Leaders of Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches Meet

The Washington Post wrote on February 5:

“Pope Francis and the leader of the powerful Russian Orthodox Church plan a historic meeting next week in Cuba, officials said Friday, marking the most significant steps ever attempted to heal a schism that has divided Christianity between East and West for nearly 1,000 years… The churches have been formally estranged since the 11th century over issues such as papal authority and, more recently, by disputes over Roman Catholic reach into traditionally Orthodox regions.

“The planned encounter next Friday between Francis and Patriarch Kirill I at Havana’s airport also highlights apparent moves toward greater solidarity amid current worries. Among them: pressures facing ancient Christian communities in the Middle East from militant groups such as the Islamic State. Even the venue carries significance. Cuba, which once suppressed the Roman Catholic church as a Soviet client state, was picked because the legacy of Christian rifts remains too vivid in Europe, a Russian church official said.

“A full reconciliation would require major changes on both sides, but warmer ties sanctioned by the highest authorities would represent one of the biggest modern shifts in the world’s religious landscape. The Russian Church is by far the largest and most influential in the Orthodox world, which is a patchwork of various churches and patriarchs.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 6:

“The meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch will go down in history… The historic announcement came as a major surprise… It is a sensation, and not just for religious aficionados with an interest in ecumenical Christianity…

“Popes have been traveling the world for 50 years now. The papacy of John Paul II (1978-2005) was, at times, a global pilgrimage and missionary tour, frequently colored with Realpolitik nuances. Benedict XVI (2005-2013) continued that tradition. On the global map of papal travel destinations, there are not many untouched areas. The most significant are China and Russia. This week, the Vatican has published a long interview that Francis gave to a Chinese newspaper, and which has been widely reported about in the country’s media. Now, just three days later, there’s the announcement of the meeting in Havana…

“But the meeting in Havana points to another important, even historic, date this year that most Christians in the Western hemisphere likely haven’t registered… In June, Crete will be the scene of the first Orthodox Great and Holy Council in more than 1,000 years… Rome has long been in touch with most of the other representatives – only Kyrill and Moscow had until now been at arm’s length. That has now changed and could well have an effect on events in Crete. The Pope will travel to Mexico next Friday… But as part of that trip, he will also be entering a new era in ecumenical history.”

The website of mashable.com added on February 6:

“One is recognized as a humble leader who cares for the poor and has kissed the feet of peasants. The other has been plagued by scandal and become an object of ridicule because of his luxurious lifestyle, which includes an apparent penchant for pricey ski vacations in Switzerland…

“Patriarch Kirill I… is a staunch supporter of President Vladimir Putin and his conservative policies. He once famously called the Russian head of state a ‘miracle from God’ and he has come out in support of Moscow’s military campaign in Syria which he called a ‘holy war.’ That support has allowed the Russian Orthodox Church to grow exceptionally powerful over the past decade.

“But that has not stopped Kirill, who has called decisions by western countries to legalize same-sex marriage a ‘dangerous sign of the apocalypse,’ from being widely mocked by his subjects. The Russian public was outraged when he was seen wearing a $30,000 watch in a photograph published in 2012…

“The two are not likely to fully reconcile the churches’ differences, as that would require major concessions from both sides. Metropolitan Illarion, foreign policy chief of the Russian Orthodox Church, told reporters Friday that one major disagreement between the Holy See and the Russian Church is over various Orthodox churches in western Ukraine…

“The conflict centers on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the country’s second-largest, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there.

“Francis also angered the Moscow patriarchy and the Kremlin when he came out in support of Kiev during the country’s revolution and remained behind Ukraine when Russia annexed Crimea and fomented the war in its eastern regions. More than 9,000 people have been killed in the conflict since April 2014…”

The Bible indicates very strongly that the Roman Catholic Church will again become the dominant force in traditional Christianity, under the powerful leadership of a charismatic pope. Those few Christian organizations which will not agree to come under the umbrella of the “mother church” will be ostracized and labeled as false sects and cults.

Vatican Cover-Up?

The Washington Post wrote on February 6:

“Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory committee voted Saturday to sideline one of its members, a high-profile abuse survivor who had clashed with the commission over its mission.

“Peter Saunders, a British advocate for victims, had been highly critical of the Vatican’s slow pace of progress in taking measures to protect children and punish bishops who covered up for pedophile priests. He had also wanted the commission to intervene immediately in individual cases, rather than just craft long-term policies to fight abuse.

“During a commission meeting Saturday, ‘it was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission’s work,’ the Vatican said…

“[Saunders] said the Vatican’s inaction in the face of continuing cases of children being raped and molested ‘made me lose faith in the process and lose faith in Pope Francis.’…

“The commission was formed after victims’ groups questioned whether the Argentine pope, who had never dealt with an abuse case, really understood the scope of the scandal… The commission had been highly critical of Francis’ decision to appoint a Chilean bishop despite allegations from abuse survivors that he had covered up for the country’s most notorious pedophile, the Rev. Fernando Karadima.

“One of Karadima’s victims, Juan Carlos Cruz, joined Saunders on Saturday in Rome in hopes of speaking to the commission but was refused. Cruz had been proposed as a possible commission member but emails published in the Chilean media showed how the Chilean church hierarchy worked to keep him off the panel.”

ABC News added on February 5:

“Cardinal George Pell is still too ill to travel from Rome to give evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse… His lawyers applied for the 74-year-old to be able to give evidence by audio visual link at hearings of the inquiry dealing with abuse in Ballarat. Several victims of abuse had stated their opposition to the request.

“A two-page medical report was handed up to support the application that a flight to Australia from Rome, where Cardinal Pell oversees the Vatican’s finances, could pose a serious risk to his health.”

It seems that the hierarchy in the Church of Rome want to keep indiscretions covered up while they promote themselves as having cleaned out an infested priesthood. 

Dangerous Catholic Beliefs

Daily Mail wrote on February 5:

“The embalmed body of a revered Roman Catholic monk who died nearly 50 years ago has arrived back at the Vatican to be blessed by the Pope in St Peter’s Basilica in front of thousands of worshipers. Padre Pio’s body was paraded through the streets in a crystal coffin as it made its way through The Vatican to the famous basilica at the request of Pope Francis as part of events to mark the ongoing Catholic Jubilee Year.

“He was accompanied on the trip to St Peter’s by another Saint Leopold Mandic (1866-1942), a Croatian Capuchin who was, like Pio, celebrated for his skill in receiving confessions – a quality Francis wants to champion during the Jubilee year…

“Italian Friar Pio, who had been interred in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy was said to have suffered from the stigmata phenomenon – body marks corresponding to the wounds Jesus Christ received during his crucifixion…

“Cesarina Onesi, 74, [who] was among the thousands of faithful who turned out to accompany the coffins on the final leg of their journey to St Peter’s said she had been very moved by the experience. ‘I pray to him (Pio) every night, he is one of the four or five saints I pray to. He was a great man, so much faith, so much courage, so much humanity.’

“Canonised under Pope John-Paul II, Pio’s brand of popular, mystical Catholicism was less popular with the Vatican authorities when he was alive. He regularly recounted having experienced both heavenly and diabolic visions, other clerics claimed to have witnessed him levitating in ecstasy and he was frequently associated with apparently miraculous recoveries among the seriously ill…

“Many people said the brown-robed Padre Pio was able to predict events in their lives and knew what they were about to confess. There are thousands of ‘Padre Pio Prayer Groups’ around the world. Padre Pio was dogged during his life and even after his death by allegations that he was a fake but Church investigators cleared him each time…

“Pio of Pietrelcina, known as Padre Pio, was born in 1887 to deeply religious farmers in the small agricultural town of Pietrelcina, in Campania, Italy. By the age of five he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to serving God and claimed to have inner battles with demons and moments of religious out of body experiences…

“Since his death and burial in 1968 at his church in San Giovanni Rotondo, his popularity has grown and he is considered one of the Church’s most popular saints.”

We can say categorically and dogmatically, based on the Bible, that any “powers” Padre Pio might have had (if the accounts are true) would NOT have been given to him by God. The Holy Scriptures warn us not to be deceived by “lying wonders.”

Mexican Catholics Worship the Skeleton “Death Saint”

AFP wrote on February 8:

“Two weeks after baptizing her at a Catholic church, baby Adriana’s parents put her in a white gown again for a second sacrament: This time, with Mexico’s skeletal ‘Death Saint.’ As they held the sleepy three-month-old child, a priestess sprinkled holy water infused with rose petals on her in front of 300 people under a 22-meter (72-foot) statue of the Grim Reaper-like ‘Santa Muerte’ in a Mexico City suburb.

“When Pope Francis arrives in Mexico for a five-day visit on Friday, he will find a country where devotion to Santa Muerte is growing fast despite the Vatican’s rejection of the figure as blasphemous… But the Church is losing the battle against the Death Saint, which is famous for being worshipped by drug cartels but is followed by a wider sector of Mexican society, from the poor to blue-collar workers, police, doctors and teachers… Andrew Chesnut, professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, estimates that between 10 million and 12 million people follow Santa Muerte in Mexico, the United States and Central America…

“That leaves the Roman Catholic Church worried in Mexico. ‘This is the fastest-growing new religious movement not only in Mexico, but in the entire Americas,’ Chesnut… told AFP…”

German Catholic Church Advocates Reduction in Refugees

AFP wrote on February 6:

“The German Catholic Church called for a reduction in the influx of refugees arriving in Germany, saying the country cannot take in ‘all the world’s needy,’ according to an interview published Saturday. Germany has been struggling to cope with 1.1 million asylum seekers that arrived in 2015 and Berlin has not yet given an official estimate for how many it expects this year. ‘As a church we say that we need a reduction in the number of refugees,’ Cardinal Reinhard Marx, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, told the Passauer Neue Presse daily…

“The question of how to respond to the migrant crisis, he asserted, should not solely be a matter of ‘charity but also reason.’ However, Marx also expressed concern at a rise in xenophobia in Germany amid the worst refugee crisis that Europe has known since World War II… ‘This ideology has evidently been further consolidated,’ he said, lamenting that the belittling of foreigners had ‘reached the upper classes.’

“Anti-Islamic group Pegida, which began as a movement in Germany in mid-2014 and has since spread to France and other European countries, called on members and sympathisers from across Europe to march Saturday under the anti-migrant banner of ‘Fortress Europe’.”

In Dresden, Germany, about 8,000 people participated in the Pegida demonstration.

Pope Very “Political Person”?

Newsmax reported on February 11:

“Donald Trump called Pope Francis ‘a very political person’ who doesn’t understand America’s immigration problem when asked on Thursday about the Pope’s plan to stand with migrants at the U.S.-Mexican border on Friday.

“‘I think he doesn’t understand the problems our country has,’ Trump told Fox Business Network’s ‘Varney & Co.’ ‘I don’t think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico, and I think Mexico got him to do it. Because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is because they are making a fortune and we are losing.’

“CBS News.com noted that Trump has had flattering things to say about Pope Francis in the past… But he also told CNN in August he would warn Francis about the danger of the Islamic State (ISIS) if he met him face-to-face. ‘You know that ISIS wants to go in and take over the Vatican?’ Trump said…”

Palace of Henry VIII Holds First Catholic Service in Nearly 500 Years

The New York Times wrote on February 9:

“Hampton Court Palace, where the Tudor king, Henry (VIII.), broke off ties with the papacy in 1530 just to divorce his first wife and marry his mistress — with whom he was besotted and whom he later beheaded — on Tuesday held its first Roman Catholic service in more than 450 years.

“During the service, held in the palace’s Chapel Royal, chants in Latin from an 18-person choir swelled up toward turquoise ceilings, adorned with golden stars and gilded cherubs. Around 350 attendees were packed into tiny wooden pews.

“A procession of altar boys and priests solemnly made its way toward the front of the chapel as the scent of incense wafted across the ancient hall. The Medieval Latin chants date to before the Protestant Reformation, when they were heard throughout churches in Europe.

“The service symbolized in part a growing reconciliation between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. Both are grappling with internal divisions, including a battle over homosexuality, and the service came as several high-profile figures, including some members of the royal family and former Prime Minister Tony Blair, have left the Anglican Church. (In 2011, a ban on a British monarch’s marrying a Roman Catholic was lifted after more than three centuries, but Roman Catholics are still barred from taking the throne.)…”

USA Wants to Fortify Europe

The New York Times wrote on February 1:

“President Obama plans to substantially increase the deployment of heavy weapons, armored vehicles and other equipment to NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe, a move that administration officials said was aimed at deterring Russia from further aggression in the region. The White House plans to pay for the additional weapons and equipment with a budget request of more than $3.4 billion for military spending in Europe in 2017, several officials said Monday, more than quadrupling the current budget of $789 million. The weapons and equipment will be used by American and NATO forces, ensuring that the alliance can maintain a full armored combat brigade in the region at all times…

“It is not clear how Russia will react to the fortified military presence along NATO’s eastern flank… outside analysts were surprised by the magnitude of the increase in military funding for Europe… Some analysts said the increased funding and deployments would certainly rattle Russia…  there is no doubt the primary target of the funding is Russia. Administration officials said that two years after its annexation of Crimea— an annexation that neither the United States nor its European allies recognize — it was imperative to send Moscow a message that NATO will do all it needs to do in order to stand behind Eastern European members worried that they could be next.”

Ultimately, Europe will be able to use these weapons against the USA.

An Important Step in the Creation of a United European Army?

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 4:

“Berlin has signed a deal that will lead to further integration of German naval forces with the Dutch military. The move is being hailed as an important step in the creation of united European armed forces. While in Amsterdam, where she met with the Dutch Defense Minister, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, von der Leyen called the plan a ‘prime example for the building of a European defense union.’

“In exchange for the German battalion, which will be subordinate to the Dutch navy until 2018 and includes mine detectors, reconnaissance and commando units, Berlin will share the use of an ultramodern Dutch supply ship… The 205-meter (673-foot) ship, the ‘Karel Doorman,’ is equipped to carry Leopard 2 battle tanks.”

Die Welt stated that it will remain to be seen whether other European nations will join the German-Dutch efforts, and whether a “core European army” (“europaeische Kernarmee”) might be created as a consequence.

