2007–A Year of Failure For the West

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 28, 2007:

“Ongoing difficulties in Iraq. A Taliban offensive in Afghanistan. And now the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. For the West, 2007 has been a year of failure and missteps… The Thursday assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a huge, shocking and possibly even historic triumph for the enemies of democracy. Even worse, the attack was the gruesome culmination of what has been a successful year for them.

“It is also not reaching too far to say that the shots that fatally wounded Bhutto in Rawalpindi Thursday also killed off any hope that the Islamic world could find peace of its own accord in the foreseeable future.

“The West, too, is more troubled than it has been for a long time. The dismay in the corridors of government is genuine. US President George W. Bush’s statement, which lasted little more than a minute, was eloquent testimony to his speechlessness. This world power has rarely looked so powerless — and Bush has rarely looked so helpless…

“Bush will not be in a position to do much to end this conflict. He is a war president and an unsuccessful one at that. Even if he talks about diplomacy, it sounds like preparation for war. His partners in Berlin, Paris and London will have to act cleverly in this difficult situation. Any belligerence or crowing must be avoided so as to not damage the Western position as a whole. As strange as it might sound, this beleaguered president must be ushered into retirement with dignity and civility… The classic military intervention — Bush’s formula against the danger of terrorism — has not been successful up to now and will not be so in the future. And the situation in nuclear-armed Pakistan is clearly not one where any sort of military operation should be considered…

“But does that mean we should capitulate? Should the West sit on the sidelines sipping tea? Absolutely not.

“The West has to protect itself and its people with everything modern technology has placed at its disposal… And perhaps it is once again time for European diplomacy to open up a new way of seeing things to the Americans. In the altercation with the Soviet Union and the communist bloc, Europe found success. Many in the US were set on a confrontational course while Europeans preferred an easing of tensions. It was the English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, just eight years after World War II ended, who voiced his conviction that, wherever possible, a measured, more patient and less aggressive foreign policy was the way to go.”

Bhutto’s Assassination–the “Coup De Grace” to American Policy

The New York Times wrote on December 31, 2007:

“The assassination of Benazir Bhutto has given the coup de grâce to the botched American attempt to manage a nuclear-armed Islamic state. In recent years, Pakistan has been the home of banks that wired money for the 9/11 plot, been the chief source of illicit nuclear proliferation, offered a tribal-area haven for planners of worldwide terrorism, abetted the reconstitution of the Taliban and educated many a suicide bomber in Islamic religious schools. At the same time, President Pervez Musharraf, in power since a 1999 coup, has received about $10 billion in U.S. aid, much of it to reinforce the Pakistani military in fighting Al Qaeda, the Taliban and global jihadism in South Waziristan and other tribal areas. If a U.S. policy was ever broken, this is it.

“… the United States, out of misplaced deference to Musharraf, failed to secure Bhutto the protection she was demanding. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, visited the United States shortly before her death to plead for help, but was denied the meetings he sought at the top levels of the State Department… Bhutto’s loss is devastating, comparable with Yitzhak Rabin’s. Her Kennedylike family tragedy leaves the fathomless void of what might have been.”

Who Caused Bhutto’s Death?

The Telegraph wrote on December 28, 2007:

“The burial of Benzair Bhutto was today marred by heavy violence across Pakistan as a bitter row broke out over how she died… As hundreds of thousands mourned the murdered opposition leader, the country’s Interior Ministry claimed she had died from hitting her vehicle’s sunroof when she tried to duck after a suicide attack… But the explanation was ridiculed by Farooq Naik, Miss Bhutto’s top lawyer and a senior official in her Pakistan People’s Party. ‘It is baseless. It is a pack of lies,’ he said. ‘Two bullets hit her, one in the abdomen and one in the head. It was a serious security lapse.'”

More Unrest in Pakistan

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 2, 2008:

“The unrest that followed the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has prompted Pakistan’s electoral commission to delay elections until Feb. 18. Opposition parties had demanded the poll go ahead on Jan. 8 and now warn that there could be more riots.

“Opposition parties in Pakistan cried foul on Wednesday after it was announced that parliamentary elections will be postponed until Feb. 18. The official line is that the delay was necessary following the unrest that erupted after opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated last Thursday… The opposition accused the authorities of using delaying tactics to avoid a defeat for the ruling party, which is closely allied to President Pervez Musharraf. Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had been hoping to reap a strong sympathy vote in the wake of her murder… “The government had initially blamed the killing on radical Islamists linked to al-Qaida but many Pakistanis suspect the security forces of having had a hand in the assassination. The government insistence that Bhutto died by hitting her head on the lever of the sunroof of her car was widely derided. The PPP insists she died from gunshot wounds.”

Der Spiegel Online added in a related article on January 2:

“Al-Qaida, the secret service or a contract killer sent by President Musharraf? A gun shot, bomb shrapnel or a fatal blow to the head? Wild theories about the death of Benazir Bhutto are making the rounds in Pakistan — and are becoming levers of political power. The news from the United States caused quite a stir: Hillary Clinton, a Democratic candidate for the US presidency, hinted on Sunday that the Pakistani military could be behind last week’s assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Previously, she said in an interview that ‘there was no reason to trust the Pakistani government.'”

China–the World’s New Economic and Military Superpower

The Independent wrote on January 1, 2008:

“Here comes the world’s newest superpower. The rest of the world is gloomily contemplating economic slowdown and even recession. Not in Beijing. China is set to make 2008 the year it asserts its status as a global colossus by flexing frightening economic muscle on international markets, enjoying unprecedented levels of domestic consumption and showcasing itself to a watching world with a glittering £20bn Olympic Games…
 
“Britain will feel the full power of the new superpower’s confidence. This month, for the first time, China’s state-controlled banks will begin spending some of its $1.33trn (£670bn) in foreign currency reserves on London’s financial markets… But while some may question Beijing’s political motives, there is no doubt that China has arrived as serious power-broker. Last year, it surpassed America as the greatest driver of global economic demand. It is also widely predicted to overtake Germany as the world’s third largest economy this year.”

The Wall Street Journal added on January 2, 2008:

“Beijing’s military has also started to boast about its new weapons and war-fighting capabilities. Peace Mission 2007, cooperative military exercises in Central Asia in August, was China’s first large-scale foreign military deployment, and recent military maneuvers, apparently rehearsals to take Taiwan and disputed islands in the South China Sea, were remarkable in scope and sophistication… China’s military assertiveness has been matched by tougher diplomacy. Last year, a series of high-level meetings showed that Beijing has moved closer to Moscow to cement their ‘friendship for generations’ and confirm their opposition to American initiatives, especially to stop the Iranian nuclear program.

“China’s sustained campaign against German Chancellor Angela Merkel for meeting the Dalai Lama in September is also notably intense. China even threatened military and political responses over economic disputes… at last month’s session of the ‘Strategic Economic Dialogue,’ the high-level talks between the U.S. and China.”

For China’s prophetic role in the near future, please read the Q&A in this Update.

Unrest in Kenya

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 2, 2008:

“The unrest in Kenya following the disputed election victory of President Mwai Kibaki is escalating into a tribal war. On Tuesday more than 40 people, many of them children, burned to death in a church after seeking refuge from machete-wielding members of another tribe. The carnage is starting to remind observers of the Rwandan genocide of 1994… Ever since President Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu, had himself declared the winner in an election that was obviously manipulated, the tribes of this east African country are at war.

“… the German head of the European Union’s election monitoring mission, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, is about to hold a news conference. Some 150 observers monitored this election debacle. The Kenyans have been eagerly awaiting the Europeans’ verdict on the election for days… Lambsdorff’s assessment is devastating. ‘The elections did not meet international standards of democracy,’ says Lambsdorff. He said EU monitors detected irregularities in two electoral districts where Kibaki won. In each of those two districts, the governing PNU ended up with 20,000 more votes than it received at the first count, said Lambsdorff.  In five electoral districts, members of the EU mission were barred from the vote count, and in some regions the voter turnout was unusually high. ‘We have doubts about these elections,’ Lambsdorff concluded.

“Mwai Kibaki now looks isolated. On Sunday evening… he was hastily sworn in for a second term in a televised ceremony… But the United States, Kenya’s partner in the war on terror, has now distanced itself from him. After the US had initially congratulated Kibaki on his victory, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Washington had serious concerns about the vote count.”

Germany’s Immigration Problems

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 2, 2008:

“An assault by two foreign youths on a German pensioner has triggered conservative calls for a crackdown on ‘criminal young foreigners’ and exposed deeply entrenched xenophobia that casts doubt on this country’s ability ever to fully integrate its 15 million inhabitants with an immigrant background. The 76-year-old pensioner suffered a fractured skull when he was beaten by a 20-year-old Turkish man born in Germany and a 17-year-old immigrant from Greece on December 20 after he asked them to stop smoking on a subway train in Munich, where smoking is forbidden. The pensioner recovered after a spell in hospital and recalls how they spat at him and called him a ‘… German’ before kicking him in the head. Police arrested the attackers shortly afterwards…

“[Hesse state premier Roland Koch stated] that Germany wasn’t a classic country of immigration such as Canada or Australia. ‘In our country we don’t get many cultures meeting to form a new one. Germany has had a Christian-Occidental culture for centuries. Foreigners who don’t stick to our rules don’t belong here.’ His quote ‘We have too many criminal young foreigners’ made a banner front-page headline in Bild on Friday. The paper praised him in an editorial on Wednesday, writing: ‘At last our politicians are quarrelling about the really important issues — the safety of our citizens! Fear of crime and violence by foreign criminals [have] been accompanying us on bus and subway journeys for a long time.’

“Koch’s comments fuelled conservative calls for ‘foreign’ criminals to be expelled from Germany and were echoed by Volker Kauder, head of the conservative parliamentary group in the federal parliament and a close ally of [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel. Kauder told ‘Bild am Sonntag’ that crime by foreigners had ‘been a taboo in Germany’ for too long. ‘We need education camps for hard cases, closed institutions with an overall concept for therapy. Foreigners aren’t our enemies, but criminals are — and we can no longer afford to accept their mocking laughter’…

“Representatives from ethnic minorities say Koch’s comments reveal a key obstacle to integration in Germany. People living here are still widely labelled ‘foreigners’ even if they were born in Germany, even if they have German passports, and especially if they are dark-skinned…

“Criticizing immigration can be a vote-winner in Germany. Koch has successfully tapped the issue before, winning a 1999 state election after he launched a petition against government plans to introduce dual citizenship for foreign citizens living in Germany. The current conservative premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Jürgen Rüttgers, launched a campaign in 2000 against proposed ‘green cards’ for Indian software engineers. The slogan of his campaign to give precedence to homegrown talent over skilled foreign workers was ‘Kinder Statt Inder’ — ‘Children Instead of Indians.’ In many other Western countries, a slogan like that from a mainstream politician would have killed off his career. Yet Rüttgers now runs Germany’s most populous state.

“Merkel herself suggested in a party conference speech last month that mosque minarets should be no higher than church steeples, following local resistance in several German cities to the construction of new mosques.”

Political Crisis Between France and Syria

AFP reported on January 2, 2008:

“Foreign Minister Walid Muallem announced on Wednesday that Syria was breaking off contacts with France on the political crisis in Lebanon, responding to a similar gesture by Paris three days ago. ‘Syria has decided to cease Franco-Syrian cooperation on the Lebanese crisis,’ the minister told a press conference in Damascus. He said Syria had been surprised by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s announcement on Sunday that France was cutting contacts, as it came just two days after Damascus had reached agreement with Paris on a comprehensive deal to end the crisis…

“Sarkozy accused Syria on Sunday of failing to match its words about wanting a settlement to the crisis in Lebanon with deeds on the ground. France ‘will have no more contact with Syria … until we have proof of Syrian willingness to let Lebanon appoint a president by consensus,’ he said. The French foreign ministry reiterated that position on Wednesday.”

Cyprus and Malta Adopt the Euro

The EUObserver wrote on January 1, 2008:

“The European currency is today replacing the national currencies of the two Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus, bringing the number of EU states using the euro to 15 out of the 27 member states… They will add around 1.2 million people to the euro zone – some 800,000 Cypriots and around 400,000 Maltese – bringing the number of those EU citizens using the euro as a national currency to 320 million out of the EU’s total 495-million large population… Of the remaining 12 countries currently not in the euro zone, only the UK and Denmark have chosen not to adopt the European currency for reasons of economic sovereignty [while the other 10 countries have not made yet a final decision on that issue].”

Further Decline of the U.S. Dollar in the Future?

Bloomberg.com wrote on January 1, 2008:

“The dollar may extend a two-year decline against the euro on speculation a slowing economy will make U.S. assets less attractive to investors… The unemployment rate probably increased last month to the highest since July 2006…

“‘The U.S. economy will be pushed close to the recession level,” said Greg Salvaggio, vice president of capital markets in Washington… ‘There will be further dollar weakness in early 2008.” The dollar lost 9.5 percent against the euro in 2007, dropping to $1.4588, following a 10.2 percent drop in 2006…”

In addition, The Financial Times reported that Wall Street had the worst start to a New Year in 25 years. It wrote on January 2, 2008: “US blue-chip stocks on Wednesday suffered the worst start to a new year in 25 years after an index of manufacturing fell sharply, raising fears that the US economy is slowing more than expected.”

“Prosperity Gospel” Under Attack

The Associated Press reported on December 28, 2007:

“The probe by Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has brought new scrutiny to the underlying belief that brings in millions of dollars and fills churches from Atlanta to Los Angeles — the ‘Gospel of Prosperity,’ or the notion that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. All six ministries under investigation preach the prosperity gospel to varying degrees.

“Proponents call it a biblically sound message of hope. Others say it is a distortion that makes evangelists rich and preys on the vulnerable…

“Grassley is asking the ministries for financial records on salaries, spending practices, private jets and other perks. The investigation… has some wondering whether the prosperity gospel is facing a day of reckoning… Prosperity preachers say that it isn’t all about money — that God’s blessings extend to health, relationships and being well-off enough to help others. They have Bible verses at the ready to make their case… Critics acknowledge the idea that God wants to bless his followers has a Biblical basis, but say prosperity preachers take verses out of context…”

Even though we are not going to comment on the accuracy or inaccuracy of the “Prosperity Gospel”–whatever that (unbiblical) term may mean–it cannot be denied that God promises physical blessings to those who obey Him (compare, for example, Malachi 3:8-10). But generally speaking, governmental investigations of any Christian church, which might be conducted because of ulterior motives and/or which might attack or question Biblical truth, should be of great concern to all Christians.

Mary–the Mother of God and of the Church?

VIS wrote on January 2, 2008:

“At the first general audience of 2008… the Pope dedicated his catechesis to the Virgin Mary’s title of Mother of God… [He] recalled that ‘Theotokos’ or ‘Mother of God’ was ‘the title officially attributed to Mary in the fifth century, at the Council of Ephesus of 431’…. Following the Council of Ephesus, ‘Marian devotion underwent an enormous expansion, and many churches dedicated to the Mother of God were built… ‘All the other titles attributed to the Virgin Mary have their foundation in her vocation as Mother of the Redeemer’, he said: the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, and Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church. ‘It was right, then, that on 21 November 1964, during Vatican Council II, Paul VI solemnly attributed to Mary the title of “Mother of the Church.”‘”

Benazir Bhutto Murdered

Recently, nothing but bad news has surfaced from Pakistan, one of the world’s nuclear powers. But on Thursday, December 27, the announcement that former premier and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during a campaign rally has topped it all.

Pakistan–the world’s “most dangerous” country–is in turmoil. January elections in Pakistan are “as good as dead.” These are some of the comments from Der Spiegel Online, dated December 27.

The world is alarmed and in shock. Strong condemnations against the cowardly act of a suicide assassin were heard from almost every corner. But depending on who was really behind this murderous attack, the repercussions for Pakistan and the world might far exceed the imaginable. The Bible strongly suggests that Pakistan will not remain for long an ally of the USA. Momentous events are beginning to take shape, which will lead to a world quite different from the one we know today.

AFP wrote on December 27:

“Pakistani opposition leader and former premier Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack on Thursday, plunging the nation into turmoil less than two weeks before elections. She had just addressed a campaign rally for the parliamentary vote when an attacker shot her in the neck before blowing himself up at a park in the northern city of Rawalpindi…

“President Pervez Musharraf called on the country to stay peaceful ‘so that the evil designs of terrorists can be defeated,’ state television reported… There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, but Bhutto had accused elements in the intelligence services of trying to kill her. She also said she had received death threats from Islamic militant groups including Al-Qaeda.”

The Associated Press added on December 27:

“Her death threw the campaign for critical Jan. 8 parliamentary elections into chaos and stoked fears of mass protests and violence across the nuclear-armed nation, an important U.S. ally in the war on terrorism. At least 20 others were also killed in the attack…”

The British tabloid, The Sun, added:

“Next to President Pervez Musharraf, Bhutto, 54, was the best known political figure in the country, serving two terms as prime minister between 1988 and 1996.”

USA Today reported on December 27:

“Violence also hit another top opposition leader on Thursday. Four workers in former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League were shot dead at a rally in Rawalpindi and eight others were injured…”

Really Bad News for the USA

The Associated Press stated on December 27:

“[President Bush’s] appearance [expressing his condolences and his outrage over the assassination] came as U.S. officials here struggled to cope with the immense policy implications of the assassination on relations with a nuclear-armed country that has received billions of dollars in American financial assistance and is an ally in the war on terrorism…

“The United States had been at the forefront of foreign powers trying to arrange reconciliation between Bhutto and Musharraf, who under heavy U.S. pressure resigned as army chief and earlier this month lifted a state of emergency, in the hope it would put Pakistan back on the road to democracy. Bhutto’s return to the country after years in exile and the ability of her party to contest free and fair elections had been a cornerstone of Bush’s policy in Pakistan, where U.S. officials had watched Musharraf’s growing authoritarianism with increasing unease.

“Those concerns were compounded by the rising threat from al-Qaida and Taliban extremists, particularly in Pakistan’s largely ungoverned tribal areas bordering Afghanistan despite the fact that Washington had pumped nearly $10 billion in aid into the country since Musharraf became an indispensable counterterrorism ally after Sept. 11, 2001…

“Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of Delaware, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, ‘I am convinced Ms. Bhutto would have won free and fair elections next week… This fall… I twice urged President Musharraf to provide better security for Ms. Bhutto and other political leaders.’ He said ‘the failure to protect Ms. Bhutto raises a lot of hard questions for the government and security services that must be answered.'”

Who Killed Benazir Bhutto?

On December 27, Times On Line discussed the prime suspects in Bhutto’s assassination. The paper stated:

“The main suspects in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination are the Pakistani and foreign Islamist militants who saw her as a heretic and an American stooge and had repeatedly threatened to kill her. But fingers will also be pointed at Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] , the agency that has had close ties to the Islamists since the 1970s and has been used by successive Pakistani leaders to suppress political opposition.

“Ms Bhutto narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in October, when a suicide bomber killed about 140 people at a rally in the port city of Karachi to welcome her back from eight years in exile. Earlier that month, two militant warlords based in Pakistan’s lawless northwestern areas, near the border with Afghanistan, had threatened to kill her on her return.

“One was Baitullah Mehsud, a top commander fighting the Pakistani army in the tribal region of South Waziristan. He has close ties to al Qaeda and the Afghan Taleban. The other was Haji Omar, the ‘amir’ or leader of the Pakistani Taleban, who is also from South Waziristan and fought against the Soviets with the Mujahideen in Afghanistan…

“[Bhutto] accused Pakistani authorities of not providing her with sufficient security and hinted that they may have been complicit in the bomb attack [in October]. Asif Ali Zardari, her husband, directly accused the ISI of being involved in that attempt on her life. Mrs Bhutto stopped short of blaming the Government directly, saying that she had more to fear from unidentified members of a power structure that she described as allies of the ‘forces of militancy’.

“Analysts say that President Musharraf himself is unlikely to have ordered her assassination, but that elements of the army and intelligence service would have stood to lose money and power if she had become Prime Minister. The ISI, in particular, includes some Islamists who became radicalised while running the American-funded campaign against the Soviets in Afghanistan and remained fiercely opposed to Ms Bhutto on principle. Saudi Arabia, which has strong influence in Pakistan, is also thought to frown on Ms Bhutto as being too secular and Westernised…”

“Europe Just Got Bigger”

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 21:

“Europe just got bigger. At one minute after midnight local time on early Friday morning, border controls vanished for nine more European Union members, many of them former members of the Soviet Bloc. Fireworks, cheers, music and speeches throughout the morning welcomed the expansion, which means that travelers can move from the far corners of Estonia all the way to the Atlantic coast in Portugal without once encountering a border guard. ‘This is an especially beautiful moment,’ said German Chancellor Angela Merkel… ‘It is a source of great pleasure that coming generations will experience open borders as the European normalcy.’…

“Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Malta all joined the so-called Schengen zone, as the open-border area is known… There are now 24 countries — including two non-EU states, Norway and Iceland — populated by 400 million people in the border-free travel zone… Most of those countries entering Schengen on Friday were behind the Iron Curtain just 20 years ago. The opening of the border between Germany and Poland — one of the most contested in the past centuries of European history — was of particularly symbolic importance.”

… But Is it All Good News?

The EUObserver added on December 21:

“Land and sea border checks… are now abolished, while air borders are set to follow on 30 March 2008. Practically it means that as of today, ‘people can travel hassle-free between 24 countries of the Schengen area without internal land and sea border controls- from Portugal to Poland and from Greece to Finland’, EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini said in a statement. ‘An area of 24 countries without internal borders is a unique and historical achievement. I feel very proud and privileged to have been involved in making it happen’, he added…

“However, some were more enthusiastic than others. While Slovaks were celebrating until late in the night on Friday at the country’s border with ‘old’ member state Austria, no celebrations could be noted on the Austrian side. A recent poll carried out in Austria showed 75% of its citizens opposed the lifting of barriers, according to the BBC…

“European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said: ‘Together we have overcome border controls as man-made obstacles to peace, freedom and unity in Europe’…

“The Schengen area was established in 1985 and named after the small Luxembourg village where it was signed by Germany, the Benelux countries and France. The nine new countries joined the 15 others already in Schengen – thirteen EU states excluding the UK and Ireland which preferred to stay out, but including Norway and Iceland.

“Non-EU member Switzerland is also to become a member of the Schengen area next year, while three EU states – Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania — have still to meet the necessary requirements. It is not yet known when they will join the EU’s borderless zone, but Cyprus is expected to do so around 2009, while Bulgaria and Romania are hoping to follow suit by 2011.”

It’s not all good news–by any means. For further information as to what IS prophesied to happen soon in Europe, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

The Ever-Shrinking U.S. Dollar

The Washington Post wrote on December 24:

“The sharp decline of the U.S. dollar since 2000… marks a shift for Americans in the global economy. In times of strength, a mightier dollar allowed Americans to feed their insatiable appetite for foreign goods at cheap prices while providing Yankees abroad with virtually unrivaled economic clout. But now, as the United States struggles to fend off a recession, observers say the less lofty dollar is having both a tangible and intangible diminishing effect.

“‘The dollar was the dominant force in world economics for 100 years — we had no competition,’ said C. Fred Bergsten, an American economist… ‘There was no other economy close to the size of the United States. But all that is now changing.’ The dollar is down more than 40 percent against the euro over the past seven years, taking a particularly sharp drop last month.

“… for untold millions worldwide, the weak dollar has emerged as a troubling dark spot… some countries have begun to diversify their dollar holdings… In May, Kuwait dropped its currency peg to the dollar and other oil-rich Gulf states have threatened to follow. Perhaps most telling: In recent months, the euro surpassed the dollar as the currency with the largest global circulation…

“The chink in the dollar’s armor has dealt a blow to American pride — at least to the kind of pride that comes with buying power. Nowhere is that more visible than with Americans overseas… ‘Every time the euro increases by 10 cents towards the dollar we lose $1 billion in our operations,’ said an Airbus official at the company’s headquarters in Toulouse, France. ‘Aircraft are sold in U.S. dollars, but most of our production costs are paid in euros.’…

“The dramatic surge in oil revenue along with the weakening dollar has sparked a rise in inflation in the Gulf states — hurting most those who have the least. In recent months, it has wiped out much of the gains from years of hard labor for the thousands of South Asian workers who moved to Dubai for a piece of its multibillion-dollar construction boom… some in China are turning their noses up at the dollar. Lin Jing, a sales manager… said [his] company has begun to demand euros from its overseas customers instead of dollars. ‘The use of euros enables us to shy away from losses caused by the conversion between the [Chinese currency] and the weakened dollar,’ he said.”

America’s Housing Saga Worst Since Great Depression

The Washington Times wrote on December 26:

“This year’s housing bust is shaping up to be one of historic proportions. Sales and construction have sunk to levels not seen since the 1990 savings and loan crisis, while foreclosures and price drops are the largest since the Great Depression — and expected to get worse next year. Many parallels can be seen with earlier housing debacles. Each episode had some combination of easy money, loose lending, greed and fraud that turned a housing boom into a speculative bubble. But few housing bubbles have ended so badly as the one today, when the nation is confronting the prospect of mass foreclosures and family dislocations…

“The whole mess threatens to sink the broader economy the longer it wreaks havoc on consumer confidence and spending power… The housing saga is far from over, many analysts say. With millions more mortgages resetting in the next two years, many more people could lose their homes. Banks, securities firms and investors could foot another $300 billion in losses, by some estimates. If consumers are daunted by bleak housing news and their loss of wealth and spending power, they could capitulate and send the economy into a recession, economists say…”

How Europe Views the American Presidential Election

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 24:

“The United States is a country that likes to explain democracy to other nations. It is also a country that starts wars to bring democracy to the world. It allows the candidates for its highest office, the presidency, to spend a year and a half campaigning, leaving no stone unturned as it delves into their past…

“And then there is Iowa. Iowa — a flat state of corn, cows and the occasional small town. Iowa, a sparsely populated state in the US Midwest, is home to 2,982,000 people, 94 percent of them white. Astonishing things have been happening in Iowa in recent weeks: Hillary Clinton knocking on the doors of hog farmers and smiling timidly; Rudy Giuliani helping an elderly woman cross the street; Mitt Romney telling a joke; Barack Obama standing in the lobby of a Des Moines hotel whistling a tune; Fred Thompson looking awake.

“The American presidential election campaign is heating up. Although the general election isn’t until November 2008, Iowa residents of both major political parties will be the first, on Jan. 3, to cast their votes to determine which Democrat and which Republican will make the final run for the White House. Voters in New Hampshire, South Carolina and the rest of the 50 states will follow suit in the days and months ahead…

“Of course, it is by no means certain that the Democrats will still be ahead when the general election rolls around in just under a year. But it looks that way for the moment, at least, partly because current President George W. Bush is so unpopular and partly because American voters are confronted with an unusually weak collection of candidates for the Republican nomination…

“A preliminary decision — nothing more, nothing less — will be made here in Iowa on Jan. 3. The real race begins after that.”

However, the magazine added:

“It could snow on Jan. 3, a Thursday. And there will be football on TV — both could reduce voter turnout. No more than 100,000 votes are up for grabs for each party in Iowa, and only 3,000 to 4,000 votes will decide whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, the two leading Democratic candidates, will win the state’s important first-in-the-nation primary election. Winning in Iowa is… traditionally a tremendous boost for a candidate. Conversely, candidates who fail to place a strong second or third in the state are often finished.”

Putin Person of the Year? — Get Real!

Time Magazine chose Vladimir Putin as the person of the year. An odd choice–to put it mildly. On December 20, U.S. News and World Report published the following commentary by senior writer Michael Barone. Although we do not agree with all of his comments, they nevertheless make interesting reading:

“Time magazine has chosen Vladimir Putin as the person of the year. This strikes me as an odd choice. Yes, Putin has been an important player on the international stage; yes, he has frustrated American efforts to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons; yes, he has been more intransigent on asserting Russian power on the ‘near abroad,’ the former Soviet republics, which, like Ukraine, Georgia, and the Baltics, seek to take a different course. But he has been doing these things for years, and he has made no important advances, at best incremental progress, in calendar year 2007…

“To be sure, Time did not always name those admired by its founder, Henry Luce, a liberal Republican and interventionist in the run-up to World War II. For 1942, it named Joseph Stalin for the Soviets’ successful resistance to the Nazi invasion that began in 1941, but it had also… named Stalin as the man of the year in 1939, because the Hitler-Stalin pact agreed to in August 1939 enabled Adolf Hitler to invade Poland without serious opposition. Indeed, Time also named Hitler man of the year for 1938, when he got Britain and France to appease him by destroying the power of Czechoslovakia to resist conquest…

“It hailed Richard Nixon as the man of the year for 1971, for the opening to China, which is hard to quarrel with, whatever your ideological orientation. Nixon set a new policy for China that has been followed, more or less, by every administration since (though denounced by most presidential nominees since). The post-Luce Time was quick to notice the turn in China policy made by Teng Hsiao-P’ing (as he was then transliterated), man of the year for 1978, and gave him the honor again, this time as Deng Xiao Ping, in 1985. Time has often honored winning presidential candidates who had not seemed such likely winners the year before, bestowing the man of the year designation on Ronald Reagan for 1980, for example. But, oddly, it honored him and Soviet leader Yuri Andropov as co-men of the year for 1983, though they never met and never negotiated…

“Time left no doubt of where it stood. Mikhail Gorbachev was the man of the year for 1987, an eminently defensible choice, but he was also 1989 declared man of the decade for 1989—an echo of Time’s declaration for 1950 that Winston Churchill was the man of the half-century. There’s just a tad bit of difference here: Churchill won, and Gorbachev lost. The man of the decade of the 1980s who prevailed and triumphed was Ronald Reagan…

“When I started off in journalism, at the Harvard Crimson in 1963, Henry Luce and Time were considered a prime example of slanted journalism, tilted toward Republicans and against Democrats, toward liberal Republicans and against conservative Republicans, tilted toward Catholics (Luce’s wife Claire Boothe Luce was a Catholic convert, and Luce produced hugely favorable coverage of his friend Joseph Kennedy’s children and of the Catholic Diems in Vietnam; it turns out the coverage of the Kennedys was inflated…)

“Now Time is slanted to the left… The men of the year for 1993 were the ‘peacemakers’ Nelson Mandela, F. W. de Klerk, Yitzhak Rabin, and Yasser Arafat. Quiz question: Which name doesn’t belong on this list? Or 1998 men of the year Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr, as odd and ill-assorted a pair as Andropov and Reagan…

“Which brings us back to the person of the year for 2007, Vladimir Putin. Yes, he’s a consequential figure, who has just nominated a successor who looks like his pawn… But Russia ain’t what it was when Time saw Ronald Reagan and Yuri Andropov as a dynamic duo. And who are Time’s runners-up? Al Gore, who exaggerated the IPCC climate forecast by a factor of 20 to say that New York and London would be flooded by global warming (they weren’t in the 13th century, when the weather was a lot warmer than it is now). J. K. Rowling, who has made millions writing books that children and adults love to read; all power to her, but she’s not exerting the kind of influence over human affairs that Hitler did in 1938 and Stalin did in 1939…”

“Defense” Cooperation Between Russian and Iran

The Associated Press and the International Herald Tribune reported on December 24:

“Iran and Russia discussed defense cooperation… as ties between the two countries have been increasingly flourishing… In early 2007, Iran received advanced Russian air defense missile system under a US$700 million contract signed in 2005. Russia has provided Iran with military products such Kilo-Class submarines, MIG and Sukhoi military planes and bombers in the past decades. Relations between Iran and Russia have been growing closer in recent months, climaxed by a historical visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran in October. Russia is also putting the finishing touches on a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Bushehr, located in southern Iran. Iran received the first shipment of nuclear fuel from Russia last week, paving the way for the startup of its reactor in 2008.”

