billion.

“Following a conference call, the ministers said in a statement that the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland and Sweden, which are in the EU but not in the euro zone, would also grant loans to the International Monetary Fund to help rescue the currency. But the EU said those countries must first win parliamentary approval…

“Meanwhile, the German newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday that Germany will probably have to pay €8.6 billion, twice as much as originally planned, into the European Stability Mechanism in 2012. The newspaper cited an unnamed high-ranking member of government as its source. The first German tranche for the fund was to have been €4.3 billion, and would not have been due until 2013. But the decision to launch the ESM will force Berlin to make its contribution sooner.”

This won’t make the Germans happy, and they will blame Britain for it…

Britain’s Isolation Could Prove Costly

The Daily Mail wrote on December 20:

“A senior Church of England bishop warned yesterday against British isolation from Europe. The Bishop of Guildford…,Christopher Hill, who speaks for his colleagues on EU matters in the House of Lords, said: ‘It will be disastrous if we were actually isolated from the rest of Europe, economically and in terms of international relations.’ He added: ‘The structures need reform and accountability, but you don’t do that by stepping out.’

“Business leaders claim millions of British jobs will be lost if the country does not fight to keep its place as a key player in Europe. A group of tycoons and entrepreneurs, including Sir Richard Branson, have written an open letter to the Government urging David Cameron to ‘re-engage in the decision-making process in Europe’. Signatories say at least three million could find themselves unemployed if Britain continues to isolate itself from the EU.

“Co-ordinated by the lobby group Business for New Europe, the letter will put extra pressure on Mr Cameron at a time when he stands accused of trying to appease Europhile party members.”

Widening Gap Between Britain and Brussels

The EUobserver wrote on December 21:

“The British government has blamed the euro for ratings agency [Moody’s] worries on its triple-A status amid a widening political gap between Brussels and London. A UK treasury spokesman told newswires on Tuesday… that exposure to the eurozone is the main reason why Moody’s earlier the same day warned that Britain’s top-level grade faces ‘formidable and rising challenges.’ The spokesman said: ‘The UK is not immune to the problems facing our trading partners in the euro area; the crisis is having a chilling effect across Europe…’ The Moody’s report noted ‘that no EU sovereign rating can be considered immune to this crisis.’ But it cited internal UK problems as the main cause of concern.”

Britain’s Mounting Distrust of Germany

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 19:

“In Britain, distrust of Europe goes hand-in-hand with distrust of Germany. Relations between the two countries have cooled following the furore caused by the latest EU summit, and British euroskeptics are once again resorting to old stereotypes…

“The English Channel has suddenly become wider, deeper and foggier once again. The London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper has warned its readers against what it calls Berlin’s blatant effort to dominate Europe and already sees ‘a new era of Anglo-German antagonism’ on the horizon… The headline ‘Welcome to the Fourth Reich’ in the high-circulation Daily Mail summarized the German-French plans to rescue the monetary union. In another story, the paper wrote: ‘What we are witnessing is the economic colonisation of Europe by stealth by the Germans.’…

“The anti-German rhetoric was particularly strong after German reunification, which then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed ‘the Iron Lady,’ sought to prevent. Even the levelheaded Economist warned against what it believed to be the threat of a German nuclear bomb. In 1990, Thatcher invited leading British historians to a conference at Chequers to analyze the dangerous German national character…

“For the British, the fact that the Germans, with their renowned engineering prowess, still produce goods and sell them around the world is a wistful reminder of their own days as major exporters during the Victorian age… The Indians bought Jaguar a few years ago, Rolls-Royce is now part of BMW, Volkswagen owns Bentley, and once-proud brands like Triumph, Austin and Vickers no longer exist. Even the colorful candies known as ‘Smarties’ haven’t been produced in York, where they were invented, for the last five years. All European production has now been moved to Germany…

“So a new ice age has set in for the time being. Many Britons have noticed that ‘suddenly German is being spoken in Europe,’ following the undiplomatic words of Volker Kauder, the parliamentary floor leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU). They’ve also noticed that there are Germans who already anticipate ‘Britain’s departure from the EU,’ as SPD parliamentary leader Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. And Merkel’s statement that ‘no country, no financial center and no financial product can be unsupervised from now on’ was certainly understood in London just the way it was meant. Even before the Brussels summit, politicians in Berlin knew that there would be no compromise with the Tory government in London.”

We should be able to see more and more the veracity of the prophesied fact that Europe and Great Britain will finally turn out to be real enemies. Europe is moving ahead without Britain, and Britain’s isolation is rapidly manifesting itself. Please note also the next article.

New European Treaty Between Just Nine Initial Countries?

The EUobserver wrote on December 16:

“The first draft of a new treaty meant to tighten economic governance in eurozone countries was circulated Friday (16 December) with the aim to have the text finalised by January and coming into force once nine countries have ratified it. The ratification threshold would allow the treaty to go into place even if some euro states – such as Ireland which may have to hold a referendum – are having problems getting domestic approval.

“A euro country that rejected the treaty after it had already come into place will not be bound by it. Non-euro countries, who agree to sign up to the treaty, will be bound by the agreement as soon as they take on the single currency, but can put in place some of the details immediately…

“Following the UK’s refusal to allow full-blown treaty change, the pact is an intergovernmental treaty for the 17 euro states plus up to nine of the non-euro countries who have all indicated they will attempt to come on board. But in a bid to draw a line under the potentially damaging rift between London and the rest of member states, all 27 countries will be at the negotiation table, although London will only have observer status…”

We should be able to recognize the long-prophesied development of a core Europe or a Europe of two speeds.

Europe Meddles and Condemns

Haaretz wrote on December 20:

“The four European Union members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday strongly criticized Israel’s decision to speed up construction of settlements, which they termed a ‘wholly negative’ development. The ambassadors from Britain, France, Germany and Portugal issued a joint statement branding the Israeli settlements in Palestinian occupied territories and East Jerusalem as illegal under international law. ‘We call on the Israeli government to reverse these steps,’ the statement said. ‘The viability of the Palestinian state that we want to see and the two-state solution that is essential for Israel’s long-term security are threatened by the systematic and deliberate expansion of settlements’…

“Israel’s UN ambassador Ron Prosor responded by saying on Tuesday that ‘while innocent citizens are being slaughtered in Syria, terrorist elements are operating freely in Gaza, UN forces are attacked in Lebanon and Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon – the Security Council is silent and paralyzed.’ He added that ‘the main obstacle to peace was and remains the Palestinians’ demand to the right of return, and not recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.’”

European Intervention in Egypt?

Al Arabiya News reported on December 19:

“The fire that broke out in a Cairo library that houses thousands of rare documents raised concerns over the government’s and the army’s ability to protect historic sites at times of upheaval and drove several experts to warn of a possible intervention by foreign entities to preserve the heritage at risk…

“Haggag Ibrahim, deputy chairman of the Association for the Preservation of Heritage and member of the Higher Commission for Museums, labeled those involved in setting the Scientific Complex on fire ‘the new Tatars’ who want to erase all aspects of culture in the country. ‘Those are the grandchildren of the Tatars who burned the library of Baghdad when they invaded the Muslim world,’ he told Al Arabiya.

“According to Ibrahim, UNESCO is now capable of placing historic sites in Egypt under international protection since Egyptians proved unable to do so themselves. ‘Some countries like France might take this initiative.’…

“Nasser Amin, legal expert and member of the National Council for Human Rights, differed. ‘The UNESCO doesn’t have the right to impose international protection on a sovereign country because one historic establishment was subjected to an act of sabotage,’ he said. Amin explained that international protection on cultural heritage is imposed only if the country in which the sites are located is in a state of war or engaged in other types of armed conflict…

“A professor of archeology, Mamdouh al-Masry, held the Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (SCAF) accountable for failing to contain the fire and arrest the culprits… The fact that the fire targeted the Scientific Complex and maps of Egypt’s borders in particular raises a lot of questions about a possible conspiracy, according to Masry… Egyptian archeology professor Ayman Hassan al-Dahshan agreed that a conspiracy is involved in the library fire…”

The concern of Egyptians regarding a European intervention is remarkable. We know from Scripture that finally, a United States of Europe WILL intervene and occupy Egypt. We may not know the exact justification for such military aggression, but we do know that it WILL occur. See also the next article on Egypt.

Egyptian Democracy—a Joke!

Haaretz reported on December 20:

“Egyptian police and soldiers fired weapons and used batons and teargas for a fifth day on Tuesday in the latest effort to clear Cairo’s central Tahrir Square of opponents of army rule, amid mounting international concern about the violence… The United States, which saw Egypt as a staunch ally in the Mubarak era, gives Cairo $1.3 billion a year in military aid.”

Iraq in Danger of Civil War?

BBC wrote on December 20:

“Iraq’s Sunni Vice-President, Tariq al-Hashemi, has denied any wrongdoing, a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest on terrorism-related charges. Mr Hashemi described as ‘fabricated’ the accusation he was linked to attacks on government and security officials. He also accused Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a Shia, of being behind a plot to embarrass him and blow apart recent attempts at national reconciliation. The Sunni deputy prime minister has warned Iraq risks a new sectarian war…

“Barely had the last American soldier stepped across the border into Kuwait than the fragile Iraqi political structure the US military left behind began to fall dangerously apart, as long-standing tensions between Shia and Sunni political leaders came to a head…”

BBC News added on December 21:

“In recent years, the Americans would have been expected to head off such a rift long before it happened. The White House has said it is deeply concerned by the current crisis and has been in touch with all sides. Its ability to continue playing a major role in the Iraqi political arena in the post-withdrawal period is thus faced with an immediate test, but the Iraqi perception is that US influence is now much diminished. The crisis may also give clues as to how hard Tehran will seek to push its advantage and exploit the perceived vacuum left by the American withdrawal…”

BBC reported on December 22:

“A wave of apparently [14] co-ordinated bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has killed at least 63 people and injured around 185, say officials… the bombings are the worst in months – and follow the withdrawal of US troops. They come amid fears of rising sectarian tensions as the unity government faces internal divisions.”

Deutsche Welle added on December 22:

“The political turmoil is the worst since Iraq’s fragile powersharing government was formed a year ago. Iraq’s Sunni minority, to which the late dictator Saddam Hussein belonged, has faced a rise of Iraq’s Shiite majority since the 2003 US-led invasion.

“The upsurge in violence comes just days after US troops completed their withdrawal, nearly nine years after their invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, and leaving behind what US President Barack Obama had described as a ‘sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq.’”

This does not really deserve any comment.

Syria’s Massacres

The Associated Press wrote on December 21:

“Syrian troops assaulting a northwest town with machine gun fire and shelling have killed at least 100 people in one of the deadliest episodes of the 9-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime… Tuesday’s attack… showed the Syrian government was pressing ahead with its crackdown despite its agreement this week to an Arab League plan for bringing a halt to the bloodshed.

“‘It was an organized massacre. The troops surrounded people then killed them,’ said Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He said troops on the outskirts of the town surrounded and fired on crowds of civilians and activists trying to flee out of fear they would be detained…

“The Syrian conflict, which began with peaceful protests in March, has become increasingly militarized in recent weeks, with clashes nearly every day between troops and army defectors who have joined the movement against Assad… Meanwhile, the Syrian military was displaying its might with a second round of maneuvers Tuesday involving warplanes, helicopters and surface-to-air missiles…”

Uncertainty for North Korea

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“With the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, an already jittery Asia has been thrown into great uncertainty. Questions over how his successor and son Kim Jong Un might rule abound… with little known about the young heir to their political dynasty, his father’s death has sparked a wave of uncertainty in the tense, heavily-armed region, with Asian markets thrown into turmoil following the announcement. Some worry that Kim Jong Un may not have a firm hold on power, which could destabilize the isolated country, which has still not sworn off nuclear weapons. The South Korean military has been placed on high alert, concerned about what the large armed forces in their northern neighbor might do… There are worries that the leader’s death after 17 years in power could prompt his inexperienced son to test his strength militarily…

“Die Welt writes: ‘The death of Kim Jong Il is good news, just as the deaths of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin or Saddam Hussein were all good news. … But that doesn’t mean that the situation for the North Koreans will now improve. Already the next Kim stands ready to take the office he has inherited from his father and grandfather. East Asia faces months and perhaps years of turbulence. The leader, not even 30 years old, is not sitting securely in the saddle. … Thus he will attempt to prove his tenacity to the military by operating aggressively both within and without…’

“Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘Kim Jong Il, the now dead dictator, will not be missed. He held his people in slavery and was responsible for the deaths of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands. … But his worst crime was that he created a system of bondage that also laid claim to the minds of the people. Many generations of North Koreans live in the dark — and they have no idea. As long as the regime maintains power over the brains of the people, and as long as it controls the flow of information, then the system can theoretically survive…’

“Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘North Korea is the world’s most bizarre combination of Stalinism, dynastic succession and cult of personality, along with presumed atomic weapons and real hunger problems… Kim Jong Il was prepared to let his people starve and his region descend into chaos if it meant he could hold onto power… The tragedy for the people of North Korea will likely continue for some time.’”

Germany’s Execution of Alleged Witches…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 16:

“Tortured and burned at the stake by the tens of thousands, Germany’s alleged witches have been largely forgotten… It began with the trial and execution of an eight-year-old girl for witchcraft in the spring of 1630. Compelled to name others involved in an alleged nighttime dance with the devil in the German town of Oberkirchen, young Christine Teipel’s confession sparked a wave of fingerpointing and subsequent trials. Within just three months, 58 people, including 22 men and two children, were burned at the stake there.

“The Oberkirchen trials represent just a small fraction of those that led to the execution of some 25,000 alleged witches between 1500 and 1782 in Germany. The country was a hotbed of persecution… some 40 percent of the 60,000 witches who were tortured and killed in Europe during the infamous era were executed in what is now modern Germany…

“In a time when many regions were fighting for political domination, historians believe that leaders also used the trials as an expression of power… And, contrary to common belief, it wasn’t just the Catholic Church that encouraged witch hunts. The Protestant Church was behind a significant number of trials…”

We should not believe that these events are just ancient history, and that something similar could not happen again in the 21st century.

Catholic Distortions and Admissions on Christmas

On December 20, The Catholic agency, Zenit, published the following interview with Pietro Messa, president of the Higher School of Medieval and Franciscan Studies of Rome’s Antonianum Pontifical University. We are quoting the following revealing excerpts, manifesting a hotchpotch of convoluted distortions and—at the same time—eye-opening admissions regarding Christmas—a festival deeply rooted in paganism:

“We know that the early Christians, all of them being of the Jewish religion, observed the Sabbath, but on the following day, that is the present Sunday, they gathered to commemorate the Resurrection [Editor’s note: The early Church, including Gentile Christians, kept the Sabbath. They never commemorated the resurrection on Sunday—one reason is that they knew that Christ was resurrected on the Sabbath, and not on Sunday.] Hence, the first celebration held par excellence was Easter [Editor’s note: Easter is a pagan festival, which was not kept by the early Christians. The Church kept the Passover, but not Easter.]. Subsequently, other events of Jesus’ life began to be celebrated, such as the birth fixed on Dec. 25, namely, on the same day in which previously the Sol invictus was celebrated, that is, the celebration of not being overcome by darkness, given that the winter solstice had passed, the days began to be longer and light imposed itself on the darkness of the night [Editor’s note: It has been established that Christ could not have been born in December, let alone December 25. It is true that the Catholic Church gradually introduced into so-called “Christianity” the celebration of the pagan festival of Christmas on December 25, which had been kept long before the birth of Christ in honor of pagan sun gods. The early Church of the apostles never kept Christmas or celebrated Christ’s birth on December 25. They would have been abhorred about anyone who would have even suggested such a thing.]…”

Great Britain All Alone

The EUobserver wrote on December 9:

“A group of 26 EU member states is to forge ahead with an intergovernmental agreement on tightening economic governance in the eurozone, following a stormy summit in Brussels that saw the UK sidelined after it overplayed its hand…The break represents a major symbolic shift for the European Union which has never before cemented a disagreement so publicly and so thoroughly…”

This major symbolic shift will have major practical consequences.

Exactly 20 Years Later…

The New York Times wrote on December 9:

“Europe’s worst financial crisis in generations is forging a new European Union, pushing Britain to the sidelines and creating a more integrated, fiscally disciplined core of nations under the auspices of a resurgent Germany. Exactly 20 years to the day after European leaders signed the treaty that led to the creation of the European Union and the euro currency, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany persuaded every current member of the union except Britain to endorse a new agreement calling for tighter regional oversight of government spending…

“The European Union… is now being reinvented by a united Germany… The big loser in Brussels was Britain…”

The fact that this new pact was agreed upon exactly 20 years after the Maastricht Treaty is no coincidence. At that time, Britain was a co-signer; now, Britain is being excluded. In the Bible, the number ten stands for judgment. Twenty (2 times 10) designates a severe time of judgment. Also, as one of the next articles points out, this week marked the tenth anniversary for the introduction of euro notes and coins in Germany.

