The Totalitarian EU State
Express wrote on September 1:
“Arch-Europhile MEP Guy Verhofstadt has been accused of trying to turn the EU into a ‘totalitarian supra-national authority’ with a package of proposals including one which would see member states stripped of their vetoes. Mr Verhofstadt’s ideas are set out in a 116-page draft document which… would introduce qualified majority voting in dozens of areas including defence, taxation and foreign policy.
“The proposals contained in the dossier… would dramatically enlarge the powers of the European Parliament, and – crucially – prevent members of the EU27 from blocking legislation.”
Even if this proposal were not to be adopted for now, the underlying thinking is alarming.
Scholz Tells Economic Fairy Tales
Bild Online wrote on September 3:
“Chancellor Olaf Scholz… predicted in March… new mega growth. Scholz at the time: ‘Due to the high investments in climate protection, Germany will be able to achieve growth rates for some time, as last happened in the 1950s and 1960s.’ In plain language: the Chancellor promised the Germans a new ‘economic miracle’, expected growth rates as in the post-war period (In 1950 to 1960 an average of 8.2 percent per year). For comparison: Between 2010 and 2020, growth was only 1.2 percent.
“HOW does Scholz arrive at this positive forecast, while economists even warn of a shrinking economy? In response to a question from the Union faction [opposition] in the Bundestag, the traffic light [coalition] has to admit: there are no expectations of an economic miracle… MEANING: The chancellor CANNOT justify his economic promises!
“Union parliamentary group leader and economic politician Jens Spahn (43, CDU) accuses Scholz of [lying to] the citizens with his promise. Spahn to BILD: ‘The chancellor tells economic fairy tales. The traffic light cannot provide any evidence for his claim that there will be growth rates last seen in the 1950s and 1960s. In truth, we are further away than ever from a new economic miracle.'”
In another article regarding power supply, Bild Online wrote on September 3:
“Jens Spahn… to BILD: ‘No one believes in the Chancellor’s perseverance slogans anymore, not even his own party. The losers are millions of industrial workers. They don’t know if their jobs will still be there tomorrow.’”
The days of incompetent Scholz and his pitiful “traffic light” coalition are numbered.
Does Pistorius Have the Courage to Act?
Focus wrote on September 4:
“Boris Pistorius [Germany’s Federal Minister of Defense] achieves fantastic poll numbers reminiscent of those of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. The big question now is: Will he use this position to act? He has a historic opportunity – but also a lot of resistance.
“Is Boris Pistorius a brave man? There is much to be said for it… Above all, the decision to station a heavy brigade permanently in Lithuania was courageous. The army strongly advised against it – the organizational problems and disruptions to the restructuring of the land forces were too great. Pistorius made the decision anyway. And he was right… especially since it also makes operational sense to have powerful brigades on NATO’s eastern border.
“Organizationally, the implementation of this decision is an enormous challenge for the overly bureaucratic and cumbersome apparatus… Can you even find enough soldiers who are willing to go there for maybe three years? What do you do with the families? In addition: A powerful brigade normally includes well over 4,000 men and women, especially if they are to operate independently.
“Of course, these problems are also an opportunity, a kind of lever to advance the Bundeswehr’s focus on national and alliance defense. Everyone knows that the armed forces are dysfunctional and it is high time to do something about it. Boris Pistorius’ predecessors didn’t have the courage to reform…
“Now it’s Pistorius’ turn. The conditions for reforms were never better in the days of the Berlin Republic: After the disaster with the weak Christine Lambrecht in times of war, the chancellor cannot afford any further downtime, there are comprehensive commitments to NATO that require quick action and according to public opinion, the Bundeswehr is very well-liked…
“Certainly no defense minister can implement the reforms that are actually necessary on his own… The staff shortage can probably only be solved by introducing a militia system, a mandatory year or the massive expansion of the reservists, which also requires a cabinet decision…
“But the minister can also do a lot of things on his own… many regulations could easily be changed with good will.
“He is by far the most popular politician in Germany—an ace in Olaf Scholz’s hands during these months when the cabinet is struggling. Politically, however, this will only sting if the defense minister follows up his positively received speeches with deeds… The soldiers appreciate their minister beyond measure. However, if he does not use the historic opportunity to advance fundamental issues, the euphoria will be followed by bitter disappointment….”
And so, the concept of mandatory military service is being thrown into the mix.
France at Brink of Civil War?
Modern Diplomacy wrote on September 3:
“A couple of months ago, France was engulfed by an explosive wave of civil unrest… The significance of the situation cannot be overstated: the entire world witnessed the outbreak of anarchy in a major European nation. Street violence took place not just in Paris, but also in various other French cities and the contagion even reached the neighbouring Swiss city of Lausanne. People were beaten, businesses were looted, vehicles were burned and countless acts of vandalism were committed. As law enforcement was overwhelmed by the proportions and intensity of this popular revolt, the French government —unable to respond effectively— was badly shaken by the seismicity of the ensuing political shockwaves…
“In turn, the reaction of everyday citizens showed a combination of disbelief, concern, dismay, outrage and uncertainty. The perception of danger made people think that there is no reliable guarantee that their lives, integrity and property will be respected. Moreover, the fact these events took place shortly before the anniversary of the French Revolution makes things look even more ominous. From a long-range perspective, they could be interpreted as a powerful confirmation that history has fatefully returned to Western Europe… illusions of everlasting peace and harmony are being shattered by reality…
“Yet, perhaps the most problematic implication of recent events in France is that similar dynamics could gain traction in societies with similar conditions, most notably Britain, Germany and Sweden. Signs of violent interethnic animosities are becoming ‘part and parcel’ of everyday life in such European nations…
“France may already be in a state of low-intensity civil war. So far, it remains to be seen if the clashes remain intermittent or if they will spiral out of control. The undecisive reaction of the French government reflects an unwillingness to confront a difficult situation. Blaming videogames and expect trouble to go away on its own is the equivalent of burying one’s head in the sand…
“Although the latest wave of urban riots in France seems to have subsided, their underlying structural roots remain unchanged. Accordingly, this episode foreshadows the escalation of violence sooner or later. The magnitude of the next crisis will likely be higher both quantitatively and qualitatively… The sinister spectre of civil war is haunting France…”
Macron is not the man who would be able to stop this development. But a charismatic powerful person, called the beast in the Bible, will rise up, and European countries, including Germany and France, will transfer their authority to the beast. He will rule with an iron fist.