Tony Blair’s “Conversion” to Catholicism

The Associated Press reported on December 23:

“Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has left the Church of England and converted to Catholicism, the faith of his wife and children. Blair converted during a Mass Friday night at the private London chapel of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales… Blair had been a regular worshipper at Mass with his family and in recent months had been following a program leading to his reception into the church… In England’s last census, 72 percent of people identified themselves as Christian. Many are Anglicans affiliated with the Church of England, which was created by royal proclamation during the 16th century after King Henry VIII — who married six times — broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church in a dispute over divorce.”

Tony Blair–How Catholics Are “Made”

The Daily Mail wrote on December 23:

“Tony Blair was challenged yesterday to explain his record on abortion, embryo testing and gay rights after announcing that he had converted to Catholicism. Some Catholics condemned his previous support for causes which were apparently inconsistent with Church doctrine. But they drew a rebuke from senior figures in the Church, who said the Pope’s welcome for the new recruit was the final word. Sources said Mr Blair’s conversion ‘is not retrospective’ and that he does not have to account for his actions and beliefs in the past…

“John Smeaton, of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: ‘During his premiership Tony Blair became one of the world’s most significant architects of the culture of death, promoting abortion, experimentation on unborn embryos, including cloned embryos, and euthanasia by neglect. SPUC is writing to Tony Blair to ask him whether he has repented of the anti-life positions he has so openly advocated.’

“Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe, herself a convert, raised Mr Blair’s previous support for embryo research, gay ‘marriage’ and abortion, saying: ‘My question would be, has he changed his mind?’ Former Labour minister Peter Kilfoyle, a Catholic, said: ‘If he showed just one ounce of contrition over Iraq, then he would be closer to the body of morality that is the Catholic Church.'”

Roman Catholic Church Dominant Religious Group in Britain

The Sunday Telegraph wrote on December 23:

“Roman Catholics have overtaken Anglicans as the country’s dominant religious group. More people attend Mass every Sunday than worship with the Church of England, figures seen by The Sunday Telegraph show… The rise of Catholicism has been bolstered by an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe [especially Poland] and Africa.”

The Daily Mail added on December 23:

“The arrival of more than 600,000 Poles since their country joined the EU in 2004 appears to have dramatically slowed the long-term decline in congregations at Catholic churches. Roman Catholics who attend Mass have outnumbered Church of England congregations on Sunday mornings for some years…”

Sarkozy–a “Cultural Catholic”

The International Herald Tribune reported on December 21:

“President Nicolas Sarkozy has broken a French taboo by urging a more active role for religion in public life, but stopped well short of the American-style mix of faith and politics his critics say he wants to copy. A twice-divorced ‘cultural Catholic’, Sarkozy used a visit to the Vatican on Thursday to declare France was rooted in Christianity and needed Catholics to be more active in public life because faith helped give meaning to life…

“In its front-page cartoon on Friday, the Paris daily Le Monde showed Sarkozy dressed as a bishop, with President George Bush shouldering a cross and an American flag and confessing to Pope Benedict: ‘I think this guy is stealing my job.’…

“In his speech accepting the canon’s title, an honour given to French leaders since the 17th century, Sarkozy made repeated references to France’s Christian roots — a link that Paris refused to have mentioned in Europe’s planned constitution… Sarkozy said France needed ‘convinced Catholics who are not afraid to say who they are and what they believe.’

“RTL radio commentator Serge July noted the Catholic Church in France has criticised Sarkozy’s crackdown on immigration and plans to drop most restrictions on Sunday shopping.”

Christmas–“Christianized” Paganism

The Associated Press reported on December 22, 2007:

“The church where the tradition of celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 may have begun was built near a pagan shrine as part of an effort to spread Christianity, a leading Italian scholar says… In 325, [Constantine] convened the Council of Nicaea, which fixed the dates of important Christian festivals. It opted to mark Christmas… on Dec. 25 to coincide with the Roman festival celebrating the birth of the sun god, Andrea Carandini, a professor of archaeology at Rome’s La Sapienza University, told reporters Friday… ‘The church was built to Christianize these pagan places of worship,’ he said… Rome’s archaeological superintendent Angelo Bottini, who did not take part in Carandini’s research, said that hypothesis was ‘evocative and coherent’ and ‘helps us understand the mechanisms of the passage from paganism to Christianity.'”

How New York Invented Modern-Day Christmas

The Daily News reported on December 23:

“Christmas was originally a combination of the day of worship of the birth of Christ and the Roman winter solstice festival called the Saturnalia. The latter was a very raucous, townwide affair, and its raunchy and riotous ways persisted until nearly modern times. Then the Puritans outlawed Christmas altogether…

“It was New York City that changed all that, pioneering the family — and very child-centered — holiday that has since spread around the world. This is not surprising, perhaps, seeing that Santa Claus is New York’s patron saint. No, really. The Dutch ship that brought the first settlers to Manhattan was named for St. Nicholas, the patron saint of old Amsterdam as well as children.  It was long a Dutch tradition for children to get presents on St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6, often put in their shoes or stockings for them to find in the morning… Often these presents came on Christmas instead of St. Nicholas Day.

“Then, around the turn of the 19th century, New York’s emerging literary establishment created much of the folklore of the modern Christmas. Washington Irving wrote about St. Nicholas (‘Sinterklaes’ in one Dutch form of the name, soon anglicized to ‘Santa Claus’)… In 1821, an American children’s book called ‘The Children’s Friend’ changed Santa’s horse and wagon to a reindeer and sleigh… At first, there was no single, standard image of Santa Claus. But in the 1860s, the great American political cartoonist Thomas Nast contributed drawings… to Harper’s Weekly — a New York publication, of course — that fixed to the present day the image of Santa Claus as a jolly, bearded, fat man in a fur-trimmed cap…

“By the 20th century, the New York-inspired American Christmas traditions were hallowed ones. But New Yorkers kept adding to them anyway. In 1940, Irving Berlin wrote what has become the most popular Christmas song of all time, ‘White Christmas.’ Nine years later, Robert May and his New Yorker brother-in-law, the composer Johnny Marks, added a ninth reindeer to Santa’s sleigh, Rudolph.

“It is, perhaps, a sign of New York City’s incomparable multiethnic synergy, which reaches right back to the present-seeking children of Dutch days, that both Marks and Berlin were, of course, Jewish.”

Where Do Santa’s Elves Come From?

On December 22, Yahoo published the following as the best answer to the question where Santa’s elves come from. It stated:

“The Santa Claus story is of MIXED background–combining Germanic mythology and folktales with Christian stories about one or more church leaders (the source of the name Saint Nicholas). The elves appear to come from a Germanic folktale that was brought into the mix. Here is the story, according to Wikipedia:

“‘Another early folk tale, originating among the Germanic tribes, tells of a holy man (sometimes Saint Nicholas), and a demon (sometimes the Devil, Krampus, or a troll). The story states that the land was terrorized by a monster who at night would slither down the chimneys and slaughter children (disembowelling them or stuffing them up the flue, or keeping them in a sack to eat later). The holy man sought out the demon, and tricked it with blessed or magical shackles (in some versions the same shackles that imprisoned Christ prior to the crucifixion, in other versions the shackles were those used to hold St. Peter or Paul of Tarsus); the demon was trapped and forced to obey the saint’s orders. The saint ordered him to go to each house and make amends, by delivering gifts to the children. Depending on the version, the saint either made the demon fulfil this task every year, or the demon was so disgusted by the act of good will that it chose to be sent back to Hell. Yet other versions have the demon reform under the saint’s orders, and go on to recruit other elves and imps into helping him, thus becoming Santa Claus.'”

A “holy man” commands a demon to do good deeds? Very unlikely–unless the “holy man” is a “demon” himself… In any event, this story shows that the gifts for children were made by demons… and that Santa Claus was originally a demon… AND, that also the elves were apparently demons as well…

When the Wise Men Visited Jesus

The Grayson County News Gazette re-told the “Christmas story” in one of its articles, published on December 24. The following admission is quite striking:

“After Jesus’ birth, Herod was king of Judea. At this time wise men (Magi) from the east saw a star, they came in search, knowing the star signified the birth of the king of the Jews. The wise men came to the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem and asked where the Christ was to be born. The rulers explained, “In Bethlehem in Judea,” referring to Micah 5:2. Herod secretly met with the Magi and asked them to report back after they had found the child. Herod told the Magi that he too wanted to go and worship the babe. But secretly Herod was plotting to kill the child. So the wise men continued to follow the star in search of the new born king and found Jesus with his mother in Bethlehem. (Most likely Jesus was already two years of age by this time.).”

Christmas and the “Child Jesus”

The Associated Press reported on December 25:

“Pope Benedict XVI issued a Christmas Day appeal Tuesday to political leaders around the globe to find the ‘wisdom and courage’ to end bloody conflicts in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan and Congo… Wearing gold-embroidered vestments and a bejeweled bishops’ hat, or miter, Benedict urged the crowd to rejoice over the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth, which he said he hoped would bring consolation to all people ‘who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war.’… ‘May the child Jesus bring relief to those who are suffering and may he bestow upon political leaders the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions,’ he said… He said he hoped Christmas would bring consolation to ‘those who are still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend human dignity.'”

What is striking is, among other things, the plea that the “Child Jesus” would bring relief. Jesus Christ is NOT a Child anymore–He is an all-powerful GOD being–the LIVING KING of kings and the LORD of lords–our mighty High priest and Savior. But this is exactly one of the problems with Christmas and its traditions–to think of our Maker and Creator (compare John 1:1-3, 14) as a helpless young little child in a manger. For more information about the REAL Jesus, please read our free booklet, “Jesus Christ–A Great Mystery.”

Christ–The “Sun” Rising From the East?

The Catholic News Services (CNS) reported on December 27:

“The newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, asked Msgr. Marini to explain why the crucifix, the symbol of Christ’s death, was being given such prominence even at midnight Mass when the church was celebrating Christ’s birth.

“‘The position of the cross at the center of the altar indicates the centrality of the crucifix in the Eucharistic celebration and the exact orientation the entire assembly is called to have during the eucharistic liturgy… Salvation comes from the Lord. He is the east, the sun that rises, the one whom we all must watch,’ Msgr. Marini said. In his 2000 book, ‘The Spirit of the Liturgy,’ Pope Benedict argued that facing the east while praying is a physical expression of turning toward God, toward the sun that rises for the salvation of all men and women.

“‘Where a direct, common turning toward the east is not possible, the cross can serve as the interior “east” of the faith. It should stand in the middle of the altar and be the common point of focus for both priest and praying community,’ he wrote.”

The Bible has some strong words to say about those who worship the sun (or Jesus “as” the sun) rising from the east. Ezekiel 8:15-17 reads:

“Then He said to me, ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.’ So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD  and THEIR FACES TOWARD THE EAST, and they were WORSHIPPING THE SUN TOWARD THE EAST.”

The Climate Conference On Bali–“A Disaster”

The German paper, Die Tageszeitung, wrote on December 17: “The Bali climate conference will enter the history books — as a disaster.”

What has happened? Didn’t the world celebrate Bali as a success? Maybe at first–but not anymore.

What has come out of Bali is simply this: America is perceived to have failed in any leadership role, and Germany and Europe are becoming the leaders which the USA has refused to provide.

Success On Bali?–No Way!

On December 15, the press enthusiastically reported about a breakthrough at Bali’s climate change conference. But the reports were premature, and satisfaction was short-lived.

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 15:

“There were tears, boos and, at the end, even hugs: After a long struggle, the delegates at the UN climate conference on Bali finally managed to agree on a roadmap for fighting climate change. Despite the lack of concrete targets, most considered the deal a success… The last-minute deal came on Saturday after the US delegation made a U-turn in a final negotiating session…

“Paula Dobriansky, leader of the US delegation, and her colleague James Connaughton found themselves the targets of naked animosity. When Dobriansky announced that the US would not sign up for the Bali roadmap, boos echoed through the room. The Americans were sharply attacked by several delegations. ‘If you’re not willing to lead, please get out of the way,’ said a US environmental activist representing Papua New Guinea.

“Other opponents of binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as Japan or Russia, failed to come to the US delegation’s defense. Left isolated, the American delegation gave in and agreed to the roadmap. ‘We will go forward and join consensus,’ said Dobriansky. This time the delegation was rewarded with a standing ovation from some participants.

“German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters he was on the verge of sending a mobile phone text message to Chancellor Angela Merkel, asking her to intervene with the White House, when the US delegation reversed their position.”

Is It Up to Germany and Europe to Save the World?…

However, only two days later, international enthusiasm was replaced with frustration and anger towards the United States.

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 17:

“It took just hours for the White House to begin back-pedalling on the Bali climate negotiations breakthrough. One minute, US head of delegation Paula Dobriansky was agreeing to a blueprint for a new international accord to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocol. The next minute, the White House press secretary released a statement indicating that Washington has ‘serious concerns’ about the agreement reached on the Indonesian island of Bali.”

In addition to the isolation of the United States, the eyes of the world focus now on GERMANY and EUROPE to lead. Der Spiegel Online continued:

“German media commentators say Washington is increasingly isolated in one of the most pressing problems facing humanity, and that it’s up to the Europeans to save the world… Business daily Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… The most important driving force behind protection remains a credible pioneer. Only if a group of industrial nations forges ahead and shows that climate-friendly technology can be profitable will others follow. Germany and Europe have taken on this pioneering role once and for all. That is good news from the climate conference.'”

… Or, Will America Still Be Able to Lead in the Future?

On December 17, The New York Times acknowledged the lack of American leadership in Bali, but was hopeful that the USA will provide leadership in the future. The article stated:

“In Bali, where delegates from 187 countries met to begin framing a new global warming treaty, America’s negotiators were in full foot-dragging mode, acting as spoilers rather than providing the leadership the world needs… Despite pleas from their European allies, the Americans flatly rejected the idea of setting even provisional targets for reductions in greenhouse gases. And they refused to give what the rest of the world wanted most: an unambiguous commitment to reducing America’s own emissions. Without that, there is little hope that other large emitters, including China, will change their ways…

“The decision to maintain the tax breaks was particularly shameful. Blessed by $90-a-barrel oil, the companies are rolling in profits, and there is no evidence to support the claim that they need these breaks to be able to explore for new resources. Yet the White House had the gall to argue that the breaks are necessary to protect consumers at the pump, and the Senate was craven enough to go along.

“This Senate will have another chance to provide the American leadership the world needs on climate change. An ambitious bipartisan bill aimed at cutting America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by midcentury has been approved by a Senate committee and may come to the floor next year. Though the bill is far from perfect and will provoke intense debate, it could offer a measure of redemption for the administration’s embarrassing failure in Bali.”

European Sanctions Against the USA Because of Climate Change?

The International Herald Tribune reported on December 18:

“The Social Democrats are calling for sanctions on energy-intensive U.S. export products if the Bush administration continues to obstruct international agreements on climate protection, the party’s leading environmental expert said Tuesday. The move, after the United Nations climate conference last week in Bali, Indonesia, has won strong support from the Greens and other leftist groupings in the European Parliament. Those factions will renew their bid to impose such levies when the Parliament reconvenes next month. It also signals a big effort by the Social Democrats to take the initiative on the environment and perhaps reshape it as a foreign policy issue that could affect relations between Berlin and Washington…

“‘Merkel has made climate change a big issue and has tried to bring the Bush administration on board, so far without success,’ said Ulrich Kelber, deputy parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats and an environmental expert… ‘We cannot let the U.S. continue to block multilateral agreements, as it tried with Kyoto, or weaken them, as it did in Bali,’ he said… ‘The U.S. is a major part of the problem. Levying special taxes or sanctions on energy-intensive U.S. products, such as steel and aluminum, which are exported to Europe, could be the first step,’ Kelber said.”

Scientists Disagree on “Man-Made Global Warming”

On December 20, the Drudge Report published the following article, which appeared on the Website of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (epw.senate.gov):

“Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. The new report issued by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s office of the GOP Ranking Member details the views of the scientists, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke out in 2007. 

“Even some in the establishment media now appear to be taking notice of the growing number of skeptical scientists. In October, the Washington Post Staff Writer Juliet Eilperin conceded the obvious, writing that climate skeptics ‘appear to be expanding rather than shrinking.’ Many scientists from around the world have dubbed 2007 as the year man-made global warming fears ‘bites the dust.’

“This blockbuster Senate report lists the scientists by name, country of residence, and academic/institutional affiliation.  It also features their own words, biographies, and weblinks to their peer reviewed studies and original source materials as gathered from public statements, various news outlets, and websites in 2007. This new ‘consensus busters’ report is poised to redefine the debate.

  “Many of the scientists featured in this report consistently stated that numerous colleagues shared their views, but they will not speak out publicly for fear of retribution. Atmospheric scientist Dr. Nathan Paldor, Professor of Dynamical Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, author of almost 70 peer-reviewed studies, explains how many of his fellow scientists have been intimidated. ‘Many of my colleagues with whom I spoke share these views and report on their inability to publish their skepticism in the scientific or public media,’ Paldor wrote…

“This new report details how teams of international scientists are dissenting from the UN IPCC’s view of climate science. In such nations as Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Russia, New Zealand and France, scientists banded together in 2007 to oppose climate alarmism. In addition, over 100 prominent international scientists sent an open letter in December 2007 to the UN stating attempts to control climate were ‘futile.'”

Is US Economy Headed Towards Full-Blown Recession?

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote on December 16:

“The chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley’s Asian arm, Stephen Roach, says the United States economy is headed towards recession and the rest of the world should be concerned… ‘What is interesting, and potentially disturbing, is that the rest of the world doesn’t seem to think this is a big deal any more,’ he said… Mr Roach said the US was the world’s biggest consumer economy at US $9.5 trillion, compared to China at $1 trillion and India at $650 billion… He said growth in Asia was vigorous but was export-led, and the end game of the Asian growth machine was directed at US consumers. The new consumers in China and India would not be able to offset falls in US consumption.”

In addition, The Associated Press reported on December 18:

“Housing construction [in the USA] fell in November and single-family activity dropped to the lowest level in more than 16 years as a severe housing slump showed no signs of a turnaround… Construction of single-family homes fell by 5.5 percent to an annual rate of 829,000 units, the lowest level since April 1991…

“In a bad sign for future activity, the government reported that applications for building permits fell for a sixth straight month, dropping by 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.15 million units, the slowest pace for building permits since June 1993…

“The slump has raised concerns that the economy could be pushed into a full-blown recession. Starting this summer, some of the nation’s largest banks and investment firms have declared multibillion-dollar losses stemming from a surge of defaults on subprime mortgages, loans offered to borrowers with weak credit histories… The concern is that the rising number of mortgage defaults will dump even more homes on an already glutted market.”

Vaccinations–Pro…

On December 15, 2007, The Courier-Post reported the following:

“Despite vocal protests from several statewide parents’ organizations, New Jersey became the first state in the country Friday to require annual flu shots for preschoolers. Along with the flu vaccine, State Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred Jacobs signed off on adding three other required vaccinations. Preschoolers will be required to receive immunizations for pneumonia and the flu, while sixth-graders will get shots for meningitis and a booster for tetanus and whooping cough…

“Sue Collins, co-founder of the New Jersey Alliance for Informed Choice in Vaccination, said that by mandating the vaccines, the state thinks ‘the government knows New Jersey’s children better than their parents do. Parents no longer seem to have a say what medical procedures their children get’…

“Children in the state already are required to receive vaccinations for nine diseases by the age of 2, and some of those require multiple doses. Exemptions can only be given for medical reasons or religious objections. In addition, some parents protested the flu shots because some brands still contain the mercury-based preservative thimersol…”

… And Con…

Time Magazine wrote on December 13:

“Merck announced that it is voluntarily recalling 1 million doses of two common childhood vaccines, routinely given to children under 5… Merck is pulling… a vaccine that protects against infection with haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), the bacteria that causes meningitis, pneumonia, and bloodstream infections. The COMVAX vaccine protects against haemophilius B and hepatitis B, a virus that can cause liver disease… During a routine inspection of their manufacturing process, Merck officials found that some equipment was contaminated with a bacteria…”

The magazine’s further comments are quite revealing and contradict New Jersey’s official state policy, as referred to in the previous article:

“If children can’t get immunized, is there a danger that we will see more meningitis outbreaks? Probably not. Immunization rates are so high in the U.S. — 94% of toddlers are up to date on their Hib vaccinations — that it would take some time for a widespread infection to take hold.”

Soon to Come–Major Earthquake in Israel

AFP wrote on December 17:

“As if political instability and rampant insecurity in the Middle East are not worrying enough, Israeli experts are warning that a major earthquake could strike the region at any time. Three minor quakes over the past month have served as a reminder that Israel and the West Bank sit atop one of the most sensitive fault lines in the world, where earthquakes have a history of causing havoc…

“Under that assessment, Israel and the Palestinian territories should brace for a major earthquake soon, as the last one happened 80 years ago, on July 11, 1927, in British mandate Palestine when 300 people were killed in Jerusalem and Jericho. A similar quake measuring seven on the Richter scale and with an epicentre in the Hula Valley, today in northern Israel up from the Sea of Galilee, devastated the town of Safed and killed some 4,000 people in 1837…

“The Lod institute estimates that if a magnitude seven earthquake strikes the northern Jordan Valley or the Dead Sea, between 8,200 and 9,500 people could be killed, more than 20,000 injured and more than 20,000 left homeless… Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who saw Jerusalem fall to the invading Romans in 70 AD, also wrote that around 30,000 people perished in an earthquake whose epicentre was in the region of the Dead Sea in 31 BC.”

The Bible predicts that in the not-too-distant future, a major earthquake will destroy parts of the city of Jerusalem and kill 7,000 people (compare Revelation 11:13).

How China Poisons Its People

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 18:

“Chinese journalist Zhou Qing, a critic of the regime, unearthed political dynamite in his two-year investigation of China’s food industry. He interviewed grocers, restaurant owners, farmers and food factory managers for an exposé for which he won a prize as part of the German ‘Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage’ in 2006.

“His book is a dark account of a ruthless food mafia that stops at nothing to maximize its profits, for example by using contraceptives to accelerate the growth of fish stocks, lengthening the shelf-life of cucumbers with highly toxic pesticide DDT, using hormones and poisoned salt in food production and putting absurd amounts of antibiotics in meat…

“Zhou said uncontrolled greed had caused a food disaster of unimaginable proportions. ‘I can only warn you never to go in a restaurant.’ The danger of food producers being taken to task for their actions is slight. Everything disappears in China’s endless bureaucracy, he said.

“Zhou’s claims may sound exaggerated, but they’re borne out by recent developments. In early December the Shanghai city council slapped an export ban on products made by the Shanghai Mellin Food Company after cancer-causing substances were found in its pork products. In July the former director of the state food and drug supervisory authority… was executed after being convicted of taking bribes to award licences for forged drugs, some of which had lethal side effects…

“The children are the biggest sufferers, said Zhou. Poisoned baby food has led to severe diseases and physical deformities. Zhou writes that 200,000 to 400,000 people fall victim to poisoned food each year. A third of cancer cases, which are increasing at double-digit rates, can be attributed to food, he writes.”

Food In Short Supply

The International Herald Tribune reported on December 17:

“In an ‘unforeseen and unprecedented’ shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels, the top food and agriculture official of the United Nations warned Monday. The changes created ‘a very serious risk that fewer people will be able to get food,’ particularly in the developing world, said Jacques Diouf, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization…
 
“World wheat stores declined 11 percent this year, to the lowest level since 1980. That corresponds to 12 weeks of the world’s total consumption – much less than the average of 18 weeks consumption in storage during the period 2000-2005. There are only 8 weeks of corn left, down from 11 weeks in the earlier period. Prices of wheat and oilseeds are at record highs, Diouf said Monday. Wheat prices have risen by $130 per ton, or 52 percent, since a year ago. U.S. wheat futures broke $10 a bushel for the first time Monday, the agricultural equivalent of $100 a barrel oil… To make matters worse, high oil prices have doubled shipping costs in the past year, putting enormous stress on poor nations that need to import food as well as the humanitarian agencies that provide it…

“Part of the current problem is an outgrowth of prosperity. More people in the world now eat meat, diverting grain from humans to livestock. A more complicated issue is the use of crops to make biofuels, which are often heavily subsidized. A major factor in rising corn prices globally is that many farmers in the United States are now selling their corn to make subsidized ethanol.”

Over 12 Million New Cancer Cases in 2007

AFP reported on December 17:

“More than 12 million new cases of cancer will have been diagnosed around the world in 2007 and 20,000 people a day, or 7.6 million people, will have died from the disease… According to Monday’s report ‘Global Cancer Facts and Figures,’ some 5.4 million cancer cases and 2.9 million deaths will occur in industrialized countries… Some 6.7 million cancer cases and 4.7 million deaths will take place in developing nations, with lung, stomach and liver cancer being most prevalent in men, and women suffering most from breast, uterine and stomach cancer… ‘This cancer burden is also increasing as people in the developing countries adopt western lifestyles such as cigarette smoking, higher consumption of saturated fat and calorie-dense foods, and reduced physical activity,’ said [the report]…

“The report also contains a special focus on smoking called ‘The Tobacco Epidemic’ which predicts that more than a billion people will die from smoking-related diseases in the 21st century — most in developing countries. This compares to about 100 million deaths from smoking around the world in the 20th century.

“About five million people died around the world from tobacco use in 2000, of which 30 percent [1.42 million] contracted cancer, of whom 850,000 had lung cancer… If the trend continues, there will be about two billion smokers around the world by 2030 of which half will die from smoking-related illnesses if they don’t quit.”

First Joint Military Exercise Between China and India

The Times of India wrote on December 19:

“India and China are getting ready for a unique game, where observers and the audience will count for more than the actual players. The two nations are set to hold their first joint military exercise from December 21 ending a year of both distrust and intense parleys to build friendship. Just about 80 soldiers from each side will participate in the five-day anti-terrorism drill scheduled to take place in the picturesque mountain ranges of Yunnan close to the provincial capital of Kunming. They will be led by a company commander, usually an officer of the rank of Major, from each side.

“The key to the exercise is not the actual players in the drill but senior military officers observing the game from the sidelines. These observers will use the opportunity to [gauge] the operational methods and capabilities of the armed forces. A crucial input would be the capability to handle surprises, which is the main tool in the hands of terrorists. ‘The purpose is to feel each other [out] and see if we can work together in [the] future. The key word is inter-operability. We would be in better equipped just in case the military of the two countries need to fight terrorists in future,’ a senior defense ministry official told TNN over phone from Delhi.”

Hungary First to Ratify New EU Treaty

The EUObserver reported on December 18:

“Hungary on Monday… became the first of the 27 member states to ratify the bloc’s new treaty, making the move just days after the document was formally signed off by EU leaders… Reacting to the vote, Hungary’s prime minister praised the ‘historic achievement’ of his country. In taking the ratification step so quickly, Budapest has stolen the crown from Poland and France, both of whom had indicated they were aiming to be the first…

“The new EU treaty takes on most of the features of the rejected European constitution, including a foreign policy chief, a long-term president of the EU, a binding citizens rights charter as well as cutting down on the areas where member states have a right to veto. The new institutional rules, six years in the making, were signed off in a formal ceremony on Thursday (13 December) in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon…

“Each member state has to ratify the treaty for it to come into force, with governments aiming to get it in place by early 2009. Ireland is the only country to have a referendum on the document, while the British government is undergoing strong pressure from opposition conservatives to hold a popular vote. Mr Sarkozy has sidestepped the awkward question of why French voters will not be having a second say on the treaty by suggesting that if France had a referendum then the British government would be forced to follow suit, resulting in a probable rejection of the document.”

Russia Delivers Nuclear Fuel to Iranian Power Plant

The New York Times reported on December 18:

“The United States lost a long battle when Russia, as it announced on Monday, delivered nuclear fuel to an Iranian power plant that is at the center of an international dispute over its nuclear program… from the American standpoint, the timing could not have been worse, coming just two weeks after the release of a United States intelligence estimate that concluded that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003…

“Russia’s decision to deliver fuel to Bushehr further encourages Iran, several administration officials and European diplomats said privately… Iran said it had no intention of suspending its uranium enrichment just because it had received the fuel shipment for Bushehr, and it even confirmed that it intended to enrich uranium for another new nuclear power plant in the south of the country…”

Putin Will Stay in Power

As if there was any doubt regarding the intentions of power-hungry Vladimir Putin, he has now confirmed what everybody suspected; that is, he WILL stay in power. The only question remains, exactly HOW will he do it?

The EUObserver wrote on December 18:

“Russian president Vladimir Putin seems set to retain power even after his second presidential term expires next year, as he has accepted an offer to serve as prime minister. ‘If citizens show trust in Dmitry Medvedev and elect him president, I will be ready to head the government without changing the institutional powers of the president and government”, Mr Putin said on Monday… The power-sharing deal ends speculation on whether the current Russian leader would resort to changing the constitution, which currently bars him from seeking a third presidential term.

“It remains unclear, however, what role Mr Putin will play on the country’s political scene… According to Leonid Gozman from the opposition Union of Right Forces party, the deal will see a strengthening of the prime minister’s role at the expense of the president’s. ‘It means either there will be a transfer of functions from the president to the premier or Putin will think of something else, for example, either becoming general secretary of United Russia or changing the constitution to create the position of spiritual leader of the nation’, Mr Gozman was cited as saying by AP.

“Analysts also took a critical tone, with Konstantin Remuchukov from the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta saying ‘It means one thing: Putin’s team will remain in power’. ‘This is not an election but the distribution of roles within a single team. There has never before been such a situation in Russia’, he added.”

Nativity Scenes Nothing But Human Legends

The Telegraph reported on December 20 about the well-known fact that the “nativity scenes,” as prominently pictured at Christmas time, are nothing but human legends. The article stated:

“The Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday that the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men was nothing but a ‘legend’. Dr Rowan Williams has claimed… there was certainly nothing to prove there were three of them [the Magis] or that they were kings. He said the only reference to the wise men from the East was in Matthew’s gospel and the details were very vague.