… a Two Speed Europe

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 9:

“… the summit’s outcome will seal the status of a two-speed Europe… Nor is the loss of importance in Europe that Britain has now brought upon itself in the country’s geopolitical interest. Indeed, its trans-Atlantic partnership with the United States will suffer as a result.

“In the eyes of politicians in Washington, Britain has been particularly useful because of its ability to assert influence in Brussels… The pact… also represents a shift of power… at the EU level. The ‘economic government’ of leaders of these countries can make decisions via euro summits and would not need to seek the approval of the European Parliament…”

AFP wrote on December 12:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted on Monday that the European Union was now a two-speed alliance… Separately, the head of France’s financial regulator branded Cameron’s Conservatives ‘the stupidest’ right-wing party in the world for pushing its leader into confrontation with Europe…”

This confrontation with Europe will continue. The Bible shows that ultimately, ten nations or groups of nations will arise in Europe, and they will give their authority to a charismatic political and military leader, who, in turn, will begin a war with Great Britain. The next articles speak for themselves, showing that Great Britain is not being perceived as a part of Europe—whether or not they nominally stay in the EU. However, Britain will not remain a EU member for long.

Britain Abrogated Any Leadership Role in Europe

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote on December 12:

“… nobody can seriously believe that Great Britain’s shrinking influence in Europe will have no consequences for the country’s economy… British industry is dependent on the European common market to which Cameron has just given the cold shoulder.”

The Financial Times wrote on December 12:

“Cameron has abandoned Britain’s claim to playing a leading role in the European Union. And the Continent is not prepared to wait. As the recent summit showed, it is quite willing to push forward with European integration even without the British…”

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote on December 12:

“…the euroskeptics who already view the allegations that England is isolated as a badge of honor, may agitate even more vehemently for Britain to leave the EU. And Cameron, who is correctly defending EU membership as being in the national interest, will have to see how he can stuff this genie back into the bottle — and how he can bring the tumult in his coalition back under control…’”

Britain In or Out?

Der Spiegel wrote on December 11:

“The British were never completely dedicated to European unity and the ongoing project of greater fiscal integration is better off without them… European leaders in Brussels hammered out an agreement… that conflicts fundamentally with the British understanding of Europe…

“But from the very beginning, Great Britain’s participation in a united Europe was a misunderstanding. When the EU was founded, the British still hadn’t finished mourning over their lost empire… In the 1960s, the empire was history, with one colony after the other declaring independence. But instead of turning toward Europe, Britain looked west to the US. And to this day, the UK feels much closer to America than it does to the frogs and the krauts on the other side of the English Channel…

“Great Britain is an EU member that never truly wanted to be part of the club. It was more of an observer than a contributor and it always had one eye on Washington. Indeed, it is telling that the country never joined the border-free travel regime known as Schengen — Britain still checks everybody who enters the country from the other side of the Channel. The political establishment was likewise extremely skeptical of the common currency from the very beginning…

“Now, finally, there is a clear line of separation. On the one side is euro-Europe with a treaty obligating them to stay within clear budgetary and sovereign debt boundaries. And there is the rest which still has complete sovereign control over their finances. The 17 euro-zone member states will no longer be forced to accommodate a country that rejects anything that smells like supra-nationalism…

“British historian Timothy Garton Ash, a critic of the euro-skeptic course followed by the Cameron administration, said recently… ‘If the euro zone is saved, there will be a fiscal union, which means a political union of the euro countries…. Then, in the next two, three or four years, we in Great Britain will face the final question: in or out?’

“If the British political class does not undergo a fundamental transformation, there is only one possible answer. Out.”

These are strong words with grave meaning. Not too long ago, we would have been hard-pressed to see these kinds of statements in the European press. Now, suddenly, overnight, the world seems to have changed… Note also the next article.

The Beginning of the End for Great Britain

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 12:

“By casting his veto at the EU summit, Prime Minister David Cameron has signaled the beginning of the end of Britain’s EU membership. Many in Europe wouldn’t be sorry to see Britain go… Have we finally reached the end of this fractious alliance? Is Britain well on its way to once again becoming what it has always been both in geographical terms and in spirit: an island, politically and culturally far removed from Europe…?

“In the future, in addition to the old EU club of 27 states, there will also be one made up of the 17 euro-zone countries and their sympathizers. Isolated and paranoid, Britain will keep armies of lawyers busy watching over the EU like chained dogs to make sure that its institutions don’t ever assume an active role in matters that only concern the euro countries.

“Since joining what is now called the EU in 1973, the British have annoyed many Europeans with their constant and now notorious demands for special treatment, rebates and blocking tactics. They have placed a one-sided emphasis on making sure that the EU’s internal market functions as smoothly as possible, while sabotaging the establishment of a common foreign policy. They were just as allergic to the draft of a European constitution as they were to the free movement of workers.

“Britain is entering a new era. Indeed, Cameron’s veto marks the beginning of the end of Britain’s days as a member of the EU. Charles Grant is the director of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank… [He] gives the island a decade at most before it severs its ties with Brussels for good… [Cameron’s] own party pushed him into distancing Britain from the continent… Many people in Britain view the EU as a neo-Stalinist power machine… Four years ago, a clear majority of Britons still wanted to stay in the EU. But that’s no longer the case, as 51 percent want out. And Cameron has now shown them the way…”

Britain’s exit might occur much sooner. As long as they are EU members, they are still under European scrutiny, as the next article shows.

Britain Cannot Escape

The EUobserver wrote on December 12:

“The European Commission has picked a fight with the British government… Economic and monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn on Monday (12 December) warned the UK that the City of London could not escape expanded European regulation of the financial sector and insisted that Brussels is on firm legal ground in the use of the EU institutions to police the new ‘fiscal compact’ – an intergovernmental agreement that Britain decided not to sign up to. ‘If this move was intended to prevent bankers and financial corporations of the City from being regulated, that’s not going to happen,’ he told reporters in Brussels.”

Political Union

The Euobserver wrote on December 14:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said a political union is beginning to take shape in the EU… Merkel said the crisis had seen Europeans ‘move closer than ever before.’

“Referring to a sense of determination in other EU leaders to overcome the eurozone problems, the chancellor said: ‘I am sure that this common sense of responsibility will remain with us far beyond the crisis…’

“However she was fiercely criticised by the Socialist opposition leader, Frank-Walter Steinmeier… [who] said the intergovernmental path chosen sounded ‘harmless at first glance, but it is not… With this (solution) we are putting Europe on a politically and legally fully incalculable path.’”

Abandoning the Euro Absurd

The Local wrote on December 14:

“The idea of abandoning the euro in the current eurozone debt crisis and returning to the Deutsche mark as called for by some people in Germany is ‘absurd,’ Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann said. ‘We’re doing everything we can so that that scenario won’t come about,’ Weidmann said… ‘The scenario we’re working on with the European Central Bank is a scenario for a solid euro,’ he told reporters.

“Weidmann, along with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, is scheduled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the introduction of euro notes and coins at a ceremony in Berlin later on Wednesday. ‘There’s no plan B, no printer in the Bundesbank’s cellars,’ he quipped. ‘The only Deutsche marks still in existence are those on display in the currency museum and those which people are still coming to us with to exchange’ for euros.”

Russian-European Summit

Deutsche Welle reported in December 15:

“Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has pledged up to 20 billion euros of Russian investment to bolster the eurozone… The EU must be ‘preserved as a powerful political and economic force … [and the euro] preserved as one of the most important reserve currencies,’ he added. The EU is Russia’s biggest trading partner… With 41 percent of Russia’s currency reserves held in the euro and half of all Russian external trade conducted with the EU, Russia’s interests in the survival of the euro are clear…

“It wasn’t just economic concerns, however, which were on the agenda of the 28th EU-Russia summit in Brussels. Speaking at a press conference at the close of the summit, EU president Herman Van Rompuy said the bloc was troubled by reports of corruption in Russia’s recent elections… Tens of thousands gathered in Moscow and other cities in Russia on Saturday denouncing the polls on December 4 as a farce.

“Van Rompuy noted, however, that EU leaders had had an honest discussion with the Russian president. He went on to praise the regime’s response to the weekend protests. ‘In contrast, the recent large demonstrations were peaceful and the authorities in my view handled it very well,’ he added.

“On Wednesday the European Parliament called for Russia to hold a new round of ‘free and fair elections’  and conduct investigations into any fraud claims. Medvedev declined to comment on the demands, but noted that his country’s legislature had ‘expressed indignation with the position of the European Parliament.’

“No real progress was made during the summit over the issue of sanctions against Syria and Iran. Moscow has been blocking United Nations condemnation of the Syrian government’s deadly crackdown on anti-regime protests. Russia also opposes any further moves on Iran, whose nuclear program worries the West…

“Meanwhile trade between Russia and the EU is expected to grow further, with Russia expected to join the World Trade Organization on Friday following 18 years of negotiation. The accession would offer ‘a myriad of new opportunities for trade, investment and global growth,’  Van Rompuy said.”

In addition, Putin lashed out on Thursday against American propaganda, and even claimed that American drones and special forces killed Gaddafi. Europe’s rather mild stance on the matter shows how money rules this world…

European Banks Stop Serving American Customers

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 14:

“European banks are dumping clients with US citizenship due to a new American law meant to curb tax evasion. The law would require financial institutions around the world to report on certain client activities. Compliance, say many banks, is way too expensive. The idea was to ensure that US citizens were paying their taxes on investments made through overseas banks. The result, however, has been that Americans in Europe may have difficulties finding banks who want their business.

“According to a report in the Wednesday edition of the Financial Times Deutschland, several European banks have elected to no longer serve American securities investors due to stricter reporting requirements pushed through last year by the administration of President Barack Obama.

“German financial institution HypoVereinsbank has informed its customers that it will no longer offer certain services to its US-based clients or to US citizens as of Jan. 1. Deutsche Bank told the paper that it already cancelled such accounts held by American citizens in the middle of 2011. Germany’s second largest bank, Commerzbank, is considering a similar move… British banking giant HSBC has also reported that it will no longer serve US investors as has the Swiss bank Credit Suisse.

“The reason for the sudden reticence to serve American clients is the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which was passed in 2010 and will go into effect in January of 2013. The act requires all foreign banks to identify and report on US citizens with accounts holding more than $50,000 in an effort to clamp down on tax evasion. If banks refuse to comply, they could face a punitive 30 percent withholding tax on all payments from the US. The law is expected to increase tax revenues by $8 billion over the next 10 years… An official for DWPBank, which takes care of securities transactions for 1,600 banks in Germany, estimated that total cost of compliance in Germany alone could amount to €10 billion.”

The Local added on December 15:

“None of the banks have said they are restricting Americans’ run-of-the-mill banking activities such as making deposits into normal savings accounts. That’s because those transactions aren’t yet covered by US regulations… The regulations will only get more complex in 2013 when the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act comes into effect. That will require banks to report more information about account holders to American tax authorities, although specifics about what the law will require remain elusive, angering many in the financial services industry.”

Another example as to how man makes decisions without considering the consequences…

US Soldiers Leave Iraq

With the U.S. military ending its mission in Iraq, uncertain days lie ahead for that tumultuous Islamic country. Even though the following article by the Wall Street Journal seems to be overly enthusiastic and far too “patriotic” regarding the Iraq war which the USA did NOT win and which provides very little reason to be proud of, we are bringing you the following telling excerpts:

The Wall Street Journal reported on December 15:

“After nearly nine years of war, tens of thousands of casualties—including 4,500 Americans dead—and more than $800 billion spent, the U.S. military on Thursday formally ended its mission in Iraq and prepared to leave the country… In the coming days, the last of the 4,000 U.S. military personnel still in Iraq will follow the flag and head home—leaving fewer than 200 to serve as part of the diplomatic mission…

“The Iraq war has been a nine-year emotional roller-coaster ride for the American people and the military. With the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s military and advance on Baghdad accomplished within weeks, it at first appeared to be a quick victory for America and the world’s most technically advanced army.

“But within months of the taking of Baghdad, a growing insurgency emerged and turned the quick victory into a long slog. The advanced U.S. military was brought low by primitive weapons: homemade bombs made from fertilizer or discarded artillery shells… The surge, deeply controversial in the U.S., began to tamp down that violence in the summer of 2007, eventually restoring a measure of calm on a country that had descended into chaos.

“The U.S. force numbered more than 170,000 at the height of the surge—a mobilization that required grueling 15-month tours for many in the Army and constant trips to the war zone for a generation of Marines… Mr. Obama rose to prominence in part with his criticism of the Iraq war. He argued that it was a ‘dumb war’ that never should have been fought—a stance that helped him win the Democratic nomination. Bringing home the troops fulfills one of his major campaign promises.

“Iraqi officials say it also makes good on a pledge by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who won a second term by securing the support of parliamentarians who were dead-set against any extension of the U.S. troop presence.”

The New York Times added on December 15:

“The United States military officially declared an end to its mission in Iraq on Thursday even as violence continues to plague the country and the Muslim world remains distrustful of American power… The war was started by the Bush administration in March 2003 on arguments that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and had ties to Al Qaeda that might grow to an alliance threatening the United States with a mass-casualty terrorist attack.  As the absence of unconventional weapons proved a humiliation for the administration and the intelligence community, the war effort was reframed as being about bringing democracy to the Middle East…”

BBC News wrote on December 15:

“Some 4,500 US soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqis have died in the war. The conflict, launched by the Bush administration in March 2003, soon became hugely unpopular as claims that Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction and supporting al-Qaeda militants turned out to be untrue.

“The war has cost the US some $1tr. Republicans have criticised the pullout citing concerns over Iraq’s stability, but a recent poll by the Pew Research Centre found that 75% of Americans backed the troop withdrawal… Some Iraqis have said they fear the consequences of being left to manage their own security…

“But in the city of Falluja, a former insurgent stronghold which was the scene of major US offensives in 2004, people burned US flags on Wednesday in celebration at the withdrawal… Concerns have also been voiced in Washington that Iraq lacks robust political structures or an ability to defend its borders. There are also fears that Iraq could be plunged back into sectarian bloodletting, or be unduly influenced by Iran.”

The following article points out an interesting consequence stemming from US withdrawal from Iraq:

The Washington Times wrote on December 14:

“The U.S. military’s fast-approaching Dec. 31 exit from Iraq, which has no way to defend its airspace, puts Israel in a better place strategically to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iraq has yet to assemble a force of jet fighters, and since the shortest route for Israeli strike fighters to Iran is through Iraqi airspace, observers conclude that the U.S. exit makes the Jewish state’s mission planning a lot easier.”

USA Loses Another Drone

The Washington Post wrote on December 13:

“One of the Air Force’s premier drones crashed Tuesday morning in the Seychelles, the Indian Ocean archipelago that serves as a base for anti-piracy operations, as well as U.S. surveillance missions over Somalia. The crash of the MQ-9 Reaper comes roughly two weeks after a U.S. drone went down in Iran.

“The Seychelles, where U.S. officials have worked closely with local officials to establish the drone base, is hardly enemy territory, and the drone that crashed Tuesday was operated by the Air Force, not the CIA, which operated the stealth RQ-170 that crashed in Iran. Still, Tuesday’s crash once again illustrates the fallibility of unmanned aerial vehicles. The Air Force acknowledged the crash at the Seychelles airport, and a spokesman for the service said the crash happened as the drone was landing. No one was injured.”

President Obama’s plea to Iran to please return the first missing drone—which “request” was of course rejected outright–would be laughable, if it wasn’t so pathetic. And now, the USA is losing another drone, also apparently due to mechanical failure. It appears that just nothing goes right for the USA these days…

Iran’s New Threats

Fox News reported on December 13:

“A high-ranking Iranian official has said Iran’s military will practice sealing off the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil transport channel, in a provocative move that illustrates Iran’s capability of disrupting the world’s oil supply… The announcement Monday… sent oil prices up about $3 to $100 a barrel…

“Pentagon Spokesman Doug Wilson responded by saying although he has no information on the exercises, the United States government is committed to the free and safe passage in international waters and anything that interferes with that would be ‘detrimental’… About 15.5 million barrels of oil a day, about a sixth of global consumption, flows through the Strait of Hormuz…”

The Vatican and Jerusalem

Israel News reported on December 15:

“‘Peace negotiations in the Middle East must tackle the issue of the status of the holy sites of Jerusalem’, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Vatican’s Council for Interreligious Dialogue, declared several days ago in Rome. The Vatican’s former foreign minister asked to place some Israeli holy places under Vatican authority, alluding to the Cenacle on Mount Zion and the garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The first site also houses what is referred to as King David’s tomb.