Iran Wants Euros, Not Dollars

Reuters reported on February 5:

“Iran wants to recover tens of billions of dollars it is owed by India and other buyers of its oil in euros and is billing new crude sales in euros, too, looking to reduce its dependence on the U.S. dollar following last month’s sanctions relief… Iran will charge in euros for its recently signed oil contracts with firms including French oil and gas major Total, Spanish refiner Cepsa and Litasco, the trading arm of Russia’s Lukoil…

“Switching oil sales to euros makes sense as Europe is now one of Iran’s biggest trading partners… Iran has pushed for years to have the euro replace the dollar as the currency for international oil trade…

“Iran has the world’s fourth-largest proved reserves of crude oil, and expects to quickly increase production, which could lead to tens of billions of euros worth of new oil trade. Iran’s insistence on being paid in euros rather than dollars is also a sign of an uneasy truce between Tehran and Washington…

“India owes Tehran about $6 billion for oil delivered during the sanctions years… Indian government sources confirmed Iran is looking to be paid in euros.”

It is interesting that Iran has strong confidence in the euro, while rejecting the US dollar. Even though some are uncertain on the issue, being tossed to and fro with every wind of speculation, we have clearly and consistently stated all along that the euro will survive and gain economic strength in the world.

EU President Slams Britain

Express wrote on February 5:

“BRUSSELS politicians believe Britain should be allowed to QUIT the EU rather than test their ‘patience and good will’ by demanding a renegotiation deal, the president of the European Parliament revealed today. Martin Schulz hit out at David Cameron’s ‘continuous demands’ for EU reform as he claimed many of his colleagues in Brussels had grown so fed up with Britain they believed the UK should be shown the exit door.

“The German politician also poured cold water over the Prime Minister’s hopes of achieving his renegotiation of Britain’s EU relationship, which the Government has promised before the upcoming in/out referendum of the UK’s membership of the 28-country bloc. He highlighted the Prime Minister’s plan for an ’emergency brake’ on EU migrants’ in-work benefits and greater protection for non-eurozone countries as sticking-points.  Mr Schulz also sparked a row with Downing Street by claiming Britain’s deal could be reversed at a later stage, despite Mr Cameron’s pledge to deliver ‘legally-binding and irreversible’ reforms.

“On Tuesday, European Council president Donald Tusk revealed the Prime Minister’s draft renegotiation agreement with other EU leaders, which will be voted on at a crunch summit later this month. Critics blasted the ‘watered-down’ reforms to Britain’s EU membership, which were also branded ‘pathetic’ and ‘hardly worth waiting for’. And Mr Schulz has now warned the Prime Minister he might struggle to get even his limited deal ratified by MEPs.

“Delivering a speech at the London School of Economics, the German politician revealed how fellow Brussels politicians had told him to let Britain leave the EU at the upcoming in/out referendum rather than bother with negotiating with Mr Cameron. But Mr Schulz insisted he was ‘a strong supporter of the UK remaining in the EU’. He added: ‘This is despite the fact – and I admit this quite frankly – that the British often test our patience and good will with their continuous demands. They are demanding. They push hard. They insist. They just don’t let go. Many of my colleagues say behind closed doors: “Don’t stop a rolling stone. If the Brits want to leave, let them leave.”’

“Mr Schulz said he wanted to ‘raise concerns’ with parts of Britain’s draft EU deal, warning the Prime Minister his European Parliament will ‘defend the fundamental principles and objectives of the EU’…

“Mr Schulz dismissed Mr Cameron’s call for the EU to be rebranded a ‘multi-currency union’, declaring: ‘The currency of the European Union is the Euro. The Treaties are very clear on this.’ Mr Schulz said the Prime Minister would not be given a ‘de facto veto’ on legislation to strengthen the eurozone… The European Parliament president also raised objections to Mr Cameron’s proposal for an ’emergency brake’, which would allow Britain to only pay limited benefits to EU migrants for their first four years in the UK. Describing how this could discriminate between EU citizens based on their nationality, he said: ‘Solutions cannot come at the price of discriminating against EU citizens…’

“The Prime Minister’s hopes of completing his draft EU deal in full were also doubted today by another influential Brussels politician. Ex-Belgium prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who leads one of the largest groups in the European Parliament, warned Mr Cameron that MEPs could alter or even derail his proposals as they pass through the EU’s institutions…

“The Prime Minister also faced further dissent from within his own party, with Tory backbencher Stewart Jackson telling him there is ‘a sense of palpable disappointment’ with the results of his draft EU agreement. He told the BBC’s Daily Politics: ‘We believed he was going to make good on his pledges at the Bloomberg speech in 2013 for a radical renegotiation of our relationship with the EU and actually repatriating powers. But what we’ve seen, unfortunately, doesn’t stack up. We’ve seen also this week, effectively… that despite the best efforts of the Prime Minister the EU is set on ever-closer union and is fundamentally unreformable.’”

The Daily Mail added on February 5:

“[Mr Cameron asserted] that all changes will be ‘legally binding and irreversible’ if his reform package is agreed at a European Council summit later this month and speaking this afternoon he hit straight back at Mr Schulz’s claims. ‘If it is agreed it will be agreed as a legally binding treaty deposited at the United Nations,’ he said at a press conference in Copenhagen this afternoon. It would only be reversible if all 28 countries including Britain agreed to reverse it. Given that it’s the treaty that Britain wants, there is no way we are going to agree to reverse it. So while you can argue that it is technically reversible if we agree to reverse it, it is not in fact reversible.’ …

“Cameron kick-started a two-week charm offensive to persuade EU leaders to agree to the draft EU deal he unveiled earlier this week. He hopes his fellow 27 EU leaders will agree to his renegotiation deal at a crunch summit on February 18. Cameron won the backing of Danish prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen today, who hailed Britain as a voice of ‘common sense’… [Other reports suggest that he also won the support of Poland.]

“But he was dealt a blow this morning after a poll put the campaign for Britain to leave the EU nine-points ahead in the first survey of public opinion since he unveiled his deal on Tuesday. The record lead for the Brexit campaign suggests voters have overwhelmingly rejected the Prime Minister’s plans for an emergency brake for EU migrants’ access to benefits and a ‘red card’ for national parliaments to veto EU laws.

“The first survey of public opinion since Tuesday’s deal found 45 per cent of voters will opt to quit the EU, while just 36 per cent want to remain. But crucially, one in five voters have yet to decide which way they will vote…

“Banking giant Goldman Sachs has warned that Brexit could cause an immediate 20 per cent drop in the value of the pound… The US investment bank, which is a financial backer of the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign, has predicted voters will opt for staying in the EU.”

The Times added on February 6:

“The tycoon [and multimillionaire, who made his fortune from insurance and] who is Ukip’s biggest donor says the party [The UK Independence Party or UKIP is a Eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom, according to Wikipedia] may have to be disbanded or rebranded after the expected June referendum on Britain in Europe. ‘I’ve got a weird feeling that British politics will be realigned after the referendum … Something’s got to give,’ said Arron Banks. ‘I don’t think Ukip necessarily is the right vehicle, but I think strange things will come out of the referendum. It unleashes strange forces that I don’t think anyone really understands yet.’”

This wording is interesting. When the Berlin Wall fell, observers used the same expressions of “strange forces beyond our control,” as being behind the events. The expression was also used to describe Hitler’s rise and fall.

The Times also reported on February 6 that in regard to conservative voters, “A YouGov poll for The Times found that only 32 per cent of Tories said that they would vote to remain, while 47 per cent would vote to leave, and 21 per cent had not made up their mind.”

It is clear from the Bible that the UK will leave the EU in due time. It is interesting that this step, even though it might be felt necessary by the British people, will contribute to the economic and political demise of the UK, as it is prophesied to occur in Scripture.

EU Committed to Ever Closer Union

The Guardian wrote on February 10:

“Now top EU members including France and Germany say they support an ‘ever closer union’.

“David Cameron’s bid to shake up Britain’s role in the European Union could be in tatters…  Founding members Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg confirmed their ‘strong commitment’ to the so-called European project yesterday. The country’s foreign ministers released a joint statement ahead of a long awaited summit in Brussels next week… Backing a key pledge in the founding Treaty of Rome, the officials said: ‘We remain resolved to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the people of Europe.'”

China Buys Chicago Stock Exchange

CNN wrote on February 5:

“One of America’s oldest stock exchanges has just been sold to China. The 134-year-old Chicago Stock Exchange reached a deal on Friday to be acquired by a Chinese-led group of investors. The purchase by Chongqing Casin Enterprise Group is the latest U.S. investment made by China and would give the country a foothold in the vast American stock market.

“The struggling Chicago Stock Exchange is a very small player in the exchange world whose presence is overshadowed by Nasdaq… As of January, the Chicago Stock Exchange handled just 0.5% of U.S. trading, making it the third-smallest U.S. exchange…

“It’s not clear yet if the acquisition of the tiny Chicago Stock Exchange will face any political hurdles…

“China has been on a buying spree this year. Its largest deal was a $43 billion takeover of Swiss chemicals giant Sygenta earlier this week. So far in 2016, Chinese companies have announced plans to buy 66 foreign companies worth $68 billion…

“Sayena Mostowfi, head of equities research at TABB, said the Chicago Stock Exchange deal represents a vote of confidence in the U.S. stock market. ‘We have one of the most liquid and efficient stock markets in the world. People are looking at us as a model they want to be part of and invest in,’ she said.”

How Would Trump Wipe Out the National Debt?

Breitbart wrote on February 5:

“GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed tackling the national debt by… creating a ‘dynamic economy’ on Friday’s ‘O’Reilly Factor’ on the Fox News Channel…

“Trump was then questioned on how he would bring down the national debt. He responded, ‘We have a country with no growth. We have no growth.’ He later added, after host Bill O’Reilly cut in to ask how this [would] bring down the debt, ‘[W]e’re going to create a dynamic economy again. We’re going to bring the jobs back from China, from Mexico, from Japan.’

“O’Reilly again asked how this would bring down the debt, to which Trump answered, ‘Because the country is going to start growing, and we’ll be up to 4 and even 5%, and when we do that, we pay it back so easily. It’s easy to pay it back.’

“O’Reilly then asked Trump how it would be easy. Trump stated, ‘Because essentially, if you look at the country like a profit-making corporation, or a losing corporation, right now we’re a losing corporation. We’re going to make it a profit-making corporation.’

“O’Reilly then said, ‘OK, but then you’re going to have to raise taxes to get more money in to pay down that debt.’ Trump responded, ‘The problem we have is our taxes are so high, that nobody can — everybody’s choking.’

“O’Reilly then asked how even with more economic growth, he would pay down trillions of dollars in debt. Trump said, ‘[L]isten, the politicians have caused this problem. We’re going to make our country dynamic again. Now, companies, big companies like Pfizer, are leaving. they’re going to make it worse. They’re leaving. Many — it’s called corporate inversion. Many companies are leaving because the taxes are so high. We have to lower taxes, not raise taxes.’

“He added, ‘[T]he country will be more dynamic. It’ll be a dynamic — we are going to create a dynamic economy, where real jobs are going to be pouring into the country, and we’ll have a country that’s sustainable. It’ll work, Bill.’”

It is obvious that Trump avoided answering O’Reilly’s repeated question as to how he will deal with the national debt. Creating a dynamic economy and lowering (!) taxes will not help paying down the debt. As a successful business man, Trump must know that. Assuming he is not just all talk, he must have a plan to deal with the national debt, but he may be unwilling to state what he wants to do. He said on different occasions that he does not want to be like President Obama in placing all his cards on the table and informing the enemy about his next steps.

So, looking at history, COULD IT BE that Trump has something totally different in mind?

For instance, on January 8, 1835, President Andrew Jackson had paid off the national debt. He had taken advantage of a huge real-estate bubble that was raging in the Western U.S. The federal government owned a lot of Western land — and Jackson started selling it off. He had also blocked every spending bill he could. When Jackson took office, the national debt was about $58 million. Six years later, it was all gone.

Let’s look how Germany did it after World War I.

The Treaty of Versailles required Germany to pay 132 billion gold marks (US$33 billion) in reparations to cover civilian damage caused during the war. Because of the lack of reparation payments by Germany, France occupied the Ruhr in 1923 to enforce payments, causing an international crisis that resulted in the implementation of the Dawes Plan in 1924. This plan outlined a new payment method and raised international loans to help Germany meet her reparation commitments. Despite this, by 1928 Germany called for a new payment plan, resulting in the Young Plan that established the German reparation requirements at 112 billion marks (US$26.3 billion) and created a schedule of payments that would see Germany complete payments by 1988.

Despite the reduction, there was increasing German hostility to the plan. In December 1929, 5.8 million voters registered their opposition to the plan during a plebiscite, which resulted in Adolf Hitler gaining significant national attention and valuable right-wing financing. In 1933, the new German Chancellor Adolf Hitler cancelled all payments.

We do not say that something like this will occur, or is even contemplated. But just imagine what would happen if the USA would decide to wipe out its national debt (including American debt towards China) and just cancel all payments.

New US Policy For Illegal Aliens—Abolishing Immigration Law?

The Washington Examiner wrote on February 4:

“In a shocking reversal of policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are being told to release illegal immigrants and no longer order them to appear at deportation hearings, essentially a license to stay in the United States, a key agent testified Thursday. What’s more, the stand down order includes a requirement that the whereabouts of illegals released are not to be tracked. ‘We might as well abolish our immigration laws altogether,’ suggested agent Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council… Judd said the policy shift was prompted by Obama administration ‘embarrassment’ that just over half of illegals ordered to appear in court actually do…

“[Judd] said the new policy ‘makes mandatory the release, without an NTA, of any person arrested by the Border Patrol for being in the country illegally, as long as they do not have a previous felony arrest conviction and as long as they claim to have been continuously in the United States since January of 2014. The operative word in this policy is “claim.” The policy does not require the person to prove they have been here which is the same burden placed on them during deportation proceedings. Instead, it simply requires them to claim to have been here since January of 2014’…

“The go free policy, he said, has prompted thousands of Latinos to cross the border, and among them are hundreds of criminal foot soldiers, according to other testimony. ‘Immigration laws today appear to be mere suggestions. There are little or no consequences for breaking the laws and that fact is well known in other countries. If government agencies like DHS or CBP are allowed to bypass Congress by legislating through policy, we might as well abolish our immigration laws altogether,’ Judd concluded.”

American citizens can clearly see the incredible lack of responsibility of their leadership, which explains the unparalleled success of outsiders in the current presidential election process.