“Dr Williams said: ‘Matthew’s gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire, that’s all we’re really told. It works quite well as legend.’ The Archbishop went on to dispel other details of the Christmas story, adding that there were probably no asses or oxen in the stable.

“He argued that Christmas cards which showed the Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus, flanked by shepherds and wise men, were misleading. As for the scenes that depicted snow falling in Bethlehem, the Archbishop said the chance of this was ‘very unlikely’. In a final blow to the traditional nativity story, Dr Williams concluded that Jesus was probably not born in December at all. He said: ‘Christmas was when it was because it fitted well with the winter festival.'”

Of course, Dr. Williams is right, as any true scholar of the Christmas legend will have to admit. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

“Why Don’t We Just Call Off Christmas?”

The Christian Science Monitor wrote on December 18:

“My best Christmas as an adult was one I spent in the hospital. That was where our first child was born, on Dec. 21. As his mother recuperated, our new little family observed the holidays in her room, cut off from the frenzied world outside, enjoying one another’s company, and only occasionally being reminded of what we were missing by muted sounds of revelry down at the nurses’ station. Being in the hospital gave us an impeccable excuse not to ‘celebrate.’ We had no parties to attend, no cards to mail, no last-minute gifts to buy, no crowds to brave. It was wonderful.

“That experience left me wondering about the current state of year-end holidays. Whose needs are they meeting? A majority of us? Anything like a majority? If Christmas were put to a vote this year, would it pass? That vote would have to be secret, of course… But I keep wondering: If given the opportunity to vote Christmas up or down, anonymously, in a private booth – would a majority check the Yes box?

“Stress is as common as chimney stockings during the modern Yuletide. ‘How to Survive the Holidays’ workshops are more common than roving carolers. Magazine articles on ‘Coping With Holiday Anxiety’ and ‘How to Conquer Holiday Blues’ are a year-end staple. As Dec. 25 approaches, the police warn us to be on the lookout for drivers drunk from reveling, firefighters issue cautions about miswired lights, and hospitals plead for blood because their usual donors are distracted by the duties of the season.

“You’d think we’d learn. You’d think I would. I’d love to reclaim the many hours my wife and I have spent making up gift lists, then scurrying about frantically after work and on weekends hoping against hope to find the ‘right’ present for people we love, or at least get them something. On two different occasions I’ve had to sort through the effects of my late grandmother and my aunt. Both had drawers filled with Christmas presents in original boxes, many still half-wrapped, all with labels intact. These gifts had been opened, examined, and set aside. Some of them were from me…

“As if it weren’t bad enough that our Christmas rituals are obsolete, they’re also obligatory. You simply cannot avoid the occasion. Oh, you can. You could join a year’s end tour of Papua New Guinea. Or take to your bed for a week. One woman I know tries to schedule medical procedures for late December so she has a good excuse for avoiding Christmas festivities. Most of us aren’t that resourceful, however. We just muddle through. And keep smiling. And pray that it will soon be over. So why don’t we just call it off?…”

Good questions! And the answers might surprise you. In fact, we SHOULD call it off! For more information, please read our free booklet, mentioned above, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

No Christmas Presents

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 20:

“People work hard for their money, and then they throw it away like this. And it adds up. In total, holiday spending this year will add up to about $475 billion… Our national savings rate is pitiful. Most people, including many high earners, are woefully unprepared for any kind of retirement. Or even for putting their kids through college… ‘I’m at the point where in my family none of the adults exchange presents anymore,’ says Jan Geiger, a financial planner in Atlanta, Georgia, and author of Get Your Assets In Gear. ‘We’ve all basically decided that most of what you get is a waste of money.'”

More Evolutionary Nonsense

Der Spiegel Online “reported” on December 20 about more aspects of the evolutionary fairy tale. If one is gullible enough to believe it, the latest “findings” of “scientists” “prove” the evolutionary claim that mammals and whales had a common ancestor. Here are experts from the “news” article:

“A new paper by a team of US evolutionary biologists in the journal Nature claims that whales and land mammals share a common ancestor — a miniature deer that sprung into the water to escape being eaten 50 million years ago. Based on an extensive fossil record, biologists agree that whales evolved from land mammals. But the exact evolutionary link between the two was never clear.

“Now a paper in the journal Nature has provided possible answers: Researchers in the US believe that the ur-whale was actually a raccoon-sized deer. In the report published Thursday, anatomy professor Hans Thewissen from the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine argues that the whale’s land-based origins are anatomically evident in the fossils of a prehistoric animal called an Indohyus. The raccoon-sized animal lived some 48 million years ago in what is now Kashmir, between India and Pakistan.”

At least, Der Spiegel Online was willing to admit that this new “finding” was met with skepticism from some other scientists. The article continued to “explain”:

“Naturally, not everyone is convinced. A professor of functional anatomy and evolution at Johns Hopkins University, Kenneth Rose, told the Associated Press that Thewissen and his colleagues had not provided enough evidence to merit the conclusions drawn about Indohyus…”

This whole scenario is complete and utter nonsense. We might call it an assault on intelligence and the truth. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults.”

Be Thankful That You Live in the USA

We might complain about our Western “free” societies, and there is indeed much to complain about. But just imagine, for a moment, you would live in a more restricted environment, such as Saudi Arabia, for example–especially, if you are a woman. The following article, which was published by AFP on December 17, might just give us an idea how thankful we should be to live in countries such as the United States:

“King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia pardoned a teenage girl sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes after being gang raped in a decision swiftly welcomed by Washington on Monday… The girl, who was 18 at the time she was raped, was attacked at knifepoint by seven men after she was found in a car with a male companion who was not a relative, in breach of strict Saudi law. The king also pardoned the male companion, the justice minister announced…

“In October 2006, a judge sentenced her to 90 lashes for being with the man — a taboo in the conservative Muslim kingdom which imposes segregation of the sexes. She appealed against the sentence but despite her ordeal the court ruled that her punishment should be increased to 200 lashes and a six-month jail term. The judges decided to punish the girl further for ‘her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media’…

“The rapists were initially sentenced to one to five years in jail, but those terms were also toughened in November to between two and nine years. A rape conviction carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, but the court did not impose it due to the ‘lack of witnesses’ and the ‘absence of confessions,’ the justice ministry said last month. The girl’s husband praised the king for granting the pardon…

“Women in oil-rich Saudi Arabia live under restrictions imposed by a rigid interpretation of Islam and stringent tradition. They must be covered from head to toe in public and are not permitted to drive. Furthermore, they need a ‘mahram’ or a guardian — a husband or close male relative if they are widowed or single — in order to apply for and obtain a passport. Political constraints also mean that Saudi women are totally absent from the Shura (consultative) Council, whose members are appointed by the king, and were barred from landmark municipal elections in 2005.”

Church Killings in Colorado

The Associated Press reported on December 10:

“Five people, including a gunman, died in the attacks Sunday at a megachurch in Colorado Springs and at the Youth With a Mission missionary center in the Denver suburb of Arvada. Five others were wounded… Police in Arvada said they believed the shootings–which occurred 12 hours and about 65 miles apart–were probably linked…

“The violence began about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, when a man opened fire at the Youth With a Mission office after he had been denied a request to spend the night there. Witnesses told police that the gunman was a 20-year-old white male, wearing a dark jacket and skull cap, who had a handgun. More than 12 hours later, at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, a gunman with a high-powered rifle entered the church’s main foyer and opened fire…

“The gunman was killed by a member of the church’s armed security staff before police arrived… New Life, with about 10,000 members, was founded by… Ted Haggard, who was dismissed last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him…”

Armed Security of Churches and Problematic Texas Law

The Associated Press reported on December 11 about church members serving as armed security guards. Even though many–and even some within the Church of God communities–will undoubtedly support such measures, what does the LAW OF GOD say about it? You might want to read our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?”

The article of the AP also pointed out another troubling development–that “Under a new Texas law, all nonprofits must use licensed security guards.”

Here are some additional excerpts from the above-mentioned article:

“When a black-clad gunman walked into New Life Church on Sunday and started shooting, he was met with the church’s first line of defense: a congregant with a concealed-weapons permit and a law enforcement background. The armed volunteer… shot the gunman … Some of the nation’s estimated 1,200 megachurches–places where more than 2,000 worshippers gather each week–have been quietly beefing up security in recent years, even using armed guards to protect the faithful…

“The security plan at New Life Church may seem extraordinary. The church’s volunteer security force is stocked with people with military or law enforcement experience, they carry radios and weapons… At a news conference Monday, [the security guard at New Life Church] said that she prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide her, and that her hands never shook…”

Terrible Weather Conditions in America

The Associated Press reported on December 13:

“A deadly winter storm brought snow and sleet to the Northeast on Thursday, while crews in the Plains and Midwest worked to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people left in the dark in its ice-coated wake… Schools in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced closures…”

AccuWeather.com added on December 13:

“… nearly 500,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma were still without power, while more than 200,000 were still in the dark from Nebraska to Illinois. Utility officials stated it could be as much as 10 days before power is fully restored.”

It also stated:

“A potent winter storm moving through the Northeast today will be followed this weekend by a powerful nor’easter that will bring wind-whipped rain and snow to much of the Northeast… The second storm that will slam the Northeast this weekend will blossom tonight and Friday over the Four Corners. According to the Southwest Regional News story,  the system will be fueled by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The developing storm will bring snow to Colorado, northern New Mexico and western Kansas and a mix of rain and snow across parts of Oklahoma and Texas.”

Iran–How Could the U.S. Intelligence Have Been So Wrong?

WorldNetDaily reported on December 9:

“Israel has ‘incriminating’ information Iran has continued its nuclear weapons program, a senior Israeli security official told WND, directly contradicting last week’s U.S. intelligence report stating Tehran suspended its ambition in 2003.

“‘The Iranians continue their push for nuclear weapons in specific ways, including the acquisition and development of missiles,’ said a senior Israeli security official who has access to classified Israeli defense material and intelligence reports on Iran.

“‘Iran hides its nuclear weapons program but it continues nonetheless,’ he told WND, indicating the U.S. estimate may have been ‘politically motivated.’…

“Numerous news reports in recent days have attempted to punch holes in the NIE [National Intelligence Estimate] report.

“London’s Sunday Telegraph quoted a senior British official stating the UK believes Iran deliberately fed misinformation to the U.S. about its nuclear program… Editorials in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times also questioned the NIE report… Meanwhile, at today’s Knesset session, lawmakers here blasted the report and questioned America’s commitment to Israel and its front against Iran.

“‘It cannot be that Bush is committed to peace as was declared at Annapolis, and then the Americans propagate such an intelligence report which contradicts the information we have proving Iran intends to obtain nuclear weapons,’ stated Minister Yitzhak Cohen, a member of the Shas party, a key coalition partner in Olmert’s government. Cohen compared the NIE report to what he said were faulty reports released by the U.S. during the Holocaust that Jews were not being killed in spite of information possessed by American intelligence of the existence of concentration camps.

“‘In the middle of the previous century the Americans received intelligence reports from Auschwitz on the packed trains going to the extermination camps. They claimed then that the railways were industrial. Their attitude today to the information coming out of Iran on the Iranians’ intention to produce a nuclear bomb reminds one of their attitude during the Holocaust,’ stated Cohen.”

Reuters reported on December 11:

“An Iranian exile group accused Tehran on Tuesday of pursuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons, dismissing as incomplete a U.S. intelligence report that Iran’s nuclear arms program was frozen in 2003… The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which first exposed Iran’s nuclear fuel program in 2002, said it published information three years ago alleging that Tehran had restarted weapons-related work after a short break. NCRI officials said they checked back with sources inside Iran after the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) was released, and those informants reported that work on nuclear weapons was still being pursued at three sites…

“NCRI agreed with the NIE assessment that activities were suspended in 2003, and specified that in March 2003 Iran closed down a weaponization site in Lavisan, northeast Tehran, fearing it might be detected. But it transferred the weapons activities to a new site in Lavisan and later to two additional sites, information the NCRI had made public from November 2004 onwards, he said.”

No More Iranian Oil Transactions in U.S. Dollars

AFP reported on December 10:

“Major crude producer Iran has completely stopped carrying out its oil transactions in dollars, Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said on Saturday, labeling the greenback an ‘unreliable’ currency. ‘At the moment selling oil in dollars has been completely halted, in line with the policy of selling crude in non-dollar currencies,’ Nozari was quoted as saying…

“The world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, Iran has massively reduced its dependence on the dollar over the past year in the face of U.S. pressures on its financial system… Iran has reduced its assets in dollars held in foreign banks and urged OPEC to take collective action to price oil in other currencies such as the euro, instead of the U.S. currency which is used across the world at present.

“The decline of the dollar, which has weakened considerably against the euro and other currencies in the past 12 months, has affected the revenues of OPEC members because most of them price and sell their oil exports in the U.S. currency.”

New European Treaty Signed

On December 13, AFP reported as follows:

“Leaders of the 27-nation European Union signed a landmark treaty Thursday to revitalise EU decision-making, but the new unity was marred by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s absence from the ceremony.

“‘History will remember this day as a day when new paths of hope were opened to the European ideal,’ Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said at the elaborate ceremony in a historic Lisbon monastery. However the British leader’s failure to sign the treaty with the other leaders — a week after boycotting an EU-Africa summit — led to new accusations that Britain is too lukewarm toward Europe.

“Brown, who attended a British parliamentary committee hearing in the morning, eventually arrived at the official lunch venue after most of the other leaders had left. He signed the 250-page text, which has been widely criticised in Britain as handing more powers over to Brussels, and was whisked away without commenting to reporters…

“The treaty must still be ratified in each member state before it can come into effect, as planned, in 2009. Ireland is to hold a national referendum and polls indicate that Irish voters have mixed feelings about the treaty. ‘Maximum political commitment on all sides is now necessary,’ said European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering. ‘Through your signing of the treaty today, we are all committing ourselves to its early ratification. We would like this treaty to come into force by 1 January 2009 at the latest,’ he added.

“Like the rejected constitution, the treaty proposes a European foreign policy supremo and a permanent president to replace the cumbersome six-month rotating presidency system. It cuts the size of the European Parliament and the number of EU decisions which require unanimous support, hence reducing national vetoes. It also includes a European charter of fundamental human and legal rights, which Britain and Poland have refused to make binding.

“However it drops all references to an EU flag or anthem, which had fanned eurosceptic fears of another step towards a federal Europe. ‘For the first time, the countries that were once divided by a totalitarian curtain, are now united in support of a common Treaty that they had themselves negotiated,’ said EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso in a speech.”

Der Spiegel Online added on December 13:

“The new treaty, the details of which were agreed in October, replaces the system of rotating six-month presidencies with a president who will serve a two-year term. There will also be a stronger foreign policy chief… British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been sharply criticized for not holding a referendum in the United Kingdom. The country is one of the most Euro-skeptic in the bloc and would be unlikely to approve anything that smacks of a loss of sovereignty. In what has been derided as a somewhat empty gesture, Brown has refused to attend today’s ceremony and will sign the treaty later at a private lunch instead.”

CNN stated the following on December 13:

“The lack of referenda in other member nations [than Ireland] has caused controversy, mostly in Euro-skeptic countries like Britain, where vocal critics have been demanding a public vote. The headline in Thursday’s edition of The Sun tabloid in Britain read, ‘Never have so few decided so much for so many’… The UK campaign group ‘I Want a Referendum’ says that for Britain, the treaty would weaken the country’s ability to veto EU laws and give Britain less control over matters including foreign policy, defense, and immigration.”

Is Israel Willing to Abandon Parts of Jerusalem?

On December 9, WorldNetDaily reported the following:

“A top member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government today [Vice Premier Haim Ramon] announced Israel ‘must’ give up sections of Jerusalem for a future Palestinian state, even conceding the Palestinians can rename Jerusalem ‘to whatever they want.’… Positions held by Ramon… are largely considered to be reflective of Israeli government policy… Ramon’s statements follow last month’s U.S.-sponsored Annapolis summit at which Olmert committed to aim at completing negotiations by next year to create a Palestinian state, with Israel expected to evacuate swaths of Jerusalem and the strategic West Bank.”

Surprise Surprise–How Putin Wants to Stay in Power

 AFP reported on December 11:

“Months of uncertainty over Russia’s future power structure ended Tuesday when President Vladimir’s handpicked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, said Putin should become prime minister on quitting the Kremlin. Medvedev, the soft-spoken technocrat endorsed by Putin to succeed him as Russian president, said Putin, 55, should switch to become head of the government after stepping down.

“‘I consider it of utmost importance for our country to keep Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in the highest post of executive power, the post of head of government of the Russian Federation,’ Medvedev said in an address on national television. The stunning statement meant that Russia in the space of 24 hours appeared to have resolved the two biggest questions facing the country: who will win the March 2 presidential election to replace Putin, and what Putin will do on leaving office.

“Putin’s endorsement on Monday makes Medvedev, a 42-year-old trained lawyer and first deputy premier, all but certain to win an election in which there are no other heavyweight candidates. Medvedev’s call means Putin — who has long said he wanted to retain an important role after leaving the Kremlin — will likely from next year become a powerful premier.”

As Der Spiegel Online reported on December 11, much of the German press criticized Putin and Medvedev:

“… The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘… it would be completely wrong to take his election as signaling a change in direction. Medvedev may hold a few more liberal views than those in the cadre of the soviet-schooled intelligence service. But he is a long way from being a liberal who wants to steer Russia back toward reforms and introduce a new Perestroika based on purely democratic principles…’

The Financial Times Deutschland writes:

“‘… for Putin the control freak, there remains an insecurity that should not be underestimated. Within a brief period, Medvedev will need to go from being an unknown to a highly celebrated candidate so that he can succeed in getting the majority he needs at the beginning of March and doesn’t hand Putin an embarrassing defeat….The larger and less controllable danger for Putin, though, is this: Once he is president, a compliant Medvedev might just learn to like ruling and exercising power. >From today’s point of view, that might be hard to imagine. But Putin himself is the best example of how the position (of president) can change its occupant. Back in 2000, when Putin became a first deputy prime minister, he too was just a bland apparatchik. Today he is a hard-nosed power politician who doesn’t take nonsense from anyone, especially not from his successor.’

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes:

“‘It was apparently more important for Putin to position himself than for his successor to be appointed. But his position is still unclear. Will he be a super-president? Will he be a “national leader?” Nobody knows. The root of the English word successor is success, and it means somebody who is handed success from somebody else. But as a triumphant successor, Dmitry Medvedev is surely miscast…'”

How Putin Crushes the Opposition

AFP reported on December 12, 2007:

“The Russian opposition leader and chess legend Garry Kasparov told journalists on Wednesday he was abandoning his presidential election campaign… ‘In all Moscow we have not been able to find a hall where our supporters could meet,’ he said… Kasparov has accused Putin of crushing democratic opposition through the Kremlin’s dominance of the media, election laws that sideline smaller parties and heavy-handed police tactics in dispersing demonstrations… ‘We pay and the people agree. There are no problems. And then they call us to say they are refusing, can’t give us the hall any more,’ Kasparov said on the sidelines of a gathering of Russian reformist parties and non-governmental organisations. ‘They refuse to give us the hall for technical reasons.’…

“Election law requires that a candidate who is not nominated by a political party with seats in parliament must get the support of an ‘initiative group’ meeting of at least 500 people… Touring around Russia, Kasparov has frequently been refused venues to speak and has blamed this on interference by the security services. He earlier described a December 2 parliamentary election ahead of next year’s polls as a ‘farce,’ citing allegations of vote-rigging and unequal access to the media. He spent five days in jail last month after a court found him guilty of public order offences at a rally.”

Argentina’s Sovereignty Over Falkland Islands “Non-Negotiable”

AFP reported on December 10:

“The first woman to be elected president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner, 54, was sworn in on Monday, receiving the sash of office from her husband, the outgoing head of state… In her first speech as president, Kirchner vowed to wage war on poverty… She again received thunderous applause as she insisted Argentina’s ‘sovereignty’ over the Malvinas — the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands — is non-negotiable.”

Sarkozy Invites Kadhafi… and Is Strongly Criticized

AFP reported on December 11:

“French opposition lawmakers Tuesday boycotted a meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi on day two of a visit marked by harsh criticism of his rights record and multi-billion dollar trade deals. Kadhafi was received at the National Assembly by parliamentary speaker Bernard Accoyer, but deputies of the Socialist Party and some members of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement refused to attend in protest over Libya’s human rights record…

“On Monday, Kadhafi was welcomed by Sarkozy at the Elysee presidential palace, where he initialed trade deals worth more than 10 billion euros (14.7 billion dollars), including contracts for Airbus airliners, a nuclear-powered water desalination plant and construction projects. In an important breakthrough for French arms manufacturers, Libya also undertook to negotiate exclusively with France on a range of planned military purchases, including Rafale jets, helicopters, armoured vehicles and patrol-boats…

“Sarkozy’s invitation to the former international pariah continued to come under attack from rights groups and the political left, who accuse the president of betraying France’s commitment to defend human rights. The government’s own human rights minister Rama Yade has added her voice to the attacks, denouncing the use of torture and arbitrary arrest in Libya and saying France should not be a ‘doormat on which a leader — terrorist or otherwise — can wipe off the blood of his crimes.'”

Sarkozy’s unilateral invitation of Kadhafi incurred the wrath of the European press as well. Germany’s mass tabloid BILD wrote the following on December 11, under the headline, “Looser”: “Torture, censorship and people who simply disappear–Libya is far from being a democracy. Regardless, Sarkozy spreads a red carpet for his guest Kadhafi, invited him to Paris for five days, and wants to sell him a nuclear facility. Even his own human rights minister objects. Bild thinks: We can only shake our heads over this President.”

Germany’s Fight Against Unpopular Organizations

Germany’s fight against politically incorrect organizations and unpopular churches becomes more and more disturbing. As the German press reported on December 7, 2007, Germany’s interior ministers of all German states are unanimous in their opinion that Scientology is to be prohibited because it is allegedly incompatible with the German Constitution.

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 7:

“Germany’s interior ministers announced on Friday that they considered Scientology to be unconstitutional and said they would seek to ban the organization.

“Berlin Interior Minister Ehrhart Körting told reporters that the interior ministers of Germany’s 16 federal states and the federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble ‘consider Scientology to be an organization that is not compatible with the constitution.’ The ministers, who are meeting for a two-day conference in Berlin, now plan to charge the country’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, with preparing a dossier to pave the way for a possible ban next year.

“The agency has had the organization under observation for over a decade. Germany does not consider Scientology to be a religion but a money-making cult. Scientologists counter that the state surveillance is an abuse of their right to freedom of religion. The group, which opened a six-story headquarters in the heart of Berlin in January, has intensified its efforts to attract members in Germany in recent years.”

Most certainly, one can have different opinions about Scientology, but declaring it unconstitutional seems to be really pushing the envelope, as the next article explains.

Not Enough Evidence to Ban Scientology in Germany

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 10:

“A plan by Germany’s state interior ministers to attempt to ban Scientology appears to have little chance of success. According to an assessment made by officials at the country’s state and federal intelligence agencies, the Offices for the Protection of the Constitution, there isn’t enough evidence at the moment to ban the controversial organization.

“Reacting to a request made by the state of Hamburg to ban the organization, German Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and his counterparts at the state level ordered domestic intelligence agencies on Friday to start collecting material that could be used in efforts to ban the organization, which is considered a religion in the United States but a business in Germany. Domestic intelligence agencies were set up in post-war Germany to protect the country from the threat of neo-Nazis, dangerous right- and left-wing radicals and other threats to a free democratic order.

“In an interview published in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Schäuble described Scientology as an ‘unconstitutional organization.’ ‘Fundamental basic and human rights like the dignity of man or the right to equal treatment are restricted or abrogated. It rejects the democratic system,’ Schäuble told the paper… In the run-up to Friday’s meeting, domestic intelligence agencies determined that the organization does indeed operate in ways that are hostile to the country’s constitution. The dangers presented by the group they found, however, were limited because Scientology has had little success ‘infiltrating’ German society. The group’s membership numbers have also stagnated.

“Domestic intelligence agencies at the state level are advocating against trying to seek sanctions against Scientology for violating a provision of the country’s right of association law that excludes groups that break the law or seek to undermine democratic order. Some politicians have also expressed skepticism that the ban effort will succeed. ‘I doubt they will be able to find sufficient evidence to ban Scientology,’ Sebastian Edathy, the Social Democratic Party chief of the German parliament’s domestic affairs committee, told the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel. He described Scientology as problematic, but said it was ‘not really applying the axe to democratic order.’

“Back in 2002, several researchers commissioned by the state of Bavaria completed a comprehensive report that concluded that Scientology’s structure stood ‘in contradiction to central principles of (Germany’s) legal order,’ but researchers spoke only of ‘indications’ that the organization might violate the German right of association law. State and federal interior ministries now say they will conduct more intensive surveillance of the organization through autumn of 2008 and see how Scientology develops before deciding whether to take further steps against it.”

If the current German law is applied correctly, then an attempt to ban Scientology because of alleged unconstitutional activities appears to be doomed to failure. But the fact that Germany’s state interior ministers and Germany’s federal interior minister are prepared to consider such a ban is a frightening development. With enough political pressure, the powers to be might actually be ultimately successful in banning Scientology and other unpopular organizations. This is especially regrettable for a country which should have learned from its Nazi past.

For more information as to what the Bible says regarding upcoming events in Germany and other European nations, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Christmas Trees for China

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 10:

“A combination of rising Chinese demand and the biofuel boom is pushing up Christmas tree prices in Germany. Producers say they just can’t keep up with demand from Asia’s economic giant… The Nordmann fir is proving particularly popular with the export market. The airline Lufthansa is already flying trees to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, while freshly felled trees are being transported in refrigerated containers to China. A Christmas tree decked out in the American style has become a status symbol in China, and many retail stores there are adopting the tradition. ‘We don’t have enough goods to keep up with Chinese demand,’ says Christian von Burgsdorff, who runs a Christmas tree company in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. Around 28 million Christmas trees were sold last year in Germany, the highest figure on record.”

Interesting–isn’t it? Christmas trees are being exported to China–a country with a totally different religion than that of Christianity. Why would Chinese want to celebrate Christmas? Is there, perhaps, an unrealized connection between Christmas and Christmas trees and non-Christian religions? Is Christmas and its symbols “Christian” after all? The answers might surprise you. Please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

… And Now–The Pope Enters the Global Warming Debate

The Daily Mail reported on December 12:

“Pope Benedict XVI has launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology. The leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics suggested that fears over man-made emissions melting the ice caps and causing a wave of unprecedented disasters were nothing more than scare-mongering.

“The German-born Pontiff said that while some concerns may be valid it was vital that the international community based its policies on science rather than the dogma of the environmentalist movement… The 80-year-old Pope said the world needed to care for the environment but not to the point where the welfare of animals and plants was given a greater priority than that of mankind… His remarks reveal that while the Pope acknowledges that problems may be associated with unbridled development and climate change, he believes the case against global warming to be over-hyped.

“A broad consensus is developing among the world’s scientific community over the evils of climate change. But there is also an intransigent body of scientific opinion which continues to insist that industrial emissions are not to blame for the phenomenon.”

Europe Threatens USA on Climate Change Talks

The Associated Press reported on December 13:

“European nations threatened Thursday to boycott U.S.-sponsored climate talks next month unless the Bush administration compromises and agrees to a ‘road map’ for reducing greenhouse gases blamed for global warming… The United States, Japan, Russia and several other governments refused to accept language in a draft document suggesting rich nations consider cutting emissions 25 percent to 40 percent by 2020, saying specific targets would limit the scope of future talks… All sides agree it is impossible to deal with climate change unless the United States is involved. It is the world’s leading emitter of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and the only major industrial country that did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

“President Bush views his own climate talks as the main vehicle for determining action by the U.S. — and, he hopes, by others. The Jan. 30-31 session in Honolulu is a continuation of September talks at the White House called the Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change. The U.S. has invited 16 major economies, including European countries, Japan, China and India, to discuss a program of what are expected to be nationally determined, voluntary cutbacks in greenhouse gas emissions. But the EU warned it would stay away unless Washington drops its opposition to mandatory cuts.”

Religious Confusion Galore–Evangelical Christians, Mormonism…

The Associated Press reported on December 5 about the religious beliefs of Mormonism and Evangelicals–and where they agree and disagree. The article stated:

“The fundamental issue: the nature of God… Mormons… disavow belief in the Trinity–that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one–instead believing the three to be individuals united in a single purpose.

“Many non-Mormons dispute claims that the faith’s central text, the Book of Mormon, is a valid account of Jesus’ dealings with ancient Americans. Mormons believe the book was translated through revelation by founder Joseph Smith from a set of buried golden plates. It’s one of three texts from Smith, who also drafted his own version of the Bible, altering many of its passages in light of what he said were errors that had crept into modern translations…

“Culturally, socially and politically, Mormons and evangelical Christians should have no trouble finding common ground. Mormon culture centers on faith and family, with church activities and callings–from teaching Sunday School to leading Boy Scout troops–filling the calendar. A patriarchal society, Mormons hold up the traditional family as the ideal, with women encouraged to raise children instead of work outside the home. Healthy lifestyles are promoted through the faith’s ‘Word of Wisdom,’ which warns against the use of alcohol, tobacco and ‘hot drinks,’ including coffee and tea. Mormons tithe 10 percent of their incomes to their church and are encouraged to serve proselytizing missions. Mormons oppose gay marriage and denounce gambling. They’ve largely supported the war in Iraq and twice voted overwhelmingly for President Bush. The church opposes abortion, except when the health of the mother is at risk…

“Aside from continuing revelation, there are a host of Mormon beliefs that evangelicals find hard to swallow. Mormons, for example, believe in a Heavenly Mother–God’s female partner–a pre-existence in heaven before birth, a hereafter that includes a three-level heavenly kingdom. They wear religious undergarments that some say possess protective powers; they bar non-Mormons from entering their temples; practice posthumous baptism and believe that man can progress to a God-like state in Heaven.”

… and Catholicism

Religious confusion and thoroughly unbiblical teachings are not limited to Evangelical Christians or Mormons. Please notice the following report about the Catholic faith, as published on December 5 by the Catholic news agency, VIS:

“According to a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti… [Pope] Benedict XVI will grant the faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes. [The decree referred to the] ‘forthcoming 150th anniversary of the day in which Mary Most Holy, revealing herself as the Immaculate Conception to Bernadette Soubirous, wished a shrine to be erected and venerated in the place known as ‘Massabielle’ in the town of Lourdes…’

“[The decree stated:] ‘Indeed the succession, over time, of marvelous events … enables us to glimpse the joint operation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church: in the year 1854 the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was defined,’ and ‘in the year 1858 Mary Most Holy showed herself to … Bernadette Soubirous using the words of the dogmatic definition: ‘I am the Immaculate Conception.’