“‘There will not be peace if the question of the holy sites is not adequately resolved’, Tauran said…  The Israeli government and the Vatican are deadlocked in discussions over the status of the religious sites. Vatican officials are now reiterating their demand for control over the religious sites…The Vatican’s former archbishop in Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, just promoted an appeal to the European Union and United States to ‘stop the Hebraization of Jerusalem’…

“A few days earlier, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, gave a speech to greet the bishops of Europe and North America during their annual pilgrimage in Israel, in which Twal denounced ‘the Israeli right wing invading more and more of Jerusalem and trying to transform it into an only Hebrew-Jewish city, excluding the other faiths…’”

Germany Must Lead

The Associated Press and USA Today reported on December 3:

“For more than half a century, the legacy of World War II has meant that the mere mention of a new rise of German power sent shudders through European nations. Now, Germany is increasingly calling the shots for the entire continent — and few seem to mind. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski — whose nation lost millions of people in the Nazi invasion and occupation — shocked many this week when he made a dramatic appeal for greater German influence. ‘You know full well that nobody else can do it,’ he told a largely German audience in Berlin. ‘I will probably be the first Polish foreign minister in history to say so, but here it is: I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity.’

“European leaders are panicked over unsustainable debt that could take down the entire global economy. From the streets to the halls of power, all eyes are trained on Germany — by far Europe’s biggest economy — to lead the continent out of crisis… On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed forward with a Berlin-engineered action plan for containing Europe’s crisis, calling for tougher rules to keep national budgets under control… At the same time she talked down any fears of German preeminence in Europe… Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann, whose nation often lives in the shadow of its giant northern neighbor, dismissed out of hand any worries about renewed German dominance…

“Some Europeans have also contemplated with horror what would happen if Germany got fed up with Europe’s debt shambles and simply walked away. ‘What is left of the euro if Germany says goodbye? A house of cards,’ Lennart Sacredeus, a lawmaker with the Christian Democrats in Sweden’s governing coalition, wrote…Throughout the crisis, Merkel has worked closely with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the other heavyweight leader among the nations that share the euro. But Sarkozy, slumping in polls ahead of elections next year, has recently proven much more willing to bend to the chancellor’s way of thinking. In particular, he has embraced German ideas of countries ceding control of a chunk of their budgets to a central authority, even at the expense of some national sovereignty…

“Europeans seem increasingly inclined to support Germany’s leadership — or at least to go along with it… While former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi bristled at German interference, new Prime Minister Mario Monti has called the German culture of stability one of its ‘better exports.’… Likewise, incoming conservative Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is seen as much more open to Germany’s leadership than outgoing socialist Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.”

And so, Germany will lead… and the continental European countries will follow.

“Germany Dubbed ‘Master of Europe’”

The Local wrote on December 8:

“Germany is emerging as the master of Europe, analysts said on Thursday ahead of a make-or-break summit on the euro – as the European Central Bank (ECB) set the scene by cutting its key interest rates.

“‘For the first time in the history of the EU, Germany is the unquestioned leader, and France is number two,’ said Charles Grant, of the Centre for European Reform think tank, citing growing inequality ever since the financial crisis struck in 2008… ‘France has been “forced” to bow to German leadership on economic policy… The high stakes for all EU institutions were highlighted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy who said in Paris that the risks of the EU exploding had never been so great. There would be no ‘second chance’ if the summit failed to come up with a convincing solution, he said…

“Under intense pressure to deal with the contagious debt crisis, European governments are moving towards radical changes on the road to fiscal, economic and political union. In the future, governments that overspend and so increase the risk of market penalties for currency partner governments could be fined or see automatic ‘corrections’ imposed by the European Commission…”

New European Plans to Save the Euro

BBC News reported on December 5:

“The leaders of France and Germany say the EU needs a new treaty to deal with the eurozone debt crisis… Mr Sarkozy said talks on a new treaty should be completed by March, to ensure such a crisis never happened again. The Paris talks come ahead of an EU summit on Friday that is being seen as crucial for the future of the single currency… Mrs Merkel said France and Germany wanted to see ‘structural changes which go beyond agreements. This package shows that we are absolutely determined to keep the euro as a stable currency and as an important contributor to European stability…’

“If these measures are approved the eurozone will have taken a giant stride to becoming both a monetary and fiscal union… As for Britain, the PM will face a tough decision over whether he tries to win back powers from Europe in exchange for British support for treaty change… The two leaders said they wanted treaty changes to be implemented by all 27 EU member states, but if that was not possible, [by] just the 17 states which have adopted the euro… They also rejected the idea of single currency ‘eurobonds’ being introduced to help ease the debt crisis, with Mr Sarkozy saying they were ‘in no case a solution’.”

We see that Mrs. Merkel prevailed with her rejection of eurobonds, which were recently endorsed by Sarkozy. Also, the concept of creating agreements between just the Eurozone members is very interesting. Der Spiegel Online commented on Monday that it has become obvious once again who is leading in Europe. The magazine wrote: “Madame Pitches the Key” (or: “Madame gives the Note”), adding: “The meeting demonstrates the positions of power—the French President must once again alter the course to follow the direction of the Chancellor.”

Europe Shudders at Germany’s New-Found Power

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 6:

“French daily newspaper Libération ran an article under the headline ‘A President Modeled on the Germans,’ which claimed ‘If you closed your eyes, you could hear Merkel speaking’ during Sarkozy’s speech. During a televised interview back in early November, Sarkozy uttered almost unimaginable words for a French president: ‘All my efforts are directed towards adapting France to a system that works. The German system’… In these days of crisis in Europe, the ‘German model’ has become something of a magic formula. Like it or not, the dusty, dry Germans now seem to hold the key to European salvation…

“Very quickly, praise is being replaced by criticism… This is the flipside of Germany’s dominance in Europe. The right-wing Spanish daily newspaper ABC recently wrote about the alleged ‘Germanization of Europe,’ and a journalist commented that Germany was in the process of ‘winning World War III: the money war.’… so the specter of the ugly German has raised its head once more. In Greece, swastikas made out of the stars of the European Union flag have long been a popular motif at demonstrations, not to mention pictures of the German chancellor in a kind of SS uniform… Georgios Trangas, one of Greece’s best-known journalists, said his country had become ‘a German protectorate of the Fourth Reich in southern Europe’… Meanwhile Italian television is depicting Chancellor Merkel wearing a Kaiser-era spiked helmet…

“Holding the reins of economic and political power in Europe is a new experience for Germany… Last week Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski gave a remarkable speech in Berlin in which he described the collapse of the euro zone as ‘the greatest threat for Poland’s security and well-being.’ Just five years ago, Sikorski said the German-Russian agreement over a Baltic Sea pipeline reminded him of Hitler’s pact with Stalin in 1939. Now he says, ‘I’m less worried about Germany’s power than about its failure to act. It has become Europe’s essential nation. It must not fail in its leadership. Rather than dominate, it must lead the reform process.’”

Ratings Agency Under Attack

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 6:

“Ratings agency Standard and Poor’s has piled pressure on EU leaders to come up with a deal to save the euro, warning that it may downgrade 15 of 17 euro-zone countries — including powerhouse Germany. EU politicians have criticized the move. But the agency on Tuesday added that it may downgrade the euro bailout fund as well…

“Chancellor Angela Merkel shrugged off the warning, saying: ‘What a rating agency does is the responsibility of the rating agency.’ Her economy minister, Philipp Rösler, appeared likewise unmoved. ‘Germany will not let itself be influenced by … the short-lived verdict of one ratings agency,’ Rösler said on the sidelines of a conference in Munich, Reuters reported. ‘We think nothing of such threats. We have no difficulties on the financial markets. We are and remain the anchor of stability in Europe,’ said Rösler…

“Bank of France governor Christian Noyer, a member of the governing council of the European Central Bank, said on Tuesday that ratings agencies were in danger of themselves worsening the euro-zone debt crisis. ‘The agencies were one of the motors of the crisis in 2008. Are they becoming a motor in the current crisis? That’s a real question we all need to think about,’ he told a conference on corporate finance in Paris.

“Hans Michelbach, a member of parliament for the conservative Christian Social Union party, the Bavarian sister party to Merkel’s Christian Democrats, called the S&P warning ‘an arbitrary decision with no relation to reality.’ The aim of the announcement, he said, had evidently been to create additional nervousness ahead of the EU summit. He called on the EU to crack down on the ‘uncontrolled games’ being played by the ratings agencies.

“European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso… dropped his demand for euro bonds, saying they were not a solution to the current crisis… He added that Germany’s angry reaction last month to an EU consultation paper on euro bonds had surprised him.”

The Local added on December 6:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she would press on with ‘important’ reforms for the eurozone, following a downgrade threat by credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s for Germany and 14 other eurozone countries… German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said on Tuesday S&P’s warning was the ‘best incentive possible’ for this week’s EU summit…

“French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Tuesday that the Franco-German plan to overhaul the EU treaty [and] to toughen EU budgetary rules ‘is precisely the response to one of the major questions of this ratings agency (S&P) that mentions the insufficiency of European economic governance.’”

The Weekly Standard wrote on December 7 that Rainer Bruederle, the chair of the FDP group in the German Bundestag, indicated that S&P acted as part of an American plot or conspiracy to work against the eurozone.

 

Britain “Infuriates” Europe

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 5:

“The British government is trying to obstruct the establishment of a common EU foreign and security policy. The formation of an autonomous military headquarters failed last week after Britain alone resisted the move. The government of Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has also been preventing the EU from issuing joint statements in international organizations.

“…For example, when the EU ambassadors agreed to a common statement at the World Health Organization in Geneva, the British representative vetoed the move, saying the issue wasn’t a matter of foreign policy but of health policy — and therefore fell under national sovereignty. The British have been using similar nit-picking arguments in other UN organizations and at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, on issues such as peace missions and disarmament conferences.

“Pierre Vimont, the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, has complained privately that London has blocked a total of 96 EU statements. The foreign minister of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, described as schizophrenic the British rejection of joint consular services for all EU citizens, because that stance contradicted Britain’s own demand for a ‘Europe for the people.’

“Tensions between Britain and other members of the EU have grown in the euro crisis. Cameron has responded to growing euro-skeptic pressure in his Conservative party by pledging to claw back powers from Brussels and by resisting German calls for greater EU integration on fiscal policy to tackle sovereign debt problems…”

U.S. Foreign Aid for Homosexuals

The Associated Press wrote on December 6:

“The Obama administration is announcing a wide-ranging effort to use U.S. foreign aid to promote rights for gays and lesbians abroad, including combating attempts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality… ‘The struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States’ commitment to promoting human rights,’ Obama said in a statement… The order also directs U.S. government agencies to… work with international organizations to fight discrimination against gays and lesbians…

“Since taking office, Obama has advocated for the repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay service members and ordered the administration to stop enforcing a law defining marriage as between one man and one woman… The presidential directive applies to all U.S. agencies involved in foreign aid, assistance and development, including the Departments of States, the Treasury, Defense and Homeland Security.”

This move seems to be in direct response to British Prime Minister Cameron’s refusal to give aid to African countries that support anti-homosexual movements (See the Current Events in our last Update). As the Bible says in Isaiah 9:21, even Ephraim (Great Britain and the Commonwealth nations) and the USA (Manasseh) will be at odds with each other.

“Obama’s Culture of Corruption”

The California Staats-Zeitung wrote on December 3, 2011:

“The Obama Administration’s Solyndra scandal that cost U.S. taxpayers $535 million is just the tip of the iceberg of the scandal involving Obama’s use of taxpayer dollars to help his top donors… Now, we are learning that this practice of using tax dollars to pay off contributors and enrich political allies was not unusual, but in fact was common place. To show the gravity of the scandal, even Newsweek, in its November 13, 2011, issue wrote, ‘Nevertheless, a large proportion of the winners were companies with Obama-campaign connections. Indeed, at least 10 members of Obama’s finance committee and more than a dozen of his campaign bundlers were big winners in getting your money.’

“The Newsweek piece continues, ‘At the same time, several politicians who supported Obama managed to strike gold by launching alternative-energy companies and obtaining grants… $16.4 billion of the $20.5 billion in loans granted as of Sept. 15 went to companies either run by or primarily owned by Obama financial backers…’ 

“The silence from left wing ‘watchdog’ groups has been deafening… Environmental guru Al Gore has also been strangely silent… And the Washington Post, which brought down a presidency by exposing a White House cover up of actions of bit players in the Nixon Administration, has failed to headline the Solyndra scandal on their front page even once. [The Solyndra scandal is] the biggest pay for play scandal in U.S. history…”

Obama’s “Misguided” Energy Policies

Newsmax wrote on December 5:

“The Obama administration’s handling of two recent controversies — solar panel maker Solyndra and the Keystone XL pipeline — illustrates a misguided approach to energy-related issues, according to an energy expert. The administration has announced that it will delay for a year a final decision on construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring much-needed oil from Canada to Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. At the same time, the administration is under fire for using its influence to help Solyndra obtain a $529 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy. The company declared bankruptcy and folded in September.

“‘Even a cursory look at the two deals shows that, once again, the Obama administration’s energy priorities are — how to put this charitably? — misguided,’ writes Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute…In an article appearing in National Review Online, Bryce writes that unlike Solyndra, the $13 billion Keystone project does not depend on federal loan guarantees or tax credits from the federal government, and it would improve America’s access to a secure flow of oil. The pipeline would reportedly create some 13,000 construction jobs in the United States, and indirectly create 7,000 manufacturing jobs — while Solyndra axed 1,100 workers when it went bankrupt.

“The pipeline would supply the U.S. with 700,000 barrels of oil each day, enough to generate 380,000 megawatt-hours of electricity daily, according to Bryce. Meanwhile, all the solar panels in the country, plus all the wind turbines, last year produced 260,000 million megawatt-hours per day. ‘Put another way, the Keystone XL pipeline by itself, if it ever gets federal approval — and assuming, of course, that the Canadians don’t decide to build a pipeline to the coast and ship their oil to China or elsewhere — would have provided about 46 percent more energy to the U.S. economy than all the solar panels and wind turbines in the country did in 2010,’ Bryce points out.”

Latin America Launches New Economic Alliance Without USA and Canada

Deutsche Welle reported on December 3:

“Latin American leaders have met in Caracas to launch a new alliance that some hope will help them stand up to the United States… [33] Leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean pledged closer ties as they formed a new bloc on Saturday including every nation in the hemisphere except Canada and the US…

“On the surface, at least, no other region offers as good a framework for regional integration as Latin America. Apart from Brazil, around 500 million people from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego speak the same language. They also share similar histories, with most having achieved their independence from Spain around 200 years ago. With the notable exception of Cuba, they all have democratically elected governments…

“Upon closer inspection it becomes clear that the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States is nothing more than a new incarnation of the Organization of American States – without the United States and Canada… An initial test could come at the next EU-Latin America summit next year in Santiago de Chile. In any case, the established alliances in the region will continue to be interesting negotiating partners for the EU…

“The EU has already signed bilateral association agreements with Mexico and Chile, and it is in negotiations with the Andean Community (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia) and the countries of Central America…”

These alliances show the continuing isolation of the USA and Canada in that part of the world as well.

Karzai Warns USA

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 5:

“Afghan President Hamid Karzai has issued his clearest demands yet that the US end its controversial night raids in his country. And he suggested that, should they not be met, ongoing negotiations over a US military presence in the country beyond 2014 could suffer… Karzai even said that the talks over the so-called US Afghanistan Strategic Partnership could even break down should US forces not change their modus operandi in Afghanistan in the coming weeks.

“The stern demands… underscore the tensions between the US and Afghanistan over the future of their cooperation… US military officials have emphasized… that the night raids are one of the most effective tools in their counterinsurgency effort… They say such raids are crucial in the fight against the Taliban…”

More Tumult in Afghanistan

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 6:

“Twin blasts in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif targeted Afghanistan’s minority Shiite community on Tuesday, killing nearly 60 people in one of the war’s deadliest attacks and raising the danger of sectarian strife… the worshippers were gathered for the Shiite festival of Ashura, which commemorates the killing of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussain during the wars that marked the seventh-century split between Islam’s Sunni and Shiite sects.

“The attacks raised concerns that Afghan insurgents were trying to spark a conflict between the minority Shiite community and the country’s majority Sunni population, reigniting the ethnic and sectarian violence that ravaged the country during the civil war in the 1990s… The blast in Kabul happened during a self-flagellation ceremony, as men whipped their own backs with sharp knives and razors outside the mosque…”

Clinton Angers Israel

AFP wrote on December 4:

“Israeli ministers reacted angrily on Sunday after local media quoted U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as saying she feared for the future of Israel’s democracy and the rights of women in the Jewish state. Clinton’s remarks… made headlines in most Israeli newspapers… [Reportedly] Clinton had described shock at hearing that some buses in Jerusalem were gender segregated and some religious Israeli soldiers refused to attend events where women would sing… The comments sparked a quick backlash in Jerusalem, where Israeli ministers holding a weekly cabinet meeting accused Clinton of hyperbole.”

Of course, these kinds of gender segregations ARE a cause for concern, but worse practices of intolerance can be found in most Muslim countries, which don’t even claim to be democratic or respect any rights of women. At the same time, the Bible shows in Isaiah 9:21 that the relationship between the USA  (biblical Manasseh), Great Britain (biblical Ephraim)  and the state of Israel (biblical Judah) will deteriorate.