“Political Correctness” in Sweden—Don’t Offend Aliens

Breitbart wrote on February 4:

“The municipal government in the Swedish town where an asylum centre worker was stabbed to death refuses to allow a memorial at the centre for fear of offending migrants. Swedish media SVT reports that the co-workers of the victim wished to honour the memory of 22-year-old Alexandra Mezher… who was stabbed to death by an underage Somali male on the 25th of January. The case provoked an international uproar which has led many to question the Swedish government’s handling of the migrant crisis…

“Carl Lindahl, who has worked at a similar asylum centre for over three years… along with another colleague, wished to organize a small rally or march in the town to express mourning for Ms. Mezher but were shocked to learn that the municipality not only refused to fly their flag at half mast but also denied them use of any municipal premises…

“Locals asked why the municipality was against the demonstration and a representative reached out to SVT and told them the municipality was worried about offending the migrants at the asylum centre… The story of the murder has resonated across Sweden and with the Swedish people. Inspired to take action because of the events, Swedish men joined together to form groups to protect women in Stockholm train station from unwanted sexual advances from migrants.

“Some, like commentator Pamela Geller, are even saying the incident could be the beginning of the end of Swedish tolerance and that a potential ‘civil war’ could ensue. The story also revealed to Swedes how they might not be even getting the full story on the case as Breitbart revealed the Daily Mail was blocking details of the story to Swedish internet users in what some allege to be interference from Stockholm.”

BBC Muzzles Journalists; Caters to Muslims

Breitbart reported on February 5:

“Journalists at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) should refer to the Islamic prophet, Mohammed, as ‘the Prophet’, according to the corporation’s in-house style guide.

“Under the section labelled ‘Muhammad’, the guide says: ‘For the founder of Islam, our style is the Prophet Muhammad; at second reference Muhammad or the Prophet.’ This advice is repeated in the sections on ‘Arabic names’ and ‘Islam’.

“The assertion that Mohammed is ‘the Prophet’, with a capital P, will likely cause controversy. While followers of Islam believe him to be the last prophet sent by God – Christians, Jews, atheists and followers of other religions do not regard him as a prophet at all. There are also questions over whether Mohammed and Islam are being given special treatment in the style guide, which does not tell journalists how to refer to significant figures from other religions.

“It does not, for example, tell staff to refer to Jesus as ‘Son of God’, ‘Our Lord’ or ‘The Messiah’, nor does it say to call the Buddha by any of his Ten Titles, or offer any advice on how to refer to holy figures from Hinduism or Sikhism…

“This is not the first controversy the BBC has found itself in over the subject of Islam. In November, it used the words ‘hateful’, ‘Islamophobic’ and ‘bad timing’ to describe a hashtag used by atheist ex-Muslims to explain why they left the faith.

“… the BBC’s style guide also tells journalists to avoid using the term ‘pro-life’ to refer to campaigners against abortion, but encouraged the use of ‘pro-choice’ to refer to their opponents. Pro-life campaigners called it ‘an utterly shameless example of institutional bias against the right-to-life movement, and for the abortion lobby.’”

ISIS Fighters in Europe

CNN wrote on February 8:

“Intelligence obtained by Western security agencies before the November 13 Paris attacks indicated as many as 60 ISIS fighters had been deployed by the group to Europe to carry out attacks on five cities and had already reached European soil…

“In the months since the Paris attack there have been several terrorism alerts in Europe based on intelligence chatter, in cities including Brussels, Belgium; Hanover, Germany; Geneva, Switzerland; Vienna, Austria; and Munich, Germany.

“Last week, a U.S official told CNN’s Barbara Starr that the terrorist threat to Europe is as high as it’s ever been, with about 1,900 extremists who went from Europe to Iraq and Syria to fight jihad now back on European soil. A U.S. intelligence official told CNN that France and Belgium were the countries considered to be at highest risk of terrorist attack, while Germany and the UK also face a heightened terror threat…”

“North Korea Fires Long-Range Missile Designed to Hit US”

Bloomberg wrote on February 7:

“North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Sunday carrying what it called a satellite, but its neighbours and the United States denounced the launch as a missile test, conducted in defiance of U.N. sanctions and just weeks after a nuclear bomb test… The launch prompted South Korea and the United States to announce that they would explore the feasibility of deploying an advanced missile defence system in South Korea, which China and Russia both oppose, ‘at the earliest possible date.’..

“South Korea’s military said it would make annual military exercises with U.S. forces ‘the most cutting-edge and the biggest’ this year. North Korea objects to the drills as a prelude to war by a United States it says is bent on toppling the Pyongyang regime. The United States has about 28,500 troops in South Korea…”

“Ambitious” Agreement for Syria 

Deutsche Welle reported on February 11:

“In an agreement that Kerry described as ‘ambitious,’ the United States and Russia alongside more than a dozen other world powers agreed to a ‘cessation of hostilities’ within a week and the acceleration and expansion of humanitarian aid to areas besieged by both regime and rebel forces…

“Despite an apparent agreement between Russia and the United States, questions remain over implementation and timing of Friday’s deal…

“[Russia’s] Lavrov said… a broad spectrum of Syrian opposition should attend talks… Russia and Syria have also had issue with the presence of some Saudi Arabia and Turkey backed rebel groups, which they describe as terrorists…

“Lavrov said Russia’s air campaign in support of [the] regime would continue against terrorist groups.

“Present at the Munich talks, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier said the true test of the deal to end violence in Syria would come over the next few days…”

Franklin Graham Blasts Gender Identity Protection

Newsmax wrote on February 6:

“Evangelical preacher Franklin Graham is blasting a proposed Charlotte, N.C., non-discrimination law that’ll include ‘gender identity’ protection, charging the statute is ‘dangerous’ and that similar laws are being turned against Christians… the son of famed preacher Billy Graham rips the revival a defeated non-discrimination ordinance to allow transgender men and women to use the restroom of their choice in Charlotte…

“‘Each section of the proposed ordinance has wording to include “gender identity” … what an individual “feels” their gender is regardless of the biological reality… Where sexual orientation and gender identity laws such as this have passed in other places, florists, bakers, photographers, adoption agencies, and t-shirt printers have been punished by the government for not wanting to use their artistic talents to celebrate and participate in same-sex weddings, not wanting to promote the LGBT messaging in Gay Pride events, or for not wanting to place an adoptive child with two men.’”

The Crazy Fairy Tales of Paid Scientists

Huffington Post wrote on February 3:

“The giant impact hypothesis — the popular belief that a ‘planetary embryo’ called Theia collided with Earth some 4.5 billion years ago, leading to the formation of our planet’s moon — has been around for a while. But a NASA-funded research team has added an amazing new twist to the idea; that Earth wasn’t just sideswiped by Theia, as many have conjectured, but sustained a direct hit and actually absorbed a large portion of the rogue planet.

“In other words, Earth is made up of two fused planets — Earth and Theia — the study suggests. ‘Theia was thoroughly mixed into both the Earth and the moon, and evenly dispersed between them,’ lead author Edward Young, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement…

“For their study, the UCLA-led team compared the chemical signatures of moon rocks with volcanic rocks from Hawaii and Arizona. If Earth and Theia had collided in a glancing side blow, as the giant impact hypothesis suggests, the moon would be mostly made up of Theia, and the Earth and moon would have different chemical structures, UCLA said in its statement.  But that’s not what the researchers found. ‘We don’t see any difference between the Earth’s and the moon’s oxygen isotopes; they’re indistinguishable,’ Young said. That suggests the two collided head-on, with Theia becoming large parts Earth and moon, researchers said.

“And just like that, Mother Earth became Mothers Earth.”

What this new study “suggests” is that the giant impact hypothesis is a foolish fairy tale.  God CREATED the heavens and the earth. The concept that a planetary embryo called Theia collided with earth and that somehow this created the moon is utter and complete nonsense.

More Scientific Abominable Craziness – Single Embryo from Three Different People

NBC News reported on February 4:

“Experiments using sperm and egg cells from three different people to make a single embryo are all right — if they are carefully monitored and regulated, expert advisers said Wednesday. Such ‘three-parent’ babies could be a way for people with a high risk of rare, devastating genetic diseases to have healthy children that are genetically their own, the National Academy of Medicine panel said… And at first, the panel advised, only male embryos should be made this way until it’s clear that dangerous mutations would not be passed down to future generations…

“But there are tricky scientific and ethical questions. Such babies could have what are known as germline changes, which can be passed down from generation to generation, making a lab mistake potentially the problem of people born decades later. Then there’s the issue of ‘playing God’, the panel noted. ‘These concerns warrant significant caution and the imposition of restrictions rather than a blanket prohibition on the use of MRT [mitochondrial replacement techniques],’ they concluded…

“The conditions include tests to establish safety, first using animals and then embryos that could never grow into babies, and that the disease being prevented is severe and that only male embryos are used… Britain approved the technique last year…

“[The panel wrote:] ‘While the creation of human embryos for research is not prohibited under federal law in the United States (although some states are more restrictive), neither FDA nor any other agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can financially support such research where embryos are destroyed, discarded, or subjected to risks with no prospect of medical benefit for the embryo.’”

All of this sounds like a bad story from a science fiction book. But the creation and destruction of embryos for scientific purposes and the “greater good” is very real.

Hawaii Kills Mandatory Vaccination Bill

Daily Mail wrote on February 5:

“After listening to Hawaii residents speak out against vaccines and saying they cause everything from autism to the Zika virus, Hawaii lawmakers killed a bill to speed up the state’s process for adopting federal vaccination guidelines. The bill would have allowed the state Health Department to more easily adopt the federal rules, which some opponents of the measure fear would result in more vaccinations…

“Supporters of the bill say it would have helped the Hawaii Department of Health address public health crises quickly. They said given the potential for diseases to spread rapidly, it’s important to be able to adopt vaccination rules swiftly. Opponents of the bill spoke out against mandatory vaccinations, saying their side effects are harmful and the people should have the right to make their own health decisions…

“Vaccinations are a hot-button issue across the nation. For decades, critics have said vaccines can cause debilitating side effects — most notably autism… Almost all states grant religious exemptions for people who have religious beliefs against vaccinations, while 20 states allow exemptions for personal or moral beliefs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.”

Sadly, left-liberal California does not even grant religious exemptions. California, under controversial governor Brown, should learn from Hawaii and revoke and repeal its foolish mandatory vaccination law.

An Interesting Tour Through the Kidron Valley

Times of Israel wrote on February 6:

“In 1952, a unique 2,000-year-old copper scroll was discovered deep inside a cave near the Dead Sea. When British scholar John Marco Allegro translated the scroll a few years later, he was astonished to learn that over 100 tons of gold and silver treasures from the Second Temple had been hidden in dozens of different locations. One such location, he believed, was the area surrounding the alleged Tomb of the prophet Zechariah in the Kidron Valley beneath Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives.

“A few years later, Allegro led an expedition to the Kidron Valley – at the time under Jordanian control – in an attempt to recover hidden treasure. Financing the expedition was no problem, for it was to take place under the auspices of Britain’s Daily Mail tabloid newspaper and Jordan provided workers and transportation. There was just one hitch: dozens of Jews were buried around the tomb. The problem was solved when the Kingdom of Jordan granted Allegro permission to clear away the grave… he didn’t uncover even a single treasure…

“The Bible tells us that during his lifetime Absalom, King David’s third son, ‘had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself… He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.’ [2 Samuel 18:18]. Despite that fact that the shrine dates back to the end of the Second Temple period — nearly a millennia after Absalom rebelled against his father and was run through with a javelin by the King’s captain – tradition places that monument here, identifying the Kidron Valley with the King’s Valley.

“In earlier centuries, passersby of all religions would throw stones at Absalom’s mammoth structure. Indeed Muslims, who revere King David, almost covered it with rocks. It is said that Jewish parents would bring disobedient offspring to the almost hidden monument, point out the stones, and warn them that ‘this is what happens to children who behave badly to their fathers.’

“Iron bars block the entrance to a structure on one side of Absalom’s Tomb. Uncovered in 1924, and thought by some to be the tomb of 9th-century B.C.E. King Jehoshaphat, it contains several chambers and a splendidly ornamental lintel. The prophet Zechariah’s Tomb on the other side of Absalom’s Tomb is the only pyramid-topped structure in the valley… Over 10 meters high, it dates, like Absalom’s Pillar, to the Second Temple period… Jews so revered Zechariah that over the centuries they asked to be buried as close as possible to his grave. At one time the Jews of Jerusalem offered eulogies here and would come to Zechariah’s Tomb to mourn the destruction of the Temple on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av.

“One year Jerusalem suffered from a terrible drought. Legend has it that the city’s Arabs prayed to Allah, but rain didn’t fall. They then sent a delegation to Jerusalem’s Jewish inhabitants, warning them that if they couldn’t make it rain, they would be in deep, deep trouble. According to this oft-repeated story, the Jews immediately declared a fast and on its third day made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Zechariah. Throwing themselves upon the ground next to the tomb they prayed, then walked around it seven times while singing psalms. By evening the sky was black. Heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, fell on the Holy City. The Jews were saved, the city’s cisterns filled with water, and the sanctity of Zechariah’s Tomb was reaffirmed…

“Only a few meters from Zechariah’s Tomb, a gate leads into a large burial complex featuring several interior chambers. A barely legible ancient Hebrew inscription, found on the exterior of the complex, relates that the six sons of the priestly Hezir family are buried within… one of the Dead Sea Scrolls mentions that the Hezirs operated the Temple on Yom Kippur.”

The Kidron Valley is highly significant in biblical prophecy. In the future, “kings of the east” and other powers of this earth will assemble at a place called Armageddon or “hill of Megiddo,” which is about 55 miles north of Jerusalem. From there, they will move towards Jerusalem, where they, together with European powers under a charismatic military leader (“the beast”), will try to fight the returning Jesus Christ. That “battle” will take place in the Kidron Valley.

Zechariah 14:3–5 indicates that, apparently due to the great earthquake of the seventh bowl, mentioned in Revelation 16:17–18, the Mount of Olives shall split in two, making a very large valley, where the final battle of God Almighty will take place.

Revelation 14:19-20 informs us in regard to that “battle” in the valley of Jehoshaphat or the Kidron Valley, that the “great winepress of the wrath of God… was trampled outside the city [of Jerusalem], and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs [lit. stadia, about 184 miles in all].”

WARNING! Is the DRAFT Coming for BOTH Men AND Women?

NBC News reported on February 2:

“Now that all combat jobs are open to women, the top Army and Marine Corps officers say they should have to register for the draft — just like men. Gen. Mark A. Milley, chief of staff of the Army, and Gen. Robert B. Neller, the Marine Corps commandant said they supported the requirement during testimony at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

“‘Senator, it’s my personal view that, based on this lifting of restrictions … every American who’s physically qualified should register for the draft,’ Neller said in response to a question from Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, who favors the change. Milley also agreed. ‘Senator, I think that all eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft,’ he said.