American Nuclear Bombs on British Soil?
Bloomberg wrote on September 5:
“Russia warned Tuesday it will treat any US move to station nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years as an ‘escalation’ after media reports indicated plans to deploy the bombs on British soil. ‘If this happens, it will be treated by us as an escalation, which will lead to the exact opposite of achieving the pressing task of removing all US nuclear weapons from Europe,’ Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Tuesday…
“The US Air Force has earmarked $50 million in funding for military housing at a UK air base. The language used to describe the purpose for the increased personnel usually refers to the handling of nuclear weapons, The Guardian reported last week…
“Around 150 US B-61 nuclear gravity bombs are currently stationed in four European countries — Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy — as well as Turkey…”
Ultimately, these weapons will be used AGAINST the USA.
Will NATO Collapse by 2025 Over Ukraine?
Atlantic wrote on September 2:
“Europe and the United States are on the verge of the most momentous conscious uncoupling in international relations in decades. Since 1949, NATO has been the one constant in world security. Initially an alliance among the United States, Canada, and 10 countries in Western Europe, NATO won the Cold War and has since expanded to include almost all of Europe… It… might collapse by 2025.
“The cause of this collapse would be the profound difference in outlook between the Republican Party’s populist wing—which is led by Donald Trump but now clearly makes up the majority of the GOP—and the existential security concerns of much of Europe. The immediate catalyst for the collapse would be the war in Ukraine…
“The past few weeks have revealed that Trump’s pro-Russian, anti-NATO outlook isn’t just a brief interlude in Republican politics; suspicion of American involvement in supporting Ukraine is now the consensus of the party’s populist heart. During last week’s GOP presidential debate, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy… both argued against more aid for Ukraine…
“… the growing sentiment on the American right against supporting Ukraine represents an extraordinary challenge to the future of NATO. European states have been moving in the opposite direction… [This] would split the Atlantic alliance…
“If the United States simply abandons Ukraine a year and a half from now, there is no way whatsoever that Europe could make up for the loss of aid…”
Ultimately, NATO will fall apart, and the animosity between the USA and Europe will continue.
Zelenskyy to Replace Defense Minister
Thomson/Reuters reported on September 3:
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday he had decided to replace his defense minister, setting the stage for the biggest shake-up of Ukraine’s defense establishment since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“In his nightly video address to the nation, Zelenskyy said he would dismiss Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of the country’s main privatization fund…
“The decision comes amid a crackdown on corruption in Ukraine that Zelenskyy has been keen to emphasize. Kyiv has applied to join the European Union and the public has become highly sensitive to corruption as the war rages with no end in sight…
“During the war, Reznikov’s defense ministry lobbied the West to overcome various taboos on supplying powerful military kit to Ukraine, including everything from German-made main battle tanks to HIMARS multiple-launch rockets. Kyiv now looks poised to receive U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets soon…
“His apparent exit appears to bring an end to months of domestic media pressure that began in January when Reznikov’s ministry was accused of buying food at inflated prices. Though he was not personally involved in the food contract, some Ukrainian commentators said he should take political responsibility for what happened.
“Last month, a Ukrainian media outlet accused his ministry of corruption during the procurement of winter coats for the army. Reznikov denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly said he was being targeted by a smear campaign.”
Whether this was a wise decision to fire Reznikov will have to be seen.
COVID Hysteria, Vaccines and Mandates Starting Again!
Daily Express US wrote on September 1:
“With summer coming to an end and a new Covid variant on the loose, some health experts are recommending people begin taking precautions again – starting with mask-wearing… CDC spokesperson Scott Pauley told Daily Express US the CDC recommends that all people are up to date on their vaccines before they travel…
“An updated vaccine for new strains is expected to be available by the end of September – the CDC recommends everyone receive a booster shot.”
Will we experience a repeat of Biden’s horrible war of the vaccinated against the unvaccinated?
Corona in Spite of Vaccination and Booster Shots
Fox News wrote on September 4:
“First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19… President Biden tested negative for the virus… The first lady is double-vaccinated, twice boosted, according to a statement from her communications director last year.”
So, vaccinations and booster shots don’t seem to be “miracle cures” after all.
Biden’s Insane Fearmongering
Fox News wrote on September 5:
“Social media users mocked the news that President Biden will return to masking indoors Tuesday…
“White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre… said: ‘President Biden… will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance… the president will remove his mask when sufficiently distant from others indoors and while outside as well.’