Did Iran Shoot Down US Spy Plane?

BBC wrote on December 4:

“Iran’s armed forces have shot down an unmanned US spy plane that violated its eastern borders, military sources say. Iranian media reports said the drone – identified as a type RQ170 – suffered minimal damage and was now in the hands of the armed forces.

“The UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] to which the Iranians are referring may be a US unarmed reconnaissance aircraft that had been flying a mission over western Afghanistan late last week…

“The RQ170 Sentinel is a stealthy and highly capable unmanned aircraft… Its shape and materials give it a low radar signature and it is clearly used for some of the most highly sensitive mission, says BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus.”

Initially, the U.S. government denied the report that Iran had shot down a US spy plane. At the same time, they admitted that they “lost” one and can’t find it. Fox News reported on December 5 that “Military sources confirmed that the Iranians have the RQ-170 drone, which is so advanced that the U.S. Air Force has not distributed even a photo of it. However, they did not say that the Iranians shot down the spy plane…”

On December 8, 2011, ABC and other news sources reported that what appears to be the missing U.S. drone was shown on Iranian TV. The drone appeared to be intact and operational.

Either way, what an embarrassment…

A Mormon for U.S. President?

On November 23, USA Today stated the following:

“On June 27, 1844, vigilantes cornered a man who claimed to receive messages from God and gunned him down in an Illinois jail after his arrest. At the time of his death, Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was an announced candidate for president of the United States. Today, 167 years later, as two of Smith’s adherents eye the nation’s highest office, religious discrimination remains an obstacle for Mormon political candidates for president and a vexation for church members.

“Two Republican contenders, former governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Jon Huntsman of Utah, have sought to downplay the prejudice in presidential politics. But a potential problem is hard to ignore: More than 1 in 5 Americans say they would not vote for a Mormon — a figure that has changed only slightly since the question was first asked in 1967, according to Gallup polls.…

“Mormons have run for president before: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, fell short in 2000; Sen. Mo Udall, D-Ariz., was unsuccessful in 1976; and Romney’s father, George, failed in 1968. Still, history has a way of setting precedents while seating new presidents. At one time pundits said a divorcee could not win the nation’s highest office, but Ronald Reagan disproved that, just as Barack Obama broke the color barrier three years ago… Americans who claim they won’t vote for a Mormon may relent once they enter polling booths, just as avowed anti-Catholics changed their minds and helped elect John F. Kennedy a half century ago…

“Last month a Baptist minister in Texas, Robert Jeffress, reignited the political controversy by urging Christians not to vote for Romney because of his faith. ‘Do we prefer somebody who is truly a believer in Jesus Christ,’ Jeffress asked, ‘or somebody who is a good moral person but he’s a part of a cult?’ At LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City, media relations manager Erick Hawkins declined interview requests but said in email that the church ‘doesn’t consider honest disagreements on theology to be anti-Mormon. We recognize there are distinct elements of our belief that are different from other Christian faiths. We also believe there is much we have in common and important efforts where we can work together.’

“But antagonism doesn’t just come from the Christian right: Liberal Democrats are even more likely to reject an LDS candidate. In June, Gallup pollsters reported 27 percent of Democrats would not vote for a Mormon presidential contender, compared with 18 percent of Republicans…

“Church records show 14.1 million LDS members around the globe. Nearly 6 million of them are in the United States, about 2 percent of the population… Richard Packham, the 78-year-old president of the Ex-Mormon Foundation, writes that the church’s ‘ultimate goal’ is ‘to establish the Mormon Kingdom of God in America and to govern the world as God’s appointed representatives.’… Tricia Erickson, a bishop’s daughter who left the faith, just published a book titled, ‘Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters?’ … she contends that Romney or Huntsman, as members, would have a duty to ‘follow the prophet — no matter what,’ giving allegiance to religion over country…

“Although Romney more recently has allowed others to rise in defense, during the 2007 campaign he delivered a pivotal speech to dispel public concerns: ‘No authorities of my church, or any other church, for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions,’ he declared. ‘Their authority is theirs (and) it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.’”

After his insensitive neglect of thanking God during his annual Thanksgiving Day proclamation, President Obama has stressed his “Christian faith” during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony—totally ignoring the fact that Christmas celebrations have nothing to do with and are in fact against biblical Christianity. Newt Gingrich converted to Catholicism and used this fact as proof for his repentance of his marital infidelities (and supposedly his hypocritical stance of wanting to impeach Bill Clinton while having an adulterous affair at the same time). Mitt Romney states that he is a Christian and that Mormonism is a form of true Christianity. Even though Herman Cain dropped out of the race over allegations of marital infidelity and sexual abuse, he proclaimed that he is at peace with his God, his wife, and “most importantly,” with himself.

Rick Perry, originally a Methodist, is now closely associated with Evangelical Christians, and Michele Bachmann repeatedly stressed her Christian beliefs. According to Wikipedia, “Bachmann was a longtime member of Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater. She and her husband withdrew their membership on June 21, 2011, just before she officially began her presidential campaign… When challenged about that denomination’s belief that the Pope is the Antichrist, Bachmann responded by stating, ‘I love Catholics, I’m a Christian, and my church does not believe that the Pope is the Anti-Christ; that’s absolutely false.’ More recently, according to friends, the Bachmanns began attending Eagle Brook Church, an Evangelical church closer to their home.”

Ron Paul does not mention religion much. He grew up as a Lutheran or Episcopalian and became a Baptist, mainly over the issue of abortion. At the same time, he reportedly does not feel that the federal government should get involved with prohibiting same-sex marriages, and prefers that states should stop sanctioning marriage altogether (Life State News, November 29, 2001). He also does not seem to see a danger with Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

Some of the candidates hold strong and correct views against abortion, evolution, infidelity in marriage or fighting in war. However, to our knowledge, none of those politicians whom we addressed above believe in and keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath (one of God’s test commandments for His disciples), or reject pagan holidays such as Christmas and Easter. In all of their proclamations and positions, one would be hard-pressed to find the belief in and practice of biblical Christianity, which is being taught in the Holy Bible.

Iran vs. Great Britain

The New York Times wrote on December 3:

“If there is one country on earth where the cry ‘Death to England’ still carries weight — where people still harbor the white-hot hatred of British colonialism that once inflamed millions from South Africa to China — that country would be Iran. And that is what the leaders of Iran must have been counting on when screaming militiamen, unhindered by the police, poured into the British Embassy in Tehran to vandalize it on Tuesday… So Iran’s mullahs… were not gambling in ordering, or at least tolerating, it. They presumably realized that the world would denounce their flagrant violation of international law. But they also knew it would resonate with the narrative Iranians have heard for so long about their own history.

“The spark for the embassy invasion was Britain’s imposition of new economic sanctions on Iran. Pressure for those sanctions came not so much from Britain as from the United States and Israel, but those countries could not be targets for a similar attack because they do not have embassies in Tehran…

“Britain first cast its imperial eye on Iran in the 19th century. Its appeal was location; it straddled the land route to India. Once established in Iran, the British quickly began investing — or looting, as some Iranians would say. British companies bought exclusive rights to establish banks, print currency, explore for minerals, run transit lines and even grow tobacco. In 1913, the British government maneuvered its way to a contract under which all Iranian oil became its property.

“Six years later it imposed an ‘agreement’ that gave it control of Iran’s army and treasury. These actions set off a wave of anti-British outrage that has barely subsided. Britain’s occupation of Iran during World War II, when it was a critical source of oil and a transit route for supplies to keep Soviet Russia fighting, was harsh. Famine and disease spread as the British requisitioned food for their troops…

“Once the war ended, Iran resumed its efforts to install democracy, under the leadership of Mohammed Mossadegh… After he was elected prime minister in 1951, Mr. Mossadegh asked Parliament to take the unimaginable step of nationalizing Iran’s oil industry. It agreed unanimously. That sparked a historic confrontation…  Desperate to regain control of Iran’s oil, the British sought to crush Mr. Mossadegh with measures that included harsh economic sanctions — sanctions comparable to the ones they are now imposing.

“When that failed, they asked President Dwight D. Eisenhower to join in a plot to overthrow him. He agreed, not because he wished to help the British recover their oil but because he had been persuaded that otherwise, Iran might fall to Communism. Iran, after all, was on the southern flank of the Soviet Union, standing between it and the oil fields and warm-water ports of the Persian Gulf.

“The coup, staged in August 1953, ended Iranian democracy and allowed Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to build a dictatorship that remained a staunch cold war ally of both Britain and the United States. But the alliance backfired on both countries when his repression set off the 1979 revolution that brought the mullahs to power…

“More than half a century ago, Secretary of State Dean Acheson wrote that Mr. Mossadegh was ‘inspired by a fanatical hate of the British and a desire to expel them and their works from the country regardless of the cost.’ Many Iranians still feel that way, as their country falls into ever deeper isolation. In Iran, the words ‘anger’ and ‘Britain’ fit easily together…”

As can be seen from this article, the anti-British feelings in Iran will not quickly disappear. Our Q&A on the future of Iran shows a continuing antagonistic relationship between Iran and America, Britain and the state of Israel.

Major Setback For Iran

Haaretz reported on December 5:

“A recent explosion at a military base near Tehran was a major setback for Iran’s long-range missile program and completely destroyed the base, according to American and Israeli intelligence officials, the New York Times reported on Monday. The officials said that surveillance photos showed that the Iranian base was a central testing center for advanced solid-fuel missiles, which are better equipped than older, liquid-fuel designs to carry warheads long distances. According to the report, satellite photos taken after the blast show that the base was almost completely destroyed, which amounts to a serious setback to Tehran’s missile development, intelligence officials said…

“Last week, a top Israeli security official said that the explosion could delay or stop further Iranian surface-to-surface missile development, but warned that it was far from halting all of Iran’s military options. Iran has vehemently denied that the blast was carried out by Israel or the United States, and Western intelligence and defense officials say the consequences – the setback of Iran’s military program – are more important than the cause. ‘Anything that buys us time and delays the day when the Iranians might be able to mount a nuclear weapon on an accurate missile is a small victory,’ one Western intelligence official told the New York Times. ‘At this point, we’ll take whatever we can get, however it happens.’”

Israel Feels Threatened by Egypt

Israel National News reported on December 2:

“Judges overseeing the vote count in Egypt’s parliamentary elections say Islamist parties have won a majority of the contested seats in the first round… Analysts say Islamists may also seek to annul the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, which could prompt Israel to seize the Sinai Peninsula for the fourth time in its history to create a strategic buffer zone…

“The Muslim Brotherhood, which birthed the virulently anti-Israel Hamas terror militia, might also seek to effectively annex Gaza. Should Hamas be triumphant in future PA elections, they would also gain a foothold in Judea and Samaria.”

Our Q&A on Egypt explains in detail what the Bible reveals to us about the future of that country.

Putin’s Intensions

The Guardian wrote on December 1:

“As prime minister for the past four years, Vladimir Putin never really went away. But his looming reincarnation as the all-powerful, executive president of Russia… poses a stark challenge for which the US, Britain and other beleaguered western powers seem ill-prepared. As president, potentially until 2024, Putin has one overriding objective: the creation of a third, post-tsarist, post-Soviet Russian empire.

“Putin famously described the collapse of the Soviet Union… as ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century’. His aim… is to put this disaster to rights. Reinstalled as president, and with his political potboy, Dmitry Medvedev, pushed aside, Putin will again exercise unchallengeable control over Russia’s external affairs. Never much interested in domestic policy, Putin’s only political trick is a hyper-nationalism that pits a proudly embattled Russia against a hostile, US-led, world conspiracy…”

Russia will become a part of a confederacy, which will be hostile towards Europe and the USA. As explained in our last Q&A on the seven seals in the book of Revelation, Russia, China, Japan and other Far Eastern nations are identified in the Bible as the antagonistic “kings from the East.” Notice also the next article.

Setback for Putin’s Party

Reuters reported on December 5:

“Vladimir Putin’s ruling party clung to a much reduced majority in parliament on Monday after an election that showed growing weariness with the man who has dominated Russia for more than a decade and plans to return to the presidency next year… European monitors said the field was slanted in favour of Putin’s United Russia and the vote marred by apparent manipulations including ballot box stuffing.

“In the biggest electoral setback for Putin since he rose to power in 1999, the Central Election Commission said United Russia was set to lose 77 seats in the State Duma and end up with 238, a slim majority in the 450-member lower house. [Other reports state that Putin’s party got about 49.7 percent, about 15 percent less than in the last Duma election in 2007.] At a government meeting, Putin emphasized that a simple majority of 226 was enough to pass most legislation and suggested it was sufficient to maintain the stability he says he has helped secure for Russia… But Medvedev, who led the party into the election at Putin’s behest, said voters had sent ‘a signal to the authorities’ and hinted officials in regions where the party did badly could face dismissal if they do not shape up…

“Although Putin is still likely to win a presidential election next March, Sunday’s result could dent the authority of the man who has ruled for 12 years with a mixture of hardline security policies, political acumen and showmanship…Many voters, fed up with widespread corruption, refer to United Russia as the party of swindlers and thieves and resent the huge gap between the rich and poor…

“Putin has as yet no serious personal rivals as Russia’s leader. He remains the ultimate arbiter between the clans which control the world’s biggest energy producer… The result is a blow for Medvedev, whose legitimacy to become prime minister in the planned job swap with Putin after the presidential vote could now be in question.”

Anti-Putin demonstrations occurred in Russia on Monday, claiming wide-spread election fraud. Growing protests continued on Tuesday and Wednesday. Of course, Medvedev put his spin on events, claiming that “the surprisingly bad result for the ruling United Russia party in Sunday’s election is proof that the vote was free and fair” (EUobserver, December 5). The opposite could be correct as well: Without election fraud, the United Russia party might have received even fewer votes.

However one wants to slice it, it is clear that Russia is far from being a democracy. As Der Spiegel Online reported on December 5, “The Communists won 19.1 percent of the vote, Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia got 11.7 percent and the center-left A Just Russia won 13.2 percent. The only truly democratic party, the liberal Yabloko, won 3.2 percent of the vote, missing the 7 percent hurdle needed to win seats in the Duma by a considerable margin.”

Of course, Putin is blaming the USA and especially Hillary Clinton for encouraging and funding these ongoing and growing demonstrations in Russia—what else would one expect? But also note the next article.

Russia—The West Should Be Cautious What It Hopes For

Die Welt wrote on December 6:

“There were certainly manipulations, over-eager civil servants, intimidation and other forms of ballot box chicanery. But in general, the percentages that came out in the end reflect reality and should be taken seriously… The neo-Communists under Gennady Zyuganov … managed to win roughly 20 percent of the vote. Every eighth voter cast their ballots for the right-wing nationalists under Vladimir Zhirinovsky, whose hatred of foreigners and the West has taken on pathological dimensions… [In light of] calls for more democracy in Russia, the West should be aware that the results may not be to its liking.”

U.S.-Pakistan Relations Suffer Another Set-Back

Reuters reported on November 26:

“NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military outposts in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing as many as 28 troops and plunging U.S.-Pakistan relations, already deeply frayed, further into crisis. Pakistan retaliated by shutting down vital NATO supply routes into Afghanistan, used for sending in just under a third of the alliance’s supplies…

“Relations between the United States and Pakistan, its ally in the war on militancy, have been strained following the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. special forces in a raid on the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in May, which Pakistan called a flagrant violation of sovereignty. A spokesman for NATO-led troops in Afghanistan confirmed that NATO aircraft had been called in to support troops in the area and had probably killed some Pakistani soldiers… The Pakistani government and military brimmed with fury…

“The commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, General John R. Allen, said he had offered his condolences to the family of any Pakistani soldiers who ‘may have been killed or injured’…

‘The latest attack by NATO forces on our post will have serious repercussions as they without any reasons attacked on our post and killed soldiers asleep,’ said a senior Pakistani military officer, requesting anonymity…

“The United States has long suspected Pakistan of continuing to secretly support Taliban militant groups to secure influence in Afghanistan after most NATO troops leave in 2014. Saturday’s incident will give Pakistan the argument that NATO is now attacking it directly… Paul Beaver, a British security analyst, said… ‘I’m not sure U.S.-Pakistan relations could sink much lower than they are now…’”

Pakistan’s The International News wrote on November 28, 2011:

“Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani warned the United States that there would be ‘no more business as usual’ with Washington after a NATO attack that killed two dozen Pakistani troops… Gilani said that Pakistan was re-evaluating its relationship with the United States… Gilani highlighted incidents such as the killing of the Pakistani troops and a US raid into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden as violations of the country’s sovereignty. The prime minister also said Pakistan had not yet decided whether to boycott next month’s Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a top adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that Afghanistan and Pakistan could be on a path to conflict.”

