Israel Ordered to Pay $1.1 Billion to Iran

Forbes wrote on August 15:

“The Swiss Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, ordered Israel to pay $1.1 billion plus interest to Iran in a decades old dispute over a secretive oil pipeline  predating Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution. The verdict was dated June 27, while media broke the story late last week. Until the Islamic revolution and the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979, Israel and Iran maintained close ties. In fact, after the Six-Day War (1967 Arab-Israeli War), Iran supplied a large part of Israel’s oil demand while Israel returned the favor…

“After the fall of the Shah of Iran, however, Israel and Iran became the region’s most stringent antagonists and bitter enemies…

“Israeli media said that Iran had tried for years to recoup its disputed assets from EAPC, despite decades of refusing to recognize Israel. Israel Haymon News said that it remains unclear whether Israel will pay up, given its laws restricting ‘trading with the enemy.’ Lawyers from both countries have failed to comment on the verdict.”

Unlike America’s pitiful payout (a/k/a ransom money) to Iran (which was evidenced in a detailed analysis by the Wall Street Journal), it is highly doubtful that Israel will pay this amount to Iran. Newsmax wrote on August 17 that “President Barack Obama has maintained the $400 million paid to Iran was not a ransom for American prisoners, but a report Wednesday [by the Wall Street Journal] detailed a ‘tightly scripted exchange specifically timed’ with the plane carrying the cash and one carrying three freed Americans.”

The Third Jewish Temple Is Coming

JTA wrote on August 12:

“‘It’s time to build,’ reads the tagline of the Temple Institute’s latest YouTube video. The phrase encapsulates the group’s controversial mission to rally Jews to reconstruct the Temple that was the heart of their religion until its destruction 2,000 years ago. Over much of those two millennia, mourning the loss of the Temple and longing for its restoration has been central to Jewish thought and practice…

“‘Our goal is to raise the consciousness of the Jewish people and all humanity toward the central role that the Holy Temple plays in the life of mankind,’ Rabbi Chaim Richman, the Massachusetts-born co-founder and the international director of the Temple Institute, told JTA…

“Established in 1987, 20 years after Israel conquered the Temple Mount and the Palestinian territories in the Six-Day War, the Temple Institute was one of the first groups to openly advocate the rebuilding of the two temples that once stood on the plaza. Another co-founder is Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who was among the paratroopers who took the Temple Mount from Jordanian forces in 1967.

“The problem for supporters is that the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem is sacred not only to Jews but to Muslims and Christians, too. The site includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque, two of the most significant shrines in Islam. Israel chose to leave it under Muslim control in 1967, and Jewish prayer is prohibited there. Ever since, even rumors of changes to the ‘status quo’ — let alone provocative calls to build a third Temple in their place — have drawn international Muslim ire and Palestinian violence. Tensions surrounding the Temple Mount played a major role in the first and second Palestinian intifadas, or uprisings, and helped trigger the most recent wave of attacks that started in October.

“Some Israelis have always opposed the government’s decision not to reclaim the mount. In the 1980s, the Jewish Underground, a Jewish settler terrorist group, plotted to bomb the Dome of the Rock, in part to catalyze the construction of the third Temple in its place. The Shin Bet security agency thwarted the plot…

“The Temple Institute focuses on preparing the objects and skills needed for the sacrifice of animals and the esoteric rituals that were carried out by kohanim, or priests, in front of crowds of Jewish pilgrims before the last temple’s destruction. All of its work is led by a rabbinical council and based on meticulous analysis of Jewish scripture and academic research…

“These days,… weekly TV and radio shows are among the 914 videos that appear on the Temple Institute’s YouTube channel… Most content is in English to maximize reach, including to the many evangelical Christians who support the group, many through tax-exempt charities in the United States. For many evangelicals, the construction of a third Temple fulfills a prophecy about the second coming of Jesus…

“This year’s campaign is for a school to train the priests to staff the third Temple… The Israeli government provides some funding to the Temple Institute…”

“Israel Heute” added on August 12 that the Temple Institute opened a school to teach descendants of Levi as to how to carry out services in the third Temple.

Trump’s Ultra-Progressive Pro-Gay Policy

The Telegraph wrote on August 15:

“Donald Trump said he would introduce a new ideological test for admission to the United States called ‘extreme vetting’ in which would-be immigrants would be asked what they believe on issues like religious freedom, gender equality and gay rights… The government would use questionnaires, social media, and interviews with friends and relatives to determine if people seeking to immigrate or get visas supported American values like tolerance and pluralism.

“Those excluded would be people who did not believe in the US Constitution, support bigotry and hatred, believe Shariah law is more important than US law, or would not ‘flourish in our country.’… The Trump’s campaign has yet to say whether additional screenings would apply to the millions of tourists who visit the US each year…”

Times of Israel wrote on August 16:

“Donald Trump said he would test would-be immigrants for anti-Semitic beliefs and that Israel would be a key ally in defeating radical Islam…

“The Anti-Defamation League immediately took to Twitter to express concerns about Trump’s reiterated call to ban Muslim entry and entry from countries subject to violence… Also speaking out was HIAS, the lead Jewish group advocating for immigrants and refugees. ‘For the American Jewish community, the thought of barring a refugee family because of their religion or home country is simply unpalatable,’ Melanie Nezer, the group’s vice president, said in a statement…”

Breitbart wrote on August 15:

“Donald J Trump… has just outflanked Hillary Clinton on the Left and announced what can only be described as an ultra-progressive immigration policy… Trump’s plan is to introduce a screening process for prospective immigrants to the U.S., testing their ideological commitment to western values like women’s rights, gay rights, and religious pluralism… Actually, it’s about the most pro-gay policy I’ve ever heard from a presidential hopeful…”

In his speech, Trump also said that Hillary Clinton wanted to become America’s Angela Merkel. The German press (Die Welt, August 16) responded that with this statement, Trump “continued his defamation against Angela Merkel.” Note the next article.

“Donald Trump Has No Clue About Germany”

The Local wrote on August 16:

“US presidential candidate Donald Trump has been on the attack against Chancellor Angela Merkel once again. The lies he told about Germany show how dangerous he is. Discussing his Democrat rival’s health care, education and plans, which he claimed would create a ‘lifetime cost of $400 billion’, Trump concluded that ‘in short Hillary Clinton wants to be America’s Angela Merkel.’

“After lapping up the mixture of jeers and claps he continued on the completely unrelated topic of crime. ‘You know what a disaster this massive immigration has been to Germany and the people of Germany. Crime has risen to levels that no one thought they would ever, ever see. It is a catastrophe.’

“To listen to Trump you would think that Merkel spends most of her free time handing out 100 euro bills to refugees on the street while all around her foreigners are robbing banks and plundering the homes of honest, hard-working Germans. It was interesting to see how the tycoon seamlessly jumped from social spending to immigration and crime – as if these things were one and the same. It told us a lot about how angry conservatives in the USA see Germany, but absolutely nothing about reality in the Federal Republic.

“On closer analysis Trump’s statements turn out… to be complete fantasy. If Trump had even the slightest idea about German politics he would know that Merkel has presided over a government that has an obsession with financial tight-fistedness. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble fastidiously sticks to the concept of schwarze Null, whereby the tax man takes in more than the government spends in a year.

“Critics point to decaying road and rail infrastructure, and to increased levels of child poverty, in appealing to the government to loosen the purse strings and start investing in the country’s future. World Bank figures on government debt as a percentage of GDP shows that Germany is one of the class swots in the developed world, with public debt coming to 52.3 percent of GDP. As a comparison the USA’s public debt is 96.8 percent of GDP and the OECD average is 68.3 percent. And, to Merkel’s credit, Germany manages this while providing free higher education, a national minimum wage and a health care system that ensures no one is left behind.

“Trump’s claim about unimaginable crime levels since the refugee influx of 2015 is even more risible. Crime has been falling in Germany for decades. Since a high point in 1993 of just under 8,500 registered crimes for every 100,000 residents, crime rates have declined and plateaued between 2010 and 2012 at roughly 7,400 registered crimes per 100,000 people. German police figures for 2015 show that the crime rate rose during the year by 4.1 percent to slightly over 6.3 million registered crimes. This came out to just under 7,800 crimes per 100,000 residents.

“But this increase was completely distorted by one statistic: that the huge numbers of refugee arrivals had created an explosion in the number of people illegally entering the country. Take this statistic out and overall crime fell in Germany in 2015 in comparison with 2014 from 7,337 crimes per 100,000 resident to 7,301 per 100,000 residents.

“Crimes committed by migrants, such as sexual assaults in Cologne over New Year (around half of the suspects for which had arrived in Germany in the previous 12 months) and an axe attack on a train in Würzburg in July, have made international headlines. But these only represent a vanishing proportion of overall crime. The fact is in 2015 Germans were safer than they have ever been since the reunification of the country…”

In all fairness, Trump’s comments about Clinton and Merkel were clearly made in the context of immigration and refugees, and NOT in the context of the financial situation in Germany. It is true, however, that the crime rate did not significantly rise because of refugees entering the country. And so, the German anti-Trump reporting continues. Der Spiegel wrote on August 16 that “there can no longer be any doubt that Donald Trump is a liar, narcissist and agitator. As president, he would be a danger for the entire world,” concluding that “Donald Trump represents one of the gravest threats of our time.” It is a fact of life that domestic popularity rises in light of international attacks.

NATO and the USA

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 15:

“The US has long warned its European partners it was losing patience with paying the majority of NATO’s bills. The nomination of Donald Trump has made the threats of a US withdrawal from NATO seem real and present… He pledges if he becomes president, US participation in an Article V operation would depend on whether the ally under attack had ‘fulfilled their obligations’ to the US. It’s unclear whether Trump believes other NATO countries owe money directly to the US for military reassurance, as he also said recently that European allies ‘don’t pay us what they should be paying’ and that he ‘want[s] them to pay.’

“As for whether Trump really would or could pull the US out of NATO, [Reuel Marc Gerecht, a prominent neo-conservative commentator and former CIA officer] speculates a Trump presidency might mean there won’t even be a NATO to quit. ‘Any president has within his powers as commander-in-chief to effectively gut NATO,’ he says. ‘And certainly by simple statements that he’s already made, if he were to make them again after becoming president, that he would not honor Article V, then NATO is de facto defunct.’”

Lying About Having Lied About Lying…

Newsmax wrote on August 15:

“Newt Gingrich on Monday said he was puzzled by the FBI’s decision not to interview Hillary Clinton under oath, but said he’s looking forward to the agency’s notes, which will reportedly be released to Congress.

“As for Clinton’s part in the interview, Gingrich said… ‘This is a person who has lied repeatedly. She lies about lying and now she lies about having lied about lying’…”

How Sick Is Hillary Clinton?

Heat Street wrote on August 15:

“Heat Street has compiled evidence of the media’s growing willingness to touch the forbidden question of the Democratic nominee’s health. Does she need to release those medical records to be straight with the public? What’s going on with Hillary Clinton’s health? That’s a question many people are asking these days. There’s a lot we still don’t know about the mysterious health scare Clinton suffered in December 2012, when she was hospitalized for what was later described as a blood clot on her brain.

“The event was shrugged off as a minor scare, and Hillary eventually returned to work as secretary of state, sporting a pair of very thick spectacles. However, in 2014, Bill Clinton revealed that his wife’s ‘terrible’ health episode ‘required six months of very serious work to get over.’

“Some of Hillary’s behavior over the course of the campaign has been described by observers as ‘erratic’ … leading some critics to raise questions about her current health. Hillary Clinton will turn 69 in October.”

US News added on August 15:

“Fox News, the Drudge Report, and a slew of conservative or conspiracy-theory themed sites on the internet are raising questions about Clinton’s medical fitness to be president… Fox’s Sean Hannity dedicated an entire week to the matter, pointing to an exchange with reporters in which Clinton, Hannity said, did a ‘twitching thing,’ followed by a ‘violent, violent, repetitive jerking of the head.’…

“Dr. Ben Carson, a former GOP presidential candidate himself, wouldn’t declare Clinton’s behavior proof of any specific ailment but did note that ‘as a person gets older, the number of medical conditions that we have to watch for increases,’ and that Clinton should reveal her full medical records. Jane M. Orient, a medical doctor and executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons… is convinced Clinton has something wrong with her… During Clinton’s 11 hours of testimony before Congress on the Benghazi matter – an episode Clinton’s backers point to as an example of her physical endurance – Clinton laughed at length and inappropriately, Orient says, suggesting she was not quite right…”

Even though Trump’s poll numbers are currently dropping, Clinton’s health and her unresolved and still lingering Email scandal (now also involving an investigation of the Clinton Foundation) could change all of this—let alone further terrible events related to terrorism and migration.

Both Flawed… Neither Better Than the Other

Newsmax wrote on August 15:

“Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are flawed and ‘neither is clearly better than the other,’ the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia says… ‘This is depressing and liberating at the same time… Depressing, because it’s proof of how polarized the nation has become. Liberating, because for the honest voter, it’s much easier this year to ignore the routine tribal loyalty chants of both the Democratic and Republican camps …

“‘Neither major candidate lives anywhere near the solar system where most Americans live, work and raise families. Nonetheless, we’re asked to trust them,’ he writes. ‘The next few months will determine the next decade and more of our nation’s life..’”

USA Abrogates Control Over the Internet

The Washington Examiner wrote on August 16:

“The Department of Commerce is set to hand off the final vestiges of American control over the Internet to international authorities in less than two months, officials have confirmed…

“The move means the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, which is responsible for interpreting numerical addresses on the Web to a readable language, will move from U.S. control to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a multistakeholder body based in Los Angeles that includes countries such as China and Russia. Critics of the move, most prominently Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, have pointed out the agency could be used by totalitarian governments to shut down the Web around the globe, either in whole or in part.”

The Washington Post’s Strong Condemnation of President Obama’s Failure to Help Syrians  

The Editorial Board of the Washington Post wrote the following  on August 16:

“‘DEVASTATING AND overwhelming.’ Those are the conditions in the ancient and once-great metropolis of Aleppo, according to the head of delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Marianne Gasser, who was in the Syrian city recently. ‘We hear that dozens of civilians are being killed every day and scores more injured from shells, mortars and rockets,’ Ms. Gasser said. ‘The bombing is constant. The violence is threatening hundreds of thousands of people’s lives, homes and livelihoods.’

“War crimes appear to be near-constant also. The air forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his chief backer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, target apartment buildings, bakeries and – this is their specialty – hospitals and clinics. The United Nations is investigating credible reports that Mr. Assad again has used chemical weapons, in this case chlorine gas. Water has been cut off from hundreds of thousands of people.

“The last surviving physicians in the rebel-held half of Aleppo a few days ago begged President Obama to help. ‘The world has stood by and remarked how “complicated” Syria is, while doing little to protect us,’ they wrote. ‘The burden of responsibility for the crimes of the Syrian government and its Russian ally must therefore be shared by those, including the United States, who allow them to continue.’

“Why would these brave, forlorn doctors look to Mr. Obama for rescue? Perhaps one of them, through the terrible din of war, remembers hearing the president promise to stand by the Syrian people as they were being ‘subjected to unspeakable violence, simply for demanding their universal rights.’ Mr. Obama made his pledge during an address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in April 2012. He boasted that he had decreed, in a first for any U.S. president, that preventing mass atrocities ‘is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States of America.’ That did not mean that the United States would ‘intervene militarily every time there’s an injustice in the world,’ he cautioned. But when it came to Syria, Mr. Obama was clear.

“‘The Syrian people have not given up, which is why we cannot give up,’ Mr. Obama said. ‘And so with allies and partners, we will keep increasing the pressure, with a diplomatic effort to further isolate Assad and his regime, so that those who stick with Assad know that they are making a losing bet.’ Alas, that was many atrocities ago. According to the Red Cross, more than 12 million Syrians – half the prewar population – have been forced from their homes, with millions more under siege. Hundreds of thousands have been killed. Well over 1 million have been wounded. Iran and Russia continue to place their bets on the Assad regime.

“And Mr. Obama no longer pledges to stand with the Syrian people, though he remains clear-eyed about what they are facing. ‘The regime and its allies,’ Mr. Obama observed at a Pentagon news conference this month, are engaged in ‘vicious attacks on defenseless civilians, medieval sieges against cities like Aleppo, and blocking food from reaching families that are starving.’

“But the administration’s response has not changed: a combination of halfhearted support for the rebels, who increasingly gravitate by necessity to more extremist groups; requests to the Russians to behave better; and finger wagging. ‘It is deplorable,’ the president said during his visit to the Pentagon. Small comfort to the people of Aleppo.”

The German mass tabloid, Bild Online, cited and linked the above-stated article, stating that “Obama has failed in Aleppo,” having given “nothing but empty promises.” Quite an assessment of the world’s “most powerful leader.”

Obama’s Drug Enforcement Administration Accused of Heartless and Mad Hypocrisy

SFGate.com wrote on August 15:

“The Drug Enforcement Administration is enduring perhaps the most pronounced round of criticism in its 43 year-history, after a widely discredited decision last week to keep treating marijuana as the most dangerous drug on the planet. Last week, the DEA denied two petitions seeking to change cannabis’ official federal designation as a schedule 1 drug — a label reserved for drugs with ‘no medical use and a high potential for abuse’.

“Pot is considered by the federal government to be as dangerous as heroin or LSD, and more dangerous than prescription painkillers, which cause dozens of fatal overdoses a day. Cannabis has no lethal overdose…

“DEA critics from Washington DC to the heartland are now blasting the DEA, calling the ruling ‘hypocrisy’, ‘absurd’, ‘heartless’ and 2016’s version of the ‘flat Earth’ theory. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s camp immediately stated Clinton would, as president, downgrade cannabis’ status to schedule 2. ‘Marijuana is already being used for medical purposes in states across the country, and it has the potential for even further medical use,’ Maya Harris, a senior policy advisor to Clinton’s campaign, said in a statement, reported by The Denver Post…

“More than half of polled physicians say cannabis should be legal. Bay Area Congresswoman Barbara Lee tweeted: ‘Politicians aren’t doctors or scientists. Marijuana research prohibitions are outdated, unscientific [and] dangerous…’ Trauma neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta, writing for CNN, called the DEA ruling a danger to countless people who will be denied potential therapies from cannabis research.

“Dr. Gupta called the decision hypocrisy, and cited the DEA’s own judge, who almost 30 years ago ruled, ‘In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.’

“The Los Angeles Times editorial board — usually reticent to support pot-related reforms — put the DEA on blast, saying the decision was based on ‘a bizarre circular logic’ that amounts to ‘a different kind of reefer madness. … The DEA opted to keep its policies mired in the 1970s, which will only exacerbate the growing divide between the states and feds.’

“The San Francisco Chronicle’s relatively conservative columnist Debra Saunders opined that ‘really, how can drug warriors who want to make it harder to prescribe opioids also want to make pain-alleviating medical marijuana off-limits? There is only one reason to cling to the status quo — willful institutional blindness.’ Saunders blames President Obama, and said she will vote for California legalization Proposition 64 this Fall. Prop 64 would direct $2 million per year to study medical cannabis in California, beyond the reach of federal prohibition…

“And the Cannabis Business Alliance noted that the DEA profits from federal drug war funding and asset forfeitures related to cannabis prohibition, and so cannot make an unbiased decision about the plant…

“About 700,000 Americans will be arrested for marijuana this year. Pot arrests are the leading type of drug arrest in the nation, and drug arrests are the most frequent arrests police make in America. Blacks in the U.S. are arrested at almost four times the rates of white for pot, despite similar levels of use, the ACLU reports.”

All of this seems to prove willful political money-driven maneuverings of the Obama Administration. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals thwarted the Administration’s unrelenting plans to an extent. Note the next article.

“Ruling: DOJ Can’t Prosecute Medical Marijuana Cases”

Newsmax wrote on August 17:

“The Ninth Circuit’s U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that the Department of Justice could not prosecute medical marijuana suppliers in states where it’s legal, as long as no laws were otherwise broken. ABC News reported that the department has been ordered to show that 10 pending cases in California and Washington state broke laws in those states.

“Marijuana is illegal under federal law — the court of appeals rejected the Justice Department’s idea applied only to states, not individuals who provide medical marijuana to patients. The appeals court disagreed, saying that all federal marijuana defendants can have hearings where they can try to prove that their actions were legal according to state law…

“Marijuana activists and lawyers that represent medical marijuana suppliers said the ruling adds to what they say is a growing call to legalize the drug. Marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in 25 states and the District of Columbia, and is on the ballot in ten states for the November election…

“Oregon Democrat Rep. Earl Blumenauer said that the Justice Department has not been quick to notice that lawmakers want prosecutors to pursue organized drug rings, not medicinal marijuana… In July, Republican delegates chose not to support medical marijuana in the party’s official platform… Earlier, the Democratic Party endorsed a ‘pathway’ that would eventually lead to legalization for the drug.”

Disastrous Obamacare

NBC News wrote on August 16:

“Aetna, the No. 3 U.S. health insurer, on Monday said that due to persistent financial losses on Obamacare plans, it will sell individual insurance on the government-run online marketplaces in only four states next year [Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska and Virginia], down from the current 15 states. Aetna’s decision follows similar moves from UnitedHealth and Humana, which have cited similar concerns about financial losses on these exchanges created under President Barack Obama’s national healthcare reform law… Only about 11 million people have signed up through the exchanges, about half as many as expected…

“Aetna said that the current risk adjustment system, in which the government balances out the costs of sicker than typical populations through payments to insurers, is not adequate. Aetna said that it had a second-quarter pretax loss of $200 million on the individual business and has lost $430 million since the plans first went on sale in 2014.”

Even though Aetna’s position and figures may be questioned, the truth of the matter remains that Obamacare has been a complete disaster from the outset.

ISIS Sleeper Cells in Germany

The Sun wrote on August 12:

“ISIS hit squads and ‘sleeper cells’ intent on waging war on Europe have entered Germany disguised as refugees, a leading spy chief has confirmed. Intelligence agencies also have ‘irrefutable’ evidence they are following a command structure, meaning a coordinated attack like those seen in Paris and Brussels is ‘likely’. This was the chilling warning issued by the deputy head of Bavaria’s spy agency, Manfred Hauser, on the BBC’s Today programme this week.”

IBD Under Surveillance

Deutsche Welle reported on August 12:

“Germany’s Federal intelligence services confirmed on Friday that the right-wing group IBD [“Identity Movement for Germany”] is being monitored in nine of Germany’s 16 states, including Bavaria, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony. ‘We see evidence in the “Identity Movement” of unconstitutional efforts,’ German Intelligence Services Chief Hans-Georg Maassen said.

“The group, which has its roots in France, first arrived in Germany in 2012 and has developed offshoots across Europe. Known for its anti-immigration stance – particularly against Muslims – the German offshoot of the movement first made its presence known online via Facebook and YouTube… In recent months, however, demonstrations and leafleting have also become more common.

“According to German authorities, the IBD believes the current increase in immigration is a conspiracy of the global economy, politics and the media – the objective of which is allegedly to replace ‘Europeans’ with ‘non-European immigrants’ and thus destroy traditional culture.

“The IBD isn’t the first right-wing movement to garner support in Germany in recent months. Anti-Islamization group PEGIDA has been holding almost weekly demonstrations against Islam, refugees and politicians in various German cities since October 2014… Links between the IBD and PEGIDA have already been reported in Germany… Several German states have also reported contact between the IBD and politicians belonging to the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party…”

Military EU Collaboration

Deutsche Welle reported on August 12:

“There is mounting pressure on the Bundeswehr to engage in military action abroad. Operations on home soil are also discussed. To be able to carry out those tasks, the Bundeswehr considers recruitment of EU citizens…

“Since the Bundeswehr was established 61 years ago, only German citizens have been allowed to become soldiers. That’s what Germany’s Military Act provides, and it would have to be changed for the proposed opening to materialize. Until now, the Bundeswehr can incorporate citizens from other nations only on a case-by-case basis…

“By opening up to EU citizens, the Bundeswehr would enter unchartered territory. It has, however, much more experience when it comes to collaborating with soldiers of other EU countries. The German-French Brigade was established in October 1989. August 1995 saw the launch of the German-Dutch Corps. German, French, and Belgian soldiers, among others, collaborate in the Eurocorps. And in 2014, some 2,300 Dutch paratroopers were integrated into the German Division Schnelle Kräfte (Rapid Forces Division).

“This kind of close collaboration is in line with the proposals for a new European foreign policy and security strategy recently submitted by EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini. While it does not advocate an EU army, it does call for closer collaboration and capacity to act when it comes to collective defense, in order to improve the EU’s ability to respond to crises.”

Restrictions of Freedom of Movement in the UK

The EUObserver wrote on July 29:

“British leader Theresa May has said free movement of EU workers to Britain cannot continue as in the past, while visiting Slovakia and Poland on Thursday (28 July). ‘It’s a very clear message that has come from the vote of the British people – they don’t want freedom of movement to be continued in the same way as in the past, they want some level of control’, she told press in Warsaw, referring to the British referendum, in June, on leaving the EU.”

The Death of a True Hero–Wallenberg Was Killed by Russia

JTA wrote on August 16, 2016:

“Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazi gas chambers, was executed in a Soviet prison, according to a KGB head’s diaries. The diaries of Ivan A. Serov, who ran the former Russian secret police and intelligence agency from 1954 to 1958, were discovered inside the walls of his second home in northwestern Moscow, which his granddaughter is now renovating. Discovered four years ago, the diaries were published this summer, The New York Times reported Sunday…

“A 1991 joint Russian-Swedish effort to discover what happened to Wallenberg… found that documents had been destroyed or altered to eliminate all traces of him.

“Wallenberg was posted to Nazi-occupied Hungary during World War II, where he issued protective passports to Jews in the final months of the Holocaust. He disappeared in 1945 after being seen surrounded by Soviet officers in Budapest. The Soviets later claimed Wallenberg had died of heart failure in prison…”

On February 14, 1957, JTA had published a report revealing that an “affidavit of a German businessman incarcerated in the same Moscow prison where Raoul Wallenberg was held apparently was a key factor in inducing the Soviet Government to admit its arrest of the Swedish diplomat… abandon[ing] their previous insistence that Wallenberg was unknown to them and had never been in the Soviet Union.”

Is Russia Preparing for War with Ukraine?

Business Insider wrote on August 17:

“The Pentagon has identified eight staging areas in Russia where large numbers of military forces appear to be preparing for incursions into Ukraine, according to US defense officials. As many as 40,000 Russian troops, including tanks, armored vehicles, and air force units, are now arrayed along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia. Additionally, large numbers of Russian military forces will conduct exercises in the coming days that Pentagon officials say could be used as cover for an attack on Ukraine.

“… over the past several months large numbers of Russian troops and tanks have been moving into eight bases stretching from Yelnya, near Smolensk and northeast of Ukraine, southward through Rostov—a city located very close to eastern Ukraine. Defense officials said it is not clear whether the massing of forces is saber rattling by Moscow designed to coerce Ukraine into accepting the takeover of Crimea or preparations for further conflict….”

“Why Jordan Is the ‘Different’ East”

The Local wrote on August 1:

“Geography may appear to be Jordan’s curse… to the north, civil war in Syria; to the west, unrest and violence between Israel and the Palestinian Territories. To the east and south, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. At first glance, not exactly a peaceful neighbourhood, to put it mildly.

“Geography, though, is in fact Jordan’s blessing… its location – nestled on the edge of the Arabian Peninsula and not far from the Mediterranean – has blessed it with an enviable collection of wonders – natural and manmade – that put the country in a class by itself. If it weren’t for Jordan’s geography, it wouldn’t boast the awe-inspiring rock city of Petra; the spectacular canyons of Wadi Rum and Mujib; the ancient city of Jerash; or Mount Nebo, from where Moses saw The Promised Land; or the site of Jesus’ baptism at Bethany Beyond the Jordan.

“In some ways, Jordan’s distinctiveness comes from simply having been around for a long, long time. But more than that, it’s also how the country has preserved the legacy while at the same time embracing what lies ahead… The sentiment was perhaps best expressed by the late King Hussein, who ruled Jordan for more than four decades until his death in 1999: ‘Jordan has a strange, haunting beauty and a sense of timelessness. Dotted with the ruins of empires once great, it is the last resort of yesterday in the world of tomorrow.’”

Zika Virus on the Rise in Puerto Rico

CBS News reported on August 12:

“The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has reported 1,914 new Zika cases over the past week. Health Secretary Ana Rius said Friday there are 10,690 cases altogether, including 1,035 involving pregnant women. Zika has been tied to severe birth defects.

“The newest statistics were released a day after the U.S. surgeon general visited Puerto Rico and said he expected 25 percent of people on the island will be infected by Zika by year’s end.”

Historic Floods in Louisiana

ABC News reported on August 15:

“President Obama has approved a request from the governor of Louisiana for federal emergency funds to help the state recover from the historic floods that have… submerged thousands of homes and vehicles.”

Reuters used the term, “unprecedented flooding.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 17:

“… a huge clean-up operation got underway in the southern US state of Louisiana on Wednesday, as severe floods receded after a deluge that lasted several days… The American Red Cross described the flooding, which claimed [at least 13] lives and damaged some 40,000 homes, as the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.”

State of Emergency in California Due to Wildfires

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 17:

“California’s latest wildfire mushroomed into an inferno covering more than 120 square kilometers (46 square miles) in just a day, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group said on Wednesday.

“The fast spread of the so-called ‘Blue Cut’ fire led to a mandatory evacuation order for at least 82,000 people due to what authorities described as an ‘imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures.’… More than 1,300 firefighters were battling the fire, utilizing air tankers and helicopters to sweep over the flames from the sky. Local media showed footage of ‘firenadoes’ – tornado-like flaming vortices – that were sent spinning into the air by the sheer strength of the blaze. The newest fire also closed several roads including a major interstate highway linking Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County, just 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Los Angeles, saying the blaze was too big for the region to fight alone. Emergency teams have been battling wildfires throughout California over the past three months, amid a historic drought, and as NASA revealed that July was the 10th month in a row to break the monthly temperature record, becoming the hottest month since records began in 1880.”

UFO Sightings on the Rise

Oigel.com wrote on August 10:

“Europe is under attack after more than 6 UFO sightings in the area… the continent is no stranger to alien sightings in the past. In fact, Winston Churchill had X-Files of his own that are now public.

“UFO sightings are increasing all over the world but in Europe specifically, there is a concentrated occurrence. In the past, alien researchers suggested that aliens are interested in Earth. Hollywood likes to use [them] to their advantage, implying they have violent intentions. However, many believe these aliens to be peaceful observers. It’s not a coincidence that alien sightings occur around natural disasters or global warfare.

“The European nations are going through intense conflict right now which is likely to attract the attention of intelligent life. They find our meaningless violence fascinating, hence the sudden increase in sightings during the violent year of 2016.”

Many times, UFO sightings are natural phenomena, the result of hallucinations and wishful thinking, or merely made-up faked stories. At other times, something “unexplainable” might be observed or even photographed, but we can be sure that these would not be aliens from other planets. Rather, they would be based on demonic activities. That increased sightings are reported in Europe may be significant, as it has been reported that just prior to World War II, Indian gurus claimed that all their powers had gone to Europe.

Japan’s Emperor to Retire?

The Daily Beast wrote on August 8:

“When the Emperor speaks, Japan listens and so does the world. Monday at 3:00 p.m. local time a speech by Emperor Akihito was televised on a date that commemorated no anniversary or major tragedy, as most of his addresses do. Instead it pertained to the very Imperial System itself.

“The Emperor, who is 82, discussed his health, his position as a symbol of the state under Japan’s modern constitution, the hardship of his duties, his love for the people of Japan—and made clear his desire to abdicate the throne in his lifetime in a way that would cause the least amount of turmoil…

“Monday’s speech left little doubt his desire and intent is to step down, if such a thing can be arranged, but more importantly it marks the prelude to what may be an epic battle between the emperor’s successor, Crown Prince Naruhito, and the man some critics call the Clown Prince—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

“Media reports in Japan already are calling the consideration of abdication the current emperor’s final act of resistance against the prime minister, a bid to halt the return to Japan’s aggressive pre-war attitudes and policies…

“Japan’s remilitarization is steadily underway. The weapons industry has been revived; the country is shipping arms.

“The State Security Laws will enable Japan to wage war overseas for the first time since the war ended. And if the ruling coalition somehow fails to alter the pacifist constitution, it will push to pass an emergency powers act, which will give the Prime Minister power to rewrite the laws during a time of crisis—something straight out of the Nazi playbook. (Some members of Abe’s cabinet have a well-known admiration for Hitler’s political stratagems.)…

“Prime Minister Abe and his political allies have long derided Japan’s constitution as a humiliation imposed upon the Japanese people by the United States occupation government, impinging on ‘basic human rights.’”

China Pushes Japan

Reuters wrote on August 9:

“Japan warned China on Tuesday that ties were deteriorating over disputed East China Sea islets, and China’s envoy in Tokyo reiterated Beijing’s stance that the specks of land were its territory and called for talks to resolve the dispute.

“The diplomatic tussle comes amid simmering tension as China builds on outposts in the contested South China Sea, including what appear to be reinforced aircraft hangars, according to new satellite images.

“Ties between Asia’s two largest economies have been strained in recent days since Japan saw a growing number of Chinese coastguard and other government ships sailing near the East China Sea islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

“The flurry of Chinese incursions into the waters follows a period of sustained pressure on China over its activities in the South China Sea, and China’s criticism of what it sees as Japanese interference in that dispute.”

North Korea Threatens Japan

AFP reported on August 8:

“Japan’s newly appointed defence minister on Monday ordered the nation’s military to be ready to destroy any missiles fired by North Korea that threaten the country, local media reported.

“Tomomi Inada issued the order, public broadcaster NHK said, without mentioning any indication that Pyongyang is preparing to launch such a missile.

“Last week Prime Minister Shinzo Abe picked Inada, a close confidante with staunchly nationalist views, as the new defence minister.

“NHK said Inada is expected to renew the readiness order every three months so that Tokyo can seamlessly maintain a state of alert.”

China Militarizes Contested “Islands”

NBC wrote on August 9:

“WASHINGTON — Recent satellite photographs show China appears to have built reinforced aircraft hangars on its holdings in the disputed South China Sea, according to a Washington-based think tank.

“Pictures taken in late July show the hangars constructed on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reefs in the Spratly islands have room for any fighter jet in the Chinese air force, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

“‘Except for a brief visit by a military transport plane to Fiery Cross Reef earlier this year, there is no evidence that Beijing has deployed military aircraft to these outposts. But the rapid construction of reinforced hangars at all three features indicates that this is likely to change,’ CSIS said in a report.

“China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.

“The images have emerged about a month after an international court in The Hague ruled against China’s sweeping claims in the resource-rich region, a ruling emphatically rejected by Beijing.”

South Korea’s Relation With China Sours!

Bloomberg wrote on August 9:

“South Korean President Park Geun Hye has discovered first hand the feeling of getting the cold shoulder from China.

“Under the fluent Mandarin speaker’s watch, South Korea had seen improved ties with China, drawn together in part by concern about Japan’s wartime past and the military ambitions of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Park was the only leader of a U.S. ally to attend a military parade in China last year for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

“Now, relations that were hailed by both countries as the best in history have soured, and Park may get a frosty reception in China next month for the Group of 20 summit. The reason: Her agreement to deploy a U.S. missile shield on Korean soil.

“While South Korea says the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system would be aimed at prickly neighbor North Korea, which has been busy of late test-firing missiles, China has reacted angrily, saying the shield could be applied to it. Russia has also opposed it being stationed in Asia…

“One consequence of the tensions over Thaad could be an arms race in North Asia, with both China and Russia moving to develop more sophisticated weaponry. The deployment may also play into the hands of North Korea, allowing leader Kim Jong-Un to shore up ties with China, its only major ally.”

Vietnam Arms Itself Against China

Reuters wrote on August 10:

“Vietnam has discreetly fortified several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking China’s runways and military installations across the vital trade route, according to Western officials.

“Diplomats and military officers told Reuters that intelligence shows Hanoi has shipped the launchers from the Vietnamese mainland into position on five bases in the Spratly islands in recent months, a move likely to raise tensions with Beijing…

“The move is designed to counter China’s build-up on its seven reclaimed islands in the Spratlys archipelago. Vietnam’s military strategists fear the building runways, radars and other military installations on those holdings have left Vietnam’s southern and island defenses increasingly vulnerable.