“The return to indoor masking ignited backlash online from X users, who complained about the possibility of mask mandates returning. ‘The conspiracy theorists were right again. These loony psychopaths are going to try to bring masks back. Nope. We aren’t playing this time,’ cryptocurrency entrepreneur Bruce Fenton wrote.
“Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich commented, ‘Your regular reminder that masks are garbage against COVID/Wuhan coronavirus and do not work. In fact, they cause harm with lung damage and cancerous materials. Not to mention the massive environmental pollution.’ ‘Biden masking again because he’s been around Jill is such nonsense fearmongering,’ investigative reporter Emily Miller wrote… ‘They never stop. They never quit,’ RealClearInvestigations editor-at-large Benjamin Weingarten posted.”
Biden’s fearmongering is indeed ridiculous, but it is dangerous!
School in Maryland Reinstates Masks
Fox News wrote on September 5:
“An elementary school in a Washington D.C. suburb in Maryland is reinstating school masks for third-graders, after a handful of kids recently tested positive for COVID-19. In a now-viral X post, OutKick founder Clay Travis posted a letter that was allegedly sent to all parents at Rosemary Hills Elementary School in Montgomery County, updating them on updated mask requirements for all students.
“‘A DC area elementary school — Montgomery County, Maryland — is reinstating a mask mandate — N95’s — for third-graders over a few kids testing positive for COVID,’ Travis wrote on X. ‘Here’s the letter. They’re coming with masks for your kids again. Get ready. Read this insanity.’”
Insanity indeed.
We Will Not Comply Movement
Newsweek wrote on August 31:
“A ‘we will not comply’ movement is slowly formulating across social media, spurred by Donald Trump’s renewed focus on mask mandates and COVID-affiliated lockdowns that he initiated at the pandemic’s inception. Trump, in a video posted Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter, vowed to reject any ‘fearmongering’ of new coronavirus variants and if elected president pledged to cut federal funding for entities like schools and airlines that follow such protocols.
“Trump was the individual who set the original mandates and lockdowns in motion, however, when coronavirus cases escalated exponentially starting in March 2020. At the time, he urged individuals to avoid bars, restaurants and other areas where 10 or more people were gathered in the hope that the virus would dissipate by that summer.
“‘Do not comply’ means your [sic] not going to go to work if your employer requires a mask as part of the “mandate” not law; your [sic] not going to wear one at the Dr, Dentist, restaurant or stores,’ wrote one Facebook user. ‘Imagine if everyone did not comply how that would hurt our government or economy. If every American did not go to work or buy anything at all for one or two days things would get real. We are all slaves to our Government until we stop conforming to the demands and dollar.’
“One X user posted that she would ignore mandates instituted by Trump, President Joe Biden or anyone else. ‘I won’t mask again,’ the user wrote. ‘I don’t care what Trump or Fauci or Birx or Biden or any other governmental agency try and push again. I won’t deal with the anxiety mask wearing brings me again. Not going to cover my daughter’s beautiful face or force her to deal with the frequent painful breakouts again. Nope. For my child, I say, never again.’”
Sadly, Trump was responsible for many of the ridiculous governmental measures or recommendations pertaining to the fight against COVID. Instead of firing incompetent Fauci, he followed his nonsensical advice in far too many instances. Biden, of course, made matters much worse.
Fauci’s Incompetence Exposed
The New York Post wrote on September 3:
“Social media erupted after Dr. Anthony Fauci was confronted by a CNN host with a study showing face masks made little to no difference in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic… ‘Fauci admits that masks don’t work for the public at large but still absurdly claims masks work on an individual basis. More subterfuge,’ Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)… wrote on X, formerly Twitter…
“‘It’s really hard to assume Fauci’s disastrous “mistakes” were in good faith when he refuses to acknowledge obvious facts that don’t require a PhD to decipher. It looks a lot more like “TRUST THE SCIENCE!” only applies when it suits Fauci’s personal or political narrative,’ former senior White House and US Intelligence Community official Cliff Sims said…
“During the initial onset of the pandemic, he suggested that masks were not providing the type of protection ‘people think it is’ and underscored the severe shortage of masks afflicting health care providers. As mask production ramp up and supply snarls abated, Fauci reversed course and endorsed masking to tamp down the spread… ‘I don’t regret anything I said then because in the context of the time in which I said it, it was correct…’”
Fauci has been preaching this kind of nonsense all along.
Assassinating Trump?
Business Insider wrote on September 2:
“Tucker Carlson… claimed that the political establishment is plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump… ‘They have decided — permanent Washington, both parties have decided — that there’s something about Trump that’s so threatening to them, they just can’t have him,’ he said.
“Carlson had, in fact, asked Trump if he feared being killed in an interview last week, to which the former president responded: ‘They’re savage animals. They’re people that are sick.’… While Trump has never made such an assertion, he often describes himself as the victim of a ‘witch-hunt’…”
John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy were assassinated; and Ronald Reagan barely survived an assassination attempt. In fact, four sitting presidents have been killed: Abraham Lincoln (1865, by John Wilkes Booth), James A. Garfield (1881, by Charles J. Guiteau), William McKinley (1901, by Leon Czolgosz), and John F. Kennedy (1963, by Lee Harvey Oswald). As far as we can see, only one person was assassinated while running for the office of the Presidency, and that was Robert Kennedy. In addition to the assignation attempt on Ronald Reagan, another assassination attempt was made on former president Theodore Roosevelt (1912, by John Flammang Schrank).