Pakistan’s Retaliation

The New York Post wrote on November 29:

“Pakistan on Tuesday decided to boycott a key international conference [in Bonn] on Afghanistan next month, widening its protest over lethal cross-border NATO strikes and exacerbating a deep crisis in US ties…

“Pakistan already closed the Afghan border to NATO convoys, a lifeline for 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, ordered American personnel to vacate an air base reportedly used by CIA drones and ordered a review of the alliance…

“US-Pakistani ties have been in free fall since a CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis in Lahore in January. Saturday’s attack raises questions about the extent to which the two terror allies can cooperate with each other.”

Ultimately, the alliance between Pakistan and the USA will end.

The World Will Become More Dangerous

Newsmax reported on November 26:

“’The world will become substantially more dangerous’ if the evisceration of the U.S. military, the undermining of American allies — notably Israel — and the emboldening of its enemies continues under the Obama administration, said Gaffney, the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy… Among his concerns are the establishment of Shariah in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Syria; the rise of Hezbollah in Lebanon; and the strengthening of Hamas in Gaza… His primary concern remains the Iranian nuclear weapons program.

“’I don’t think anything will dissuade the Iranians from fulfilling their longstanding objective of obtaining nuclear weapons,’ he said. ‘They’ll have to be stopped… My guess is that, if it’s not [a] matter of weeks off, it may be months at most — and the trouble is, we don’t know, and we may not know until either there’s a nuclear test or there’s a nuclear explosion… Sanctions, I don’t think, are going to help… there’s no doubt that the Israelis increasingly recognize that what is happening with ineffective sanctions, with an America that is not taking the lead — or worse, is actually trying to engage the mullahs of Iran — is that an existential threat to the Jewish state is becoming ever more of an imminent peril…  it seems exceedingly unlikely that there will be any kind of [US] support for the Israelis should they decide, actually, to go for it with Iran…”

The prospect of an attack on Iran becomes more frightening. As subsequent articles show, it is certain that Iran would retaliate with terrible cruelty and ruthlessness.

Israel No Other Option Than to Attack Iran?

Israel National News reported on November 25:

“The Begin Sadat Center, a respected think tank based at Bar Ilan University… concluded that the Arab Spring is not going to result in democracy, despite original hopes in the West, and may make things even worse for Israel.

“‘As steep as the price for hitting Iran may be, a military strike on Iran will be less painful than the cost of living with an Iranian nuclear weapons threat,’ argues former Mossad head Maj. Gen. (res.) Danny Yatom. ‘… Israel can’t afford to wonder if Tehran will go crazy and bomb us’… He acknowledged that rocket attacks would likely ensue from Lebanon and Gaza following a Western or Israeli strike against Iran…‘We have only two options: to let Iran get the bomb, or to use military force against their military nuclear program. I think that force will have to be used… should the world stand on the sidelines, Israel will be fully entitled to use its natural right to self-defense. To us, the Iranian nuclear weapons program is an existential threat.’…

“Prof. Gabi Ben-Dor of Haifa University… dismissed the notion that a surge of enthusiasm for Western-style democracy lay behind the recent turmoil [in the Arab world]. ‘Who says that protests against dictatorship necessarily lead to democracy?’ he asked. ‘Democracy is not what emerged from the revolution against the Tsars of Russia 100 years ago, nor has democracy emerged in many CIS states that threw off the Communist yoke. Thus there is no rational, logical or historical basis for assuming that democracy will result from the revolutions underway today in the Arab world’…

“BESA Center director Prof. Efraim Inbar warned of a deteriorating security situation for Israel. ‘States like Egypt are already losing control of their own territory, and Israel can expect increased cross-border attacks and terrorism. The Turks may ignite a confrontation over energy in the eastern Mediterranean. Israel should not be cutting its defense budget now. On the contrary, Israel should be investing more in the military and in the defense industries…’”

The Arab Spring will in fact lead to Israel’s total isolation in the Middle East.

“Iran Threatens to Retaliate in Case of an Attack”

The Associated Press reported on November 26:

“A senior commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard says the country will target NATO’s missile defense shield in Turkey if the U.S. or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic… Tehran says NATO’s early warning radar station in Turkey is meant to protect Israel against Iranian missile attacks if a war breaks out with Israel. Turkey agreed to host the radar in September as part of NATO’s missile defense system.”

Y-Net News added on November 27:

“Iranian Defense Minister General Ahmad Vahidi said Israel would be attacked with 150,000 missiles if it launches any military action against the Islamic Republic… the minister said ‘Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan, if the Americans make the mistake and attack Iran, we will show them how to fight,’ adding ‘Israel has to be punished for what it has done to the Muslims in Palestine and Lebanon.’”

Haaretz wrote on December 1:

“German prosecutors have opened an inquiry into allegations of an Iranian plot to attack U.S. bases on German soil, prosecutor-general Harald Range confirmed in Karlsruhe on Thursday… [German mass tabloid Bild] speculated that Iranian agents were preparing to attack U.S. airbases in Germany if the United States took part in any kind of attack on Iran… On Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle recalled the country’s ambassador to Iran…” It added in an accompanying article that “France recalled its ambassador to Tehran for ‘consultations’ on Wednesday as well, [and that] Italy’s foreign minister said Wednesday that his country is considering closing its embassy in Tehran.”

According to Der Spiegel Online, dated December 1, “German prosecutors said later in the day there was no information suggesting any such attacks had been prepared.” The article continued: “The US operates a number of military facilities in Germany, including the Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern, one of the largest US military bases abroad, and an important hub for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, where wounded soldiers from these conflicts receive treatment, is also located nearby. Both facilities are heavily guarded.”

Time will tell…

Attack on British Embassy in Iran

The New York Times wrote on November 29:

“In the latest sign of deteriorating relations with the West, a group of Iranian protesters stormed the British Embassy compound in Tehran on Tuesday, chanting ‘death to England,’ tearing down a British flag and ransacking offices…

“The episode came a day after Iran enacted legislation to downgrade relations with Britain in retaliation for intensified sanctions imposed by Western nations last week to punish the Iranians for their suspected nuclear development program. Britain promised to respond ‘robustly.’…

“The sanctions imposed by Britain were considered the most severe because they required that all contacts with the Iranian Central Bank be severed, a step that other countries, including the United States, did not take… Iranian anger at the West was also evident in news reports on Monday that Iran’s foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, had been forced to cancel a trip to The Hague because Hungary had refused permission for his aircraft to cross its airspace…

“Concern that Iran may be close to producing a nuclear weapon has grown since the release of the United Nations report, particularly in Israel, which considers Iran its most dangerous enemy. Iranian warnings to Israel against trying a pre-emptive military strike on Iran’s nuclear installations have also escalated in recent weeks.  The heightened sensitivities to the possibility of such a strike were apparent on Monday when a few Iranian news agencies reported on a suspected explosion near the central city of Isfahan, where the Iranians process uranium… It was also the top item on the Web site of Haaretz, a major Israeli newspaper, with the headline ‘Report: Explosion rocks Iran city of Isfahan, home to key nuclear facility.’”

A-7 News added on November 30:

“The explosion earlier this week that Iran said was at a uranium enrichment site actually damaged a nuclear plant and was far from accidental, The London Times reported Wednesday. The newspaper quoted Israeli intelligence officials as saying that satellite photos revealed extensive damage from the explosion at Isfahan, near Tehran…

“Two week ago, an explosion at a military base that killed a top general and 16 others also resulted in extensive damage, according to published satellite images. The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security told The New York Times, ‘It was pretty amazing to see that the entire facility was destroyed. There were only a few buildings left standing.’ The institute’s report author Paul Brannan added that his sources indicated the explosion occurred during work that was supposed to be ‘a major milestone in the development of a new missile.’ One of the casualties was Gen. Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, founder of Iran’s missile program, and the explosion appeared to take place at a missile base.”

Sanctions Against Iran

BBC reported on December 1:

“The European Union has agreed to impose fresh sanctions on 180 Iranian officials and firms over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme… The sanctions follow a UN report linking Iran to the development of a nuclear weapon… The EU measures also come two days after hundreds of Iranian protesters stormed the UK embassy in Tehran.

“Britain announced on Wednesday it was expelling all Iranian diplomats from London, after pulling its own out of Tehran… Iran expressed regret for the attack on the UK embassy… and said a number of protesters had been arrested. However, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Thursday that police had freed 11 people held over the attacks. There was no explanation for their release.”

Haaretz added on December 1:

“The storming of the British embassy in Tehran earlier this week was not an improvised student protest but an attack planned and supervised by Iranian authorities, sources told the Al-Arabiya News Channel on Thursday. The attack was planned by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei and supervised by the commander of the Basij paramilitary forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqd, the sources said.

“Proof of their involvement was in the media coverage, according to the sources. Photographs of the attack show troops from the Basij forces taking part, as well as members of the al-Quds Brigade. In addition, two official state television channels, directly controlled by Khamenei – Press T.V. and al-Alam News Network – managed to broadcast the attack live. No official news channels are permitted to broadcast life without Khamenei’s permission, the sources told Al-Arabiya.”

The Brits Are To Be Blamed…

The New York Times wrote on November 30:

“…hostility to the British taps a deep vein in the Iranian psyche. The United States may be the ‘Great Satan’ to Iran’s theocratic rulers, but it is Britain — the crafty old colonial power whose designs in Iran go back two centuries — that is still widely blamed for almost every upheaval in the country…

“‘The “British hand” is said to be behind every major event of the past 150 years,’ said Abbas Milani, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Stanford University. ‘The Americans are seen as naïve malleable tools in the hands of the Brits.’”

The diminishing British influence can also be seen in the next article.

Britain Causes Outrage in Africa

CNN reported on November 30:

“The Nigerian senate has passed a bill banning same-sex marriages, defying a threat from Britain to withhold aid from nations violating gay rights. The bill by Africa’s most populous nation calls for a 14-year sentence for anyone convicted of homosexuality. Anyone who aids or ‘abets’ same-sex unions faces 10 years in prison, a provision that could target rights groups. It goes to the nation’s House of Representatives for a vote before President Goodluck Jonathan can sign it into law.

“‘It would place a wide range of people at risk of criminal sanctions, including human rights defenders and anyone else — including friends, families and colleagues — who stands up for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Nigeria,’ Amnesty International said in a statement. The bill passed Tuesday comes nearly a month after British prime minister, David Cameron, threatened to withhold aid from nations violating gays rights, sparking outrage in Africa where leaders interpreted it as ‘colonial’ display of power…

“Last week, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, known for his anti-gay rhetoric, called the prime minister ‘satanic’ for demanding gay rights… Ugandan government spokesman Fred Opolot described Cameron’s remarks as ‘patronizing, colonial rhetoric’… Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, a major western ally, applauded the benefits of foreign aid, but said the nation will not accept money that will undermine its interest. ‘I will never initiate or support any attempt to legalize homosexuality in Ghana,’ he told journalists this month… Tanzanian officials decried the remarks, saying they ‘can lead to broken relations’ between the two nations.”

Muslim Brotherhood’s True Colors

On November 25, y-net news reported the following:

“A Muslim Brotherhood rally in Cairo’s most prominent mosque Friday turned into a venomous anti-Israel protest, with attendants vowing to ‘one day kill all Jews.’ Some 5,000 people joined the rally, called to promote the ‘battle against Jerusalem’s Judaization.’ The event coincided with the anniversary of the United Nations’ partition plan in 1947, which called for the establishment of a Jewish state. However, most worshippers who prayed at the mosque Friday quickly left it before the Muslim Brotherhood’s rally got underway…

“Speakers at the event delivered impassioned, hateful speeches against Israel, slamming the ‘Zionist occupiers’ and the ‘treacherous Jews.’… Muslim Brotherhood spokesmen, as well as Palestinian guest speakers, made explicit calls for Jihad and for liberating the whole of Palestine. Time and again, a Koran quote vowing that ‘one day we shall kill all the Jews’ was uttered at the site… Throughout the event, Muslim Brotherhood activists chanted: ‘Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, judgment day has come.’”

The Muslim Brotherhood reflects the movement in Middle Eastern countries towards Islamic rule. Europe will soon engage itself with Arab nations to build relationships and alliances—and Israel will be left out in the cold.

Voting in Egypt

The New York Times wrote on November 29:

“The apparent success of the initial voting on Monday surprised the voters themselves. After a week of violent demonstrations against the interim military rulers, many said they had cast their ballots out of a sense of duty and defiance, determined to reclaim the promise of their revolution, even as the ruling generals said they intended to share little power with the new Parliament… The opening appeared to bring the Muslim Brotherhood, a once-outlawed Islamist group, one step closer to a formal role in governing Egypt…

 “‘It is like a play, it is like a sham. We are pretending to be voting,’ said Rabab Abdel Fattah Mohamed, 30, a doctor demonstrating in Tahrir Square. ‘I know these elections don’t mean anything, but I am still going.’

“The military pointed to the seemingly successful vote as validation. Egyptian state television called the turnout a mark of approval for the military’s current transition timetable: transfer to an elected president by July, after the military has had a chance to shape the writing of a new constitution that it has suggested should enshrine its power and autonomy from civilian government… The outcome is not a foregone conclusion and final results remain months away….

“The first round of voting for the lower house — including the major cities of Cairo and Alexandria — continued Tuesday. After a runoff next week, two more rounds will follow, ending in January. The elections for the upper house are scheduled to start in January and be completed by March.  Adding to the uncertainty of the day, the Egyptian authorities suggested that they might fine people about $80 if they failed to vote. Some voters, like Wael Ashraf, 23, said that was why they had come to the polls. ‘The revolution didn’t help — do you think elections will?’ he said…”

Reuters added on November 29:

“Egyptians voted on Tuesday in a parliamentary election that Islamists hope will sweep them closer to power, even though the army generals who took over from President Hosni Mubarak have yet to step aside… The United States and its European allies are watching Egypt’s vote torn between hopes that democracy will take root in the most populous Arab nation and worries that Islamists hostile to Israel and the West will ride to power on the ballot box…

“Some Egyptians respect the Brotherhood for its decades of social welfare work, its opposition to Mubarak and its image of piety and honesty in a country riddled with corruption. Others worry that resurgent Islamist parties may dominate political life, mold Egypt’s next constitution and threaten social freedoms in what is already a deeply conservative nation of 80 million people whose 10 percent Coptic Christian minority complains of discrimination from the Muslim majority.”

Syria’s “Economic War”

The New York Times wrote on November 28:

“The Arab League declared ‘economic war’ on Syria when it leveled broad trade sanctions against it, Syria’s foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, said on Monday, warning that the country could use its strategic location to retaliate… Many airlines cross Syrian airspace, Mr. Moallem noted. In addition, Syria is part of the main route for heavy trucks heading from Europe and Turkey to the Persian Gulf, where Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among Syria’s harshest critics…

“It was difficult to assess how the new measures might affect the country… because important neighboring states like Iraq and Lebanon said they would not participate… The sanctions include a travel ban against scores of senior Syrian officials, a freeze on government assets in Arab countries, a ban on transactions with Syria’s central bank and an end to all commercial exchanges with the Syrian government…”

Haaretz reported on December 1 that Europe has issued wide-ranging sanctions against Syria, “affecting everything from the sale of computer software and insurance to Syria’s banking and energy sectors. Travel bans and asset freezes would also be applied to 12 people and 11 entities.”

Islamists Win in Morocco

Reuters reported on November 27:

“Morocco’s moderate Islamist PJD party won the most seats in the country’s parliamentary election… in the latest sign of a resurgence of faith-based movements since the Arab Spring uprisings. The victory for Morocco’s Justice and Development Party came a month after Tunisia handed power to a previously-banned party of moderate Islamists…

“PJD, which will get its first chance to head a coalition government, has said it will promote Islamic finance but steer clear of imposing a strict moral code on a country that depends on tourism. The party, whose deceased founder was a physician of King Mohammed’s grandfather, is loyal to the monarchy and backs its role as the supreme religious authority in the country… Morocco has not had a revolution of the kind seen elsewhere in the region. But King Mohammed, has pushed through limited reforms to contain what has become regular protests demanding a British or Spanish-style monarchy.”

One has to wait and see what “moderate” Islamist may mean. The same term was used for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt—which is anything but moderate and peace-loving.

Italy Must Not Collapse

Bloomberg reported on November 25:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed with Prime Minister Mario Monti that Italy succumbing to the region’s debt crisis would lead to the end of the euro, Monti’s office said. Sarkozy and Merkel ‘confirmed their support for Italy, saying that they are aware that the collapse of Italy would inevitably lead to the end of the euro,’ Monti told ministers at a Cabinet meeting in Rome today, according to an e-mailed statement. That ‘would provoke a stalemate in the process of European integration with unpredictable consequences.’”

Italy will not collapse—in fact, it will be one of the central and key players in the revived final resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire—consisting of ten European core nations or groups of nations. In this light, the next article is also very telling.

Now Italy Part of the Triumvirate

On November 25, the EUobserver reported the following:

“At Italy’s first invitation for an audience before the Franco-German duo that powers European decision-making, Prime Minister Mario Monti made it clear that he backs the German position on eurobonds.

“… eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus… has lampooned the Merkel-Sarkozy duo. ‘Hardly a week goes by without a Sarkozy-Merkel meeting, in which – for us, but without us – with solemn faces and professionally-trained smiles, they make decisions on the future of our continent,’ his [new] book said.”