“Military analysts say it is the most significant defensive move Vietnam has made on its holdings in the South China Sea in decades.”

We know from biblical prophecies that a powerful collaboration of many Far Eastern nations will form, which will be hostile towards continental Europe. It appears certain that nations such as Russia and China will be part of this confederacy, but it is not clear as to what role some of the other countries will play, which are mentioned in the above-quoted articles. It is therefore important that we watch events in the Far East.  

“US Press Aghast at Trump Gun Remarks”

BBC News reported on August 10:

“Trump’s latest remarks on the possibility of the ‘Second Amendment people’ doing away with his opponent drew immediate outcry… The mainstream US press has largely reacted to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s gun rights remarks with dismay and some anger.

“Most forthright is New York’s Daily News, which declares ‘Trump must go’. ‘Hinting at assassination is too much, even for him,’ it explains. The Wall Street Journal reports a ‘new flap for Trump over gun comments’, saying Mr Trump has ‘confounded the hopes of Republicans who want him to run a more measured presidential campaign.’ The New York Times says ‘Trump suggests gun owners act against Clinton’ and reports ‘alarm’ at his remarks… Veteran commentator Thomas Friedman writes… that this is… ‘how Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin got assassinated’…

“The Washington Post describes a tactic of ‘outrage, headlines and then denial’ in Mr Trump’s campaign speeches, which it says may not serve to attract undecided voters to his cause… It gives space to Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman and MSNBC TV host, who calls for his party to ditch Mr Trump… ‘A bloody line has been crossed that cannot be ignored. At long last, Donald Trump has left the Republican Party few options but to act decisively and get this political train wreck off the tracks before something terrible happens,’ he writes…”

German Government Breaks Neutrality on US Elections

The Local wrote on August 10:

“German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier believes Donald Trump becoming US president would be a ‘frightening’ prospect for the world, his spokeswoman said Wednesday. Steinmeier ‘is not neutral’ on whether the Republican candidate is fit to occupy the Oval Office, the spokeswoman, Sawsan Chebli, told reporters. ‘He is of the opinion that it is frightening, if you follow Trump’s remarks, what could become of this world if Trump actually became president,’ she said. ‘The foreign minister is calling attention to that and that is his right.’

“Die Welt reports that it is the first time that a member of the German government has stated an official position on how they hope the US elections will pan out. However Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, had made his feelings pretty clear already when he compared Trump last week to a ‘hate preacher’, saying he had much in common with ‘fear-mongers’ in Germany’s right-wing populist AfD party as well as advocates of Britain’s exit from the EU.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokeswoman told the same news conference that she would stand by her policy of not commenting on the US election campaign. French President Francois Hollande said Trump makes ‘you want to retch’ following the Republican’s ‘hurtful and humiliating comments’ against the Muslim parents of a slain US soldier who criticised the candidate.

“Trump’s bid to take the White House is reeling from a series of self-inflicted scandals after he disparaged Muslims, babies, firefighters and the military, prompting his Republican stablemates to issue awkward denunciations. He stirred new controversy Tuesday over comments interpreted by some as a threat of violence against rival Hillary Clinton.”

Subsequently, Mr. Trump caused further outrage when he stated repeatedly that President Obama and Hillary Clinton “founded” ISIS.

New Emails May Prove Disastrous for Hillary Clinton

The New York Times wrote on August 9:

“A new batch of State Department emails released Tuesday showed the close and sometimes overlapping interests between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department when Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state.

“The documents raised new questions about whether the charitable foundation worked to reward its donors with access and influence at the State Department, a charge that Mrs. Clinton has faced in the past and has always denied.

“In one email exchange, for instance, an executive at the Clinton Foundation in 2009 sought to put a billionaire donor in touch with the United States ambassador to Lebanon because of the donor’s interests there.

“In another email, the foundation appeared to push aides to Mrs. Clinton to help find a job for a foundation associate. Her aides indicated that the department was working on the request…

“The State Department turned the new emails over to a conservative advocacy group, Judicial Watch, as part of a lawsuit that the group brought under the Freedom of Information Act.

“The documents included 44 emails that were not among some 55,000 pages of emails that Mrs. Clinton had previously given to the State Department, which she said represented all her ‘work-related’ emails…

“Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, charged that Mrs. Clinton ‘hid’ the documents from the public because they appeared to contradict her official pledge in 2009 to remove herself from Clinton Foundation business while leading the State Department…

“The F.B.I. spent more than a year examining Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private email account, but it is not clear how the work of the Clinton Foundation figured into that investigation. James B. Comey Jr., the F.B.I. director, was noticeably circumspect in an appearance last month before the House oversight committee when Republicans questioned whether the investigation had looked at the Clinton Foundation. Twice, he declined to say.”

Breitbart added on August 11:

“While the federal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State was underway, ‘several FBI field offices’ asked the Justice Department to investigate the murky connections between the State Department and the Clinton Foundation, but were shutdown, according to a report by CNN.”

The Storm in Europe Has Just Begun…

The Week wrote on August 5:

“In a world filled with political bunglers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel deserves special mention for outstanding achievement in recklessness. Her refugee policy puts all of Europe at risk, though continental elites may be too zealous in their devotion to humanitarian ideals to recognize it…

“The reason we should look beyond the anecdotes is that focusing on them allows Merkel and her defenders to deflect — to suggest that all of these events are outliers, that they don’t represent a portentous glimpse of the European future, and that those who oppose Merkel’s refugee policy are guilty of racism, xenophobia, and other archaic forms of prejudice that all enlightened Europeans are duty-bound to reject out of hand as a precondition for participation in civilized conversation and debate…

“Recall those overwhelming majorities who say they are unhappy with how the EU has handled the refugee issue. Those are voters who helped pass the Brexit referendum in the U.K. And who nearly elected a far-right anti-EU and anti-immigrant party in Austria just four months ago. And who are now giving that same party the lead in the run-up to the re-run of the election scheduled for October. And who are contributing to a surge in the polls for the far-right National Front in France. And so on and so forth.

“All of these developments are a product of growing unease among European voters, who believe (and not without reason) that their leaders are prone to pursue policies, without popular consultation, that will drastically and negatively affect the quality of life in — and the linguistic, ethnic, economic, and religious character of — their nations. This populist discontent began building long before Merkel instituted her well-meant but profoundly foolish refugee policy, but that policy more than any other in recent memory has galvanized it.

“Having set out, with the best of moral intentions, to act like an extra-political citizen of a world without walls, Angela Merkel has ended up reaping a nationalist whirlwind. And the storm has only just begun to gather.”

Germany Is Granting Islam “Too Much Respect”

Breitbart wrote on August 11:

“Bundestag member Erika Steinbach and Iranian-born pastor Mahin Mousapour called for much stronger sanctions for Muslims who abuse Christians in Germany at a press conference on Monday. Highlighting the fact Christians suffer violence, harassment, and death threats in migrant lodgings, Ms. Mousapour criticised Germany for granting Islam ‘too much respect’.  Declaring anti-Christian hate attacks an affront to German values, politician Erika Steinbach advocated the government deport migrants who insult or attack Christians…

“At the press conference Ms. Mousapour, who converted to Christianity more than 25 years ago, reported that Christians face various forms of persecution in migrant housing.

“Ms Mousapour warned that Christians living in migrant housing are told they are ‘impure as a dog’ and deserved death for rejecting Islam. ‘Toys of Christian children are being destroyed, Christian asylum seekers are told not only to wash their dishes after eating but also that they must clean the entire kitchen as it would otherwise be “unclean”. Many Muslim asylum seekers call all Christians unclean. Church services are held in secret, bibles and crucifixes have to be hidden,’ she explained.

“Ms Mousapour… disclosed that even converts who no longer live in migrant housing attract Muslims’ ire…

“Ms. Steinbach advocated deportation for Muslims who attack or insult Christian migrants on the basis of their religion. A vocal critic of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policy to open Germany’s borders, Ms. Steinbach called for the European Union to set up refugee camps outside the bloc’s external borders. Here, the popular MP said, migrants would ‘stay until the war is over, then go back home’…

“During the Islamic month of fasting, migrant shelters in Germany catered to Muslim eating schedules, with Christians receiving only leftovers…

“Ms. Mousapour commented: ‘We are here in Germany, in a Christian country! We must not allow others to change that.’”

Strict Measures in Germany to Increase Security

The Telegraph wrote on August 10:

“Senior ministers in Germany have called for a ban on burqas and an end to dual citizenship in response to the threat from terrorism. Angela Merkel’s government is preparing to unveil increased security measures in the wake of recent terror attacks.

“Thomas de Maiziere, the country’s interior minister, is to detail a series of new proposals on Thursday, including the deportation of preachers who incite terrorism. But senior elected officials from Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU) believe the new measures do not go far enough, and have published a series of more far-reaching proposals… The document, already known as the Berlin Declaration, has already been signed by state interior ministers across Germany.

“It includes 27 measures to increase security, including thousands of new police officers and video camera surveillance in city centres. But the most controversial proposals are the calls for a ban on the full-face veil in public and an end to dual citizenship. Unlike some European countries, Germany has no restrictions on the wearing of burqas or headscarves in public… The declaration calls for an end to dual citizenship… ‘We reject this divided loyalty,’ the declaration reads. ‘We suggest whoever wants to get involved with the politics of foreign governments leaves Germany.’”

The Local added on August 11:

“German citizens with dual nationality who fight for a terror group should be stripped of their German citizenship, the interior minister said Thursday, unveiling tough new measures after two attacks by Islamic State militants. ‘Germans who participate in fighting abroad for a terror militia and who have another citizenship should lose their German nationality,’ Thomas de Maiziere said…

“But the proposal is controversial. Green lawmaker Volker Beck swiftly condemned it as ‘desperate activism’. De Maiziere himself also acknowledged that junior coalition partner the Social Democrats is likely to raise objections.”

Turkey Does Not Belong in the EU

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 4:

“Autocracies have no place in the European Union… By suggesting Wednesday that talks on Turkey joining the European Union should be reconsidered, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern is just saying what all responsible politicians at EU headquarters in Brussels have known for quite some time: Accession talks with Turkey should be ended. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has also admitted that Turkey will not be ready for membership for years to come.

“Eleven years ago, EU member states still hoped that then EU-friendly Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan could steer a Muslim Turkey into the EU as a modern democracy and a developing economic power within a decade. At the time, EU members politely ignored his claims that Turkey would one day dominate the bloc… Today, the vision has vanished. President Erdogan has gone from being a reformer to being an autocratic president, who undermines the rule of law, curtails freedoms of the press and expression and has most recently begun using emergency laws to prepare for the transformation of the Turkish state into a presidial, autocratic regime…

“Erdogan and the state that he has created are truly unfit for membership. He is no longer even willing to join. In 2014, long before last month’s attempted coup, Erdogan said that he ‘didn’t care’ if the EU accepted Turkey or not. At the time he was incarcerating undesirable journalists with the help of a compliant judicial system.

“Nevertheless, the European Union still clings to the decision it made long ago to continue membership negotiations no matter what the outcome. Why? Especially when everyone knows that they will never lead to Turkish membership?… the willingness of many of the EU’s member states to welcome 80 million people from another cultural sphere is also severely limited. Erdogan himself has complained that Europeans don’t want the Turks just because they are Muslims. There is some truth to that. Above all, skeptical EU citizens would not want Turks that – like Erdogan – see Islam as a superior ideology and contemptuously refer to the EU as a ‘Club of Christians.’…

“In actuality, accession talks have been at a standstill for years. Indeed, they never really started. That’s because Turkey, since 2005, has steadfastly refused to recognize the EU membership of Cyprus, of which, contrary to international law, Turkey currently occupies the northern half. All attempts to find a solution to the issue have failed due to Turkish resistance. For that reason alone, membership negotiations make no sense at all.

“The formal burial of accession talks demands a presumably difficult-to-achieve decision from EU heads of state and government. Turkey’s membership chances died long ago. The beautiful dream of a European Turkey has burst like a soap bubble.”

Turkey and Russia Vow “Friendship”

The New York Times reported on August 9:

“Against a backdrop of rising tensions between Turkey and the West, Presidents Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey pledged on Tuesday to repair relations after nine months of open antagonism.

“Although their meeting in St. Petersburg on Tuesday produced little beyond vows of friendship and cooperation, the symbolism of the two former antagonists coming together for a friendly talk was enough to raise alarms in Western capitals. Besides being a member of the NATO alliance, Turkey is vital to Europe’s efforts to stanch the flow of migrants from Syria and Afghanistan.

“Washington and Ankara, long at odds over American support of the Kurds in Syria and Iraq, have had a series of problems lately. Anti-Americanism has been on the rise in Turkey, amid accusations that the United States played a role in the failed coup in Turkey and widespread resentment of the White House’s criticism of the resulting crackdown.”

Ukraine on Highest Alert

Newsmax wrote on August 11:

“Vladimir Putin summoned his security council and the Russian Navy announced war games in the Black Sea a day after the Russian president accused Ukraine of trying to provoke a conflict over Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed in 2014…

“Using some of his most aggressive rhetoric against Kiev since the height of the war two years ago, Putin has pledged to take counter-measures against Ukraine, which he accused of sending saboteurs into Crimea to carry out terrorist acts.

“Ukraine has called the accusations false and says they look like a pretext for Russia to escalate hostilities…

“Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he had ordered all Ukrainian units near Crimea and in eastern Ukraine onto the highest state of combat readiness. He was seeking to urgently speak to Putin, the leaders of France and Germany, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and European Council President Donald Tusk.

“In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said the United States was extremely concerned and called on both sides to reduce tension and rhetoric. In New York, the U.N. Security Council held a closed-door meeting at Ukraine’s request to discuss the growing tensions.

“Ukrainian U.N. Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko warned that Russia had amassed more than 40,000 troops in the region and said the build-up could reflect ‘very bad intentions.’”

UK’s Prisons Aren’t Big Enough to Jail All Paedophiles!

The Independent wrote on August 8:

“One of the most senior police officers in the UK has called for greater debate about treating paedophiles rather than sending them to prison, amid concerns there is not enough space in prisons to jail them all.

“Chief Superintendent Gavin Thomas, president of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales issued the warning and called for a ‘rethink’ on current approaches to sex offenders, The Times reports.

“Currently, there are close to 45,000 names on the sex offenders’ register. The list contains details of people convicted of sexual offences and is used to monitor offenders following their release from prison. It has been steadily increasing since it was established in 1997.

“Mr Thomas said: ‘One of the major concerns from our members is managing the register already, and it’s growing. For offenders at the highest level there are visits to be made [and] monitoring access to the internet.’

“He added that there is not enough room in prisons to jail all child sex offenders and called for discussion of alternatives: ‘Should we be going down the criminal justice route or, based on a proper assessment, should we be going down the health route? At the moment I am not seeing alternative thinking on how we deal with this issue as it grows and grows and grows’…

“Of 86,200 people who are currently in jail, around 11,500 have been convicted of a sexual offence.”

France Fights “Islamism”

Express wrote on August 2:

“French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says the country is to shut down mosques, cut foreign funding and police the content delivered in sermons in a massive crackdown on Islamic fundamentalism… The comments come following the murder of 86-year-old French Catholic priest Father Jacques Hamel who was killed on the altar during morning mass last Tuesday and three separate massacres in the country in just over a year.

“In a newspaper interview Prime Minister Valls says the Republic has been forced to intervene to drive out the ‘poison’ of radical Islamism. And he has announced plans to shut down mosques supporting Salafism, an ultra-orthodox religious-political ideology based on a belief in ‘physical’ jihadism practised by some followers of the Sunni faith.

“He said: ‘All Salafists are not jihadists … but almost all are jihadist Salafists… The places of worship that house preachers will be closed systematically… France must become a European centre of excellence in the teaching of Islamic theology.’

“France is also considering legislation that will allow it to remove and expel dual national citizens.”

France to Establish a National Guard 

Stratfor published on July 28:

“France will establish a national guard to help in the fight against terrorism, a statement from President Francois Hollande said July 28, France 24 and AFP reported. According to the statement, parliamentary consultations on the creation of the force — which will reportedly be made up of volunteers from the police, the security forces and the military — will take place in September. Hollande said he hoped the National Guard would be in place sometime in early fall. France has not had a national guard since the last iteration of the force was disbanded in 1872, but the country’s government is trying to reassure a nervous public that it is acting to counter the terrorist threat.”

Germany to Deploy Armed Soldiers in Germany

Daily Mail.com wrote on August 3:

“Germany is on the verge of smashing one of the last post-Nazi taboos by deploying armed soldiers on the streets in peacetime to combat terrorism.

“The Munich massacre has triggered a new security debate which includes stiffer gun laws and the use of troops in force…

“Keeping soldiers in their barracks has been a central tenet of postwar German domestic policy following the demise of Nazism.

“But after Friday’s slaughter – and an earlier incident where a refugee attacked passengers on a commuter train with an axe and a knife – the Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann says soldiers must join in the anti-terror fight in the same way as they do in France.

“’We are facing extreme situations,’ said Herrmann. ‘We do not live in the time of the Weimar Republic now,’ he said referring to Germany’s post-WW1 experiment with democracy which failed spectacularly and led directly to the rise of the Nazis.

“He said that historical reservations about armed soldiers on the streets were no longer applicable, adding: ‘We are an absolutely stable democracy.’

“But he said the decision when and where to deploy the Bundeswehr (army) must rest solely with the police.

“He went on: ‘The Bundeswehr can be deployed under the leadership of the German states who are responsible for internal security to protect the citizens.’

“In tandem with this plan are new discussions in Berlin about tightening Germany’s already strict gun laws.”

Even London Adds Armed Patrols

Sky News reported on August 3:

“Increased numbers of armed officers are to mount patrols across London, including at major landmarks, in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Europe.

“Revealing plans for the heightened visible presence on the streets of the capital, Met Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said it would be ‘foolish to ignore’ the recent atrocities on the continent.

“The extra specialist officers were there to ‘confront terrorists’ and were ‘prepared to deal with the worst situations’, he insisted.

“But the main police union has warned that it could be two years before the promised extra firearms officers are operational.

“Police Federation of England and Wales chairman Steve White said the ‘best case scenario’ would be 24 months to get the additional 1,500 marksmen in place.

“With the terror threat level in the UK ranked as severe, Sir Bernard stressed the need for vigilance with an attack ‘highly likely’.

“He was speaking after warning that a terror attack in Britain was a case of ‘when, not if’.

“The extra armed police on patrol form the first wave of a move to increase the number of firearms officers in London by 600.”

Japan’s New Defense Minister

The Associated Press wrote on August 3:

“A woman who has downplayed Japan’s wartime actions and is known for far-right views was named defense minister in a Cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, a move that could unsettle Tokyo’s relations with Asian neighbors with bitter memories of its World War II-era atrocities.

“Tomomi Inada, a former reform minister who most recently was policy chief in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, replaced Gen Nakatani as defense minister. She is the second female to fill the post…

“A lawyer-turned-lawmaker with little experience in defense, Inada is one of Abe’s favorites. She regularly visits Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war dead including convicted war criminals, a gesture seen as an endorsement of Japan’s militaristic past.

“She also has defended Japan’s wartime atrocities, including forcing many Asian women into sexual servitude in military-run brothels, and has led a party committee to re-evaluate the judgment of war tribunals led by the victorious Allies.

“Her link to a notorious anti-Korea group was acknowledged by a court this year in a defamation case she lost. Inada also was seen posing with the leader of a neo-Nazi group in a 2011 photo that surfaced in the media in 2014.

“Inada, 57, is a supporter of Abe’s long-cherished hope to revise Japan’s Constitution. She has said parts of the war-renouncing Article 9 should be scrapped, arguing that they could be interpreted as banning Japan’s military.”

Merkel Must Go

Daily Mail wrote on July 31:

“Merkel’s premiership is hanging by a thread today as thousands gathered to call for her resignation while a key political ally dramatically withdrew his support over immigration policy.

“More than 5,000 protested in Berlin and thousands more throughout Germany over the ‘open-door’ policy that many have blamed for four brutal terrorist attacks that left 13 dead over the last month. The Chancellor faced a fresh wave of fury after it emerged that two recent terror attacks and a third killing were carried out by men who entered the country as refugees.

“Despite the massive waves of criticism, Merkel defended her policy this week, dramatically proclaiming ‘we can do it’ as she pledged not to let the violent acts guide political decisions. But now her key ally in Bavaria – which bore the brunt of the attacks – has launched a fresh attack on her leadership, distancing his party from Merkel and straining the coalition that keeps her in power.

“Horst Seehofer, the conservative premier of Bavaria, said he did not share Merkel’s ‘we can do it’ credo on accommodating the almost 1.1 million migrants and refugees who arrived in 2015. Seehofer, who leads the Christian Social Union, the sister party to Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats, said today ‘”We can do this” – I cannot, with the best will, adopt this phrase as my own.’

“Speaking after a meeting with the Bavarian government in Tegernsee, he added that the solutions to date were ‘too inadequate.’ Stressing he had no wish to start a quarrel with Merkel’s party, Seehofer said it was important to look ‘reality’ in the face.

“A new survey found that 83 per cent of Germans see immigration as their nation’s biggest challenge – twice as many as a year ago. Recent attacks have fuelled the right-wing movement, which has long called for stricter immigration controls, particularly in Bavaria, where she faces heavy criticism from high-profile politicians…

“Jens Spahn, deputy finance minister and a senior member of Merkel’s conservatives, said that integrating the refugees was a Herculean task but the government needed to put more pressure on those new arrivals unwilling to make an effort to fit in. ‘A ban on the full body veil – that is the niqab and the burka – is overdue,’ he told daily Die Welt. ‘My impression is that we all underestimated a year ago what would come upon us with this big refugee and migration movement.’”

Trump: Accept Russia’s Annexation of Crimea

The Associated Press reported on July 31:

“Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is suggesting the U.S. accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea if it would lead to better relations with Moscow and stronger cooperation in fighting Islamic State militants. In an interview Sunday on ABC’s ‘This Week,’ Trump suggested that the people of Crimea would rather be part of Russia. That runs counter to the Obama administration, which imposed economic sanctions against Russia for annexing the territory in Ukraine two years ago.

“The United Nations doesn’t want countries to recognize Crimea as part of Russia, and some top Republicans are staunchly defending Crimea against what they say is Russian aggression.”

Embarrassing—Trump Tries to “Explain” His Comments

The Associated Press wrote on August 1:

“Donald Trump is trying to explain comments that suggested he wasn’t aware that Russian troops were in Ukraine. In an interview on ABC Sunday, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ‘not going into Ukraine.’ He added ‘You can mark it down. You can put it down.’

“Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has backed pro-Russian separatists in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Western governments accuse Russia of sending troops and weapons to Ukraine, but Moscow denies that. Trump tweeted Monday that Putin is not going into Ukraine ‘if I am president. Already in Crimea!’

“In another tweet, he said that ‘with all of the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push. That’s what I said!’”

Trump in Hot Water… Again

The Independent wrote on August 2:

“Mr Trump has become embroiled in another controversy after he was criticised by the parents of a slain Muslim-American soldier… Mr McCain, who has issued only a lukewarm endorsement of Mr Trump and is fighting a tough re-election battle for the Senate, said he could not ’emphasise enough how deeply I disagree with Mr Trump’s statement’. ‘While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us,’ Mr McCain said in a statement on Monday…

“The controversy surrounding Mr Trump and the Khans relates to an appearance by the couple last week at the Democratic National Convention. In one of the most keenly watched addresses, Mr Khan said the Republican presidential nominee had smeared Muslims while sacrificing nothing himself.

“Two days later, Mr Trump added fresh fuel to the issue when he appeared to suggest that Ms Khan had not spoken during the convention because she had been prohibited from doing so. He appeared to suggest this was because she was a Muslim woman.”

Hillary Clinton Slammed for Lying to Fox News

Newsmax wrote on August 1:

“Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has been severely criticized for her insistence on Fox News Sunday that FBI Director James Comey said her statements on her email scandal were truthful. The criticism against her is even more significant because it is being spearheaded by The Washington Post, which has made it clear that it prefers her to win the election over Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“When Fox News host Chris Wallace noted that Comey said her repeated claims that she never sent or received material marked classified using her personal email server were not true, Clinton said: ‘That’s not what I heard Director Comey say… [he] said that my answers were truthful and what I’ve said is consistent with what I have told the American people, that there were decisions discussed and made to classify retroactively certain of the emails.’

“The Washington Post gave Clinton four Pinocchios for that statement, its worst ranking for truthfulness in its Fact Checker… The newspaper also ripped Clinton apart for claiming that the information was not classified at the time. ‘As for retroactive classification of emails, Comey did say many emails were retroactively classified. But he also said that some emails were classified at the time — and Clinton and her aides should have been aware of that.’

“There were plenty of other public figures who also took Clinton to task for the statements. One such example was Sen. Ben Sasse, who posted on his Twitter account a repudiation of Clinton and gave a link to a YouTube posting that shows his address to the Senate in which he posted Clinton’s statements alongside those of Comey’s to illustrate that she lied about many features of the scandal.”

Harambe for President?

Dailycaller.com reported on August 1:

“A recent poll found that five percent of Americans would vote for Harambe as president if he ran as an independent candidate in the 2016 election.

“Conducted by Public Policy Polling in late July, the poll asked 1,276 likely voters about their various political stances, including their opinions on Barack Obama, Tim Kaine, and Harambe — the infamous gorilla who was shot and killed by a zooworker in May.

“Question 10 asked, ‘If the candidates for President were Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, and independent Harambe, who would you vote for?’

“Forty eight percent of respondents said they would vote for Clinton, while 43 percent said they would vote for Trump. Four percent were conflicted by the daunting choice— they answered ‘not sure’ — and the final five percent opted for Harambe the gorilla.”

Pro-Erdogan Demonstration in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 31:

“Tens of thousands of people came to Cologne to attend a series of rallies in reaction to the recent coup attempt in Turkey…

“The abundance of images of Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party, which he founded in 2001, made it clear, however, that many of those gathered were there to cheer on the leader. Many protesters expressed disappointment, even indignation, at the fact that the Turkish president was not allowed to speak to the congregated crowd via video link. A court order issued the previous day had prevented Erdogan from taking part in this way.

“… there were even calls for the reintroduction of the death penalty in Turkey…

“Though those attending the rally also knew every word to the Turkish national anthem, which was played at the start of the events, fewer appeared to be able to competently recall the lyrics to the German national anthem, which followed immediately thereafter…

“Home to about 3 million Turks or people of Turkish descent, Germany has the biggest Turkish population outside of Turkey… A series of counterdemonstrations also filled the streets of Cologne during the day. The police said the scene at these smaller rallies bordered on ‘tense’ at times…  Those supporting Erdogan’s cause echoed his sentiments in the streets of Cologne, while those who truly oppose him likely opted to stay at home.”

Germany Demonized in Turkey

The Local wrote on August 1:

“No European country is more important in relations with Turkey than Germany – home to the world’s largest Turkish diaspora – but in Turkish media Germany is currently being demonized. Whenever there is tension in relations between Ankara and Berlin, Turkish news editors love to fall back on the well-worn cliche of the Third Reich.

“A day after German authorities prohibited Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan from speaking to tens of thousands of his supporters in Cologne via video link, the reaction was the same. On Monday, Aksam newspaper went with a headline in all caps that read ‘Heil Merkel.’ Next to it was a picture of the Chancellor sporting a Hitler moustache and raising her right arm in a Nazi salute. The publication is one of those which studiously toe the line of Erdogan’s AKP party. Another is Yeni Akit, which went with the even more shrill ‘Germany is not our friend, it’s our enemy’ as its Monday headline…

“Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu threatened on Monday to cancel a controversial deal on refugees that Turkey signed with the EU in March if the EU didn’t offer Turkish citizens visa-free travel into Europe. That he chose to make this statement to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is not likely to be a coincidence – Ankara knows full well that Merkel was the main architect of the pact along with former Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who had subsequently been forced out if his post.

“Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel reacted angrily later on Monday saying ‘under no circumstance will Germany, or Europe, let itself be blackmailed.’

“Another weight on the taut string of bilateral relations is the decision of German parliamentarians to pass a resolution recognizing the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915-16 as genocide. When the resolution was put to a vote on June 2nd, Turkish media also did not hold back with the Nazi comparisons. The Turkish government meanwhile has completely ignored Germany’s ambassador ever since.

“The dispute over the demonstration in Cologne has shown just how low relations have sunk. One statement in particular in the build up to the Cologne rally made it clear just how bad things have become. The Cologne chief of police said that he had successfully managed to prevent Turkish foreign minister Cavusoglu from attending the event in person… talking about the highest diplomat of a NATO ally…”

Breitbart added on July 31:

“Around 50,000 supporters of Turkey’s Islamist president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have rallied in Cologne, Germany to demand his authoritarian reign continues…

“The Islamist crowd chanted ‘Allah hu Akbar!’ and held signs reading, ‘Erdoğan is a human rights activist’, whilst opponents waved banners insisting ‘Stop the Erdomania!’ Members of the Turkish-nationalist, fascist-leaning ‘Grey Wolves’ group were among the crow…

“Some Germans reacted furiously to the huge Islamist rally in the country’s fourth largest city, and groups ranging from far-left ‘anti-fascists’, neo-Nazis and Kurdish separatists held counter-demonstrations. One angry Cologne resident was caught on video insulting the supporters of political Islam, calling them ‘crazy’ and ‘fascists’.”

Turkey’s Fight Against Christians

Express wrote on July 31:

“Turkey, which once boasted two million Christians, has barely 120,000 now, fewer even than Iran. But what shocked people most about July 15’s attacks was how much hatred still remains after almost 10 years.

“Though it is nominally a secular republic there can be little doubt that the government and Turkey’s 117,000 Sunni imams work together. Since the night of the failed coup, imams have been chanting the Selah prayer, usually reserved to announce a death, on a daily basis as a rally call.”

Joe Biden Officiates a Gay Wedding

The Associated Press wrote on August 2:

“Vice President Joe Biden has officiated a gay wedding, a first for the early proponent of same-sex marriage. Biden presided over the union of Joe Mahshie and Brian Mosteller, both longtime White House aides. The White House says the couple asked Biden to officiate. Biden has never officiated a wedding before, so he got a special temporary certification from the District of Columbia to make it legal…

“Biden publicly backed gay marriage in 2012 in the run-up to President Barack Obama’s re-election. The announcement put pressure on Obama to declare his own support shortly after.”

Navy to Name Ship After Gay Activist

The New York Times reported on July 29:

“In a sign of changing times for the American military, the Navy plans to name a ship for Harvey Milk, the gay rights leader and San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated in 1978.

“Ray Mabus, the secretary of the Navy, has notified Congress that he will name a fleet oiler for Mr. Milk, the first openly gay elected official in a major American city. The notice was reported by USNI News on Thursday and was confirmed Friday by a Navy official.

“The move comes five years after President Obama ended the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, a move that allowed gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve openly. Last month, the Pentagon lifted restrictions on transgender people serving openly.

“Gay rights activists and friends of Mr. Milk in San Francisco were already celebrating the long-awaited news. In 2012, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution calling on Mr. Mabus to name a ship for Mr. Milk, who served in the Navy from 1951 to 1955.

“Mr. Milk has been the subject of books, movies, a postage stamp and an opera. He was played by Sean Penn in the 2008 movie ‘Milk,’ for which Mr. Penn won an Oscar for best actor. A 1984 documentary, ‘The Times of Harvey Milk,’ also won an Academy Award.”

German Refugee Policy Under Fire after a Week of Bloodshed

The Associated Press wrote on July 25:

“Four attacks in a week, three of them carried out by asylum seekers, have left Germany on edge and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policies of welcoming refugees under renewed criticism. The unprecedented bloodshed began July 18, when a 17-year-old from Afghanistan wielding an ax attacked people on a train near Wuerzburg, wounding five people before he was shot to death by police. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

“On Sunday, a 21-year-old Syrian [refugee] used a knife to kill a 45-year-old Polish woman in the southern city of Reutlingen. Authorities said assailant and victim knew each other from working in the same restaurant, and the incident was not related to terrorism.

“Also Sunday, a 27-year-old Syrian who was denied asylum detonated a backpack of explosives and shrapnel at the entrance to an outdoor music festival in Ansbach, killing himself and wounding 15 people. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, and German security officials said a video on the attacker’s phone shows him pledging allegiance to the extremists.

“The deadliest attack came Friday night in Munich. The German-born, 18-year-old son of Iranian asylum seekers went on a shooting spree and killed nine people. The youth had obsessively researched mass shootings, and authorities said the attack does not appear to be linked to Islamic extremists. The violence followed an attack in the French Riviera by a Tunisian truck driver who plowed his vehicle into a Bastille Day crowd, killing 84 people in Nice.

“Experts say the attacks are likely to inflame anti-foreigner sentiment in Germany, creating a challenge for Merkel’s government. Merkel could now face increased calls for tighter border security and greater vetting of arrivals… Anxiety over Germany’s ability to cope with last year’s flood of more than 1 million registered asylum seekers first surged following a series of sexual assaults and robberies in Cologne during New Year celebrations. The crimes, which prosecutors said were committed largely by foreigners, fueled anti-immigrant sentiment and helped bolster support for the populist, anti-Islam AfD (Alternatives for Germany) party in three regional elections…

“On Monday, the AfD criticized Merkel’s administration, saying that under “the current ideology of a dangerous “multiculturalism,” the country’s domestic security and the order of Germany keeps getting destroyed.’ Social media criticism of Merkel was especially harsh, with some people condemning her for accepting hundreds of thousands of migrants last year.

“Merkel tried to calm the mood over the weekend by saying the security services will ‘do everything possible to protect the security and freedom of all people in Germany.’ Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said most asylum seekers had come to Germany to escape persecution, and it was important to remember that only a tiny minority had links to terrorism. It would be wrong, he told the Funke newspaper group, to put all of them under ‘general suspicion, even if there are investigations in individual cases.’…

“Nonetheless, ‘people in Germany are scared,’ said Rainer Wendt, the head of the police union DPolG. ‘Last year, we gave up control of our borders and instructed police not to check everything that should have been checked,’ Wendt said in an interview on German broadcaster N-TV. ‘There was also this welcome culture, which stopped us clearly seeing that some people have come here who are up to no good, or who are so psychologically unstable that they pose a considerable threat.’

“Armin Nassehi, a sociologist at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, said that among the one million asylum seekers who were registered in Germany last year, ‘there’s a big number of traumatized people who know nothing but violence — that’s a fact one cannot ignore.’ He pointed out that ‘most people who commit Islamist acts of terror are also psychologically unstable.’

“Asked why there were so many attacks in such a short time, Nassehi suggested some of the attackers may be copycats, saying that ‘images of violence produce further violence.’ Asked how similar attacks could best be prevented, de Maiziere said it was important to ensure that new arrivals be well-integrated quickly into German society.”

Deadly Terror Attack in France

JTA wrote on July 26:

“An attack on a Catholic church in northern France that saw an 84-year-old priest killed is an attack against all religions, the head of the European Jewish Congress said. Two assailants who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State also critically wounded at least one other person during the Tuesday morning attack in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, a suburb of Rouen about 65 miles northwest of Paris. They shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’…  before slitting the priest’s throat, according to reports.

“The terrorists were shot and killed after taking the priest, two nuns and two parishioners hostage during morning Mass. Following the siege, the Islamic State claimed the two men as its ‘soldiers.’ ‘An attack against a religious institution and a man of God is an attack against all religions and faith itself,’ Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, said in a statement following the attack. ‘This dastardly attack will only strengthen our resolve to defeat the enemy of Islamist terrorism. This attack targets us all decent Europeans, Christians, Jews and Muslims alike,’ he said.

“Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called on the free world to ‘fight to defend’ our values. ‘This attack shows the true face of the brutal nature and horror of terrorism,’ he said. ‘This is an attack by radical extremists, terrorists, who have struck at the very symbol of peace and murdered in cold blood in a house of God, while they pretend to speak in His name.’”

Donald Trump: “French and Germans to Face ‘Extreme Vetting’ Entering the US”

The Telegraph wrote on July 24:

“Donald Trump has suggested terrorist attacks in France and Germany were their ‘own fault’ and citizens of those ‘compromised’ countries could be subject to ‘extreme vetting’ before entering the United States.

“Mr Trump was giving more detail about a policy he announced in his Republican convention speech on Thursday. When asked in an interview with NBC News if that might lead to a point when not a lot of people from overseas are allowed in, the Republican presidential nominee said: ‘Maybe we get to that point.’ He said France and Germany had ‘totally’ been compromised by terrorism.