“Right now only men legally residing the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 26 are required to register with the Selective Service. The two thumbs up from the generals came a month after Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the Pentagon’s historic shift in policy. Under the new rules, women will now be able to help fill some of the 220,000 jobs that were only open to their male counterparts, including key posts in some special operations units and the infantry…

“Conscripts have not been drafted since 1973 when the U.S. moved to an all-volunteer military. But in 1980 then President Jimmy Carter reinstated the requirement that men register in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.”

War hawks are pushing for the draft. Men and women who are conscientiously opposed to serving in the military must be prepared for the distinct possibility that the war hawks will have it their way in the future. 

Clinton and Cruz Win Iowa Caucus

In absolutely stunning and historic developments, Hillary Clinton emerged as the “winner” in the Iowa caucus on the Democratic side, beating Bernie Sanders through the tossing of a coin, while Ted Cruz surprisingly won against Donald Trump on the Republican side.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders virtually tied, which all by itself means an embarrassing defeat for Clinton.

Deutsche Welle reported on February 2 that “The Iowa Democratic Party said in a statement the caucus was the closest in history, with some precincts reportedly having to resort to a rarely used rule to flip a coin to decide the winner. Clinton reportedly won all three of the coin tosses… The next round is in New Hampshire on February 9, where Clinton is trailing Sanders in the polls…

“On the Republican side, conservative Texas senator Ted Cruz came in ahead of both billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Senator Marco Rubio who is the favorite of mainstream Republican voters. The result was a blow to the controversial Trump who had headed the polls leading into the Iowa caucus.

“But the next round is in New Hampshire where more than 40 percent of the state’s electorate are not registered in any political party. Washington outsider Trump has a commanding lead in New Hampshire and in national polls.”

It is critically important for Trump to win in New Hampshire. Statistics reveal that since 1980, no Republican candidate received the nomination who did not win either in Iowa or in New Hampshire. For the Democrats, the same is true with one exception—in 1992, Bill Clinton won the Democratic nomination and the Presidency, even though he did not win in Iowa or in New Hampshire.

Following the next round in New Hampshire on February 9, “Super Tuesday” occurs on March 1 (when preliminary elections take place in more than 10 states), followed by “Super Tuesday, Part 2” on March 15 (when preliminary elections take place in five states, including Florida, Illinois and Ohio).

The Republicans will then meet and decide on their nominee for the Presidency on July 18-21, and the Democrats on July 25-28.

The first televised debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees will take place on September 26, followed by two more debates on October 9 and October 19 (A televised debate between the two nominees for the office of Vice-President will take place on October 4).

The main election for the Presidency will take place on November 8, and on January 20, 2017, the new US President will be sworn in.

Dirty Tricks in Politics

Newsmax wrote on February 3:

“Donald Trump says Ted Cruz ‘stole’ the Iowa caucuses and is guilty of ‘fraud’ for falsely telling voters going to the polls that Ben Carson had dropped out [of] the presidential race and to support him instead. And the Texas senator’s ‘fraud’ is so serious that Iowa state officials should void the caucus results and hold a new vote, the billionaire developer believes…

“Cruz on Tuesday admitted his campaign wrongly stated the retired pediatric neurosurgeon had exited the race as the caucuses got underway and apologized for the gaff. Carson accepted the apology, but added that someone on Cruz’s staff should pay for the action. Trump, who has been the Republican presidential front-runner for seven months, believes the bogus claim by the campaigners for Cruz, who had trailed Trump in the polls, unfairly helped him win.

“He is also crying foul at the Cruz campaign’s scary-looking ‘voting violation’ notice sent to Iowans… Iowa’s secretary of state says the mailer misrepresents election law. But Cruz called it a ‘routine’ campaign move.”

On February 3, the Drudge Report added the following Facebook post by former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who is endorsing Donald Trump (but she had endorsed Ted Cruz for Senator in the past):

“… Cruz’s campaign chairman, U.S. Representative Steve King, is lying, and good for Dr. Ben Carson for calling this out. King, who’s previously asked for and received my endorsement, time and resources to support his own election, is still lying about my altruistic support of Mr. Trump, and he’s refused to provide any evidence to the contrary. And, this U.S. Congressman actually lied to his own constituents on behalf of Cruz, regarding a good man, Dr. Carson. He told voters Carson was dropping out of the Presidential race immediately before the Iowa caucus, causing a relative uproar inside the process, so the word would spread and he could rack up more votes for his candidate, Cruz. That’s a dirty trick. Dr. Carson deserved better. The voters deserved better!

“Where is the accountability for these political actions? Very sad; typical Washington tactics. THIS is why ‘the status quo has got to go.’ Our friend Dr. Carson put it so well: ‘As Christians, of course we accept people’s apologies, we also have to ask ourselves is this acceptable to us, the American people, or should there be some accountability? There should be some consequences for things. You don’t just say “oh, okay, sorry… okay let’s move on.” The damage was done to me, it wasn’t done to them.’

“We’ve had eight years of a reckless President, accountable to no one, pushing this country to the brink. Why would we ever take a risk repeating that? We are never going to turn this country around if we keep electing ‘more of the same.’…  The Cruz Campaign’s actions to destroy a good man’s efforts to serve are no different than Obama’s practice of not holding anyone accountable. Typical politics. Typical politicians.”

Trump like Hitler or Worthy of Nobel Prize?

JTA wrote on January 28:

“The stepsister of Holocaust teen diarist Anne Frank compared Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump to Hitler. Eva Schloss, 86, made the comparison in an essay in Newsweek magazine published Wednesday in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. ‘If Donald Trump become(s) the next president of the U.S., it would be a complete disaster,’ she wrote. ‘I think he is acting like another Hitler by inciting racism.’…

“Schloss, who survived Auschwitz, was 11 years old when her family left Nazi-annexed Austria in 1938 for Belgium. ‘We were treated as if we had come from the moon. I felt as if I wasn’t wanted and that I was different to everybody,’ she wrote… ‘Fewer people would have died in the Holocaust if the world had accepted more Jewish refugees.’’

Yahoo News reported on February 2:

“Donald Trump, Greek islanders helping desperate migrants, Angela Merkel and the pope — some may seem more likely than others but all are understood to be in the running for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize…

“According to a copy of the nomination letter Harpviken said he had received, brash tycoon Trump — who has attracted international condemnation by calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States — deserves the prize for ‘his vigorous peace through strength ideology, used as a threat weapon of deterrence against radical Islam, ISIS, nuclear Iran and Communist China.’”

Hillary Clinton’s Growing Email Scandal … “The State Department Is Lying”

The New York Post wrote on January 31:

“The State Department is lying when it says it didn’t know until it was too late that Hillary Clinton was improperly using personal e-mails and a private server to conduct official business — because it never set up an agency e-mail address for her in the first place, the department’s former top watchdog says. ‘This was all planned in advance’ to skirt rules governing federal records management, said Howard J. Krongard, who served as the agency’s inspector general from 2005 to 2008.

“The Harvard-educated lawyer points out that, from Day One, Clinton was never assigned and never used a state.gov e-mail address like previous secretaries. ‘That’s a change in the standard. It tells me that this was premeditated. And this eliminates claims by the State Department that they were unaware of her private e-mail server until later,’ Krongard said in an exclusive interview… He also points to the unusual absence of a permanent inspector general during Clinton’s entire 2009-2013 term at the department. He said the 5¹/₂-year vacancy was unprecedented. ‘This is a major gap. In fact, it’s without precedent,’ he said. ‘It’s the longest period any department has gone without an IG.’

“Inspectors general serve an essential and unique role in the federal government by independently investigating agency waste, fraud and abuse. Their oversight also covers violations of communications security procedures. ‘It’s clear she did not want to be subject to internal investigations,’ Krongard said. An e-mail audit would have easily uncovered the secret information flowing from classified government networks to the private unprotected system she set up in her New York home.”

Newsmax added on January 31:

“‘The starting point of the investigation is the material going through SIPRNet, [State’s classified system.] She couldn’t function without the information coming over SIPRNet,’ [Krongard] said. ‘How did she get it on her home server? It can’t just jump from one system to the other. Someone had to move it, copy it. The question is who did that?’”

The Associated Press wrote on January 30:

“The Obama administration has confirmed for the first time that Hillary Clinton’s home server contained closely guarded government secrets, censoring 22 emails that contained material requiring one of the highest levels of classification… The Associated Press learned ahead of the release that seven email chains would be withheld in full for containing ‘top secret’ information. The 37 pages include messages a key intelligence official recently said concerned ‘special access programs’ —highly restricted, classified material that could point to confidential sources or clandestine programs like drone strikes…”

President Obama Visits Controversial US Mosque

The Washington Post wrote on January 30:

“President Obama will make the first visit during his presidency to a U.S. mosque, the White House announced Saturday, part of the administration’s push to promote religious tolerance at a time when rhetoric linking Islam with terrorism is growing. On Wednesday, the president will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore… It is one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest Muslim centers…

“The president is making the visit ‘to celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life,’  a White House official wrote in an email Saturday…

“The visit will be part of the tightrope-walking Obama has done during his presidency around Islam.

“For years, Muslim Americans have lobbied him to visit a mosque, citing Islamophobia. At the same time, a segment of Obama’s critics have said since he took office that he is a Muslim pretending to be Christian, and that he plays down the religious aspect of Muslim extremism. Recent polls show that 29 percent of Americans and nearly 45 percent of Republicans think he is a Muslim. The visit comes in the last year of his presidency…

“Presidents rarely visit houses of worship, aside from when they have attended church for their own religious practices. Obama… attends religious services on key holidays. In May, he visited a synagogue for the first time as president…

“The official added that the event [is] coming just days after Obama spoke out against anti-Semitism and right before his appearance at the National Prayer breakfast…

“One close watcher of the role of religion in presidential politics said the timing of events next week was not a coincidence and that the mosque visit would be a stark contrast with the anti-Muslim rhetoric coming from multiple leading GOP candidates.

“It was not immediately clear why the White House selected the Islamic Society in Baltimore, although it has been the subject of threats in recent months… It also is the mosque of the family of Adnan Syed, whose conviction for murder drew huge global interest… Obama has visited several mosques overseas but never one in this country while serving as president…

“Obama’s relationship with American Muslims has been complicated. They are among his most enthusiastic backers, but some feel he has not done enough to address their concerns at a time of social unrest. He has shown support for Muslims overseas, including the 2009 ‘New Beginning’ speech in Cairo before the Arab Spring, and he has drawn praise — and intense criticism from conservatives — for declining to connect Islam and terrorism…”

President Obama still refuses to this day to state members of ISIS are radical Islamists.

European Armies Growing… Security Spending a Priority

The New York Times wrote on January 31:

“A phalanx of soldiers wearing bulletproof vests and wielding machine guns fanned out beneath the Eiffel Tower on a recent afternoon, scanning the crowd for potential terrorist threats. Across the country, nearly 10,000 more armed troops patrolled streets around landmarks, stores and government buildings. France is spending nearly 1 million euros a day on the heightened security, part of a renewed surge in European military spending as governments declare terrorism a permanent risk…

“European leaders are acknowledging that security spending is a priority… France, Germany, Britain and neighboring countries sharply curbed military outlays while austerity was enforced. Since 2007, Western European military spending has slumped more than 13 percent, accelerating a decline that began earlier in the decade… As security concerns intensify, the trend is reversing.

“Germany is hiring more police and intelligence officers, and in January the defense minister proposed increasing military spending by €130 billion over 15 years… France is expanding its military equipment arsenal, troops and police, as well as increasing surveillance and spending hundreds of millions of euros on new programs to counter radicalization among Muslim youth.

“In Belgium, where militants planned the Paris attacks after training in Syria, nearly half a billion euros will be spent jailing returning jihadists, reinforcing borders and keeping hundreds of troops on the streets. And Britain recently authorized 12 billion pounds in new spending to purchase Boeing P8 maritime patrol aircraft, increase fighter squadron numbers and create new strike brigades…

“Total Western European military spending, led by France, Britain and Germany, is expected to jump by an extra €50 billion through 2019, to €215 billion… Europe’s security spending, though, will still pale in comparison to that of the United States…

“European armies are growing. In a reverse from planned cuts, France is preparing to add 23,000 positions to the army by 2019. An anti-Islamic State coalition that includes France and Britain will soon intensify the campaign against militants in Iraq and Syria, prompting additional spending on missiles, drones, jets and surveillance.

“Airbus is well positioned. The company supplies European militaries with a broad range of flying hardware such as the NH90 helicopter, the A400M cargo and troop transporter and the A330 multi-role refueling tanker. Airbus also has high-tech satellite surveillance equipment as well as integrated border and coastal security systems, a particular focus in Europe as the migrant crisis swells.”

The Return of Edmund Stoiber?

In a recent Update (#721), we ran an article about Edmund Stoiber (74), Germany’s former Premier of Bavaria. We reported that Stoiber, presently working for the EU, had stated that the only solution for Germany was to completely close its border to refugees for an unspecified period. He had also stated in the past that the Muslim culture was not compatible with European values. 

Bild Online published a stunning article on January 31 about “Stoiber’s comeback,” stating that he is traveling with current Premier of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, to meet Vladimir Putin and that he has again become very influential pertaining to the direction of his party, Bavaria’s CSU. Stoiber is strongly opposed to Angela Merkel’s migrant policy, reiterating again to Bild that Islam has no place in Germany. The article also points out that Stoiber received “innumerable” invitations from Merkel’s CDU.

According to Bild, Stoiber has a close relationship with Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Söder (49), who is viewed as the potential successor to Seehofer, even though he is not Seehofer’s first choice. However, Bild states that with Stoiber’s support, Söder would definitely be elected. Söder is also a strong opponent to Merkel’s migrant policy, stating that it is “undemocratic.”

In a follow-up article, Bild predicted that Merkel will not resign, even though it seems that Stoiber would like to see her fall, but, according to Bild, Stoiber would not be a leader, and there is no one there who could fill the leadership role (“Es fehlt der Anfuehrer”; in English: “The Leader Is Missing.”). This may be true… for now.