Der Spiegel Online added on November 25:

“France and Germany have long formed the famous ‘motor’ of the European Union, but seldom has it been so important for their leaders to show unity as now, at the height of the euro crisis… And now that Italy has a new, more reliable leader, the euro zone’s leadership duo looks set to become a trio… Merkel and Sarkozy clearly want to get Monti, as leader of the third-largest euro-zone economy, on board… Hopes are high that Monti and his technocrat government will be able to steer Italy out of the euro crisis…

“Merkel said that the euro-zone countries needed to go further along the road to a fiscal union in order to avoid future crises.. . Merkel stressed that the role of the European Central Bank would not change under the proposed reforms. In doing so, she was pushing back against calls from other EU states — France chief among them — for the ECB to use its money-printing firepower to help solve the euro crisis…

“Sarkozy announced that the three leaders had agreed to hold another meeting in Rome soon in order to continue their discussions. The message the leaders wanted to send was clear: The three largest economies in the euro zone will push forward with their efforts to reform the EU…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘Angela Merkel is following the proper instinct by insisting on a clear order of events: Europe’s treaties must first be changed before dipping deeper into the coffers to rescue the heavily indebted countries … This is not about German dominance, of which Berlin has been accused. Instead, it’s about European rationality. Those who want to hold the EU together must engage in reforms.

“‘Many critics imply that Merkel has hegemonic intentions. Caught up in their zeal, they overlook the fact that Merkel’s idea won’t make Europe more German but, rather, more European. The new rules would apply not just to Athens, but also to Berlin. However, she is engaged in a race against time. Reforms can’t be implemented overnight, and the financial markets are impatient. Here lies the greatest risk for Merkel. She’s playing a bold game, and it appears that she may yet win. After much indecision, Nicolas Sarkozy came around to her position in Strasbourg. She has also found an ally in new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti…’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

“‘Hopes are high that Monti, whose seriousness is not disputed, will be able to sort out Italy’s finances. In this respect, the meeting of Merkel, Sarkozy and Monti in Strasbourg has a symbolic element. It is high time for Italy, the third-largest economy in the euro zone, to play a sensible role again…  It’s certainly true that, during the crisis, Germany and France do not want to let the reins out of their hands…

“‘Traditionalist supporters of European unification will not be happy about this development. Indeed, the euro crisis, coupled with the Lisbon Treaty, has led to a strengthening of the large member states. Merkel and Sarkozy are now at the center of all attempts to get the crisis under control. Without them, nothing is possible.’

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes:

“‘It was not always the case that there was so much unity between France and Germany. The crisis has made it possible. Sarkozy knows that, should discord emerge in the relationship with France’s giant neighbor — seen as the euro zone’s last bastion of stability — then all would be lost…

“‘Merkel, for her part, knows that if the euro and the European project are to be saved, it can only be with France’s help. In the postwar period, Germany has never been so influential and strong. That doesn’t necessarily trigger universal admiration in neighboring France. The nation’s own loss of importance has aroused fears that Germany is striving for dominance. Something similar is happening in the rest of Europe, where the reservations are not only directed against Merkel but, in view of the Franco-German double act, also against Sarkozy. The two leaders are viewed with suspicion…’”

“Only Merkel Can Save the Eurozone Now”

The Daily Mail wrote on November 26:

“…the world waits, dreading the worst, with all eyes on Angela Merkel. For make no mistake: the German Chancellor alone can decide whether the euro limps through this crisis – or breaks up in a rout, bringing the continent’s financial system and the prosperity of millions crashing down with it.

“This is not a power that she or her people sought. Yet the ineluctable fact is that theirs is the only economy in the eurozone strong enough to shore up the currency until a sustainable future can be agreed… the time for wishful thinking is long past. And only Germany is in a position to prevent a calamity… Over to you, Mrs Merkel. The hopes of millions depend on you.”

When even the Daily Mail speaks of Merkel’s needed leadership role—even though they recently compared her with a Gauleiter (a leading position in the Nazi party)–then it is time to wake up. Also note the next articles.

To Save the Euro…

The Economist wrote on November 26:

“Even as the euro zone hurtles towards a crash, most people are assuming that, in the end, European leaders will do whatever it takes to save the single currency. That is because the consequences of the euro’s destruction are so catastrophic that no sensible policymaker could stand by and let it happen. A euro break-up would cause a global bust worse even than the one in 2008-09… The survival of the EU itself would be in doubt…

“Germany’s… chancellor, Angela Merkel, can be ruthlessly efficient in politics: witness the way she helped to pull the rug from under Silvio Berlusconi…”

Germany Only Country Which Can Save the Euro

The Financial Times wrote on November 28:

“Germany is the only country in Europe that can act to save the eurozone and the wider European Union from ‘a crisis of apocalyptic proportions’, the Polish foreign minister warned on Monday in a passionate call for more drastic action to prevent the collapse of the European monetary union.

“The extraordinary appeal by Radoslaw Sikorski, delivered in the shadow of the Brandenburg Gate in the German capital, came as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] called on European leaders to provide ‘credible and large enough firepower’ to halt the sell-off in the eurozone sovereign debt market, or risk a severe recession… Yet their calls were met by a stubborn insistence in Berlin that only EU treaty change to forge a ‘stability union’ in the eurozone would revive confidence in the markets… Germany was not big enough to support the rest of the eurozone on its own, Mr Schäuble [German finance minister said]…

“In a startling comment for a senior Polish minister, Mr Sikorski declared that the biggest threat to his nation’s security was not terrorism, or German tanks, or even Russian missiles, but ‘the collapse of the eurozone’. ‘I demand of Germany that, for your own sake and for ours, you help it survive and prosper,’ he said. ‘You know full well that nobody else can do it. I will probably be the first Polish foreign minister in history to say so, but here it is: I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity. You have become Europe’s indispensable nation.’

“Yet he backed Germany’s drive for deeper integration in the EU and the eurozone. The member states faced a stark choice between ‘deeper integration or collapse’, he warned, challenging the UK government to support reform, or ‘risk a partial dismantling’ of the union. ‘We would prefer you in, but if you cannot join, please allow us to forge ahead,’ he said. His call for the EU member states to decide whether they wanted to become ‘a proper federation’ is in line with the German government’s insistence that only much closer political integration is essential to underpin the existing rules of the eurozone.

“Mr Schäuble… rejected any suggestion that this was a way of forcing all the EU members to become more Germanic. ‘The Mediterranean countries will not become German,’ he said. ‘And Europe will not be speaking German.’”

Die Welt wrote on November 29:

“Germany is being confronted with unfulfillable demands. On the one hand our fellow Europeans expect Germany to show more leadership in solving the crisis. On the other hand our new power is triggering rejection and resentment. The Germans are the indispensable nation on the continent, and a rescue is inconceivable without them.

“At the same time this dependence triggers defensive reactions — a mixture of hurt national pride and discomfort at the thought that there’s an elephant in the center of Europe that is being forced by the crisis to show its full power… now they’re suddenly realizing that the world is relying on them to save the euro and avert a disaster for the global economy. The Germans are going through a crash course in being a leading power…”

“Dollar Much Worse Than Euro”

In an interview with Der Spiegel Online of November 29, 2011, Romano Prodi, a former Italian prime minister and the ex-president of the European Commission, says that Germany, as the most powerful country on the Continent, must show the courage to resolve the debt crisis:

“‘Why is it that nobody attacks the dollar? Looking at the United States budget, the dollar is in a much worse situation than the euro. The debt state of California is much worse off than the Greek one. But the dollar is defended, also by the Fed. That makes the dollar a big, strong dog. And nobody bites a big dog…

“Germany has a really powerful position right now. Germany is the new China… Chancellor Merkel, in the end, is obliged to dictate the rules… Germany has to take a decision for Europe, or the game is over. But I don’t think there is anyone in Germany who is willing to give up Europe… Germany cannot give up its fantastic economic situation in the world… The return of the deutsche mark would lead to its revaluation and exports would collapse. If the euro really were to break apart, it would be like a volcanic explosion. Nobody knows where the stones would fall…

“Europe has always become stronger through crises. But the next Europe will look different. There will be some states that will collaborate ever more intensely. And there will be states that, step by step, will claim more exceptions for themselves… The core of Europe will take more and more decisions together, while the others will be more and more on the rim of it…’”

Germany Holding Up Well…

The Local wrote on November 30:

“Germany provided a rare ray of light in the eurozone gloom on Wednesday, with record low unemployment and surprisingly good retail data showing Europe’s top economy is holding up well in the crisis… Last week, a disappointing bond auction in Germany fuelled fears that the eurozone debt crisis was seeping from the edges of the bloc to the core…

“However, despite a flood of doom-and-gloom headlines from around Europe, Germany continues to show resilience… On the domestic front, both the closely watched Ifo index of business confidence and the GFK survey of consumer confidence rose this month. And foreign demand for goods ‘made in Germany’ is expected to hold up even during the crisis..”

Faster Option to Resolve European Debt Crisis?

The Wall Street Journal reported on November 26:

“Euro-zone countries are weighing a new plan to accelerate the integration of their fiscal policies… as Europe’s leaders race to convince investors they can resolve the region’s debt crisis and keep the currency area from fracturing. Under the proposed plan, national governments would seal bilateral agreements that wouldn’t take as long as a cumbersome change to European Union treaties… Some German and French officials fear that an EU treaty change could  take far too long. That has prompted the search for a faster option. The plan, which hasn’t been finalized, would allow the euro zone to announce a speedy change to its governance. European authorities would gain tough new powers to enforce fiscal discipline in the 17 countries that make up the euro zone… EU treaty changes could then follow at a later stage.”

Agreement Between Ten Core Eurozone Countries?

Reuters wrote on November 27:

“Germany’s original plan was to try to secure agreement among all 27 EU countries for a limited treaty change by the end of 2012, making it possible to impose much tighter budget controls over the 17 euro zone countries… But in meetings with EU leaders in recent weeks, it has become clear to both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy that it may not be possible to get all 27 countries on board, EU sources say. Even if that were possible, it could take a year or more to secure the changes while market attacks on Italy, Spain and now France suggest bold measures are needed within weeks.

“As a result, senior French and German civil servants have been exploring other ways of achieving the goal, one being an agreement among just the euro zone countries. ‘The goal is for the member states of the common currency to create their own Stability Union and to concentrate on that,’ German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told ARD television on Sunday. Another option being explored is a separate agreement outside the EU treaty that could involve a core of around 8-10 euro zone countries, officials say…”

These plans are of great significance—especially the idea to create an agreement between ten (10) Eurozone countries. Please note the next articles as well.

Treaty Between European “Groups of Nations”?

The Associated Press reported on November 29:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her support for changes to Europe’s current treaties in order to create a fiscal union with stronger binding commitments by all euro countries… Merkel acknowledged that changing the treaties — usually a lengthy procedure — won’t be easy because not all of the European Union’s 27 member states ‘are enthusiastic about it.’ But she dismissed reports that the eurozone, or some groups of nations, might go ahead with a swifter treaty between their governments.”

Notwithstanding Merkel’s dismissal of certain reports, interesting wording is being used regarding a potential swifter treaty between “some groups of nations…” That those concepts are circulating is very telling, as this is exactly what is finally going to happen.

Finance.yahoo.com added on November 29:

“The world is watching Europe, waiting upon a solution. It’s not just the euro that’s at stake. If the euro fails, so too does the 27-nation European Union. Bank lending would freeze, stock markets would likely crash, and Europe’s economies would follow. Nations in the euro-zone would see their economic output decline, though temporarily, by as much as 50%, according to UBS forecasters. That economic meltdown would then spread to the U.S. and Asia, who would find themselves caught up in the credit freeze while their exports to Europe would collapse.”

Europe Speaks with One Voice?

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 27:

“Europe is a guest in Washington [to] meet with President Obama for the annual EU-US Summit… this marks the first time that the European Union is only represented by European politicians at a summit in the US – and no longer by a country or government leader of one of the EU member states. Europe does in fact speak with one voice now…

“But the Europeans are worried that the US is increasingly orientating itself towards Asia… the Washington mindset is such that Germany is perceived as the center of power in Europe and that the continent is seen as a problem rather than a partner… ”

Even though European countries are still pretty much divided, since they are driven by national self-interests, it is remarkable that the impression is already being conveyed that Europe speaks now with one voice. The prophesied ten European nations will indeed speak with one voice when they transfer their authority to the “beast.”

Ten Days to Save the Euro?

The Associated Press reported on November 30:

“Under pressure to deliver shock treatment to the ailing euro, European finance ministers failed to come up with a plan for European countries to spend within their means… Stock markets fell Wednesday as a top EU official conceded that the future of the euro now rests heavily on the meeting of European heads of state on Dec. 9… ‘We are now entering the critical period of 10 days to complete and conclude the crisis response of the European Union,’ EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said, adding: ‘There is no one single silver bullet that will get us out of this crisis.’

“At a meeting Tuesday night, finance ministers for the 17 countries that use the euro handed Greece a promised euro8 billion ($10.7 billion) rescue loan to fend off its immediate cash crisis and promised to increase the firepower of a fund to help bail out ailing eurozone countries. But they failed to increase the firepower of a European bailout fund to euro1 trillion ($1.3 trillion), as they had hoped to do.

“Wednesday’s meeting in Brussels has brought in the 10 non-euro finance ministers from the 27-nation EU, who have been pressing hard for a swift solution for fear that their economies will suffer… Many economists say the 17 nations that use the euro have little choice but to back proposals for much closer coordination of their spending and budget policies…”

On November 30, the Wall Street Journal added:

“Central banks from developed nations took coordinated action to shore up the global financial system as Europe’s rolling debt crisis continues to trouble markets… The Fed, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank agreed to lower the pricing on the existing temporary U.S. dollar liquidity swap arrangements by 50 basis points… U.S. stock futures and European indexes jumped on the news and the euro surged.”

No Thanks to God?

The Los Angeles Times wrote on November 24:

“President Obama devoted his weekly radio address to thanking U.S. service members and volunteers at shelters and soup kitchens. But it’s whom he didn’t thank that caused a stir on Twitter: God. ‘We’re especially grateful for the Americans who defend our country overseas,’ Obama said in his Thanksgiving Day address. ‘To all the service members eating Thanksgiving dinner far from your families, the American people are thinking of you today.’… But Thursday morning, Republicans and others tweeted their discontent with the reported omission of God from Obama’s address.

“Comments included ‘So sad!’ and ‘God help us!’ Republicans Abroad retweeted the Fox News headline: ‘Obama Leaves God Out of Thanksgiving Address.’”

Please view our recent StandingWatch program, “How Real Is Your Thankfulness?”

Drastic Changes in Catholic Mass

The Vancouver Sun reported on November 26:

“Are Roman Catholics ready for the biggest change in four decades in their mass? Canada is one of 11 English-speaking countries in which tens of millions of Catholics will begin Sunday to adopt the Vatican’s English translation of the old Latin liturgy, altering what they will hear, recite, sing and do during their main church ritual. The date, Nov. 27, marks the first day of Advent and the beginning of the Christian calendar… Almost every line of the Catholic missal, the book of texts and prayers used in the mass, will be changed in some way from the English-language…

“Most Catholic bishops are excited about the more ‘authentic’ language of the newly translated English-language mass, which is closer to the liturgical Latin that was used for centuries… For instance, when the priest says to the congregation ‘The Lord be with you,’ worshippers have for the past 40 years responded: ‘And also with you.’ They will now be expected to say: ‘And with your spirit,’ which aims to emphasize the priest’s role as a channel of God. Instead of saying Jesus Christ is ‘one in Being’ with the Father, worshippers will be asked to recite the more technical term; that he is ‘consubstantial’ with the Supreme Being…

“The key Gloria hymn, which used to open with, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on Earth,’ has been narrowed to offer peace only for those who have accepted Jesus as the messiah; those who are considered by the Church as ‘people of good will’…”

And so, the religious confusion in the Catholic Church is bound to continue…

Libya’s Ongoing Chaos

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 17:

“Revolutionary military councils have been engaging in skirmishes as retribution killings against alleged Gadhafi loyalists jeopardize the reconciliation process… Human Rights Watch (HRW) has gathered mounting evidence of human rights abuses committed by forces associated with the National Transitional Council (NTC). Militias from the northwestern coastal city of Misrata… have arbitrarily killed and detained residents and burnt homes in the now abandoned town of Tawergha, according to HRW.