“Mr Trump said: ‘You know why? It’s their own fault because they allowed people to come into their territory. ‘We have to have tough, we’re going to have, tough standards. If a person can’t prove what they have to be able to prove they’re not coming into this country.’

“He added: ‘That’s why Brexit happened OK? Because the UK is saying “We’re tired of this stuff, what’s going on? We’re tired of it.” Here’s my plan, here is what I want, extreme vetting.’”

Newsmax added on July 24:

“Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is calling changes to his proposed ban on foreigners entering the U.S. from countries ‘compromised by terrorism’ an ‘expansion’ of his Muslim ban. That expansion could even include allies like France and Germany, Trump said Sunday during a TV interview… Originally a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S., Trump changed his plan to one that focused on countries compromised by terrorism.

“‘I’m looking now at territory,’ he told moderator Chuck Todd… ‘And I would stop the Syrian migration and a Syrian from coming into this country in two seconds.’ Todd raised the point that allies like France and Germany with large Muslim populations have also produced home-grown terrorists. Would they be included in the ban, he asked. ‘We have problems in Germany and France,’ Trump said… ‘It’s their fault because they allowed people over years to come into their territory and that’s why Brexit happened,’ Trump said… ‘You can get to the point where you’re not allowing a lot of people to come into this country,’ Todd pointed out. ‘Maybe we get to that point.’’”

The Local wrote on July 24:

“‘I’m going to be coming out over the next few weeks with a number of the places [which have been compromised by terrorism],’ said Trump… ‘People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can’t use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I’m okay with that because I’m talking territory instead of Muslim,’ he said. ‘Just remember this,’ Trump said. ‘Our Constitution is great. But it doesn’t necessarily give us the right to commit suicide, okay? Now, we have a religious, you know, everybody wants to be protected. And that’s great. And that’s the wonderful part of our Constitution. I view it differently.’”

As all of these comments show, it is often quite difficult to figure out what Donald Trump is actually saying, and what he may mean. But if he is serious about denying German and French tourists entry to the USA, as they would be coming from countries or “territories” that have “totally been compromised by terrorism,” and because they “can’t prove what they have to be able to prove” (whatever that means), then this concept might help him to get more votes at the Presidential election, but it would be a bombshell of such magnitude in Europe that especially France and Germany would quickly unite in opposing and fighting Donald Trump as US President. Donald Trump is already extremely disliked in much of Europe, but such a policy, as indicated by Trump, would be considered as a hostile attack against Germany and France and the last nail of the coffin. It would, of course, be in total harmony with prophesied events, which predict a total deterioration of the relationship between Europe and the USA, which would ultimately contribute to the beginning of World War III.

Being aware of the absolutely explosive nature of Trump’s somewhat predictable comments, the Associated Press reported on July 25 that “Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, played down the potential effects of Trump’s call for ‘extreme vetting’ for people coming from France and Germany. Manafort said the US will have an easier time screening people from those countries because of long-standing ‘cooperative agreements.’”  However, one must ask what Trump really means, because his vague indications are great cause for alarm in Europe. The German press (for instance, Die Welt and Focus) paid much attention to Trump’s comments.

Trump: “Can’t Go Into World War III for NATO”

On July 26, Newsmax published an article with the following headline: “Trump: Can’t Go Into World War III for NATO Allies Who Don’t Pay.”

The article continued:

“GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of NATO allies not paying while expecting the United States to protect them…  ‘We are funding 73 percent of the cost of NATO,’ he said. ‘They have an agreement to reimburse us and pay us and they are not doing it … And then we are supposed to get into World War III.’”

Head of Democratic Party Resigns in Disgrace

Reuters wrote on July 24:

“The head of the Democratic Party resigned on Sunday amid a furor over embarrassing leaked emails, hoping to head off a growing rebellion by Bernie Sanders supporters on the eve of the convention to nominate Hillary Clinton for the White House. Lingering bitterness from the heated primary campaign between Clinton and Sanders erupted after more than 19,000 Democratic National Committee emails, leaked on Friday, confirmed Sanders’ frequent charge that the party played favorites in the race.

“In a statement, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the best way for the party to accomplish its goal of putting Clinton in the White House was for her to step aside. Sanders had demanded earlier in the day that Wasserman Schultz resign. The furor was a blow to a party keen on projecting stability in contrast to the volatility of Republican candidate Donald Trump, who was formally nominated at a raucous convention in Cleveland last week.

“It also overshadowed preparations in Philadelphia for Clinton’s coronation as the nominee to face Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election…

“The cache of emails leaked on Friday by the WikiLeaks website disclosed that DNC officials explored ways to undermine Sanders’ insurgent presidential campaign, including raising questions about whether Sanders, who is Jewish, was really an atheist…

“The Clinton camp questioned whether Russians may have had a hand in the hack attack on the party’s emails and were interested in helping Trump, who has exchanged words of praise with Russian President Vladimir Putin… Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort said the Clinton camp was trying to distract from its party discord… ‘What’s in those emails show that it was a clearly rigged system, that Bernie Sanders … never had a chance.’”

Subsequently, Hillary Clinton allegedly hired Debbie Wassermann Schultz for her campaign. On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton was officially nominated as Democratic Presidential candidate, “making history as the first major political party to choose a woman as its standard-bearer,” according to the New York Times, dated July 26.

Did Russia Do It?

Thomson/Reuters wrote on July 25:

“If the Russian government is behind the theft and release of embarrassing emails from the Democratic Party, as U.S. officials have suggested, it may reflect less a love of Donald Trump or enmity for Hillary Clinton than a desire to discredit the U.S. political system. A U.S. official who is taking part in the investigation said that intelligence collected on the hacking of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails released by Wikileaks on Friday ‘indicates beyond a reasonable doubt that it originated in Russia.’

“The timing on the eve of Clinton’s formal nomination this week for the Nov. 8 presidential election has raised questions about whether Russia may have been trying to hurt her, to help Trump, her Republican rival, or to fan populist sentiment against establishment politicians as it has sought to do across Europe in recent years… The emails showed that DNC officials explored ways to undermine U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign against Clinton and raised questions about whether Sanders, who is Jewish, was really an atheist. The disclosures confirmed Sanders’ frequent charge that the party played favorites against him and clouded a party convention Clinton hoped would signal unity, not division…

“Two U.S. intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hack could be part of a broader campaign by Russian President Vladimir Putin to push back against what he thinks is an effort by the European Union and NATO, a military alliance of European and North American democracies, to encircle and weaken Russia…

“Despite Clinton’s short-lived attempt as secretary of state to ‘reset’ U.S.-Russian relations after U.S. President Barack Obama took office in 2009, the leaked emails could damage a candidate the Kremlin may consider hostile and benefit her opponent, who has been friendlier. Putin accused Clinton of stirring up protests against his rule after a December 2011 Russian parliamentary election that was marred by allegations of fraud, saying she had encouraged ‘mercenary’ Kremlin foes by criticizing the vote…

“Asked about claims that Russian intelligence had hacked the DNC to obtain the emails, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange told NBC News’ Richard Engel ‘there is no proof of that whatsoever’ and said ‘this is a diversion’ pushed by the Clinton campaign…

“The Russian leader may well have been encouraged by Trump’s comments to The New York Times last week that with him in the White House, NATO might not automatically defend the Baltic states that were once a part of the Russian-led Soviet Union.

“Despite public Trump-Putin exchanges of praise, Eugene Rumer, a former national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia, warned against reaching any quick conclusions about Putin’s view of Trump. ‘We can say with some degree of confidence that they don’t like Hillary,’ Rumer said. ‘It’s less clear that they like Trump, although over the years the Russians have said they prefer to deal with the Republicans – (that) they are kind of hard-line but they can do deals.’…

“A U.S. intelligence official who is reviewing the emails as part of the investigation into their origin said that those emails describing the privileges the Democratic National Committee showers on its wealthiest donors bolster the Russian narrative of an American political system rigged by the wealthy and riddled with corruption. ‘In addition to countering the U.S. narrative that the Russian government is a corrupt oligarchy, leaking these emails fits rather conveniently with Trump’s charges about a rigged system and “crooked Hillary”,’ said the official…”

AFP reported on July 26:

“The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed allegations that Russia was behind a hack of the Democratic National Committee’s emails as absurd, mocking what it called obsessive references to Russia in the US presidential campaign. ‘This absurd news was immediately refuted by the family of the well-known presidential candidate,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, referring to Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. ‘We are still seeing attempts to obsessively use the topic of Russia during the US electoral campaign,’ Peskov complained.”

Bernie Sanders’ Followers Unhappy with Clinton

The New York Times wrote on July 26:

“Bernie Sanders likes to boast that he has ignited a fiery movement. At times on Monday, it seemed that even he had lost control of how it burns.

“On the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, the ragtag coalition of liberals that Mr. Sanders is supposed to deliver to Hillary Clinton heckled from the convention floor. They marched in the streets. They protested outside the arena. They refused to go quietly… For the Sanders faithful, piercing disappointment was the unmistakable theme of the day… ‘We won’t vote for Hillary!’ his supporters yelled to Democratic delegates as they walked into the convention hall on Monday night. ‘Lock her up!’ they screamed from the streets.

“Revolutions rarely end quietly. It was a lesson that Mr. Sanders seemed to absorb on live national television, with his face betraying surprise and his wagging finger pleading for peace, while his backers shouted over him at a Center City rally on Monday afternoon… But his most loyal supporters were hungry for more combat.

“… a delegate from New Jersey said she refuses to lay down arms and accept Mrs. Clinton as the nominee. ‘She has the moral depth of a thimble,’ [the delegate] said…

“Here in Philadelphia, it was the Sanders-inspired activists who seized the message and the megaphone of his self-proclaimed rebellion against money and power — and who decided that the man who had inspired their cause… was no longer their movement’s unchallenged leader… In a way, the angry remnants of Mr. Sanders’s presidential campaign are not really about him anymore: They have become a stew of simmering grievances from the primaries about rules, process, money, fairness and democracy — and were reignited by leaked emails from the Democratic National Committee revealing the bias of some party officials in favor of Mrs. Clinton…

“‘He joined this party to bring about some serious change, and they have been playing him the entire time,’ said… a Sanders supporter… Their distrust of Mrs. Clinton runs deep. Even if she wins, they already expect to be disappointed by her presidency…”

Relations Between Washington and Ankara Will Get Worse

The Independent wrote on July 22:

“The disaster is that it will now be much more difficult for Turks to resist Erdogan establishing a monopoly of power. By resisting the coup as the leader of a democratically-elected government, he has enhanced his legitimacy. Moreover, all opposition to his rule can be labelled as support for terrorism and punished as such…

“Islamic State will benefit from the new political landscape because security forces [in Turkey] will be tracking Gulenist sleepers rather than Isis cells. Isis will gain from the anti-American mood in Turkey post-coup because the Government and much of the population are convinced that the US was implicated in the attempt.

“Whatever happens to the Turkish demand that the US hand over Gulen, Turks are convinced of a US role, citing as evidence Mr Gulen’s long presence outside Philadelphia. Isis will seek the support of a widening anti-US constituency in Turkey. Relations between Ankara and Washington were not good before; they are about to get worse.”

This development is also prophesied in Scripture.

Erdogan’s Brutal Crackdown Continues…

The Washington Post wrote on July 24:

“Thousands of people taken into custody since Turkey’s attempted coup are being held in sports facilities and stables, where some have been beaten and mistreated, according to lawyers familiar with the cases. Lawyers from the Ankara Bar Association’s human rights commission say members have reported the alleged abuses after trying to meet with clients. Other lawyers and human rights organizations have made similar allegations… The mistreatment is ‘systematic’… while lawyers have been prevented from documenting physical signs of beatings and abuse… Erdogan, who has declared a state of emergency, has pledged to ‘cleanse’ what he has described as a ‘cancer’ that has metastasized in the country…

“The state of emergency has compounded fears among lawyers and human rights groups that the rule of law will be eroded, which would threaten Turkey’s long-standing bid to join the European Union… The Ankara Bar Association has set up a 24-hour hotline and crisis center, where phones ring incessantly. In a state of fear about being seen as sympathetic to coup plotters or critical of the Turkish government, most lawyers and family members declined to be quoted by name… The prosecutors office gave the Ankara Bar Association a list of 189 lawyers who aren’t allowed to represent coup plotters…

“Andrew Gardner, a researcher for Amnesty International, said he didn’t think that the fact that beatings had taken place in custody was ‘in dispute whatsoever.’ ‘There are a litany of abuses that have been reported to us,’ he said. ‘There are serious allegations of widespread mistreatment and mutually corroborating reports going beyond beatings to high levels of abuse.’ Gardner also said that complaints of sexual abuse had been reported to Amnesty. One lawyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said a detainee reported being raped in custody…”

Erdogan’s government has strongly denied those allegations. Of course, one would not expect admitting them; nor, that they would NOT engage in such brutal conduct. It is also interesting that Erdogan’s choice of words regarding “cancer” is identical with Hitler’s famous vocabulary about persecuted minorities in Nazi Germany.

Palestinians vs. Great Britain

The Times of Israel wrote on July 25:

“The Palestinian Authority is preparing a lawsuit against the British government over the issuing of the 1917 Balfour Declaration that paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel. The PA’s Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told Arab League leaders gathered in Mauritania Monday that London is responsible for all ‘Israeli crimes’ committed since the end of the British mandate in 1948.

“Signed by British Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur James Balfour in 1917, the declaration was seen as giving the Zionist movement official recognition and backing on the part of a major power, on the eve of the British conquest of the then-Ottoman territory of Palestine. The decision, al-Malki said, ‘gave people who don’t belong there something that wasn’t theirs.’”

Please read our Q&A in this issue for further elaboration on Palestinian opposition to “Israel”—including Great Britain.

New Poll in Britain: Let’s Leave the EU Now.

Express wrote on July 26:

“A new Daily Express online poll has revealed that 98 per cent of respondents – 3,548 people – want the historic Brexit vote to be enacted now instead of Britain being embroiled in months or years of talks with Brussels bureaucrats. Express readers have urged the Government to quit the EU now and avoid lengthy negotiation.

“It comes amid alarm over comments by Theresa May to Tory MEPs saying that  there could be ‘months of negotiations’ before Article 50 is triggered to even start freeing Britain from Brussels rule. And last night it was clear that those who want to harm Britain… intend to use any delay in leaving the EU to inflict damage on the country. European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker said that free trade could not happen without free movement while separatist Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made a speech ‘blackmailing’ the rest of the UK into abandoning Brexit or risk a second independence referendum.

“Former Tory cabinet minister John Redwood has led a cross party group of MPs which has come up with a plan to get Britain out of the EU ‘in just a matter of weeks’. The simple solution, also backed by Labour Leave, would be to trigger article 50 by repealing the 1972 European Communities Act and then informing the EU that the UK is no longer a member but intends to trade tariff free. If the EU then decides to impose tariffs then Britain would respond but because the UK has a trade deficit with the EU of  almost £24 billion a trade war would be more damaging to European countries especially Germany which could lose its biggest car market. He said: ‘The poll is great news, well done to the Daily Express.’…

“Speaking to French TV channel France 2, Mr Juncker denied he was taking a ‘hard line’ on the UK. ‘It’s not a hard line, it’s common sense,’ he told the Telematin programme. ‘It reflects the philosophy of the European project itself.’”

The Coming United States of Europe

Express wrote on July 26:

“The European Union must immediately merge into a huge superstate or face fast approaching oblivion, a leading credit ratings agency has warned. Standard and Poor’s (S&P) said only the rapid creation of a United States of Europe, run by a federal government in Brussels, can prevent the bloc from total collapse…

“Already the French and German foreign ministers have called for a radical overhaul of the EU to further erode the influence of national governments, whilst calls are also being made for further merging of the Eurozone.”

Even though the article is overly dramatic and the idea of a total collapse of Europe as a possible alternative is unrealistic, the truth of the matter is that a “United States of Europe” or a “Superstate” will develop.

Chinese Buyers Increase in UK after Brexit

Reuters reported on July 24:

“Interest among Chinese buyers in buying UK property has surged since Britain voted to leave the European Union last month, as the pound’s slide has created opportunities to buy at a discount… The number of Chinese enquiries about the British residential and commercial property market has been 30-40 percent higher than average in each week from June 20 to July 11…

“The… upbeat view contrasts with developments in the British commercial property market since the referendum. Investment demand for British commercial property dropped by the largest amount on record after the EU vote…

“Over the past few years, Chinese investors have been among the biggest foreign buyers of British property, snapping up everything from opulent homes to iconic commercial property. Many of their investments have been focused around London and Manchester…”

The Bible prophesied that in the UK, foreigners would be the head, and native Brits would be the tail…

Dark Days for Turkey

The Guardian wrote on July 16:

“The attempted military coup in Turkey on Friday [leading to the deaths of 265 people with over 1,100 injured] sent shockwaves through the country and international community. Aimed at toppling Turkey’s strongman president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development party (AKP), the failed uprising threw a spotlight on a deeply divided country embroiled in war at home and abroad…

“Friday’s coup attempt was by far Turkey’s least effective. The military did not control the media and lacked sufficient support both within its ranks and on the streets… However, it should not have been surprising that a move to oust Erdoğan has occurred. In recent years, Erdoğan has alienated rivals and exacerbated Turkey’s instability for his personal gain. He has exploited ethnic and sectarian tensions, restarted a domestic war with the Kurds and sought to divide the population to garner greater constitutional powers. Erdogan’s dangerous games [have] brought levels of violence and instability not seen in Turkey for decades.

“As with many coups around the world, the aftermath will be bloody and repressive. It will be rule of the mob, rather than rule of law that will shape Turkish politics and society… Pro-government mobs have brutally attacked anyone they perceive as being anti-Erdoğan or anti-government. Darker days lie ahead for Turkey.”

Deutsche Welle stated on July 17 that  the “attempted coup in Turkey ‘will lead to a witch hunt’.”

The Telegraph wrote on July 16:

“Vengeful, irascible, authoritarian, obdurate…  Now that he has survived their machinations, his worst instincts will be redoubled and reinforced. If Mr Erdogan was a maddening ally for Europe and America in the past, the leader who has just overcome a military coup will be capable of almost anything…

“Even before he was pushed to the edge of a precipice, his minions had jailed scores of journalists and brought 1,800 criminal cases against people accused of ‘insulting the president’. Now that he has escaped a real putsch, Mr Erdogan will redouble his efforts to silence every critic. As Turkey ponders the aftermath of its surreal 24 hours, there is one bitter truth: hell hath no fury like an Erdogan who narrowly survives.”

It is clear that “Tyrant Erdogan” will seize on the opportunity to continue with his oppressive and brutal measures against anyone who questions his dictatorial ambitions.

Potential Rift Between USA and Turkey?

The Huffington Post wrote on July 16:

“Turkish officials have placed blame [for the coup] on members of the Gülen movement, a religious and social group that the government has accused in the past of endeavoring to establish a ‘parallel state’ inside of Turkey. This presents a potential rift between Ankara and Washington, as Fethullah Gülen, the Sunni cleric who heads the group, has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.

“Erdogan, whose alliance with the Gülen movement ruptured in 2013, demanded on Saturday that Washington hand over the cleric. Additional comments from Turkish officials suggested that Gülen’s residence in the U.S. could pose a threat to relations between the two countries… Gülen strongly denied any role in the uprising against Erdogan’s government. ‘As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations,’ he said in a statement…

“Speaking to reporters in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Gülen suggested [and the media in Britain, Germany, Syria and other places have also speculated] the coup may have been staged, Reuters reported…

“Washington has rebuffed past calls from Ankara to turn over Gülen, citing a lack of evidence that he was guilty of wrongdoing. It’s likely that Erdogan’s government will now step up the effort to present evidence against the cleric, putting the U.S. in a difficult position with an ally that currently hosts U.S. troops operating the air war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry… invited the Turkish government to present evidence of Gülen’s involvement in the coup attempt that ‘withstands scrutiny.’…

“Turkey abolished the death penalty over a decade ago as a condition of ascension talks with the European Union, but [it is now] considering reinstating the policy…”

Deutsche Welle added on July 17 that “US Secretary of State John Kerry… angrily denied rumors within Turkey that the US had also played a part in the plot to overthrow the Turkish government.”

Suspicious Revelations and Developments in Turkey

The Daily Mail reported on July 18:

“EU commissioner Johannes Hahn has cast doubt on [the] speed to coup arrests… [The] EU official… suggests the government had a list of names prepared beforehand… [Hahn] explained: ‘It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and to be used at a certain stage. ‘I’m very concerned. It is exactly what we feared.’”

Turkey’s “Purge” Continues

Deutsche Welle reported on July 18:

“The government has now detained or fired about 20,000 people in connection with last weekend’s botched coup. The army, police, judiciary and civil servants are among those continuing to be targeted.”

The New York Times wrote on July 18:

“The United States and the European Union stepped up pressure on Monday on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to not use an attempted coup as an excuse for an authoritarian crackdown. Officials even suggested that Turkey’s continued membership in NATO and its aspirations of joining the European Union could be at stake…

“Germany said that Turkey would not be allowed to join the European Union if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan followed through on his call for capital punishment against those who attempted a coup against him.

“… the scale of the crackdown in the wake of the attempted coup in Turkey has rattled Western leaders. Alongside the members of the military, the Turkish government also dismissed thousands of judges, who seemingly played no role in the military revolt. ‘Obviously a lot of people have been arrested and arrested very quickly,’ Mr. Kerry said, appearing to echo allegations by some Europeans that the Turkish authorities had prepared lists of people for reprisals even before the coup…”

Reuters reported on July 19:

“Turkey vowed to root out allies of the U.S.-based cleric it blames for an abortive coup last week, widening a purge of the army, police and judiciary on Tuesday to universities and schools, the intelligence agency and religious authorities.

“Around 50,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended or detained since the coup attempt, stirring tensions across the country of 80 million which borders Syria’s chaos and is a Western ally against Islamic State.”

Deutsche Welle stated on July 19:

“The Higher Education Board ordered all deans to resign as part of a crackdown following last weekend’s failed coup. Staff from the education ministry and the office of the prime minister were also told to leave. The order, made to all 1,577 university deans at state and private institutitions, was reported by Turkey’s state broacaster TRT, and followed the earlier sacking of 15,200 staff working for the National Education Ministry.”

The Telegraph wrote on July 19 that “Erdogan’s purge may give Nato no choice but to expel Turkey from the alliance.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 20:

“Turkish academics overseas have been told to return home by Turkey’s higher education board. It’s also banned academics from leaving Turkey, say state media. President Tayyip Erdogan is chairing top meetings in Ankara… Since Friday, some 29,000 government employees have been suspended, including more than 6,300 soldiers and 3,000 members of the judiciary.”

Turkey’s Reichstag Fire

The website of commondreams.org published the following article on July 17, 2016:

“With the crackdown on media, academic freedoms, random arrests, and the increasing violence in the southeast provinces, citizens in Turkey have been facing major limitations on their basic freedoms for the past few years. The attempted coup d’état of July 15 is like the last nail in the coffin…

“The damage that was inflicted on the parliament building in Ankara was huge. Many of its major halls and corridors are in ruins. The sight was reminiscent of the Reichstag fire in Germany that took place on February 27, 1933, about a month after Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor. The similarities are not limited to the visible damage of both parliament buildings. The Reichstag fire was also a last nail in the coffin of the possibility of basic freedoms as well as critical thinking in Germany. On the evening of the Reichstag fire, Chancellor Hitler was relaxing at a dinner party in Joseph Goebbels’ home. The fire was soon blamed on a demented Dutch Communist named Marinus van der Lubbe who had a record of crimes of arson. The reality behind the Reichstag fire was not even clarified during the Nuremberg trials. Still, there was a lot of evidence that pointed to the responsibility of the Nazis behind it. But what was important was not so much who set fire to the Reichstag but rather what came out of it.

“On the day following the Reichstag fire, juridical order was suspended by the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State (Verordnung des Reichspräsidenten zum Schutz von Volk und Staat). The decree involved the suspension of seven sections of the Constitution which guaranteed individual and civil liberties. The decree authorized the government to take complete control in the federal states and impose the death penalty for a number of crimes. In fact, Goering wanted to hang the arsonist on the spot right after his arrest…

“The Decree following the Reichstag Fire led to emergency measures that created a state of exception. It suspended the personal liberties listed in the Weimar Constitution, including the rights of personal freedom, freedom of opinion, freedom of the press, freedom of organization and assembly, and privacy of communication. The Decree was followed by the Enabling Act (23 March 1933) which enabled the cabinet to enact laws without the participation of the Reichstag. In sum, it led to the consolidation of the Nazi regime…”

What is happening in Turkey right now reminds us of the failed coup of German generals against Hitler in Nazi Germany. At that time, the coup could not succeed, as Hitler had not yet finished his evil deeds, in the light of biblical prophecy. Some of the developments in connection with the Turkish coup are strikingly similar to events regarding the coup against Hitler.

And Now… a “State of Emergency”

Deutsche Welle reported on July 20:

“Speaking in a televised address, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the three-month emergency measures, while saying the move did not represent any threat to the country’s democratic order… The state of emergency… allow[s] the president and cabinet to bypass parliament in passing new laws and limit or suspend rights and freedoms when deemed necessary…

“Since the failed coup, many protesters have taken to the streets in support of Erdogan and demanded the restoration of the death penalty. Erdogan said that if parliament approves capital punishment, he would back the move – 12 years after the death penalty was abolished in Turkey.”

Newsmax added on July 20:

“‘Europe does not have the right to criticize this decision,’ Erdogan [said], apparently anticipating expressions of concern from the European Union, which has become increasingly critical of Turkey’s rights record and has urged restraint as Ankara purges its state institutions since the abortive coup. Turkey is an EU candidate country, though it is not expected to join for many years if ever.”

The articles prove that Erdogan’s lust for unlimited power has no bounds, and show further striking similarities between his moves and those under Hitler.

The Bastille Day Massacre – Murderer

The Guardian wrote on July 18:

“The Bastille Day massacre in Nice was a ‘premeditated, prepared and planned’ attack, French prosecutors have said. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had grown a beard in the eight days before he carried out the attack and told friends ‘the significance of the beard is religious’, prosecutor François Molins told a press conference…

“Investigators had found no proof of any ‘allegiance or any direct link’ to Islamic State or other terrorist organisations, according to Molins. However, Lahouaiej-Boulel’s computer contained ‘very violent’ images from radical Islamic sites and links to jihadi websites, as well as articles about the Bastille Day fireworks display in Nice, the recent nightclub attack in Orlando, shootings in Dallas, the killing of two police officers in Paris suburb Magnanville, and research into Osama bin Laden and the Algerian terrorist leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

“Molins said the attack could be defined ‘terrorism’ as described by French law… Molins confirmed that 84 people had been killed and 74 others remained in hospital. Twenty eight of these people are in intensive care, of whom 19 have life threatening injuries, he said… The attacker’s computer records showed a ‘sure and recent interest for radical jihadist movements’, Molins said, adding that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had also consulted articles on fatal accidents including a report from Nice-Matin newspaper headlined: ‘Man drives his car into a restaurant terrace.’ ‘Investigators have established the premeditated nature of this act,’ Molins told journalists…

“Documents and images on Lahouaiej-Bouhlel’s phone showed he had visited the Promenade des Anglais on 12 July, two days before the attack, and taken several photographs including selfies… On 7 July, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had researched the Qu’ran on his computer as well as religious songs. He picked up the lorry used to carry out the massacre on 8 July at 8.30am. He was due to return it on 11 July and left a guarantee cheque for €1,600. In the three days before the attack he went to the Promenade des Anglais several times…

“Three days of national mourning in France have been overshadowed by an intensifying debate about whether the government has done enough to respond to terrorism. On Saturday, Isis claimed responsibility for inspiring the attack, and said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was one of its followers…”

In Wake of Terror Attack in Nice, France To Become an Armed Camp

AFP wrote on July 16:

“French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Saturday called on young citizens to become reservists and help boost security forces in the wake of the country’s latest terror attack. France’s ‘operational reservists’ include French citizens with or without military experience as well as former soldiers. ‘I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve,’ said Cazeneuve…

“The Islamic State group has said it was behind Thursday’s truck massacre in Nice which left 84 people dead and many more injured. It was the third major Islamist attack which France has suffered in the past 18 months. French President Francois Hollande said Friday that the new reservists would be called upon to boost the ranks of police and gendarmes… Volunteers must be between 17 and 30 years of age, have the right physical and moral aptitude and undergo military training.”

France has also re-established martial law for the country.

Islamist Attack in Germany

Daily Mail wrote on July 18:

“A teenage Afghan refugee shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ before hacking at passengers during an axe and knife rampage on a train in Germany. The 17-year-old was gunned down by armed police after fleeing from the scene near the city of Wurzburg, 70 miles north of Nuremberg in southern Germany. As many as 19 passengers needed hospital treatment while three victims are fighting for their lives after being attacked with ‘cutting and stabbing weapons’. Officials have said it was ‘probably’ an Islamist attack.

“… Authorities have said the attacker entered Germany as an unaccompanied child refugee.  Local media report that he had lived with a German foster family for two weeks having previously lived in a refugee camp… Germany had thus far escaped the kind of large-scale jihadist attacks seen in the southern French city of Nice last week, in which 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel used a truck to mow down people leaving a Bastille Day fireworks display, killing 84 people in an attack claimed by ISIS.

“In May, a mentally-unstable 27-year-old man carried out a similar knife attack on a regional train in the south, killing one person and injuring three others. Early reports suggested he had yelled ‘Allahu akbar’ but police later said there was no evidence pointing to a religious motive. He is being held in a psychiatric hospital.

“Germany let in a record nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers last year, with Syrians the largest group followed by Afghans fleeing ongoing turmoil and poverty in their country…

“Bavaria is governed by the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats. The CSU has been loudly critical of Merkel’s welcoming stance toward asylum seekers, a split that threatened the unity of the ruling coalition in Berlin and sent the government’s approval ratings plunging.

“It has also lent support to a right-wing populist party, Alternative for Germany, which was founded as a eurosceptic protest party in 2013 but now mainly rails against Islam and Germany’s refugee influx. It currently polls at more than 10 percent and is represented in half of Germany’s 16 states as well as the European Parliament. The attack in Bavaria is likely to revive political tensions.”

Deutsche Welle added on July 19:

“Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said… ‘A hand-painted IS flag was found in his room’…  Later Tuesday, Aamaq, a news agency linked to the extremist group said IS claimed responsibility for the attack and that the 17-year-old was its ‘fighter.’ The claim was phrased in a similar way to the IS response to the Bastille Day truck attack which killed 84 people in Nice, France last week…

“In light of the recent mass-casualty terror attacks in neighboring France and Belgium, German society is on heightened alert…”

The Local wrote on July 19:

“On Tuesday morning the terror-group Isis claimed that the Afghan teenager was one of ‘their soldiers.’ It is the first time they have claimed an attack in Germany. A statement released through the group’s news agency claimed he had ‘executed the operation in response to calls to target nations in the coalition fighting the Islamic state.’ Later in the day Isis published a video on the internet which appears to show the attacker. The video shows teenager ‘Mohammed Riyadh’ – knife in hand – announcing in Pashto he would carry out an ‘operation’ in Germany, and presenting himself as a ‘soldier of the caliphate’.

“… In his room they found a homemade Isis flag and texts in Arabic and Latin scripts which suggested he had become radicalised while at home. Investigators said on Tuesday that he did not regularly attend mosque, but prayed often by himself at home… Several eye witnesses have now said that they heard the teen screaming ‘Allahu Akbar.’ There also appears to be a recording of an emergency call with him shouting these words in the background. Furthermore, police found a letter in the boy’s bedroom which they believe was a farewell note to his father. In it he wrote “pray for me that I seek revenge on the unbelievers and pray for me that I go to heaven.’”

In a related article the Local added:

“The Würzburg attack has reignited the debate whether Germany’s open policy towards refugees has put the country’s security at risk by allowing extremists into the country, and also whether there has been a failure in integration policy – the train attacker had lived in Germany for over a year.”

Hate Speech in Germany?

Breitbart wrote on July 19:

“In the latest attempt to crack down on what the German government defines as ‘hate speech’ Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas has made it clear that he believes social media sites like Facebook are not doing enough to combat so-called ‘hate posts’.

“Mr. Maas has claimed that Facebook in particular is too slow at removing ‘offensive’ posts by its users who criticise migrants or who make ‘racist’ remarks. The Justice Minister has gone so far as to threaten Facebook and other social media platforms with further EU regulations if they do not take ‘stronger action’ against ‘hate speech’…

“The task force that the Justice Minister refers to was set up last year in order to combat ‘hate speech’, which can range from the promotion of Nazi ideology all the way to mere criticism of the German government’s migrant policy. Mr. Maas and the task force have been largely criticised after it was revealed that one of the organisations set up to help with the task force was headed by Anette Kahane, a former informant of the notorious east German domestic spy agency, the Stasi…

“The real world result of the task force has been large-scale raids of the homes of German citizens who have posted comments online. Just last week 60 residences were raided by the German Federal police for what were termed as ‘xenophobic remarks.’ In April of this year a similar raid occurred in which nine suspects were arrested. The spokesman of the police in that case said the suspects may have just been ‘people who just once expressed their hate-opinion’, but were still arrested.”

These are very disturbing developments.

Coming… An Atomic Arms Race in Space?

The Daily Beast wrote on July 14:

“The Russian military claims it’s making progress on a space plane similar to the U.S. Air Force’s secretive X-37B robotic mini-shuttle… But alone among space-plane developers, the Kremlin is proposing to arm its space plane. With nukes…

“To be clear, a nuclear-armed space plane would be dangerously destabilizing, as it would totally upset the current, tenuous balance of power between the United States and Russia. The Pentagon could respond to a Russian orbital nuke bomber by quickly deploying a space bomber of its own. In other words, an atomic arms race… in space—a development no one should welcome.

“Lt. Col. Aleksei Solodovnikov, a rocketry instructor at the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Academy in St. Petersburg who is overseeing the space plane’s development, said the orbital bomber would be flight-ready by 2020… ‘The idea is that the bomber will take off from a normal home airfield to patrol Russian airspace,’ Solodovnikov said, according to Sputnik, a government-owned news site. ‘Upon command, it will ascend into outer space, strike a target with nuclear warheads and then return to its home base.’

“Thanks to its orbital capability, the bomber would be able to nuke any target on Earth no longer than two hours after taking off, Solodovnikov claimed…”

Would Britain Press the Nuclear Button?

The Telegraph wrote on July 18:

“Theresa May has said she would be prepared to authorise a nuclear strike that would kill 100,000 people… She said it was ‘sad’ that the Green Party and some members of the Labour party seem to be the ‘first to defend the country’s enemies’…

“Jeremy Corbyn [a life-long pacifist] said he would not press the nuclear button, adding: ‘I do not believe the threat of mass murder is a legitimate way to go about international relations.'”

Britain’s TRIDENT Missile System Approved

The Sun wrote on July 18:

“Theresa May last night won her first victory as PM — as MPs gave the green light to renewing Britain’s nuclear deterrent for another 40 years. The House of Commons voted by 472 to 117 — a majority of 355 — to start work on extending the Trident missile system until the 2060s. The landmark decision means the £31billion project to replace the ageing Vanguard fleet with four new submarines will press ahead…

“Mrs May… shot down arguments thrown up by left-wing MPs that the threat of nuclear attack on the UK has diminished since the end of the Cold War. Russia is rebuilding its arsenal, and North Korea has enough nuclear material to produce a dozen nuclear weapons. She argued that the rogue state, run by despot Kim Jong-un, will soon have a missile with the capability of reaching the US.”

Theresa May Want More Time… But Will She Get It?

BBC News wrote on July 20:

“Theresa May…  held talks with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. Speaking in Berlin, the PM said securing a ‘sensible and orderly departure’ from the EU would take time. But she insisted the UK would not ‘walk away’ from Europe and wanted to retain the ‘closest economic links’.

“Mrs Merkel said the two sides desired to get the ‘best result for Britain’ but urged more clarity on timing… Mrs May said the UK was in no rush to trigger the two-year process of leaving the EU – telling reporters that although ‘this would not please everyone’ it was right to hold off until the UK’s ‘objectives were clear’…

“The process of preparing the UK for Brexit would require ‘serious and detailed work’ but, irrespective of this, she said the UK was determined to maintain strong trading, economic and security links with Germany, which she described as ‘a vital partner and special friend’.