“‘In order to draw increased fruits of renewed sanctity from this holy anniversary,’ the decree adds, ‘the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI has decided to concede the gift of Plenary Indulgence’ to the faithful under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Holy Father), in the following way:

“… ‘If between December 8, 2007 and December 8, 2008 they visit, preferably in the order suggested: (1) the parish baptistery used for the Baptism of Bernadette, (2) the Soubirous family home, known as the ‘cachot,’ (3) the Grotto of Massabielle, (4) the chapel of the hospice where Bernadette received First Communion, and on each occasion they pause for an appropriate length of time in prayer and with pious meditations, concluding with the recital of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith, … and the jubilee prayer or other Marian invocation.’

“… ‘If between February 2, 2008 … and February 11, 2008, Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes and 150th anniversary of the apparition, they visit, in any church, grotto or decorous place, the blessed image of that same Virgin of Lourdes, solemnly exposed for public veneration, and before the image participate in a pious exercise of Marian devotion, or at least pause for an appropriate space of time in prayer and with pious meditations, concluding with the recital of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith, … and the invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.’

“The decree concludes by recalling that faithful who ‘through sickness, old age or other legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence … if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, on the days February 2 to 11, 2008, in their hearts they spiritually visit the above-mentioned places and recite those prayers, trustingly offering to God, through Mary, the sickness and discomforts of their lives.'”

For more information on the true Nature of God and the unbiblical worship of Mary, please read our free booklets, “Is God a Trinity?” and “Jesus Christ–A Great Mystery.”

New US Intelligence Report on Iran— Is Iran Now a Harmless Pussycat?

The Associated Press reported on December 5:

“President Bush, trying to keep pressure on Iran, called on Tehran Wednesday to ‘come clean’ about the scope of its nuclear activities or else face diplomatic isolation. Two days after a new intelligence report said that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program four years ago, Bush demanded that Tehran detail its previous program to develop nuclear weapons ‘which the Iranian regime has yet to acknowledge.’… The administration is worried that the new National Intelligence Estimate — representing a consensus of all U.S. spy agencies — weakens its leverage over Iran and its ability to build global pressure on Tehran to stop its uranium enrichment program.”

AFP wrote on December 5:

“President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Wednesday boasted a US intelligence report on Iran’s nuclear programme was a ‘great victory’ for Tehran, vowing never to yield to Western pressure to halt the contested drive. The report by the US intelligence community said Iran halted a drive for atomic weapons in 2003 — despite years of statements by US President George W. Bush accusing Tehran of actively seeking a nuclear bomb. Russia and China argued the report diminished the need for a third set of UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran but Western powers pleaded for no let-up in the international pressure.”

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 5 on German reactions to the US intelligence report, as follows:

“Eckart von Klaeden, a foreign policy expert with the governing Christian Democrats (CDU), expressed support for keeping the pressure on Iran. In an interview with Berliner Zeitung, he said: ‘Iran is still building a missile delivery system, it still doesn’t fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and it supports international terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.’… For the most part, Germany’s largest papers seemed relieved but not relaxed. They are relieved that the drums of war that so recently echoed loudly from the White House have died down. But they seem to be unanimous in the feeling that while more carrots are good, it’s still too early to drop the stick:

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘In reality, America’s intelligence services had not been keen to publish their intelligence estimates once again… It’s obvious that they’re afraid of being used once again — as they were in the case of Iraq — as a tool in the government’s escalation strategy for which there is no factual support. That’s why they’re scrapping the intelligence estimate they made for Iran just two years ago. The fact that this 180-degree turn is publicized hints at the degree to which some part — and a tough and powerful part — of the Bush administration is fighting for an escalation. In this case, it appears to be Vice President Dick Chaney against the rest of the administration.’…

“The conservative Die Welt writes:

“‘… the US intelligence services are more defensive than their European counterparts, who aren’t yet completely convinced that Iran put a freeze on its atomic weapons program in 2003… The 16 American intelligence services apparently did not want to open themselves up to the accusation that they were being manipulated by the White House. But this distancing, though welcome, comes at a price because it will now be even more difficult for the international community to put pressure on Tehran. Iran claims that it will retain its options to obtain the bomb and will perfect the know-how that could be used for building a bomb. By sometime between 2010 and 2015, Iran might have enough material to make an atomic warhead. That’s really not that far from now, when you think about it and when you consider that it’s already been four years since Iran’s nuclear program was discovered. While the diplomatic efforts plod endlessly forward without accomplishing much, there’s no reason to sit back and relax now.’…

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes:

“‘The (US intelligence) report is no cause for sounding the all clear. A civil nuclear program can quickly be repurposed for military uses. The new finding that Iran already had a military nuclear program is more troubling than the finding that it halted it a few years ago, and all the more so because the program … was halted during the tenure of the more moderate President Mohammad Khatami. That really says very little about the intentions of his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a well-known hardliner.

“‘Iran must be denied the possibility of making a nuclear bomb. Therefore, it shouldn’t be allowed to enrich uranium for either civil or military uses. The issue is nuclear conflict, and that is what the resolutions of the UN Security Council are aimed at. The intelligence report doesn’t change that at all… The US government is now going to have a tougher time getting the international community to toughen its sanctions in mid-December, especially Russia and China. Of course, they’ll demand fewer sticks for Iran, but the intelligence report would be the wrong argument for that.'”

Climate Change Conference–USA Left Increasingly Isolated

AFP wrote on December 3:

“A major United Nations climate change conference opened on Indonesia’s Bali on Monday, buoyed by the new Australian prime minister’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol… Kevin Rudd ratified the landmark UN treaty as his first official act after being sworn in as Australia’s leader following elections last month. The move by Rudd… leaves the United States — the only advanced economy yet to ratify the protocol — increasingly isolated as the world tries to hammer out a plan for when Kyoto expires in 2012.

“The 11-day conference, held under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and attended by more than 180 nations, comes as evidence mounts of the havoc rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns are set to wreak on world ecosystems and humankind. Under the new pact, industrialised countries will be pressed to massively reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases from the end of 2012… Environmental group WWF said Australia’s signing of Kyoto would send a strong message to the United States, currently the world’s biggest emitter of polluting greenhouse gas.”

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 3:

“In recent official statements, Washington has indicated it might be looking for a compromise during negotiations in Bali for a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. But sources say the White House is discreetly searching for partners in Beijing and Dehli to derail the prospects for any binding agreements to curb emissions of greenhouse gases… According to the source, Washington is hoping that the two greenhouse gas emitters will openly declare during the conference that they are unwilling to accept any binding limits on emissions of greenhouse gases — at least not as long as the US is unwilling to do more or if the Western industrial nations do not provide them with more financial aid for climate protection initiatives. If successful, the US could use the tactic to prevent itself from becoming an isolated scapegoat if negotiations in Bali end in a stalemate.”

The Associated Press reported on December 6:

“American climate negotiators refused to back down in their opposition to mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions Thursday, even as a U.S. Senate panel endorsed sharp reductions in pollution blamed for global warming…  the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a bill Wednesday to cut U.S. emissions by 70 percent by 2050 from electric power plants, manufacturing and transportation. The bill now goes to the full Senate. U.S. climate negotiator Harlan Watson, however, said that would not impact Washington’s position at the international gathering in Bali… It was the first bill calling for mandatory U.S. limit on greenhouse gases to be taken up in Congress since global warming emerged as an environmental issue more than two decades ago…

“The two-week conference, which opened Monday, is already in a tense standoff between two camps, with the majority supporting mandatory emissions cuts on one side, and opponents such as the United States on the other, delegates said… Washington’s isolation in Bali has increased following Australia’s announcement Monday that it has reversed its opposition to the Kyoto pact and started the ratification process — winning applause at the conference’s opening session. That left the U.S. as the only industrialized nation to oppose the agreement…

“Further momentum for serious greenhouse gas cuts, came from a petition released Thursday by a group of at least 215 climate scientists who urged the world to reduce emissions by half by 2050… The United States and ally Japan are proposing that the post-Kyoto agreement favor voluntary emission targets, arguing that mandatory cuts would threaten economic growth which generates money needed to fund technology to effectively fight global warming… U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns denied that Australia’s acceptance of the Kyoto accord would prompt Washington to do the same. ‘We do not see eye-to-eye with Australia or many other countries on the wisdom of signing the Kyoto regime, that’s obvious,’ Burns said in Sydney, Australia.”

Testing Political Candidates for Brain Dysfunctions?

The LA Times published a seemingly provocative editorial on December 5, which appears to be outrageous at first sight. The article was written by Daniel G. Amen, a neuropsychiatrist and director of the Amen Clinics, and the author of ‘Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.’ It was pointed out:

“What do Rudy Giuliani’s messy personal life, John McCain’s temper and Hillary Clinton’s inability to seem authentic have in common? Maybe nothing. They may be just overblown issues in the otherwise normal lives of candidates under the political microscope.

“Such symptoms, however, may mean a lot — such as evidence of underlying brain dysfunction. Sometimes people with messy personal lives have low prefrontal cortex activity associated with poor judgment; sometimes people with temper problems have brain damage and impulse control problems; sometimes people who struggle with authenticity have trouble really seeing things from someone else’s perspective.

“Is the brain health of a presidential candidate a fair topic in an election year? Certainly Dick Cheney’s heart condition wasn’t off-limits in 2000, nor have questions about McCain’s age been considered out of bounds. The White House issues a complete medical history of the president each year — detailing everything from his seasonal allergic rhinitis to his adenomatous colon polyps. Clearly we care about the health outlook for our elected leaders. Should we go so far as to do brain scans? Of candidates for the Oval Office? Some people might consider discussing brain health a ridiculous idea. Not me…

“Three of the last four presidents have shown clear brain pathology. President Reagan’s Alzheimer’s disease was evident during his second term in office. Nonelected people were covering up his forgetfulness and directing the country’s business. Few people knew it, but we had a national crisis. Brain studies have been shown to predict Alzheimer’s five to nine years before people have their first symptoms.

“President Clinton’s moral lapses and problems with bad judgment and excitement-seeking behavior — indicative of problems in the prefrontal cortex — eventually led to his impeachment and a poisonous political divisiveness in the U.S. The prefrontal cortex houses the brain’s supervisor, involved with conscience, forethought, planning, attention span and judgment.

“One could argue that our current president’s struggles with language and emotional rigidity are symptoms of temporal lobe pathology. The temporal lobes, underneath your temples and behind your eyes, are involved with language, mood stability, reading social cues and emotional flexibility.

“A national leader with brain problems can potentially cost millions of people their lives. Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein give us recent historical examples. Both of Milosevic’s parents committed suicide, he had serious bouts of depression and reportedly drank heavily — all signs that point to brain problems. He was found to be unreasonable and unreliable in negotiations and heartless as a political leader. Hussein was described as paranoid and without empathy, also symptoms pointing to poor brain function. His mother suffered severe bouts of depression and attempted suicide while pregnant with him, which is known to affect a baby’s developing brain. He was physically and emotionally abused by his stepfather. All of these stresses must have been involved in shaping his paranoid brain into a mind that could torture dissenters, murder relatives and launch chemical attacks that killed thousands.

“Functional scans, such as Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, provide a window into the brain. Doctors can now see healthy or dysfunctional brain patterns, much as we can assess the strength of a heart or measure hormone levels, and recognize trouble. All doctors might not agree on the interpretation, but there is a growing body of scientific literature establishing what these scans mean, such as attention deficit disorder or a predisposition for Alzheimer’s… A president with brain problems could wreak havoc on the U.S. and the world at large.”

U.S. Senate Investigation of Christian Ministries–Legal or Unconstitutional?

The Associated Press reported on December 6:

“A second Christian ministry is refusing to meet a Thursday deadline for a Senate investigation into preachers’ salaries, perks and travel… Benny Hinn… said in a statement to the AP on Thursday that he will not respond to the inquiry until next year. A lawyer for preacher Creflo Dollar… in suburban Atlanta had said Wednesday that the investigation should be referred to the IRS or the Senate panel should get a subpoena for the documents.

“Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent lengthy questionnaires a month ago to six ministries so he could review whether pastors were complying with IRS rules that bar excessive personal gain through tax-exempt work. Only Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo., has provided the detailed financial and board oversight information sought by Grassley.

“Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in a Wednesday conference call with reporters that he ‘can’t be impressed’ by the argument from some of the preachers that the IRS already monitors them, because his past inquiries have unearthed information that the IRS never knew. All the ministries preach a form of Word of Faith theology, known as prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants believers to reap material rewards for their faith.

“… several religious liberty watchdogs have said the scope of the inquiry is too broad and warned that it could be unconstitutional… Refusals to turn over the information could lead to a court fight, giving a judge the authority to decide whether the committee is entitled to all the information it requested.”

Terrible Weather Conditions in Oregon and Washington

The Associated Press reported on December 5:

“The drenching rains and howling winds were gone but flooding concerns persisted Wednesday, as anxious residents waited for waters to recede so they could see what was left after this week’s fierce storm. The storm… battered the Pacific Northwest before moving on Tuesday, leaving behind flooded homes, fallen trees and washed-out roads, including the region’s largest highway… The interstate, which is the main north-south route between Portland, Ore., and Seattle, was expected to be closed at least through Thursday.”

We received the following additional information from one of our members, residing in Woodburn, Oregon:

“We have SURVIVED!  This storm was one of the worst we have seen since 1996.   It was absolutely awful with constant pouring down sheets of rain, wind gusts up to 54-56 mph here in the valley and wind gusts up to 129 mph on the northern coast of Oregon.  Our apartment building groaned and moaned and creaked from the strong winds. 

“Now the rivers and streams are flooding and peoples’ homes are being affected.  Our little creek has maxed out but thankfully, we are too high in the park for it to bother anyone here.  This began Saturday afternoon until early this morning (Tuesday, December 4)! Yesterday, literally all of the roads leading to the coast were closed due to fallen trees, flooding or land slides.  Tillamook, which is on the northern coast of Oregon, was basically cut off from all directions due to flooding of Hwy 101.”

Another member wrote on December 5 from Florence, Oregon:

“Weather reports said we had hurricane conditions here with gusts up to 100 mph. All is quiet now, with the only damage around town being downed trees and power outages. The river is high and pretty muddy from being so stirred up, plus lots of log debris floating in it. Really no hardship here…just inconvenience.”

The Associated Press reported on December 6:

“Floodwaters from a deadly wave of storms were receding in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday, rescue and evacuation work ended and lights were coming back on in thousands of homes and businesses. Eight people were killed in the Pacific Northwest as a result of the storm and damages were likely to reach into the billions of dollars, but remained to be tallied. Interstate 5, closed since Monday about 30 miles south of the state capital in Olympia, could reopen as early as Thursday night with one lane of traffic in each direction…

“Gov. Chris Gregoire said flooding hit record levels on the Chehalis, Skokomish and Elwha rivers. Recalling scenes of blown-down trees, Gregoire said, ‘The visual is nothing like I’ve ever seen other than my recollection of Mount St. Helens’ after the volcano’s devastating 1980 eruption… State officials believed about 33,000 customers remained without electricity early Thursday, mostly in outlying areas of coastal Pacific and Grays Harbor counties…”

No Chavez Beyond 2013?

AFP wrote on December 3:

“Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez acknowledged Monday his first-ever defeat at the polls after voters rejected reforms in a weekend referendum that would have strengthened his grip on power and turned his oil-rich country into a socialist state… Chavez, a firebrand critic of the United States with ties to Iran and Cuba, had been counting on the referendum to continue his rule beyond January 2013, when he must step down under the current constitutional two-term limit. The 53-year-old former paratrooper had said he wanted the constitution overhauled so he could seek re-election ‘until 2050’ — when he would be 95. He had also wanted to gain even tighter control over the country by putting more of the military under his command, permitting media censorship in times of emergency and scrapping the central bank’s autonomy…

“Former defense minister Raul Baduel, who had referred to the reform proposal as a concealed coup attempt, urged supporters to remain vigilant in months ahead. ‘We need to remain conscious of the possibility that the president could attempt to reach the same results through the legislative process,’ Baduel said… Venezuela’s constitution prevents Chavez from re-presenting his constitutional reform under the current congress — though he could conceivably appoint a constituent assembly to draft an entirely new basic law for adoption.”

USA Soon Without Venezuela’s Oil?

The New York Times wrote the following in its report of December 3:

“The results of the referendum, which would have given new powers to President Hugo Chávez, were a stunning development in a country where Mr. Chávez controls nearly all of the levers of power… The defeat slows Mr. Chávez’s socialist-inspired transformation of the country. Venezuela, once a staunch ally of the United States, has become a leading opponent of the Bush administration’s policies in the developing world. It has also taken the most profound leftward turn of any large Latin American nation in decades…

“The United States remains the largest buyer of Venezuela’s oil, despite deteriorating political ties, but that long commercial relationship is starting to change as Mr. Chávez increases exports of oil to China and other countries while gradually selling off the oil refineries owned by Venezuela’s government in the United States… Mr. Chávez already has unprecedented discretionary control over Venezuela’s oil revenues, valued at more than $60 billion a year. “

Christians Worse Off in Iraq

The Eastern Star News Agency reported the following on December 2, republishing an article by CBS:

“An Anglican clergyman in Baghdad, who has seen his flock murdered and forced into exile by Muslim extremists, says Christians there are worse off now than under Saddam’s rule and are probably suffering more than [at] any time in history… ‘There’s no comparison between Iraq now and (under Saddam),’ says [Canon Andrew] White. ‘Things are the most difficult they have ever been for Christians – probably ever in history’…

“That’s because White estimates that 90 percent of Iraq’s Christians, once thought to number over a million, have either fled or have been murdered by Islamic extremists during the religious civil war. That includes his own church leaders and most of the men of his parish. ‘They are mainly killed. Some are kidnapped,’ says White. ‘Here in this church, all of my leadership were originally taken and killed.’ Their bodies were never recovered. ‘This is one of the problems. I regularly do funerals here, but it’s not easy to get the bodies’… It’s all happening because religion can go wrong, says White. ‘When religion goes wrong, it kills others. (Islam) has (gone wrong) and in the past, Christianity has gone wrong,’ he says.”

Preparations for the Third Temple Underway

The Daily Israel Report wrote on December 3:

“The Temple Institute in Jerusalem announces the completion of the Tzitz, the High Priest’s headplate… ready to be worn by the High Priest in the rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The words ‘Holy for G-d’ are engraved on the headplate, in accordance with Exodus 28:36. Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, explained to Arutz-7 that until it can actually be used, the [Tzitz] will be on view in the Institute’s permanent exhibition display, together with other vessels and priestly garments fashioned for use in the Holy Temple by the Institute…

“Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Director of the Institute, explained some of the Halakhic [Jewish legal] aspects of the fashioning of the vessels for the Temple. ‘For one thing,’ he said, ‘they are made in impurity – for now we are impure, and will remain impure until we are able to have a Red Heifer whose ashes can be used in the Torah-prescribed purification ceremony.  If no Red Heifer is available, then the High Priest must even serve in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur in a state of impurity.’

“…’ to gain the actual status of hekdesh, we similarly make it clear that this does not happen until the vessel is actually brought in to the Temple Mount for use in the Temple’… Rabbi Richman noted that in less than two weeks from now… the famous Menorah (candelabrum) – suitable for use in the Holy Temple…- will be relocated to the landing of the wide staircase that leads down from the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall…

“Asked what project they’re working on at present, Rabbi Richman said, ‘We have begun work on 120 sets of garments for “regular” priests, not the High Priest.  This involves special thread from India, etc.  In addition, we have begun work on architectural blueprints for the Third Temple, including cost projection, modern supplies, electricity, plumbing, computers, etc.’…

“‘We are now approaching the holiday of Chanukah,’ Rabbi Richman continued, ‘which is the holiday that commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple. We’re not just building beautiful vessels; we’re interested in granting G-d the dwelling place that He wants in this world; the Temple is not merely a building, but a way of bringing G-d into our lives in a very real way. And that is what we aim to do.  This [Tzitz] is G-d’s Chanukah present to us, and our Chanukah gift to the Jewish People.'”

How To Implement the New EU Treaty?

The EUObserver wrote on November 28:

“Although the ink has barely dried on the EU’s new treaty, analysts are already scratching their heads as to how the document, with its unclear division of power between the EU’s top politicians, is going to work in practice.

“Come 2009, when the Reform Treaty is supposed to click into place, there will be three big jobs to be had in Brussels – the president of the European Commission; the president of the European Council and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

“The three have overlapping job descriptions that are set to be defined only by the strength of the personalities involved, meaning that the treaty, agreed in October after years of wrangling, could be laying the ground for a political hornet’s nest… The questions run from pinning down the exact powers of the EU president; agreeing who the president will be… Experts believe the answers to these questions will shape whether the EU will be a bloc of 27 member states or run according to the wishes of the big countries…

“… the questions are so sensitive that they are being largely left unspoken until after the Irish vote on the new treaty, probably in May or June. Ireland is to be the only country that has a referendum on [the] document, which has to be approved by all member states before it can go into force.”

Europeans to Tighten Rules for Possession of Firearms

The EUObserver wrote on November 29:

“The 27-nation EU is set to tighten existing rules on the acquisition and possession of firearms, an issue that has come to the fore again in Europe after a recent shooting at a Finnish school… Under the EU deal, a firearm may be purchased and owned only by someone who is at least 18 years old and holds a permit. The only exception will be for hunters and sport shooters. They may possess a firearm, if under supervision of a licensed adult.

“In addition, all weapons as well as packages of ammunition will have to be marked by an alphanumeric symbol in order to facilitate their traceability. Each member state will be obliged to set up a computerised database of firearms, including information about their manufacturer, former and current owners, their trade or repair. The data must be kept by authorities for at least 20 years…”

New European Satellite Program

The EUObserver wrote on November 30:

“The 27-nation European Union has agreed how the Galileo satellite project, worth €3.4 billion, will be shared out among member states, with Spain on Friday abandoning its isolated position and finally giving its blessing to the deal. ‘Thanks to the combined efforts of the commission and the presidency, all the member states have eventually accepted to work on the basis of this mechanism’, EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot said in a written statement. He added that ‘an agreement will allow Europe to have its own satellite navigation system by 2013’… [He] pointed out that once up and running, Galileo will ‘ensure the economic and strategic independence’ of the EU, as ‘special navigation is an indication of power’ on the world stage.”

Election Fraud in Authoritarian Russia?

AFP wrote on December 3:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Monday his party’s landslide election victory as a vote for stability, but foreign observers cried foul and the West urged the Kremlin to probe fraud allegations… With 98 percent of ballots counted from Sunday’s election, Putin’s United Russia party had secured 64.1 percent, giving it more than two thirds of seats in parliament — a majority sufficient to change the constitution. The Communists and other opposition parties denounced the ballot as the most dishonest in Russian history and foreign observers called the Kremlin’s backing for Putin’s party an ‘abuse of power’…

“The criticisms were taken up by Western governments, with the United States calling for a full investigation of reported violations and NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer voicing ‘concern’ over democratic freedoms in Russia.

“But Putin said that the result reflected a national desire for continuity. ‘It is clear that Russians will never let their country go down the destructive path of certain countries in the former Soviet space,’ Putin said, referring to pro-Western popular revolts in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine.

“According to the Kremlin, French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke by telephone with Putin and offered ‘warm’ congratulations although France’s foreign ministry called on Russia to ‘shed full light’ on fraud allegations. Germany meanwhile said there was ‘no doubt’ that the elections were not free and fair, while Britain urged Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) to investigate ‘urgently’ the charges of electoral abuse. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi appealed to Russian authorities to ‘clarify’ the election results and there were also expressions of concern from Russia’s western neighbour Poland…

“The CEC in Moscow rejected the criticism, accusing European observers of bias and hinting at US interference… The vote was seen as setting the scene for the presidential election in March next year at which Putin is obliged to step down after serving a maximum of two consecutive terms in office… Putin has said that a parliamentary victory would give him a ‘moral’ mandate to retain a leading political role, and United Russia has said he should stay on as ‘national leader’.”

European Press Condemns Russian “Elections”

Much of the European Press condemned the elections in Russia as fundamentally undemocratic and unfair.

In its report of December 3, Der Spiegel Online quoted many of the European papers, as follows:

“The liberal Danish daily Politiken writes:

“‘As expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin garnered an overwhelming election victory… It was the most unfair election since the fall of communism. The state abused its power in the media. Opposition voices were suppressed. … If the West doesn’t strongly distance itself from this historic election manipulation, which one could at best describe as a swindle, it will muddy our own democracies. And we would also be abandoning Russians who haven’t yet buried their hopes for democracy in their country’…

“Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger writes:

“‘There is little doubt that the Russian president will interpret this result as a vote of confidence — and that it also justifies his desire to remain in power. If he is no longer able to remain president in spring, then another function will be found for him — be it prime minister, head of parliament or in the role of a ‘national leader’. But Putin’s victory is a false one. The allegations of manipulation brought by the opposition are a dark shadow hanging heavy over the election result… a government that has to gain a victory through undemocratic means, is not as firmly in the saddle as the election result might lead one to believe.’…

“The liberal Romanian daily Evenimentul Zilei writes:

“‘Elections and free-market economies are viewed as a symbol of recovery, and Vladimir Putin’s iron hand as a necessary phase during the transition from post-communist chaos to a liberal democracy. But Russia has destroyed a number of myths about democracy and confirmed the failure of the recipes and frameworks that the West has applied to transition countries. … Russia’s economic strength, which has in no way buttressed democratic transformation, has instead empowered Moscow’s oppressive regime. In Russia, the traditional authoritarian model has been restored using the tools of capitalism, and the Russians appear to be contented with that.'”

In fact, in an accompanying article of December 3, Der Spiegel Online pointed out HOW content many Russians are with their system–in spite of the totalitarian and suppressive measures employed by their government:

“Putin-appointed governors ordered their deputies to make sure the election results were to the liking of the Kremlin. In companies, universities and army barracks, bosses pressured their underlings to ‘vote correctly.’ As if that weren’t enough, opposition politician Garry Kasparov was arrested and imprisoned for five days shortly before Russians went to the polls… The overwhelming majority of Russians, one survey puts it at 69 percent, suspected even before the election that the results would be manipulated… At the same time the polls show that around a third of Russians think the Soviet system was better than Western democracy.”

Poland and the EU Condemn Russian “Elections”–With the Exception of Sarkozy

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 5:

“Poland’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, opened a new chapter in his nation’s relationship with the European Union on Tuesday with a visit to Brussels, but he also had critical words for Russia’s parliamentary elections which indicated an ongoing chill between the two Slavic nations. ‘Alongside others who have fought for the European Union,’ Tusk said in English, ‘I will stand up and defend the European interest.’… ‘It’s a real pleasure to receive my good friend Donald Tusk,’ EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Tuesday. ‘Poland is a very important partner, and the voice of Poland matters.’…

“… two days after widely criticized parliamentary elections in Russia — which saw President Vladimir Putin’s party double its power in the Duma, or lower house — Prime Minister Tusk was not in a conciliatory mood. ‘We should not in Europe be tolerant of a situation where certain democratic standards are being broken,’ he said, referring to Russia. Tusk went on to describe Russian opposition leader and former chess champion Garry Kasparov, who spoiled his ballot on Sunday in protest, as ‘my political friend.’

“The comments were in line with an EU statement released Tuesday which expressed ‘regrets’ about ‘many reports and allegations of media restrictions as well as harassment of opposition parties and NGOs’ during the Russian campaign season. But it stood out sharply against French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reaction on Monday. Sarkozy made a personal phone call to Putin to congratulate him on Sunday’s landslide. Both human rights groups and members of the EU objected to the French president’s zeal. ‘Sarkozy’s reaction, which was totally isolated, is both incomprehensible and scandalous,’ said Patrick Baudouin, president of the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights, according to AFP.”

Even Some Russian Papers Question Russian “Elections”

AFP wrote on December 4:

“Russian newspapers questioned Tuesday whether weekend elections were really the resounding success the Kremlin had sought and said President Vladimir Putin’s government could face turbulent days ahead…

“The mass market Moskovsky Komsomolets said that despite United Russia’s electoral success, ‘the referendum on trust in Putin’s course failed’… The independent Nezavisimaya Gazeta echoed this and pointed to tensions in the Cabinet. It said that while a government shake-up was likely, there was little clarity about the country’s path ahead of a presidential poll in March…

“The director of the Western-funded vote monitoring body Golos… strongly criticised Sunday’s polls. ‘We believe these elections were not free or competitive. The elections took place under pressure,’ Liliya Shibanova told journalists. Another expert from Golos, Alexander Kynev, said numerous violations had taken place, including stuffing ballot boxes with extra voting papers, forcing people to vote and bribing them with vodka or money.'”

France and Algeria–A Volatile Union

AFP reported on December 2:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy heads Monday to Algeria to put the seal on multi-billion-euro oil and gas contracts, amid a row over remarks by an Algerian minister about alleged ties to the ‘Jewish lobby’.

“Sarkozy, who dismissed calls to cancel his second trip to the former French colony since his election in May, has said he considers the matter closed following talks with the Algerian president. Abdelaziz Bouteflika firmly disowned comments by his veterans minister last week that Sarkozy owed his election to the ‘Jewish lobby’, citing in particular Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who is half-Jewish. Sarkozy’s maternal grandfather was Jewish.

“… the incident put a fresh strain on relations between Paris and its former colony, which have been tested by France’s refusal to recognise crimes it has been accused of committing under its 1830-1962 colonisation of Algeria…

“Sarkozy, whose insistence that France should no longer ‘repent’ for its colonial past has antagonised some in Algeria, said he wanted to give ‘a new breath of life, a new dynamic to our relations with the countries of the south Mediterranean.’ He repeated his calls for the creation of a Mediterranean union spanning southern Europe and north Africa, saying that oil- and gas-rich Algeria would be an ‘essential partner’… Sarkozy also said there were plans for a nuclear cooperation agreement, following a similar agreement signed with Morocco last month.”

Merkel Strongly Rejects Sarkozy’s Plan for a Mediterranean Union

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 6:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out strongly against French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s vision of a Mediterranean Union. Merkel believes the proposed bloc poses a risk to the EU’s core and could release ‘explosive forces.’…

“Speaking at a conference in Berlin Wednesday, Merkel attacked Sarkozy’s vision for an association of Mediterranean nations as being ‘very dangerous.’ The German chancellor used unusually harsh language to warn the French president against splitting the very core of the European Union with his vision of a Paris-led alternative union — and one from which Germany would be excluded.