On February 3, Bild Online reported on Seehofer’s und Steuber’s meeting with Putin and Russian ministers in Moscow. Bild stated that Steuber (honorary president of the CSU) and Putin have known each other for a long time, and that they have a good relationship. In fact, Seehofer’s meeting with Putin was allegedly arranged by Steuber. Observers see in Seehofer’s meeting with Putin a sign of a further deterioration of Seehofer’s relationship with Angela Merkel.

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 3:

“Horst Seehofer is flying to Moscow. It is a politically juicy and controversial visit by the Bavarian in a period of upheaval in German-Russian relations. Seldom have relations between Berlin and Moscow been in such a poor state as they are now… Seehofer is Merkel’s most dangerous critic… He may be flying to meet Putin as the state premier of Bavaria, but he will be received in Moscow as a representative of one of Germany’s three governing parties…

“The CSU’s brand of foreign policy has always had something unique about it. CSU grandees Franz-Josef Strauss and Edmund Stoiber were always good for political bomb shells on the domestic front… No wonder then, that Horst Seehofer sees himself in this tradition…”

Merkel Tries to Placate Critics of her Migrant Policy… Far Too Little, and Far Too Late

Reuters wrote on January 30:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried on Saturday to placate the increasingly vocal critics of her open-door policy for refugees by insisting that most refugees from Syria and Iraq would go home once the conflicts there had ended…

“Support for her conservative bloc has slipped as concerns mount about how Germany will integrate the 1.1 million migrants who arrived last year, while crime and security are also in the spotlight after a wave of assaults on women in Cologne at New Year by men of north African and Arab appearance…

“Merkel said it was important to stress that most refugees had only been allowed to stay for a limited period. ‘We need … to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that, once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained,’ she told a regional meeting of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania…”

The Local added on January 31:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel… saw her worst poll results in more than five years. Merkel’s open-door policy, while initially winning praise last year, has come under mounting criticism, especially after the German city of Cologne was rocked by a wave of sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve blamed on migrants… Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative alliance has slumped to its lowest since July 2012 as opposition over her liberal refugee policy grows, a survey showed Sunday…

“According to the poll published by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, public support for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and sister party Christian Social Union now stands at just 34 percent… The Social Democratic Party — the junior partner in Merkel’s left-right grand coalition, has also lost ground, shedding one percentage point to 24 percent…

“While Merkel does not face national elections until 2017, regional elections in three states in March will be a key test of support… A poll published Friday by news weekly Focus found that 40 percent of respondents want Merkel to resign.

“Nevertheless, a subsequent poll commissioned by Focus found that, with 41 percent, Merkel came in top as the politician whom the public believe can best manage the migrant crisis.”

This belief will be rapidly shattered.

Germany’s Anti-Immigrant Party Causes Storm of Criticism  

The Local wrote on January 31:

“Germany’s eurosceptic right-wing populist AfD party created a storm Saturday by suggesting police ‘if need be’ should threaten to shoot migrants seeking to enter the country.  ‘We need efficient controls to prevent so many unregistered asylum-seekers keeping on entering via Austria,’ said party chairwoman Frauke Petry (40), in comments carried by the Mannheimer Morgen regional daily. Border police ‘should be able if need be to have recourse to their firearms — as laid down by law,’ the paper quoted Petry as saying. ‘No policeman wants to fire on a refugee and I don’t want that either. But as a last resort there should be recourse to firearms,’ said Petry in comments which drew a storm of criticism.

“‘No policeman would be ready to fire on’ migrants, police union GdP said in a statement. ‘Whoever wants to deploy such methods clearly wants to suspend the rule of law,’ said GdP head Joerg Radek. ‘We have already seen that over the course of German history and we don’t ever want to go down that road again.’

“The head of the main opposition Social Democrat parliamentary group, Thomas Oppermann, blasted ‘an unacceptable mobilisation of public opinion against refugees while opposition Green Party lawmaker Konstantin von Notz blasted Petry as ‘irresponsible’…

“Notz said Petry was engaging in ‘extreme right-wing terrorism’ with her comments ramping up anti-refugee rhetoric in a country that has received more than one million migrants in the last year.

“AfD, meaning Alternative for Germany, was created as a eurosceptic platform in 2013 but has since veered sharply even further to the right, with some of its leaders voicing support for the anti-Islamic PEGIDA protest movement. Recent polls give 13 percent support for the group, making it Germany’s third-strongest political force behind the ruling Christian Democrats and the coalition partner the Social Democrats.”

On February 1, Deutsche Welle added:

“Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Frauke Petry triggered outrage last week by suggesting police should have the right to shoot illegal migrants at the border ‘if necessary.’ The idea was echoed by her deputy Beatrix von Storch. When she was asked on her Facebook page on Saturday whether German border guards should use weapons against illegal female refugees with children, she answered with a clear ‘yes.’ But in the face of outrage across the political spectrum she decided to water down her comments: ‘The use of firearms against children is not permitted,’ von Storch said, before adding that ‘women are a different matter.’”

What makes these comments so explosive are recent reports in Bild, according to which police officers have been instructed NOT to arrest migrants who are observed stealing, as this would require too much work. In light of sexual assaults by migrants on German women, many Germans begin to wonder WHAT their government is willing to do to protect German citizens.

Germany’s “Most Dangerous” Woman?

The Independent wrote on February 1:

“The AfD is attracting growing support for its vitriolic anti-migrant stance. It has already won seats in five of Germany’s state parliaments and, in elections next month, is also on course to win seats in the state parliaments of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony Anhalt, where polls suggest the party could win 15 per cent of the vote…

“Ms Petry, who has a degree from the University of Reading, was elected party leader in an internal putsch last July which ousted its middle-class and academic former leaders, who were mostly concerned with opposing the euro. Since then she and other populist right-wingers have rebranded it as an anti-migrant party…

“The party warns that German culture and identity will be destroyed by migrants… Ms Petry helped the AfD win seats in the east German state of Saxony in 2014 by advocating mildly anti-immigrant policies. She is seen as the acceptable face of the party’s right wing. But she is now being pulled further to the right by more radical and xenophobic figures within the party, whose stance appears to have increased AfD’s popularity among voters…

“The AfD leader risks being eclipsed by colleagues such as Björn Höcke, the party’s outspoken leader in the eastern state of Thuringia, whose speeches have been compared to those of Hitler’s propagandist, Joseph Goebbels. Mr Höcke, who regularly draws crowds of up to 8,000 supporters, recently appeared on a popular chat show brandishing a German flag. ‘For decades its seemed as if the rise of a politician like Björn Höcke was impossible,’ wrote Die Welt newspaper. ‘In the meantime, the impossible has become possible.’

“At an AfD rally in the eastern city of Magdeburg last week Mr Höcke regaled the party faithful with an apocalyptic vision of what was in store for the German ‘volk’ and ‘kultur’ unless the refugee influx was stopped. The migrants were a threat to ‘1,000 years of Germany’. He talked darkly of terrified German women aid workers who were too afraid ‘to wear makeup’ because they felt intimidated by Muslim migrants. ‘I am afraid for my country. This is what it feels like to be a foreigner in your own land! This catastrophic development has to be stopped’…”

Violence in Germany

The Local wrote on January 31:

“Far-right protesters clashed Saturday with rival, anti-fascist activists in a southwest German village [the Black Forest town of Villingen-Schwenningen] where assailants had hurled a hand grenade Friday as anti-refugee violence in the country escalates, police said… The grenade thrown over a fence Friday morning was filled with explosives but it was not immediately clear whether it was equipped with a detonator… It did not explode and no damage or injuries were reported.

“In an interview with German daily Die Welt published Saturday, the general secretary of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) party Peter Tauber said the act was ‘despicable and frightening’, and classified it as ‘attempted murder’… In a country that has welcomed more than one million migrants in the last year, violence against asylum seekers has been on the rise.

“The Federal Crime Office on Thursday reported 173 attacks against refugee shelters in 2015, more than six times the number recorded during the previous year. Another 10 cases were reported in January. Sigmar Gabriel, German vice chancellor and economy minister, was quoted in the press on Saturday as saying that there is ‘an alarming increase in acts of violence’ against refugees…”

Sadly, these kinds of violent demonstrations and counter-demonstrations remind us of events in the 1930’s, leading to the rise of Adolf Hitler. At that time, the demonstrations were staged by Communists and Nazis.

Young Girl’s Story of Rape a Lie?

The Guardian wrote on January 31:

“A 13-year-old Russian-German girl has admitted making up a story about being kidnapped and raped by migrants in a case that triggered a furore in Germany and briefly embroiled Berlin police in a spat with the Kremlin, state prosecutors said. The parents of the teenager, named only as Lisa, reported her missing on 11 January after she failed to appear at school in the Marzahn district of the capital. She reappeared 30 hours later with injuries on her face, and told her parents she had been attacked by men of Middle Eastern or north African appearance. News of the incident spread on social media, sparking outrage among Berlin’s Russian-German community.

“But when she was questioned by trained specialists three days later ‘she immediately admitted that the story of the rape was not true’, said the spokesman for the state prosecutor, Martin Steltner. He said the teenager had been scared of going home after the school had contacted her parents over an incident at school.

“Yet the allegations caused uproar in Berlin, particularly after reports of mass sexual assaults allegedly carried out by migrants in Cologne. A Russian-German community group staged a protest, supported by the Pegida-related Bärgida movement. The far-right National Democratic party also demonstrated in Marzahn. The mood was exacerbated by a report on Russian state TV, in which the girl’s relatives claimed her allegations were not being investigated…

“Analysis of the teenager’s mobile phone records showed she had spent the night with a friend, who is not being treated as a suspect. Her mother told Der Spiegel magazine on Sunday that Lisa was ‘doing very badly’ and was having treatment in a psychiatric ward.”

It is interesting, however, that Bild Online reported that Lisa’s mother apparently still believes in her daughter’s original story of having been raped.

Does German Government Order German Public TV On What to Report?

Breitbart wrote on February 2:

“National public service broadcaster Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), which was recently forced into a humiliating apology for their silence on migrant violence and sex assault is being drawn into a fresh scandal after one of their former bureau chiefs admitted the company takes orders from the government on what it reports. He said journalists received instructions to write news that would be ‘to Ms. Merkel’s liking’.

“Former head of ZDF Bonn Dr. Wolfgang Herles make the remarks during a radio event… in Berlin where journalists discussed the media landscape. Moving on to the freedom of the press, the panel chair asked Dr. Herles whether things in Germany had got ‘seriously out of whack’. With an honesty perhaps unusual in Germany, Dr. Herles replied that ordinary Germans were totally losing faith in the media, something he called a ‘scandal’. He said: ‘We have the problem that – now I’m mainly talking about the public [state] media – we have a closeness to the government. Not only because commentary is mainly in line with the grand coalition (CSU, CDU, and SPD), with the spectrum of opinion, but also because we are completely taken in by the agenda laid down by the political class’.

“Worse than the mainstream, government controlled and poll-tax funded media in Germany just agreeing with the ruling coalition, the stations actually took orders on what was and was not to be reported on. He said: ‘…the topics about which are reported are laid down by the government. There are many topics that would be more important than what the government wants. But they, of course, want to deflect attention away from what doesn’t happen. Yet what doesn’t happen is often more important than what does happen – more important than gesture politics… Today, one is not allowed to say anything negative about the refugees’…”

Germany’s Latest Crazy Idea—Limits on Cash Transactions?

The Associated Press reported on February 3:

“The German government is considering introducing a limit of 5,000 euros ($5,450) on cash transactions in an effort to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. Deputy finance minister Michael Meister said Wednesday that Germany would like to see a European solution, but could introduce a national limit if none is achieved, news agency dpa reported. He said ‘we can imagine a level of 5,000 euros.’…

“Germans tend to use cash more than many other Europeans. Opposition Green Party lawmaker Konstantin von Notz tweeted that trying to limit cash payments ‘is a new fundamental attack on data protection and privacy.’”

It is also a ridiculous idea. Germany’s government is under attack for not doing enough to fight terrorism and the current migrant crisis, but when it comes up with concepts, then they seem to be crazy, by unduly limiting the freedom of German citizens.

Britain’s Relationship with the EU

Deutsche Welle reported on February 3:

“Britain’s relationship with the EU has never been straightforward. History and simple geography dictate this – salt water separates us…

“Not only does the island nation perceive itself as removed from mainland Europe, it also maintains extremely close cultural and historical ties to a plethora of other major players: the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, India, Pakistan, much of Africa – the list keeps on rolling. In a sense, one might argue that some of these partners are closer to London than Paris, Berlin or Brussels…

“A latecomer to the European Economic Community, as it was known then, Britain joined in 1973… Then, as now, domestic politics drove the EU debate… Britain’s politicians view EU membership more favorably than its voters…”

Cameron’s Negotiations with Brussels a “Dismal Failure”

The Sun wrote on February 3:

“Cameron[‘s]… ‘renegotiation’ with Brussels has produced a steaming pile of manure. It is a dismal failure worse than we ever imagined. It will not improve one aspect of British life. It will achieve nothing whatsoever on the two central problems it was meant to tackle: our out-of-control immigration and the erosion of British powers by the EU.

“Brussels, not for the first time, has treated us with contempt and given us the square root of diddly-squat…

“The most abject defeat is on immigration. Only full, permanent border controls, with Britain choosing how many people come in, and who they are, can slow our population’s current expansion of 336,000 a year. But Mr Cameron had no will to demand them. He still cherishes the EU’s sacred ‘freedom of movement’ principle even as it causes chaos across the Continent…

“As for our sovereignty, the EU suggests a ‘red card’ system under which Britain could overturn a bad law if we could persuade 14 other national parliaments in six weeks to vote with us. William Hague, that born-again europhile, admits that’s near-impossible. Even our simple demand to stop British taxpayers funding child benefit for migrants’ kids living abroad was rejected. That insanity goes on . . . just at a lower rate.

“The rest of the EU’s ‘concessions’ were merely a confirmation of our existing terms. Remember: this is Brussels at its weakest and Britain at its strongest. The EU is in disarray, under siege from refugees and with extremism surging. Brussels knows Britain leaving this summer would be a disaster at best and fatal at worst. There was never going to be a better moment for Mr Cameron.”

USA and Britain Have Reportedly Been Spying on Israel for 18 Years

JTA wrote on January 29:

“U.S. and British intelligence services have reportedly spied on Israel for 18 years after cracking its army’s encryption for communication among fighter jets, drones and army bases. The information was reported Friday by The Intercept and the German newspaper Der Spiegel based on documents that came into the possession of Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who worked for U.S. intelligence before publishing classified material and fleeing to Russia.