“‘Of course, the nature of our relationship is going to change as the UK leaves the EU, but we both want to maintain the closest possible economic relationship between our countries and I believe that is what German and British businesses want too,’ she said. ‘So it’s good that we start from such a strong foundation and a position where both our countries believe in liberal markets and free trade and these should be the principles that guide us in the discussions ahead.’

“BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg… said it was clear that Germany would hold the ‘balance of power’ in the negotiations to come and although Mrs Merkel did want to make the UK’s departure work, the UK’s ‘leverage had really faded’ following the decision to leave…

“Downing Street announced the UK was to relinquish its upcoming six-month presidency of the Council of the EU. The UK had been scheduled to take up the presidency of the Council of the EU – which rotates on a six-monthly basis between the 28 EU countries, giving each the opportunity to shape the agenda – in the second half of 2017. But Mrs May has decided that Britain should skip its turn in the light of the Brexit vote in June’s referendum…”

The Bible says that even though Britain will seek Germany’s help and even though Germany might want to help Britain, in the end, these plans and endeavors will be unsuccessful.

Black Police Officer Was Murdered… But Where Is Outrage of “Black Lives Matter”?

On July 18, Daily Mail published the following editorial by Piers Morgan, former moderator of CNN:

“A black man named Montrell Jackson was executed in cold blood in America yesterday. A hooded assassin drove hundreds of miles to deliberately shoot him and two of his white co-workers dead in the street with an AR-15. It was a senseless, callous, horrific act of violence that left a wife without a husband and a baby 4-month old son without a father.

“Montrell was by all accounts a decent, generous and loving man. A ‘gentle giant’ who was ‘always about peace.’…

“Last week, after two black men of similar age were shot dead, there was national outrage. The black community rose as one to demand action against the perpetrators. There was fury in the streets from New York to Los Angeles. Men, women and children marching as one, baring placards screaming ‘Black Lives Matter!’ Beyoncé even stopped a concert to read out a rally-cry for justice for the men who had been killed.

“Yet for THIS black victim, there was a very different reaction from that same black community. Where are the protests? Where are the placards? Where’s the incendiary Beyoncé statement? Where’s the RAGE? Sadly for Montrell Jackson, he simply didn’t matter as much as those other two men to the Black Lives Matter movement. Why? Because he was a police officer. This, to many Black Lives Matter activists, made him the enemy…

“In an eloquent Facebook post he wrote on July 8, the day after five other police officers were shot dead in Dallas, Montrell spoke of the difficulties he faced as black law enforcer…  Today, just ten days later, Montrell Jackson is dead, targeted as he worked by another black man, a former Marine named Eugene Long from Kansas City who believed the only way to successfully protest was ‘through bloodshed’. Such was Long’s hatred of the police that he didn’t care that one of the men he was killing was black. So a black man full of hate and violence murdered another peace-loving black man because he wanted to exact revenge for the deaths of black men.

“This is how twisted the spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement has now become in the wrong minds and the wrong gun-toting hands…”

UNESCO Resolution to Declare Temple Mount Solely as a Muslim Site?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on July 14:

“Israel warned the European Union… that supporting a UNESCO resolution which views the Temple Mount as a solely Muslim site is akin to ignoring Europe’s Christian roots… ‘There is no Christianity without Judaism and there is no Jesus without a Jewish Jerusalem and the Temple Mount,’ [Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon] said.

“… some of its member states – namely the United Kingdom, France and Germany – have opposed such a one-sided text… The countries on the committee are Angola, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Croatia, Cuba, Finland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Tunisia, Turkey, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. But the battle for and against the resolution has involved a much wider list of countries than exist on the committee.”

“EU: Israeli Occupation Is ‘Root’ Cause of Violence”

The EUObserver wrote on July 15:

“EU states, in an internal report drafted last year, have said the outbreak of Palestinian knife and car-ramming attacks against Israelis in Jerusalem is due, in large part, to Israel’s occupation. They said the attacks began after right-wing Israeli politicians and religious groups began to question the status quo on Arab rights at the Temple Mount complex in the Old City.”

The EU is uniting more and more in their stance against Israel…. which is to be expected in the light of biblical prophecy.

Deport all Muslims Who Believe in Sharia Law?

Business Insider wrote on July 14:

“Newt Gingrich said Thursday night in the aftermath of the deadly truck attack in France [when at least 80 were killed and more than 100 more were wounded in Nice when a man drove a truck through revelers celebrating Bastille Day] that the US should issue a religious test to Muslims and deport those who are found to believe in Shariah, or Islamic law…

“‘Western civilization is in a war,’ Gingrich said. ‘We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Shariah, they should be deported. Shariah is incompatible with Western civilization. Modern Muslims who have given up Shariah, glad to have them as citizens… Anybody who goes on a website favoring ISIS, or Al Qaeda, or other terrorist groups, that should be a felony, and they should go to jail. Any organization which hosts such a website should be engaged in a felony. It should be closed down immediately’…”

Newt Gingrich was strongly criticized for his statements as being unconstitutional, and he responded that his statements had been grossly misunderstood.

Donald Trump Picks Mike Pence as Running Mate

JTA wrote on July 15:

“Donald Trump picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a pro-Israel stalwart and conservative Christian, as his running mate…

“Pence, 57, emerged quickly as a leader on pro-Israel issues during his 12 years in Congress from 2001 to 2013… He led a number of bids to place conditions on funding for the Palestinian Authority… Pence has continued his pro-Israel advocacy as Indiana governor, earlier this year signing one of the most robust state laws targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

“Pence is known as a social conservative and Evangelical Christian. [He called himself a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, “in that order.”] He opposes abortion rights as well as gay marriage… In 2015, he signed a bill that would have allowed businesses to refuse service to customers based on their sexual orientation. Following protest, he signed a revised version of the law that prohibited such discrimination… Pence faced pointed questioning… about [that] law… allowing businesses to discriminate against LGBT people… [It was pointed out to him that the law] could undermine the GOP’s efforts at attracting women and minorities… Pence was apologetic. The law went too far he acknowledged, and it was revised.”

The choice of career politician Gov. Mike Pence as Mr. Trump’s running mate is a surprisingly odd one. Mr. Pence originally endorsed Ted Cruz, rejected Donald Trump’s policy on trade (endorsing instead NAFTA and the Trans Pacific Partnership, both of which Trump aggressively opposes); and he strongly condemned Trump’s statements regarding a temporary ban for Muslims entering the USA (calling the idea “offensive and unconstitutional.”). He had also supported the Iraq war, which Trump had opposed.

It has been reported that Mr. Trump was “pressured” into naming Mr. Pence as his running mate, apparently in order to solidify the Republican Party, but that he had been considering and re-considering the appointment of Mr. Pence as late as Thursday night. [The Trump campaign vehemently denied these reports, even though Mr. Trump declared on Thursday afternoon to Fox News that he had not made a “final final” decision. This statement was later “explained” that he was trying to keep the public in suspense. But also note the next articles.] According to the Huffington Post, dated July 16, “He was first piqued that the news leaked before he’d gotten around to telling the runners-up, Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie, about his choice. He then had second thoughts, postponed the announcement and spent Thursday night trying to find a way to back out of his choice, according to multiple news reports [including CNN] and the source close to Trump.

Plagiarism in Mrs. Trump’s Speech?

The New York Times wrote on July 19:

“Melania Trump earned praise for her speech on Monday at the opening night of the Republican National Convention, but her remarks almost immediately came under scrutiny when striking similarities were discovered between her speech and one delivered by Michelle Obama at the Democratic convention in 2008… Here are the relevant passages.

“Ms. Trump, Monday night: ‘From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect… And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.’…

“Mrs. Obama, in her 2008 speech: ‘Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them. And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them…’

“Accusations of plagiarism are not unheard-of in political speeches, although the consequences have varied.

“In 2008, Mrs. Clinton criticized Mr. Obama for appearing to lift a passage from Deval Patrick, then the governor of Massachusetts, in a speech about how words matter. Mr. Obama, then a senator, said that he could have credited Mr. Patrick but that he did not consider it a case of plagiarism.

“When Mr. Biden was running for president in the 1980s, he faced questions about plagiarizing speeches from Robert F. Kennedy, Hubert H. Humphrey and Neil Kinnock, a British Labor Party leader. Mr. Biden said at the time that it was ‘ludicrous’ to expect a politician to attribute everything he said.”

Newsmax wrote on July 19:

“Talk of [Mrs. Trump’s] speech dominated the morning talk shows, particularly on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ where a video clip played a side-by-side comparison of the two women’s speeches, and show host Joe Scarborough reported later in the morning that [campaign’s chief strategist, Paul] Manafort was blaming Trump’s spouse for the speech.  ‘Donald Trump pushed her into doing this speech, saying it was very important to do,’ said Scarborough. ‘Katy Tur is reporting this morning that Melania Trump has become disillusioned with the campaign and did not show up with the [Indiana Gov.] Mike Pence selection because she felt like the children had put too much pressure on her husband to select a vice presidential candidate that he was not comfortable with.’…

“‘We have three different reporters that have come back saying that Manafort is claiming, or those close to Manafort, are claiming that Melania Trump is the one that added Michelle Obama’s words to the speech,’ said Scarborough. ‘You don’t have to have a master’s degree in political science to know that that stuff is not going to fly.’”

It was reported that both Mr. and Mrs. Trump were furious about the affair and the mishandling of the matter by campaign officials and speech writers. On the second day of the convention, Donald Trump won the official presidential nomination of the Republican Party.

A Staff Writer Did It?

On July 20, Newsmax reported:

“A writer in GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s organization admitted Wednesday she made a ‘mistake’ in using Michelle Obama’s words in the speech she prepared for Melania Trump to deliver at the Republican National Convention… [She] said in a statement that she was responsible for including passages from a speech Obama delivered at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

“McKiver said Melania Trump read her some of Obama’s lines over the phone as inspiration during the writing process. ‘I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech,’ McIver wrote, The Miami Herald reports. ‘I did not check Mrs. Obama’s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant.’

“McIver said she offered her resignation Tuesday, but Trump rejected it.”

Outrageous LA Times Article… Military Coup against Trump?

Breitbart wrote on July 20:

“Jamie Kirchick, writing in the Los Angeles Times, asks readers to imagine a military coup against a future President Donald Trump — and argues why one would be necessary. Kirchick cites the example of the recent failed coup in Turkey as a source of inspiration: ‘Americans viewing the recent failed coup attempt in Turkey as some exotic foreign news story — the latest, violent yet hardly unusual political development to occur in a region constantly beset by turmoil — should pause to consider that the prospect of similar instability would not be unfathomable in this country if Donald Trump were to win the presidency.’

“Kirchick goes on to argue that Trump is a nascent authoritarian, whose illegal military orders — such as torturing terrorists — the military would be required to ignore, and then resist by force. Curiously, Kirchick cannot fathom Hillary Clinton doing anything illegal with the military (despite her mis-handling of classified national security information, or her evident pride in the Libya war, which Congress never approved): ‘Needless to say, such dystopian situations are unimaginable under a President Hillary Clinton, who, whatever her faults, would never contemplate ordering a bombing run or — heaven forbid — a nuclear strike on a country just because its leader slighted her small hands at a summit.’

“Kirchick concludes that unless voters stop Trump from becoming president, a violent coup may be the only solution: ‘Trump is not only patently unfit to be president, but a danger to America and the world. Voters must stop him before the military has to.’”

Shameful Statistics from Germany

The Local wrote on July 15:

“One in three babies in Germany are born to parents who haven’t tied the knot… The report by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research this week showed that 35 percent of babies born in Germany in 2014 came into the world with unmarried parents. And the study also revealed that there was great contrast between former East and West Germany…

“The more religious and wealthy West saw 29 percent of new little bundles of joy born to unwed parents, compared to nearly 60 percent in the former states of socialist East Germany, where church members were often regarded with suspicion by communists during the Cold War.

“In the country’s capital, located in the East, more than half of baby Berliners were born out of wedlock, while some areas of surrounding Brandenburg were closer to 70 percent. In the southern German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, which are predominantly Catholic, babies were comparatively more often born to married parents…

“And roughly 40 percent of marriages in 1990 have since ended in divorce.”

Living together and having sexual relationships without being married is a sin.

Noah’s Ark and Much Confusion

NBC News reported on July 16:

“Days after white doves and shofar horns christened the opening of a new Noah’s Ark attraction in northern Kentucky, the land-anchored ship welcomed a conspicuous and curious visitor: Bill Nye ‘the Science Guy.’

“The bow-tied man of science — openly skeptical about the exhibit from the time it was announced — was an invited guest at the Ark Encounter, which opened July 7 and is billed as the largest timber-frame structure in the world, at 51 feet tall and 1-1/2 football fields in length. What he found, he told NBC News, was an eye-catching attraction that was ‘much more troubling or disturbing than I thought it would be. On the third deck (of the ark), every single science exhibit is absolutely wrong,’ he said…

“The project’s creator, Ken Ham, hopes it will attract fundamentalist Christians, some of whom are already visiting its nearby sister site, the Creation Museum, built in 2007. Ham and Nye have been jousting partners since 2014, when they sparred in a debate over creationism versus evolution that was broadcast online from the Creation Museum and racked up millions of views on YouTube…

“Ham, who was born in Australia and founded the Answers in Genesis ministry, believes the Bible and its Book of Genesis is literal historical fact — which means the Earth would be only about 6,000 years as opposed to the roughly 4.5 billion years estimated by scientists. As represented in the Ark exhibit, dinosaurs co-existed with humans. That’s also a big departure from the science of evolution, which says they became extinct some 65 million years ago — long before mankind emerged.

“Noah’s story, as told in Genesis, says he built an ark at God’s request in anticipation of a Great Flood. The patriarch packed up his family and corralled two of every kind of animal in the world to live on the ship — and for that, God spared him and those creatures. To Nye, that’s hogwash, although some scholars are open to the idea that a historic flood of Biblical proportions could have happened and inspired the Noah tale. Scientists, however, say there’s no evidence to suggest an epic, worldwide flood occurred within the past 6,000 years.

“Nye takes particular exception to the dinosaurs on the ark — re-created in cages among rows of other odd-looking animal replicas… Nye said the exhibit encourages visitors to trust faith over science and thereby undercuts their ability to engage in critical thinking. ‘It’s all very troubling. You have hundreds of school kids there who have already been indoctrinated and who have been brainwashed,’ he said…”

It is amazing how wrong both sides are. For a correct understanding about the creation of the world, the Flood and Noah’s Ark, please read our free booklets, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?” and “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man.”

Insane Murders in Dallas

Deutsche Welle reported on July 9:

“US authorities released more information on Friday about Micah Xavier Johnson, the gunman who shot five police officers dead and wounded seven more in Dallas on Thursday. Police said they found bomb-making materials as well as more guns and ammunition in Johnson’s home in a Dallas suburb…

“Johnson open fired during a peaceful protest against police brutality in the wake of the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of officers earlier in the week. Philando Castile’s death in Minnesota sparked nationwide outrage as his girlfriend live-streamed an officer shooting him as he reached for his driver’s license. Alton Sterling was killed outside a shop in Louisiana.

“Johnson was eventually killed by a remotely-delivered bomb after hours of standoff and failed negotiations with officers. Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Johnson had told negotiators that he wanted to kill white police in retaliation for the deaths of innocent African Americans…

“Johnson was identified on Friday as an army veteran who served one tour in Afghanistan from late 2013 to mid-2014. He wore a protective vest and used an AR-15 rifle, a weapon that has been used in mass shootings in the US… Possible copycat attacks were also reported in three other US states on Friday…”

America—Racially Divided with No Hope in Sight

Daily Mail wrote on July 8:

“Americans woke up yesterday to a twisted new landmark in its race crisis — the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the September 11 attacks… When Barack Obama was elected President in 2008, many were tempted to think that if his time in the White House achieved nothing else, it would bring blacks, whites and Hispanics far closer together… But… America’s tensions… have got markedly worse…

“Long before the outrage in Dallas, police have been warning that they are at greater risk of being shot in random ‘revenge’ attacks. Many white Americans agree with the police, and incidents such as what has occurred in Dallas inevitably result in the fault lines between blacks and whites becoming even more sharply defined, their communities ever more segregated…

“The President has been repeatedly criticised for showing too much sympathy for the black men shot by police and not enough for the officers who have died in the line of duty…

“Although admitting that investigations into the deaths had only just begun, on Thursday night he pointed the finger of blame at the police. The shootings ‘are not isolated incidents,’ Obama said, but ‘symptomatic of . . . the racial disparities that appear across the system year after year, and the resulting lack of trust that exists between law enforcement and too many of the communities they serve.’ The U.S. had to admit, he continued, that it had a ‘serious problem’ with ‘racial bias’ in the police.

“Obama had made similarly combative remarks before, but this time they backfired badly. Within 12 hours, five police officers had been killed in Dallas — by snipers from a building just a few blocks away from Dealey Plaza, where John F. Kennedy was shot — and Obama had to swiftly row back on comments that now looked horribly misjudged…

“It was a stunning about turn, but many Americans probably didn’t notice. They stopped long ago bothering to listen to Obama because his genius for soaring rhetoric on race and crime has rarely been matched by concrete achievements… As he heads into his last few months in the White House after eight years in which a black presidency has done little to soothe America’s racial tensions, Obama’s enemies say he has made the problem worse by nakedly taking sides.

“Yesterday, William Johnson, the executive director of National Association Of Police Organisations… branded the Obama administration the ‘Neville Chamberlain of this war’, blaming its ‘appeasement of violent criminals, their refusal to condemn movements like Black Lives Matter actively calling for the death of police officers, all the while blaming police for the problems in this country has led directly to the climate that has made Dallas possible’…”

William Johnson and the New Black Panther Party (NBPP)

JTA wrote on July 11:

“The Dallas shooter… has been variously portrayed as a follower of the Black Lives Matter movement who was pushed to the edge by recent police shootings; a loner who not only was unaffiliated with various black nationalists organizations but was even shunned by them, and a disgruntled veteran who left the military under a cloud of suspicion for sexual harassment. Reports now say he was linked as well to several black power and other confrontational groups, some of which are labeled as anti-Semitic. According to local reports, Johnson was a member of the New Black Panther Party’s Houston chapter for about six months a few years ago. He ‘liked’ the group on Facebook and, according to The Daily Beast, he attended multiple NBPP protests and events.

“The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the NBPP, which is not connected to the original Black Panther Party, a ‘virulently racist and anti-Semitic organization whose leaders have encouraged violence against whites, Jews and law enforcement officers.’ The Anti-Defamation League says it is the ‘largest organized anti-Semitic and racist Black militant group in America.’

“The Daily Beast also reported that Johnson was ‘loosely affiliated’ with several other groups, including South Dallas’ Muhammad Mosque No. 48, which is run by members of Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam – which both the Southern Poverty Law Center and ADL labeled an anti-Semitic hate group. He had also liked Facebook pages related to Elijah Muhammad, an early Nation of Islam leader…

“The NBPP’s main ideology focuses on wresting power back from whites in general… ‘Members of the group have blamed the Jews for killing Jesus; claimed that the Talmud teaches that “Black people are cursed,” and promoted the anti-Semitic notion that Jews were “significantly and substantially” involved in the transatlantic slave trade,’ the ADL’s 2014 report on the group reads. It blamed Jews for 9/11…”

What Is “Black Lives Matter” All About?

Breitbart wrote on July 11:

“… former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) argued that the Black Lives Matter movement doesn’t mean Black Lives Matter, ‘They mean, Let’s Agitate Against the Police Matters. If they meant Black Lives Matter, they would be doing something about the way in which the vast majority of blacks are killed in America, which is by other blacks.’

“Giuliani said, ‘I don’t see what Black Lives Matter is doing for blacks, other than, isolating them. All it cares about is the police shooting of blacks. It doesn’t care about the 90% of blacks that are killed by other blacks.’ He pointed out that a majority of white people are killed by other white people, so if you want to care about white lives, you have to worry about white people.”

Strong Words by Sarah Palin on “Black Lives Matter” Movement, the Media and Bad Cops

Newsmax wrote on July 11:

“Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says the Black Lives Matter movement is a ‘farce’ that consists of ‘thugs’ legitimized by politicians and pundits. In a fiery Facebook post, Palin said of the Black Lives Matter protest against police violence in Dallas which ended in tragedy when a lone sniper executed five cops: ‘Shame on our culture’s influencers who would stir contention and division that could lead to evil such as that in Dallas. Shame on politicians and pundits giving credence to thugs rioting against police officers and the rule of law in the name of “peaceful protests.” It is a farce…’

“Palin, who was Sen. John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate in 2008, also took aim at the media. ‘Quit claiming the rioters are “peaceful” as they stomp on our flag, shout “death to cops!” and celebrate violence. It is sick. You perpetuate a perverted message evil men thrive on to intimidate and warp malleable minds that would believe one race matters more than another,’ she said. ‘Blood is on your complicit hands when you naively or purposefully refuse to tell of this movement’s truth.’

“Turning to the demonstrators, Palin continued, ‘Black Lives Matter? Yes – more than BLM ‘protestors’ can grasp, as evidenced by their self-destructive provocateurism. Doesn’t it go without saying that Native lives matter, too? And Asian; and Eskimo; and Hispanic; and Indian… And every other race comprised of people who see clearly the agenda at play to weaken America through disunity. Get fed up and stand up if you’re sick of being called racist when proclaiming EVERY LIFE MATTERS, black as much as white and every skin tone in between. Every innocent life – at every stage of life – on the side of good over evil, matters. Why let the damaging false narrative prevail if you know it is a lie?!…

“Palin said the shooting deaths of two African-American civilians by cops, which prompted the ill-fated Dallas protest, ‘is mind-boggling. It’s nauseating. My heart is with victims’ families as I sympathize with anyone defenseless in these situations. More so, I empathize if we find out any cop involved was in the wrong, for I abhor bad cops,’ she said. But Palin said she sides with police. ‘To side with our public servants trying to keep law and order amidst political agendas that clearly oppose that virtue is how the good guys win again. It’s the only way to ensure our best days will be ahead of us,’ she said.”

Why Did Comey Do It?

On July 8, Newsmax published the following article by Charles Krauthammer:

“Why did he do it? FBI director James Comey spent 14 minutes laying out an unassailable case for prosecuting Hillary Clinton for the mishandling of classified material. Then at literally the last minute, he recommended against prosecution.  This is baffling. Under the statute (18 U.S.C. section 793(f)), it’s a felony to mishandle classified information either intentionally or ‘through gross negligence.’ The evidence, as outlined by Comey, is overwhelming…

“Comey summed up Clinton’s behavior as ‘extremely careless.’ How is that not gross negligence? Yet Comey let her off the hook, citing lack of intent. But negligence doesn’t require intent. Compromising national secrets is such a grave offense that it requires either intent or negligence. Lack of intent is, therefore, no defense.

“But one can question that claim as well. Clinton clearly intended to set up an unsecured private server. She clearly intended to send those classified emails. She clearly received warnings from her own department about the dangers of using a private email account. She meant to do what she did. And she did it. Intentionally…

“Yet Comey claims that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case. Nor has one ever been brought. Not so. Just last year, the Justice Department successfully prosecuted naval reservist Bryan Nishimura, who improperly downloaded classified material to his personal, unclassified electronic devices. The government admitted that there was no evidence that Nishimura intended to distribute the material to others. Nonetheless, he was sentenced to two years of probation, fined and forever prohibited from seeking a security clearance, which effectively kills any chance of working in national security.

“So why not Hillary Clinton?  The usual answer is that the Clintons are treated by a different standard. Only little people pay. They are too well connected, too well protected to be treated like everybody else. Alternatively, the explanation lies with Comey: He gave in to implicit political pressure, the desire to please those in power. Certainly plausible, but given Comey’s reputation for probity and given that he holds a 10-year appointment, I’d suggest a third line of reasoning.

“When Chief Justice John Roberts used a tortured, logic-defying argument to uphold Obamacare, he was subjected to similar accusations of bad faith. My view was that, as guardian of the Supreme Court’s public standing, he thought the issue too momentous —and the implications for the country too large — to hinge on a decision of the court…

“I would suggest that Comey’s thinking, whether conscious or not, was similar: He did not want the FBI director to end up as the arbiter of the 2016 presidential election. If Clinton were not a presumptive presidential nominee but simply a retired secretary of state, he might well have made a different recommendation. Prosecuting under current circumstances would have upended and redirected an already year-long presidential selection process. In my view, Comey didn’t want to be remembered as the man who irreversibly altered the course of American political history.”

Most Americans Disagree with FBI’s Recommendation Not to Charge Clinton

ABC News reported on July 11:

“A majority of Americans [56 percent] disapproves of the FBI’s recommendation not to charge Hillary Clinton with a crime over her handling of email while secretary of state [while just 35 percent approve], and a similar number in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll [57 percent] say the issue leaves them worried about how she’d handle her responsibilities as president if elected [Just 39 percent feel the issue isn’t related to how she’d perform as president.] …

“Nearly nine in 10 Republicans disagree with the FBI’s decision and say it worries them about what she’d do if she became president. Democrats see things very differently, but with less unanimity –- about two-thirds approve of the decision not to charge Clinton and think the issue is unrelated to what she’d do as president. But three in 10 of Clinton’s own party faithful think she should have been charged. Further… political independents side more with Republicans on the issue, with roughly six in 10 saying the FBI was wrong and that the issue raises worries about Clinton as president.”

Donald Trump Isolated on the World Stage?

The Associated Press wrote on July 12, 2016:

“If elected president, Donald Trump would be the only head of state in the world to contend that climate change is a hoax, according to a study.

“The Sierra Club compiled public statements from the leaders of the 195 nations recognized by the State Department… In contrast to public statements by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee calling climate change a ‘con job’ and a ‘myth,’ the leader of every U.S. ally urges action to reduce climate-warming carbon emissions, including Great Britain, Germany, France, Japan and Canada…

“Trump, meanwhile, has pledged to ‘renegotiate’ U.S. commitments under the Paris accord and has suggested that the science of climate change is part of a plot to weaken the American economy… He has also cited cold winter weather as evidence the world is not really warming…

“According to NASA, 97 percent of the climate scientists agree that the world is getting hotter and that man-made carbon emissions are to blame…

“John Coequyt, the Sierra Club’s director for global climate policy, said Trump’s failure to acknowledge basic climate science would leave him isolated on the world stage as president, adding, ‘Trump’s climate science denial would make him a global laughingstock if it wasn’t so dangerous.’”

Theresa May—U.K.’s New Prime Minister

Reuters wrote on July 11:

‘Energy minister Andrea Leadsom abruptly withdrew from the contest to succeed David Cameron as Britain’s prime minister on Monday, leaving her rival Theresa May as the only candidate…

“Leadsom… had been criticized over a newspaper interview in which she appeared to suggest that being a mother meant she had more of a stake in the country’s future than May, who has no children. Leadsom read out a statement to reporters in which she said she was pulling out of the race because a nine-week leadership campaign was highly undesirable at such a critical time. She acknowledged that May had secured overwhelming backing in a vote of Conservative members of parliament last week. ‘Strong leadership is needed urgently to begin the work of withdrawing from the European Union,’ Leadsom said…

“May, 59, who has served as interior minister for the past six years, is now set to become Britain’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher… ‘In the coming weeks I will set out (how)… to negotiate the best terms for Britain’s departure from the EU and to forge a new role for ourselves in the world,’ May said. May favored the ‘Remain’ side during last month’s referendum campaign. But she repeated her new mantra that ‘Brexit means Brexit’, saying there could be no second referendum and no attempt to rejoin the EU by the back door. ‘As prime minister, I will make sure that we leave the European Union,’ she said…

“The 52-48 percent vote to quit the EU after 43 years of membership has shaken financial markets because the complex divorce process creates huge uncertainty for business, trade and investment. It has thrown both Britain’s major political parties into upheaval.

“Minutes before Leadsom’s announcement, opposition Labour lawmaker Angela Eagle said she would challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership of the party. Corbyn was elected last year with overwhelming support from grassroots Labour activists. He has ignored a vote of no confidence from the party’s lawmakers, saying he has a responsibility to carry out that mandate.”

Daily Mail wrote on July 11:

“Another dramatic day in Westminster saw David Cameron’s career in No 10 brought to an abrupt end nine weeks earlier than expected…”

Things are moving swiftly…

How Will Merkel Manage Brexit with UK PM Theresa May?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 13:

“It’s easy to see parallels between the heads of government. Both Merkel and May rose to power in their respective conservative parties by waiting out male-dominated ego battles. Merkel was the last woman standing after Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his presumptive successor, Wolfgang Schäuble, caught the wrong end of the Christian Democratic Union’s donation scandal in 1999, and became chairwoman of the party in April 2000.

“Like former Margaret Thatcher, the first woman to serve as Britain’s prime minister, both Merkel and May have been commonly portrayed as outsiders in sexist, privileged, tradition-fixated political institutions who had to fight their way up by deploying a formidable work ethic and sheer ambition. The fact that details in their biographies match – Thatcher and Merkel both have science degrees; Merkel and May are both Protestant clergymen’s daughters – have helped to reinforce this…

“In addition to the shallow parallels, Merkel and May do share a number of genuine similarities. ‘I think the comparison is fair,’ said Josef Janning, senior political analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. ‘They share a… pragmatic focus on the immediate and the next step – and not these lofty, visionary ideas about a decade from now.’

“Another quality that might endear May to the German leadership is her authoritarian reputation in the Home Office, where she enforced hard-line stance against immigrants and expanded state surveillance. ‘She is a classic minister of the interior,’ Janning said. ‘And a classic minister of the interior, at least in the German view, is a law-and-order person. That is what the Interior Ministry is all about: enforcing the law. Schäuble as interior minister was someone like that, and (current Interior Minister Thomas) de Maiziere tries to be someone like this’…

“May… was on the ‘Remain’ side of the UK’s fateful referendum on EU membership – though not with any fervent passion… On Tuesday, Merkel reacted to news of May’s presumed coronation with her signature reserve. There were no congratulations or warm statements about ‘looking forward to positive cooperation’ with May. ‘The task of the new prime minister will be to win some clarity on the question of what relationship Britain wants to build with the European Union in future,’ she said…

“In fact, there are plenty of reasons to think that, similar backgrounds and political personalities notwithstanding, things might not be as harmonious between May and Merkel as [some like to portray it]. For one thing, both leaders are under pressure to stay tough as the European Union risks devolving into a country-by-country pursuit of national interests. ‘It depends on how May uses her pragmatism,’ Janning said… ‘if she uses her pragmatism to try and maximize the outcome for Britain at the expense of others, she will not get on well with Merkel.’”

Theresa May’s New Cabinet

Daily Mail wrote on July 13:

“Boris Johnson has been appointed Britain’s new Foreign Secretary in a shock development tonight, as Theresa May started to build her new Cabinet. She named Philip Hammond as her new Chancellor and sacked George Osborne in a historic evening in Westminster less than two hours after she was officially sworn in as the UK’s second female Prime Minister.

“Amber Rudd was appointed the new Home Secretary, moving on from the Energy and Climate Change Department, while Michael Fallon will stay as Defence Secretary. Mr Hammond moves to the Treasury after serving as Foreign Secretary for more than two years. Ms Rudd is expected to be appointed the new Home Secretary – a vacant position after Mrs May left the department to become Prime Minister.

“Mr Osborne was sacked by Mrs May, bringing an abrupt end to his six years in charge of the Treasury. There were also reports that all of David Cameron’s political advisors had left Downing Street – a sign Mrs May is determined to break with the past…

In a related article, Daily Mail wrote on July 13:

“Boris Johnson has been made Foreign Secretary as Theresa May moved to bring the big beasts of Brexit into her top team. The former London mayor, whose dreams of becoming PM were brutally ended when Michael Gove betrayed him, has been rewarded with one of the great office of state.

“It suggests that Mr Johnson has had the last laugh over Mr Gove, who was serving as justice secretary under Mr Cameron but has not currently been confirmed in any post.”

Express added on July 13 that “David Davis has been appointed Secretary of State for Brexit… Like Mrs May, who has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts a two-year countdown to exit, before the end of this year, Mr Davis is not in favour of rushing out of Europe.”

“The World Reacts to Boris Johnson, the UK’s New Foreign Secretary”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 14:

“German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had harsh words for Johnson… branding the former London mayor as ‘irresponsible.’ ‘People [in the UK] are experiencing a rude awakening after irresponsible politicians first lured the country into a Brexit and then, once the decision was made, bolted and didn’t take responsibility,’ Steinmeier said during a speech at Greifswald University. ‘”Instead they went to play cricket. To be honest, I find this outrageous but it’s not just bitter for Great Britain. It’s also bitter for the European Union,’ he added.

“Parliamentary co-leader of the German Green Party, Anton Hofreiter, questioned May’s capability, saying Johnson’s appointment was ‘a very bad signal’ which ‘raises doubts over the new prime minister’s competency.’ Nicole Diekmann, a correspondent for German broadcaster ZDF, tweeted: ‘Boris Johnson is foreign secretary. British humor.’

“In neighboring France, social media users expressed their surprise online. Twitter-user Claude Demougins tweeted: ‘Diplomacy according to Boris Johnson, new foreign secretary.’ Alongside the tweet, Demougins posted a cartoon of Johnson with the caption: ‘An elephant in a china shop.’ Journalist Alex Taylor tweeted: ‘Boris Johnson – a clown as the new foreign secretary. Shakespearean comedy or tragedy?’…

“In China, one diplomat described Johnson’s appointment as a ‘risky move,’ warning that May’s decision had the potential to badly backfire…

“On behalf of the UK public, British paper the ‘Daily Mirror’ apologized to the world for their new foreign secretary, confirming with Thursday’s front page that the ‘new PM’s bombshell’ wasn’t a case of British humor gone awry. ‘Dear World… Sorry,’ read the headline.”

The Local added on July 14:

“When it became clear that May would become the next prime minister of the UK, some in Germany voiced cautious optimism that she would seek to limit the damage inflicted by British public’s vote to leave the EU. The fact that she was in the Remain camp and bears a passing resemblance to the sober and pragmatic Chancellor Angela Merkel raised hopes that she would build bridges with Germany. But her appointment of Boris Johnson, the charismatic but erratic leader of the Brexit campaign, has shaken this belief.

“Speaking to DPA, Ralf Stegner, deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) said ‘Frau May comes across as weaker due to her choice of cabinet.’… The appointment also met with harsh criticism from the Institute for the World Economy (IfW), one of Germany’s leading economic think tanks. ‘How can May speak of national unity in her inaugural speech and then appoint the man who split the land as her foreign minister,’ asks IfW president Dennis Snower in a written statement. ‘One can only hope that other politicians in Europe recognize how dangerous, almost crazy, it is to integrate populist deceitful politicians into government’…

“A writer for Der Spiegel magazine, the bastion of the liberal establishment, described Johnson scathingly as ‘a snake oil salesman’ and a ‘reckless con artist’ who had led a ‘campaign of deception’. ‘The appointment is sensational, at first sight it comes across as crazy.’ But the liberal magazine journalist explains the appointment as a clever ploy on the part of May to scapegoat the former mayor of London…

“Conservative Die Welt also sees the choice of Johnson as having more than meets the eye, suggesting May wants to be entertained by watching Johnson’s buffoonery play out on the biggest stage of all. The new prime minister has constrained Johnson’s power by creating two new posts that concern foreign issues – a minister responsible for Brexit negotiations and a minister for international trade – Die Welt notes. ‘His job will be limited to what he does best – charming people. As foreign minister he will play a similar role to the one he played as mayor of London, only on a bigger stage. And why should May deny herself this show, this unique talent to advertise for Britain?’ But in a sign that it doesn’t mean its analysis altogether seriously, the paper also describes Johnson as an ‘undiplomatic, unpredictable disloyal jack of all trades.’

“Sylke Tempel, editor of Internationale Politik and Berlin Policy Journal, points out that Johnson’s appointment is more significant than just a power game within the conservative elite, and can only spell bad news. ‘FM Boris Johnson aka the Irresponsible [one] who caused the mess, won’t make cleaning up his mess any easier,’ wrote Tempel on Twitter. Munich daily Süddeutsche Zeitung has given up hope that the British establishment take anything seriously any more: ‘Johnson as foreign minister? That is British humour’ its headline reads.”