“Merkel said she was highly skeptical of Sarkozy’s plans and insisted that any cooperation with the EU’s neighbors must include all EU member states. Otherwise, she warned, Germany could, for example, form an Eastern European Union with Ukraine and other countries. These types of developments would threaten the cohesion and unity of the EU, she said. She warned that allowing a separate association with access to the EU coffers could lead to a ‘corrosion of the EU in its core area’ and release ‘explosive forces in the EU that I would not like to see. One thing has to be clear,’ she said. ‘Northern Europeans also share responsibility for the Mediterranean, just as the future of the borders with Russia and Ukraine is an issue that concerns those living on the Mediterranean.'”

Germany’s Fight Against Right-Wing Extremism Could Become Dangerous For Others

Germany’s fight against the neo-Nazi party–NPD– has entered a dangerous state. Even though methods to be employed against the NPD and other radical political parties seem justified in the eyes of most Germans, who is to stop the government in the future from using the same methods against nonpolitical organizations, which might be unpopular in Germany–for whatever reasons? 

Der Spiegel Online wrote the following on December 6:

“Germany’s interior ministers have faced frustrating setbacks fighting the far-right in court. A new tactic under consideration involves hitting organizations that support the party where it really hurts — in the wallet… ‘We have to publicly stigmatize people who fund the NPD and the associations that support it,’ Schleswig-Holstein Interior Minister Ralf Stegner (SPD) told the Süddeutsche Zeitung…

“There may… be ways around the legislative approach… some hope to fight the NPD and allied organizations with the time-tested tool of bureaucratic harassment. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, mayors and municipal councils in Rhineland-Palatinate are already making things difficult for the NPD by, for example, requiring a few more toilets in a NPD-related construction projects so as to raise building costs. The state has also put together brochures for municipalities on how to deal with NPD members who come to municipal council meetings.”

Democratic and Free Elections in Pakistan?

AFP wrote on December 3:

“Pakistani authorities Monday banned former premier Nawaz Sharif from standing in next month’s general election, further damaging the credibility of a vote that the opposition may yet boycott… Electoral officials upheld a challenge against Sharif’s candidacy on the grounds that he was convicted of criminal charges in the wake of his 1999 ouster by Pervez Musharraf, who is now president… The case involved Sharif’s attempt to stop a plane carrying Musharraf, who was then army chief, from landing in Pakistan in October 1999. Musharraf ousted Sharif as a result of that incident.”

AFP added on December 6:

“Riot police have blocked former premier Nawaz Sharif from meeting Pakistan’s deposed chief justice [Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry]…  Chaudhry was sacked as chief justice after refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to Musharraf under emergency legislation. He was among 37 judges who were forcibly retired by the government for the same reason this week.

“‘All judges are virtually under house arrest. They can only move in the judges’ enclave,’ said sacked Supreme Court judge Rana Bhagwandas, referring to the area which Sharif had tried to enter. ‘Chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is completely under solitary confinement. Neither is he allowed to move in and outside his house nor can he meet anyone,’ Bhagwandas told Dawn News television by phone.”

Christmas Coronary

The Associated Press reported on December 4:

“Heart attack season has arrived. December and January are the deadliest months for heart disease, and many of the things that make the season merry are culprits: Rich meals, more alcohol — and all that extra stress. But what may make the Christmas coronary more deadly than the same-size heart attack in, say, August, is a double dose of denial. It’s not uncommon for people to initially shrug off chest pain as indigestion. Research suggests they’re even more reluctant for a run to the emergency room when it means disrupting a holiday gathering, or if they’ve traveled to a strange city — meaning they arrive sicker… A 2004 study confirmed it was a nationwide phenomenon, with peaks in death coinciding around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.”

Big Brother in Europe–A System of Total Control

Der Spiegel Online wrote the following on November 23:

“The European Commission in Brussels wants to protect European citizens even more effectively against danger and disease. Soon there will be a well-intended — but mostly completely unnecessary — regulation for every aspect of life…

“It seems only a matter of time before Brussels’ compulsion to control everything is subjected to a nonsense standard, which would recognize anything that causes 25 of 100 adult EU citizens to shake their heads in disbelief for a period of at least 30 seconds as general lunacy.

“In all seriousness, the EU’s inspectors are keeping themselves busy coming up with more and more regulations to govern even the most hidden corners of human existence…

“There is only one thing the Brussels bureaucrats have forgotten in their zeal to slap regulations on just about everything: the often-evoked ‘responsible citizen.’ The Europeans of the 21st century appear to be dim-witted and unable to cope with life — and wholly dependent on the dictates of Big Brother in Brussels. When it comes to protecting the population from its own supposed lack of common sense, Big Brother is enthusiastic… Advocates for the protection of consumers, children, animals, patients and practically everything else are tirelessly proposing new things that they are convinced require regulation or, in some cases, ought to be banned outright. The EU administrators in Brussels are only too pleased to comply, while the representatives of the member states are quick to give the go-ahead…

“In truth, even legal experts find the well-intentioned flood of regulatory fervor overwhelming… Torsten Stein, a European legal expert at Saarland University, warns that one day EU citizens will become aware ‘that, long after the end of absolute rulers, a new authority has established itself that once again claims the authority to decide what is good and what is bad for subjects.’ Undeterred by such doubts, officials in Brussels continue to perfect a system of total control…”

Once Germany emerges as THE leader of Europe–as clearly prophesied in the Bible–we can expect more and more regulations and prohibitions, which will become worse, not better. This is due to Germans’ well-documented historical tendency to prohibit everything which is not specifically permitted. And in order to specifically permit something, you need regulations. Pretty soon, we will have Big Brother everywhere–this world is becoming more and more an unpleasant place in which to live. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

New Poland For Europe

EUObserver wrote on November 23:

“In an effort to put Poland back on the European stage, the country’s new leadership is set to be the first to ratify the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, the bloc’s new institutional set-up agreed in October. ‘I hope that Poland will be the first country to ratify the treaty. This would be a symbolic gesture, signifying Poland’s return to the heart of Europe’, speaker of the Polish parliament Bronislaw Komorowski said on Thursday… The new Polish leadership has made it clear it wants to draw a clear line between the 16-month era of former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who earned himself the reputation of a trouble-maker on European issues.”

French President Sarkozy Approval Down as Rail Strike Ends

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 23:

“A national train strike that crippled France for nine days eased on Friday after rail workers voted Thursday morning to return to work. The poll to end rail strikes, coming just one day after union leaders and government officials began negotiations, was seen as a victory for President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose reform agenda has drawn massive resistance from rail workers and other public servants.

“However, strikes that cost the country up to €400 million ($592 million) a day and at one point spread to other public services appear to have cost him with voters.

“A poll conducted by the OpinionWay institute and published in the daily Paris newspaper Metro showed that Sarkozy’s approval rating fell to 58 percent from a pre-strike level of 63 percent.

“Even as the rail strike fades, Sarkozy faces continued resistance from other groups affected by his broad reform agenda. Civil servants staged a separate strike Tuesday against pay and job cuts, and 3,000 students marched through Paris Thursday in protest of a plan that would restructure French universities with private funding.”

More Unrest in France

AFP reported on November 27:

“Riot police deployed late Tuesday across a north Paris suburb bracing for a possible repeat of youth riots that have left 120 police injured, as the government vowed zero tolerance for the ‘criminals’ behind the violence. For two nights running, young men have hurled petrol bombs and bricks at police, torching cars and buildings in the town of Villiers le Bel, where on Sunday two teenagers were killed in a motorbike collision with a police car… Police unions said the violence was worse than the rioting that hit hundreds of French cities in November 2005 — also sparked by the deaths of two youths.”

British Commonwealth Suspends Pakistan

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 23:

“Three weeks after President Perez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in Pakistan, the British Commonwealth has decided to suspend the country’s membership. The announcement was made after a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on Thursday in Uganda. Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon said the suspension would be ‘pending restoration of democracy and the rule of law.’…

“On Friday, a speaker for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that ‘the decision does not take into account the current conditions. The state of emergency was a necessary measure to avoid a serious internal crisis.’ Mohammed Sadiq told Reuters that Pakistan would be ‘reconsidering its membership and future co-operation with the organization.’

“The Commonwealth expelled Pakistan a first time in 1999 in response to the coup that brought Musharraf to power. The Commonwealth reinstated Pakistan five years later. The suspension has little impact on diplomatic relations but does mean that the country will be banned from Commonwealth meetings and the Commonwealth Games, which take place every four years. Within a year of its last suspension, Pakistan requested re-entry.

“British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the ‘decision was taken in sorrow, not in anger,’ and that the Commonwealth looked forward to being able to welcome Pakistan into its fold. Particular attention will be paid to the parliamentary elections which Musharraf has promised to hold in January.”

Commonwealth Summit in Uganda

Sky News stated on November 23:

“The Queen has given the opening speech at the three-day Commonwealth summit in Uganda–urging tolerance among its 53 nations… Sky’s political editor Adam Boulton said most countries see Commonwealth membership as beneficial, and Pakistan’s suspension is a ‘sanction’ although ‘not the toughest in the world.'”

AFP wrote on November 25:

“Commonwealth leaders… from the 53-nation federation ‘called on the government of Pakistan to respond positively to the Commonwealth’s desire to remain engaged and support the return of democratic government and the rule of law.’… Leaders from the Commonwealth, a body representing nearly a third of the world’s population, also called for global trade talks to be concluded swiftly…

“The Commonwealth represents two billion people…, drawn from the broadest range of religions and cultures, from the world’s smallest countries to its largest and its poorest to its richest. It also encompasses some of the biggest villains and victims of climate change, from major polluter Australia — whose outgoing government refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on reducing emissions — to Tuvalu. This Pacific Ocean island group, the second lowest nation in the world and home to 10,000 people, could disappear for ever under the waves if melting ice gaps and glaciers cause sea levels to rise…

“Some Commonwealth nations, led by Britain, pushed for the summit to send a recommendation that binding emissions cuts be agreed in the Indonesian resort. But others, reportedly led by Canada and Australia — at least under the outgoing government — oppose binding cuts if they fail to include all countries, most notably economic powerhouse China. The result was no recommendation of binding cuts and in its place a climate change ‘action plan’ trumpeted by Secretary General Don McKinnon as a ‘very strong political statement.'”

On the historic and prophetic role of the British Commonwealth, please tune in to our four-part StandingWatch programs on the Origins of Britain and America, which are posted on StandingWatch and on Google Video.

Pakistan’s President Resigns as Army Chief

AFP wrote on November 29:

 “The Bush administration on Wednesday took heart in Pakistan leader Pervez Musharraf’s decision to take off his uniform but still faced the dilemma of what to do if the chief ally on the ‘war on terror’ went into January elections under a state of emergency. President George W. Bush and his chief diplomat Condoleezza Rice welcomed Musharraf’s resignation as military chief, but urged him to lift emergency rule to pave the way for free and fair elections… Musharraf [was] sworn in as civilian president on Thursday, his second five-year term as leader of the nuclear-armed nation regarded as a crucial US ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants…

“The opposition maintains that Musharraf’s October 6 re-election as president was illegal, claiming he imposed emergency rule to purge the Supreme Court of hostile judges who threatened to overturn his victory. Calls have intensified for the release of all political detainees, lifting of media curbs and a [reinstatement] of the 1973 constitution.”

Australia’s New Leader

AFP wrote on November 25:

“Australia’s new leader Kevin Rudd vowed Sunday to tackle climate change and Iraq war policy, a day after sweeping veteran prime minister John Howard from power in a stunning election landslide. Rudd pledged to implement his campaign promises as a new era dawned for Australia after Saturday’s poll ended nearly 12 years of conservative rule by US President George W. Bush’s closest remaining ally in the war in Iraq. Voters abandoned Howard, 68, who presided over a record economic boom and became Australia’s second longest-serving leader, in a humiliating drubbing in which he is also likely to suffer the indignity of losing his parliamentary seat of 33 years.”

Russia’s Violent Suppression of the Opposition

AFP reported on November 27:

“Russia on Tuesday strongly defended the mass detention of anti-Kremlin demonstrators in the latest salvo of a war of words with the West before parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said riot police ‘acted very correctly’ when they detained more than 200 people and jailed chess legend turned opposition leader Garry Kasparov during the dispersal of weekend protests in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Interfax reported.

“Adding to the authorities’ tough message ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, a deputy interior minister announced the seizure of millions of issues of campaign literature allegedly ‘not conforming to the law.’ The row over the crackdown fuelled controversy over claims that anti-Kremlin politicians are being repressed to ensure overwhelming victory for Putin’s United Russia party…

“Late Monday, US President George W. Bush added his voice to condemnations from across the European Union, saying he was ‘deeply concerned about the detention of numerous human rights activists and political leaders.’ ‘I am particularly troubled by the use of force by law enforcement authorities to stop these peaceful activities,’ Bush said in a statement. He was speaking shortly after Putin accused foreigners of ‘sticking their noses’ into Russia’s affairs and claimed the United States had pressured European election monitors to boycott Sunday in order to ‘discredit’ the polls.”

Over Half of Afghanistan Under Taliban Control

Der Spiegel wrote on November 22:

“Six years ago coalition forces headed into Afghanistan to eradicate the Taliban. Now an international think tank says more than half of the country is under the Taliban’s thumb…

“‘The Taliban’s ability to establish a presence throughout the country is now proven beyond doubt,’ the report says, adding that ’54 percent of Afghanistan’s landmass hosts a permanent Taliban presence, primarily in southern Afghanistan, and is subject to frequent hostile activity by the insurgency.’… More than 6,000 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence in 2007 as NATO forces continue to battle against the Taliban, particularly in the volatile south…

“The report was released on the same day as an Oxfam assessment critical of the spending efforts inside Afghanistan by Western powers… Both reports are grim…”

Don’t Dare To Believe in God!…

BBC News reported on November 25:

“Tony Blair avoided talking about his religious views while in office for fear of being labelled ‘a nutter’, the former prime minister has revealed. In an interview for BBC One’s The Blair Years, he said that his faith had been ‘hugely important’ to his premiership. His ex-spokesman Alastair Campbell once told reporters: ‘We don’t do God.’ Mr Campbell has now acknowledged to the programme that his former boss ‘does do God in quite a big way’, but that both men feared the public would be wary… Mr Campbell added that the former prime minister always asked his aides to find him a church to attend, wherever he happened to be, each Sunday… ‘This is a man who takes a Bible with him wherever he goes and last thing at night he will read from the Bible.’

“Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, suggested that Mr Blair may not have been so politically successful had the relationship between his beliefs and his actions in office been better known. ‘The public might have been less willing to give him the triumph of three consecutive general election victories if they’d known the extent to which ethical values would overshadow pragmatism,’ Sir Menzies said.”

The Daily Mail commented on November 26 on Tony Blair’s secret religious faith, as follows:

“The great 19th-century campaigns of social reform, which brought about an end to slavery, universal suffrage and the transformation of Britain from a criminal cesspit into an orderly society, were motivated by Christian evangelicalism… So what a desperately sad commentary on our times it is that a Prime Minister felt unable to acknowledge that he subscribed to the faith that underpinned his society…

“But in Britain, the Church of England has turned into a kind of social workers’ convention where faith in God is too often seen as the equivalent of making a rude noise in church. It is almost as if Christianity is fine – with its high-minded concerns about poverty, the environment, war and so forth – as long as no one believes in it.

“Of course, the irony is that Mr Blair’s government seemed determined to attack and undermine bedrock Christian ethics… Nevertheless, he did believe in a Christian God which he was unable to reveal without doing himself political damage. That is because, to a secular society, religion is merely a form of organised superstition. Acting on religious faith is thus seen as irrational, and praying to God regarded as evidence of clinical insanity… Moreover, as the influence of religion has declined in Britain… people have become more credulous, superstitious and irrational than ever before. They place their faith in a range of New Age cults, paganism, witchcraft and belief in psychic phenomena such as reincarnation, astrology and parapsychology…

“In suggesting that life sprang into existence without any kind of governing intelligence, they fly in the face of the evidence emerging from science that the hitherto unimaginable complexity of life forms, including the living cell, makes it scientifically impossible for life to have emerged without some kind of intelligent design…

“The fact that a British Prime Minister has to keep his Christian faith secret is sorry testimony to the self-inflicted damage of a society that is in danger of losing not just its faith, but its mind.”

Anglican Archbishop Attacks the U.S.

Times on Line wrote on November 25:

“The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday. Rowan Williams claimed that America’s attempt to intervene overseas by ‘clearing the decks’ with a ‘quick burst of violent action’ had led to ‘the worst of all worlds’. In a wide-ranging interview with a British Muslim magazine, the Anglican leader linked criticism of the United States to one of his most pessimistic declarations about the state of western civilisation.

“He said the crisis was caused not just by America’s actions but also by its misguided sense of its own mission. He poured scorn on the ‘chosen nation myth of America, meaning that what happens in America is very much at the heart of God’s purpose for humanity’. Williams went beyond his previous critique of the conduct of the war on terror, saying the United States had lost the moral high ground since September 11…”

America–“The Depressed Superpower!”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 27:

“As frustration takes hold in the land of optimism, Americans are beginning to resemble Germans. They are collectively depressed over the Iraq War, the weak dollar and the aging of the baby boomers. Presidential candidates are left to preach change to an electorate that is afraid of it…

“Sixty percent of Americans believe that the next generation will be worse off than their own. A majority of Americans have no confidence in the government’s ability to solve the nation’s problems. Sixty-two percent are convinced that the administration is a failure at everything it tries to do… Sixty-eight percent of Americans see their country going down the wrong path in every respect. According to demographers, America today is even more overcome by pessimism than it was in 1974, a disastrous year in American politics. It was the year the US military withdrew from Vietnam; and back in Washington, the Watergate scandal led to the impeachment of then-President Richard Nixon…

“There is in fact little today that an American can be proud of… The only thing that has doubled in the seven years of the Bush administration is the country’s military budget. By comparison, the average US family income has stagnated in the last decade or so.

“A look at the US economy doesn’t exactly offer grounds for optimism. The US’s share of global exports has been cut in half since 1960. The balance of trade deficit has skyrocketed from about $80 billion in 1992 to a forecast $700 billion in 2007. The dollar has lost 24 percent of its value against the euro. The Bush administration’s answer to skeptics is that America is still growing at a faster rate than Europe. Consumer spending drives the economy, say politicians in Washington. But since when has consumer spending made a nation wealthy?…

“Americans are capable of handling anything — just not the notion that something cannot be improved. When their pioneering ancestors tamed and developed the nation, their motto was: ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’ But nowadays more and more Americans face nights as dreamless as their days are dreary. America’s new reality is simple: Hope dies first…”

These developments are highly significant. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

“America Is Coming Apart”

On November 25, The Drudge Report advertised Pat Buchanan’s new book, “Day of Reckoning,” as follows:

“‘America is coming apart, decomposing, and…the likelihood of her survival as one nation…is improbable — and impossible if America continues on her current course,’ declares Pat Buchanan. ‘For we are on a path to national suicide.’

“This time, Buchanan goes all the way: ‘America is in an existential crisis from which the nation may not survive.’ The U.S. Army is breaking and is too small to meet America’s global commitments. The dollar has sunk to historic lows and is being abandoned by foreign governments. U.S. manufacturing is being hollowed out. The greatest invasion in history, from the Third World, is swamping the ethno-cultural core of the country, leading to Balkanization and the loss of the Southwest to Mexico.

“The culture is collapsing and the nation is being deconstructed along the lines of race and class. A fiscal crisis looms as the unfunded mandates of Social Security and Medicare remain unaddressed. All these crises are hitting America at once — a perfect storm of crises.”

US Republican Debate–“What Would Jesus Do?”

WorldNetDaily wrote about an interesting exchange during the Republican Presidential Debate on November 28, 2007. It stated:

“Do the Republicans running for president believe every word of the Holy Bible? That issue was the focus of a portion of tonight’s CNN/You Tube debate, as a questioner brought it to the forefront…

“‘The reality is, I believe it, but I don’t believe it necessarily literally true in every single respect,’ said former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is Catholic. ‘I think there are parts of the Bible that are interpretive; I think there are parts of the Bible that are allegorical; I think there are parts of the Bible that are meant to be interpreted in a modern context. I don’t believe every single thing in the literal sense of Jonah being in the belly of the whale,’ he added.

“Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a Mormon, drew applause when he said ‘the Bible is the Word of God, absolutely.’ ‘Does that mean you believe every word?’ asked moderator Anderson Cooper. ‘Yeah, I believe it’s the Word of God,’ Romney said. ‘I might interpret the Word differently than you interpret the Word, but I read the Bible and I believe the Bible is the Word of God. I don’t disagree with the Bible. I try and live by it.’

“The only other candidate presented with the question was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister. ‘It’s the Word of revelation to us from God Himself,’ Huckabee said. ‘The fact is when people ask if you believe all of it, you either believe it or you don’t believe it. As the only person here probably on this stage with a theology degree, there are parts of it I don’t fully comprehend and understand, but I’m not supposed to. Because the Bible is the revelation of an infinite God, and no finite person is ever gonna fully understand it. If they do, their God is too small.’

“When asked what would Jesus do concerning the death penalty, Huckabee quipped, ‘Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office, Anderson. That’s what Jesus would do.'”

Lawsuit Challenges New California Law SB 777

WorldNetDaily reported on November 29:

“Absent a provision in the California Constitution that would ban ‘stupid’ laws, the non-profit Advocates for Faith and Freedom has filed a lawsuit challenging a new state law that would ban ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ from public schools. WND has reported that experts fear the socially groundbreaking legislative plan, signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will impose a radical pro-homosexual indoctrination agenda on all California public schools.

“‘Realize that SB 777 affects all school “instruction” (textbooks, classroom instruction, homework, videos, and other instructional materials) and every school-sponsored “activity” (sex education classes, school assemblies, dramas, music, dances, proms, sports teams, homecoming games, etc.). To opt out of SB 777, you would have to opt out your child from the entire school day,’ said Randy Thomasson, of the Campaign for Children and Families, a California-based pro-family group.

“His organization has concluded a state constitutional amendment would be the best way to remove the objectionable requirements, while the Capitol Resource Institute is working on a separate effort to have voters overturn SB 777.

“Robert Tyler, the general counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said the lawsuit his organization has filed challenges the law on the basis it is unconstitutionally vague and violates the privacy of all students, teachers and the people on school campuses. SB 777 changed in state law the definition of gender to make it now mean ‘sex,’ including a person’s gender identity and gender related appearance and behavior whether or not associated with the person’s ‘assigned’ sex at birth.”

More Attacks on Corporal Punishment

WorldNetDaily wrote on November 29:

“A proposal in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to ban ‘corporal punishment’ would turn good parents into criminals, according to a family advocacy group leader who battled the same idea earlier this year in California. ‘This bill equates loving, corrective discipline with hateful, harmful abuse,’ said Randy Thomasson, the president of the Campaign for Children and Families.

“‘Just as California’s proposed spanking ban was stopped cold, [Rep. Jay] Kaufman’s bill should be rejected by lawmakers who respect the sanctity of the home… ‘This punish-you-if-you-spank-your-children bill is intrusive, unenforceable, and a blatant violation of parental rights,’ Thomasson said… ‘Some parents spank and some parents don’t, and that’s their right as parents. Government regulation of parents’ discipline wipes out the right of parents to raise their own children. This is wrong. God gave children to parents, not to the state,’ he said. ‘Appropriate spanking is not “beating” or “abusing” a child, which is a ridiculous and offensive comparison. When appropriate spanking is lovingly administered, it greatly helps a disobedient youngster to become a well-adjusted adult who respects authority,’ he said.”

For more information on this hotly debated issue, please tune in to our StandingWatch program, “To Spank or Not to Spank,” which is posted on StandingWatch and on Google Video.

Middle East Conference–Cause for Hope…?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 28:

“Few thought it was possible that the Middle East conference in Annapolis would generate anything other than photo ops. But now, the Palestinians and the Israelis have agreed to talks… The first meeting is scheduled for Dec. 12 with further negotiations scheduled for every two weeks thereafter. The talks will be facilitated by an American president committed to reaching an agreement by the end of his term at the end of 2008.

“It is a real coup. And it is a surprise for all those who expected nothing of import to result from the conference — as well as for those who question the Americans’ ability to help negotiate a peace agreement due to their close relations with Israel. Even the mega-news network CNN was caught off guard. The channel completely forgot about the simultaneous translation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech delivered on the heels of Bush’s announcement. There was no sound other than the leader’s speech in Arabic. For five long minutes, only Arabic could be heard, before CNN interrupts the program and cuts to a correspondent. ‘We are watching history be made,’ is all he can think to say…

“Whether it’s ‘history,’ of course, remains to be seen. But it is a new initiative, and Bush’s presentation contained new elements as well. He spoke emphatically about the suffering of the Palestinians and even used the word ‘occupation.’… Many questions remain… the agreement announced by Bush contains — besides the commitment to a fixed negotiating framework — no specific details on the most contentious issues, namely the borders of a Palestinian state, the right of return of refugees and the exact status of Jerusalem. Still, the US president listed three reasons why the time for a settlement is better than ever: The two leaders in Israel and the Palestinians are committed to peace; a historic battle is raging against extremists over the future of the region; and the whole world wants peace more than ever…”

… or for Utter Pessimism?

Subsequently, Der Spiegel Online hit quite a different note, when reporting about the reactions from Israel and the Arab world. The paper wrote the following, on November 28:

“Disappointment, pessimism, frustration. The participants in the Annapolis conference could only feel victorious for one evening — then the disillusion set in. In a rare show of unity, Israeli and Arab newspapers have thrashed out at their political leaders… ‘Anyone unfamiliar with the Middle East would be forgiven for thinking that Tuesday’s ceremonies were marking the signing of a permanent peace,’ wrote Nahum Barnea, one of Israel’s best-known commentators. The opposite is true. According to Barnea, nothing less than ‘a miracle would be required’ for a Palestinian state to be brought into being by the end of 2008. There are too many difficulties to be cleared out of the way before this kind of ‘express peace’ would be realistic.

“The newspaper’s military expert is just as pessimistic. Prime Minster Ehud Olmert has maneuvered the Israeli army into a predicament. At a time when it is facing a tough militia enemy in Hamas, it is supposed to use restraint. That is ‘an almost unbearable situation.’

“This, however, sounds like resounding praise compared to the reaction of Maariv, the country’s second-biggest mass circulation paper. ‘Peace agreed for the cameras,’ writes Ben Caspit in his editorial. He caustically describes the joint statement between Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a successful marketing coup by Olmert — arranged only so that the beleaguered premier could hold on to power until the end of next year.

“‘Olmert is the true winner,’ writes Caspit. The big losers are Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the peace movement. ‘Barak knows that the chances for a peace treaty in a year are as great as Olmert being elected US president next November.’ The great expectations that US President George W. Bush has stirred up will only be disappointed, Caspit writes, ‘and then we will experience a profound disaster.’

“The London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi also predicts calamity. ‘The rude awakening is yet to come,’ says their editorial. The Annapolis conference did not address the really urgent problems. That will come back to haunt the participants, the paper writes: ‘The only success at Annapolis is that the conference took place.’…

“One day after Annapolis, the mood in the Middle East’s newspapers is subdued. The conclusion of most of the commentators is that Annapolis’s turbo-charged approach to the peace process will cause more harm than good.”

Natural Disasters on the Rise

AFP wrote on November 25:

“More than four times the number of natural disasters are occurring now than did two decades ago, British charity Oxfam said in a study Sunday that largely blamed global warming… The world suffered about 120 natural disasters per year in the early 1980s, which compared with the current figure of about 500 per year, according to the report.

“‘This year we have seen floods in South Asia, across the breadth of Africa and Mexico that have affected more than 250 million people,’ noted Oxfam director Barbara Stocking. ‘This is no freak year. It follows a pattern of more frequent, more erratic, more unpredictable and more extreme weather events that are affecting more people.’… The number of people affected by extreme natural disasters, meanwhile, has surged by almost 70 percent, from 174 million a year between 1985 to 1994, to 254 million people a year between 1995 to 2004, Oxfam said. Floods and wind-storms have increased from 60 events in 1980 to 240 last year, with flooding itself up six-fold.”

More Military Might for Europe?

The EUObserver wrote on November 16:

“UK foreign secretary David Miliband called for a strengthening of the EU’s military capacities during his first major speech on EU policy on Thursday (15 November) – an idea that has also been recently raised by France. ‘It’s frankly embarrassing that when European nations – with almost two million men and women under arms – are only able, at a stretch, to deploy around 100,000 at any one time’, Mr Miliband said… ‘European countries have around 1,200 transport helicopters, yet only 35 are deployed in Afghanistan. And EU member states haven’t provided any helicopters in Darfur despite the desperate need there’, he went on.

“French president Nicolas Sarkozy has also called for more efforts to build an independent European defence capability as well as to modernise NATO, while French defence minister Herve Morin told German newspaper FAZ earlier this week that Paris would put defence high on its EU presidency agenda during the second half of 2008.”

Europe, Under Germany, Against Iran…?

Reuters reported on November 16:

“Germany would consider the possibility of separate EU measures against Iran if the U.N. Security Council fails to agree on a new sanctions resolution, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday.

“Reacting to the latest report on Iran’s nuclear programme by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the United States said on Thursday it would work with its allies for a third round of U.N. sanctions against Tehran for refusing to suspend nuclear enrichment.

“But Russia and China, permanent veto-wielding members of the Security Council, are opposed to more sanctions. As a result, France has been pushing for the European Union to impose its own separate U.S.-style sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

“A German Foreign Ministry spokesman was asked at a regular news conference what Germany, which diplomats have been saying opposed the idea of separate EU measures, would do if the Security Council failed to approve tougher sanctions. ‘The foreign minister has made clear that if this is the case we would take up this issue in Europe and consider together what steps could be taken by Europe,’ spokesman Martin Jaeger said.”

… But Germany’s Position “Difficult, Sketchy and Ineffective”…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 20:

“In an effort to forestall an American military strike against Iran, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing for tougher economic sanctions against the mullah-controlled regime in Tehran. But critics say Merkel’s plans are sketchy and difficult to implement, while experts disagree over their effectiveness…

“During a visit to US President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas two weekends ago, Merkel promised her host that her government would apply stronger economic pressure on the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Merkel hopes that harsh economic sanctions will force the country’s ruling mullahs to finally abandon their controversial nuclear program… Only a few days later, during a routine consultation between senior officials in the German and French governments, Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy explored ways to put together a European alliance of countries willing to participate in the boycott. The Europeans’ main goal is to prevent a US military strike, which they believe could have more catastrophic consequences than an Iranian nuclear program… However, many in Berlin doubt tougher sanctions would be enough to force Tehran to come around on the nuclear issue. They are merely the price of keeping the Americans peaceful.

“The Catch-22 in Merkel’s pledge is that the plans she proposes are difficult to implement, and the German government has little latitude. Government experts warn against further reducing or even eliminating Hermes cover — export credit guarantees that protect German companies from non-payment by foreign debtors — for business transactions with Iran, as the Americans are demanding. Although Berlin reduced the government export credit guarantees from €900 million last year to the current level of €500 million, canceling the Hermes guarantees altogether would be risky.