Will Trump Go to Prison?
The Independent wrote on August 31:
“Trump faces four criminal indictments in three separate jurisdictions. Nearly 100 felony criminal charges are leveled against the former president who remains the… favourite to win the 2024 Republican primary… Between his 91 felony counts, Mr Trump faces a total of roughly seven centuries in total jail time, spread between dozens of various charges of differing seriousness…
“The first indictment to drop against the former president… deals with conduct committed the furthest in the past. Donald Trump is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony under New York state law… Mr Trump’s accusation is largely victimless, and as such a judge is not likely to sentence him to anything more than fines or, at the most, probation and community service were he to be convicted by a jury…
“After exploding into the public eye last year with an FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago, the allegations spelled out in this [second] indictment… [accuse him] of mishandling classified information in an egregious manner… Convictions of willful and/or reckless retention of classified information frequently result in prison sentences of several years or more…
“The Department of Justice’s most recent [third] indictment charging Mr Trump with crimes was related to the 2020 election… There are two basic parts of this case which should concern the ex-president; the possibility that he will be convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiring against Americans’ right to vote in free elections, and the possibility that he will be convicted of directly attempting to block the certification of the election via summoning a mob to attack the Capitol.
“The real battle in [regard to the first allegation] will be for prosecutors to prove that the Trump team’s efforts went beyond legal challenges to the election results… [Regarding the second allegation,] Mr Trump and his allies have fiercely denied since the attack itself that the mob of Trump supporters… was directed by the president himself…
“Should he be convicted of either, however, he faces steep maximum prison sentences for each count…
“The most recent [fourth] indictment to drop, Fulton County’s case against Mr Trump in Georgia is unique in that it also involves the only charges to carry minimum prison terms… A RICO charge will undoubtedly be the hardest for prosecutor Fani Willis and her team to prove… Should that fail, however, Mr Trump also faces 12 other felony counts, all of which carry the potential for incarceration…
“In the end, it’s quite possible that the answer to the question of whether Mr Trump will ever see the inside of a cell comes down to not whether he will be convicted, but whether jailing a former president is even feasible. Should he win the general election next year, an entirely new layer of complexity is added to the mix…”
Apart from the perception of many Americans that these are all trumped-up charges, the idea that an elected President could be officiating, while imprisoned, is preposterous.
Trump Barred From Office?
Raw Story wrote on September 4:
“Trump on Monday claimed that ‘almost all legal scholars’ have agreed that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution ‘has no legal basis or standing relative to the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.’
“The former president’s comments come the same day as former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner joined the ranks of several other legal experts, including retired Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe and former conservative federal judge Michael Luttig, in arguing that former President Donald Trump is automatically disqualified from running for office again under the plain text of the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on aiding insurrection.
“‘Like Election Interference, it is just another “trick” being used by the Radical Left Communists, Marxists, and Fascists, to again steal an Election that their candidate, the WORST, MOST INCOMPETENT, & MOST CORRUPT President in U.S. history, is incapable of winning in a Free and Fair Election,’ Trump wrote.”
Whatever happened to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty?
22 Years Prison Sentence for Proud Boy
Deutsche Welle wrote on September 5:
“Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys militia, was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Tuesday in Washington… it is… the stiffest penalty handed out so far for the 2021 attack on the US Capitol… Despite agreeing that Tarrio’s actions did not fall under the most traditional definitions of ‘terrorism,’ US District Judge Timothy Kelly said the adjustment should apply, as prosecutors had wanted.
“Tarrio was not in Washington on January 6 but was accused and convicted of directing the assault on the Capitol by members of the Proud Boys.
“Tarrio and three others were convicted of seditious conspiracy in May for their roles in the failed attempt to stop the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over Republican Donald Trump… The other three men received jail terms of between 10 and 18 years last week. Tarrio’s sentencing was delayed as the judge was ill.”
The defense has announced that it will appeal “on both the merits of the case and the sentence imposed.” These are indeed ridiculous sentences, which are clearly politically motivated, while violent criminals are either not prosecuted at all or receiving a light sentence.
Biden Keeps Telling “Stories”
The Washington Post wrote on August 31:
“Biden’s propensity to exaggerate or embellish tales about his life led to doubts about his truthfulness… Biden has continued a tradition of embellishing his personal tales in ways that cannot be verified or are directly refuted by contemporary accounts…
“At least six times as president, mostly recently in comments to Hurricane Idalia victims Wednesday, Biden has exaggerated the extent of a fire that occurred at his house in 2004…
“At least 10 times as president…, Biden has told a heartwarming but implausible story about an Amtrak conductor named Angelo Negri who congratulated him for traveling more on Amtrak than he had on Air Force planes as vice president…
“Three times this year — and at least seven times since 2014 — Biden has told a version… of a story about words his father supposedly spoke after a teenage Biden saw two well-dressed men in suits kiss each other in downtown Wilmington in the early 1960s… Biden depicts a scene that would have been unusual six decades ago. He describes this exchange with his father usually as taking place in 1961. But back then, gay men generally did not kiss in public…
“Four times… Biden has suggested he was arrested for standing on the porch with a Black couple who were subject to demonstrations… the story did not add up. There was a protest of a Black couple who had purchased a house in an all-White area, but it was a neighborhood many miles from the Biden home…
“Campaigning for president in 2020, Biden three times claimed he was arrested in South Africa for trying to see Nelson Mandela, who at the time was imprisoned on Robben Island, near Cape Town. When we determined that was false, he amended his statement to say he was ‘stopped’ at the airport while traveling with a congressional delegation — though others on the delegation said that did not happen…
“Biden recalled how his Uncle Frank fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart but never received it. He said that after he became vice president in 2009, he arranged to present the medal to his uncle with the rest of the family in attendance. But his uncle, Frank H. Biden, died in 1999, a decade before Biden became vice president…
“Twice this year, most recently in the Milwaukee speech, Biden has claimed his grandfather, an oil company executive, ‘died in the same hospital’ just before Biden himself was born there… But Biden’s paternal grandfather, Joseph H. Biden, died at Johns Hopkins Hospital on Sept. 26, 1941… Biden was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Scranton, Pa., on Nov. 20, 1942, 14 months later. His maternal grandfather, Ambrose Finnegan, did die at St. Mary’s — but in 1957, nearly 15 years later.”