Falling Pound Is World’s Weakest Major Currency

The Times wrote on July 9:

“The pound has replaced the battered Argentine peso as the world’s weakest leading currency this year after a huge surge in American jobs yesterday added to the British currency’s woes. Sterling is now the weakest of 31 leading currencies this year, falling by almost 13 per cent against the US dollar. This is further than the Argentine and Mexican pesos, the Chinese yuan and the Polish zloty.

“Fears about Britain’s relative weakness against other economies were underlined yesterday as America revealed that it had created a remarkable 287,000 jobs in June, boosting the dollar and sending the pound lower.”

“Core Europe for Salvation”

This is the headline of an article which was published on July 9 by the left-liberal German publication, “Die Zeit”. The article featured an interview with well-known and respected German  philosopher Juergen Habermas who was quoted as saying that the EU, consisting of 27 member states (excluding the UK), are not able to come to a consensus, and that the Eurozone members, which have been closely connected for many years, are the “natural definition for the size of a coming core Europe.”

At the same time, sensational articles and warnings, such as by the International Monetary Fund, predict a collapse of the EU and even the Eurozone. However, this will not  occur. In this regard, President Obama seems to have a better grasp. The EUObserver stated on July 8:

“US president Barack Obama has said talk that Brexit would lead to the collapse of the EU is ‘misplaced’, amid promises to work more closely with Europe. Speaking to the press at the Marriott Hotel in Warsaw on Friday (8 July) ahead of a Nato summit, he said the British vote to leave the EU ‘has led some to say that the entire edifice of European security and prosperity is crumbling … This kind of hyperbole is misplaced.'”

Europe Angry with the UK

Express wrote on July 9:

“Voters in Germany, France, Sweden and Finland want [a] harsh deal for UK… think[ing] Britain should NOT be allowed a generous deal in Brexit negotiations – even if it can be offered.

“The majority of Germans and French were opposed to helping Britain with 53 per cent saying the UK should not expect any favours. Only 27 per cent said the EU should offer Britain a generous deal… The opinion poll published on Friday showed Europeans want Britain to be punished for its choice to leave the Union on June 23.

“Furthermore, nearly half of voters in the two EU heavyweight countries said they would support a free trade deal with Britain only if Britain agreed to continue to allow EU citizens to live and work in the country. Opposition to the EU’s free movement of workers principle was one of the main campaign messages of those who wanted Britain to leave the bloc…

“Of five continental EU countries covered by YouGov’s poll, only voters in Denmark favoured offering Britain a generous deal, the polling firm said. YouGov interviewed 2,045 people in Germany, 1,008 people in France and around 1,000 people in each of Sweden, Finland and Denmark between June 30 and July 5.”

Express added on July 13:

“The president of the European Council said it would be ‘lethal’ to let the UK walk away scot-free as he attempts to avoid a domino effect across the continent in the wake of Brexit. Mr Tusk took the tough stance amid upcoming negotiations following Britain’s sensational Leave vote… He has already repeated warnings the UK will not have access to the single market without accepting the right of other EU nationals to move to the country… Poland’s  former prime minister recently warned the UK would not be able to place controls on EU immigration if it wanted to remain a part of the single market.”

“Brexit a Chance for Closer EU Military Ties, Says Germany”

The Local wrote on July 13:

“London had ‘paralysed’ European efforts to have a more closely integrated security policy, charged Ursula von der Leyen, as she presented Germany’s strategic defence outlook. ‘Europeans are right to expect that the EU tackles the big questions,’ she said, adding that ‘we now have that opportunity’ after the departure of Britain, which ‘consistently blocked everything with the label Europe on it.’

“Von der Leyen was presenting Germany’s first big-picture defence outlook in a decade, pledging Berlin’s willingness to play a greater role in the world. Europe’s top economy also pledged to work with EU and NATO allies to tackle cross-border challenges, from the threats posed by Russia to Islamist terrorism to climate change…

“The strategic outlook is seen as a milestone for a country that, burdened by guilt about Nazi terror and the Holocaust, for decades trod softly on the world stage and only joined peacekeeping missions in the 1990s in the Balkans.”

Hollande vs. Cameron on Russia

Daily Mail wrote on July 9:

“David Cameron today stressed that Europe must remain united in the face of the threat from Russia amid fears Britain’s withdrawal from the EU will weaken its resolve to stand up to Vladimir Putin… He added that both the EU and the alliance needed to be prepared to stand firm in face of any fresh aggression by Russia following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. His comments came after President Francois Hollande said France regarded Russia as a partner, ‘not a threat’ and that Nato had no role in determining what Europe’s relations with Moscow should be…

“The Warsaw summit, Nato’s first in two years, is considered by many to be the alliance’s most important since the Cold War. However, the turmoil in the United States in the wake of a deadly sniper attack that left five police officers dead in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday night meant Obama’s attention has been divided while in Europe. But despite grappling with some of the most dangerous threats to the modern world, including deterring a resurgent Russia and stopping the Islamic State, the two outgoing leaders (Obama and Cameron) were pictured enjoying what appeared to be a light-hearted conversation.”

Vladimir Putin Restricts Religious Freedom in Russia

Christianity Today wrote on July 8:

“This week, Russian president Vladimir Putin approved a package of anti-terrorism laws that usher in tighter restrictions on missionary activity and evangelism… The amendments, including laws against sharing faith in homes, online, or anywhere but recognized church buildings, go into effect July 20…

“Protestants and religious minorities small enough to gather in homes fear they will be most affected. Last month, ‘the local police officer came to a home where a group of Pentecostals meet each Sunday,’ Konstantin Bendas, deputy bishop of the Pentecostal Union, told Forum 18. ‘With a contented expression he told them: ‘Now they’re adopting the law I’ll drive you all out of here.’ I reckon we should now fear such zealous enforcement.’”

The website of penews.org added on July 8:

“[The new law] prohibits freedom of religion in a way that is considered the most restrictive measure in post-Soviet history… Under the law, all personal evangelism on the streets and in individual homes is now restricted. Evangelizing outside registered churches will result in fines. Christians meeting in homes are not allowed to invite unbelievers. Christians wishing to share their faith must secure government permits through registered religious organizations. Even with such permits, they are not allowed to witness anywhere besides registered churches or religious sites. Churches that rent rather than owning their facilities will be forcibly disbanded.

“Besides rendering evangelism illegal, the law will also punish not reporting violations… Individuals found guilty of violating the new law will be fined up to $800 USD, while organizations found in violation will be fined up to $15,500. Foreigners found in violation will be deported. All aspects of the law also apply to internet activities.”

Vladimir Putin is manifesting himself more and more as an absolute ruthless and unscrupulous dictator, and he is now determined to wipe out every minority religion in his country which he cannot control or manipulate. Note the next article.

Back to the Persecutions of the USSR in 1929

Breitbart wrote on July 10:

“‘This new situation resembles the Soviet Union in 1929. At that time confession of faith was permitted only in church,’ said Dr. Hannu Haukka, president of Great Commission Media Ministries, reports National Religious Broadcasters (NRB). ‘Practically speaking, we are back in the same situation. These anti-terrorist laws are some of the most restrictive laws in post-Soviet history.’ … faith sharing in homes, in the media, online, or any place other than a government recognized church is prohibited… The measure is expected to especially affect evangelical groups and Jehovah’s Witnesses who often share faith in homes rather than traditional churches.

“In a column at the Daily Signal, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) wrote the new law is ‘an affront to free people everywhere… We need to begin telling the truth about an increasingly aggressive actor in global affairs… This Russian law would be an affront to free people everywhere—at home and abroad—who believe that rights of conscience—the rights to free speech and to freedom of religion—are pre-political.’

“Religious freedom attorneys and human rights groups are already preparing an appeal to Russia’s Constitutional Court… The legislation drew widespread protests and religious leaders are uncertain how they can fulfill the law’s obligations. ‘Today is indeed a black day on the calendar,’ lawyer Vladimir Ryakhovsky of the Slavic Centre for Law and Justice posted on his Facebook page. ‘Hope was that Vladimir Putin would not in the end sign this law. A law which openly contradicts the gospel command ‘go and make disciples’ and, in addition, violates the constitutional rights of citizens.’

“Mikhail Fedotov, chairman of the Presidential Council on Civil Society Development and Human Rights, protested the new amendments directly to Putin, asserting that they ‘create unjustified and excessive restrictions on the freedom of conscience of believers of all religions, and encroach upon the fundamental constitutional principle of non-interference by the state in the internal arrangements of religious associations.’…

“The United States government and all other nations that profess a commitment to religious freedom should urge Russia to repeal this unjust law, NRB President Dr. Jerry A. Johnson said. ‘Let’s pray this new iron curtain of Christian persecution in Russia will be lifted quickly and without harm to our brothers and sisters in Christ.’”

Back to the USSR’s Shameful Past

WorldNetDaily added  on July 8:

“A new law in Russia… will restrict even the most innocuous conversations about faith… ‘The new law will require any sharing of the Christian faith – even a casual conversation – to have prior authorization from the state,’ reported Barnabas Fund, which aids persecuted Christians worldwide. ‘This includes something as basic as an emailed invitation for a friend to attend church. Even in a private home, worship and prayer will only be allowed if there are no unbelievers present,’ the organization said. ‘Churches will also be held accountable for the activities of their members. So if, for example, a church member mentions their faith in conversation with a work colleague, not only the church member but also the church itself could be punished…’

“Barnabas Fund said Protestant Christians in Russia ‘fear that the new law will be chiefly enforced as a weapon against them and not used against the Orthodox Church, which Mr. Putin has favored in the past.’… reports noted that such restrictions on discussing religion in public long have been sought by Muslim majority countries, which cast it as a religious freedom issue, claiming that no one should ‘disparage’ any religion, although the only beneficiary appears to be Islam.

“… members of an advisory council of heads of Protestant churches in Russia had asked Putin to stop the law. Sergey Ryakhovsky, a co-chair of the council, said that ‘The Constitution of the Russian Federation Article 28 says that everyone is guaranteed freedom of religion, including the right to freely disseminate religious and other convictions,’ [adding:] ‘The Soviet past reminds us how many people of different faiths were persecuted for their faith, for spreading their beliefs, the Word of God. … Our fathers not only paid fines and were sentenced to prison terms for “illegal assembly,” for “religious agitation,” for preaching and prayer. And today we see clearly that the proposed bill gets us back to that shameful past.’”

Poland Accuses Ukraine of Genocide

The Associated Press wrote on July 11:

“The leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party has commemorated a massacre of Poles by Ukrainians during World War II, describing it as genocide. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of the Law and Justice party, laid flowers Monday at a monument in Warsaw to the victims of the Volyn massacre on the 73[rd] anniversary of a key moment in the killings. Kaczynski said ‘we must never let this crime against Poles and any such crime be overlooked, relativized or described as anything but genocide.’

“From 1943-1944, Ukrainian nationalists killed up to 100,000 Poles in Volyn and eastern Galica, areas then in Poland but now in Ukraine. The peak of the killings, which involved Poles being butchered with axes and saws, was on July 11, 1943. About 20,000 Ukrainians died at Polish hands.”

This is a remarkable development as it is plausible that Poland will play a definite role within the EU, while Ukraine will ultimately side with Russia.

Austrian President Steps Down

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 8:

“Austria’s outgoing President Heinz Fischer has stepped down after 12 years in office. In his farewell address, he spoke out against the right-wing politics of his potential successor.  The 77-year-old Social Democratic president issued a plea Friday for Austrians to confront populism and xenophobia…

“Austria’s Constitutional Court annulled the result of the run-off election last week, which former Green party leader Alexander Van der Bellen, 72, won by a slim margin against parliamentarian Norbert Hofer of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ). A new vote is slated for October 2…

“Hofer, 45, and the anti-immigration FPÖ have toughened their stance on Austria’s EU membership in the wake of Britain’s June 23 vote to leave the bloc. ‘If the EU develops in the wrong way, instead of returning to its actual basic values, if it becomes more centralized, and if Turkey joins, then for me it would be time to say that Austrians must also be asked (about membership),’ Hofer said after the ‘Brexit’ vote.

“A poll published Friday by Austrian daily Österreich found 52 percent of 600 people surveyed were against Austria leaving the EU; 30 percent were in favor and 8 percent undecided. Hofer becoming the EU’s first far-right president would have symbolic importance for the FPÖ two years before the next scheduled general election. There are also fears of a potential power grab as Hofer has said that – if elected president – he would take advantage of hitherto untapped constitutional powers afforded to the traditionally figurehead office.”

Germany’s Public Broadcaster ZDF Consistently Anti-Semitic

Ynetnews.com wrote on July 10:

“An advertisement for a German television documentary which will deal with how children in the Palestinian Authority are taught to hate and kill has caused an uproar for claiming that Israeli children are also taught to hate and kill Palestinians. The program will be aired on ZDF, a German television channel which is known for its anti-Israel slant… The documentary makes the comparison between incitement to murder and hatred in Palestinian schools to the education and incitement to hatred which Israeli children alleged[ly] receive. This, despite the fact that the documentary clearly and explicitly proves that the education systems which spread incitement to kill and to hate is on the Palestinian side only.

“While the documentary doesn’t claim that the Israeli education system teaches children to kill Arabs, it does say that Arabs are presented in a negative light in Israeli textbooks. An example of this ‘racist education’ against the Arab population is that the majority of Israeli students, when drawing a picture of an Arab, draw the Arab sitting on a camel. Following a wave of protests directed at ZDF, the station pulled the anti-Israel ad and ran an apology ad…

“Nevertheless, the uproar following the advertisement is continuing, especially in light of the station’s anti-Israel line. The German newspaper Bild asks ‘was this… a mistake or intentional distortion of the facts with an anti-Semitic slant?’

“Various research institutes have researched the content broadcasted on ZDF, and have found that it is consistently anti-Israel. The station avoided reporting on the murder of 13 year old Hallel Yaffe Ariel who was killed by a Palestinian terrorist in her bed [in] Kiryat Arba. The station did report on Palestinian injuries which occurred as a result of IDF operations following the girl’s death however.”

Iran Threatens Israel with Annihilation

The Jerusalem Post wrote on July 8:

“The deputy commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said the country has over 100,000 missiles in Lebanon alone readied for the ‘annihilation’ of Israel… Hossein Salami also said that Iran has ‘tens of thousands’ of additional missiles that are ready to wipe the ‘accursed black dot’ of Israel off the map… Salami is deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is under the command of the country’s Supreme Leader.

“‘Today, more than ever, there is fertile ground — with the grace of God — for the annihilation, the wiping out and the collapse of the Zionist regime,’ Salami said… ‘In Lebanon alone, over 100,000 missiles are ready to be launched. If there is a will, if it serves [our] interests, and if the Zionist regime repeats its past mistakes due to its miscalculations, these missiles will pierce through space, and will strike at the heart of the Zionist regime. They will prepare the ground for its great collapse in the new era.’…

“Salami’s remarks came as Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) released its annual report that Iranian efforts to illegally procure technology, especially in the nuclear area, had continued at a ‘high level’ in 2015. A separate report by a German domestic intelligence agency said that counter-espionage officials had spotted 141 procurements attempts in one German state in the last year.

“Martin Schaefer, a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry, said that Germany and its partners would work to enforce the agreement signed in Vienna last July meant to curb Iran’s nuclear program. ‘We are already talking to our partners in New York and elsewhere, and we won’t hesitate to discuss this with Tehran,’ he said.”

This shows the utter uselessness of the agreement signed between the Western “partners” (under the Obama Administration’s leadership) and Iran, coupled with the announcement that the West would not hesitate to “discuss this” with Iran.

Sizable Philistine Cemetery Uncovered

Times of Israel wrote on July 10:

“Goliath’s death is described in gruesome detail in the Bible, but how the Philistine champion would have been laid to rest has been a mystery. Scientists now say an extraordinary find may lay that giant enigma, much like the biblical villain, to rest. Archaeologists digging at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon announced Sunday the discovery of the first cemetery belonging to the ancient Israelites’ dreaded and shadowy nemeses, the Philistines… The discovery of a sizable cemetery, with over 210 individuals, at a site conclusively linked to the Philistines, was a ‘critical missing link’ that allows scholars ‘to fill out the story of the Philistines,’ said Master, a professor of archaeology at Wheaton College.

“The cemetery, discovered just outside the ancient city walls and dated to between the 11th and 8th centuries BCE — a period associated with the rise of the Israelites — may contain thousands of individuals, providing an abundance of material to study, he said… Throughout much of its 22 layers of settlement, Ashkelon was a ‘great seaport,’ situated on the Mediterranean and on the main coastal trade route,’ Harvard University’s Larry Stager, co-director of the dig, said…

“Ashkelon was one of the five main Philistine cities for six centuries — , along with Gaza, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron — from the 1100s BCE down to Ashkelon’s destruction by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 604 BCE… Scholars believe the Philistines were among a number of tribes of non-Semitic peoples who migrated across the Mediterranean — possibly from modern Greece and Turkey — and settled the Canaanite coast… Ancient Egyptian accounts describe hordes of ‘Sea Peoples’ arriving by ship to the shores of the eastern Mediterranean in the late 13th and early 12th centuries BCE. During the reign of Ramesses III, hordes of seaborne people bore down on the kingdom, were thwarted by the Egyptian armies and settled along the Levantine coast. Among the groups mentioned in the reliefs of Ramesses III’s mortuary temple at Medinet Habu are the ‘Peleset,’ whom scholars associate with the Philistines.

Focus added the following on July 11:

“The Philistines did not practice circumcision, and they ate the meat of pigs and dogs, as shown by findings from Gaza, Gat, Ashdod and Ekron.”

Unions Forming Around the World

The website of futuretimeline.net wrote the following on July 7:

“… regions of the world are seeing closer integration. Russia, for example, recently helped to establish the Eurasian Union – a political and economic union consisting of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, the East Asian Community (EAC) is a proposed trading bloc for the East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, which may arise out of either ASEAN Plus Three or the East Asia Summit (EAS). On the other side of the planet, the Union of South American Nations was established in 2008 and consists of 12 member countries.

“Now, the African Union (AU), formed in 2002 as a continental union of 54 nations in Africa, has taken its latest step towards closer integration by announcing a new electronic passport (e-Passport). This will be launched at the next AU Summit taking place in Kigali, Rwanda from 10th-18th July 2016…

“Common passports have already been adopted across a number of smaller regions, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The proposed AU passport would be an electronic document permitting continent-wide travel, without the requirement for a visa – except for Morocco (the only non-AU nation in Africa) and several island territories held by Spain, France, Portugal and the UK. The first AU passports will be issued to AU heads of state, government ministers and representatives of AU member states later this month. They will be rolled out to all AU citizens by 2018…

“Deeper integration – such as the formation of a single, pan-African common market – presents enormous political and logistical challenges, but is expected to follow in the decades ahead. On current trends, the World Bank estimates that most African nations will achieve “middle income” status (defined as at least US$1,000 per person per year) by 2025. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the continent, today standing at $2.4 trillion, will see a 12-fold increase by 2050, mushrooming to $29 trillion, larger than the combined GDP of the US and the Eurozone in 2012.”

Austria’s Presidential Election Must Be Repeated

Breitbart wrote on July 1:

“Austria’s Constitutional court has today ordered May’s presidential election be annulled and another called after ‘particularly serious cases’ of voting fraud were detected in the photo-finish vote. The Green party-backed candidate Alexander Van der Bellen originally snatched victory by a mere 0.6 per cent in the second round vote, which was taken to decide the new president of [the] central-European state Austria in May. He had made it to the round alongside Freedom Party (FPO) candidate Norbert Hofer, who campaigned to protect Austria from mass migration and Islamification.

“Now the Austrian Constitutional court has upheld a complaint by the FPO about conduct in the election. The party had alleged that there were voting ‘irregularities’ in 94 of the 117 total electoral constituencies in the country… It is not known how many of the 94 areas alleged to have voting irregularities have been investigated, but the court identified ’20 particularly serious cases’ after interviewing 67 witnesses…

“Given that the election was carried by just 30,863 votes, and up to 740,000 postal votes are in question, the Constitutional court has now ruled the vote should be re-run, although the date for this has not yet been announced. Until the new vote in Autumn, the role of Austria’s Presidency will be fulfilled by a three-member National President Council (Präsidium des Nationalrats) — on which the FPO presidential candidate Norbert Hofer already sits.

“[The] President of the constitutional court Gerhart Holzinger said the ruling ‘does not make you a loser or a winner’ to representatives of the two parties present in the court room this morning, and said the sentence had been passed to ‘strengthen confidence in the rule of law and democracy’, reports Germany’s Die Welt… The decision comes just seven days before Green-backed candidate Alexander Van der Bellen was due to be officially sworn in as President of Austria.

“Even before the allegations of electoral fraud, the vote was already considered extraordinary as it is the first time in modern Austrian history where none of the candidates in the final round were [representatives] of the mainstream parties…”

Deutsche Welle added on July 1:

“Austria’s constitutional court annulled May’s president election on Friday, upholding a legal challenge by the anti-immigation Freedom party (FPÖ) and opening the way for a repeat poll in September or October. ‘The challenge brought by Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache against the May 22 election… has been upheld,’ said constitutional court head Gerhard Holzinger.”

Norbert Hofer: Austrians Will Not Accept Turkey’s EU Membership

Express wrote on July 3:

“Norbert Hofer said Turkey joining the bloc could be the game changer that forces Austrians to call for an EU referendum in a bid to break away.  He said: ‘I believe that people are able to learn, that political structures are able to develop, and that Austria will contribute to making Europe better. There is one exception, however, that is if the EU decides to let Turkey join the Union. Austrians will have to be asked whether they want this.’

“His remarks come amid fresh discussions between Turkey and EU bigwigs after Ankara demanded an acceleration on its application in return for taking back migrants seeking asylum in Europe. The European powerhouse and Turkey have been locked in a high-stakes standoff over Ankara’s refusal to reform its strict terror laws in return for visa-free travel and £2.5billion to clamp down on the migrant crisis.”

AG Loretta Lynch Accepts Findings and Recommendations of the FBI in the Clinton Case

CNN wrote on July 1:

“Attorney General Loretta Lynch will accept the determinations and findings of the FBI and career prosecutors who are investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, Lynch said Friday. Lynch made the pledge Friday at Aspen Ideas Festival, following questions raised when she met privately with former President Bill Clinton at a Phoenix airport earlier this week… The meeting instantly drew criticism from Republicans and even some Democrats, who said that just the decision for the two to interact was a mistake while the Justice Department is conducting an investigation of Clinton’s private email server…

“The meeting and its fallout are sure to worry some Democrats who see Clinton as the only candidate standing between Donald Trump and the White House. Not only is the fate of her campaign largely in the hands of the Justice Department, but this was an entirely avoidable incident that hits her on one of her most persistent vulnerabilities — how voters doubt her trustworthiness.

“The No. 2 Republican in the Senate, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, called for a special counsel Thursday to take over the investigation into the private server, citing the appearance of impropriety.

“This incident does nothing to instill confidence in the American people that her department can fully and fairly conduct this investigation, and that’s why a special counsel is needed now more than ever,” Cornyn said in a statement. The conservative legal watchdog group Judicial Watch that has led the charge in suing for access to Hillary Clinton’s email records also jumped on the news, calling for an investigation into what transpired between Lynch and Clinton.  ‘Attorney General Lynch’s meeting with President Clinton creates the appearance of a violation of law, ethical standards and good judgment,’ the group said in a statement. ‘Attorney General Lynch’s decision to breach the well-defined ethical standards of the Department of Justice and the American legal profession is an outrageous abuse of the public’s trust.’”

Showing Extremely Poor Judgement

In a related article, CNN published the following opinion piece by Paul Callan, “a CNN legal analyst and a former media law professor. He is a former New York City homicide prosecutor and criminal defense attorney”:

“The Arizona tarmac meeting between former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch will certainly raise the eyebrows of more than a few law enforcement professionals and voters throughout the United States.

“The reason: the AG is the Cabinet officer who is nominally in charge of the FBI’s ‘email server’ investigation which in part focuses upon the conduct of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“Since the email server was located in the Clinton’s private residence in Chappaqua, N.Y., most members of the public would reasonably assume that Mr. Clinton himself would have more than a passing knowledge regarding the use and maintenance of the server. He would also be intensely interested in keeping his candidate wife clear of any allegations of criminal wrong during her presidential campaign.

“Under the circumstances, the tarmac soiree between Clinton and Lynch demonstrates incredibly bad judgment on the part of two seasoned legal and political professionals.  Both should have instantly realized that their private meeting might create public suspicion that something improper must have occurred. After all Donald Trump has been tossing corruption accusations at Hillary Clinton with the frequency of firings on ‘The Apprentice.’

“If the conversation, which took place on a private plane parked at the Phoenix Airport, was, as has been reported, merely a polite exchange of pleasantries and family news, no illegality occurred. Lawyers, however, are not bound by merely the black letter of the law but also by the lawyer’s ‘Code of Professional Responsibility’ which in theory holds them to a higher ethical standard. The lawyer’s ethical code historically prohibited them from engaging in activities that create an ‘appearance of impropriety’ and undermine public confidence in the justice system. The tarmac meeting here certainly feels improper. That code binds Lynch but possibly not the former president, whose law license was suspended by Arkansas for five years after the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

“The attorney general should have had better sense than to permit the meeting with the always charming and persuasive former president. It will erode public confidence in the Justice Department she leads.  As attorney general, Lynch is in charge of federal prosecutors, who must decide if there is sufficient evidence to submit charges to a federal grand jury in the Clinton email case or whether a termination of the probe without charges is warranted. Undoubtedly, it is difficult for even the powerful attorney general of the United States to throw a former president off her plane. In the future she had better summon the strength and courage to do so as the reputations of the thousands of honest Justice Department employees depend on her understanding that even when a former president seeks refuge from the heat of an Arizona tarmac in summer, appearances matter.”

The New York Times wrote on July 1:

“By not recusing herself, Ms. Lynch retains all the legal authority as the nation’s top law enforcement official. That means her remarks are not binding and she is not obligated to accept what the F.B.I. recommends. But by making her plans public, Ms. Lynch risks causing a political firestorm if she were to later overrule those recommendations…

“The F.B.I. is investigating whether Mrs. Clinton, her aides or anyone else broke the law by setting up a private email server for her to use as secretary of state. Internal investigators have concluded that the server was used to send classified information… For the Justice Department, the central question is whether the conduct met the legal standard for the crime of mishandling classified information…”

There are further complicating factors in this case. The investigation evolved also around emails pertaining to the Clinton Foundation in which both the Clintons have an interest. And Young was nominated in 1999 by then President Bill Clinton to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. According to some legal scholars, this fact shows personal impropriety of a meeting between Bill Clinton and Lynch, while an investigation was pending against Hillary Clinton (and, by extension, her husband).

It was also felt that Lynch’s announcement to abide by the FBI’s findings and recommendations had compromised Lynch’s impartiality even more, as she was now no longer able to disagree with the FBI, if there would be reason, in her mind, to do so. The entire affair had become extremely tainted by the subsequent public recommendations of the FBI NOT to indict Hillary Clinton.

FBI Recommends NOT to Press Charges against Hillary Clinton!

Breitbart wrote on July 5:

“Though [FBI director James] Comey found ‘evidence of potential violation’ of classified information laws on [Hillary] Clinton’s part, and though Comey noted that people who did similar things would be punished, Comey nevertheless told the American people that the FBI does not recommend an indictment against Clinton. Comey confirmed numerous details of the email scandal including the fact that Clinton had information on her private server that was classified when sent…  But Comey said that no reasonable prosecutor would take on the case.

“Comey’s harsh criticisms of Clinton’s conduct, paired with his inexplicable decision not to call for an indictment, suggest that Comey might have torn sympathies regarding the case…

“Comey also confirmed that Clinton did not hand over [‘several thousand’] of her [work-related] emails, even though she signed a sworn affidavit that she had done so. Whether or not Clinton will be charged with perjury is still up to the Department of Justice. Even the Washington Post left the door open for a possible ‘making false statements’ charge, though it seems unlikely considering the political implications here…

“‘To be clear, this is not to suggest that in similar circumstances, a person who gauged this activity would gauge no consequences. To the contrary, those individuals are often subject to security or administrative sanctions but that is not what we are deciding now,’ Comey said.”

On Wednesday, the Attorney General accepted the “recommendations” of the FBI, as she had promised to do, following her controversial clandestine meeting with Bill Clinton, and she made it official that no charges would be filed against Hillary Clinton.

Clearly, Hillary Clinton Should Have Been Indicted

On July 5, the Daily Mail summarized the FBI’s outrageous recommendation in this way:

“[The] FBI recommends NO charges against ‘extremely careless’ Hillary despite her sending top-secret information on private server which was ‘possibly’ hacked… The Espionage Act prescribes lengthy prison terms for government officials who cause classified material to be moved to an unsecured location, either willfully or through ‘gross negligence.’”

The Daily Mail also said that “Comey’s conclusion, which he insisted no politician in the Obama administration was aware of in advance, amounted to a declaration that Clinton and her aides were ‘extremely careless’ with their handling of classified material… ‘Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case…’”

As stated above in our introductory comments, “extreme carelessness” is the same as “gross negligence.”

National Review wrote on July 5:

“There is no way of getting around this: According to Director James Comey… Hillary Clinton checked every box required for a felony violation of Section 793(f) of the federal penal code (Title 18): With lawful access to highly classified information she acted with gross negligence in removing and causing it to be removed… from its proper place of custody, and she transmitted it and caused it to be transmitted to others not authorized to have it, in patent violation of her trust. Director Comey even conceded that former Secretary Clinton was ‘extremely careless’ and strongly suggested that her recklessness very likely led to communications (her own and those she corresponded with) being intercepted by foreign intelligence services. Yet, Director Comey recommended against prosecution of the law violations he clearly found on the ground that there was no intent to harm the United States.

“In essence, in order to give Mrs. Clinton a pass, the FBI rewrote the statute, inserting an intent element that Congress did not require. The added intent element, moreover, makes no sense: The point of having a statute that criminalizes gross negligence is to underscore that government officials have a special obligation to safeguard national defense secrets; when they fail to carry out that obligation due to gross negligence, they are guilty of serious wrongdoing. The lack of intent to harm our country is irrelevant.

“… there are other statutes that criminalize unlawfully removing and transmitting highly classified information with intent to harm the United States. Being not guilty (and, indeed, not even accused) of Offense B does not absolve a person of guilt on Offense A, which she has committed…”

The New York Post wrote on July 5:

“The fix was in. Tuesday, FBI Director James Comey painted a devastating picture of Hillary Clinton’s reckless lawbreaking with her emails and the damage it likely caused — but then recommended no charges against her. When it comes to the Clintons, say goodbye to the rule of law. [The evidence presented by the FBI] seems enough to convict (never mind indict) her — based on Comey’s own criteria…

“So why on earth would Comey let her off the hook? Especially when the agency had recommended charges against others, like Gen. David Petraeus, who had similarly failed to protect classified information. The answer: The Clintons enjoy a different standard. They are above the law.

“Indeed, the sheer number of scandals for which Bill and Hillary Clinton have escaped punishment is simply astonishing. There’s always some ‘technicality’ or ‘lack of evidence’ or other pathetic excuse. Comey just dealt a powerful blow to the public’s faith in the concept of equal justice. Hillary will now claim falsely she’s been exonerated — even though the FBI found her in violation of the law. Is there any wonder so many voters this year are outraged by the ‘rigged’ system?”

None of this will help Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama if God has determined that she will lose in the Presidential Election.

“The Fix Is In”–Clinton’s Statements to FBI Were NOT Recorded

Breitbart wrote on July 7:

“During testimony before Congress on Thursday, FBI Director James Comey stated that the FBI’s interview with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was not under oath or recorded, but it still would be a crime to lie to the FBI. Comey stated that he did not personally interview Clinton, and did not talk to all of the ‘five or six’ who did interview Clinton. He was then asked, ‘did she testify or talk to them under oath?’ Comey answered, ‘No.’ But added that ‘it’s still a crime to lie to us.’ When asked if there was a transcript of the interview, Comey stated that there wasn’t one because the interview wasn’t recorded, but there was an analysis of Clinton’s interview.”

This is perplexing and VERY troublesome, as Comey was also asked whether Hillary Clinton rectified to the FBI her prior lies to Congress and the public, and Comey responded that he did not specifically inquire into that. He was then asked to do so and provide Congress with the written documentation as to Clinton’s testimony to the FBI.

The conduct by most Democratic members of the Congressional House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was appalling. As foreseeable, the hearing was another circus. While determined to exonerate Hillary Clinton and justify her unjustifiable conduct, Democrats tried to launch mean-spirited attacks against Republican members, Republicans in general and Donald Trump in particular (who was not even the subject of the hearing). Most Republican members did an excellent job in establishing a strong case against Clinton, coupled with their expression of dismay as to the FBI’s recommendations in spite of all the evidence. 

Comey seemed to admit rewriting the law, stating that even though Congress had passed legislation, specifically requiring gross negligence and no intent, in practice, intent had to be proven by a prosecutor beyond reasonable doubt, according to Comey. In addition, as Breitbart stated on July 7, “Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) demolished FBI director James Comey’s claim Thursday that the government lacked sufficient evidence of criminal intent to prosecute former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mis-handling classified information. Gowdy, referring to his background as a prosecutor, and peppering Comey with questions, demonstrated that the kind of evidence the government already had on Clinton — such as hiding her private email server — was often used to show intent.”

“US State Department to Reopen Hillary Clinton Email Probe”

Deutsche Welle reported on July 8:

“State Department spokesman John Kirby said the internal review would resume now that it was clear the Justice Department would not be pursuing criminal charges against Hillary Clinton… The State Department launched a probe into the emails in January after stating that 22 messages sent from Clinton’s private server were ‘top secret.’

“The review was put on hold in April, however, so as not to interfere with an FBI inquiry to determine whether she had broken the law. That investigation ended this week, with the Justice Department announcing it would accept the FBI’s recommendation not to prosecute Clinton.

“‘Given the Department of Justice has now made its announcement, the State Department intends to conduct its internal review,’ Kirby said. ‘We will aim to be as expeditious as possible, but we will not put artificial deadlines on the process,’ he added…”

Obama Not a Devout Christian

The Daily Mail wrote on July 7:

“Bill O’Reilly shared photos of Barack Obama in traditional Islamic dress on his program Wednesday night claiming they were from his half-brother Malik’s wedding. The Fox News host said it was ‘very difficult’ to verify the exact location of the photographs – a similar set of which were first released back in 2004 by Malik and previously published on DailyMail.com – but claimed they were taken in Maryland in the early 1990s. ‘According to his half-sister, Barack Obama attended his half-brother’s wedding in the early 1990s. Malik Obama was a Muslim,’ said O’Reilly…

“Malik was married in 1981 for the first time and President Obama was his best man at that ceremony. He now has multiple wives. O’Reilly used the photos in a monologue alleging the President’s ‘deep emotional ties to Islam’ have stopped him effectively combating ISIS while also saying he believes the photos prove that President Obama is not a ‘devout Christian.’

“He did this while attacking President Obama hours after he revealed he would not be withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, saying: ‘President Obama, as we all know, will not even use the words Islamic terrorism. Again today when telling the nation that America will maintain eight-thousand troops in Afghanistan, the president did not accurately describe the situation there, putting forth that it was more about politics than Islamic terror.’