“In Berlin, senior government officials fear that if the guarantees were eliminated, Tehran would no longer have any reason to repay what it already owes. At issue are receivables totaling roughly €5.5 billion, and not collecting on these debts would drive many German companies into bankruptcy. The government would have to jump in to prevent this from happening, which would impose an unacceptable burden on its budget.

“Closing the Iranian banks’ German offices isn’t as easy as the Americans imagine, either. Before this could happen, the European Union would require a United Nations resolution stating that the banks are funding the nuclear weapons program Iran is believed to be developing. EU member states would only be permitted to take action against the relevant Iranian companies if the UN adopts the necessary resolution. Although the resolution is pending before the UN Security Council, it hasn’t been adopted yet…

“US government pressure on German corporations and banks is also causing legal problems for the companies in question. By agreeing to participate in a boycott against a foreign country, German businesses would be in violation of foreign trade legislation enacted in 1993. The new laws were introduced because a number of Arab nations had demanded that their trading partners refrain from doing business with Israel. Many companies, fearful of losing their Arab business, caved in and signed the statements their Arab trading partners were demanding. To prevent this from happening in the future, German lawmakers enacted the 1993 legislation, which imposes fines of up to €500,000 on offenders…”

French President Keeps Low Profile

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 20:

“It’s Black Tuesday for French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Five million French civil servants have gone out on strike, joining millions of others already on the streets protesting planned reforms.

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing his stiffest political test on Tuesday as five million public servants stage a one-day strike. They are joining transport workers who are staying off the job for the seventh straight day. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said Monday that the transport strike was costing the economy between €300 million and €350 million ($440 million and $513 million) a day.

“The strikes are causing disruptions to air traffic, postal delivery and even weather forecasts and French people are being forced to forgo their newspapers as printers and distribution employees stay away from work…

“While the majority of French supported Sarkozy’s pledge to modernize France in the presidential elections in May many are beginning to feel disappointed with the failure to improve their daily lives six months on… The president has been keeping an uncharacteristically low profile over the past week, in an attempt to avoid aggravating the situation…”

Global Warming–Man-Made or Not?

AFP reported on November 16:

“UN experts agreed Friday on a draft report that warns global warming may have far-reaching and irreversible consequences… But sometimes sharp disagreement emerged during the five days of negotiations in Valencia to hammer out the summary, even though the main findings remained untouched. US delegates in particular said references to ‘irreversible’ climate change and impacts were imprecise. They argued, for example, that the melting of glaciers or ice sheets — which could raise ocean levels by several meters (a dozen feet) — was not ‘irreversible’ as ice could eventually reform… There is now broad agreement on the amplifying scale of the problem, but countries remain sharply divided on how to tackle it, fearing economic costs and loss of competitive advantage.”

In a related article, the Associated Press wrote on November 16:

“The document says recent research has heightened concern that the poor and the elderly will suffer most from climate change; that hunger and disease will be more common; that droughts, floods and heat waves will afflict the world’s poorest regions; and that more animal and plant species will vanish… The report is important because it is adopted by consensus, meaning countries accept the underlying science and cannot disavow its conclusions. While it does not commit governments to a specific course of action, it provides a common scientific baseline for the political talks. “U.N. experts say a new global plan must be in place by 2009 to ensure a smooth transition after the expiration of the Kyoto terms, which require 36 industrial countries to radically reduce their carbon emissions by 2012…

“While the European Union has taken the lead in enforcing the carbon emission targets outlined in Kyoto, the United States opted out of the 1997 accord. President Bush described it as flawed because major developing countries such as India and China, which are large carbon emitters, were excluded from any obligations. He also favors a voluntary agreement.

“Sharon Hays, a White House science official and head of the U.S. delegation, said the certainty of climate change was clearer now than when Bush rejected Kyoto.  ‘What’s changed since 2001 is the scientific certainty that this is happening,’ she said in a conference call to reporters late Friday. ‘Back in 2001 the IPCC report said it is likely that humans were having an impact on the climate,’ but confidence in human responsibility had increased since then.”

America Is Giving Mixed Signals on Global Warming

Although the U.N’s. draft report on man-made global warming was unanimous, this may not mean that the United States really agrees with its conclusions. As AFP reported on November 17:

“The United States believes there is no clear scientific definition of the dangers of climate change although it recognizes urgent action is needed, a US conference delegation said. ‘The scientific definition of that is lacking, and so we are operating within the construct of, again, strong agreement among world leaders that urgent action is warranted,’ said Jim Connaughton, chairman of the Council of Environmental Quality…

“‘The scientific community has offered a wide range of perspectives in these documents,’ Connaughton said… Head US delegate in Valencia, Sharon Hays, cited recent American studies… made on the basis of the last IPCC report, in which US researchers stated ‘very clearly’ that ‘value judgments’ still have to be made in determining what the dangers of climate change really are… ‘That is a political judgment, as it’s been made,’ added US negotiator on climate issues Harlan Watson. ‘It’s their interpretation.’… The United States continues to oppose establishing strict legal limits on greenhouse gas emissions.”

Changes In Poland

Will Poland’s new government change the country’s relationship with Europe and the United States?

Der Spiegel wrote on November 20:

“The Kaczynski twins went a long way toward destroying Poland’s relations with Europe. Now that Donald Tusk has become prime minister, the repairs have begun… Foreign Minister Sikorski… wants the US to give the Poles something in return for their commitment to the Americans. When he was defense minister, Sikorski asked Washington for $1 billion in military aid. He also fears that missiles stationed in Poland could turn the country into a target for attacks by rogue states.

“Besides, the new government promised its fellow Poles that it would withdraw the remaining 900 Polish soldiers from Iraq. Surveys have repeatedly shown that the majority of Poles are highly critical of their soldiers’ Iraq mission.

“This skepticism is likely to have grown in recent days, after a military prosecutor in Poznan filed charges against seven Polish soldiers alleged to have opened fire on unarmed civilians during their deployment in Afghanistan. Six people, including women and children, were killed in the incident. The notion that Polish soldiers may have committed war crimes is unbearable for a nation that has been the victim of war all too often in its own history.”

Pakistan’s Ongoing Maneuverings

In a bizarre twist of events, Pakistan’s President seems to follow through with a “quid pro quo” arrangement. Antagonistic Supreme Court justices were replaced with justices sympathetic toward the President. The new justices promptly confirmed, in effect, the “legality” of the President’s election. In return, the President subsequently announced that he would step down as Army chief–while continuing to refuse ending martial law. In addition, thousands of detained political opponents were released.

AFP reported on November 19:

“Stripped of hostile judges by [Pakistan’s President] Musharraf under a state of emergency after he feared it would rule he was ineligible for another five-year term, the new-look top court took just over two hours to throw out the cases… ‘There were five petitions, they have all been dismissed. There is only one left, and that will be heard on Thursday,’ attorney general Malik Mohammad Qayyum told AFP after a hearing from which international media were banned…

“There was no sign of a swift end to the emergency, despite a blunt message Sunday from US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who said it was ‘not compatible’ with holding a free and fair vote.”

Times On Line added on November 20:

“President Musharraf of Pakistan has decided to resign as Army chief by the end of the week, it emerged today. Sources close to the Pakistani President indicated that he wanted to stand down almost immediately if a Supreme Court newly packed with his supporters decides… to reject the final legal challenge to his victory in last month’s election on Thursday…

“Critics of the Pakistani President claim that he engineered the Supreme Court’s decision today by sacking a number of independently-minded judges who had been due to consider the case when the state of emergency was called…”

Further Decline of U.S. Dollar

Bloomberg reported on November 20:

“The dollar fell to a record low against the euro and Swiss franc on concern credit-market losses will slow economic growth, prompting the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates again this year… ‘There are lots of forces working against the dollar,’ said Robert Fullem, vice president of U.S. corporate currency sales at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. in New York. ‘The market sentiment toward the dollar is very negative. You are going to see further declines in the dollar.’… The dollar will decline to $1.50 per euro by the end of the year, according to Fullem.”

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Handguns

The Associated Press reported on November 20:

“The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will decide whether the District of Columbia can ban handguns, a case that could produce the most in-depth examination of the constitutional right to ‘keep and bear arms’ in nearly 70 years. The justices’ decision to hear the case could make the divisive debate over guns an issue in the 2008 presidential and congressional elections.

“The government of Washington, D.C., is asking the court to uphold its 31-year ban on handgun ownership in the face of a federal appeals court ruling that struck down the ban as incompatible with the Second Amendment… The main issue before the justices is whether the Second Amendment of the Constitution protects an individual’s right to own guns or instead merely sets forth the collective right of states to maintain militias. The former interpretation would permit fewer restrictions on gun ownership.

“Gun-control advocates say the Second Amendment was intended to ensure that states could maintain militias, a response to 18th century fears of an all-powerful national government. Gun rights proponents contend the amendment gives individuals the right to keep guns for private uses, including self-defense…

“The Second Amendment reads: ‘A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.’…

“Arguments will be heard early next year. The case is District of Columbia v. Heller, 07-290.”

Reuters: “U.S. Prison System a Costly and Harmful Failure”

Reuters reported on November 19:

“The number of people in U.S. prisons has risen eight-fold since 1970, with little impact on crime but at great cost to taxpayers and society, researchers said in a report calling for a major justice-system overhaul… The report was produced by the JFA Institute, a Washington criminal-justice research group, and its authors included eight criminologists from major U.S. public universities… More than 1.5 million people are now in U.S. state and federal prisons, up from 196,429 in 1970, the report said. Another 750,000 people are in local jails. The U.S. incarceration rate is the world’s highest, followed by Russia, according to 2006 figures compiled by Kings College in London.

“Although the U.S. crime rate began declining in the 1990s it is still about the same as in 1973, the JFA report said. But the prison population has soared because sentences have gotten longer and people who violate parole or probation, even with minor lapses, are more likely to be imprisoned. ‘The system is almost feeding on itself now. It takes years and years and years to get out of this system and we do not see any positive impact on the crime rates,’ JFA President James Austin, a co-author of the report, told a news conference. The report said the prison population is projected to grow by another 192,000 in five years, at a cost of $27.5 billion to build and operate additional prisons… Women represent the fastest-growing segment of the prison population, the report said.”

Vatican’s Ties With Israel Worsening

The International Herald Tribune wrote on November 16:

“A senior Vatican diplomat [Archbishop Pietro Sambi] who served as papal envoy to Israel has described Vatican-Israeli relations as worsening, blaming the Jewish state for failing to keep promises related to church land, taxes and travel restrictions on Arab clergy… Asked about Sambi’s criticisms, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: ‘Israel is interested in good relations with the Vatican and Israeli and Vatican officials are working to overcome gaps that exist.’

“Vatican spokesman… Federico Lombardi said the interview with Sambi ‘reflects his thinking and his personal experience’ during the diplomat’s former posting in Israel… Earlier this year, tensions developed between the Vatican and Israel when the Holy See’s ambassador to Israel initially decided to boycott a Holocaust memorial service because of allegations that during World War II Pope Pius XII was silent about the mass killings of Jews.”

Catholic Church’s Canon Law Prohibits Full Ecumenical Relations

The Canadian Press reported on November 14:

“Under pressure from Baltimore’s new Roman Catholic archbishop, a priest resigned as pastor to three parishes and signed a statement apologizing for ‘bringing scandal to the church’ after offences that included officiating at a funeral mass with an Episcopal priest, a violation of canon law. Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien ordered the resignation of… Ray Martin, who has led the Catholic Community of South Baltimore for five years, triggering a debate about enforcing Catholic doctrine and the limits of ecumenical relations.”

“If Anyone Will Not Work, Let Him Not Eat”

On November 16, the Catholic News Agency, Zenit, published a noteworthy article, by Raniero Cantalamessa, on work ethics and the Bible. We are quoting the following excerpts:

“It seems that in one of the first Christian communities, that of Thessalonica, there were believers who… thought that it was useless to weary themselves, to work or do anything since everything was about to come to an end. They thought it better to take each day as it came and not commit themselves to long-term projects and only to do the minimum to get by… Paul responds to them in the second reading: ‘We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.’ At the beginning of the passage,… Paul recalls the rule that he had given to the Christians in Thessalonica: ‘If anyone will not work, let him not eat.’

“This was a novelty for the men of that time. The culture to which they belonged looked down upon manual labor; it was regarded as degrading and as something to be left to slaves and the uneducated. But the Bible has a different vision. From the very first page it presents God as working for six days and resting on the seventh day. And all of this happens in the Bible before sin is spoken of. Work, therefore, is part of man’s original nature and is not something that results from guilt and punishment. Manual labor is just as dignified as intellectual and spiritual labor. Jesus himself dedicates 17 years to the former — supposing he began to work around 13 — and only a few years to the latter… A person who has done the most humble jobs in life can be of greater ‘value’ than those people who hold positions of great prestige.

“It was said that work is a participation in the creative action of God and in the redemptive action of Christ and that it is a source of personal and social growth, but we know that it is also weariness, sweat and pain. It can ennoble but it can also empty and wear down. The secret is to put one’s heart into what one’s hands do. It is not so much the amount or type of work done that tires us out, as much as it is the lack of enthusiasm and motivation. To the earthly motivations for work, faith adds eternal motivations: ‘Our works,’ the Book of Revelation says, ‘will follow us’ (14:13).”

Terrible Devastation of Bangladesh Cyclone

The Telegraph wrote on November 20:

“Up to 15,000 people were killed and seven million lives left devastated by the cyclone in Bangladesh last week, aid agencies have said as the full extent of the disaster became clear… In the worst affected districts, 90 per cent of homes and 95 per cent of rice crops and valuable prawn farms were obliterated by the winds, which generated a 20ft tidal surge that swept everything from its path… Officials described the humanitarian situation in coastal districts like Barguna, 130 miles south of the capital Dhaka, as the ‘worst in decades’, a grave assertion in a country that is used to dealing with annual floods and storms… Village after village has been shattered. Millions of people are living out in the open and relief is reaching less than one percent of the people. When reached, victims are being found dehydrated and in a state of shock.”

The Associated Press reported on November 19:

“Survivors said many of the deaths could have been prevented but people failed to heed warnings to move to higher ground as the storm approached Thursday…

“Many foreign governments and international groups… pledged to help.

“The United States offered $2.1 million and two U.S. Marine Corps transport planes arrived in Dhaka with medical supplies, said Chowdhury, the army spokesman. An American military medical team was already in Bangladesh and two U.S. Navy ships, each carrying at least 20 helicopters and tons of supplies, would be made available if the Bangladesh government requested them, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement.

“The European Union promised $2.2 million and the British government $5.1 million. Italy’s Roman Catholic bishops conference said it would donate $2.9 million. The governments of Germany and France each pledged $730,000, Japan sent $318,000 in relief supplies, and the Philippines said it would provide a medical team.

“Bangladesh is a densely populated nation sitting on a vast river delta. Storms batter its low-lying lands every year, often killing large numbers of people. The most deadly recent storm was a tornado that leveled 80 villages in northern Bangladesh in 1996, killing 621 people. A 1991 cyclone killed about 140,000 people near the city of Chittagong, and a storm in 1985 left some 11,000 dead. One of the worst disasters came in 1970, when a cyclone’s 20-foot-high storm surge killed an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people.”

AFP reported on November 21:

“Bangladesh’s army said Wednesday it had finally reached most parts of its cyclone-hit southern coastline where millions of desperate survivors were at risk from starvation and disease. Six days after cyclone Sidr smashed in from the Bay of Bengal, small amounts of aid were at last getting through to most places but villagers — most of whom have lost family members and livelihoods — said much more was needed… Up to four million people in the area, one of the poorest places on the planet, have been left destitute and without adequate food and water.”

The US Dollar Crisis–A Pearl Harbor Without War

On November 13, Der Spiegel Online published a thought-provoking article, explaining the imminent danger of an “attack on the US economy.” This is a “MUST-READ” article for all who want to be aware of the problems awaiting this country. The magazine stated the following:

“The dollar crisis has politicians alarmed worldwide. The US currency has lost 24 percent of its value since the introduction of the euro, and now there is even a chance that China could abandon its policy of pegging its currency to the dollar — a problem the United States should take very seriously… The most important country in the world for the United States isn’t Great Britain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia or Iraq. China holds that dubious distinction, because it is also the country the US can least do without. Without its willingness to buy an almost unlimited supply of US treasury bonds, there would be no American spending miracle. Without a spending miracle there would be no economic growth. In other words, without China the US superpower would lose a significant share of its economic clout…

“For the United States, a Chinese decision to abandon the dollar would be tantamount to Pearl Harbor without the war. It would represent a challenge to the world’s biggest economy by the world’s fastest growing economy. Millions of people would see their standard of living suffer as a result, and American self-confidence, already shaky, would crumble even further. The United States would suffer a serious blow on its very own turf, the economy…

“For years the US economy has suffered one dramatic setback after another… The United States, a once-proud exporting nation, became the world’s biggest importer. In only 15 years, from 1992 to 2007, the US balance of trade deficit has surged from $84 billion to $700 billion. Within a single generation, the world’s biggest lender has become its biggest borrower, a circumstance the United States has made no serious attempts to change.

“… an attack on the US economy is probably the most easily predictable event of the coming years. And if it happens, the attacker will even be able to justify its actions as self-defense.

“What is the difference between the US government in 1941 and the administration in Washington today? Perhaps there is none. A Japanese attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor was unimaginable, even though US intelligence had picked up clues that it could happen. Washington, at the time, was convinced that the Japanese wouldn’t dare stage an attack on a target 5,000 miles away, and that they wouldn’t succeed if they did. The crews on America’s ships were sleeping as the Japanese bombers approached Pearl Harbor.”

Georgia Prays for Rain

The Associated Press reported on November 12:

“As Georgia descends deeper into drought, Gov. Sonny Perdue has ordered water restrictions, launched a legal battle and asked President Bush for help. On Tuesday, the governor will call on a higher power. He will join lawmakers and ministers on the steps of the state Capitol to pray for rain.

“While public prayer vigils might raise eyebrows in other parts of the nation, they are mostly shrugged off in the Bible Belt, where turning to the heavens for help is common and sometimes even politically expedient. ‘Christianity has more of a place in the culture here than in some other region,’ said Ray Van Neste, a professor of Christian studies at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. ‘And it’s only natural, in a way, for the public to pray for rain.’

“Perdue won’t be the first governor to hold a call for public prayer during the epic drought gripping the Southeast. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley issued a proclamation declaring a week in July as ‘Days of Prayer for Rain’ to ‘humbly ask for His blessings and to hold us steady in times of difficulty.’…

“Political heavyweights outside the U.S. are known to occasionally plead to the heavens for rain. In May, Australian Prime Minister John Howard asked churchgoers to pray for rain in hopes of snapping a drought that has devastated crops and bankrupted farmers Down Under.

“In the U.S., public expressions of faith are often discouraged as a breach of the separation of church and state.

“Thomas Jefferson, for one, resisted calls for a federal day of prayer. But he was an exception. From George Washington, who declared ‘a day of prayer and thanksgiving,’ to Harry Truman, who established a National Day of Prayer, American politicians have not been shy about associating themselves with petitions to the Almighty.”

… and the Rain Came, But Might Not Have Helped Much …

On November 15, The Associated Press reported:

“A storm crashed through the Southeast and brought up to an inch of rain in parts of drought-stricken Georgia, but forecasters said the storm likely did little to ease the state’s historic drought. ‘The ground probably sucked it all up,’ said Vaughn Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City. ‘The ground is so dry, I seriously doubt if any of the lakes rose any.’

“The Wednesday storm packed lashing rain and powerful gusts, injuring at least nine in Tennessee. The roof of a Baptist church in Tennessee’s Marion County was heavily damaged…

“More than a quarter of the Southeast is covered by an ‘exceptional’ drought — the National Weather Service’s worst drought category. With water levels low, many Georgia residents are under conservation orders — such as a ban on watering lawns.

“The rainfall came two days after Gov. Sonny Perdue led a prayer service on the steps of the state Capitol to beg the heavens for an end to the drought.”

America’s Obsession With Weapons

AFP reported on November 11:

“For the first time in 70 years, the US Supreme Court may decide next week whether to examine the question of the right to bear arms, something which is fiercely upheld by millions of Americans. The US capital of Washington, which is trying to stem a wave of violence in its seedier neighborhoods, has lodged a case with the nine Supreme Court judges seeking to maintain its three-decade ban on individuals carrying handguns… The case goes right to the heart of the American constitution, which in its second amendment declares that: ‘A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.’

“Washington, which is also home to the president and the government, has interpreted the amendment to mean that there is a collective right to bear arms for those who are part of a police force or a security force. But since 1976, it has banned residents from carrying handguns, although they are allowed to keep a rifle or hunting gun in their homes, providing it is locked and not loaded. For millions of Americans though, and especially the powerful gun lobby represented by the National Rifle Association, the second amendment guarantees the right of every American citizen to own any gun, with few limits…

“Washington officials… lodged a case with the Supreme Court in September insisting that it must rule on the extent of access to handguns, the weapon of choice in two-thirds of robberies and assaults.Handguns are also used in half of the 15,000 murders across the country every year, according to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigations…”

Incredible Waste of Money

The Associated Press reported on November 13:

“The economic costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to total $1.6 trillion — roughly double the amount the White House has requested thus far, according to a new report by Democrats on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee… The $1.6 trillion figure, for the period from 2002 to 2008, translates into a cost of $20,900 for a family of four, the report said. The Bush administration has requested $804 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined, the report stated.

“For the Iraq war only, total economic costs were estimated at $1.3 trillion for the period from 2002 to 2008. That would cost a family of four $16,500, the report said. Future economic costs would be even greater. The report estimated that both wars would cost $3.5 trillion between 2003 and 2017. Under that scenario, it would cost a family of four $46,400, the report said.

“Oil prices have surged since the start of the war, from about $37 a barrel to well over $90 a barrel in recent weeks, the report said… Meanwhile, ‘the sum of interest paid on Iraq-related debt from 2003 to 2017 will total over $550 billion,’ the report said. The government has to make interest payments on the money it borrows to finance the national debt, which recently hit $9 trillion for the first time.”

Merkel’s Visit With Bush–“Nothing of Substance”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 12:

“There was lots to discuss during Chancellor Merkel’s visit to President Bush’s Texas ranch… But was anything of substance accomplished by Merkel’s visit to Crawford? German commentators take a closer look at what the talks mean for the Iran dispute.

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘If Bush promises the German chancellor that he will stick to the diplomatic approach of isolating Iran, if the two of them agree on sanctions as the next stage of escalation and get their plan approved by the United Nations (Security Council), then all this means nothing less than the following: The president has chosen to go against Vice President Dick Cheney and instead go with the solution favored by the Europeans of cautious but persistent escalation. It would also mean that the US needs Europe’s influence, also to have enough pressure to bring to bear on Russia, which is playing a strange double game over Iran. This is the right strategy for this phase of the dispute…’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes:

“‘Merkel is a few steps ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who only really started bringing his country back on to a US-friendly course last week (when he paid his first official visit to Washington). Bush is grateful to his two new friends because internationally there are not many governments that are so ready to cooperate with the current American administration, much less act in concert with the US. The US now needs Germany and France on its side, much more than in the past, when Germany was America’s junior partner. The US’s ill-considered warmongering and its bumbling diplomacy have weakened Washington in terms of international crisis management — and strengthened the Europeans… If the situation in Iran gets worse and Washington decides after all that it’s wise to respond to the mullahs’ nuclear ambitions with air attacks, then the French and Germans could quickly find themselves again in a situation like at the beginning of the Iraq war.'”

Germany–Still A Divided Country

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 9:

“Friday (November 9) marks the 18th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall… 18 years after the fall of the Wall, there is still no such thing as a truly unified Germany.

“Eastern Germans are less satisfied with and less optimistic about their situation than those living in the states that made up the former West Germany. They are also less convinced about the virtues of democracy than their western counterparts — with many believing that socialism is a good idea that just hasn’t been implemented well in the past.

“Indeed, the biggest differences in the survey come when eastern and western respondents are asked to share their views on life in the former East Germany. The communist state gets far higher marks from those living in the east than from those in the west. A full 92 percent of 35- to 50-year-old eastern Germans believe that one of the greatest attributes of the former East Germany was its social safety net… There is a silver lining in the report in that despite major divergences in views between the older eastern and western Germans, those differences appear to be shrinking with the younger generation in the east and west. Slowly, the country appears to be coming back together.”

Stoiber’s Battle in Brussels

The EUObserver wrote on November 11:

“An expert group charged with advising the European Commission on cutting the unnecessary laws coming out of Brussels has run into difficulty – even before its first official meeting later this month. The red tape-busting committee, led by the centre-right former Bavaria leader Edmund Stoiber, is meeting opposition within its target institution, the European Commission, for its extensive demands… Stoiber has asked for the group to have more powers as well as many more members than just the secretarial assistance the commission had intended… The whole issue has a separate element of political frisson because of German internal politics. The man Mr Stoiber is supposed to be helping out with his bureaucracy-cutting suggestions is industry commissioner Guenter Verheugen, a fellow German but a rival socialist… As yet it remains unclear who will be on the 15-strong committee, supposed to have its first meeting on 20 November. Die Welt notes that Mr Stoiber is already looking for support from Munich, Bavaria’s capital and has asked business consultant Roland Berger to be part of the group.”

Germany’s Vice-Chancellor Resigned

AFP wrote on November 13:

“Germany’s Vice-Chancellor Franz Muentefering, a key figure holding together the country’s fractious left-right government, has resigned for personal reasons, his ministry said Tuesday.His departure is likely to increase tensions in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s already unwieldy, two-year-old ‘grand coalition’ government with the Social Democrats (SPD)… Tensions within the coalition have mounted in recent weeks over reforms of Europe’s biggest economy. But officials from both parties have said they have no desire to call early elections before 2009 because neither could win a majority with their coalition partner of choice.

“Muentefering’s departure is… likely to lead to more clashes between the two parties, which are traditionally fierce rivals. The vice-chancellor, nicknamed the general for his loyal and stoic style, suffered a number of political defeats in recent weeks… He remains a popular figure, however, and won a standing ovation at an SPD congress in Hamburg last month… The party, however, has sunk to historic lows in the polls since the 2005 election, scoring about 30 percent — 10 points behind Merkel’s conservatives.”

“Spain’s King Puts Chavez in his Place”

AFP reported on November 12:

“Spain’s King Juan Carlos won praise back home on Sunday after telling Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to ‘just shut up’ before storming out of an Ibero-American summit. Spain’s monarch was applauded by Spanish media for his angry reprimand Saturday of Chavez, after the Venezuelan leader described a former Spanish prime minister [Jose Maria Aznaras] a ‘fascist’ and launched into a wide-ranging tirade.

“‘The king has put Chavez in his place in the name of all Spaniards,’ the centrist El Mundo newspaper said, noting that it was ‘an act without precedence.’ It said the monarch’s rebuke was ‘something that should have been said to him (Chavez) a long time ago.’

“[Chavez’s] mentor, ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro, hailed Chavez for his critique of European governments in a commentary published Sunday in Juventud Rebelde…

“Chavez earned the ire of the Spanish delegation upon his arrival on Friday… and on Saturday… [when] the Venezuelan leader [attacked Aznaras and then] carried on, attacking the United States (a favorite target of his), the Catholic Church in Venezuela and the pope. He also accused the United States and Europe of having approved of the failed coup against him in 2002… Chavez’s outburst and King Juan Carlos’ admonition to ‘shut up’ was replayed again and again late Saturday on Spanish television news programs to the delight of viewers.”

“Something Is Rotten in the State of Italy” — The “Whole Country Lacks Leadership”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 13:

“Italy is scrambling to deal with the aftermath of riots this weekend sparked by the accidental shooting of a football fan… The violence that spread across Italy was in reaction to the death of Gabriele Sandri, a 26-year-old DJ, who was killed after police officer Luigi Spaccatorella fired warning shots to stop a brawl among rival fans at a motorway rest stop. The policeman is now under investigation for manslaughter.

“Soccer authorities said on Monday…  they would suspend matches scheduled for next Sunday, and Italy’s Interior Ministry slapped a ban on large groups of violent fans traveling to certain games… However, according to Clarence Seedorf, a player with AC Milan, football is being made a scapegoat by the government for deeper problems in Italian society. ‘They cannot blame football every time,’ the Dutch player told Britain’s Sky Sports News. ‘The people are not happy. They are coming to the stadiums to express their feelings and their feelings are not positive. … The whole country lacks leadership.’…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘The Italians are always caught up in a power struggle. Nothing in that country has a secure position — not the parties which are constantly splitting up and being refounded … not the institutions which pass from the clutches of one party to another, not the church which wants to control domestic politics.’…

“The conservative daily Die Welt writes: ‘Italy likes to call itself the bel paese, the beautiful country…. But there is another side to Italy: the ugly side… The fact that this kind of rage can flare up so quickly across the whole country is an indication that there is something rotten in the state of Italy.’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘What began as a brawl between football fans in Tuscany could lead to the fall of the already crisis-ridden Italian government. Giuliano Amato, Italy’s interior minister, has said he carries the political responsibility for the death of the fan, who was shot by a police officer. The fact that it was a tragic accident can minimize the guilt of the shooter. But that doesn’t absolve Amato from the fact that the security forces operate in a chaotic manner, and that the one stray bullet led to riots by thousands of thugs in several cities… If Amato resigns then Romano Prodi’s center-left government could break apart. Amato has been one of its few supporters. But the end of the government would only be the smaller problem, in comparison to the effect of unrestrained football fanaticism on Italian society.'”

British Conservatives in Disarray Over EU Treaty

The EUObserver reported on November 13:

“The question of Europe was once again riding high in British politics last night after a senior member of the opposition Conservatives indicated that the party would not accept parliamentary ratification of the new EU Reform Treaty. William Hague, the shadow Foreign Secretary, caused a political rumpus on Monday (12 November) by appearing to say that the conservative party – long known for its strongly eurosceptic streak – would press for a referendum on the treaty even if it has been ratified by British MPs…

“Mr Hague’s comment [has] broken open the [Conservatives’] uneasy stance on Europe. Under its new leader David Cameron, the party has tried to move away from being defined by its anti-Europe position. But it retains a core of members and supporters who are strongly in favour of changing Britain’s relations with Europe and who believe the Reform Treaty – introducing a long-term president of the EU and a foreign minister – goes too far. The party has been putting substantial pressure on prime minister Gordon Brown to hold a referendum on the treaty – particularly since the Labour government under Tony Blair had promised a poll on the now-shelved but similar EU constitution.

“Mr Brown has so far resisted the calls arguing Britain’s interests have been upheld in the Reform treaty… If all goes to plan, the EU treaty is to enter into force at the beginning of 2009 – but has to be ratified by all 27 member states first.”