If one keeps repeating a fabricated story long enough, he might even begin to believe it himself.
The Lie of Bidenomics
Fox News wrote on August 29:
“In the midst of President Biden’s campaign to sell ‘Bidenomics’ to American voters [the false claim that his economic measures are working], Vice President Kamala Harris made a curious admission. Speaking about the costs of getting an abortion…, she stated that ‘[m]ost Americans are a $400 unexpected expense away from bankruptcy.’ Of course…, it wasn’t exactly true. But you have to give her credit for raising a counter-narrative the Biden administration is otherwise choosing to ignore. The fact is that American families are in trouble, deep trouble, and it’s far more significant than any Bidenomics spin can conceal.
“Harris’s point comes from a recent Morning Consult survey which found that in the third quarter of this year only 46% of Americans could cover a $400 unexpected expense without going into debt. That’s not the same as being $400 away from bankruptcy, but it’s still really bad. It shows how expenses as commonplace as a surprise car repair or a medical bill are forcing many American families into debt – at a time when interest rates are disturbingly high…
“The Lending Club’s Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report for June confirms the Morning Consult survey. It found that a majority of Americans (54%) were living paycheck to paycheck. That includes 53% of consumers who earn $50,000 to $100,000 per year. So, this problem extends well beyond lower-income families, although it certainly hits you harder the less you have. But what about personal savings? Americans received a lot of cash from the government during the pandemic. In fact, when Biden took office, Americans had $2.3 trillion in personal savings. That number shot up to $5.7 trillion following Biden’s March 2021 ironically named ‘American Rescue Plan.’ But by June of this year, a mere 27 months later, personal saving had dropped by nearly $5 trillion to a much diminished $862 billion.
“Again, it isn’t just lower-income Americans who have watched their savings diminish. According to a Bloomberg analysis, the average middle-class household has lost over $33,000 in real wealth in just the past year. The situation is so bad that Americans are even draining their 401(k) plans to cover expenses… 36% more people drained their retirement accounts to make ends [meet] in the second quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period last year.
“So, where did all that money go?…
“The Bureau of Labor Statistic publishes the Consumer Price Index (CPI) each month, a common measure of inflation. CPI takes a basket of commonly purchased goods and services and prices them on a monthly basis. In January 2021, when Biden took office, that basket cost about $261.50. In July of this year, the same basket cost $305.70. That’s a huge 16,9% increase in only two and a half years… Exacerbating the problem, wage growth has failed to keep pace with inflation – increasing only 13% since Biden took office (versus nearly 17% for inflation). When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, as most Americans are, that kind of disparity hurts.
“So, with savings increasingly depleted and wages failing to keep up with increased living expenses, many Americans are resorting to their credit cards in an effort to make ends meet. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in the second quarter of this year, credit card debt rose to $1 trillion–the highest number ever. And that amount of credit card debt is a huge problem with 51% of Americans unable to pay off their entire balance each month – so they let it revolve to the next month at an average budget killing interest rate of nearly 15% [or 22%, depending on the source]…”
“Bidenomics” is clearly not working. The utter incompetence of Biden and his administration is obvious in this regard as well.
Americans Aren’t Sold on Joe Biden’s Handling of the Economy
1945 wrote on September 5:
“A Wall Street Journal poll, taken between August 24 and 30, found that just 37 percent of registered voters ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ approved of Biden’s handling of the economy. By contrast, a majority of the same group, 59 percent, said they disapproved of how the [president] has tackled the economy…
“The Wall Street Journal post also found that nearly three in four voters believe that inflation ‘is headed in the wrong direction,’ while 63 percent said they ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ disapproved of the president’s record on inflation and climbing prices.”
Who are those people who “strongly” approve of Biden’s failed handling of the economy????
Funding the Government Being Threatened
The New York Post wrote on September 1:
“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)… told constituents: ‘I’ve already decided I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden.’ She also conditioned her vote on withdrawing US defense funding for Ukraine, cutting out federal spending for new COVID-19 vaccines and ending ‘Biden’s weaponization of government.’ That includes moving to ‘rein in the FBI,’ defunding special counsel Jack Smith, who has twice indicted former President Donald Trump, and firing Delaware US Attorney David Weiss, Greene added…
“Congress has until Sept. 30 to avoid a partial shutdown by passing legislation to fully fund the government. The Senate is scheduled to return from its August recess Tuesday, while the House is due back the following week…
“NBC News reported Friday that the White House is preparing a legal war room for the president’s expected impeachment inquiry, helmed by dozens of lawyers, aides and communications staff…”
The Daily Mail added on September 1:
“[Greene] is not the only Republican to have threatened to block funding. Earlier in the week Rep. James Comer… [said] an impeachment inquiry [was] ‘imminent’…
“In the meantime, the federal government is hurtling towards its funding deadline. The White House is looking for a stopgap measure to keep things ticking over. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said: ‘It is clear that a short-term continuing resolution will be needed next month.’”