“Many Tawergha residents fought for Gadhafi during Libya’s civil war. And in Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte, where the Libyan dictator was captured and killed, HRW reported finding the bodies of 53 regime loyalists who had apparently been summarily executed at the hands of revolutionary forces allied with the NTC. Attacks have also reportedly occurred against black-skinned Africans accused of having fought for Gadhafi as mercenaries…

“As the NTC struggles to guide Libya through a volatile transition, massive unsecured weapons stockpiles – left over from Gadhafi’s arsenal – pour more fuel on the country’s already explosive political situation. Acquired over a period of decades from nations that range from Spain to North Korea, Gadhafi’s massive arsenal includes everything from small arms to surface-to-air missiles and explosives. Libya ranked for years as the country with the most weapons per soldier in the world…”

The Capture of Saif al-Islam Gadhafi

Haaretz and Reuters reported on November 19:

“Muammar Gadhafi’s son Saif al-Islam has been captured… in the Libyan desert by… Zintan fighters, who make up one of the powerful militia factions holding ultimate power in a country still without a government… The European Union urged Libyan authorities to ensure Saif al-Islam was brought to justice in cooperation with the ICC [International Criminal Court]… Libyans believe Saif al-Islam holds the keys in his head to billions of dollars of public money amassed by the Gadhafi family…

“Memories are still fresh of the days Gadhafi’s father’s corpse spent rotting and on public view in the city of Misrata, another rebel stronghold, as its militia leaders trumpeted their capture of the fallen leader as part of their campaign to extract power and patronage from the new interim government…

“‘I’m really surprised that Saif al-Islam has not met the same fate as his father and his brother,’ Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told BBC TV. ‘The best thing that the new leadership can do is to hand Saif al-Islam to the International Criminal Court because I don’t believe it really has the resources and the means to try Saif al-Islam and give him a fair trial.’ Asked of the chances of that, he said ‘Almost zero.’ He said he expected him to get the death penalty and be executed in Libya. ‘This is unfortunate for the new Libya,’ he said.”

USA Today wrote on November 20:

“Moammar Gadhafi’s son and one-time heir apparent will be tried in Libya and not handed over to the International Criminal Court even though the country’s new rulers have yet to set up a justice system, the information minister said on Sunday… Human Rights Watch called for Seif al-Islam to be promptly turned over to the International Criminal Court in a statement, citing the apparent killings in custody of his father and brother Muatassim on Oct. 20 as ‘particular cause for concern.’”

The New York Times added on November 20:

“Militia fighters holding Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, the last fugitive son and onetime heir apparent of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, added conditions on Sunday to the handover of their prisoner to the fledgling government, a new challenge to the authority of Prime Minister Abdel Rahim el-Keeb… But [el-Qaddafi] has now become a bargaining chip for the militia forces in Zintan, who are angling for cabinet seats as the government is formed.

“Zintan’s leaders originally said they would release Mr. Qaddafi to the interim government once Mr. Keeb formed the new cabinet, which is expected soon.  On Sunday, however, they said that they also needed guarantees that the government had installed a working court system, which could take months, before they would hand him over…

“The reluctance among the various factions to cede authority threatens the interim government even before it is fully formed. Militias, city councils and tribes are all demanding representation and are seeking ways to gain an upper hand in the government…”

How the West Courted Said al-Islam Gaddafi

The Daily Mail wrote on November 19:

“Said al-Islam Gaddafi… acted as an envoy for his father’s regime, and in 2002 and 2003 helped broker the agreement that saw Libya renounce its weapons of mass destruction program… He lobbied militants to release hostages, funded research at the London School of Economics, welcomed world leaders and Western intellectuals to his country and portrayed himself as a champion of economic and social reforms…

“In 2009, he aided talks in Britain that eventually secured the release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. A 2009 U.S. diplomatic cable released by the website WikiLeaks said… ‘many Libyans view him as self-aggrandizing and too eager to please foreigners at the expense of Libyans’ interest.’”

Deutsche Welle added on November 20:

“While studying in Vienna, he was friends with the late right-wing populist Austrian politician Jörg Haider. This did not seem to put off influential British figures such as the Labour party grandee Lord Peter Mandelson and the financier Nathaniel Rothschild. According to the Guardian, they were believed to have maintained their contacts with the Libyan.

“As a 25-year-old, Seif al-Islam founded the Gadhafi International Foundation for Charity Associations… In 2004, the foundation agreed to pay $35 million in compensation for the bombing of the La Belle discotheque in Berlin in 1986, which killed three people and left more than 200 injured… In 2008, five Bulgarian nurses and a doctor of Palestinian origin were freed from a Libyan prison after spending eight years in custody. Seif al-Islam admitted in public that the five had been tortured and forced to write a confession that they had deliberately infected hundreds of patients with the HIV virus. Seif al-Islam was praised by Western media for his openness over the issue.”

According to other news reports, Said al-Islam Gaddafi was also a friend of Tony Blair and a repeated guest at Buckingham Palace. It is interesting to see how the West is now turning their back on him, in their desire to please the evolving controversial new powers in Libya.

Civil War in Libya

The Independent wrote on November 24:

“The detention of 7,000 people in prisons and camps by the anti-Gaddafi forces is not surprising. The conflict in Libya was always much more of a civil war between Libyans than foreign governments pretended or the foreign media reported. The winning anti-Gaddafi militia are not proving merciful… Gaddafi supporters are being hunted down…

“The National Transitional Council, whose control is largely theoretical, is not in a position to stop this purge because many of its members are themselves frightened of being accused of links with the old regime.

“The international media was overwhelmingly hostile to Gaddafi’s regime and tended to highlight atrocities committed by it and disregard or underplay human rights violations carried out by his opponents… The purge of Gaddafi supporters is made more dangerous by the infighting between the militias, and between them and the politicians. Association with the old regime can be used to discredit an opponent. There may also be self-interest since death squads are reported to be taking their property.”

Violent Demonstrations in Egypt Continue

Al Arabiya wrote on November 18:

“Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians rallied Friday in Cairo’s Tahrir square with Islamists in the forefront to protest against what they say are attempts by the country’s military rulers to designate themselves as the guardians of a new Egypt. It was one of the largest rallies in Egypt in recent months… Friday’s rally was dominated by the country’s most organized political group, the Muslim Brotherhood…

“Delivering the Muslim prayer sermon, imam Mazhar Shahin urged protesters to keep defending the goals of the revolution… ‘Those who fear Islamist movements in Egypt, I tell them don’t be scared of Islam in Egypt,’ Shahin said… ‘Egypt is Islamic, like it or not…’”

The New York Times added on November 20:

“A police action to roust a few hundred protesters out of Tahrir Square on Saturday instead drew thousands of people from across Egyptian society into the streets, where the violence continued on Sunday. The confrontations were the most violent manifestation so far of growing anger at the military-led interim government. In a battle reminiscent of the clashes that led to the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak nine months ago, a mass of protesters converged on Tahrir Square, fled before an onslaught of riot police officers firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and then surged back to retake and hold the square through the early hours of Sunday…

“Coming a day after a huge Islamist demonstration and just more than a week before the first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections, the outpouring of anger was the strongest rebuke yet with the military’s attempts to grant itself permanent governmental powers. And it was a reuniting of Islamist and liberal protest movements that had drifted apart since the early days of the uprising. This time, instead of chanting for the fall of Mr. Mubarak, the demonstrators were chanting for the fall of the ruling military council that initially presented itself as the revolution’s savior…

“After pledging to turn over power to civilians by September, the military has postponed the handover until after the ratification of a constitution and election of a president, sometime in 2013 or later. Then this month the military-led government put in writing a set of ground rules for a next constitution that would have given the military authority to intervene in civilian politics while protecting it from civilian oversight — setting off a firestorm… Opposition to those guidelines brought the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group, back to the streets…”

Newsmax wrote on November 23:

“The Egyptian military has been using a banned chemical agent to deal with hundreds of thousands of protesters, according to several news sources. At least 23 Egyptians have died and more than 1,700 have succumbed to a lethal gas military forces have been using during the past three days in clashes in and around Cairo’s Tahrir Square…  Australia’s The Age said Wednesday that the canisters are marked ‘Made in the USA’… The Australian paper continued: ‘A young man was rushed into the clinic, unconscious and fitting, as the doctor spoke. For at least five minutes it was touch and go as medics administered treatment. Finally he drew breath and the team moved to one of the four patients who had just been carried in, a man with gunshot wound to a leg.’”

Deutsche Welle added on November 23:

“Protesters continued to do battle with security forces in Cairo on Wednesday, despite the ruling military authority’s pledge to speed up the transfer to democratic rule. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, called for an independent probe into the killing of demonstrators by Egyptian security forces. At least 38 people have been killed in the clashes in recent days…

“Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Tuesday agreed to the formation of a national salvation government and to hand power to a civilian authority by July, instead of late 2012 or early 2013, as originally planned. But the concessions failed to convince thousands of people gathered in central Cairo’s Tahrir Square, who demanded an immediate end to military rule… Egypt’s ruling military council is facing its worst crisis since it stepped in to replace Mubarak in February. With little success, it has been trying to contain the growing protests with violence.

“The United States, meanwhile, is losing its patience with Egypt’s military rulers. The Obama administration ratcheted up its criticism on Tuesday, blaming the military for the new wave of violence… Germany called on Wednesday for an end to political violence, with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman saying Egypt’s military rulers needed to pay attention to the protesters’ demands…”

The New York Times wrote on November 24:

“Egyptian generals offered an unusual apology on Thursday for the killings of protesters in Tahrir Square, the iconic landmark of the country’s revolution, but rejected the demonstrators’ demands for an immediate end to military rule.  As violence around the square eased after five days of intense clashes, the military also insisted that parliamentary elections, scheduled for next Monday, would proceed as planned… A semblance of calm returned to Tahrir Square on Thursday morning after a night of some of the worst clashes since the protests began.”

Yemen’s President Resigns

The Wall Street Journal wrote on November 24:

“President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen agreed to step down on Wednesday after 33 years in power, becoming the fourth Arab leader swept away by protests this year and launching his violence-wracked country into a new era of uncertainty…

“The president… made a surprise trip to Saudi Arabia, where he signed off on a deal to transfer power to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi within 30 days. The agreement calls for a new president to be elected within three months and would hand significant power to opposition parties …

“Yemen has been ravaged by violence and lawlessness in recent months, as forces opposed to Mr. Saleh fought battles against his allies in the streets of the capital. Amid the chaos, militant Islamist groups, including some sympathetic with al Qaeda, have expanded their sway in the south of the country… The poorest country in the Arab world, Yemen nonetheless sits in a strategically critical location at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, where one-fifth of the world’s oil exports transit to world markets.”

EU Engagement in the Middle East

On November 18, the EUobserver published the following opinion by Anno Bunnik, a political analyst from the Netherlands:

“One of the most striking elements of the outside involvement in the Arab Spring is the failure of the Obama administration to develop a comprehensive approach in dealing with the uprisings. The United States is unable to truly champion freedom and democracy, largely due to its close relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. This provides opportunities for other actors – such as the European Union or China – to upgrade its engagement with the region… When speaking to Arab friends – both Muslims and Christians – about the role of the US, the usual reply is ‘double standards’ often followed by the remark that Obama is no different from Bush… Even in Arab states aligned to the US, a large majority of the population does not agree with current American policies…

“These developments create space for other actors to engage in the region. This void could in the long run be occupied by China, possibly endangering the potential for democracy to flourish. But it could also be filled by the EU building strategic ties with the new Middle East. The EU’s reputation in the Middle East is not tainted by unquestioned support for Israel. Unlike the US, the EU is able to stand for peace and justice, freedom and democracy… Due to its relatively clean reputation, the EU could dare to step out of the shadow of the US and develop its own comprehensive approach to the region…

“This approach could entail capturing the role of ‘honest broker’ in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, mediating between both parties. After all, the EU can pride itself with longstanding experience in extensive and successful post-conflict resolution. It should transcend its usual shyness when dealing with conflict resolution in the Middle East and try to find new paths to facilitate diplomacy…

“Furthermore, good relations between Europe and the Middle East on the political front will likely also have economic ramifications… If the EU manages to develop and implement such a strategic approach it will not only protect the region from greater Chinese influence in the long run, but also give meaning to its own international ambitions. The Arab Spring therefore provides the ideal opportunity for the EU to maintain an important player in world politics.”

It is prophesied that the EU WILL play an important role in the Middle East. However, the world will be shocked to learn that in the end, the emerging United States of Europe will choose war, not peace, perhaps with the justification that it wants to create peace that way in the region. This, in turn, will bring about a world war of unknown proportions, involving far eastern countries such as China and Russia. Please also note the next article.

Military Intervention in Syria?

The Euobserver wrote on November 23:

“In a direct echo of previous events in Libya, France has formally recognized the opposition Syrian National Council and proposed that international troops should protect civilians… Previously cited obstacles to military action in Syria were the lack of a UN mandate, lack of Arab support for outside intervention and tactical problems. But the obstacles are beginning to melt away…

“For his part, former French air force chief Jean Rannou earlier told this website: ‘I don’t see any purely military problems [for intervention]. Syria has no defence against Western systems.’  In a sign the EU is keen to stimulate an end-game in Syria, diplomats this week also agreed to drastically ramp up economic sanctions.”

“How the EU Can Emerge from the Ashes”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 18 about the future of Europe. Although much of what is being written in that lengthy article is a critique of Angela Merkel’s policy and tantamount to uninformed nonsense, the following excerpts are quite interesting:

“… many in Europe think there is now a clear path to a new, more integrated — and smaller – bloc…

“To stabilize the continent in crisis [Joschka] Fischer, an avid European, wants to see a resolute political body consisting of the leaders of euro-zone countries. They should, he believes, be outfitted with far-reaching authority and granted sufficient power by their parliaments back home…

“History, in other words, could be written in Germany. For the sake of the United States of Europe, the strongest European country would have to reinvent itself. There is no way around the fact that the European countries will have to sacrifice some of their sovereign power — and a share of their identities… ‘Those who want Europe should finally say where they want to go,’ says former Foreign Minister Fischer…

“There is no doubt that a European federal state would go far beyond the present Europe of the Lisbon Treaty. The Brussels technocracy would have to be replaced with political institutions with strong decision-making powers and extensive competencies to shape economic and social policy for all of Europe… Fischer… sees 27 parties as being too unwieldy, but would like to see the 17 leaders of the euro-zone countries move forward, as they have in establishing the euro backstop fund. In short, Fischer wants to turn the Euro Group into a new European government. As a fiscal and economic government, the 17 would assume joint control over their nations… 

“The old idea of a ‘solid core,’ which becomes more and more solid over time, was lost in the days of expansion euphoria… Now there are many in Berlin who hope that the idea of a ‘core Europe’ will bring about accelerated integration and an important simplification of intergovernmental cooperation. Everyone agrees on the charm of the solution: The grumblers from Britain would finally be left out in the cold, and a United Europe could simply dismiss them should they oppose any further integration. ‘They’ll be hopping mad,’ says Fischer, ‘but then they won’t be able to cause trouble anymore, either.’

“The Germans, however, have another problem with an overly exclusive club of the euro avant-garde. What happens to Poland? Germany’s eastern neighbor would not be involved, at least not in a solution restricted to the Euro Group… Poland has so far been firmly on Merkel’s side in the euro crisis. The ambitious Poles, a majority of whom are enthusiastic about the euro, value the prospect of making their own contribution to Europe’s future.

“Still, it is France which could prove to be the greatest problem when it comes to building a core Europe. Europe is inconceivable without France… There are political thinkers in France who agree with Fischer…[but] the sovereignists are traditionally strong. They are in favor of Europe, but only as a means of expanding French self-aggrandizement, not as a way of limiting it…”

Some of these ideas are quite interesting. The Bible shows that a core Europe of ten nations or groups of nations will develop out of the Eurozone, and while Germany, Italy and France will definitely be part of it, and so might be Poland, England won’t be.

War of Words Between Germany and Britain Escalates

The Daily Mail wrote on November 19:

“Germany last night declared that Britain would be forced to scrap the pound and join the euro – as David Cameron returned home empty-handed from crisis talks in Berlin. In a highly-provocative intervention, German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble suggested the UK’s struggling economy meant the pound was doomed, and urged the Prime Minister to back Europe’s ailing single currency.

“Mr Schauble said the euro would emerge stronger from the current crisis – leaving Britain on the sidelines unless it signed up. He said Britain would be forced to join ‘faster than some people on the British island think’ – despite a pledge by Mr Cameron never to do so…

“Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the powerful Euro Group of eurozone finance ministers, said Britain was in no position to comment on the crisis as its deficit was twice the European average… Schauble’s comments came as Mr Cameron arrived to a hostile reception in Berlin for talks on the eurozone crisis with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Senior members of Mrs Merkel’s ruling coalition voiced their irritation at London’s ‘lecturing’ over the crisis. Leading German magazine Der Spiegel ran a prominent feature describing Britain as the ‘diseased empire’. And Rainer Brüderle, head of Mrs Merkel’s coalition partners, said: ‘Britain can’t be freeloaders in the eurozone.’

“The deputy leader of Mrs Merkel’s party, Michael Meister, criticised Britain for lecturing the eurozone on what steps it should take while not actively contributing towards a solution. He also warned Mr Cameron against catering to nationalist sentiment on the euro, saying turmoil in the single currency area could have a devastating impact on countries outside the eurozone and on London’s financial industry… Former prime minister Sir John Major last night spoke out about the ‘undemocratic’ drive towards greater fiscal union in the eurozone.