“O’Reilly claims the President Obama’s failure to identify the terrorist threat facing America has allowed ISIS to run amok in the Middle East, a mistake he claims the Commander-in-chief will not acknowledge. ‘There is no question the Obama administration’s greatest failure is allowing the Islamic terror group ISIS to run wild, murdering thousands of innocent people all over the world, including many Muslims,’ said O’Reilly…

“He went on to say during the program: ‘I base my analysis on the fact that in my opinion – and I could be wrong, but I’m not – President Obama’s sympathetic treatment of Muslims put the country in danger because he has not elevated the risks that we have to the level it should be. And he allowed ISIS to be created because of his foolish decision to withdraw troops in Iraq and to pretty much run wild for five years. So another president, angry about the jihad, would not have done that.’…”

Trump’s Possible Running Mates

The Washington Post wrote on June 30:

“Donald Trump’s campaign has begun formally vetting possible running mates, with former House speaker Newt Gingrich emerging as the leading candidate, followed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. But there are more than a half dozen others being discussed as possibilities, according to several people with knowledge of the process. Given Trump’s unpredictability, campaign associates caution that the presumptive Republican nominee could still shake up his shortlist. But with little more than two weeks before the start of the Republican National Convention, Gingrich and Christie have been asked to submit documents and are being cast as favorites for the post inside the campaign. Gingrich in particular is the beneficiary of a drumbeat of support from Trump confidants such as Ben Carson…

“The contenders under the most serious consideration, such as Gingrich and Christie, have been asked by attorney Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. to answer more than 100 questions and to provide reams of personal and professional files that include tax records and any articles or books they have published… With Gingrich, 73, or Christie, 53, the 70-year-old mogul would be joined by a well-connected Republican who shares his combative style and his ease at being a ubiquitous media presence. Both men have won Trump’s favor by actively supporting him — Gingrich primarily through television appearances and Christie through behind-the-scenes talks with party leaders and leading GOP donors…

“Gingrich would bring with him a history of battling with presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, going back to their public fights over health care and Bill Clinton’s agenda and ultimate impeachment in the 1990s during her husband’s presidency. For years, Gingrich was seen by Clinton allies not just as an opponent but a nemesis with a penchant for grandiose rhetoric and barbed attacks — traits that Trump is said to welcome…

“Cruz is seen as someone Trump would like to bring into the fold because of his political capital with the conservative movement. But their bitter clashes during the primary have left a mark, and Cruz has so far declined to endorse Trump. That has not stopped members of Trump’s team from reaching out to members of Cruz’s circle and trying for a reconciliation… Robert Jeffress, a Dallas pastor who has become close with Trump during the campaign, said in an interview that while he has not spoken to Trump about the vice-presidential slot, Trump has made clear that he ‘wants someone who can help get his legislative agenda through Congress.’”

France’s Hollande Attacks Trump, Advocates European Military ”Defense”

The Telegraph wrote on July 1:

“The president of France has launched a scathing attack on Republican candidate Donald Trump, saying relations between the US and Europe would be complicated if the New York tycoon wins the White House. In comments that were surprisingly outspoken for a sitting head of state about another country’s political candidate, François Hollande urged Democrats to work to ensure the victory of Hillary Clinton. He said those who believed it was impossible for Mr Trump to win, were the same people who failed to predict the outcome of Britain’s referendum on EU membership…

“Mr Hollande, a socialist, likened Mr Trump’s controversial policies to the fear-mongering tactics of far-right movements in the EU… ‘fear of the wave of immigration, stigmatisation of Islam, questioning of representative democracy,’ he said.

“Mr Hollande also accused Mr Trump of hypocrisy denouncing elites and said that the 70-year-old was the ‘most obvious incarnation’ of those very elites… Asked if he believed a Trump presidency would be ‘dangerous’, he answered in the affirmative… ‘His election would complicate relations between Europe and the United States. But let’s look beyond this scenario and become aware of a deep and lasting trend in the US – Americans no longer [intend] to be the policemen of the world. Europeans should understand and plan accordingly for their defence. For their economies. For their commercial policy. And for the protection of their cultural industries.’”

“Europe Wants Its Own Empire”

Express wrote on July 1:

“The EU wants to expand its influence as far and wide as Asia and Africa – with critics fuming it shows Brussels are planning to form ‘its own empire’. The latest EU foreign policy document, titled Global Strategy, calls for an extended reach into new spheres as distant as the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa… Ukip’s defence spokesman Mike Hookem said: ‘The EU wants its own Empire as former Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made clear when he was in charge. This global strategy by the EU is yet another reason why last Thursday’s result was a lucky escape for the UK.”

The New York Times wrote on July 1:

“Britain’s vote to leave the European Union comes as the 28-nation bloc is grappling with more than its usual economic issues… As France and Germany fill the leadership void, they will have an opportunity to pursue a shared goal that Britain has blocked: expanding the European Union’s integration to include military policy…

“The European Union already has a military affairs office, known as the European Defense Agency, but it is weak and decentralized, lacking even a permanent headquarters. Britain has long opposed strengthening this arm of the union, preferring that all military coordination go through NATO, where its voice is amplified by its close alliance with the United States. Days after Britain’s referendum, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, presented a long-awaited memo articulating the body’s ‘global strategy.’ At its center is a call, long sought by French and German officials, for beginning to integrate Europe’s military policies.”

Brexecution

The Washington Post wrote on July 1:

“A day after staging a political ambush that reshaped the race to be Britain’s next prime minister, [justice minister] Michael Gove said Friday he acted out of ‘conviction, not ambition’ to open yet another head-spinning drama amid the fallout from Britain’s snub of the European Union… Gove initially signaled he would back a former London mayor, Boris Johnson, as Cameron’s replacement. But just hours before Johnson was to announce his bid for the job, Gove on Thursday launched his own campaign. Johnson withdrew less than three hours later to add another word to Britain’s increasingly dark political lexicon: ‘Brexecution.’

“Gove insisted on Friday that he did not want to be prime minister but felt he had no choice after concluding that Johnson… was not up to the job… The betrayal has scrambled an already chaotic picture in British politics. Gove and Theresa May, who leads the country’s domestic security operations as home affairs minister, are now considered the front-runners to replace Cameron.

“Gove’s move against Johnson left Britain reckoning with one more betrayal in a political season full of them. It rattled an already dazed nation, and left no doubt — if any remained — that Britain is divided, directionless and leaderless as it prepares for a leap into the unknown of life outside the E.U.

“Gove now must rebuild his image to win over voters stung by his Machiavellian moves, and make a case for how he will negotiate the best terms for Britain as it breaks ranks with the other 27 E.U. nations…

“May would be the second female prime minister in British history, after Margaret Thatcher. May’s unsmiling public persona and hard-line conservative politics have drawn occasional comparisons to the Iron Lady.

“Much of the response Friday to Gove’s last-minute announcement that he would challenge Johnson was unfavorable. A succession of leading Conservative politicians threw their weight behind May. So did the Daily Mail, Britain’s rabidly anti-E.U. tabloid. The endorsement came despite the fact that May backed the ‘remain’ campaign. [But she said subsequently that she will abide by the British vote, as “Brexit means Brexit.”] Gove’s wife, Sarah Vine, is a Daily Mail columnist. ‘A party in flames and why it must be Theresa,’ was the paper’s banner headline Friday.

“The Sun, another top-selling British tabloid, used a picture of Johnson on its cover with the word ‘Brexecuted’ underneath…”

Der Spiegel called Gove the “Brexit Brutus.” Daily Mail referred to him as “Judas” who “sticks his knife into Boris [Johnson] AGAIN.”

“Brexit Cannot Be Cancelled or Delayed, Says Francois Hollande”

The Independent wrote on July 1:

“Francois Hollande echoed comments made by some other European leaders who have called for the UK to start the process of leaving the EU immediately… ‘the decision has been taken – it cannot be delayed… or cancelled. Now we must take the consequences.’…

“Michael Gove said that as Prime Minister he would only act after ‘extensive preliminary talks’, and most probably not before the end of this year, while Theresa May said: ‘There should be no decision to invoke Article 50 before the British negotiating strategy is agreed and clear.’”

“UK Should Join Nordic Alliance of Non-EU Countries, Says Iceland’s President”

Express wrote on July 1:

“Iceland wants the UK to join a Nordic alliance of non-EU countries in the wake of Brexit to create a ‘super triangle’ of nations. After knocking England out of the Euros, Iceland is now keen to join forces to create a new union.

“President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson said Brexit ‘is the most serious setback the leadership of the EU has seen for a long time’ as he called for a new alliance. Mr Grimmsson said: ‘First of all, it is now obvious that here in the North Atlantic will be a triangle of nations that all stand outside of the European Union: Greenland, Iceland, Great Britain, Faroe Islands and Norway. This key area in the North will be outside of the influence of the European Union…”

Norway Not Too Happy About UK Membership in EEA and EFTA

EUObserver wrote on July 1:

“Norway is far from enthusiastic about the prospect of the UK remaining a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) via the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). The reason for this is that only Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein have membership in the EEA thanks to the EFTA agreement. If the UK gets a good deal, this may turn the tide in Norway. EEA members are all EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. With Switzerland they all form the EFTA. Both associations are aimed at extending the EU single market to willing non-EU countries. By comparison, the UK is a giant and would most likely run the show, thus reducing Norway’s influence.

“Membership of the EEA makes Norway and the other two countries that access the single market via EFTA ‘three-quarter’ members of the EU… EEA membership [allows] Norwegian businesses access to the European single market without the country having to join the Euro or agree to a closer union… Norway agreed to accept all EU legislation regarding the single market, and to accept all future legislation that the EU might adopt for the single market, regardless of what this might be. Parliament approved this while revoking any Norwegian legislation, regulations, and administrative decisions that might be in breach of the basic principles of the EU Treaty or any EU legislation on the single market. Norway has effectively renounced the right to adopt national legislation that may be in violation of the single market’s legislation.  In return, Norwegian businesses and people get free access to the European single market… Since 1994, Norway has had to swallow over 10,000 EU laws… The three countries support the 15 economically weakest EU member states by way of a membership fee for access to the single market…

“Norway has also acceded to other agreements, including the Schengen Agreement… Although Norway has no voting rights in EU bodies, it does attend certain informal ministerial meetings… Theoretically, Norway can say ‘no’ to new legislation if Norway feels it conflicts with its national interests or is irrelevant to the EEA. Until now, this has not happened. The reason is simple: If Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein prohibit the implementation of an EU law, they can be punished. This means that the EU can revoke entirely unrelated elements of the agreement. For example: Norway threatened to reject the EU directive on additives in baby food, to which the EU responded by threatening to throw Norway out of the agreement on veterinary co-operation. This would be a disaster for Norwegian exports of fish. Ultimately, Norway always gives in… The EEA is undemocratic and not without constitutional problems. Norway has waved goodbye to much of its sovereignty to gain access to the single market. It would be ironic beyond measure if the British were to end up in the same boat. They voted to leave in order to have more control over their legislation, yet membership of the EEA via EFTA would only serve to reduce this control…

“There is growing scepticism about the agreement within the Norwegian trade union movement. The free movement of labour has led to social dumping in some industries, such as construction. It is primarily workers from Eastern Europe who pose this threat. The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) currently supports the EEA agreement, but this is likely to be a hotly debated topic at its next congress in light of social dumping. It means that those opposed to EU membership and who are increasingly sceptical of the EEA agreement, will be following Brexit particularly closely. If the UK gets a good deal, this may turn the tide in Norway. It may strengthen opposition to the EEA agreement, for such a deal may prove that it is possible for individual countries to negotiate a deal with the EU that is a worthy alternative to membership in the EEA.”

UK’s Nigel Farage Quits… but Not Quite

The Times of Israel wrote on July 4:

“United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, a major driving force behind Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, stepped down as leader of his party on Monday… This was not the first time Farage resigned as the leader of the party, but he said this time it was definite. Farage first quit as party leader in 2009 over party infighting and again in 2015 after failing to become an MP, but on both occasions decided to stay…

“Though he stepped down from internal British politics, Farage said he would retain his seat in the European Parliament to scrutinize the negotiations for Britain’s exit from the EU. ‘I will watch the renegotiation process in Brussels like a hawk and perhaps comment in the European Parliament from time to time,’ he said. ‘Whilst we will now leave the European Union the terms of our withdrawal are unclear,’ he added. ‘If there is too much backsliding by the government and with the Labour party detached from many of its voters, then UKIP’s best days may be yet to come.’”

British Chancellor Osborne’s Interesting Proposals

The Telegraph wrote on July 4:

“George Osborne wants us to know: he’s still here. Maligned by Tories and Lefties alike after the EU referendum, the Chancellor…  is nonetheless determined to grab column inches rather than fading away into the background…

“Mr Osborne had a helpful suggestion today. Britain needs to act fast to signal to international investors that it is going to be a hospitable and profitable place to do business. His statement that Britain should aim for corporation tax rate of 15 per cent is not a bad start. That would be a cut of 5 percentage points and give us the lowest rate in the G7 by some margin…

“Britain should do everything in its power to appeal to large corporations that employ people across the EU: it improves our negotiating position… getting a good deal from the EU is going to be extremely tough, because there are powerful forces on the continent determined not to grant us full single market access if we want any concessions on free movement.

“One strategy we should use to loosen their resolve is to give the EU an idea of what an excluded Britain on the edge of the market might look like. And one potential answer to that is obviously: a giant tax haven… The logic of cutting taxes in response to Brexit is obvious. If the EU decides to make it more expensive and difficult for businesses based here to sell their goods and services into its market, we will need to offset that cost in order to encourage a similar level of investment as we currently enjoy…

“The underlying message it sends to the EU is a harsher one: if you wilfully lock us out of your market, you leave us only one way to compete. And you won’t like it.”

Terrorism in Bangladesh

Deutsche Welle reported on July 2:

“Twenty people were found dead in a cafe in Bangladesh’s capital after police stormed it, killing six militants and capturing one. The operation ended an overnight standoff that the ‘Islamic State’ took credit for.  On Saturday, Bangladesh security forces ended a 10-hour siege at an upscale eatery in Dhaka, where about 35 people had been held captive by heavily armed militants. Thirteen hostages were freed, six of the hostage takers were killed in the operation, and one was captured, officials said.

“The Bangladesh army reported that 20 foreigners – a mix of Italian and Japanese nationals – had been found killed inside the cafe, many apparently stabbed and slashed.”

Terrorism in Iraq

The Telegraph wrote on July 3:

“At least 125 people have been killed in two separate bomb attacks in Baghdad, Iraq.  A pickup truck packed with explosives blew up outside a crowded market in Karada killing at least 115 people and wounding up to 187 others, officials said. The attack struck as families and young people were out on the streets after breaking their daylight fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“Most of the victims were inside a multi-story shopping centre, where dozens burned to death or suffocated. The dead included 15 children, 10 women and six policemen, a police officer told the Associated Press.

“Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, releasing a statement to say a suicide car bomber targeted Shiites and warning ‘the raids of the mujahedeen [holy warriors] against the Rafidha [Shiites] apostates will not stop’.

“Shortly after the first bombing, an improvised explosive blew up in in eastern Baghdad, killing at least five people and wounding 16. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the second attack… Many of the dead were children, according to a team from The Associated Press at the scene…

“Hours after the bombing, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the site, where he was met by an angry crowd. The attacks came just over a week after Iraqi forces declared the city of Fallujah ‘fully liberated’ from Isis… Despite the government’s victories on the battlefield, Isis has repeatedly shown it remains capable of launching attacks far from the front-lines. The terror group remains in control of Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul, as well as significant areas of territory in the country’s north and west.”

Transgender Mania

Breitbart wrote on June 29:

“With transgender mania in full swing across the progressive half of the nation, two transgender candidates have won their respective Democrat primaries to become the first transgender candidates to appear on a general election ballot from one of the nation’s two major parties. Transgender candidates have won Democrat primaries in both Colorado and Utah, and coincidentally enough, both males have adopted ‘Misty’ as their female name.

“… an Oregon law recently allowed a jury to award $60,000.00 to a transgender teacher because other teachers declined to use the teacher’s preferred pronoun, which is “they” rather than “him” or “her.” New York City has also establish similar forced-speech rules…”

Former Pope Benedict to Reveal Reasons for His Resignation

Newsmax added on July 1:

“Former Pope Benedict says in his memoirs that no one pressured him to resign but alleges that a ‘gay lobby’ in the Vatican had tried to influence decisions, a leading Italian newspaper reported on Friday. The book, called ‘The Last Conversations’, is the first time in history that a former pope judges his own pontificate after it is over. It is due to be published on Sept. 9.

“Citing health reasons, Benedict in [2013] became the first pope in six centuries to resign… In the book, Benedict says that he came to know of the presence of a ‘gay lobby’ made up of four or five people who were seeking to influence Vatican decisions. The article says Benedict says he managed to ‘break up this power group’.

“Benedict resigned following a turbulent papacy that included the so-call ‘Vatileaks’ case, in which his butler leaked some of his personal letters and other documents that alleged corruption and a power struggle in the Vatican. Italian media at the time reported that a faction of prelates who wanted to discredit Benedict and pressure him to resign was behind the leaks.

“… rights campaigners have long said many gay people work for the Vatican and Church sources have said they suspect that some have banded together to support each other’s careers and influence decisions in the bureaucracy.

“Benedict, who now has the title ‘emeritus pope,’ has always maintained that he made his choice to leave freely and… in the book Benedict ‘again denies blackmail or pressure’… The former pope… says that he was ‘incredulous’ when cardinals meeting in a secret conclave chose him to succeed the late Pope John Paul II in 2005 and that he was ‘surprised’ when the cardinals chose Francis as his successor in 2013. Anger over the dysfunctional state of the Vatican bureaucracy in 2013 was one factor in the cardinal electors’ decision to choose a non-European pope for the first time in nearly 1,300 years.”

Terror Attack in Istanbul

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 29:

“The bombing at Ataturk Airport is the most recent attack in a long line of lethal assaults Turkey has seen over the past year. The country is struggling to defend itself against Kurdish militants and Islamist terrorists.

“Turkey is still in shock after three suicide bombers killed at least 41 people and injured 239 more at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport on Tuesday. Among the victims were travelers from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, China, Iran, Ukraine and Jordan.

“The attack was the latest in a string of violent terrorist acts that have rocked Turkey since 2015. On July 20, 2015, the terrorist group ‘Islamic State’ (IS) first attacked in Turkey, killing 34 leftists and Kurds in the southern town of Suruc. Turkish forces retaliated by bombing IS strongholds in Syria.

“IS’ first bombing in Suruc triggered a spiral of violence. The activists were on an aid mission to Kobane, where months earlier Syrian Kurdish figh[t]ers affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had defended against an IS onslaught with the help of US airstrikes. The Turkish government’s mute response to the ‘Battle for Kobane’ – which became a source of nationalist pride for Kurds across the Middle East -raised sentiment among Turkish Kurds that the government was backing IS against their ethnic brethren in Syria.

“The PKK responded to the Suruc attacks by murdering two police officers in retaliation for what it views as Turkish support for IS to counter the Syrian Kurds. Turkey’s government had been in peace talks with the militant PKK for two and a half years in a bid to end more than three decades of fighting. But after the killing of the two police officers and subsequent Turkish retaliatory airstrikes, the peace was shattered. Ever since then, the country has been struggling with violence from two sides: IS terrorists and Kurdish militants.

“No one has taken responsibility for the most recent bombing at Ataturk Airport, but Turkish authorities are blaming IS. The Islamist terrorists were definitely responsible for several other deadly attacks in Turkey since July 2015. Aside from the attack in Suruc, they also killed 102 people and injured 400 at a leftist and Kurdish peace rally in Ankara on October 10, 2015. Another IS suicide attack in Istanbul’s heavily touristed Sultanahmet district in January killed 12 people, mostly German tourists…”

The Guardian wrote on June 30:

“According to Turkish government officials, the three attackers who stormed the airport’s lower-level arrivals terminal came from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The authorities believe the trio carried out their suicide mission on behalf of Islamic State.”

“Erdogan Went to Sleep with Dogs and Woke Up with Beasts…”

JTA wrote on June 29:

“Exactly two years since Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the establishment of the ‘Islamic State,’ Baghdadi’s life project looks less like a country and more like the most vicious and sophisticated terror group the world has ever known. And that’s even taking al-Qaeda into account. Time after time, IS proves capable of carrying out massive attacks at resonant targets (like Turkey’s busiest airport), with major potential consequences (such as a drastic fall in tourism)…

“Its ambitions are not limited to the Middle East, either. IS is doing all it can to export terror attacks across the Bosphorus, to Europe and also to the United States. One or more of these attempts is likely to succeed sooner or later…

“And here is where Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey enters the picture. The president and his government for years ignored the stream of fighters that traveled through their country to territories controlled by the Islamic State. They preferred to concentrate their military efforts against the Kurds. They preferred to cooperate with IS, the Nusra Front and others by looking the other way, hoping to weaken their other enemy – Bashar Assad, the president of what is left of Syria.

“More recently, however, US pressure bore fruit, and Erdogan instructed Turkish intelligence to try to stop the flow of IS volunteers from Turkey, and to tackle the black market for IS oil. That’s how Erdogan, an Islamist from the Muslim Brotherhood ilk, an overt supporter of the Hamas terror group, became the man who went to sleep with dogs and woke up with beasts, how he became the enemy of Islamic State…”

Consequences of the Brexit Vote

The Washington Post wrote on June 25:

“… political aftershocks rocked both sides of the English Channel following Britain’s historic vote to leave… British voters and their European peers began… to digest the full and enormous consequences of the historic decision to break with Europe. In Berlin, foreign ministers from the six original members of the E.U. spoke with one voice, effectively telling the British that now that they have decided, there should be no delay to the exit door.

“Cameron has sought a looser timetable to give his Conservative Party a chance to choose his successor, whose task it would be to fashion a withdrawal deal over the course of two years. But technically, negotiations can’t start until Britain triggers the bloc’s Article 50 — the never-before-used mechanism to leave it. Cameron has given no indication of pulling that lever fast. But for European officials stung by the vote, patience was wearing thin…

“At the same time, deep intrigue reminiscent of ancient European power plays using knights and swords instead of the ballot box swirled over the future of Scotland. Scottish voters, unlike the English or Welsh, voted on Thursday to remain in the E.U… some E.U. politicians have said that if Scotland extends a hand, the E.U. should take it… ‘If Scotland wants to be a member of the European Union as an independent country, then they are welcome,’ said Manfred Weber, the chair of the European Parliament’s center-right European People’s Party and an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel…

“Britain could undergo even further dismantling if the nationalists in Northern Ireland, which also voted to remain in the E.U., press ahead with their calls for a vote on Irish reunification. Signs at the main post office in Belfast warned all who entered that it had already run out of applications for passports from Ireland.

“In the tumult, Jonathan Hill, Britain’s European commissioner, announced his resignation Saturday, citing his disappointment at the outcome of the referendum. His departure as Britain’s most senior official in Brussels was expected, but it nonetheless was another reminder of how the vote Thursday is quickly shrinking the country’s role in European affairs…”

What Will Scotland Do?

The Telegraph wrote on June 29:

“Nicola Sturgeon’s hopes of negotiating a deal to keep Scotland in the EU has suffered a major setback after Francois Hollande ruled out talks and the Spanish Prime Minister [Mr Rajoy] said it has to leave with the rest of the United Kingdom… A series of other member states, including Germany, also said they would not get involved in ‘internal’ British politics…

“Mr Rajoy… told a news conference following a summit of European leaders in Brussels: ‘… Scotland does not have the competence to negotiate with the European Union. Spain opposes any negotiation by anyone other than the government of United Kingdom.’

“Mr Rajoy’s uncompromising stance appears to make a second independence referendum more likely, as Ms Sturgeon has said that she will propose one if that is the ‘best or only way to protect Scotland’s place in the EU.’

“But [Mr Rajoy’s] statement also suggests that a separate Scotland would start life outside the EU and have to negotiate entry, a process that could take years and involve adoption of the euro, a hard border with England and tight public spending controls.”

In the Wake of the Brexit… Anti-Semitism in Corbyn’s Labour Party

JTA wrote on June 28:

“Only a week ago, Jeremy Corbyn seemed to have survived his biggest public relations debacle as the leader of Britain’s Labour Party: the proliferation of anti-Semitic rhetoric among its members. Yet this week, the British vote to leave the European Union achieved what Corbyn’s opponents failed to do in their attacks against him over anti-Semitism.

“On Tuesday, 172 Labour lawmakers among the total 229 in the Parliament said they had no confidence in Corbyn, opening the door to a challenge that if co-signed by 51 lawmakers will lead to internal elections. The previous day, the party’s leadership abandoned Corbyn in a mass walkout over his perceived failure to effectively lobby against the Brexit, which a majority of voters supported in Thursday’s referendum.

“Relying on strong popular support in the Labour rank-and-file and ignoring calls to resign by former supporters who quit in protest of his leadership, Corbyn is holding on to his seat. Critics say he risks splitting and ruining a party that used to be a natural political home for British minority groups, including many from the Jewish community…

“Under fire by senior party members who accused him of either doing too little to curb the phenomenon or of contributing to it with his open endorsement of anti-Israel terrorists, Corbyn took a serious beating in the mainstream media. The pressure mounted after Ken Livingstone, a former mayor of London, said Adolf Hitler was a Zionist. Livingstone was suspended from the party…”

More Outcry Against Corbyn

The Guardian wrote on June 30:

“Jeremy Corbyn was engulfed in a fresh row over Israel when he appeared to compare the government of Binyamin Netanyahu to Islamic State at the launch of an independent review into antisemitism in the Labour party. In prepared remarks, Corbyn said: ‘Our Jewish friends are no more responsible for the actions of Israel or the Netanyahu government than our Muslim friends are for those of various self-styled Islamic states or organisations.’,,,

“Responding to the report, Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews… added: ‘It is deeply regrettable that [Corbyn] went on to establish some sort of equivalence between Israel and terrorist groups such as Isis. This is completely unacceptable.’…

“The Labour MP Ruth Smeeth walked out of the press conference after being accused of colluding with the Daily Telegraph in a row over leaflets allegedly describing MPs opposed to Corbyn’s continued leadership as ‘traitors.’ Corbyn refused to take questions on the challenge to his leadership or whether he intended to remain at the helm of the party. ‘I am the leader,’ he said…

“Corbyn, who was greeted with whoops and cheers as he stood at the podium, criticised ‘hateful language’ used by some of the most prominent pro-leave campaigners in the referendum debate, naming Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Nigel Farage…

“Danny Rich, senior rabbi of Liberal Judaism, said although he did not believe the Labour party was institutionally antisemitic, Livingstone’s comments and other rhetoric had made an independent inquiry necessary. He added: ‘Jeremy Corbyn’s comment at the press conference, which paralleled Israel and Islamic State, makes me wonder whether he, at least, has learned anything at all from the inquiry.’”

EC Founding Members: “No Time to Lose!”

Deutsche Welle added on June 25 :

“‘The people have spoken and we need to implement this decision,’ Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said on the British vote to leave the EU. The UK should not ‘play a game of cat-and-mouse’ by delaying divorce talks, he added… ‘There is no time to lose,’ said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. ‘Of course a new (British) prime minister must be appointed, that will probably require a few days but this is quite urgent,’ he added.

“Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said Europe could not accept a political vacuum. ‘This will not be business as usual,’ he said.

“The present-day European Union originated from the European Economic Community, which was established in 1957 by West Germany, France, Italy, and the Benelux countries. The UK joined the organization in 1973.”

Is Britain Trying to Stall?

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 27:

“Germany’s EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger on Monday joined the chorus of voices calling on Britain to clarify its intentions after the Brexit vote, telling broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that the Conservative Party under Prime Minister David Cameron must swiftly decide on what course to take… His comments echoed those made at the weekend by the president of the European Parliament, Oettinger’s compatriot Martin Schulz… On Monday, Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert also said that the chancellor rejected any long delay in Britain’s departure from the bloc…

“However, Britain’s Cameron has so far refused to invoke Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty and has signalled that he wants to wait several months before beginning the country’s exit from the bloc, leaving his European partners in a state of limbo… By Cameron’s timetable, a replacement should be found ready for the Tories’ party conference in October, a delay that might not prove palatable on the continent.

“Even those British politicians behind the ‘Leave’ campaign seem to be in considerable doubt as to how to proceed without damaging British interests. Boris Johnson, who is favorite to become the next Conservative prime minister, has tried to allay fears about the country’s economic future by claiming that it would continue to have access to the EU single market. What he could not explain, however, was how Britain can continue to partake in free trade in Europe without accepting precisely the EU regulations that those in the ‘Leave’ campaign want to jettison, including rules on freedom of movement for EU citizens.”

Daily Mail added on June 27:

“… the result continues to cause deep divisions within the UK, with departing Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne criticised for a lack of leadership, while Leave campaign figurehead Boris Johnson has also come under fire for ‘backtracking’ on arguments he made in favour of Brexit.”

Europe Angry with Britain

The Associated Press wrote on June 27:

“The European Union wants a quickie divorce, but Britain wants time to think things over… EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned that the split was ‘not an amicable divorce’ but noted it was never ‘a tight love affair anyway.’…

“… French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron expressed the frustrations that many EU politicians feel, accusing Britain of taking the EU ‘hostage’ with a referendum called to solve a domestic political problem: challenges to Cameron from right-wing euroskeptics…

“Legally, there is little the EU can do to force Britain’s hand, since Article 50 must be triggered by the country that is leaving. But political pressure and economic instability may force British politicians to act more quickly than they had hoped…

“Britain will remain an EU member until the divorce is finalized, but its influence inside the bloc is already waning. Leaders of the bloc will hold a summit in Brussels next week, and the second day, Wednesday, will take place for the first time without Britain…”

UK Loses Top Credit Rating

BBC wrote on June 27:

“The UK has lost its top AAA credit rating from ratings agency S&P following the country’s Brexit vote. S&P said the referendum result could lead to ‘a deterioration of the UK’s economic performance, including its large financial services sector’.

“Rival agency Fitch lowered its rating… forecasting an ‘abrupt slowdown’ in growth in the short-term.”

The Associated Press wrote on June 27:

“The referendum has already triggered financial turmoil around the world… Credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded the U.K.’s economic outlook from stable to negative, saying Britain faces ‘a prolonged period of uncertainty … with negative implications for the country’s medium-term growth outlook.’”

Europe Stands Firm Against Britain

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 28:

“Great Britain cannot expect special treatment during negotiations to leave the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday… ‘Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges,’ she said, adding that there will be no ‘cherry-picking’ during the talks. ‘There must be and will be a noticeable difference between whether a country wants to be a member of the European Union family or not,’ she said… Even after Article 50 has been triggered Merkel reminded that Great Britain remains a part of the EU ‘for as long as the negotiations take place.’ ‘All the rights and duties that come with this membership are to be fully respected and held until the actual exit,’ she said…

“Access to Europe’s market also depends on ‘accepting Europe’s fundamental freedoms and the other rules and commitments that go with it,’ she said, adding that this rule ‘applies to Britain as it does to everyone else.’ The freedom of movement is one of the EU’s basic principles, but the UK ‘Leave’ campaigners drew a great deal of support for rejecting the bloc’s immigration rules…

“Merkel’s coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD)… called for a tough stance on the UK. ‘Those who decide against Europe must also face the consequences,’ said SPD faction head Thomas Oppermann. Although good relations with Britain should be maintained, Oppermann urged: ‘There can’t be an award for the exit, for nationalism and for anti-europeanism.’”

CNN wrote on June 29:

“The most vocal architect of Britain’s seismic decision to leave the European Union [Mr. Farage] thumbed his nose at the EU Parliament Tuesday as members booed and turned their backs on him, in the most visible clash of ideologies between Britain and Europe since last week’s vote…

“Britain’s divorce from the EU is shaping up to be messy, with Prime Minister David Cameron also in Brussels and at loggerheads with EU leaders over how to even begin…

“During his speech, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, turned to confront Farage and said he was surprised he was there. ‘That’s the last time you are applauding here,’ he said to the British Brexiters. ‘You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favor of the exit. Why are you here?’”

No Way to Reverse the Brexit

Der Stern reported on June 28 that “Angela Merkel (CDU) does not see any possibility to stop and reverse” the Brexit, “which was voted upon by the British people.” She added that “all would be well advised to accept realities” and that “this is not the hour of wishful thinking.”

Der Spiegel and The Associated Press added that Merkel also said: “I fully expect that Britain will formalize the exit from the EU by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.”

Brexit Means Brexit

Express wrote on June 30:

“Home Secretary Theresa May this morning launched her bid to replace David Cameron as prime minister by promising to ‘build a better Britain’… Despite supporting Britain remaining in the EU, Mrs May ruled out a second referendum on membership of the bloc. She said: ‘Brexit means Brexit. The campaign was fought, the vote was held, turnout was high and the country gave their verdict. There must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it through the backdoor and no second referendum.’

“Mrs May promised to put controls on open-door EU migration as part of the Government’s Brexit negotiations… Mrs May vowed to set up a new Government department to deliver a Brexit deal, which she confirmed would be headed by a Brexit-supporting Tory MP.”

May Now the Favorite?

The Sun wrote on June 30:

“Boris Johnson sensationally pulled out of the Tory leadership race today after former ally Michael Gove brutally torpedoed his chances of becoming the next PM. The Conservative leadership race was blown wide open this morning as the Justice Secretary announced he was running for leader while also knifing Boris in an extraordinary attack on his credentials.

“… Mrs May, now the favourite to succeed Mr Cameron, launched her bid to ‘reunite the Conservative Party and Britain’ in the wake of the referendum… she promised not to trigger Article 50 and kick-off the two-year process of negotiating withdrawal until the UK’s negotiating strategy is agreed – probably not before the end of this year.

“The 59-year-old said she would create a new Government department, headed by a Cabinet-level minister who had campaigned for Leave, to oversee the UK’s departure from the EU. The timetable for the contest – which will end with a new Prime Minister being named on September 9 – was formally approved by the backbench 1922 Committee yesterday.”

… And Now—The EU Super State?

Express wrote on June 27:

“European political chiefs are to take advantage of Brexit by unveiling their long-held plan to morph the continent’s countries into one. The foreign ministers of France and Germany [revealed] a blueprint to effectively do away with individual member states in what is being described as an ‘ultimatum’. Under the radical proposals EU countries will lose the right to have their own army, criminal law, taxation system or central bank, with all those powers being transferred to Brussels. Controversially member states would also lose what few controls they have left over their own borders, including the procedure for admitting and relocating refugees.

“The plot has sparked fury and panic in Poland – a traditional ally of Britain in the fight against federalism… Meanwhile Lorenzo Condign, the former director general of Italy’s treasury, has said it is nearly impossible to see Europe opting for more integration at such a time of upheaval…

“But others see the Brexit vote as an opportunity to push ahead with the European elite’s long-cherished dream of creating a United States of Europe. Spain’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo has called for ‘more Europe’ whilst Italy’s finance minister, Carlo Padoan, is advocating a common budget for the eurozone states. And Emmanuel Macron, France’s economy minister, wants to go even further and set up a common eurozone treasury which would oversee the permanent transfer of funds from wealthier northern Europe to shore up Mediterranean economies.”

The Local wrote on June 27:

“The foreign ministers of Germany and France on Monday called for ambitious steps to strengthen the European Union after Britain’s shock vote to leave the bloc. ‘We will… take further steps toward a political union in Europe, and we invite the other European states to join us in this endeavour,’ Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Jean-Marc Ayrault wrote in a joint position paper. The top diplomats of the two core EU founding members and biggest economies said that ‘Germany and France have a responsibility to strengthen solidarity and cohesion within the European Union’.

“But they also signalled a willingness to accept a multi-speed union… The two centre-left politicians proposed closer cooperation in three key policy areas – internal and external security, the migrant and refugee crisis, and on fiscal and economic cooperation.

“A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a conservative, said that she had read the paper and considered it one of the many contributions that would shape the way ahead for the EU, as its government leaders agree on a common policy.

“Ayrault and Steinmeier… stressed that ‘Germany and France remain firmly convinced that the European Union is a historically unique and indispensable framework for the pursuit of freedom, prosperity and security in Europe, for fostering peaceful relations between its peoples and for helping bring peace and stability in the world… Our two countries share a common destiny and a common set of values. Both together are the foundation for an ever closer union of our peoples.’”

A European Army?

The Sun wrote on June 28:

“The spectre of an EU army was raised by Brexiteers as a reason to quit the EU. In the wake of a vote for Brexit, EU chiefs have been more brazen about their desire to form [an] EU army. In a document titled ‘EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy’, Europe’s chief diplomat said the Brussels bloc must be able to ‘repel, to respond and to protect’. While the paper stops short of explicitly calling for an EU army, it does suggest its members should work more closely on defence matters.

“The paper states: ‘We, as Europeans, need to take on a greater responsibility for our own security. We need to be ready and able to repel, respond and to protect ourselves against aggression, provocations and destabilisation.’

“Possible areas of cooperation include the deployment of unmanned aircrafts, aerial refuelling services, satellite communication and cyber resistance and defence.

“The head of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elmar Brok, has also argued for ‘more cooperation in the European defence policy’. He said: ‘We need a common (military) headquarters and a coalition (of EU countries) acting in accordance with the permanent structural cooperation of the EU Treaty. From such a group an EU army could eventually emerge.’”