Dire prospects indeed.
Will the GOP Impeach Joe Biden?
1945 wrote on September 5:
“Elected Republicans are the most skittish group of powerful people imaginable. Here they have one half of one of the three branches of the federal government, and they are afraid to use whatever power they have against their political foes.
“In this case, despite all their perpetual talk about the corruption of President Joe Biden and his wayward son, Hunter; irrespective of the… evidence they’ve compiled after years of investigations into the Biden Family, the leadership of the House Republicans acts as though they don’t have enough to impeach President Joe Biden.
“Hilariously, when the political shoe was on the other foot, with the Democrats not having the relevant power that they needed to successfully impeach—and remove then-President Donald J. Trump— that never stopped the Democrats. That’s because the Democrats have gumption, whereas the Republicans are perennially afraid of making mistakes…
“Under House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)… it has now become unbearable… [He insists] that it’s still premature to impeach Joe Biden. He makes such statements, even after the Republican-led House Oversight Committee recently received the sworn testimony of two senior IRS whistleblowers alleging that the Department of Justice (DOJ) purposefully slow-walked their investigation into Hunter Biden’s finances out of fear that they’d be forced to also investigate Joe Biden’s finances.
“McCarthy pretends like his investigators in the House have not received sworn testimony from one of Hunter Biden’s closest business associates, Devon Archer, who admitted under oath that then-Vice-President Joe Biden was intimately involved with Hunter Biden’s allegedly illicit international influence-peddling scheme from the outset of Hunter Biden’s efforts…
“The House investigators have already proven that every member of the Biden Family received huge payouts from Hunter Biden’s firm…
“Furthermore, a series of text messages between Hunter Biden and a Chinese businessman… was uncovered… showing Hunter threatening the Chinese businessman with political reprisals unless the businessman paid Hunter Biden an exorbitant amount of money.
“The specific threat entailed Hunter texting the Chinese businessman that he was sitting next to his father, Joe Biden, and relaying the threats from his father to the Chinese businessman by text…
“An impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden is still undesirable, as that should have happened earlier in the Spring. We should be onto a full-blown impeachment by now… Impeaching Biden, much as the Democrats showed by impeaching Trump on inflated charges in 2019, may not lead to Biden’s removal from office (that requires a majority in the Senate that the Republicans simply lack). But, as the Democrats proved in 2019, an impeachment will galvanize their base going into a contentious presidential election…”
Not to forget Joe Biden’s admission of successfully coercing or blackmailing Ukraine to fire the prosecutor investigating the corrupt company Hunter Biden was working for.
The Hill wrote on September 5:
“Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is tiptoeing through a political minefield as he weighs whether to open an official impeachment inquiry into President Biden… Trump… is exerting public pressure to pursue impeachment without a long inquiry. So are voters in the GOP base, Republicans say… Some GOP members, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Ralph Norman (S.C.), have also pushed to quickly open an impeachment inquiry. Republicans have told The Hill that they are getting many phone calls and town hall questions asking when they will take the step toward impeachment…
“While McCarthy argues that taking a step to open an inquiry is distinct from the House actually impeaching Biden, it would be politically unthinkable to not follow through on an inquiry with a vote on impeachment articles…”
Pressure on McCarthy
Newsmax wrote on September 5:
“In a statement issued on Tuesday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., predicted forthcoming efforts to compel House votes on impeachment [of Biden], while delivering a warning to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif… ‘if Speaker McCarthy stands in our way, he may not have the job long,’ Gaetz said.
“Amid the electoral complexities that unfolded during McCarthy’s election saga in January, he strategically decided to decrease the threshold required to initiate a ‘motion to vacate the chair’ [which] is a parliamentary maneuver available to ordinary lawmakers to remove the speaker of the House of Representatives.
“Under former GOP rules, this process could have been initiated only by a majority of House Republicans. McCarthy, intent on locking down his speakership, ultimately agreed to permit a single member to initiate such a vote.”
Apart from the fact that many Republicans don’t seem to have much backbone, one reason for not wanting to impeach Biden could be that in the unlikely event of Biden’s removal from office, Kamala Harris, viewed by many as totally incompetent, would take his place.
Biden’s Disastrous Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Fox News and The Associated Press wrote on September 5:
“U.S. military equipment abandoned in Afghanistan has made its way to militant groups in other countries through the Taliban, Pakistan alleged Monday, [saying] terror groups in the country are now using American equipment, including night vision goggles and firearms, in their operations…
“The U.S. abandoned approximately $7 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan following President Biden’s withdrawal from the country in 2021… The equipment included guns, ammunition and helicopters, among other things.
“More than 40,000 of the 96,000 military vehicles given to Afghan authorities were abandoned, including 12,000 Humvees. Just under three-quarters of the 427,300 weapons provided to the Afghan forces were left behind along with less than 1,537,000 ‘specialty munitions’ and small arms ammo…
“Pakistan’s claims come just days after the second anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden hailed the operation as ‘one of the largest airlifts in history’…
“The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan left hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of Afghan allies in the country under the rule of the Taliban, which swiftly retook control of Afghanistan as American forces prepared their exit.”