“Britain and the United States reportedly have used this access to monitor Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip, watch for a potential strike on Iran and keep tabs on the drone technology that Israel exports. Israel said later Friday it was disappointed but not surprised by the revelations. ‘This is an earthquake,’ an anonymous senior security source told Ynet. ‘It means that they have forcibly stripped us and, no less important, that probably none of our encrypted systems are safe from them. This is the worst leak in the history of Israeli intelligence.’ According to the reports, the breaking of the drone encryption allowed Britain and the United States to view images and videos broadcast to IDF commands during drone operations in Gaza, the West Bank and near the Jewish state’s northern border.”

When it became clear that the USA had been spying on Angela Merkel and had listened in to her phone conversations, Merkel uttered the (by now) famous words: “Friends don’t spy on friends.” Everybody knows, of course, that this concept is a sham and a farce. Still, since the USA and Great Britain have apparently been spying on Israel for 18 years, one must ask the question whether the USA and Great Britain have EVER been Israel’s friends.

The Temple Mount in the News

Voice of America reported on January 31:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday if Hamas dares to attack Israel through cross-border tunnels from Gaza, Israel will retaliate with force greater than the 2014 war… A top Hamas official boasted Friday that the group has built ‘twice the number of resistance tunnels’ that were built during the war in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s. He said hundreds of Hamas members are working to build tunnels to free what he described as holy places, including the al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem – a site Jews revere as the Temple Mount…

“Also in an historic decision Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet approved a so-called egalitarian Jewish prayer space near the Western Wall, where Jews from all over the world of both sexes and religious beliefs can pray together… The Western Wall is Judaism’s holiest site. It is the last scrap of the wall that surrounded the ancient temple. Under Orthodox tradition, men and women are segregated when they pray… Many Orthodox Jews, including Cabinet members who voted against the move, condemn it as an affront to tradition.”

More Violence in Israel

JTA wrote on February 3:

“One of the two Israeli Border Police officers seriously injured in an attack by three Palestinian assailants in Jerusalem has died… The assailants, who entered Israel illegally from the Jenin area in the West Bank, were shot and killed by other officers… They were armed with a rifle, knives and an explosive device; police believe the men were planning a larger attack…

“Border Police stopped the attackers asking to see their identification documents. While one of the assailants took out his documents, another produced a gun and shot up the area, according to police. Hamas praised the attack, saying it dealt a ‘severe blow’ to Israel’s security apparatus…”

The Times of Israel added on February 3:

“The three West Bank Palestinians who stabbed and shot at the Israeli forces had been sitting and waiting for a large group of Israeli civilians to enter or leave the Old City, and had planned to target them, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported on Wednesday evening, citing police sources…

“One of three terrorists had vowed in a Facebook post to carry out a shooting attack, Channel 2 reported, ostensibly to avenge the killing of another Palestinian who attempted an attack at a border crossing in the northern West Bank last November. The TV report said all three of the attackers were members of families associated with Fatah.”

Zika Virus Spreading

Deutsche Welle reported on February 2:

“Health officials in Texas have reported a case of the Zika virus being transmitted through sexual contact, and not a mosquito bite. The infected person is said to have acquired it from someone who traveled to Venezuela…

“The WHO has said the virus is spreading rapidly in the Americas and could infect 4 million people. A global response unit has been launched to fight the virus… The virus has been linked to microcephaly, in which babies have abnormally small heads and improperly developed brains. Researchers believe that if a pregnant woman is bitten by an infected mosquito [Russian media claims, that the virus is spread through genetically-modified mosquitoes], particularly in the first trimester, she faces a higher risk of having a child with birth defects.

“The virus has now spread to 26 countries and territories including Brazil, which is the country hardest hit, with 3,700 suspected cases of microcephaly that may be linked to Zika… The race is on to find a vaccine to prevent the virus taking hold. There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika, which is in the same family of viruses as dengue fever.”

China Releases Color Pictures from their Recent Moon Landing

Techcrunch reported on January 30, 2016:

“This month, the China National Space Administration released all of the images from their recent moon landing to the public. There are now hundreds and hundreds of never-before-seen true color, high definition photos of the lunar surface available for download… In December of 2013, China joined the ranks of Russia and the United States when they successfully soft-landed on the lunar surface, becoming the third country ever to accomplish this feat. What made China’s mission especially remarkable was that it was the first soft-landing on the moon in 37 years, since the Russians landed their Luna 24 probe back in 1976…

“Chang’e 3, named after the goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology, was a follow-up mission to Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2 which were both lunar orbiters. The objective of the Chang’e 3 mission was to demonstrate the key technologies required for a soft moon landing and rover exploration. The mission was also equipped with a telescope and instruments to perform geologic analysis of the lunar surface.

“Once the 1,200 kg Chang’e lander reached the surface at a location known as Mare Imbrium, it deployed the 140 kg Yutu rover, whose name translates to ‘Jade Rabbit.’ The Yutu rover was equipped with 6 wheels, a radar instrument, and x-ray, visible and near-infrared spectrometers (instruments that can measure the intensity of different wavelengths of light). Yutu’s geologic analysis suggested that the lunar surface is less homogeneous than originally thought…

“China’s follow-up mission, Chang’e 4 is scheduled to launch as early as 2018 and plans to land on the far side of the moon. If this happens, China will become the first nation to land a probe on the lunar far side. With the Chang’e series, China has shown that, unlike NASA, their focus is on lunar, rather than Martian, exploration. But they’re not the only ones that have their sights set on the moon… a number of private companies are building spacecraft designed to soft-land on the lunar surface in the next few years. One of those companies, Moon Express, plans to be the first ever private company to land a spacecraft on the moon and has already secured a launch for their spacecraft in 2017.”

Incredibly, there are still quite a few conspiracy proponents who believe that there was never a moon landing, and that all the undisputable reports are wrong.

John Kerry Admits: US Money for Iran Might Be Used for Terrorist Attacks

JTA wrote on January 21:

“Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran would likely use some [U.S.] money freed by the lifting of sanctions for terrorism, but if it does, it will be subject to separate sanctions. ‘I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists,’ Kerry said Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in an interview by CNBC reported by The Associated Press. The IRGC is an acronym for the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps…”

IS Prepares Attacks Against Israel

The Economist wrote on January 23:

“IS has yet to attack Israel. Its main forces in southern Syria are about 80km (50 miles) from Israel’s borders. Last month, IS put out a recording… saying that ‘with the help of Allah we are getting closer to you every day. The Israelis will soon see us in Palestine.’ On January 18^th… the chief of staff of Israel’s armed forces, warned that ‘the success against IS raises the probability we will see them turning their gun-barrels towards us and also the Jordanians’.

“The most direct and likely avenue of attack is across Israel’s frontier with Syria. That is because the situation there is already chaotic; IS bases and civilian villages are close to Israel; and the terrain is mountainous…

“But IS may also choose other places from which to attack. Wilayat Sinai, which means the ‘Sinai province’ of IS, has been operating on Israel’s western border for five years. It declared allegiance to IS in late 2014 and claimed responsibility for blowing up a Russian airliner last October, killing 224 people. But it is embroiled in a bloody insurgency against Egypt’s security forces. Israel, which is discreetly providing the Egyptians with intelligence and military help, says that IS shares routes for smuggling arms and other supplies with Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza. These could be used for launching future attacks on Israel.

“The Israelis are also worried that radical Palestinians who are citizens of Israel may be working for IS… ‘IS is here and it’s no secret,’ says Reuven Rivlin, Israel’s president. ‘I’m not talking about the borders of Israel, but about IS within. Research, arrests, witnesses, open and classified analysis all indicate clearly that IS’s popularity is growing and that even Israeli Arabs are actually joining up with it.’ Vigilance along Israel’s borders may not be enough.”

Violence in Israeli-Occupied West Bank

Reuters reported on January 23:

“A 13-year-old Palestinian girl was shot dead by an Israeli security guard she tried to stab at a settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israeli police said on Saturday. It was the latest fatality in an almost four-month-long surge of violence that has raised concern of wider escalation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided, and it followed two stabbings this week inside settlements carried out by Palestinian teenagers, according to Israeli authorities…

“Since the start of October, Israeli forces have killed at least 149 Palestinians, 95 of them assailants according to authorities. Most of the others have died in violent protests. Almost daily stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians have killed 25 Israelis and a U.S. citizen. Many of the Palestinian assailants have been teenagers.

“On Sunday, an Israeli mother of six was stabbed to death at her home in a West Bank settlement and a 15-year-old Palestinian was arrested for the attack. On Monday, Israeli troops shot and wounded a 17-year-old Palestinian who had stabbed and wounded a pregnant Israeli woman in a settlement.

“The bloodshed has been fueled by various factors including frustration over the 2014 collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the growth of Jewish settlements on land Palestinians seek for an independent state. Palestinian leaders have said that with no breakthrough on the horizon, desperate youngsters see no future ahead. Israel says young Palestinians are being incited to violence by their leaders and Islamist groups that call for Israel’s destruction.”

Jews Leave France in Record Numbers

CNN reported on January 23:

“Nearly 8,000 French Jews moved to Israel in the year following the Charlie Hebdo attack, according to the Jewish Agency, which handles Jewish immigration, or aliyah, to Israel. The number of French Jews moving to Israel has doubled — and doubled again — in the past five years…

“Britain has the second-highest Jewish emigration from Western Europe, but the scale is much smaller. According to the Jewish Agency, 774 British Jews moved to Israel in 2015, less than one-tenth the number of French Jews… Many French Jews settle in Ashdod, a city in southern Israel known for its large French population… The Jewish Agency says violence is part — but not all — of the reason for French immigration…

“French Prime Minister Manuel Valls recently expressed the fear that an exodus of Jews would change the country for the worse. ‘Without the Jews, France is no longer France. It’s the oldest community. They have been French citizens since the French revolution’…

“But when the European Union studied the prevalence of anti-Semitism in 2013, it found that 74% of Jews in France avoid openly identifying themselves as Jewish at least some of the time, and more than a quarter of French Jews always do…”

State Repression in Egypt Greater Than under Nasser and Mubarak

The Guardian wrote on January 24:

“The scale of state repression in Egypt is greater today than it has been for generations, one of the country’s most prominent journalists and human rights advocates has told the Guardian. Hossam Bahgat, an investigative reporter who was recently detained by Egypt’s military intelligence agency, spoke out ahead of the fifth anniversary of the start of Egypt’s revolution on Monday – the run-up to which has seen an unprecedented crackdown by security forces against opposition and dissent.

“‘This is without doubt the worst we’ve ever seen,’ said Bahgat… ‘The level of repression now is significantly higher than it was under the Mubarak regime, and people from older generations say it is worse than even the worst periods of the 1950s and 1960s [under the rule of Gamal Abdel Nasser]’…

“Egypt under Sisi has jailed more journalists than any other country on earth bar China…”

Secret and Confidential Report Reveals Wide-Spread Sex Attacks and Thefts in Germany through Migrants

Deutsche Welle reported on January 23:

“Sex attacks and thefts like the ones that happened in Cologne on New Year’s Eve were also reported in 12 other German states, German media say. The information comes from a leaked report of the federal criminal police.

“The German broadcasters WDR and NDR, as well as the newspaper ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ on Saturday reported that the phenomenon of sexual violence paired with thievery was more widespread on New Year’s Eve than previously thought. They cited a confidential paper prepared for interior ministers by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). The report covered sexual offenses in public places in which the victims were also stolen from, including a type of con in which thieves approach victims and hug or otherwise surprise them, with the aim of distracting them in order to pick their pockets…

“The report, dated January 13, said Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia (the state where Cologne is located) reported the highest number of offenses. In Hamburg there were 195 complaints, most of them for sexual offenses. Investigators in North Rhine-Westphalia reported 1,076 crimes altogether, mainly in the cities of Cologne, Dusseldorf and Bielefeld. That number included 692 bodily harm or property offenses and 384 sexual offenses… Similar incidents were reported in Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, albeit on a much smaller scale…  Across the country the victims were almost [always] female and the suspects were men aged between about 17 and 30…

“The investigators concluded that the nature of the reported thefts was a new form of criminality which up until now had not been widely experienced across Germany. The report’s authors noted, however, that it provided only a snapshot of the situation, which continued to be ‘dynamic.’… Meanwhile, police investigating the Cologne attacks have enlisted the help of specialists from London. The so-called ‘super recognizers’ from Scotland Yard will assist in analyzing video footage from New Year’s Eve. Their ability to pick out faces in a crowd is considered superior to facial recognition software.”

Educating Migrants… by Sending Wrong Signals?

The Daily Mail reported on January 23:

“The spate of migrant sex attacks has led authorities across Europe to start handing out cartoon strips explaining to refugees why they should not assault women. The Austrian interior ministry has issued a ‘behaviour guide’, which includes drawings of a man hitting a woman – covered by a giant red cross – and an image of gay kissing, approved with a tick.

“Authorities in Lucerne in Switzerland plan to distribute a version of the leaflet at its carnival next month and said the decision was made in the wake of the Cologne sex attacks.”

WARNING! Despicable Migrant Acts Reported from Germany

The following reports are sickening, and the reader needs to be warned. But it would not be right to suppress them for the sake of “political correctness” or because of their offensive and explicit nature.

The Daily Mail wrote on January 24:

“Migrants have been banned from a historic swimming bath in Germany after a gang of men were caught on camera masturbating in a hot tub and sexually assaulting women. Several other men were seen ’emptying their bowels’ in the children’s end of the main swimming pool at the Johannisbad baths in Zwickau, Saxony.

“Management at the historic baths are reportedly no longer allowing migrants into the facilities following the allegations while some local swimmers have stayed away after the incidents… ‘the lifeguards have to protect women and girls from the asylum seekers. Young men wanted to forcibly penetrate the female changing room,’ [civilian servant Rainer Mr Kallweit] said, describing another incident at another swimming pool… Police have arrested several men in connection to the incident at the baths. The men have since been released.”

Breitbart added on January 22:

“The local radio station reports the actions of the migrants [have] caused ‘outrage’, and a number of sexual harassment(s) of women and girls by migrants has been reported. Migrants have now been banned from the pool until they can be educated at the migrant centres about ‘behaviour towards woman and girls in swimwear’ and the ‘user regulations of our baths’.

“This behaviour in Zwickau is not by any means unique in Germany. Breitbart London has reported on a number of sex attacks on children in swimming baths over the past week, with girls as young as 11 and boys as young as three being targeted by migrant gangs. On one occasion in Munich, a pair of young girls enjoying the waterslide at their local pool were groped, ‘allegedly under their bathing suits’, ‘and possibly raped’ by a gang of ‘refugees’.