The Daily Mail wrote on June 29:

“The foreign affairs chief of the EU has warned that Europe is unable to rely on NATO for its military without Britain, sparking worries that an EU army may have to be formed following the Brexit vote. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday urged the bloc to do more in its own defence, just as leaders discussed Britain’s leave vote which will result in the loss of a major military power. While Britain is an active contributor to the currently very limited EU military operations, David Cameron has consistently opposed any idea of a separate EU army.

“Mogherini’s review, a year in the making, lays down ambitious goals for the EU in the face of new security challenges in the east, highlighted by the Ukraine crisis, and in the south, driven by turmoil across Africa and the Middle East… ‘An appropriate level of ambition and strategic autonomy is important for Europe’s ability to foster peace and safeguard security within and beyond its borders.’”

Express added on June 29:

“Downing Street had previously stated there was ‘no prospect of an EU army’. However, with Britain out of Europe it will not be able to veto a treaty change on the combined force.”

Supreme Court Turns More Liberal Towards Abortionists

The Associated Press wrote on June 27:

“The Supreme Court struck down Texas’ widely replicated regulation of abortion clinics Monday in the court’s biggest abortion case in nearly a quarter century. The justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that had argued the regulations were only a veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get abortions in the nation’s second-most populous state. Justice Stephen Breyer’s majority opinion for the court held that the regulations are medically unnecessary and unconstitutionally limit a woman’s right to an abortion.

“Texas had argued that its 2013 law and subsequent regulations were needed to protect women’s health. The rules required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery…

“Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined Breyer… Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented. Thomas wrote that the decision ‘exemplifies the court’s troubling tendency “to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue.”’ Thomas was quoting an earlier abortion dissent from Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February. Scalia has not yet been replaced, so only eight justices voted…”

Big Change in US Naturalization Procedure?

Breitbart wrote on June 25:

“Immigrants seeking to become citizens no longer have to pledge to ‘bear arms on behalf of the United States.’ They can opt out of that part of the Oath. Nor do they have to cite any specific religious belief that forbids them to perform military service….

“It’s true that other Presidents [besides President Obama] have made changes in the Naturalization process by administrative decree and without congressional approval. In 2002, in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attack, President George Bush by executive order expedited the naturalization process for 89,000 immigrants serving in the armed forces. While many will agree with Bush’s action and even applaud, that change should have been done by act of Congress, not a presidential executive order.”

However, the statements in the article are misleading, at best.

The following “policy alert” is published on the USCIS website, dated July 15, 2015: https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/Updates/20150721-OathModifications.pdf

“In general, a naturalization applicant must take an oath of allegiance in a public ceremony, in addition to meeting other eligibility requirements, in order to naturalize. The oath includes the clauses to bear arms on behalf of the United States and to perform noncombatant service in the U.S. armed forces when required by law. An applicant may be eligible for certain modifications to the oath to exclude the clauses based on religious training and belief or a conscientious objection.

“This guidance updates Volume 12 of the Policy Manual to clarify the eligibility requirements for the modifications… an applicant may be eligible for modifications based on religious training and belief, or conscientious objection arising from a deeply held moral or ethical code… an applicant is not required to belong to a specific church or religion, follow a particular theology or belief, or to have had religious training in order to qualify… an applicant may submit, but is not required to provide, an attestation from a religious or other type of organization, as well as other evidence to establish eligibility.”

As can be seen, the statements in the quoted Breitbart article are incorrect or at least misleading. For more than half a century, candidates for naturalized citizenship have been permitted to give a “qualified oath,” exempting him or her from serving as a combatant, if his or her religious convictions were opposed to bearing arms. Many court decisions have upheld this right as well, dating back at least to the fifties. The latest USCIS policy change merely establishes guidelines of procedure as to how to uphold the right to a qualified oath in a given situation.

More From the Pope

The National Catholic Reporter wrote on June 26:

“The Catholic church and other Christian communities must apologize to gay people and to many groups they have let down or offended throughout history, Pope Francis has said… ‘When I say the church: [I mean:] Christians,’ Francis clarified. ‘The church is holy. We are the sinners.’

“The pope was responding to a question about remarks German Cardinal Reinhard Marx made last week that the Catholic church should apologize to the gay community for marginalizing them… ‘I will repeat the same thing I said on the first trip,’ Francis said today, referencing the press conference he held on a return flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013. ‘I will also repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that [gay people] should not be discriminated against, that they have to be respected, pastorally accompanied.’ ‘The matter is a person that has that condition [and] that has good will because they search for God,’ said the pontiff…

“Francis was asked about Martin Luther, and the possibility of removing his excommunication, in relation to the pope’s upcoming October trip to Sweden for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. ‘I believe the intentions of Martin Luther were not wrong,’ the pontiff responded. ‘He was a reformer.’ ‘Maybe some methods were not the right ones,’ the pope continued. ‘But in that time … the church was not really a model to imitate. There was corruption in the church. There was worldliness; there was attachment to money, power…’ After 500 years, Francis said, it’s time to ‘take up again the path of meeting each other,’ adding that Lutherans and Catholics must pray and work together. ‘This is a very long path,’ the pontiff said. ‘One time I said I know when the day of full unity will come: the day after the coming of the Son of Man.'”

On June 27, CNN added more information regarding the pope’s statements:

“‘I believe that the church not only should apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended,’ he added, ‘but has to apologize to the poor, to exploited women, to children exploited for labor; it has to ask forgiveness for having blessed many weapons.’… James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America magazine, called the Pope’s apology to gays and lesbians ‘a groundbreaking moment.’ ‘While… John Paul II apologized to several groups in 2000 — the Jewish people, indigenous peoples, immigrants and women, among them — no pope has ever come close to apologizing to the LGBT community. And the Pope is correct of course. First, because forgiveness is an essential part of the Christian life. And second, because no group feels more marginalized in the church today than LGBT people.’…

“In response to a question about whether there are two Popes in the Vatican, a story which had received headlines recently because of a comment by Pope Benedict’s personal secretary who said that the Pope Emeritus was part of an ‘expanded papacy,’ Francis said, ‘There is only one Pope.’ ‘[Benedict] is the Pope Emeritus, the wise grandpa. He is the man who guards my back with his prayers.'”

Reuters wrote on June 28:

“Former pope Benedict made one of his rare public appearances on Tuesday to be feted by his successor Pope Francis, two days after Francis denied reports that Benedict was still exercising influence in the Vatican. Benedict, an 89-year-old German, stood without a cane for part of a ceremony in a Vatican hall to mark the 65th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. But Benedict, in his first public comments in the presence of his successor, did appear to have difficulty pronouncing a few words as he thanked Francis and a small group of cardinals in Italian.

“In 2013 Benedict, citing health reasons, became the first pope to resign in some 600 years, ending a papacy of nearly eight years marked by a scandal centered around leaked documents that alleged corruption and mismanagement in the Vatican. He has since been living in relative isolation in a convent in the Vatican gardens and has made only a handful of brief public appearances, usually at major Church ceremonies together with Francis such as the investiture of new cardinals.”

Reuters added on June 26:

“Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that the pope, by saying [that a gay person] ‘has that condition’, did not imply a medical condition but ‘a person in that situation’. In Italian, the word ‘condition’ can also mean ‘situation’.

“… Francis has been hailed by many in the gay community for being the most merciful pope toward them in recent history and conservative Catholics have criticized him for making comments they say are ambiguous about sexual morality. He told reporters on the plane ‘there are traditions in some countries, some cultures, that have a different mentality about this question (homosexuals)’ and there are ‘some (gay) demonstrations that are too offensive for some.’ But he suggested that those were not grounds for discrimination or marginalization of gays.

“The pope did not elaborate on what he meant by seeking forgiveness for the Church ‘having blessed so many weapons’, but it appeared to be a reference to some Churchmen who actively backed wars in the past.”

That puts it mildly, given the fact that throughout the history of the Catholic Church, it has promoted, supported and at times actively participated in brutal wars, especially in wars of extinction against religious minorities.

The Holocaust DID Really Happen!

JTA wrote on June 23:

“It’s been more than 50 years since the Nuremberg trials, yet proving the Holocaust actually happened remains an ongoing project. Why? For one, the Nazis covered their tracks, deliberately leaving gaps in the historical record. (In the death-camp blueprints that survive, for example, gas chambers were often labeled as morgues or ‘undressing rooms.’) As the years pass, survivors and eyewitnesses are dying or suffering dementia. Add in social media — including the rise of the ‘alt-right’ — and it creates an ideal environment for neo-Nazis to swiftly disseminate claims that the Shoah is a fiction.

“Filling the breach in our understanding of the Holocaust is a relatively new discipline called forensic architecture, which analyzes renderings, documents, videos and photographs of buildings and infrastructure and uses them to re-create atrocities, ranging from drone strikes on apartment buildings in wartime to the gassing of millions of Jews at Auschwitz.

“An example of how forensic architecture can be used to set the record straight is on display at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale. Titled ‘The Evidence Room,’ it runs through Nov. 27… Robert Jan van Pelt, the curator of ‘The Evidence Room’ and a professor at Canada’s University of Waterloo, tells JTA he considers Auschwitz’s crematoria ‘the most important building of the 20th century.’… ‘The Evidence Room’… re-creates some of the definitive evidence used in a landmark British court trial 16 years ago that pitted the American Jewish historian Deborah Lipstadt against the Holocaust-denying British historian David Irving. The trial — soon to be dramatized in a major motion picture — is viewed as a watershed in the ongoing campaign against Holocaust deniers because it relied on actual physical evidence as opposed to anecdotal accounts.

“Some of this evidence is on display in van Pelt’s exhibit, which is located in a 500-square-foot space at the Biennale’s Central Pavilion. The walls are white plaster and adorned with bas reliefs that depict blueprints for the gas chambers, photographs and illustrations based upon eyewitness accounts, including an image of a kneeling naked Jewish woman being shot in the back of the head by a German officer.

“What makes the exhibition stand out from familiar Holocaust museum exhibits, however, are three full-scale models of gas chamber apparatus designed by the Nazis. There’s a mechanical gas canister delivery system encased by sturdy metal grillwork; a rough-hewn door with a grill-covered peephole, and a wood ladder propped against a wall with a small, locked hatch. These items, designed and fabricated by University of Waterloo students and faculty based on photos and eyewitness testimony, are also painted white…

“‘The forensic study of architecture was able to show that Irving had deliberately misrepresented historical evidence,’ Aravena writes in his essay on ‘The Evidence Room’ in the Biennale’s catalog. Van Pelt… has spent decades studying the architecture of Auschwitz and gathering physical evidence to show the workings of the Nazis’ systems. Thanks to his research, many myths have been definitively debunked — including that deadly gas emanated from shower heads. (It actually came from gas canister delivery systems…)

“Van Pelt discovered many of the documents and plans for Nazi death camps in archives in Eastern Europe that were opened after the fall of communism in 1989… He says the history of Auschwitz serves as a warning for architects to be socially conscientious about the impact of the buildings they design. One example: the refugee housing being built in parts of Europe that van Pelt says ‘is starting to approach concentration camp conditions.’ ‘Architects should get the equivalent of the oath of Hippocrates,’ van Pelt says. ‘When I teach my class, I tell them the story of Auschwitz — and I say whatever you do with your career, don’t do this.’”

Murder in Connection With the British Referendum?

Britain is in mourning and in shock because of the terrible murder of Labour’s pro-Europe politician, Jo Cox. She has been praised, by political supporters and opponents alike, as a “great star” and as “one of the brightest and most popular MPs.” The situation in Britain has been described by Bild Online as similar to the time of the death of “Lady Di.” Connections have been drawn between the murder and the “tone” of the two camps regarding the Referendum, but quite a different picture emerges upon further scrutiny, as we point out in our italicized comments at the end of the article, titled, “The Story Behind the Story.”

The Independent wrote on June 17:

“Jo Cox, the Labour MP for Batley and Spen, has died after being shot and stabbed in West Yorkshire…

“A former aid worker, she campaigned in economically deprived and war-torn countries across the world on issues such as discrimination and poverty. Before entering politics, Ms Cox… worked with charities such as Save the Children, acted as a senior advisor to the anti-slavery charity the Freedom Fund and as an advisor to Sarah Brown. Ms Cox was a vocal advocate for those affected by the Syrian crisis and abstained in the contentious vote on allowing British military action in Syria. She backed the Dubs amendment before it was defeated in the House of Commons that would have allowed the UK to accept 3,000 child refugees stranded in camps in Europe…

“A rising star within the Labour Party, Ms Cox had been in Parliament for just over a year but there was already talk of her having a future as a minister…”

Connection With “Ugly Tone” of Referendum Debate?

AFP wrote on June 17:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday urged British politicians to moderate the language used in their campaigns ahead of the Brexit vote… ‘The exaggerations and radicalisation of part of the language do not help to foster an atmosphere of respect,’ she said, in response to a question on the killing of the British lawmaker Jo Cox… ‘Otherwise the radicalisation will become unstoppable,’ warned the German leader…

“Some commentators questioned whether the killing could be linked to a campaign that has stoked tensions by touching on issues of national identity and immigration…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 17:

“Britain was soul-searching on Friday after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in West Yorkshire… Her death has also prompted questions about the tenor of the political debate in the UK…

“The UK is in the throes of a referendum on EU membership. Both the Leave and Remain camps suspended campaigning until Saturday… Prime Minister David Cameron has cancelled a pro-EU speech that he was scheduled to deliver in Gibraltar. ‘I think it’s right that the campaigns have been suspended,’ teacher James Bride told DW. ‘It’s been a depressing campaign full of lies and personal rivalries. Given the tragedy and enormity of losing Jo Cox, I’d like to see all sides behave with a little more dignity when campaigning resumes.’

“With pollsters saying in recent days that the battle is too close to call, the tone of the debate has stepped up in ferocity. Politicians on both sides believe that this is the political fight of their lives and have been pulling out all the stops. The debate has increasingly focused on immigration. For many, this was summed up by a controversial poster released by the UK Independence Party (UKIP) on the day that Cox was murdered. It shows lines of dark-skinned refugees with the caption ‘Breaking point: the EU has failed us all.’ It caused widespread outrage on social media, and Unison, the public sector workers’ union, reported it to the police for inciting racial hatred. Boris Johnson, head of the official Vote Leave campaign, said that the poster was ‘not my politics.’

“In a widely praised column for the Spectator magazine, journalist Alex Massie summed up the relationship many see between this vicious political debate and the murder. ‘When you shout BREAKING POINT over and over again, you don’t get to be surprised when someone breaks. When you present politics as a matter of life and death, as a question of national survival, don’t be surprised if someone takes you at your word. You didn’t make them do it, no, but you didn’t do much to stop it either. Sometimes rhetoric has consequences.’

“This view is shared by many in Britain… Yet so soon after the attack, there is caution about drawing conclusions. Labour MP Neil Coyle, who represents the London constituency of Bermondsey and Southwark, directly linked the rhetoric of the Leave campaign to the murder… He was sharply criticised on social media for ‘politicising’ Cox’s death.

“But many analysts are reflecting on the relationship between the wider tone of the political conversation in the UK, and the tragic death of Cox. ‘This attack on a public official cannot be viewed in isolation,’ said Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee. ‘It occurs against a backdrop of an ugly public mood in which we have been told to despise the political class, to distrust those who serve, to dehumanize those with whom we do not readily identify.’’

The World’s Reaction

The Telegraph wrote on June 17:

“Tributes and condolences poured in following the news from all corners of the world and across the political spectrum. In Britain the news of the Labour MP’s death dominated the front pages of the newspapers.  The story was also featured on some foreign publications.

“The story featured prominently in Italy’s La Repubblica, where the headline reads: ‘Brexit, blood on the referendum as Labour’s politician killed.’ Belgium’s Le Soir’s coverage of the tragedy reads, ‘Brexit debate turns into tragedy.’ Spain’s El Mundo also features the killing on its front page saying ‘Blood stains Brexit.’… ‘It is cruel and terrible that her life was cut short by a violent act of political intolerance,’ Mrs Clinton said…

“Christine Lagarde, director of the International Monetary Fund, said the killing is time for ‘reflection’ about the nature of Britain’s referendum debate… Swedish PM Stefan Löfven called it ‘an attack on democracy’…

“Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter newspaper noted the uncanny parallels with the murder of Sweden’s foreign minister Anna Lindh in the last week of Sweden’s Euro referendum in 2003. ‘It’s hard to resist making connections to the murder in Sweden’s foreign minister Anna Lindh in September 2003,’ wrote EU correspondent Annika Ström Melin. ‘Just like Jo Cox, Anna Lindh was a young, successful politician, and both were the mothers of two children. Both were also participating in campaigns for the EU when they were murdered.’… Sweden in 2003 voted against joining the Euro, despite the fact that the murdered foreign minister had been campaigning in its favour…”

 Was It Really an “Act of Political Intolerance”?

Breitbart London wrote on June 17:

“A friend, fellow Labour Party campaigner, and eyewitness to the murder of Member of Parliament Jo Cox has told Breitbart London that he does not believe her murder should be used as a ‘token’ for ‘political ego’ in the referendum campaign…

“Mr. Hicham Ben Abdallah – one of the men who was originally used to back up the claim that murderer Thomas Mair shouted ‘Britain First’ before he clarified that he did not hear it – has told Breitbart London that Mrs. Cox’s death should not be used for political campaigning. But much of the British public is already incensed about the mainstream media as well as politicians using the tragedy to make the case for remaining in the European Union (EU).

“Today, Prime Minister David Cameron and leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn travelled to the site of the attack, where they both made overtures about the ‘well of hatred’, ignoring the overwhelming evidence about Mr. Mair’s mental health status. This occurred while police investigations into Mr. Mair are ongoing, and there is no current clear motive behind the attack allegedly perpetrated by this mental health patient…

“Earlier today Breitbart London columnist James Delingpole wrote on how the Remain campaign is exploiting the death of Mrs. Cox. ‘Is there any depth to which you will not stoop in order somehow to snatch victory in this EU referendum?’ he wrote, following a Breitbart London expose of how Remain campaigners were tweeting the blame at the Brexit camp just minutes after the incident was first reported.

“Additionally, the European press seized on the issue, calling Brexit a ‘campaign of blood’. An EU Commissioner tweeted that Mrs. Cox was ‘murdered for her dedication to European democracy and humanity’, and the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee and the Spectator’s Alex Massie both attempted to lay the blame at the feet of UKIP leader Nigel Farage for the killing. The headline of the Daily Star newspaper called Mr. Mair a ‘Brexit gunman’.”

The Story Behind the Story

Daily Mail wrote on June 17:

“The man suspected of killing Labour MP Jo Cox previously bought a book on how to make a handgun, it was claimed this morning. Gardener Thomas Mair… has been described as a loner who was ‘socially isolated and disconnected from society’ as a result of long-term mental illness…

“Rosemary Surman, 61, who is a friend of Mair’s mother, Mary… denied that the attack was ‘politically motivated’, adding: ‘We’ve been talking to him and asking him about whether we should be in or out of the EU and he always said there were good arguments for both sides. He had never mentioned Jo Cox before ever, I don’t think he even knew who she was.

“Duane St Louis, age 41, the suspect’s half-brother… said Mair had obsessive compulsive disorder and cleaned himself with Brillo pads because he was ‘obsessed with his personal hygiene’. ‘He couldn’t even stand the sight of blood, when he cut his finger or something he couldn’t look at it.’

“Mother-of-two Mrs Cox was punched and kicked to the ground by her attacker before being shot three times – once in the head – with what was described as an ‘antique gun’ outside a West Yorkshire library yesterday afternoon. The married 41-year-old, a dedicated and popular MP, died from the catastrophic injuries she sustained in the attack, after the killer ambushed her as she walked to her constituency surgery at about 1pm… Witnesses said a man in a baseball cap grabbed her, pulling her hair as he punched and kicked her to the ground. As bystanders attempted to intervene, he pulled out a large hunting knife and repeatedly stabbed the MP, also catching a 77-year-old man in the stomach as he tried to intervene. He then pulled out what appeared to be an antique gun which he fired three times from just a few feet away, aiming the final shot at her head. Some witnesses claimed he looked ‘full of rage’ as he shot her at close-range…”

So, was this horrible crime by a mentally ill person really politically motivated? What we are seeing here described is further evidence of Satan’s and his demons hatred and rampage. First, last week’s brutal and senseless mass murders in Orlando, Florida, in addition to further individual murders (including the previous and last week’s killing of two performers in the TV show, “The Voice,”), and now the senseless murder of Jo Cox by a perpetrator who was in all likelihood demon-influenced.

Subsequently, it emerged that an illegal alien from Great Britain tried to assassinate Donald Trump, and that a German caused a mass shooting at a cinema near Frankfurt, Germany, and was killed by the police. Deutsche Welle reported on June 24 that the heavily armed man barricaded himself and took hostages in the cinema before the police stormed the building. His motives are still unknown.

From all of this we see that Satan’s wrath is great, and that he knows that he has but a short time. While true Christians view such violent events in the world with horror and disgust, they must realize that Satan’s wrath is foremost directed against God’s people, and they must be very careful that they are not oblivious and do not give in to his evil devices, not being unaware of what he has in mind.

America’s Nuclear Ambitions

Salon wrote in June 18:

“The U.S. is currently in the process of planning for the construction of a new fleet of nuclear submarines loaded with new intercontinental nuclear missiles, while simultaneously creating a new land-based intercontinental missile, a new strategic nuclear bomber, a new land-and-sea-based tactical nuclear fighter plane, a new long-range nuclear cruise missile (which, as recently as 2010, the Obama administration explicitly promised not to develop), at least three nuclear warheads that are essentially new designs, and new fuses for existing warheads. In addition, new nuclear command-and-control systems are under development for a fleet of satellites (costing up to $1 billion each) designed to make the business of fighting a nuclear war more practical and manageable.

“This massive nuclear buildup, routinely promoted under the comforting rubric of ‘modernization,’ stands in contrast to the president’s lofty public ruminations on the topic of nuclear weapons. The most recent of these was delivered during his visit — the first by an American president — to Hiroshima last month. There, he urged ‘nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles’ to ‘have the courage to escape the logic of fear, and pursue a world without them.’

“In reality, that ‘logic of fear’ suggests that there is no way to ‘fight’ a nuclear war, given the unforeseeable but horrific effects of these immensely destructive weapons. They serve no useful purpose beyond deterring putative opponents from using them, for which an extremely limited number would suffice…

“One component of the current ‘modernization’ plan is the proposed development of a new ‘dial-a-yield’ version of the venerable B-61 nuclear bomb. Supposedly capable of delivering explosions of varying strength according to demand, this device will, at least theoretically, be guidable to its target with high degrees of accuracy and will also be able to burrow deep into the earth to destroy buried bunkers. The estimated bill — $11 billion — is a welcome boost for the fortunes of the Sandia and Los Alamos weapons laboratories that are developing it…”

Trump to Lewandowski: “You’re Fired.”

Breitbart wrote on June 20:

“Donald J. Trump fired his wunderkind campaign manager Corey Lewandowski Monday at the campaign’s regular Trump Tower meeting. ‘Corey was escorted out of the building,’ a source close to the campaign told Breitbart News. Lewandowski came to the meeting unaware that he had lost the support of the GOP presumptive nominee, the source said.

“At the meeting, attended by both senior campaign staff and members of the family, Trump reviewed different campaign metrics that were all faltering: cooperation with party leaders, fundraising, surrogate operations and most importantly the polls. The campaign manager seemed to have run out of ideas. When the New York City developer asked Lewandowski what he would do to turn things around, the only thing he could come up with was for Trump to announce his pick for vice-president… When the time came for Trump to lower the axe, no one spoke up to defend Lewandowski.

“One month ago, Lewandowski was reported in the New York Post to have had a screaming match with the campaign’s press secretary about the running of the campaign on an uptown Manhattan street four blocks up from Trump Tower. Afterwards, there was speculation that Lewandowski was in trouble.”

Newsmax added on June 20:

“Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her two brothers played a major role in the decision to fire the presumptive GOP nominee’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, according to new reports… Sources told NBC that Trump’s daughter, who holds a great deal of influence with her father, was unnerved for ‘months’ after former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields accused him of assaulting her while she was trying to ask the candidate a question.

“Trump stayed loyal to Lewandowski after the scandal, but after his poll numbers started to drop, his adult children were able to make their case to release Lewandowski, NBC reports.  However, the sources told NBC that the final decision to fire Lewandowski was Trump’s…

“Multiple sources said that Trump had made the decision because of many problems within the campaign that had become public, and the operation was in trouble while his poll numbers were dropping and his image problems were growing…

“Lewandowski remained publicly loyal after the firing…”

Newsmax wrote on June 21:

“Donald Trump Tuesday morning denied reports that he fired Corey Lewandowski as his campaign manager because of the demands of his family members – especially daughter Ivanka Trump – insisting that the reports were ‘all nonsense’ and that Lewandowski was released because the campaign is ‘going in a different direction.’… Trump, though, said he does not plan to change his tone for the general election, even without Lewandowski, whose game plan was to ‘let Trump be Trump.’ ‘I think I have to be who I am,’ he told ‘Today’ show anchor Matt Lauer. ‘I don’t want to be a phony like Hillary Clinton where she reads stuff written up by high-priced talent…’”

It was announced that Lewandowski was hired by CNN as a moderator.

Attempted Murder Against Trump

Daily Mail wrote on June 20:

“A British man arrested at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas told authorities he tried to grab a police officer’s gun and shoot the billionaire Republican presidential candidate. Protester Michael Steven Sandford, who appeared in court on Monday, even went to a gun range on Friday so he could learn how to shoot. The 20-year-old, who was carrying a UK driver’s licence, was arrested at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino on Saturday after going for a metro police officer’s gun.

“Sandford, who is originally from Surrey, had been living illegally for 18 months in New Jersey after his visa expired and had been living in his car. Prosecutors claim he had been planning to attack Trump for more than a year before the alleged attempt to grab a gun in Las Vegas on Saturday.

“The court heard from a public defender that Sandford is autistic, while his mother told federal magistrate judge George Foley that he had been treated for obsessive compulsive disorder and anorexia when younger… The judge declined to grant bail to Sandford, pending a further hearing, saying the accused was a risk to the community and a flight risk.”

Is this another attempt by Satan, using a possibly mentally disturbed individual, to thwart whatever God may have in mind?

Strong Words Against Obama and Clinton

Newsmax reported on June 20:

“Actor Scott Baio said the reason President Barack Obama does not use the words ‘Islamic terror’ is because he is secretly Muslim or a Muslim sympathizer… Attacks by terrorists keep happening and Obama has done nothing to prevent them, said Baio, adding that ‘they say they’re going to kill us, and then they kill us. And it’s still not enough for this president and Hillary Clinton to get serious about it and do something about it.’

“The sitcom actor, known for his roles on ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Charles in Charge,’… does not understand Obama’s plans, saying, ‘I don’t know what the end game is. Is it to totally eliminate the United States as it was created and founded, and the way it is now?’ … Obama and Clinton never publicly get angry at terrorists. ‘They’re only angry at Republicans and conservatives,’ Baio said.”

Newsmax wrote on June 21:

“President Barack Obama is a Muslim and celebrates Islamic holy days in the White House, actor Pat Boone told Newsmax TV. Boone, a singer, actor, and TV host…  told Steve Malzberg Monday night Obama is not the Christian he claims to be. ‘He said during [his 2008 presidential] campaign, the sweetest sound in his memory is the Muslim call to prayer,’ Boone said. ‘He does make a perfunctory appearance at the presidential prayer breakfast, and he will come to a black funeral after one of these killings like Orlando, but he celebrates Ramadan in the White House. ‘He is, I’m afraid, more Muslim than Christian. And he is certainly more protective of anything relating to Islam than he is anything relating to Christianity.’

“Malzberg asked Boone about the war on Christianity that’s taking place across the world. ‘What I’m calling it is the Armageddon on the airwaves and in media,’ Boone said. ‘Armageddon is already happening. That’s the battle of two Gods. Allah is not Jehovah. Jehovah is not Allah. These are two concepts of God. Christian and Jewish is Jehovah, Allah is Islam… This religion, and certainly as ISIL practices it anyway, is a religion that reveres death and promotes death and rewards death and murder.’”

On June 20, 2016, Franklin Graham did not go quite as far as Pat Boone, but he commented in Fox News’ Hannity Show that Barack Obama was raised by Muslim parents in the Muslim faith, thereby strongly indicating his religious affiliation to Islam or being at least a Muslim sympathizer. This concept has been repeatedly mentioned over the years, but most left wing and conservative newscasts dismissed it or chose to ignore it… as they did the concept that Obama might not have been born in Hawaii and that he would not be a natural born citizen, rendering his election as President unlawful. However, undisputed evidence exists casting in doubt his legitimacy as US President.

Obama Administration Changes “Allah” to “God”

Breitbart wrote on June 20:

“Monday’s release of the text of Orlando terrorist shooter Omar Mateen’s 9-1-1 call is not the first time the Obama administration purportedly scrubbed ‘Allah’ from a transcript…  On Monday, the FBI finally released what it said was a full transcript of Mateen’s 50-second call with a 911 operator while he was perpetrating the deadly attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. After first releasing a redacted transcript that deleted references to the Islamic State, the FBI released the full transcript, which included an English translation changing the word ‘Allah’ to ‘God’.’’

Was this shameful change made to hide the connection of the Muslim mass murderer to radical Islam?

Are the Clintons Racists?

The Daily Mail wrote on June 20:

“Bill and Hillary Clinton profess to have always been supporters of racial equality, but anecdotes published in a new book by his ex-lover claim otherwise… Bill was also sued several times by blacks and Hispanics for violations of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

“Dolly Kyle – who was just 11 when she first crossed paths with Bill, dated him through high school and began sleeping with him once they graduated – published the claims about the Clinton couple’s racial epithets and politics in her new book, Hillary: The Other Woman, published by WND Books…

“Ben McGee was a black Democrat [who] was elected to the state legislature in 1988. Clinton tried to replace McGee with a white Democrat of his choice, claims Dolly. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court was ruled 8-0 against Clinton and the Arkansas officials who challenged McGee’s election. In the 1980s, Hispanics were moving into Arkansas in greater numbers and Clinton began racial profiling against Hispanics, she claims. He instituted the racial profiling program three years after his brother, Roger Clinton went to prison in 1985 for dealing cocaine. The program was initially part of his anti-drug program, although Roger’s drug suppliers and buyers were white… Clinton was sued in federal court for his Criminal Apprehension Program that was ruled unconstitutional… Racial profiling remained in Clinton’s head and several years later, he gave state troopers the right to stop and search any car…

“Clinton’s crime bill, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, was dubbed the ‘three strikes’ law and is one which has incarcerated over 2.5 million people, predominately poor people of color who could not afford lawyers during their trials. The ‘three strikes’ rule sent people to jail for a petty crime or a major felony. It meant prison for life on the third offense, whatever that happened to be…

“When Hillary moved into the White House, she requested nine hundred files from the FBI containing private information on people from both political parties. ‘Thousands of politicians in Washington still wonder what Hillary has on them.’ Dolly writes. ‘If they have any secrets at all, they must live in constant dread of being publicly exposed… The files were subpoenaed and Hillary declared, ‘We are the president’… Hillary has been declaring herself president since Bill stepped into office in 1992.”

There are many more shocking and outrageous allegations against the Clintons contained in the above-stated article, but this will suffice…

Nordic Trading Bloc Under British Lead?

The Express wrote on June 20:

“Swedish MEP Peter Lundgren said Denmark and Sweden were already ‘on the brink’ of quitting, suggesting that should the UK leave, a ‘Nordic trading bloc’ led by Britain could be born. Sweden has been sticking by its EU commitments, but barely. It’s little wonder. Sweden now has the highest level of non-EU immigration per capita… Looking to a post-Brexit future, [Lundgren] suggested the 90 million people of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the UK would harness a combined GDP of nearly £3trillion, representing considerable clout when it comes to forming new trading deals with the EU. ‘It’s an idea that has been gaining traction and one I’d like to see,’ he said. ‘We’re similar in our culture, in our outlooks and in our economies. It’s a better fit than the EU.’”

“Morten Messerschmidt, a Danish MEP and member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, said: ‘The idea of a Nordic bloc is being spoken about. Many Danes would find it appealing if the UK, after leaving the EU, created an alternative free market-oriented organisation. It could include the Netherlands and Switzerland too.  Denmark is in the EU for trade but there is no ideological loyalty. A Nordic bloc would attract Danes because it takes us back to the original EEC idea.”

It is interesting that all these countries, mentioned above, are modern descendants of the ancient House of Israel. They are indeed very similar in culture and outlooks.

Fury Over Gibraltar

The Express wrote on June 20:

“A Giant Spanish flag was unfurled on the Rock of Gibraltar today just days after the Madrid government declared the British territory was theirs – and always would be. Gibraltar Police confirmed the huge red and yellow banner, which had been installed on the west side of the Upper Rock, had now been removed.

“Tensions are running high between Gibraltar and Spain amid a renewed dispute over sovereignty of the small Mediterranean territory, which has been under British control since 1713… The stunt follows a declaration by the Spanish government last week that Gibraltar ‘remains Spanish’…

“Responding to a visit by David Cameron to the Rock, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy said: ‘The government does not like Mr Cameron travelling to Gibraltar…’”

In Herbert Armstrong’s book, “The United States and Britain in Prophecy,” page 22, Gibraltar has been described as “the strategic western ‘gate’ to the Mediterranean,” which “stood for three centuries as the symbol of Britain’s far-flung power. Today it is one of the empire’s few remaining vestiges.” The Bible prophesies that ultimately, Britain will lose all its “gates,” which would include Gibraltar.

Turkey’s Erdogan Loses in German Court

The Local wrote on June 21:

“Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lost a German court battle against a top media boss Tuesday when his appeal in a bitter row over free speech was thrown out. Erdogan had sought a court order to stop the Axel Springer media group’s chief Mathias Döpfner from repeating support for a TV satirist who insulted the Turkish leader in a now infamous ‘smear poem.’ After failing to get an injunction from a lower court last month, Erdogan also lost an appeal before the higher regional court in the western German city of Cologne. The judges said they considered Döpfner’s letter of support ‘a permissible expression of opinion as protected under Article 5’ of Germany’s constitution, the court said in a statement. Erdogan could still seek recourse before Germany’s top tribunal, the Federal Constitutional Court.

“The legal action came after Döpfner published in April an open letter in one of the Springer group’s newspapers, in which he backed Jan Böhmermann – the satirist who in a poem accused Erdogan of bestiality and watching child pornography. Böhmermann’s recital of his so-called ‘Defamatory Poem’ on national television in late March sparked a diplomatic firestorm and a row over freedom of expression. During the broadcast Boehmermann gleefully admitted his poem flouted Germany’s legal limits to free speech and was intended as a provocation. In his letter, Döpfner took the comedian’s side, declaring: ‘For me, your poem worked. I laughed out loud.’

“In a controversial move, Chancellor Angela Merkel authorised criminal proceedings against the comedian after Turkey requested he be prosecuted for defamation. The higher regional court stressed Tuesday that its ruling in favour of Döpfner had no bearing on the other case still pending. Erdogan has come in for fierce Western criticism of late over his increasingly authoritarian rule, just as the European Union has turned to Turkey to help stem the influx of asylum seekers from Middle East war zones.”

Pope Francis: “Great Majority of Catholic Marriages Null”

The Washington Post wrote on June 17:

 “After Pope Francis on Thursday said ‘the great majority’ of Catholic marriages are religiously null because people don’t understand the concept of a lifetime commitment, some prominent traditional Catholics lambasted the pontiff as ‘irresponsible’ and that his statement could possibly discourage people from working on their marriage relations.

“Francis’s comments, which were reported by the Catholic News Agency, came during the question-and-answer session of a meeting of the Diocese of Rome. According to the CNA, a layperson asked about the ‘crisis of marriage’ and how Catholics can help young people overcome their ‘resistance, delusions and fears’ about marriage.

“Francis, who in his three-plus years as pope has regularly made news with his off-the-cuff remarks that at times seem to conflict with church doctrine, cited a case in which he’d heard of a young man who wanted to become a priest, but just for 10 years. The culture is too provisional, Francis said. ‘It’s provisional, and because of this the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null,’ the pope reportedly said. ‘Because they say “yes, for the rest of my life!” but they don’t know what they are saying. Because they have a different culture. They say it, they have good will, but they don’t know.’

“Reuters reported Friday that the Vatican issued an Italian transcript changing Francis’s words to say ‘some’ instead of the ‘great majority.’ A Vatican spokesman said the pope’s off-the-cuff remarks are sometimes edited after consulting with him or among aides, Reuters reported.