“European Defense Absolute Priority”

The EUObserver wrote on November 13:

“France will next year push for a Europe of defence, proposing Brussels-based EU planning staff, exchanges between professional soldiers and a harmonization of military education – ideas which are likely to raise concern in the UK. In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, French defence minister Hervé Morin said that Paris will put defence high on the agenda when it takes over the rotating presidency of the EU in the second half of 2008. Mr Morin described European defence as an ‘absolute priority’ which is at least as important for European integration as the EU’s common currency, the euro.

“‘With the common currency, we have created a strong symbol for Europe. But nothing can better express the European community of fate than common defence, a common sense of Europe’s threats and security interests,’ he said. ‘A kind of European conscience can grow over the question where, if need be, we want to defend our values with weapons,’ he stated. ‘This is why during the presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2008 we would like to press ahead with a Europe of defence.'”

“Apocalyptic Scenario” For Israel

The Jerusalem Post wrote on November 8:

“Egyptian and Saudi Arabian intentions to begin or revive their nuclear programs in the face of Iran’s continued race toward nuclear power present an ‘apocalyptic scenario’ for Israel as well as for the rest of the world, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

“Lieberman’s remarks came a week after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced a decision to restart his country’s nuclear program. On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country had begun operating 3,000 centrifuges for the enrichment of uranium… Lieberman also said Pakistan was a major threat to Israel due to the political instability there and the fact that the country had ‘missiles, nuclear weapons and a proven capability.’ ‘We hope there will be stability and the [Pakistani] nuclear weapons won’t fall into radical hands,’ he said. ‘If the Taliban or [al-Qaida leader Osama] bin Laden get control [of Pakistan] they will have nuclear weapons for terror use and they don’t hide their opinions about Israel.’ … On Tuesday, Military Intelligence said Iran could produce a nuclear weapon by the end of 2009.”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on November 15:

“Israel is preparing for the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, the Reuters news agency reported Thursday. According to the report, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has instructed his ministers to draft proposals on how to cope with a nuclear Iran. The report was later denied by a senior Prime Minister’s Office official, Israel Radio reported… Reuters reported that Israel was developing its defense systems to fend off a possible Iranian attack. It added that Israel was constructing a fleet of German-made submarines which could possibly carry nuclear missiles, sending a clear message that there would be retaliation for any Iranian attack.”

Historic Visit of Israel’s President in Turkey

AFP reported on November 12:

“Israel’s President Shimon Peres arrived in Ankara on Sunday, where he will become the first Israeli head of state to address a majority-Muslim country’s parliament, a report said… On Monday, he holds talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. A highlight of the trip is to occur when Peres addresses Turkish lawmakers in Hebrew on Monday.

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also expected in Ankara Monday, where he will similarly address the Turkish parliament and meet Peres and Gul on the sidelines of an economic forum gathering Turkish, Israeli and Palestinian business people. The three sides are expected to conclude a deal to establish a joint industrial zone in the West Bank, according to Turkey’s Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, the forum’s founder.

“In an interview published Sunday by Turkey’s Sabah newspaper, Peres described his visit as ‘historic’ and said Ankara had a key role to play in establishing peace in the Middle East. Turkey is perhaps Israel’s most important strategic ally after the United States, and economic cooperation between the two took off after the signing of a key military cooperation accord in 1996.”

Turkey is a descendant of the Biblical Esau or Edom, twin-brother of Jacob or Israel. Both were sons of the Biblical Isaac. The relationship between Edom and Israel has been strained throughout their history, and the Bible shows that Edom or Turkey will turn against Israel in the near future.

Murder in Turkey

The Eastern Star News Agency reported on November 13:

“On January 19th, 2007, the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was murdered outside the newspaper Agos’ office in Constantinople (Istanbul). A couple of days after the murder, the 17-year old Ogun Samas was arrested. The police treated the murderer like a national hero and posed proudly with him in front of cameras with a Turkish flag in their hands and boasted with taking pictures with the murderer.

“The murdered Hrant Dink’s son, Arat Dink, was convicted on the 12th of October 2007, together with the responsible publisher of the magazine Agos, Serkis Seropyan, to [a] one year conditional prison sentence for desecrating ‘turkishness’. The sentence was based on the same paragraph that Hrant Dink was sentenced for, paragraph 301 [of] the Turkish penal code… This is happening in a country that applies for membership in the European Union!”

The EU Warns Ethiopia

AFP wrote on November 12:

“Joint Ethiopia-Somali government forces on Monday descended into Mogadishu’s main market and scoured for weapons in a bid to stem an escalating insurgency. However, the European Union urged the warring sides to spare civilians in the latest clashes that have killed dozens of people and displaced at least 114,000 while others remain trapped in Mogadishu… Civilians have complained of indiscriminate shooting by Ethiopian forces, involved in their toughest crackdown against the insurgents. But the government says it is only targeting rebels.”

It is possible that Ethiopia is the last revival of the “king of the South,” as mentioned in Scripture. If so, we can expect increasing confrontation between Ethiopia and the EU–the modern revival of the Roman Empire, to be lead soon by a military leader–the “king of the North.”

Russian-Indian Ties

AFP wrote on November 12:

“Arms and energy were on the agenda Monday as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to buttress ties between the veteran allies… India was a key ally of the former Soviet Union in the Cold War era.

“New Delhi is expected to make a bid for an increased share of Russia’s oil and gas exports as Russia fights to retain its position as India’s top arms supplier amid Western competition… In a statement released ahead of the talks, the Russian presidential administration said the two sides would work on intensifying the country’s ‘strategic partnership’ on international relations, with a particular focus on the Middle East. The two sides aim to boost bilateral trade to 10 billion dollars (6.8 billion euros) a year by 2010 from four billion dollars in 2006, the Kremlin said.

“Trade between Russia and India has long been dominated by Indian military spending. Russia accounts for 70 percent of Indian military hardware while India currently accounts for 30 percent of Russian arms sales… ‘Russia is India’s most important partner in defence,’ Singh said… Business daily Vedomosti on Monday reported that Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport could soon sign a contract for 450 million dollars to buy 80 Mi-17 helicopters… Interfax news agency, meanwhile, reported that the two would sign agreements for the joint development of the Ilyushin 214 military transport plane.”

AFP added on November 13:

“The leaders of veteran allies Russia and India agreed Monday to launch a joint unmanned mission to the moon during Kremlin talks on boosting military and trade ties… During the talks the Russian and Indian leaders also ‘paid particular attention to cooperation in nuclear energy and in military-technical cooperation,’ Putin said… Singh thanked the Russian president for assisting in efforts to lift international restrictions on nuclear cooperation with India.”

The Bible reveals that Russia and India, as well as countries such as China and Japan, will form a mighty military and economic power bloc, in competition to the EU.

15-Day State of Emergency in the Country of Georgia

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 9:

“Georgia’s parliament has rubber-stamped the state of emergency declared by President Mikhail Saakashvili on Wednesday. While German papers concede that the country does face interference from Moscow, they also decry the heavy-handed repression of peaceful protests that reflect real concerns among the population.

“Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili seemed to bow to international pressure Thursday by announcing snap presidential elections for Jan. 5. But with parliament voting in favor of the state of emergency on Friday and independent media still off the air, it is unlikely that the move will be enough to repair the damage done by the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations on Wednesday…

“While many Georgians support Saakashvili’s attempts to take the former Soviet Republic into the European Union and NATO and to shake off Russian influence, the president is regarded as increasingly authoritarian… his move has been met with sharp criticism in the West. The United States has expressed its disappointment and NATO has warned that Georgia’s aspirations to join the alliance have been jeopardized… German commentators seem united in the opinion that while there is undoubtedly Russian interference in Georgia, this does not justify ditching democratic values such as the right to protest and freedom of speech.

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… The harsh tone coming from NATO and the European Union is the only correct reaction: If Georgia wants to be a part of the West, it has to respect its values and rules.’…

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘… His style of government has become authoritarian, and the number of corruption cases and scandals has increased… With the brutal use of the police force and the declaration of a state of emergency, he seems to have adapted the role of autocrat.’…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘By striking down the peaceful demonstrations, Saakashvili has made Georgia’s path toward NATO more difficult than all the provocations from the Kremlin in the past few years could have achieved.'”

According to AFP of November 14, “Georgia will lift a state of emergency on Friday, a top official said Wednesday, but doubts remained about whether one of the country’s main television channels would be allowed back on the air.” It added on November 15 that the Georgian “Parliament has approved a decision to lift the state of emergency on Friday at 7:00 pm.”

Pakistan–End of Chaos in Sight?

On November 9, The Daily Telegraph published a strong  editorial regarding the situation in Pakistan and the failure of the West to stop its escalation. Pakistan’s reaction to the editorial was one of anger, fright and terror, and has only escalated the situation even more.

In the editorial, the paper wrote:

“Despite George W Bush’s rhetoric about freedom, the struggle against terrorism is provoking a reaction familiar from the Cold War and nowhere is that clearer than over Pakistan… General Pervez Musharraf… has failed to stamp out extremist groups and close the madrassas that inspire them. He has allowed the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to fall into the hands of assorted jihadis. And he has sacked independent-minded judges for fear that the Supreme Court declare illegal his re-election as president last month.

“Yet, despite this combination of incompetence and brutality, America and Britain continue to back him as head of what has a strong claim to be the most dangerous country in the world… In short, the relationship between Gen Musharraf and the West is bankrupt. Valued as an ally after 9/11, he is now part of the problem. Under his dictatorship, Pakistan has become an increasingly ungovernable country in which moderate, secular forces have been sidelined to the advantage of the Islamists.”

AFP reported on November 11 about Pakistan’s reaction to the article:

“‘The Telegraph has withdrawn its correspondents in Pakistan after they were threatened with expulsion by the government,’ a two-paragraph article in the newspaper read… Britain’s foreign ministry earlier on Sunday said that the three journalists were on their way back to Britain, and said that the British high commissioner had complained to Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri about the journalists’ treatment.”
The International Herald Tribune wrote on November 11:

“In another signal that the general was strengthening his grip on power, the government announced Saturday that it had amended an army law so that civilians could be charged and prosecuted before military courts.”

On November 12, the Associated Press reported that “Foreign ministers from the Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies said that Pakistan would be suspended from the organization unless the state of emergency was repealed and Musharraf stepped down as army chief by Nov. 22.”

On November 13, AFP stated “Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto called on President Pervez Musharraf to quit Tuesday in her most direct challenge yet to his rule, vowing never to serve under him in government…

“Holed up under house arrest with close aides in Lahore as more than 1,000 police manned barbed wire barricades outside, she urged the world to abandon the president… ‘It is over with Musharraf,’ she told AFP in an interview from inside the residence where she has been detained to stop her leading a mass procession against emergency rule… ‘General Musharraf must quit. He must quit as president and as chief of army staff. I call on the international community to stop backing him — to stop backing the man whose dictatorship threatens to engulf this nuclear-armed state in chaos.’…”

On November 15, AFP reported that “Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said that he will step down as army chief before December 1… Musharraf named former spy chief Ashfaq Kiyani as the heir apparent to the post of chief of army staff in October… [It was further announced that] Pakistan’s incoming caretaker government would take an oath on Friday morning after the current parliament dissolves at one minute before midnight.”

“Christian” Cult In Russia–What Insanity!!!

Reuters reported on November 15:

“At least 30 members of a Russian doomsday cult have barricaded themselves in a remote cave to await the end of the world and are threatening to commit suicide if police intervene, officials and media said on Thursday… The cult members, who include 29 adults and four children, are hidden inside a snow-covered hillside in the Penza region of central Russia…

“They are thought to have taken food and fuel supplies in with them… ‘They are simple Christians,’ a local priest, Father Georgy, told NTV television station. ‘They say: “The church is doing a bad job, the end of the world is coming soon and we are all saving ourselves.”‘

“Media reports said the cult members believed the world would end sometime in May next year. Police expected them to emerge when their supplies ran out.

“After decades of state-enforced atheism under Soviet rule, many Russians and other ex-Soviet nationals have come under the influence of homegrown and foreign sects. Many Russians have refused new passports and taxpayers’ personal identification numbers, saying the figures contained ‘satanic’ combinations of numbers. Izvestia newspaper said the leader of the cult, Pyotr Kuznetsov, had been detained by police. It said he was a 43-year-old who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that in the last few months he had been sleeping in a coffin.”

Unfortunately, such insane conduct and these kind of false doomsday predictions give TRUE Christianity a bad reputation. It is Satan’s way of convincing people to reject the truth, by pointing at such terrible examples as set by the cult in Russia.

Earthquake in Chile

AFP reported on November 14 that “A strong earthquake measuring 7.7 rocked arid northern Chile Wednesday, killing at least two people, injuring others, sparking panic and causing power outages… Meanwhile separate earthquakes also hit Argentina and Central America on Wednesday. An earthquake, which US geologists measured at magnitude 5.3, rocked Guatemala and neighboring El Salvador, with no reports of casualties.”

The news agency also reminded the readers on November 15 that “In August, southern Peru was struck by a powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake that left 600 people dead and 300,000 homeless.”

The Associated Press added on November 15 that “Strong aftershocks [including one of magnitude 6.2 and another of magnitude 6.8] from a powerful earthquake hit northern Chile on Thursday as the government erected a working military hospital and promised hundreds of other portable dwellings for 15,000 left homeless by the quake… A 1939 quake in Chile killed 28,000 people and in 1960, a magnitude-9.5 quake — the strongest recorded in the 20th century — killed 5,700 people. On June 13, 2005, a magnitude-7.8 quake… in northern Chile killed 11 people and left thousands homeless.”

Cyclone Forces Bangladesh Evacuations

The Associated Press reported on November 15:

“Ten of thousands of coastal villagers took shelter inland Thursday as a cyclone rapidly approached Bangladesh’s southwestern shores, spawning cold drizzles, strong winds and high waves, a weather official said. Tropical cyclone Sidr was expected to make landfall late Thursday… The cyclone, which began brewing Tuesday in the Bay of Bengal, was producing winds up to 140 miles per hour, and may trigger tidal surges as high as 20 feet…”

What Killed the Dinosaurs?–It Was Not Evolution, For Sure!

LifeScience wrote on November 12:

“The Age of Dinosaurs ended roughly 65 million years ago with the K-T or Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, which killed off all dinosaurs save those that became birds, as well as roughly half of all species on the planet, including pterosaurs. The prime suspect in this ancient murder mystery is an asteroid or comet impact, which left a vast crater at Chicxulub on the coast of Mexico.

“Another leading culprit is a series of colossal volcanic eruptions that occurred between 63 million to 67 million years ago. These created the gigantic Deccan Traps lava beds in India, whose original extent may have covered as much as 580,000 square miles (1.5 million square kilometers), or more than twice the area of Texas…

“Both an impact from space and volcanic eruptions would have injected vast clouds of dust and other emissions into the sky, dramatically altering global climate and triggering die-offs.”

Cloned Human Embryos?

The Independent wrote on November 12:

“A technical breakthrough has enabled scientists to create for the first time dozens of cloned embryos from adult monkeys, raising the prospect of the same procedure being used to make cloned human embryos… It is the first time that scientists have been able to create viable cloned embryos from an adult primate – in this case a 10-year-old male rhesus macaque monkey…

“The monkey-cloning technique is the same basic procedure that resulted in Dolly the sheep. The nucleus of a healthy, unfertilised egg is removed and another nucleus from the mature skin cell of an adult animal is placed inside the egg. With careful timing and the use of electrical pulses, an embryo can be created which is a genetic clone of the skin tissue donor. It is possible to implant embryos created in this way into the womb to produce cloned animals. This so-called ‘reproductive cloning’ of humans is illegal in Britain and many other countries. However it has been applied to a range of animal species, including:

“Cow: Many domestic cattle have been successfully cloned. First attempt to clone an endangered species was Noah, a rare gaur ox, which was cloned in the US in 2001 but died 48 hours after birth.

“Mouse: Cumulina was a common brown house mouse, cloned from adult cells at the University of Hawaii in 1997. She survived to adulthood and produced two litters, before dying in May 2000.

“Horse: Called Prometea, the first cloned horse, born in Italy in May 2003.

“Cat: A kitten called CopyCat was born in 2002 in Texas, and gave birth to three kittens by a natural father in September 2006.

“Dog: Snuppy, born in South Korea. Doubts about its authenticity were dispelled by DNA tests. The group has also cloned two wolf cubs, called Snuwolf and Snuwolffy using the same procedure. Cloned Afghan hounds named Bona, Peace and Hope have also been born.”

Discussions at the White House Regarding the Temple Mount

IsraelNationalNews.com reported on November 7, 2007, about an interesting development, pertaining to the Temple Mount (please see, in this context, our Editorial and Q&A in this Update). The report stated the following:

“Israel’s Chief Rabbis and the Chief Rabbi of Haifa have been invited to the White House for pre-Annapolis talks to explain the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount… Despite the fact that many rabbis both visit and encourage other Jews to visit the Temple Mount in the manner permitted by Jewish law, the chief rabbinate says that Jews should not visit the Temple Mount. A large sign is affixed to the path leading to the Mount saying it is ‘forbidden for Jews to visit the Mount according to Jewish law.’ All three rabbis agree that the Temple Mount must remain under Jewish sovereignty.  However, the chief rabbis believe the mount should be closed to all since a special level of ritual purity must be obtained before ascending to the site of the Jewish Holy Temple. Rabbi Cohen believes the Temple Mount should be open to Jewish worship and a synagogue should be constructed there.

“Arutz-7’s Yedidya HaCohen reports that a secret meeting on the matter took place two weeks ago during one of the recent visits by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Jerusalem. The meeting dealt with Jerusalem’s holy sites and was attended by Rabbi Cohen, as well as Muslim and Christian religious leaders. The meeting lasted over two hours. Muslim leaders aired their claim that ‘the Jews want to destroy the Al-Aksa Mosques’ and their oft-heard denial that there was ever a Jewish temple at the site. The chief Mufti has already declared that Jews should not be allowed to pray at the site. Recent [archeological] finds from the First Temple have not tempered Muslim denial of pre-Islamic history on the mount, as well as the Western Wall.

“Rabbi Cohen responded to those present: ‘It is forbidden to deny that the Jews had our Holy Temple at that site. It is forbidden to forget that King David purchased the Temple Mount, King Solomon built the Holy Temple and Ezra the Scribe rebuilt it as well [after it was destroyed –ed.]. All who come afterward must recognize the rights of those who came first. Although I do not propose the demolition of the mosques, the Muslims must remember that they are there due to us.’… In summation, Rabbi Cohen told Rice and the other religious leaders that he is completely opposed to any withdrawal from the Temple Mount and site of the Holy Temple.

“Rice reportedly responded: ‘Honorable rabbi, I understand you well. I am the daughter of a priest and the granddaughter of a priest, I learned the Bible and know what is written there.’…

“The meetings [at the white House], which will be attended by members of the Islamic Wakf and Christian leaders… According to [a] proposal [to be discussed at the meetings], the Jerusalem ‘Holy Basin’ – meaning the Old City and surrounding areas – would be administered by a joint committee and not remain under Israeli sovereignty… [T]he Western Wall and Temple Mount would remain under Israeli control, but the Americans are reportedly pushing to see the Temple Mount relinquished as well.”

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Meets With Pope, Prime Minister Prodi and Queen Elizabeth

AFP reported on November 6:

“Pope Benedict XVI raised the issue of Christians living in Saudi Arabia in a historic meeting Tuesday with King Abdullah, the first monarch of the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom to visit the Vatican… The Holy See does not have diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, which is home to Islam’s holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina and applies a rigorous doctrine of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism. The question of religious freedoms for the roughly one million Christians and other non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia remains an extremely sensitive one…

“The groundbreaking talks were not King Abdullah’s first contact with the head of the Roman Catholic Church, since he met Pope Benedict’s predecessor John Paul II in 1999 when he was crown prince to his half brother King Fahd. King Abdullah, 84, and the 80-year-old pontiff also exchanged ‘ideas on the Middle East and the need to find a fair solution to the conflicts afflicting the region, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,’ the Vatican communique said…

“Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi met the Saudi king later, saying afterward that he hoped a planned Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, later this year would ‘yield solid expectations for an end, once and for all, to this conflict.’ He said the conference held out ‘strong expectations’ among Palestinians for a future sovereign state ‘with geographical continuity in peace and security with the state of Israel, which in turn would be recognised by all the countries of the region.’ Prodi also mentioned the upcoming election by the Lebanese parliament of a new president, saying that Italy and Saudi Arabia were in ‘constant close contact to facilitate dialogue and to exhort Lebanese political forces to reach a compromise in the primary interests of the people.’…

“King Abdullah, who ascended the throne two years ago, had arrived in Rome late Monday following a lavish three-day visit to London at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II. That visit, the first by a Saudi monarch in 20 years, sparked human rights protests… King Abdullah will travel on to Germany and Turkey before returning home.”

King Abdullah arrived in Germany on Wednesday, where he was received by Chancellor Angela Merkel with military honors. He will also meet with Germany’s President, Horst Koehler, but no press conference was planned, according to an article of USA today, dated November 7.

… And You Will Lose the Gates of Your Enemies…

The Christian Science Monitor wrote on November 2:

“For the second time in three years, a Senate panel has given the nod to a treaty that governs the oceans. Last time, alarmist concerns about the loss of US sovereignty kept the treaty from a floor vote. This time, the Senate must steer past those criticisms, or America will be left high and dry.

“The Law of the Sea Convention protects its members’ navigation rights to the oceans. It establishes limits for marine boundaries and rules for extracting resources and preserving the health of the seas. And it sets up a way to resolve disputes about these issues.

“The United States was the lead negotiator on this treaty, starting during the Nixon administration. President Reagan had some problems relating to deep-sea mining, but they were fixed in a second negotiation. It’s in force for more than 150 nations – for almost all NATO members, and for four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, but not the US.

“Global warming has made US approval urgent. As the polar icecap melts, nations are steaming ahead to claim rights to Arctic sea lanes and oil and gas reserves. Staying outside the treaty leaves the US with little say in this region, especially off Alaska.

“The treaty has remarkably broad support in America: State Department and Pentagon chiefs from both parties; oil, gas, and fishing industries; and environmentalists. And yet, a few senators have the power to tangle this treaty in a kelp forest of myths:

“The US is giving up sovereignty. Actually, the US gains sovereignty as never before. The treaty extends the nation’s territorial waters from three miles to 12. It gains a marine ‘economic zone’ that goes out at least 200 miles. The US would have exclusive rights to explore, conserve, manage, and exploit resources in this mammoth zone, about equal in size to the continental US.

“The treaty also gives the US important new navigational rights. The key one allows warships and submarines to pass through straits and archipelagos.

“The treaty is UN overreach. True, the agreement was negotiated under UN auspices, but the signatories created it. The three bodies to deal with disputes and issues are not UN bodies. And the US has opted out of an international tribunal to settle military disputes; for general disputes it’s chosen arbitration.

“The treaty hinders US ability to fight terrorism. Critics say rules restricting boarding of foreign ships and seizing their goods would prevent the US from intercepting weapons of mass destruction. But the treaty provides an exception for ‘military activities,’ and international law amply allows for self-defense.

“The treaty restricts US intelligence by making subs surface in territorial waters. This provision is already binding law as part of a 1958 treaty. And does America really want Chinese subs lurking off its beaches?

“What’s going on is an attempt by a small, vocal group of think tanks to scare senators with the one-world-government specter. Let’s remember that the US has negotiated this treaty (twice!) with its own interests at heart; that order on the oceans is preferable to chaos; and that the US cannot complain about violations when it is not party to the treaty, neither can it influence it.

“This ship is leaving the harbor. The US must get on board now.”

But will it? Biblical prophecies may suggest otherwise. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

“One of the Worst Natural Disasters in the History” of Mexico…

AFP wrote on November 2:

“Rescuers on Friday worked on saving hundreds of thousands of people trapped by the worst floods on record in Mexico’s southern state of Tabasco… The disastrous floods affected more than one million residents, or about half Tabasco’s population.

“‘New Orleans was small compared to this,’ said state Governor Andres Granier, in reference to the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed about 1,000 people in the southern US city alone. Only one fatality was recorded so far in Tabasco, but the floods have caused widespread devastation. The oil-rich state the size of Belgium is 80 percent underwater, and 850 towns have been flooded, officials said…

“President Felipe Calderon urged Mexicans to donate aid to flood victims. ‘The situation is extraordinarily grave,’ he said in an address to the nation on Thursday, calling the flooding ‘one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the country.’…

“The floods began last week when a cold front brought heavy rain that caused the Grijalva, Carrizal and Puxcatan rivers to burst their banks. Soldiers and state authorities had placed more than 700,000 sand bags along the rivers to prevent flooding, but the water rose above the barriers. The floods worsened over the past three days as authorities drained water from two dams in the neighboring state of Chiapas to prevent them from exceeding their capacity. The water rose again Thursday in the state capital of Villahermosa, which was flooded Wednesday after the Grijalva River burst its banks.”

The Associated Press reported on November 5:

“Authorities worked early Monday to deliver badly needed food and water to thousands of residents stranded by devastating floods that have damaged the homes of up to 500,000 people. Since swollen rivers first broke their banks on Oct. 28, flood waters have isolated many Gulf coast communities. Thousands of residents who rescuers haven’t been able to reach have run out of food, water and are living with no electricity and no way to flee…”

AFP added on November 5:

“Anger and despair rose Monday as victims of southern Mexico’s disastrous floods, some perched on rooftops, complained of chaotic aid distribution and looting… Authorities estimate that about 20,000 people were trapped in their homes and had not received any aid… Health officials worried about health risks from open sewage and the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Dengue, cholera and diarrhea outbreaks now are very real possibilities, they said. Several countries responded to President Felipe Calderon’s call for international solidarity, including Germany, which pledged 250,000 euros and the United States which announced aid totaling 350,000 dollars.”

Deadly Hurricane Noel Hits the Caribbean

AFP wrote on November 2:

“Hurricane Noel on Friday churned over the Atlantic Ocean on a northerly track to Canada after battering the Caribbean where it killed at least 116 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti… Before it even strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane, Noel went on a deadly rampage through the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Noel left in its wake floodwaters that hampered the rescue of people in the Dominican Republic, where at least 73 people were killed, with 27 more reported missing. Authorities used helicopters to deliver emergency supplies to areas cut off by floodwaters. Torrents of water smashed several bridges, while authorities reported that 664 homes were destroyed and a further 15,600 were damaged.

“In impoverished Haiti, officials on Friday said the death toll rose to 43, while 15 people were missing. A total of 4,850 houses were damaged and 1,075 completely destroyed, [but] many crops were lost to floods and mudslides. Cuba, was also hit hard, but reported no fatalities.”

Daniel 2:43: “… Just As Iron Does Not Mix With Clay…”

The Associated Press reported on November 1:

“A woman who was raped and beaten near a Gypsy camp allegedly by a Romanian died Thursday night, state radio reported. The latest attack blamed on a foreigner has prompted the government to give authorities the power to expel EU immigrants deemed dangerous. ‘Horror in Rome’ read the front-page headline Thursday in Il Messaggero, a daily newspaper in the city. ‘End of tolerance,’ began an accompanying editorial calling for a tough response…

“Although the free movement of EU citizens within the 27 member nations is a cornerstone of EU policy, countries still have the right to keep certain people out if they are deemed dangerous. Italy’s president signed a decree Thursday allowing the expulsion of European Union citizens ‘for reasons of public safety’ to fight ‘episodes of heavy violence and ferocious crime.’…

“A series of violent crimes in the capital has been blamed on Romanians in recent months… The attacks have shocked Rome, where street violence has long been unusual… ‘Today’s horror in Rome … is the consequence of yesterday’s excessive tolerance,’ said the editorial in Il Messaggero… “

The Associated Press reported on November 4:

“Opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi urged Italy to close its borders to Romanian workers and a conservative ally called Sunday for the expulsion of tens of thousands of immigrants amid public outrage over a wave of violent crimes blamed on foreigners. Pope Benedict XVI added his voice to the debate over the balance between citizen safety and treatment of foreigners, reminding authorities that immigrants have both obligations and rights. The pope weighed in as lawmakers prepared to debate the government’s response to recent crime, including fast-track expulsions of Romanians and other EU citizens deemed dangerous and bulldozing shantytowns housing immigrants…

“After Romania joined the EU earlier this year, Romanians poured into Italy in search of work as maids, nannies, waiters, janitors and bricklayers, and they now account for nearly 1 percent of the population in Italy… Italian authorities say statistics show foreigners commit a disproportionate number of crimes. Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said 75 percent of arrests in the city in the last year involved Romanians. On a national level, less than 5 percent of Italy’s population in 2004 — before Romania joined the EU — was foreign, yet foreigners accounted for 26 percent of those convicted of crimes.”

The EUObserver added on November 5:

“Over the weekend, Romania protested against its nationals being singled out as the main target of expulsions… Romania’s president Traian Basescu said: ‘Improvised measures that induce fear and awaken hatred can be unjust and can have other effects than those hoped,’ according to AGI agency. But Franco Frattini, the EU commissioner in charge of security and justice, argues that Rome’s action was in line with the bloc’s rules on citizens living in other member states.

“‘What has to be done is simple. Go into a nomad camp in Rome for example, and ask them: “Can you tell me where you live?” If they say they do not know, take them and send them home to Romania. That is how the European directive works,’ he said, according to the UK daily Telegraph. He also urged the Italian authorities to pull down the camps to prevent Romanians from returning while suggesting that Bucharest ‘cannot say they will not take them back, because it is an obligation that is part of being a member state of the EU.'”

Frightening–US Allegedly Involved in Recent Attack on Syria

The Jerusalem Post published the following spectacular article, dated November 2:

“The September 6 raid over Syria was carried out by the US Air Force, the Al-Jazeera Web site reported Friday. The Web site quoted Israeli and Arab sources as saying that two strategic US jets armed with tactical nuclear weapons carried out an attack on a nuclear site under construction. The sources were quoted as saying that Israeli F-15 and F-16 jets provided cover for the US planes. The sources added that each US plane carried one tactical nuclear weapon and that the site was hit by one bomb and was totally destroyed.

“At the beginning of October, Israel’s military censor began to allow the local media to report on the raid without attributing their report to foreign sources. Nevertheless, details of the strike have remained clouded in mystery.

“On October 28, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the cabinet that he had apologized to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan if Israel violated Turkish airspace during a strike on an alleged nuclear facility in Syria last month.

“In a carefully worded statement that was given to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Olmert said: ‘In my conversation with the Turkish prime minister, I told him that if Israeli planes indeed penetrated Turkish airspace, then there was no intention thereby, either in advance or in any case, to – in any way – violate or undermine Turkish sovereignty, which we respect.’

“The New York Times reported on October 13 that Israeli planes struck at what US and Israeli intelligence believed was a partly constructed nuclear reactor in Syria on September 6, citing American and foreign officials who had seen the relevant intelligence reports. According to the report, Israel carried out the report to send a message that it would not tolerate even a nuclear program in its initial stages of construction in any neighboring state.”