Attempting to defend Biden’s incompetent withdrawal is just beyond belief.
How the Government “Flags” Us
The Rutherford Institute wrote on August 29:
“Consider just a small sampling of the ways in which the government is weaponizing its 360 degree surveillance technologies to flag you as a threat to national security, whether or not you’ve done anything wrong.
“Flagging you as a danger based on your feelings… Flagging you as a danger based on your phone and movements… Flagging you as a danger based on your DNA… Flagging you as a danger based on your face… Flagging you as a danger based on your behavior… Flagging you as a danger based on your spending and consumer activities… Flagging you as a danger based on your public activities… Flagging you as a danger based on your social media activities… Flagging you as a danger based on your social network… Flagging you as a danger based on your car… Flagging you as a danger based on your political views…
“Now the government wants us to believe that we have nothing to fear from these mass spying programs as long as we’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t believe it. The government’s definition of a ‘bad’ guy is extraordinarily broad, and it results in the warrantless surveillance of innocent, law-abiding Americans on a staggering scale… the police state wants us silent, servile and compliant.”
Nothing in regard to man’s mis-rule and leaders’ oppression of “subjects” will substantially change until Christ comes back and makes an end with ALL human governments.
Canada—a Laughing Stock
The Telegraph wrote on August 31:
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been a mediocre, ineffective leader since coming to power in 2015. Every time you believe he’s reached the lowest depths of political incompetence, he finds a new way to sink even further into the muck. As fate would have it, the most unserious government in Canadian history has reached another new low.
“Global Affairs Canada adjusted its international travel advisory this week to warn the LGBTQ+ community against supposed discrimination they may face in the United States…
“This impetuous decision likely came as a result of U.S. states passing limits or bans with respect to medical treatment for underaged children identifying as transgender, or on the teaching of sexual orientation in schools…
“Does anyone seriously believe most LGBTQ+ Canadians will now be scared to visit the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World, because Florida decided its schools can’t teach about gender identity and support parental rights in education?…
“The U.S. and [the] rest of the world have taken notice of Canada’s rapid decline as a serious, relevant international player during Trudeau’s unserious, irrelevant leadership. They hope it will change when the next Canadian election is held. Many Canadians feel the exact same way.”
Trudeau continues to ruin his country. His authoritarian and dictatorial style, coupled with extreme left-wing Woke nonsense and a persecution of religious minorities who opposed his COVID lockdown, have been noted. Also view the next article.
“The Decline and Fall of Canada”
The Telegraph published on September 5 the following article by Dr. Jordan Peterson:
“In my case, a court has upheld an order from the College of Psychologists of Ontario that I undergo social media training or lose my licence to practice a profession I have served for most of my adult life. My transgressions? Two tweets criticizing Justin Trudeau; one criticising his former chief of staff, who resigned in the aftermath of scandal some years ago; one ironically commenting on the identity of a city councillor in Ottawa, who in my view acted in a particularly unforgivable manner during the famous trucker convoy protest; and one objecting to the actions of the physicians performing mastectomies on perfectly healthy women – often minors – alongside a criticism of a famous actress who received such ‘treatment’ and then advertised its benefits to her unwitting fans.
“In conjunction… I expressed doubts… about the validity of the idiotic models that economists stack carelessly upon the doom-mongering climate predictions… which will harm millions…
“[There] are many ‘regulated professions’ in Western countries, including Canada; professions whose conduct is held to be crucial to the public interest, and whose practitioners must therefore uphold certain standards to protect the public… In Canada, as elsewhere, these professional colleges, with authority delegated from the government, limited their actions to situations of obvious professional misconduct.
“In the last few years, however, such bodies… have been weaponised by the same ideological radicals of the Left that have infiltrated and undermined higher education, media, judiciary, law, science and government. Any radical anywhere can submit the kind of complaint that can bring a professional’s life to a halt, and can increasingly rely on these captured colleges and other professional regulatory bodies to uphold and pursue their vexatious, vengeful, petty, spiteful and ideological motivated ‘complaints.’…
“I appealed the decision of my professional college. But the court has rejected my appeal, ruling that although I had my Charter rights – my constitutional right to freedom of speech – the professional regulatory body essentially has indefinite sway over the determination of what limits they felt fit to impose in their professional context, in whatever retroactive manner they felt fit to impose them…
“Canadians now need to wake up to the fact that the right to freedom of speech in Canada is subject to limitations placed by any level of government, for any reason. I know perfectly well that many professionals in Canada are cowed to the point where they are forced to lie; they tell me so repeatedly in private. And when professionals have to lie, they can no longer do their job properly, and the public suffers. I know, too, that this is increasingly true across the West. Hence the increasing international interest in the dangerous social experiment taking place in Canada, as we ride the forefront of the wave of woke lunacy threatening to swamp the entire Western world…
“I will fight this idiocy all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. I have instructed my lawyers, in the aftermath of the rejection of my appeal, to inform the College that I will not comply with their forced re-education mandate, and to proceed with the disciplinary hearing they have promised will occur…
“But I know few people are in a position to conduct such a fight: I have the resources necessary to wage a multi-year court battle, ruinously expensive (tens of thousands of dollars a month) though it is. I also have the means of communication at hand to publicise exactly what is going on. I do so on the behalf of those who are unable to do so…”
Deluge on Burning Man Festival Divine Retribution?