“The men believed to be responsible, Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers, were arrested and released by police.”

Is Islam Partially to Be Blamed for Muslims’ Sexual Assaults?

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“Since the assaults on New Year’s Eve, some German media are inclined to blame Islam for the attacks on young women. They are not altogether wrong. And Islam also plays a role in this: not because it is based on an inherently sexist philosophy, but because it has a lack of hierarchical structure. To put it plainly: The vast majority of Muslims abhor what happened on New Year’s Eve. Nonetheless, the problem remains that the attacks have not been condemned at the highest level within Islam – nor can they be.

“As long as Sunnis in particular have no figure of authority comparable to the Catholic pope, and no interpretation of Islam that is binding for all believers, there will be an uncontrolled proliferation of theological interpretation.

“A look at Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the leading power in the Sunni world, shows where this leads. Here, the religious scholar Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid runs a Salafist website. Among sites of this kind, it is in the top ten in terms of the number of hits. Al-Munajjid was recently asked by a user whether it was permissible for married Muslims to have sex with so-called ‘slave girls’ – a euphemistic and cynical way of referring to Asian women who work in Saudi Arabia as housemaids. The religious scholar’s response: Yes, of course, no doubt about it.

“This kind of perverted theology of sex is also part of the contract for the terrorist organization calling itself ‘Islamic State.’ It permits its followers to rape women without fear of punishment – Christian and Yazidi women, and other captives, too. ‘IS’ members claim that they do this with Allah’s blessing…

“This is the flipside of the practice currently lauded in German Islamic scholarship as ‘the tolerance of ambiguity.’ The great freedom of interpretation enjoyed by even the most questionable imams can also lead down some very dark roads. This is why a large section of the German public is very worried.”

More Cover-Ups in Germany?

Breitbart wrote on January 27:

“The Russian foreign minister has become involved in an unusual democratic spat with Germany over the alleged cover-up of the gang rape of a 13 year old Russian citizen in Germany by ‘Arab-looking men’. German police have claimed the disappearance by the 13 year old daughter of a Russian migrant family for 30 hours on January 11th, and her use as a ‘sex slave’ by a trio of Arab men had been consensual, and no kidnap or rape had been involved.

“Russia disputes this version of events, with Russian media reporting the girl had been taken from her family and passed around the three men for hours on end. Sex with a 13 year old girl, whether consensual or not, is a crime in Germany, yet there have not yet been any arrests.

“The persistence of reports in the Russian media about the case has now led the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to become involved, accusing Germany of papering over the cracks and covering up her rape. Speaking at a press conference yesterday morning, Mr. Lavrov said of the young girl who has only been identified as ‘Lisa F.’, that she had ‘clearly not voluntarily disappeared for 30 hours’. Mr. Lavrov said the German authorities had in the past shown a tendency to ‘paint over the reality of domestic politics for reasons of political correctness’.

“The story, coming so soon after the mass sex assault and rape of European women by migrant males in Cologne and other German cities at New Year, and multiple molestations and rapes at swimming baths has excited Germany’s sizeable Russian migrant community. Thousands of Russian-German citizens rallied at the weekend in German cities… declaring solidarity with the girl and carrying banners declaring ‘stay away from our children’.

“The news story and alleged coverup is threatening to develop into a major diplomatic incident, after Mr. Lavrov’s involvement and a German lawyer filing charges against Russian state television. He accuses a journalist of the channel of making unproven assertions by reporting Germany is suffering from mass migrant rape, reports Der Spiegel.”

Germany’s AfD in Third Place

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“The German daily ‘Bild am Sonntag’ reported on Sunday that the populist right-wing [anti-Immigrant] Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has reached 10 percent for the first time in a recent poll. According to the article, 17 percent of men would vote for AfD while only 2 percent of women would do so.

“The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, saw its support fall by 2 percentage points to 36 percent. The Social Democrats (SPD), the CDU’s coalition partner, came in at 25 percent…

“A majority of Germans, meanwhile, said they disagreed with the decision to bar the AfD from televised debates in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. Of those polled, 53 percent of Germans polled said the party should be able to participate in the debates, while 34 percent said it shouldn’t.”

German Far-Right Internet Platform Banned and Administrators Arrested

The Associated Press reported on January 27:

“The German government on Wednesday banned a far-right Internet platform that it accused of spreading ‘racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, homophobic and anti-Islamic content,’ and federal prosecutors said two people were arrested… The two arrested people were the administrators of the Altermedia website and therefore responsible for its content, which included banned Nazi slogans and the denial of the Holocaust as well as incitement of violence against foreigners, the prosecutors’ office said.

“The server was located in Russia to prevent German authorities gaining access, it added… German security officials say that the far right has become much more savvy in using of the Internet and social media to push its message to a broader audience. The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence, Hans-Georg Maassen, told reporters Tuesday that ‘there is the danger of a gray zone developing between far-right extremists, right-wing conservatives and citizen protesters with significant potential for violence.’”

2016—a Difficult Year for Germany and Merkel

The Financial Times wrote on January 17:

“This is going to be a difficult year for Germany, one in which the policies of the past may turn out to be unsustainable. The most unsustainable of all was Angela Merkel’s invitation to open the doors to Syrian refugees without limitation. The German chancellor must either have misjudged the effect or acted recklessly — or both. A few months and 1m refugees later, the discontent is growing inside the Christian Democratic Union, her party, and in the country at large.

“Gerhard Schröder, her Social Democratic predecessor, last week came out against the policy with exactly the same arguments as the right-wingers in Ms Merkel’s own party: Germany cannot absorb such a large number. More than 1m refugees arrived in the country in 2015. It could be twice as many this year and the same again next — more if you include family members who will eventually follow.

“It is tempting to think of refugees and migrants as a new source of labour. But in this case this just is not true, at least not for now. The majority of those who arrive in Germany lack the skills needed in the local labour market. They will enter the low wage sector of the economy, and drive down wages, producing another deflationary shock. This is the last thing Germany and the eurozone need right now…

“The second challenge is the economic downturn in emerging markets. There are few large countries as dependent on the global economy as Germany, and few where there is so little awareness of that fact, at least in public debate…

“The third challenge for Germany in 2016 is the fallout from the Volkswagen emissions scandal. This could be the single biggest shock of all because Germany has been over-reliant on the car industry for far too long…

“Finally, 2016 promises to be the year of backlash against German dominance of the eurozone. That did not happen during the crisis. The leaders of the countries in the eurozone periphery kept their heads down…

“While most of the threats appear to be external, they are caused by domestic policy choices…”

Christian Clergymen to Wear Beards to Impress Muslims?

Daily Mail wrote on January 23:

“Clergymen should grow beards to emphasise their holiness to Muslims, the Bishop of London has suggested… Richard Chartres said the modern fashion for facial hair… would… be likely to impress those from Eastern cultures where wearing a beard could mark a man out as holy. He singled out two priests in Tower Hamlets… who have grown bushy beards… He said the desire of the clergy… to ‘reach out to the culture of the majority of their parishioners can only be applauded’.

“He went on to say that David Beckham – who he describes as the ‘nearest thing to a secular saint’ – has ‘stimulated countless imitators’.”

The Telegraph added on January 22:

“Now the fashion for beards has been given the blessing of the Church of England, after one of the country’s most senior clerics praised vicars who grow them to appeal to Muslim communities around them… In Islam beards are viewed as an ‘adornment’ and Muslim men are encouraged to wear them to honour the Prophet Mohammed.”

In Germany, some Muslims suggest or even “demand” that alcohol should be prohibited (at least in public places) so as to not to offend Muslims. In addition, some “demand” a special national Muslim “Holy Day.”

London No Longer Ethnically British

Daily Mail wrote on January 23:

“Since 2001, immigration has transformed the capital. More than half of Londoners are now not ethnically British…

“This week, it emerged that Brussels is attempting to blackmail Britain by saying that if we don’t take as many as 90,000 migrants a year, we will not be able to send failed asylum seekers back to safe countries on the Continent. Then came the story that a tribunal had ruled that a group of migrants in the Jungle camp in Calais had a ‘human right’ to join family members in Britain. It is a precedent that could have far-reaching implications.

“Aside from legal rulings, the truth is that much of our immigration policy is now dictated by criminal trafficking gangs who make a fortune smuggling people into Britain — not our elected leaders and certainly not voters and taxpayers. It is criminal gangs who decide who comes into the UK and in what numbers. They largely decide what happens to the migrants once they arrive…

“Uncontrolled immigration has changed London for ever. And, most shamefully, not one of our leaders has lifted a finger to stop it.”

Reports from Germany are reaching us stating that local governments are approaching home owners, inquiring of them whether they would want to house migrants. At this point, this would strictly be on a voluntary basis, and the government would pay a good sum of money to the landlords for providing housing to refugees.

“Shadow of Populism Hangs over Davos”

The Financial Times wrote on January 22:

“The populists are those political forces that advance ideas that are generally seen as dangerous or facile to those at Davos. These ideas include the US building a wall to keep out immigrants, Britain leaving the EU or anybody raising tariffs or dismissing climate change. And these forces are on the rise.

“The shadow of Donald Trump has loomed over Davos this year. So has the prospect that refugee flows into Europe will undermine centrist leaders such as Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. More broadly, those at Davos are aware that they increasingly represent the ‘unpopular’ — the business and political elites that are the targets of public anger and disillusionment…

“It is gradually dawning on people in the Swiss resort that either Mr Trump or Ted Cruz, the Texas senator, will probably win the Republican nomination, and that the ‘unthinkable’ — a Trump or Cruz victory in November’s presidential election — could happen…

“European politicians, meanwhile, are battling their own populists. Ms Merkel, who normally gives a warmly applauded speech at Davos, has had to stay at home this year to deal with the refugee crisis. In her absence, Joachim Gauck, Germany’s president, took to the stage to issue a thinly veiled attack on Ms Merkel’s refusal to put a numerical limit on the number of refugees Germany can accept. He argued that ‘if democrats do not want to talk about limitations then populists and xenophobes will’.

“Mr Gauck was not alone in his warnings about the political effects of refugee flows. Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, warned that Europe has ‘six to eight weeks’ to stem the flow of migrants, before the pressure to reimpose frontier controls within the EU becomes irresistible.

“Meanwhile, Davos is also having to grapple with the idea that the UK might actually vote to leave the EU this year. David Cameron, the UK prime minister, on Thursday gave a confident speech in Davos, where most people are inclined to believe that Britain will ultimately vote to stay in the EU. But that confident stance involves dismissing recent opinion polls that suggest a British exit is quite likely…

“For the moment, the Davos mood on populism is more one of deep concern and uncertainty than full-blown panic. But the next 12 months will present a series of crucial tests. It is possible… that when the WEF gathers this time next year, Mr Trump will be US president, the UK will have voted to leave the EU and border controls will have been restored across Europe. Those developments would turn the Davos world upside down.”

Did Putin Order Litvinenko’s Murder?

Daily Mail wrote on January 20 and updated the article on January 22:

“Vladamir Putin may have ordered the murder of Alexander Litvinenko after he claimed the Russian President was a practising paedophile… Mr Litvinenko accused his rival of abusing children just weeks before two assassins slipped radioactive polonium 210 into his cup of tea in a London hotel in October 2006…

“Sir Robert Owen said today in a major report on his murder that Mr Putin ‘probably’ ordered it and admitted Litvinenko’s ‘highly personal attacks’ may be a motive for his death… His sensational report has sparked an international diplomatic row between Britain and Russia ignited today after an independent probe into the killing of Alexander Litvinenko said President Putin had ‘probably’ personally authorised the 2006 killing…

“Mr Litvinenko – who had accused the Russian president on his death bed – was killed by two FSB spies who slipped radioactive polonium 210 into his tea pot at a Mayfair hotel in central London, Sir Robert Owen said today in a major report.

“Prime Minister David Cameron today said the report outlined what happened was ‘absolutely appalling’ but he admitted the Syria crisis meant Britain had to have a relationship with Russia albeit one with ‘clear eyes and a cold heart’…

“Mr Litvinenko’s widow Marina urged Britain to impose sanctions on Russia as a result of the findings which today prompted the Russian Ambassador to claim there had been a ‘whitewash’ to cover up the ‘incompetence’ of the UK’s security services. Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko said it was ‘unacceptable’ for Britain to link Russia to a state-sponsored assassination…

“Just days before he fell ill, Litvinenko accused Mr Putin of responsibility for the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The report said there was ‘undoubtedly a personal dimension to antagonism’ between the two men…

“Mr Cameron will face growing calls to impose sanctions on high-profile individuals in Russia if the Kremlin refuses to extradite Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun, the alleged assassins…

“There is overwhelming evidence linking the pair to the murder but both deny any involvement and Russian President Mr Putin has so far refused to extradite them. The death of Litvinenko marked a post-Cold War low point in Anglo-Russian relations, and ties have never recovered…

“Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said the killing of Mr Litvinenko using radioactive material exposed thousands of Londoners to unacceptable risk… ‘this is one of the most shocking and disturbing reports ever presented to this Parliament,’ he said. ‘It confirms that the Russian state at its highest level sanctioned the killing of a British citizen on the streets of our capital city and in so doing exposed thousands of Londoners to unacceptable levels of risk… Mr Burnham also said the UK should try to prevent Russia from staging the 2018 World Cup.”

The Daily Mail added in an article, dated January 22:

“Alexander Litvinenko claimed that Vladimir Putin had been caught on camera having sex with young boys, according to the inquiry into the spy’s murder. When the future Russian president was a student, he was filmed abusing children in a flat where another top politician had a threesome with prostitutes, Litvinenko wrote in a sensational web post.

“The wild claim is recorded in Sir Robert Owen’s inquiry report as part of a long list of allegations made by the assassinated spy against Mr Putin after he fled Russia and settled in Britain…”

A Helpless and Spineless British Government

In an accompanying article, dated January 22, Daily Mail published a strong editorial piece by Edward Lucas who writes for The Economist and is the author of “The New Cold War: How the Kremlin Menaces Both Russia and the West”:

“Russia has murdered a British citizen on the streets of London. It has blustered, gloated and lied. And we are not going to do much about it. That is the dismal upshot of the public inquiry into the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. What is abundantly clear is that the British Government is not going to respond properly to the outrageous behaviour of what is a rogue state in all but name…

“Russia is a highly bureaucratic and centralised country. It is inconceivable that anything as risky and important as the assassination of a British citizen, especially one working for MI6, would not be signed off at the highest level…

“Only when relations between the two countries cooled after Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014 did the [British] Government finally… agree to give Mrs Litvinenko and the other witnesses their day in court. Yet none of the evidence given to the inquiry will have come as a surprise to the authorities. Britain’s intelligence services are all too well-informed about the depravity, greed and murderous brutality that reign in the Kremlin.