2007– the Deadliest Year in Iraq for American Troops

AFP reported on November 6:

“Six American troops have been killed in bomb attacks in Iraq, the US military said on Tuesday, making 2007 the deadliest year for the American forces since the invasion… 851 US soldiers have died so far this year in Iraq, against 846 in 2004, the previous most lethal year for the American military since the US-led invasion of March 2003… The US military’s overall losses in Iraq since the invasion four years ago have now reached 3,856.”

Serious Problems With US Legal System

AFP wrote on October 31:

“Many US juvenile courts routinely shackle teens accused of minor crimes and deny them adequate access to a lawyer, a study released Wednesday has found. Most teens in the study did not get to meet with a lawyer before a hearing to determine whether they should be held in jail prior to trial. They also rarely got to adequately discuss their case with a lawyer prior to the trial date. Anywhere from 70 to 100 percent of the teens ended up pleading guilty, many at their first court appearance. ‘You have youth that are not guilty who are pleading guilty because they want to get it over with,’ said study co-author Cathryn Crawford…

“Juvenile convictions, while theoretically sealed, are also disclosed to schools and can impact access to financial aid for college. And there have also been reports that prospective employers have been able to access juvenile records, Crawford said. But perhaps the most serious impact is on how these teens feel about the system, she said… Researchers looked at the juvenile court system in a representative sample of 16 Illinois counties. They found the same systemic problems present in 15 other states examined in recent years.”

Dire Consequences of America’s Unfriendliness Towards Visitors

AFP wrote on November 1:

“The number of foreign visitors to the United States has plummeted since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington because foreigners don’t feel welcome, tourism professionals said Thursday. ‘Since September 11, 2001, the United States has experienced a 17 percent decline in overseas travel, costing America 94 billion dollars in lost visitor spending, nearly 200,000 jobs and 16 billion dollars in lost tax revenue,’ the Discover America advocacy campaign said in a statement…

“‘Travelers around the world feel the US entry experience is among the world’s worst,’ [the statement said]… Last year, only 56 percent of Britons had a positive opinion of the United States compared with 83 percent in 2000… Thirty-nine percent of French people saw the United States in a positive light last year, compared with 62 percent in 2000…”

The Collapse of the U.S. Dollar?

Bloomberg reported on November 5 about the expected further downfall of the U.S. dollar, as follows:

“Even after the dollar lost 34 percent since 2001, the biggest investors and most accurate forecasters say it will weaken further as home sales fall and the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates. The dollar plummeted to its lowest ever last week against the euro, Canadian dollar, Chinese yuan and the cheapest in 26 years against the British pound… BNP Paribas chief currency strategist Hans-Guenter Redeker, the most accurate foreign-exchange forecaster last quarter in a Bloomberg survey, said the dollar may drop to $1.50 per euro by year-end… Jim Rogers, a former partner of investor George Soros, said last month he’s selling his house and all his possessions in the U.S. currency to buy China’s yuan. ‘The dollar is collapsing,” Rogers said last week in an interview…

“Wealthy clients at San Francisco-based Union Bank of California have doubled their deposits in foreign currencies to $60 million the past two months as a hedge against a decline, said Bradley Shairson, head of currency and derivatives at the bank. U.S. investors bought $198 billion in foreign securities this year through August, 72 percent more than in the same period last year, Treasury Department data show.”

Unapologetic Pilot of Hiroshima Bomb Died

AFP reported on November 1:

“The pilot of the plane that ushered in the age of atomic warfare with the first nuclear attack on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, died Thursday at the age of 92… Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr., whose B-29 bomber dubbed the Enola Gay dropped the 9,000-pound ‘Little Boy’ bomb on August 6, 1945, died at his home in the midwest city of Columbus, Ohio…

“Tibbets was more than just the pilot. He was instrumental in redesigning and testing the plane used to carry the massive bomb and organizing and training the men needed to deliver it.

“Tibbets never regretted the bombing that led to the end of World War II but at a horrific price: 140,000 dead immediately and 80,000 other Japanese succumbing in the aftermath, according to Hiroshima officials. ‘That’s what it took to end the war,’ he told the Columbus Dispatch in 2003. ‘I went out to stop the killing all over.’ Aware that not everyone agrees with his view of history, Tibbets asked his family to cremate him so his grave site would not be desecrated by detractors…

“President Harry Truman gave his approval to drop the bomb in the afternoon of August 5, 1945. Tibbets and his crew lifted off from a base on the Pacific island of Tinian at 2:45 am for an uneventful six and a half hour flight to Japan. They dropped the first atomic bomb ever used in combat at 9:15 plus 15 seconds (8:15 Hiroshima time) and returned to base at 2:58 pm. He didn’t tell the crew that the bomb they were going to drop was atomic until well into the flight.

“‘As the bomb left the airplane we took over manual control, made an extremely steep turn to try and put as much distance between us and the explosion as possible,’ he once said. ‘After we felt the explosion hit the airplane, that is the concussion waves, we knew the bomb had exploded so we took a turn around to look at it. The sight that greeted our eyes was quite beyond what we had expected. We saw this cloud of boiling dust and debris below us with its tremendous mushroom on top. Beneath that was hidden the ruins of the city of Hiroshima.'”

Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions

The Jerusalem Post wrote on November 2, 2007:

“Bahrain’s Crown Prince, Sheik Salman bin Isa al-Khalifa, said Friday that Iran is striving to acquire nuclear weaponry… Al Khalifa said that at the very least, Iran is attempting to gain the ability to produce nuclear weaponry. The statement would make Bahrain the first Arab nation in the Persian Gulf to claim that Iran is attempting to deceive world leaders in relation to its nuclear aspirations. Al Khalifa warned that the crisis could worsen and draw the region into military conflict. For this reason, he said, it must be resolved by diplomatic means…”

AFP wrote on November 7:

“Iran has reached a key target of 3,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday, vowing to ignore UN resolutions calling for a halt to Tehran’s sensitive nuclear work… The number is a key milestone because scientists say that in ideal conditions it is sufficient to produce enough enriched uranium in one year to make a single nuclear bomb…

“Although Washington insists it wants a diplomatic solution, it has never ruled out a military option, with President George W. Bush raising the prospect of ‘nuclear holocaust’ and ‘World War III’ if Iran acquires atomic weapons.

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday she would urge a diplomatic solution to the Iran crisis in talks with Bush this week and that any further sanctions should be agreed by Russia and China, both major energy and trade partners of Iran.”

Pakistan in Turmoil

One of America’s few allies is in turmoil, due to dictatorial and autocratic measures by Pakistan’s president. His move to arrest judges and lawyers deeply upsets the West–and has become another thorn in the flesh for the United States and the Bush Administration.

The Associated Press reported on November 5:

“Police fired tear gas and clubbed thousands of lawyers protesting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s decision to impose emergency rule, as Western allies threatened to review aid to the troubled Muslim nation. More than 1,500 people have been arrested in 48 hours, and authorities put a stranglehold on independent media. Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup and is also head of Pakistan’s army, suspended the constitution on Saturday ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on whether his recent re-election as president was legal. He ousted independent-minded judges and granted sweeping powers to authorities to crush dissent…”

AFP added on November 5:

“The White House said it was ‘deeply disturbed’ by the crisis, urging Musharraf, a key ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, to call elections in January and to quit his military post… ‘We cannot support a path that does not put them back on the road to democracy,’ White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said… Perino confirmed that aid to the staunch ally in the US ‘war on terror’ was under review. A Pentagon spokesman said earlier that the United States had suspended annual defence talks with Pakistan because of the political situation…”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 5:

“Musharraf’s move puts the US in a difficult spot. Since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pakistan has been Washington’s closest regional ally in the war on terror, despite Musharraf’s apparent inability — or unwillingness — to root out al-Qaida and Taliban cells from the Afghanistan border region. The US has begun a review of future aid to Pakistan, calling into question a program that has sent $10 billion to the country in the last five years… Britain too has warned Pakistan that future aid may be at stake calling into question a $491 million (€339 million) aid program from 2005-2008. And the Netherlands on Monday became the first country to completely shut off aid to the South Asian country, suspending the remainder of €15 million ($22 million) yet to be paid this year. Holland had been planning to almost triple aid next year.”

The New York Times reported the following on November 5:

“President Bush has made spreading democracy a major foreign policy theme and his administration has quietly pushed General Musharraf for months to be more open to sharing power, going so far as to help broker talks between him and Benazir Bhutto, the leader of Pakistan’s largest opposition party.

“But Mr. Bush has said nothing in public about General Musharraf’s latest action. His silence contrasts sharply to his reaction to the crackdown on dissidents in Myanmar last month. In that case, Mr. Bush announced specific steps against Myanmar rulers. But Pakistan, officials argued, is a different case: it is a nuclear-armed nation that Mr. Bush had designated a ‘major non-NATO ally,’ even though its enthusiasm for counterterrorism has been episodic…

“For more than a year before Saturday’s declaration, American officials have seethed over Pakistan’s poor performance against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. General Musharraf’s effort to strike a deal with Islamic militant groups in the tribal areas failed. When he ordered troops back into the tribal areas in recent months, many were killed or kidnapped… Through it all, the United States has continued pumping money to the country… There is little question that General Musharraf has failed to develop broad domestic support for battling terrorists. His political party is divided, has not carried out promised reforms and would likely lose an election.

“A poll in September by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group, showed that Osama bin Laden was more popular in Pakistan than General Musharraf, with 46 percent of respondents giving him a ‘favorable’ rating against 38 percent for the president. Ms. Bhutto got a ‘favorable’ rating from 63 percent.”

Pakistan–The West Reaps What It Has Sowed

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 6:

“As Pakistan teeters on the verge of chaos, the West looks on nervously and prays that the country’s nuclear weapons don’t fall into the wrong hands. German commentators feel that the West — and the US in particular — share part of the blame for the mess. The world is holding its breath to see what will happen in nuclear-armed Pakistan now that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has declared a state of emergency.

“Although the West had been hoping that Musharraf would continue with tentative steps towards democracy, it is nervous about condemning the military leader too strongly now, for fear he may be toppled: The thought of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Islamist extremists is the stuff of Western politicians’ nightmares.

“The current crisis puts particularly the United States — Musharraf’s staunchest backer up until now — in a difficult position. Pakistan is an important American ally in the fight against terror, and the US felt a strongman like Musharraf was needed to guarantee stability in the country. But now the US has to be wary about being seen to be supporting a dictator who is against democracy — especially considering its vocal support for democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US is now trying to put pressure on its ally to pull back from the brink…

“The conservative Die Welt writes:

“‘Since (the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks), the fate of Musharraf has been fundamentally linked to the success of the West in Afghanistan. But the reverse is also true: If Pakistan becomes ungovernable, then Afghanistan is lost. What comes next? What should be done? The West does not want to lose Pakistan, for reasons connected both to its nuclear weapons as well as to the anti-terrorist operation. But who stands for the Pakistan of today, and who stands for the country of tomorrow? It seems unlikely that Musharraf will pretend in a few months’ time that nothing has happened and allow elections to take place — or to accept their result, which will probably not be in his favor. But the protests of the educated middle classes against the state of emergency should not be underestimated. Can the West betray those who stand for democracy?’…

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes:

“‘Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has abandoned his democratic façade and has outed [sic] himself as a dictator. Is this really a surprise? If we are honest: no. No one seriously expected that Pakistan would develop into a true democracy under Musharraf. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for the current United States government to see things that way…’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

“‘… Musharraf has managed to slowly make enemies out of almost all major political forces in the country. This creates an almost impossible situation for the West. The West cannot rely exclusively on Musharraf in the medium and long term. But neither can the West drop him, because otherwise Pakistan — complete with its nuclear arsenal — would slide into the final abyss. Direct action is impossible, for a variety of reasons. So in the end, the only thing that remains is the hope — expressed often enough in the case of Pakistan, albeit in vain — that the country is able to summon up sufficient political self-healing to at least prevent the worst.'”

Former Pakistan’s President Bhutto Speaks Out

On November 7, The New York Times published an editorial of Benazir Bhutto, the prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, who is currently the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. In the editorial, Bhutto wrote:

“The United States, Britain and much of the West have always said the right things about democracy in Pakistan and around the world. I recall the words of President Bush in his second inaugural address when he said: ‘All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.’

“The United States alone has given the Musharraf government more than $10 billion in aid since 2001. We do not know exactly where or how this money has been spent, but it is clear that it has not brought about the defeat of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, nor succeeded in capturing Osama bin Laden, nor has it broken the opium trade. It certainly has not succeeded in improving the quality of life of the children and families of Pakistan.

“The United States can promote democracy — which is the only way to truly contain extremism and terrorism — by telling General Musharraf that it does not accept martial law, and that it expects him to conduct free, fair, impartial and internationally monitored elections within 60 days under a reconstituted election commission. He should be given that choice: democracy or dictatorship with isolation… It is dangerous to stand up to a military dictatorship, but more dangerous not to. The moment has come for the Western democracies to show us in their actions, and not just in their rhetoric, which side they are on.”

… While the Chaos in Pakistan Continues…

AFP reported on November 7:

“Pakistani police rounded up about 400 supporters of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto in a crackdown hours after she called for mass protests against emergency rule, her party said Thursday. The move came as US President George W. Bush said he had telephoned President Pervez Musharraf to tell him bluntly that he must hold elections as scheduled and quit as army chief… Bhutto said she would hold a rally in Rawalpindi on Friday despite police threats of a crackdown, and called for a ‘long march’ on November 13 from Lahore to the capital if Musharraf does not repeal emergency rule…

“US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte told the US Congress continued engagement with Pakistan — an ‘indispensable ally in the war on terror’ — was the ‘only option.’ But in a sign of growing international pressure on Musharraf, President Bush told a press conference: ‘I just spoke to President Musharraf before I came here, and my message was very plain, very easy to understand. And that is: The United States wants you to have the elections as scheduled and take your uniform off.’ Britain and France also urged Musharraf to hold polls on time. But Pakistan rejected the ‘excessive’ global criticism.”

Little Reform in Turkey

The EUObserver wrote on November 1:

“Almost one year after the EU partially froze Turkey’s membership talks, little reform progress has been made by Ankara in key areas, with the European Commission in a fresh report urging Ankara ‘to renew the momentum of political reforms.’… The commission report also says restrictions in freedom of speech remain a ’cause of serious concern’… The EU executive highlights the notorious article 301 of Turkey’s recently adopted penal code, which criminalizes insults against ‘Turkishness’…

“Brussels concludes that ‘the Turkish legal system does not fully guarantee freedom of expression in line with European standards.’… Similarly, ‘no progress’ was seen in the area of protection of minorities and ensuring cultural diversity in line with EU principles, the commission says… Non-Muslim religious communities ‘continued to face problems such as restricted property rights’… The commission concludes that the ‘atmosphere’ in Turkey surrounding minorities and religious issues has ‘not been conducive to the full respect of fundamental rights and might de facto restrict their exercise.'”

… But Turkey May Give In to Europe…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 7:

“Turkey is planning to amend a heavily criticized law limiting freedom of expression, apparently in response to European Union pressure. Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said Tuesday that the government had almost finished preparatory work on reforming the penal code’s notorious Article 301, under which people can be prosecuted for ‘insulting Turkishness.’… Under the law, which has been a stumbling block in Turkey’s path to EU membership, those who denigrate Turkey or insult its institutions can be sentenced to up to three years in prison. The notorious law has been used in the past to prosecute intellectuals and journalists who have spoken out about the 1915 Armenian massacre…

“The announcement came just hours after the European Union presented its annual report on Turkey’s progress towards EU membership, in which it said Turkey must make ‘significant further efforts’ on freedom of expression. ‘It is not acceptable that writers, journalists, academics and other intellectuals … are prosecuted for simply expressing a critical but completely non-violent opinion,’ EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said. He made clear that the repeal of what he termed the ‘infamous Article 301’ was a top priority, recommending that the EU should not extend accession negotiations to the key policy area of justice and human rights until the article had been changed.”

… While the USA Gives In to Turkey

AFP reported on November 5:

“President George W. Bush, vying to avert a Turkish incursion into Iraq, Monday pledged to step up US military and intelligence cooperation to aid Turkey’s fight against Kurdish rebels. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Bush’s commitments following crisis talks here between the two leaders, but said his country had no plans to withdraw some 100,000 troops massed on the border with Iraq…

“As Pakistan sinks deeper into political crisis, Bush would be loath to see any escalation in tensions between Turkey, another crucial anti-terror partner, and US allies in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region…

“Some observers fear that US influence with Turkey has been undermined by a push in Congress to label the Ottoman Empire’s World War I massacre of ethnic Armenians as ‘genocide.’ But fierce pressure from both Turkey and the White House appears to have paid off for now, with its Democratic authors agreeing late last month to shelve a House debate on the resolution.”

Changes in Poland

AFP reported on November 5:

“Poland’s conservative prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski handed in his resignation to his twin, President Lech Kaczynski, on Monday, ending a surprise political double act on the European stage. Jaroslaw Kaczynski was forced to quit after the twins’ deeply Catholic and eurosceptic Law and Justice party lost an election on October 21. Lech Kaczynski is expected to name a bitter political rival, Donald Tusk, whose liberal Civic Platform won the election, as the new prime minister later this week, a presidential aide said…

“In September, after the government collapsed, the Kaczynskis gambled on the snap election as a way to cement their party’s hold on power. But voters swung solidly behind Civic Platform, which also promised to heal the rifts at home and spur Poland’s already healthy economy to tempt back some of the million-plus Poles who have emigrated to other EU member states in recent years. Among Tusk’s vote-winning pledges was one to withdraw the country’s 900-strong military contingent in Iraq…

“Observers still expect relations to be strained between Tusk and the president… Kaczynski, whose term runs until 2010, has already warned he will veto Tusk’s plans to introduce a single-rate ‘flat tax’. He has also slammed plans to ratify the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, which the conservatives argue goes against deeply Catholic Poland’s point of view, notably Poles’ antipathy to gay rights.”

The EUObserver added on November 7:

“Just days before being sworn in as Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk has outlined his cabinet’s priorities: to improve problematic relations with other EU countries; to adopt the euro in 2012-2013; as well as to re-examine the US plan to place an anti-missile shield in Poland… Mr Tusk said he was set to place Poland back in the European mainstream. In addition, special attention will be paid to Polish-German relations…

“Poland’s new pro-European course may come at a price for the country’s ties with Washington. Mr Tusk has indicated he will consult his EU counterparts before agreeing to the US plan to place an anti-missile shield in Poland. ‘If we decide, jointly in talks with our partners in the European Union and NATO partners, that this isn’t an unambiguous project, then we are definitely going to think it over’, he was cited as saying by AP. The statement was the first signal of a different approach compared to the one adopted by outgoing prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski as well as his twin brother, president Lech Kaczysnki…

“In addition, Poland’s prime minister elect has reiterated his plans to withdraw 900 Polish soldiers stationed in Iraq next year – a mission that he described as a burden to the country’s budget. Speaking about the euro, he has vowed to prepare his country for ‘as fast as possible’ decision on joining the euro, cautiously setting the target for 2012-2013.”

Reuben Is “Unstable as Water” and “Shall Not Excel” (Genesis 49:4)

Reuters reported on November 7 about a “warming up” between France and the USA–or more specifically, President Bush and President Sarkozy. We understand France to be descendants of Reuben, and the USA of Manasseh–both sons of ancient Jacob or Israel. However, it is hard to say whether this is good news for the USA–given the fact that Sarkozy’s reputation and credibility in France, and in Europe in general, has suffered tremendously after the French election, due in part to his divorce and his “bullying” conduct toward other leaders.

Reuters stated:

“The U.S. and French presidents forged a common front against Iran’s nuclear ambitions on Wednesday, signaling a further warming of once-chilly relations between Washington and Paris… Underscoring how times have changed, Sarkozy trumpeted strengthened ties with Bush in a speech earlier to a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was filled with effusive praise for American values.

“‘America can count on France in its battle on terror,’ Sarkozy said, pledging that his country would stand by the United States in the fight against nuclear proliferation in Iran and terrorism in Afghanistan. Bush, notably frosty toward Chirac, has been just as eager for a fresh start in relations badly strained by the Iraq war, and called Sarkozy a ‘a partner in peace.’… But mindful of Bush’s deep unpopularity in France, Sarkozy, a fellow conservative, must also show he will not flinch at disagreeing with him. Sarkozy was mocked as ‘Bush’s poodle’ by Socialists before coming into office in May…

“Taking a swipe at Chirac over Iraq, Bush told Sarkozy, ‘We had a difference of opinion with your great country over whether or not I should have used military force to enforce U.N. demands.’ Sarkozy sought to avoid any divisiveness and said only that France wanted a united, democratic and peaceful Iraq.”

Little Turkey Pressures Powerful America

The International Herald Tribune republished the following article by The Associated Press, dated October 30:

“The Turkish prime minister said Tuesday that intensified military action against separatist Kurdish rebels was unavoidable and pressed the United States to crack down on guerrilla bases in northern Iraq. Turkish helicopters, meanwhile, pounded rebel positions near the border with rockets for a second day, and Turkey brought in troops by the truckload in an operation against mountainside emplacements… Erdogan is to fly to Washington on Nov. 5 to meet with President George W. Bush for talks that could be decisive in whether Turkey carries out its threats of a major military incursion… “‘I will once again express Turkey’s determination and the sensitivity of the people on the issue of terrorism to President Bush,’ Erdogan said. ‘We will openly express that we expect urgent steps from the United States, which is our strategic partner and ally and has special responsibilities regarding Iraq.’

“The United States, Iraq and other countries have called on Turkey to refrain from a cross-border campaign, which could spread disorder in one of the few stable areas in Iraq. A Turkish incursion would also put the United States in an awkward position with key allies: Turkey, a NATO member, the Baghdad government and the self-governing Iraqi Kurds in Iraq’s north.”

Iraq Warns Turkey

AFP reported the following on October 29:

“Turkey has threatened a major cross-border assault on PKK bases in northern Iraq if Baghdad and Washington fail to make good on promises to crack down on the rebels there. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned Monday that such a move could have ‘disastrous consequences’ and would be met with stiff Iraqi resistance. ‘They are talking about a large-scale military incursion which is getting people extremely, extremely nervous and worried,’ Zebari told the BBC in an interview.

“Describing the situation on the Turkish-Iraqi border as ‘dead serious,’ Zebari complained that Turkey ‘was not responsive’ when Iraqi officials flew to Ankara last week for talks. According to Turkish media reports, some 100,000 Turkish troops have been deployed along the border over the past week.”

Armenians Upset With U.S. Timidity

On October 30, 2007, the Eastern Star News Agency (ESNA) wrote the following:

“The director of the Assyrian centre of genocide studies… called on Turks to put pressure on their government to recognize the Ottoman mass killing of around 2 million Assyrians/Syriacs, Armenians and Greeks during World War I. ‘It is the duty of every individual Turk to lobby his government to recognize the crimes committed in the name of their nation and religion,’ Sabri Atman, Seyfo Centre director, said in a lecture on Sunday in London. Atman’s call came days after the US House of Representatives rejected a resolution to recognize the Armenian genocide.”

Serious Water Shortage for America and the World

The Associated Press reported on October 26:

“An epic drought in Georgia threatens the water supply for millions. Florida doesn’t have nearly enough water for its expected population boom. The Great Lakes are shrinking. Upstate New York’s reservoirs have dropped to record lows. And in the West, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is melting faster each year. Across America, the picture is critically clear – the nation’s freshwater supplies can no longer quench its thirst. The government projects that at least 36 states will face water shortages within five years because of a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, urban sprawl, waste and excess…

“It’s not just America’s problem – it’s global. Australia is in the midst of a 30-year dry spell, and population growth in urban centers of sub-Saharan Africa is straining resources. Asia has 60 percent of the world’s population, but only about 30 percent of its freshwater.”

The article continued:

“Coastal states like Florida and California face a water crisis not only from increased demand, but also from rising temperatures that are causing glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise. Higher temperatures mean more water lost to evaporation. And rising seas could push saltwater into underground sources of freshwater.

“Florida represents perhaps the nation’s greatest water irony. A hundred years ago, the state’s biggest problem was it had too much water. But decades of dikes, dams and water diversions have turned swamps into cities. Little land is left to store water during wet seasons, and so much of the landscape has been paved over that water can no longer penetrate the ground in some places to recharge aquifers. As a result, the state is forced to flush millions of gallons of excess into the ocean to prevent flooding. Also, the state dumps hundreds of billions of gallons a year of treated wastewater into the Atlantic through pipes – water that could otherwise be used for irrigation…

“Californians use nearly 23 trillion gallons of water a year, much of it coming from Sierra Nevada snowmelt. But climate change is producing less snowpack and causing it to melt prematurely, jeopardizing future supplies. Experts also say the Colorado River, which provides freshwater to seven Western states, will probably provide less water in coming years as global warming shrinks its flow.”

Steady Decline of the Dollar–American Economy in BIG Trouble

On October 30, The Associated Press reported the following:

“The dollar fell to a new record low against the euro and a 26-year low against the British pound Tuesday… the euro peaked at $1.4440, the latest in a string of all-time highs against the dollar, before settling at $1.4434… The pound rose to $2.0679 in late New York trading Tuesday — a level last seen in 1981, when Diana married Prince Charles and Margaret Thatcher was prime minister…

“The Canadian dollar hit a new 47-year high of $1.0510 Tuesday, according to Dow Jones’ Interbank foreign exchange rates, before settling at $1.0488… The euro and the Canadian dollar have been climbing steadily against the dollar, regularly touching new highs since August amid fears over the health of the U.S. economy — worries stoked by the subprime credit crisis and disappointing economic reports — and rising oil prices.

“Tuesday saw the release of more disheartening economic data, as the Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 95.6 — its lowest level since October 2005 — from a revised 99.5 in September. It is the index’s third consecutive monthly drop and signals consumers’ insecurities over the economy and their jobs…”

The Financial Times added on October 30:

“… experts [are] warning that the next few months will bring more bad news from consumers and the housing market… ‘The housing market, credit problems and high gasoline prices are casting a cloud over consumer confidence and the economy,’ said Lynn Franco at the Conference Board, a research organisation. According to the board, consumer confidence fell sharply in October and was now at its lowest level since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in October 2005. The October drop in the monthly consumer confidence index was bigger than expected…”

EU and USA At Odds Over Weak Dollar

Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 1, 2007:

“Economic growth in the United States will, in the short term, slow down. That, at least, is the future seen in the US Federal Reserve’s crystal ball. The consequences of that forecast became clear on Wednesday: The central bank cut short-term lending rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.5 percent… In the same breath, the Fed also dropped the discount rate — which governs rates charged to banks borrowing from the Fed — by 0.25 percent to 5 percent…

“It didn’t take long for the results to make themselves felt. Anticipation of the Fed’s move had already driven the price of the euro up — and soon after the announcement, the euro reached a new record price of $1.45 before sliding back slightly. Oil prices likewise shot up, partially due to anticipation stemming from the interest rate cut that the US economy would continue to grow. And gold prices have likewise hit $800 per ounce, a price not seen since 1980.

“… inflation in Europe has recently increased dramatically… making an interest rate hike the logical conclusion. The euro, as a result, will likely continue to rise against the dollar… The stronger the euro, the more expensive European goods become. ‘The weak dollar is not a good thing,’ says Kay Mayland, head of Germany-based SMS Demag, which sells metal-working equipment the world over. Many other managers and investors from across the European continent are likewise becoming impatient. Should the euro climb to $1.50, analysts say, exporters will likely experience a drastic slowdown in sales.

“For Germany — Europe’s largest economy — the consequences could be horrendous. Much of the country’s economy, after all, is based on exports.”

Cristina Kirchner the New President of Argentina

AFP reported on October 29:

“Argentina’s First Lady Cristina Kirchner won praise and pledges of better ties from Latin American neighbors Monday after sweeping the polls to take over the presidency from her husband [on December 10]… A lawyer, senator and snappy dresser who is often compared to New York senator Hillary Clinton, Cristina Kirchner declared herself the winner… Observers say Kirchner faces big challenges, with high inflation, rising crime and low foreign investment all now threatening the economic recovery her husband oversaw in the wake of a 2001 collapse that led to a historic debt default and devaluation of the peso…

“The presidents of Chile, Venezuela and Brazil were the first to congratulate Kirchner on her win.

“Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, who was the first woman elected to the presidency in her country in January 2006, said: ‘It’s not a coincidence that these two neighboring countries, with similar characteristics, have elected women to direct their destinies.’ Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called it ‘a triumph for women of Latin America,’ and said he hoped to deepen ties he has nurtured with the Argentine first couple.

“US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington congratulated Kirchner on her victory, and the Argentine people on participating in free and fair elections. He added that US administration hoped to work with Kirchner on bilateral and regional issues. Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and France’s Nicolas Sarkozy each invited Kirchner to visit them.

“Aside from the Hillary Clinton comparison, Kirchner’s glamor and confidence — some say arrogance — have also earned her references to Argentina’s most iconic woman politician: Eva, or ‘Evita’ Peron, second wife to president Juan Peron. Peron’s third wife, Isabel, was Argentina’s first-ever female president — but unlike Kirchner, she was unelected. She was elevated from the vice-presidency on her husband’s death in 1974 and ousted in a coup two years later.”

European Imperialism

The Wall Street Journal wrote on October 31:

“Europe now writes the rules for global business across the board — unapologetically to the benefit of its own industry. American companies are learning they have little choice but to obey… [European] control over access to a consumer market of 500 million lets them try to force the rest of the world to play by its cumbersome rules. The result is a quiet but concerted war on non-European commerce, and especially on U.S. companies. Antitrust policy in Brussels is a battlefield, particularly for high-tech firms. [Judge] Mario Monti, the former EU competition czar who issued the ruling against Microsoft’s software ‘bundling,’ told an Italian newspaper last month that putting such U.S. giants in their place was ‘the true strength of a united Europe.’ …

“Since 1997, the EU has banned chicken meat rinsed in such antimicrobial treatments as chlorine. In Europe, poultry meat can be ‘washed’ only in potable water. The EU said the chemicals used in the U.S. were dangerous, then changed its mind two years ago when its own Food Safety Authority declared them harmless. But the ban remains in place… U.S. poultry farmers… are losing a significant market. U.S. chicken exports to Romania were $63 million in 2005, but they stopped cold when Bucharest joined the EU this year…

“Foreign cosmetic companies, for instance, are required to register all chemicals in their products by June 1, 2008. The deadline for their European rivals is at least three years away. At stake for U.S. makers is their $2 billion in annual exports to Europe. American companies are scrambling to meet this deadline even as they wait for Brussels to approve new alternatives to animal testing, which is banned for products sold in the EU starting in 2009.”