“Germany’s press… has hardly been the best of friends with Mrs Merkel of late, but it is firmly on her side when it comes to dealing with the ‘old enemy’. Bild carried the headlines ‘Briten zittern vor Deutschlands Euro-Plänen’ – ‘Britons tremble before Germany’s euro plans’ – and ‘Europa spricht deutsch, Herr Cameron! Was wollen die Engländer eigentlich noch in der EU?’ – ‘Europe speaks German, Mr Cameron! What do the English actually want in the European Union?’

“Financial Times Deutschland wrote: ‘He wants Britain to have a say in the financial crisis, but he doesn’t want his country to have to pay for it. He wants to prevent a core Europe (of Germany and France) from forming, but at the same time he is unwilling to contribute to deeper European integration. Great Britain is lacking a constructive approach. That’s why the government in London shouldn’t be surprised that it is hearing an increasing number of European countries sigh words like: Things would be a lot easier if we didn’t have the Brits.’”

The Express added on November 19:

“In a chilling threat to UK sovereignty, German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble predicted that all Europe would one day use the single currency… His sinister warning followed the emergence of a secret German plan to build a powerful new economic government for the eurozone and block an EU referendum in Britain… In a further sign of growing German supremacy within the EU, David Cameron was yesterday rebuffed by Chancellor Angela Merkel in talks over how to tackle the euro crisis.

“Last night British opponents of the EU were horrified by the bellicose threat to Britain’s economic independence… UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said: ‘This German bullying is deeply unpleasant and the sooner we leave the EU the better’…  Last night a YouGov poll for Prospect magazine showed 51 per cent of Britons would vote to leave the EU in a referendum while only 32 per cent would vote to stay in.”

Canadian-German Relationship Turning Bad

Deutsche Welle reported on November 24:

“Canada and Germany have a lot [in] common. Both countries pride themselves on being good members of the international community… Particularly in the security arena German-Canadian relations have traditionally been strong. For decades Canada operated military bases in southern Germany until they were closed in the 1990s. Due to their multilateralist approach to foreign and security policy, both often joined forces to soften or balance out unilateral tendencies their bigger ally, the US, might display.

“For instance, it was a joint project by Ottawa and Berlin to bring NATO into Afghanistan, explains Janice Stein, director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. ‘So I think it’s fair to say that under those circumstances there was some Canadian chagrin about the caveats that Germany put around where its troops could be used and how they could be used and deployed in Afghanistan,’ she told Deutsche Welle…

 “When it seemed that Canada might be ready to shelve its misgivings about Germany’s perceived reluctance to contribute its fair share in Afghanistan, Berlin’s image suffered another blow. In March, Germany decided not to side with its traditional allies, France, Britain and the US and instead abstain in a UN Security Council vote on a no-fly zone in Libya alongside China, Russia, India and Brazil. This baffled many Canadians. And again there was a special Canadian connection that made Berlin’s behavior even more inexplicable to Ottawa than it might have been for many other partners.

“While Germany stood on the sidelines, Canada’s parliament overwhelmingly approved the mission and deployed some 600 airforce and navy personnel for the operation. Its airforce conducted roughly 10 percent of the bombing raids against Moammar Gadhafi’s troops. The country’s important international role was underscored by the appointment of a Canadian general to lead NATO’s mission in Libya…

“‘Libya has only highlighted the already existing disillusionment on the Canadian side with some of the decisions that come out of Germany,’  Petra Dolata, a Canada specialist at King’s College in London, told Deutsche Welle… She believes that it would be a mistake to consider Canada’s befuddlement simply as a minor hiccup in the relations between both countries. Instead she insists that Canada’s consternation with Berlin runs deeper…

“For many Canadians it is very difficult to comprehend the role of the military in the German context, says Dolata… ‘I think it’s even worse than that. I think that Canadians are no longer looking toward Germany even if they engage themselves with Europe. And if they do look toward Europe it’s no longer Germany or even France, it’s actually the UK that presents itself as the best partner.’”

This is very interesting, as the Bible shows that in the end time, the once friendly relationship between Germany and continental Europe on the one hand, and the USA, Canada and Great Britain on the other hand, will become more and more hostile.

Germany in Trouble… Or Not?

BBC News reported on November 24:

“German business sentiment unexpectedly rose in November for the first time since June, according to an Ifo survey. The influential think tank’s business climate index, based on a monthly survey of 7,000 companies, edged up to 106.6 from October’s figure of 106.4.

“The figures provided some relief following Wednesday’s German government bond auction, which did not sell out. An Ifo economist said the figures suggested Germany will avoid recession this winter… Also on Thursday, the Federal Statistics Office left its first estimate of economic growth unrevised at 0.5% between July and September…”

One should be careful with jumping on spectacular articles and headlines, such as the following one, published by the EUobserver on November 23, “Germany had significant trouble offloading its bonds on Thursday in a sign that the eurozone crisis has spread to the very heart of Europe.” The fact is, Germany is the strongest economy in Europe, and temporary set-backs won’t change that. In fact, they may lead to interesting developments, as BBC News reported on November 24: “Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Nicolas Sarkozy are to propose modifications to EU treaties to improve governance of the Eurozone… The meeting followed a German bond auction on Wednesday, which failed to raise the target amount.”

Spain’s Troubles

Reuters wrote on November 20:

“Spain’s center-right opposition stormed to a crushing election victory Sunday as voters punished the outgoing Socialist government for the worst economic crisis in generations. The People’s Party, led by former Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy, won an absolute majority in parliament and is expected to push through drastic measures to try to prevent Spain being sucked deeper into a debt storm threatening the whole euro zone… With 5 million people out of work, the European Union’s highest jobless rate, Spain is heading into its second recession in four years. Spaniards, who voted in pouring rain Sunday, were the fifth European nation to throw out their leaders because of the spreading euro zone crisis, following Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Italy. The PP won the biggest majority for any party in three decades…

“Rajoy’s bitter medicine for the economy will probably make things worse before they get better. But he has said Spaniards are prepared for the painful austerity that is needed to reduce a swollen public deficit threatening to push the euro zone’s fourth economy toward a perilous bail-out. ‘I ask you all to keep helping me. Difficult times are coming,’ Rajoy, 56, told ecstatic supporters in his victory speech at PP headquarters. ‘Spain’s voice must be respected again in Brussels and Frankfurt… We will stop being part of the problem and will be part of the solution.’”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 21:

“Not since the death of dictator Francisco Franco exactly 36 years ago has a Spanish prime minister and his party possessed as much power as Rajoy and the Popular Party does now…

“The new strong man in Spain is anything but a charismatic man of action, however. Rajoy, a notary from the northwestern region of Galicia, has a reputation as someone who prefers to wait out problems rather than tackling them. By waiting patiently, he survived the party infighting which followed his election defeats by Zapatero in 2004 and 2008…

“The plan is for the new parliament to meet for the first time in Madrid on Dec. 13, with King Juan Carlos swearing in Rajoy and his government before Christmas… Rajoy… is impressed by the austerity course of his fellow conservative, German Chancellor Angela Merkel…”

Guttenberg Is Back

M&C reported on November 19:

“Eight months after a plagiarism scandal stripped him of his doctorate and his job, disgraced former German defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg stepped back into the spotlight Saturday in Canada at an international security conference. Sporting a new look, without his trademark glasses and slicked-back hair, Guttenberg joined a roundtable discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum, where he was on the programme two years ago as Germany’s defence minister. Today’s programme listed him – without his former ‘Doctor’ title – as a ‘distinguished statesman’ with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

“The aristocratic Guttenberg has been living with his family outside New York City in recent months, and he said he liked the distance it affords him to his former life… But he had plenty to say in the one-and-a-quarter hour discussion about the way his former colleagues are handling Europe’s financial crisis. ‘This isn’t a euro crisis or a debt crisis,’ he told 300 attendees, ‘this is a crisis of understanding and a crisis of political leadership.’

“Guttenberg was forced to resign his post in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet in March after a law professor noticed he had plagiarized large parts of his 2006 doctoral thesis for the University of Bayreuth. German prosecutors are expected to decide soon whether or not to charge him with violations of copyright law.”

The Local added on November 20:

“Karl-Theodor zu Gutenberg, Germany’s former defence minister who resigned in March after being found to have plagiarised his doctoral thesis, has returned to the political stage with a scathing attack on his former colleagues. Speaking on Saturday at a security conference in Halifax, Canada, Guttenberg took aim at Germans in general and politicians in particular… ‘The Germans have no idea how the European Union functions, how it came to this crisis and what it means. The politicians do not reach the public, they do not reach the people.’’

The German press had a field day with Freiherr zu Guttenberg’s resurgence from political limbo. On November 19, mass tabloid Bild Online quoted Guttenberg as stating: “There is a lack of political leaders in Europe.” The left-liberal magazine, Der Spiegel Online, wrote on November 19: “One has to reckon with the CSU-man in the future… It is clear that he thinks he is still the man for the job… Being 39 years old, he has plenty of time to return to the political stage… His appearance in Halifax was almost certainly only the first step of his operation comeback.” The conservative magazine, Focus, wrote on November 19: “Once again, Guttenberg knows everything better… In Halifax he did what he knows to do best—talking… He does not fear for the EU. ‘It will survive, but enthusiasm is lacking’… Are we witnessing Guttenberg’s big comeback? [A leader in the ] CSU wants to keep the door open for him in respect to the parliamentary elections in 2013.” 

On November 23, 2011, Der Stern reported that the prosecutors dismissed the criminal case against multi-millionaire Guttenberg after he paid a fine of 20,000 euros, which was labeled as a donation to charity. This means, Guttenberg will not be convicted of any crime. In an interview with Die Zeit, he did not rule out a return to Germany and a participation in the 2013 parliamentary elections.

Russia and the West—Stormy Weather Ahead

CNN reported on November 23:

“It feels like a blast from the past: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatening to station short-range missiles in Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Poland. Medvedev is miffed that the West is not taking Russia’s concerns into consideration as it proceeds with plans to deploy a missile defense system in Europe that the United States and NATO insist is to protect from potential missile attack from Iran.

“They even say they want Russia to work with them on the system but, in a live television broadcast, Medvedev told Russians: ‘We will not agree to take part in a program that, in a short while, in some six to eight years’ time, could weaken our nuclear deterrent capability.’

“Russia, the president announced somberly, could deploy weapons ‘ensuring our ability to take out any part of the U.S. missile defense system in Europe. One step in this process will be to deploy Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad Region.’ And he went a step further, threatening to pull out of the New START arms control agreement, which he and President Barack Obama signed with such fanfare just a year and a half ago… The reset may not be over but it could be headed for some stormy weather…”

In another disturbing development, AFP reported on November 23 that “Prime Minister Putin warned Wednesday in advance of parliamentary elections that Russia faced numerous risks in the future that demanded that the government tighten its grip on power.”

Prayers to the “Virgin Mary”?

The Vatican information Service (VIS) reported on November 19 about the Pope’s recent visit to Africa:

“This afternoon, the Holy Father travelled by popemobile to the cathedral of Our Lady of Mercy in Cotonou, [saying:] ‘… The Virgin Mary…  is the Mother of Mercy… she has received the privilege of being our helper always and everywhere. … In Mary, we have not only a model of perfection, but also one who helps us to realise communion with God and with our brothers and sisters. As Mother of Mercy, she is a sure guide to the disciples of her Son who wish to be of service to justice, to reconciliation and to peace. … Let us not be afraid to invoke her with confidence, she who ceaselessly dispenses to her children abundant divine graces’… 

“Benedict XVI then prayed to Our Lady to intercede to obtain peace for child victims of hunger and war, for the sick and the afflicted, for sinners, for Africa and for all humankind.”

Mary is also commonly referred to in the Catholic Church as the “queen of heaven.” However, the Bible teaches clearly that the real Mary died and is sleeping the unconscious “sleep” of death. She is waiting for the resurrection from the dead, when Jesus Christ returns. She is not in heaven, nor is she capable of mediating for us in any way. Prayers to her are meaningless. There is only ONE Mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master. However, the Bible warns against worshipping or adoring a pagan personage who is referred to as the Queen of Heaven (compare Jeremiah 7:18).

Ridiculous Embarrassment

USA Today reported on November 20:

“We’ve heard of gutter politics, but this is ridiculous. Officials in Australia are investigating how a top-secret, detailed report on President Obama’s recent trip Down Under wound up in a gutter near the Parliament building in Canberra. The 125-page booklet contains phone number and contact details for government officials from both Australia and the United States. It also contains the step-by-step movements of Obama during last week’s visits for Canberra and Darwin — obviously valuable information for anyone wishing to do harm to the president…

“Most of the manual was devoted to a minute-by-minute schedule of Obama’s movements during his 27-hour visit to Canberra and Darwin last week, even detailing which car door he would use and the seating arrangements within his convoys. It also ran through the exact breakdown of his Secret Service detail and motorcade arrangements, including Obama’s ambulance, counterassault teams, communications and intelligence, according to the journalist, Dylan Welch. The booklet cover stated that the information was ‘not to be communicated either directly or indirectly to any person not authorised to receive it,’ Welch said, and it included contact details for a range of figures. It also named a long-serving member responsible for Obama’s protection. Welch claimed to have found it in a gutter 100 metres from Parliament House on early Thursday…”

The Predictable Failure of the US “Super Committee”

USA Today wrote on November 22:

“Sad. Pathetic. Indefensible. It’s hard to pick just one word to capture the collapse of Congress’ latest effort to deal with the spiraling national debt. Not only did the inaptly named ‘supercommittee’ fail to reach a big agreement to get the debt under control, members proved incapable even of meeting the panel’s minimum goal of cutting $1.2 trillion in deficits over 10 years. That sounds like a lot of money, but it’s less than 3% of the roughly $46 trillion the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the federal government will spend from 2012 to 2021. What financially strapped household or business can’t figure out a way to save three cents of every dollar it spends?

“The supercommittee’s failure brings the nation one step closer to a European-style debt crisis of rising interest rates and lower living standards… One reason is political polarization. The parties have made so many promises to their bases — on taxes, on entitlements — that compromise is seen as a sellout and shared sacrifice as unmentionable. Many members of Congress face more political risk from the wings of their own parties than from the other party. With elections coming up next year, they’d rather have the issue than a deal…”

Religious Exemptions from Obamacare?

The New York Times wrote on November 19:

“A dispute has erupted between President Obama and Democrats in Congress over a proposal to broaden the exemption from new rules that require health insurance plans to cover contraceptives for women free of charge… after protests by Roman Catholic bishops, charities, schools and universities, the White House is considering… [to] grant a broad exemption to health plans sponsored by employers who object to such coverage for moral and religious reasons. Churches may already qualify for an exemption.

“The proposal being weighed by the White House would expand the exemption to many universities, hospitals, clinics and other entities associated with religious organizations.  The prospect of such a change has infuriated many Democrats in Congress, who fought hard to secure coverage of birth control under the new health care law… House members have sent a letter to Mr. Obama urging him not to widen the exemption. Such a change, they said, would keep contraception out of reach for millions of women…

“The rules already include an exemption for certain ‘religious employers,’ but the exemption is so narrow that some church groups say it is almost meaningless. A religious employer cannot qualify for the exemption if it employs or serves large numbers of people of a different faith, as many Catholic hospitals, universities and social service agencies do.”

Scientists Baffled Over Remains of Dead Whales in the Desert

The Daily Mail wrote on November 21:

“… scientists remain baffled as to how exactly scores of whales ended up in a desert more than half a mile from the sea. The skeletons of 75 whales, believed to be more than two millions years old, were unearthed next to one another, just yards apart, in one of the world’s best-preserved graveyards of prehistoric whales… Chilean scientists and researchers from the Smithsonian Institution are studying how the whales, many of them the size of buses, were found in exactly the same corner of the Atacama Desert in Chile.

“The bones were unearthed near Caldera in June 2010 during a highway-widening project… ‘I think they died more or less at the same time,’ Nicholas Pyenson, curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, told the Associated Press… The researchers also discovered a sperm whale skeleton and remains of a now-extinct dolphin that had two walrus-like tusks and previously had only turned up in Peru… Other unusual creatures found in the fossil-rich Atacama Desert include an extinct aquatic sloth and a seabird with a five metre wingspan…”

When one believes the Bible, the sudden death of these animals should not surprise us. The Daily Mail published the following note by one of their readers: “Where does the evidence lead? The evidence is that these creatures lived in the sea, yet some major catastrophe has managed to bury 75 whales in the what is now desert. That means the sea once came over this part of the world. How high would the sea level be on a global scale at that point? Many who are anti the Bible and against a global flood might not like it, but this evidence is strongly in favour of such an event….”

If the fossils are as old as stated in the article, then, of course, Noah’s Flood could not be responsible, but we should not forget that prior to the creation of man, the surface of the earth was covered with water (Genesis 1:2). This was the result of an earlier worldwide catastrophe. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—A Fairy Tales for Adults.”