“They report this in graphic detail to Mr Cameron and other leaders, to the point that the Prime Minister feels physically repelled by Mr Putin when he has to meet him in person…

“Our own diplomats see the naming and shaming of the Putin regime not as an opportunity to be exploited, but as an obstacle to be overcome. They believe that Russia’s help is indispensable in the attempt to start peace talks over Syria, where Mr Putin’s ally President Assad is benefiting from the Russian aggression against militant opposition armies. That is a catastrophically mistaken approach. If we want to bring the Assad regime to the negotiating table, we should be increasing pressure on its backers, such as Russia and Iran, not soft-soaping them.

“The Russian state murdered Mr Litvinenko to send a message to other Russians: do not defect; do not co-operate with Western spy agencies. If you do so, we will hunt you down and mete out a slow, agonising death. It was a message to Britain, too: Russia can do what it likes in the streets of our capital city. British citizenship bestows no protection.”

Britain Not Interested in Opening another Front over Murder of British Citizen

The Guardian wrote on January 21:

“From a British diplomatic point of view, the Litvinenko affair has long been viewed as murky water under the bridge… no one in British government circles needed a high court judge to convince them that Alexander Litvinenko’s murder might have happened with Vladimir Putin’s knowledge.

“The British government did not want Sir Robert Owen’s inquiry to be established in the first place and would certainly never have wanted its explosive findings, implicating the Russian president, to be published at such an excruciatingly sensitive time. As brutal as it may sound, Syria, Ukraine and the state of the world economy all take priority over a decade-old death…

“The British view is that, with existing sanctions against Russia over Ukraine retaining only fragile support in the EU, this is not the time to open another front.

“But one suspects David Cameron has learned a painful lesson. At the outset of his premiership, he believed he had struck a strong personal relationship with Putin. There was a belief Putin was not loyal to Assad. Now there is nothing but disillusionment. The prime minister is aware of the scale of Russian cybercrime, feels he was personally lied to over Ukraine and sees Putin’s defence of Assad as destructive…”

FBI Ready to Indict Clinton?

Newsmax wrote on January 25:

“The FBI is ready to indict Hillary Clinton and if its recommendation isn’t followed by the U.S. attorney general, the agency’s investigators plan to blow the whistle and go public with their findings, former U.S. House Majority leader Tom DeLay tells Newsmax TV…

“Clinton is under FBI investigation for her use of a private server to conduct confidential government business while she was secretary of state. But some Republicans fear any FBI recommendation that hurts Clinton will be squashed by the Obama administration…”

Fight Between Trump and Fox Escalates

The Washington Post wrote on January 27:

“Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump abruptly announced here Tuesday that he would not participate in Thursday’s scheduled debate, escalating his off-and-on feud with Fox News Channel and throwing the GOP campaign into turmoil. Trump’s assertion, which his campaign manager insisted was irreversible, came less than one week before the kickoff Iowa caucuses. He once again defied the conventional rules of politics, and used his power and prominence to shape the campaign agenda and conversation.

“So far, Trump’s untraditional moves have only expanded his support…

“The Republican debates have become must-see television, in part because of the allure of Trump’s star power and unpredictable candidacy. But he said Tuesday that he thinks Fox and other television networks have been taking advantage of him by selling advertisements for their debates at a high premium… Trump said he would instead host a competing event in the state designed to raise money for wounded veterans…

“Trump long has objected to the participation of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly as one of the three moderators, claiming she has treated him unfairly with both her questioning of him at last August’s debate and her commentary since then. Trump also said that a ‘wise-guy press release’ that the network issued earlier on Tuesday belittling him was inappropriately antagonistic and childish.

“Fox’s statement said that network officials ‘had learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president.’ The statement added that Trump ‘has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings.’ After reading it, Trump said: ‘I said, “Bye-bye.”’ ‘Fox is playing games,’ Trump said. ‘They can’t toy with me like they toy with everybody else. Let them have the debate. Let’s see how they do with the ratings.’ [According to a poll conducted by Fox News host Greta von Susteren, 83% of conservative viewers said that they would not watch the debate if Trump was not in it.]

“Earlier Tuesday, Fox News Channel Chairman and Chief Executive Roger Ailes said the network would defend Kelly even if it means losing Trump in the debate. In Iowa, Trump is in a fierce and increasingly nasty fight with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Both men have traded places atop recent polls here, and the outcome of Monday’s caucuses could have a profound effect on the direction of the nominating contest. By announcing that he will not debate, Trump likely will dominate news coverage and deny Cruz and other opponents a face-to-face confrontation before Iowa Republicans go to caucus…

“The Republican National Committee, which sanctions and helps organize the official debates, vowed late Thursday not to intervene in Trump’s dispute with Fox…”

Newsmax added on January 27:

“There’s only one man at Fox News who Donald Trump reportedly would talk to about his bombshell decision to boycott… the debate — media mogul Rupert Murdoch. New York magazine reports the GOP presidential front-runner wasn’t taking calls from Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes… ‘in recent months Murdoch has been attending news meetings at Fox in the wake of a health scare that forced Ailes to take an extended leave of absence,” the magazine reports. ‘Succession planning at Fox is very much on Murdoch’s agenda. If Ailes loses his grip on the Trump situation — and right now it looks like he is — Murdoch will have another reason to worry about the stability of his most valuable asset.’…

“New York also reports the network is now split over Fox News host and debate moderator Megyn Kelly — whom Trump has been vilifying ever since the first Fox News debate Aug. 6 — between allies like Brit Hume and conservative anchors who are angry ‘that Kelly has become the face of the network.’ The magazine reports one unnamed anchor was furious that Kelly hosted Michael Moore on her program Tuesday night — and that the lefty filmmaker defended her against Trump… The magazine reports even if Trump’s boycott backfires, however, ‘he’s already achieved a historic victory: exploding the myth that a Republican candidate can’t openly challenge Fox.’”

According to Bloomberg, January 27, “Trump isn’t the first top-tier presidential candidate to skip a debate. Ronald Reagan did not attend a Republican debate ahead of the 1980 Iowa caucuses, which he lost to George H.W. Bush. Reagan went on to the win the nomination and the presidency.”

Scandal in Texas

The website of chron.com reported on January 27:

“A grand jury convened to investigate whether a Houston Planned Parenthood clinic had sold the organs of aborted fetuses on Monday cleared the clinic and instead indicted the undercover videographers behind the allegations, surprising the officials who called for the probe and delighting supporters of the women’s health organization.

“The Harris County grand jury indicted David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, both of California, on charges of tampering with a governmental record, a second-degree felony with a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison. It also charged Daleiden, the leader of the videographers, with the same misdemeanor he had alleged – the purchase or sale of human organs, presumably because he had offered to buy in an attempt to provoke Planned Parenthood employees into saying they would sell…

“The videographers, who had posed as employees of a company that buys tissue and filmed interactions with Planned Parenthood executives, issued a statement saying they had not committed any crimes. ‘The Center for Medical Progress uses the same undercover techniques that investigative journalists have used for decades in exercising our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press, and follows all applicable laws,’ the statement said…”

The frustration of the American people with our system can be easily understood when, in a horrendous miscarriage of justice, the guilty are cleared and the innocent are indicted.

Violence and Death in Oregon

The Huffington Post reported on January 26:

“Ammon Bundy, leader of the month-long militant occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon, was arrested Tuesday in a highway confrontation with law enforcement that killed one of his followers and wounded another… The FBI said the shootings happened when agents, along with Oregon state troopers, ‘began an enforcement action’ on Highway 395 to arrest people involved in the armed occupation on charges of conspiracy to impede federal officials from discharging their duties…

“The occupation was spearheaded by the Bundy brothers, sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, as a protest against the treatment of two local ranchers jailed for arson who were ordered to return to prison after a federal judge ruled their original sentences were not long enough. Occupiers also sought to put federal land under local control, ripping up government fences to make their point. The armed anti-government group had occupied a building in the Malheur refuge since early January…

“Oregon Gov. Kate Brown called on federal authorities to end the occupation last week, criticizing what appeared at the time to be the government’s lack of response. She said the militants had cost taxpayers nearly a half-million dollars. ‘This spectacle of lawlessness must end,’ Brown said at a press conference. ‘I will not stop insisting that federal officials enforce the law.’…”

Newsmax reported on January 27:

“Mel Bundy, brother of Oregon protest leader Ammon Bundy, claimed Wednesday that cops ‘murdered’ their group’s spokesman ‘in cold blood’ during a shootout late Tuesday that led to the arrest of eight people near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. ‘LaVoy (Finicum) got out with his hands up in the air, up in the air, saying, “I don’t have a gun,”’ Bundy said in an exclusive interview on Newsmax TV’s prime time show Dennis Michael Lynch: Unfiltered.

“‘He had his hands on his head — and then they shot him. They started firing on him. They shot him. He went to the ground — and they shot him some more.’… ‘They killed LaVoy,’ Mel Bundy told Lynch. ‘Ammon wanted everybody to know, that he is an eyewitness of the murder of LaVoy Finicum. This is what he said: “They murdered him. They murdered him in cold blood. Get it out there. Tell the people what they did.”’

Coming… the Zika Virus

USA Today wrote on January 27:

“U.S. public health officials must prepare now for the inevitable arrival of Zika virus, a mosquito-borne infection that has spread to 21 countries in the Americas and poses particular danger to pregnant women, health experts said. The virus is expected to spread to the United States and every country in the Western hemisphere where the Aedes mosquitoes are known to live…  Aedes mosquitoes, which spread the virus, live in every Western hemisphere country but Canada and Chile.

“International air travel will help the virus spread quickly…  Zika doesn’t spread from person to person, but people infected while traveling can spread the virus in the USA if they are bitten by local mosquitoes, which then may spread the infection here… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel alert, warning pregnant women to avoid travel to the 21 countries where Zika is spreading…

“Communities also need to ramp up their mosquito control efforts by spraying and getting rid of standing water… The government of El Salvador has urged women to postpone pregnancies for two years, a move that has been viewed as extreme by most people in the public health community. About half of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Scientists have known about Zika virus since the 1940s, but it was not considered a serious threat until a few months ago. That’s when Brazil reported an enormous increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly, a fetal defect that results in small heads and incomplete brain development…

“Scientists don’t know why Zika is spreading so quickly or why the outbreak has been particularly bad in Brazil…”

A Dangerous New Game for Teens?

The website of nbcsandiego reported on January 27:

“A dangerous new game becoming popular among teens sent a 14-year-old Washington resident to the hospital with 48 stitches, a shattered eye socket and a brain aneurism. [The teen] was severely injured playing the ‘Duct Tape Challenge,’ a trend circulating on social media in which the participant is taped up and is recorded on video trying to break free. Whoever removes the tape the fastest ‘wins’ the challenge…

“[He] was standing while taped up when he lost his balance. The fall caused [him] to hit his head… [He] suffered extensive facial injuries. After a three-hour surgery, [he] was left with metal plates and screws, and was on a temporary ventilator after the operation. His left eye socket shattered, and his facial injuries required 48 stitches and caused a substantial scar.

“Doctors are still unsure if [the teen] will be able to see out of his left eye… [The teen’s mother] who hadn’t heard of the ‘Duct Tape Challenge’ prior to her son’s injuries, wants to use [the teen’s] story as an opportunity to shed light on the dangers of these seemingly harmless viral games.”

Biggest Plague of Locusts in 60 Years in Argentina

The New York Times wrote on January 25:

“Farmers and fumigators in Argentina are running out of time as they scramble to control the country’s worst plague of locusts in more than half a century, officials warned on Monday… when they will then threaten to devour crops like sunflowers and cotton, and grasslands for cattle grazing. ‘It’s the worst explosion in the last 60 years,’ Diego Quiroga, the agriculture agency’s chief of vegetative protection, said in a telephone interview. ‘It’s impossible to eradicate; the plague has already established itself. We’re just acting to make sure it’s the smallest it can be and does the least damage possible.’

“Small pockets of locusts, which first appeared last June, at the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, have spread across an area of northern Argentina about the size of Delaware. The mild and rainy winter here created comfortable breeding conditions for the locusts; their surge outpaced the ability of the authorities to control the spread of the insects.

“Farmers last year reported locust clouds that were more than four miles long and nearly two miles high…”

Young Icelanders Do Not Believe in the God of the Bible

The Washington Post wrote on January 23:

“If you happen to have the chance to talk to young Icelanders about their religious beliefs, be prepared for a surprise. Exactly zero percent of respondents in a recent survey said they believe that God created the Earth. Only 20 years ago, nearly 90 percent of all Icelanders were religious believers. Today, less than 50 percent are…

“Iceland is distinct from much of the rest of the world… In the United States… 28 percent of Americans between 18 and 29 said they believed that God created ‘humans in present form within the last 10,000 years.’ The numbers might not be directly comparable because some Christians believe both in the Big Bang theory and God’s role. But even as the number of young believers in the United States declines, Christianity has maintained a strong influence there.

“So, why are young Icelanders so different from much of the rest of the world?… the Evangelical Lutheran Church is still the country’s declared state church. Solveig Anna Boasdottir, a professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Iceland… said that about 40 percent of the country’s younger generation still consider themselves Christian — but none of them believe that God created the Earth…

“Most experts, however, would agree that… the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s influence is… rapidly diminishing in Iceland… As of last year, about 75 percent of Iceland’s inhabitants were registered members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. However, as recent polls suggest, a significant number consider themselves to be non-believers or atheists…  all Icelanders — even atheists — have to pay a tax that is distributed among 40 religious institutions, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church…

“But last year, thousands of Icelanders suddenly joined the ancient Zuist movement — a religion centered on worshiping Sumerian gods. Within two weeks, almost one percent of the country’s population (about 3,000 people) had signed up. Some of the new Zuist members might have been less interested in the movement’s spiritual goals than in an announcement that the Zuist church would pay its members the amount of money they were taxed (about $80 per year).”

Following Viking explorations, Iceland was quickly settled by Norwegians, descendants of “Benjamin,” one of the “lost ten tribes” of the ancient House of Israel.