Benzinga wrote on September 4:
“… a severe deluge at the annual Burning Man festival has been described as an act of divine retribution by leading Republicans… The Burning Man festival, traditionally held in Black Rock City, Nevada, faced an unprecedented level of rainfall this year, leading to muddy conditions and stranding thousands of festival-goers.
“The extreme weather conditions resulted in the tragic loss of one life and caused the event’s closing ceremony to be postponed. However, the situation took a political turn when key figures suggested a religious angle to the calamity.
“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)… suggested that the unfortunate incident at the festival was a divine sign, stating, ‘God has a way of making sure everyone knows who God is.’ She also insinuated that festival attendees were misguided into blaming climate change for the disaster.
“Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) expressed a similar sentiment… attributing the floods to ‘God’s judgment’ and challenging the moral correctness of the festival’s unconventional activities. Andrew Torba, founder of Gab, a far-right social platform, and Jeff Clark, a former assistant attorney general, joined the chorus with similar views, with Clark labeling the festival a ‘neopagan ritual.’”
Daily Mail added on September 5:
“Burning Man has descended into chaos as fed-up revelers snapped and fought during the mass exodus from the washout festival… It came as the grand finale – the burning of ‘the man’ – finally got underway a day late on Monday night, with the wooden statue lit for the dwindling crowd who’d stayed…
“A half-inch of rain fell on Friday, turning the site into a quagmire, and attendees were ordered not to leave because the exit roads were impassable… People were being urged to delay their departure until Tuesday if possible.
“Disruptions are part of the event’s recent history: Dust storms forced organizers to temporarily close entrances to the festival in 2018, and the event was twice canceled altogether during the pandemic…”
According to Wikipedia, “Burning Man began as a bonfire ritual on the summer solstice. Sculptor Mary Grauberger, a friend of Larry Harvey’s girlfriend, Janet Lohr, held solstice bonfire gatherings on Baker Beach for several years prior to 1986, some of which Harvey attended. When Grauberger stopped organizing it, Harvey ‘picked up the torch’, with Grauberger’s permission, and ran with it. He and Jerry James built the first wooden effigy on the afternoon of June 21, 1986, cobbled together using scrap wood, to be torched later that evening.
“On June 22, 1986, Larry Harvey, Jerry James, and a few friends met on Baker Beach in San Francisco and burned an 8 feet (2.4 m) tall wooden man as well as a smaller wooden dog. Harvey later described his inspiration for burning these effigies as a spontaneous act of ‘radical self-expression’. In 1987, the Man grew to 15 feet (4.6 m) tall, and by 1988, it had grown to 30 feet (9.1 m).
“By 1988, Larry Harvey formally named the summer solstice ritual ‘Burning Man’ by titling flyers for the happening as such. This was apparently done to ward off references to ‘wicker man,’ the reputed Celtic pagan practice of burning live sacrifices in human-shaped wicker cages…”
Still, the parallels are undeniable. Why would anyone want to participate in such obscure pagan and ungodly customs?
Majority of Church of England Priests Support Premarital Sex and Gay Marriage
The Daily Caller wrote on August 30:
“The Church of England’s (CofE) liberal drift continues as a new survey shows that a [majority] of priests now support abandoning traditional Christian sexual ethics.
“A survey by the Times found that 62.6 percent of priests believe the church should relax its teaching that all premarital sex is sinful. A smaller majority (53.4 percent) voiced their support for same-sex marriage. The Church of England currently allows marriages only between men and women, though the General Synod — the CofE’s legislative body — voted in February to offer blessings to civilly married same-sex couples.”
The Bible condemns premarital sex and gay marriage.
Children Change Their Gender
The Washington Examiner wrote on September 2:
“Thousands of children have undergone gender transition surgeries in recent years, following a trend that has ‘increased significantly,’ according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study identified 48,019 Americans of all ages who had undergone some form of gender dysphoria-related surgery in the United States between 2016 and 2019.
“Nearly 4,000 of those were between the ages of 12 and 18. The reasoning for including 18-year-olds, the age of adulthood, in the younger cohort was not explained, so it is unclear by the study how many who are legally children were given the surgeries.
“However, a recent Vanderbilt University study found that 489 children between the ages of 12 and 17, with a median age of 16, had gotten their breasts removed in a double mastectomy in 2019 alone. ‘…it’s been happening to thousands of kids and it’s continuing to grow,’ Terry Schilling, president of American Principles Project, told the Washington Examiner. ‘The reality is that trans is not a civil rights movement. It’s an industry that’s mutilating and sterilizing the next generation of Americans for profits.’
“Surgeries in the JAMA article went beyond mastectomies and breast implants and included genital transition and facial reconstruction… ‘The fact that they are asking children to consent to something that they clearly can’t understand and will change lives irrevocably is extremely unfortunate…’, Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the Do No Harm medical advocacy group, told the Washington Examiner…
“People who have destransitioned… cite deep regret for their adolescent surgeries and drugs and point to heavy coercion on the part of doctors, who many critics say are trapping children in a lifetime of medical procedures and drugs at personal monetary gain….”
The horrible propaganda and unjustifiable encouragement of medical “experts,” with the brainless support of the mass media, leading to horrific decisions by uninformed children and teens, are appalling examples of a deceived world having gone terribly wrong.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.