“Edward Peters, a popular canon lawyer and blogger, wrote Friday that the pope’s comments were the equivalent of a ‘nuclear winter’ because they suggest that most people have failed at ‘the most natural’ of human efforts…

“Marriage, in Catholic teaching, is a sacrament, an ‘original gift from God to humanity,’ says the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website. ‘It is a permanent, faithful, fruitful partnership between one man and one woman… only a church tribunal can say that a marriage isn’t valid because a real bond never existed. One of the reasons church courts may give for annulling a marriage is to say that the parties were unprepared.’

“In his comments Thursday, Francis noted that when he was archbishop in Buenos Aires, he had prohibited marriages in the case of ‘shotgun weddings,’ where the prospective bride was pregnant, CNA reported. He did this on the grounds there was a question of the spouses’ free consent to marry…”

Pope on Death Penalty

On June 21, The Associated Press reported:

“Pope Francis is amplifying his opposition to capital punishment, saying it’s an offense to life, contradicts God’s plan and serves no purpose for punishment. In a video message to an anti-death penalty congress in Norway, Francis declared: ‘The commandment “Thou shalt not kill” has absolute value and applies both to the innocent and to the guilty.’

“Francis has gone beyond his predecessors and traditional Catholic teaching in saying there is simply no justification for the death penalty today. He said Tuesday that rather than rendering justice, it fosters vengeance. Church teaching allows for recourse to capital punishment when it is the only way to defend lives ‘effectively’ against an aggressor. Francis said: ‘It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal.’”

This is a very complex issue and cannot be answered with the simplistic and partially incorrect comments of Pope Francis. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Should YOU Fight in War?” and “Punishment for Our Sins.”

Biblical Sheep to Return to Israel

JTA wrote on June 20:

“A rare breed of sheep said to be descended from Jacob’s flock referenced in the Bible will be shepherded to Israel with the help of a Canadian Jewish couple and Israel’s national airline… The flight is expected to take place in late August or early September.

“The project is the brainchild of Gil and Jenna Lewinsky of British Columbia, owners of the Jacob sheep, which are said to be descended from the patriarch’s flock noted in the Book of Genesis. The sheep are said to be unique for their horns, numbering two to six. They are the only animals in the world to have the biblical description of speckled skin, spots on their wool, and bands on their ankles and knees…

“The Lewinskys believe the sheep must ‘return’ to Israel to fulfill biblical prophecy. They cite Rav Amram Vaknin, a mystic rabbi living in southern Israel who says he has visions predicting the future. Vaknin ‘has said that the Jacob Sheep must return to the Land of Israel to help with the Geula [redemption]!’ according to the Lewinskys…

“The flock currently consists of 113 animals — 18 adult rams, 62 adult ewes and the rest lambs. All will be settled on the Golan Heights. The Lewinskys say the sheep are extinct in Israel. They believe the animals came with Jacob through Canaan to Egypt, then with the Exodus to North Africa, and from there to Spain, England and then to North America. ‘It will be the first time since biblical times that the Jacob sheep will be reintroduced to the land of Israel again,’ they said.”

The story regarding the sheep is interesting. The alleged “mystical” prophecy is utter nonsense. It is not biblical at all, and neither is the idea that a spotless red heifer must be born as a prerequisite for the building of the Third Temple.

Complete Nonsense from “Brilliant” Minds!

On June 20, Bild Online reported about an article which had been published by Daily Star on June 8, which stated the following:

“Professor Stephen Hawking has theorised that black holes offer mankind a way to travel to other worlds. But the mega ‘brainbox’ – who has previously warned an advanced alien civilisation would easily destroy us – says once a spacecraft leaves our universe it can’t come back. Previously it was thought black holes crush and kill anything that it sucks in. Yet the 74-year-old Hawkins now says they [may] not be as dangerous as previously thought and may just be a door to another universe.

“‘The hole would need to be large and if it was rotating it might have a passage to another universe… Black holes are not the eternal prisons they were once thought. If you feel you are trapped in a black hole, don’t give up. There is a way out. The existence of alternative histories with black holes suggests this might be possible. The hole would need to be large and if it was rotating it might have a passage to another universe. But you couldn’t come back to our universe.’

“Hawking believes black holes do indeed have ‘hair’ which either stores the information on the boundary or the event horizon. They could store information on aliens. Aliens could travel to our universe through a black hole. But Hawking has warned that aliens would probably not be friendly and attempt to colonise us.”

The Bible tells us that even the most brilliant scientific God-defying minds in this world are total spiritual fools in the eyes of God. The article above confirms this. We ought to thank God daily that He has opened the minds of His people to the truth, while this world remains in utter darkness.

More Utter Nonsense—“Spanking Children in USA Cause for Gun Violence”

The Local wrote on June 20:

“Spanking kids is why US is more violent than Germany… the truth behind why Germany sees far less gun violence per capita than the United States goes deeper than the legal structures, argues German criminologist Christian Pfeiffer, who has conducted research on this topic for years. ‘America is a completely different world,’ Pfeiffer told The Local. ‘The laws are a result of a public that believes in fear. The laws reflect a culture of repression. America is a sick country in my opinion.’…

“Pfeiffer, who was also once Justice Minister in Lower Saxony, notes that while Germany has a low acceptance rate of spanking or other forms of physical discipline for children, approval of such methods are surprisingly high in the United States. A survey of Americans in 2014 found that 76 percent of men and 65 percent of women agreed with the statement that it is sometimes necessary to discipline a child with ‘a good hard spanking’, according to research centre Child Trends.

“In Germany on the other hand, a survey last year found that… 90 percent of Germans overall believed in nonviolent parenting methods…

“But not only is physical discipline socially tolerated in the United States more than in Germany, it’s also legally permitted, as corporal punishment at home by parents is legal in every US state, though each one varies by what is allowed. And 19 states allow corporal punishment in both public and private schools… Germany meanwhile ended parental and teachers’ rights to corporal punishment in 2000 and since the 1970s, there has been a movement of campaigns and research to inform parents about the harmful impacts of physical discipline, Pfeiffer explains… But until the US can also adopt such policies and parenting methods, Pfeiffer says problems like gun violence will persist.’

This is just another example of ridiculous vain babbling of totally ignorant child rearing “experts.” Of course, the “criminologist” does not remotely understand the biblical teaching on child discipline, and to draw a connection between gun violence and properly administered spanking is ludicrous. God-defying left-liberal Western societies, totally cut off from God and ruled by Satan, try to do everything they can think of to denigrate the Holy Bible. For more information regarding loving proper child rearing, please read our free booklet, “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families.”

Frightening… Incredible Authority of the US President to Launch Nuclear Attacks

Politico wrote on June 11:

“In the atomic age, when decisions must be made very quickly, the presidency has evolved into something akin to a nuclear monarchy. With a single phone call, the commander in chief has virtually unlimited power to rain down nuclear weapons on any adversarial regime and country at any time. You might imagine this awesome executive power would be hamstrung with checks and balances, but by law, custom and congressional deference there may be no responsibility where the president has more absolute control. There is no advice and consent by the Senate. There is no second-guessing by the Supreme Court…

“Let us say the president is awakened in the middle of the night… by his or her top nuclear adviser and told of an incoming nuclear strike. Since the flight time of missiles fired from launch stations in Russia or China to the White House is 30 minutes, and 12 minutes or less for missiles fired from submarines lurking in the Western Atlantic Ocean… the steadiness and brainpower of the commander in chief in such circumstances are serious questions indeed…

“The closest we came to such a call occurred in 1979, when the consoles at our early warning hub in Colorado lit up with indications of a large-scale Soviet missile attack. President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, received back-to-back calls in the middle of the night informing him of the imminent nuclear destruction of the United States. The second call reported an all-out attack. Brzezinski was seconds away from waking Carter to pass on the dreadful news and convince him of the need to order retaliation without delay (within a six-minute deadline). Brzezinski was sure the end was near.

“Just before he picked up the phone to call Carter, Brzezinski received a third call, this time canceling the alarm. It was a mistake caused by human and technical error. A training tape simulating an all-out Soviet attack had inadvertently slipped into the actual real-time attack early warning network…

“Most presidents during the Cold War lived in dread of this moment knowing all too well the attendant risks. Ronald Reagan expressed incredulity that he would be allowed only six minutes to decide whether to trigger Armageddon based on blips on a radar screen…

“Today, the nuclear deluge… would consist of thousands of weapons, each 10 or 20 times more deadly than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Nearly 2,000 U.S. strategic nuclear weapons aimed primarily at Russia and China (at a ratio of roughly 2 to 1), with additional dozens aimed at each of several other nations—North Korea, Iran and Syria [are at the President’s disposal]. The city of Moscow alone lies in the bore sights of more than 100 U.S. nuclear warheads…

“As long as the president can establish his or her true identity… a presidential nuclear decision… must be obeyed as long as it is constitutional—i.e., the president as commander in chief believes he or she is acting to protect and defend the nation against an actual or imminent attack… there is no wiggle room for evasion or defiance of the president’s orders. That’s true even if the national security adviser, the secretary of defense… and other top appointees and advisers disagree with the president’s decision… Under the president’s open-ended mandate to decide when the national interest is threatened, ordering up a nuclear strike is his or her prerogative, and obeying the order is incumbent upon the military servants of civilian authority…”

ISIS’ War on the USA—Worst Mass Shooting in US History

The Daily Mail wrote on June 13:

“ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadliest mass shooting in US history and says the gunman who slaughtered at least 50 innocent party-goers in an Orlando gay club was one of its fighters… This is the first time ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack on US soil.

“Shortly before the attack, Mateen, who was born in New York to Afghan parents, called 911 and pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi… And the terror group’s Amaq news agency said on Sunday the Islamist militant group was responsible for the shooting… U.S. officials cautioned, however, that they had no immediate evidence of any direct connection with ISIS or any other foreign extremist group, nor had they uncovered any contacts between the gunman and any such group…

“Mateen had purchased at least two firearms legally within the last week or so… [He] exchanged gunfire with an officer working at the club around 2am local time, then went back inside and took hostages. There were about 350 people inside the club at the time of the shootings and about 100 people were taken hostage… At around 5am authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the hostages. Hero officers used a ‘controlled explosion’ to distract the shooter before fatally shooting him and rescuing about 30 hostages who were hiding in the bathroom of the club…

“Mateen, a Muslim and father to a three-year-old son, was born in 1986 in New York and married Sitora Alisherzoda Yusufiy, who was born in Uzbekistan, in 2009. They later divorced…

“’The FBI first became aware of Mateen in 2013 as he made inflammatory comments to coworkers, alleging possible terrorist ties’… In 2014, Mateen came to the FBI’s attention again and agents interviewed him about a potential connection he may have had with American suicide bomber Moner Abu Salha, who lived about 30 minutes away in Vero Beach, Florida…

“The ex-wife of Orlando gunman Omar Mateen claims he beat her… ‘He was not a stable person,’ she told the Post. ‘He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn’t finished or something like that.’ When her parents found out about the beatings just months after the wedding, they staged an intervention and rescued her from the home. ‘They literally saved my life,’ she said…

“President Obama… was challenged by presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump to connect ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ to the case. Obama didn’t once bring up the Islamic religion, instead using the more blanket term of terrorism to describe the incident. ‘Is President Obama going to finally mention the words radical Islamic terrorism? If he doesn’t he should immediately resign in disgrace!’ Trump wrote.

“Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton wrote in both English and Spanish: ‘Woke up to hear the devastating news from FL. As we wait for more information, my thoughts are with those affected by this horrific act. -H.’ Pope Francis, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and the leaders of Canada and Afghanistan condemned the attack.

“If confirmed as an act of terrorism, it would be the deadliest such attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001, when al Qaeda-trained hijackers crashed jetliners into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, killing some 3,000 people…

“The father of mass shooter Omar Mateen… is a strong supporter of the Afghan Taliban… [He] hosts the Durand Jirga Show on a channel called Payam-e-Afghan, which broadcasts from California… He is also filmed expressing gratitude toward the Afghan Taliban, while denouncing the Pakistani government.”

Terrorist of Florida a Homosexual?

Breitbart wrote on June 14:

“Evidence is building from a variety of sources that Orlando jihadi Omar Mateen, who murdered 49 people at gay nightclub Pulse, was himself gay, or had ‘gay tendencies,’ as his ex-wife put it. Strangely, the ex-wife claims FBI agents asked her not to share this detail with the media.

“That report comes from the New York Post, which in turn reports on an interview Sitora Yusufiy gave a Brazilian TV station, with her current fiancé translating her remarks into Portuguese. According to Yusufiy, who was married to Mateen for three months in 2009, the Orlando murderer had ‘gay tendencies,’ and was once called ‘gay’ by his father in her presence. Most remarkably, Yusufiy said ‘the FBI asked her not to tell this to the American media.’

“The New York Post also cites a Palm Beach Post report that a male former classmate of Mateen’s from Indian River Community College claims they used to hit gay bars together in 2006, and Mateen once ‘asked him out romantically.’ The classmate in question, Chris Callen… who performs as a drag queen… said Mateen was escorted out of Pulse after drinking too much on several occasions, and once pulled a knife on a friend…

“Several other Pulse patrons told the Orlando Sentinel similar stories about Mateen drinking heavily at the club, sometimes becoming ‘loud and belligerent.’ A Pulse regular named Kevin West said that Mateen sent him messages using a gay dating app called Jack’d… During a MSNBC interview, Pulse patron Cord Cedeno said he recognized Mateen from another gay dating app…

“Cedeno said one of his friends… recalled seeing Mateen posts on yet another gay dating service called Adam for Adam. Two of his other friends have turned in their phones to the FBI to document Mateen’s activity on gay dating sites…

“Seddique Mateen has previously claimed that his son was driven over the edge by the sight of ‘two men kissing,’ a narrative that would dissolve completely if the reports of his frequent attendance at gay bars are true. The effort to position the story as an violent expression of generic ‘homophobia,’ more than sharia ideology and international terrorism, would also be complicated by revelations that Mateen himself was gay.

“A more complicated narrative might portray Mateen as embracing violent Islamic fundamentalism to absolve or erase his ‘gay tendencies.’ That would be much harder to politicize, while simultaneously keeping radical Islam out of the discussion.”

Trump Responds

Newsmax wrote on June 13:

“Donald Trump, responding to the mass slaughter that targeted gays in Florida over the weekend, said on Monday the ‘anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-American’ Islamic State (ISIS) must be defeated — something that will be a top priority of his administration. ‘The horror is beyond description,’ Trump said in a national security speech in Manchester, N.H. ‘It is an attack on the right of every single American to live in peace and safety.’

“After asking for a moment of silence for the 49 people who died when a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Trump reiterated his plan to temporarily ban Muslims and others from countries with terrorist ties from entering the U.S. ‘until we figure out what the… is going on.’

“The presumptive GOP presidential nominee also attacked what he called the failed policies of the Obama administration as well as what would he believes would be a ruinous term for Hillary Clinton in the White House. He said ‘thousands and thousands of people, many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer’ — whose name he insisted he will never say — are pouring into the U.S. The ban, he said, would be lifted only ‘when and as a nation we are in a position to properly and perfectly screen these people coming into our country.’…

“He accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of wanting to abolish the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, which would leave ‘only the bad guys, terrorists with guns’… Trump also claimed that ‘hundreds of thousands’ of Muslim immigrants… are coming into the United States without proper screening — something he said he would put an immediate stop to. ‘I refuse to allow America to become a place where gay people, Christian people, Jewish people are targets of persecution and intimidation by radical Islamic preachers of hate and violence. This is not just a national security issue. It’s a quality of life issue,’ Trump said.

“He said of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community that was targeted by gunman Omar Mateen: ‘It’s an assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity.’… ‘Hillary Clinton can never claim to be a friend of the gay community as long as she continues to support immigration policies that bring Islamic extremists to our country and who suppress women, gays and anyone who doesn’t share our values,’ he said.”

NBC added on June 13:

“While some Republican leaders have encouraged Trump to abandon his proposed Muslim ban in an effort to broaden his support among voters before November’s general election, the Orlando attack appeared Sunday to harden the billionaire businessman’s position. ‘What has happened in Orlando is just the beginning,’ Trump tweeted Sunday. ‘Our leadership is weak and ineffective. I called it and asked for the ban. Must be tough.’”

The Huffington Post wrote on June 13:

“Donald Trump, a renowned conspiracy theorist, was at it again on Monday morning, implying that President Barack Obama harbored some sort of connection, perhaps even sympathies, to Muslims who had committed acts of terror in the United States. The presumptive GOP nominee made this allegation the morning after the deadliest shooting in modern American history — a slaying of 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando — during an interview on ‘Fox and Friends.’ ‘[Obama] doesn’t get it, or he gets it better than anybody understands,’ Trump said of the president’s response to the nightclub shooting. ‘It’s one or the other. And either one is unacceptable.’…”

The Washington Post added on June 13:

“He called Obama’s motivations into question Monday, insinuating that the president may sympathize with radical jihadism — a statement that carried echoes of the so-called ‘birther movement,’ which circulated conspiracy theories about whether the president was born in the United States. ‘Well, there are a lot of people that think maybe he doesn’t want to get it,’ Trump said Monday on NBC. ‘A lot of people think maybe he doesn’t want to know about it. I happen to think that he just doesn’t know what he’s doing, but there are many people that think maybe he doesn’t want to get it.’”

Former French Rabbi Calls Tel Aviv’s Gay Parade an Abomination… and More…

JTA wrote on June 10:

“Several French Jewish organizations condemned a former chief rabbi of France, who called Tel Aviv’s gay pride parade an ‘abomination’ and ‘attempt at moral extermination of the People of Israel.’ Joseph Sitruk, who had served as France’s chief rabbi from 1987 until 2008, made the statements last week… ‘The Torah determines that homosexuality is an abomination and considers it a human failure. The danger seems to me grave enough for everyone to shout their opposition in the face of such an offense,’ said Sitruk on June 3, as tens of thousands marched through Tel Aviv in its 23rd annual gay pride event. ‘I hope the listeners will react in a radical manner to this abomination,’ Sitruk said.

“Alain Beit, the president of the gay Jewish Beit Haverim group, condemned Sitruk’s remarks in a statement on June 5, demanding whether the radical reaction he sought extends to ‘stabbing an adolescent like what happened last year in Jerusalem’ or ‘throwing gays off a cliff.’…

“Radio J president Serge Hajdenberg and Guy Rozanowicz, the station’s secretary general, published [a] statement saying they were not responsible for Sitruk’s remarks on gays and distancing the station from them. French Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia defended Sitruk to Actualite Juive, saying he would never call for violence. But Korsia added that he can ‘understand how Sitruk’s remarks may be shocking,’ particularly in light of the stabbing last year.”

Don’t Dare to Say Anything Against Homosexual Lifestyle?

Daily Mail wrote on June 14:

“CNN host Anderson Cooper has slammed Florida’s Attorney General for her LGBT views in the wake of the Orlando massacre. The journalist accused Pam Bondi of hypocrisy during an interview outside the hospital where people caught up in Omar Mateen’s deadly rampage are being treated. He reminded her of when she said allowing same-sex marriage would bring ‘significant public harm’ to the state.

“A few days ago, shortly after [the] horrific terrorist attack that left 49 people dead, she said anyone who went against the LGBT community will be met by the full extent of the law. But Cooper, who is gay, began the heated segment by saying: ‘I talked to a lot of gay and lesbian people here yesterday, who are not fans of yours. They thought you were being a hypocrite… Do you really think you’re a champion of the gay community?’ ‘I’ve never said I don’t like gay people,’ she responded…

“NBC 6 has reported that Bondi’s failed fight against gay marriage would cost the taxpayer around $500,000. A judge ruled that every attorney who successfully sued the state was owed their money back…”

And so left-wing propaganda continues to gain support in opposition to what the Bible terms as perversion. This is truly a huge blot on the moral landscape. Note the next articles as well.

Prince William on Cover of Gay Magazine

Reuters wrote on June 15:

“Prince William will appear on the July cover of Attitude speaking out against homophobia, the first time a British royal has been photographed for the front of a gay publication, the magazine said on Wednesday. William is seen grinning next to the headline ‘Making History’, and his quote ‘No one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason’.

“The magazine… said the prince had posed for the shot after meeting its editor and a group of gay and transgender people at Kensington Palace. William, whose brother Harry won praise in 2013 for saving a soldier in his regiment from a gay hate attack, is quoted telling anyone being bullied for their sexuality to report it and get support… ‘You should be proud of the person you are and you have nothing to be ashamed of,’ he said.

“Attitude, which calls itself ‘the UK’s best-selling gay magazine’, said William had invited it last month ‘to bring members of the LGBT+ community to Kensington Palace to listen to their experience of bullying’… William, the queen’s grandson, said in April that he wanted to foster a more modern and relevant monarchy.”

Changing to “Non-Binary” – First Court Ruling of Its Kind

Oregonlive.com wrote on June 10:

“An Oregon Judge ruled on Friday that a transgender person can legally change their sex to ‘non-binary’ rather than male or female in what legal experts believe is a first in the United States…

“Shupe, an Army veteran who [was born as a female and who] retired in 2000 a sergeant first class, began transitioning in 2013 while living in Pittsburg. Shupe knew then that neither male nor female fit… Shupe chose female, but female never felt right. In April, Shupe and lawyer Lake Perriguey filed a petition with the Oregon court to legally change Shupe’s sex. Oregon law allows a court to change a person’s legal sex if a judge determines the person has undergone surgical, hormonal or other treatment related to a gender transition. The law does not require a note from a doctor…

“Officials at the national Transgender Law Center said they are unaware of any similar court victories in the United States. A high court in France last year allowed a resident to register as gender neutral… ‘A growing number of countries already recognize nonbinary genders, but as far as we know this is the first ruling of its kind in the U.S.,’ Legal Director Ilona Turner said in a written statement. ‘Other states and agencies should consider following suit to ensure that nonbinary members of our community have access to identity documents that reflect who they are, just like everyone else.’”

Italian Newspaper Criticized for Giving Away Annotated Versions of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”

BBC News reported on June 11:

“[The] Italian newspaper Il Giornale has come under fire for offering free annotated copies of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf with one of its supplements… Hitler published the anti-Semitic manifesto in 1925, eight years before he came to power… The editor, Alessandro Sallusti, said (in Italian) that the move would let readers ‘study what is evil to avoid its return’… However, the move was described as ‘a vile act’ by Renzo Gattegna, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities. The giveaway was ‘indecent’ and ‘light years away from any in-depth learning or study about the Holocaust’, Mr Gattegna added.

“The copyright of Mein Kampf expired earlier this year. Previously, copyright was held by the regional government in Germany’s Bavaria, which banned reprinting of the book. After the copyright expired, Germany’s authorities allowed an annotated, critical version of the book, with academic notes, to be published. The publication of other editions is restricted in Germany, under incitement laws.”

The Guardian added on June 11:

“An Italian newspaper owned by Silvio Berlusconi has been criticised for distributing free copies of an annotated version of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf with a paid supplement in its Saturday edition. Il Giornale started selling an eight-volume history of the Third Reich, with the annotated copy of Mein Kampf free for readers who bought the first volume.

“The Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, said on Twitter that Il Giornale’s decision to give away the copies of the Nazi leader’s political treatise was squalid, as he expressed solidarity with Italy’s Jewish community… Efraim Zuroff, director of the Israeli office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told Corriere della Sera it was unprecedented for a newspaper to use Mein Kampf to boost sales…”

The Comeback of “Mein Kampf”

The Christian Science Monitor wrote on May 12:

‘‘Mein Kampf’ is making a comeback. Adolf Hitler’s notorious autobiography is gaining popularity in Europe, having become a bestseller upon the expiration of the German state copyright that was initially used to prohibit reprinting it. Since January, only an annotated version of ‘Mein Kampf’ has been available in German bookstores, which each carried only a small number of copies. Nonetheless, massive interest among readers made ‘Mein Kampf’ a bestseller within weeks. With more than 3,000 annotations, the new version is meant to underscore lies and flaws in Hitler’s arguments. Under German law, publishing ‘Mein Kampf’ [without] annotations would be an act of sedition – which is exactly what Der Schelm, a right-wing publishing company, plans to do, and is now under investigation for it.

“‘This book is too dangerous for the general public,’ library historian Florian Sepp told the Washington Post, but Schelm argues that publishing the original version of ‘Mein Kampf’ serves as ‘historical documentation’…

“While authorities have made arrangements with online booksellers like Amazon to ban the sale of ‘Mein Kampf’ in German, new copies of the book have become available online throughout the world. Hindu nationalists use it as a self-help book in India, the Greek neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party has stocked copies of it in Athens, and a comic-book edition of ‘Mein Kampf’ is available in Japan.”

False Christianity Responsible for Mass Killings

On June 14, Foreignpolicy.com published the following article by a Jewish author, showing how false Christianity can be easily confused with the only true Christianity of the Bible:

“I am tired of hearing… that Christianity is inherently peaceful…

“The Crusades are still a sore subject in the Muslim world, but it’s easy to forget the havoc they wreaked on the Jews of Europe. Time after time, as Crusaders slogged southeast on their umpteenth trip to the Holy Land, they slaughtered the Jews in their path. They herded them into synagogues and set the buildings alight. The Crusaders killed so many Jews in the name of their Christian faith that it was the most stunning demographic blow to European Jewry until the Holocaust. Which… happened in Christian, civilized Europe only 70-some years ago…

“The Christian Church was ruthless with people whose faith was in any way a deviation from the canon, torturing and burning heretics at the stake. After Martin Luther pinned his theses to a church door, unintentionally spawning a new wing of Christianity, it led to hundreds of years of on-and-off religious warfare between Christians, spilling each other’s blood in the fervent belief that their vision of Christ was the truest. And it’s not ancient history: Violence between Protestants and Catholics continued in Christian Ireland until the very end of the 20th century…

“Jewish life in Muslim countries, though still saddled with all kinds of restrictions and orders to wear funny clothing and sporadic violence, was far less bloody than in the civilized Christian West…

“No religion is inherently violent. No religion is inherently peaceful…”

This is untrue. The Christianity of the Bible—not the false Christianity practiced by those claiming incorrectly to be “ Christian ”—is inherently peaceful. None of the atrocities mentioned in the article were “Christian.” They stand condemned in the eyes of Jesus Christ.

Pope vs. President over 666 Donation

The Guardian wrote on June 14:

“The frosty relationship between two of the world’s most prominent Argentinians appears to have taken a turn for the worse after it emerged that Pope Francis rejected a charitable donation from the government of President Mauricio Macri – at least partly – because the sum included the figure 666.

“Earlier this month, the centre-right president made a donation that totaled 16,666,000 pesos (slightly under $1.2m) from the Argentinian government to the Scholas Occurentes educational foundation, which is backed by the pope and is based on a similar organization founded by Francis when he was cardinal of Buenos Aires.

“Two weeks ago, the pope presided over an event in Rome at which medals were awarded to Hollywood celebrities George Clooney, Salma Hayek and Richard Gere, who have agreed to be ambassadors for the charity. Shortly afterwards, Macri made the donation.

“But according to the Vatican Insider – a publication specializing in papal affairs published by the Italian newspaper La Stampa – Francis wrote to the Argentinian branch of the foundation, asking them to return the money. In a postscript, he wrote: ‘I don’t like the 666.’ Francis, who has long supported progressive causes in Argentina, and the centre-right president Macri have often found themselves on opposite sides of political debate.”

NATO vs. Russia

The website of news.vice.com wrote on June 11:

“A column of Strykers, the US Army’s eight-wheeled, 20-ton fighting machines, trundled across the narrow pontoon bridge to meet the Russian intruders in central Poland. Less than an hour earlier, a mixed team of German and British engineers had taken to the Vistula River with 30 giant M3 amphibious rigs to build a bridge almost a quarter of a mile long. Now the Strykers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment were rolling over it to link up with allied paratroopers. The river crossing was part of Anakonda-16, the largest military exercises hosted by Poland in more than a decade, involving 30,000 soldiers from more than 20 NATO and partner countries.

“The United States, which slashed its European-based forces after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is contributing almost half the troops. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the United States has been scrambling not just to reassure new allies like Poland, but to deter the Kremlin from any more military adventures in Eastern Europe. Of course Russia isn’t the named adversary in the 10-day Anakonda exercises, yet it’s the only country in the neighborhood that poses a potential threat. The Kremlin was bitterly opposed to the enlargement of NATO, which has taken in nine former members of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, including Poland. In an effort to thwart any more neighbors from joining the transatlantic alliance, Russia fought a five-day war with Georgia in 2008 and invaded Ukraine six years later…

“Eastern Europe is alien territory for the US military. For centuries, Germans, Austrians, and Russians divided the region up among themselves. Poland as a country disappeared from maps for 123 years, and smaller nations such as Estonia only briefly achieved statehood in 1918. In the aftermath of World War II, the Kremlin took control over the eastern half of Europe and didn’t let it go until the Soviet Union self-destructed. After 1991, Eastern Europeans were eager to get under the US defensive umbrella as fast as possible, even if that meant joining the ‘coalition of the willing’ in Iraq or sending combat troops to Afghanistan…

“As the Strykers rumbled over the Vistula, a German lieutenant observing the crossing muttered something about American ‘saber rattling.’ Although Germany is an indispensable NATO ally, a sizable portion of its population believes it’s the United States that antagonized Russia. A poll published a year ago found that only 38 percent of Germans said their country should use military force to protect another NATO member from a Russian attack…

“Before the relationship took a turn for the worse, the Western alliance and Russian military were on almost friendly terms. It may be hard to believe today, but five years ago, Poland hosted the first joint NATO-Russian counter-terrorism exercise, involving fighter planes from both sides. Now NATO and Russian jets intercept each other over international waters — just as they did when the Cold War held the world on edge.”

Who Is Ukraine’s Joan of Arc?

The Telegraph wrote on June 9:

“Vladimir Putin must be stopped now or Russian forces will advance to the ‘border with Poland or Germany’, according to the war heroine turned politician described as Ukraine’s ‘Joan of Arc’. Nadia Savchenko was released from a Russian prison only two weeks ago. The female pilot – who was the first woman to fly a Ukrainian helicopter gunship and the first to graduate from the Air Force Academy – was captured while fighting pro-Russian rebels in the east in June 2014.

“After being consigned to a Russian jail, Ms Savchenko was elected to Ukraine’s parliament from her cell. She used her trial to heap scorn on the judge, the prosecutor and Mr Putin in particular… Ms Savchenko made a triumphant return to Ukraine after being freed in a prisoner exchange on May 25. Hailed in the local press as her country’s Joan of Arc, she took her seat in parliament in the capital, Kiev, and is already regarded as a possible future president…

“Europe and America have declined to supply Ukraine with weapons, fearing this would only escalate the confrontation with Russia. Ms Savchenko said they should change this policy – but she was notably cautious about the risks. ‘You should be very careful with that because if you make some sharp steps it could lead to a big war,’ she said… Ms Savchenko said the West should only provide ‘defensive’ weapons, like anti-aircraft systems. ‘If we are talking about other ground equipment, then you might get involved in this war and nobody wants a Third World War,’ she added…

“While the Russian media vilifies her as a ‘killer in a skirt’, Ms Savchenko sees herself as a peacemaker. ‘I’ve been a soldier for 12 years: it’s my profession,’ she said. ‘But if a soldier doesn’t want peace in his soul then he’s not a soldier any more – he’s a killer. A soldier fights for peace.’”

A Brexit in the Making?

The Independent wrote on June 11:

“Exclusive: polling carried out for ‘The Independent’ shows that 55 per cent of UK voters intend to vote for Britain to leave the EU in the 23 June referendum. The campaign to take Britain out of the EU has opened up a remarkable 10-point lead over the Remain camp… The survey of 2,000 people by ORB found that 55 per cent believe the UK should leave the EU (up four points since our last poll in April), while 45 per cent want it to remain (down four points)… It is by far the biggest lead the Leave camp has enjoyed since ORB began polling the EU issue for The Independent a year ago, when it was Remain who enjoyed a 10-point lead. Now the tables have turned…

“Support for EU membership is highest in Scotland, with 60 per cent backing Remain. But a majority of people in every other region of Great Britain favour withdrawal when turnout is taken into account. In London, seen as a strong area for the Remain campaign, only 44 per cent back staying in the EU and 56 per cent favour voting to leave. This is due to the turnout factor. Only 66 per cent of people in London say they will definitely vote, the lowest of any region…

“Polling experts say the result is still too close to call, and that there has been a late swing to the ‘status quo’ option in previous referendums, including the one on Scottish independence in 2014. They also point out that telephone polls consistently give Remain a higher rating than online surveys.”

Sun For Brexit

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 14:

“In an editorial, Britain’s top-selling newspaper (“The Sun”) has come out in support of the country leaving the EU… ‘The Sun’ printed the editorial – calling on Britons to vote ‘Leave’ in an upcoming referendum… in its Tuesday edition. The newspaper, which is owned by conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, also tweeted out a preview. ‘We are about to make the biggest political decision of our lives. The Sun today urges everyone to vote LEAVE,’ the editorial begins… ‘Our country has a glorious history,’ the newspaper goes on to say. ‘This is our chance to make Britain even greater, to recapture our democracy, to preserve the values and culture we are rightly proud of.’ The Sun also accused the ‘Remain’ camp of using scare tactics to convince voters to support the EU.

“The editorial comes just as a new poll, conducted by YouGov for The Times newspaper, found that 46 percent of the country supported the idea of leaving the EU, compared with 39 percent who were in support of remaining. A separate poll in the Daily Telegraph delivered a far closer set of results. Pollsters universally failed to predict the outcome of 2015’s general election in the UK…”

Bild Against Brexit

The German mass tabloid Bild wrote on June 14:

“What a Brex-s…. [The article spells out the word; we just give a hint as to what is being used…]

“These days, there could hardly be a bigger gap than that between the consequences of the British referendum on leaving the EU and the level of the corresponding discussion. History is being written on the island – but with mud. It is a toxic mix of a distortion of facts, half-truths, and madness. This applies to both sides.

“Brexit supporters say (in all seriousness) that prolonging the EU membership will increase the risk of cancer on the island. They say that at least one million Turks will have to be allowed to enter the island if the UK doesn’t leave. They say that British soldiers will be forced into an EU army, and that the public health system will immediately improve after leaving. The latter would, at least, be comparatively easy to achieve, since the health system is, in fact, pretty bad.

“Brexit opponents, in turn, predict the Third or Fourth World War should the Brits leave. They say that pensions will have to be cut, that the hole in the state budget will become even bigger and that hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost immediately, although nobody can actually know if that will be the case. Both camps want fear to decide the referendum. Hence the fearmongering.

“This means that the British people are being muddled at a time when they have to make the decision of the century. The people are being misled, but they must not make a mistake. This cannot end well. It is a great shame, unworthy of all politicians, media, and proud Brits. It was they who once taught Europe how to lead intelligent political debates and what enlightened, pragmatic democracy is.

“Much is at stake. ‘Our enemies would drink champagne’, if the Brits were to leave, said President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, in an interview with BILD. He referred to autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and he is right. The Brits are about to lethally weaken the West that they have shaped like no other nation. How can they do this to us – and to themselves?”

One in Ten Germans Wants a Führer

Daily Mail wrote on June 15:

“A new academic study has rocked the government in Berlin as people call for a ‘dictatorship in the national interest’ with one in ten wanting a new Führer to lead them to glory. The University of Leipzig’s research team found that… a total of 21.9 per cent agreed that Germany needs ‘a single strong party that embodies the national community as a whole’. One in every ten Germans wants their country to be led by a ‘Führer’ applying ‘a firm hand for the common good.’ And 71 years after Nazism was vanquished and the horror of the death camps revealed to a stunned world, 11 per cent of people questioned by the university researchers said Jews have too much influence in society. Overall 12 per cent think Germans are by nature ‘superior’ to other people – a central plank of the ideology of Adolf Hitler and the original Nazis.

“Other findings included four out of every ten people thinking Muslims should be prohibited from immigrating to the country and half of respondents in a survey of 2,240 people saying they feel like ‘foreigners in their own country.’ Thirty per cent claimed Germany had been ‘infiltrated by too many foreigners in a dangerous way.’ And three out of every five Germans believe migrants who have arrived in the country seeking sanctuary from war and terror are bogus… 40 percent of people said they found it ‘disgusting’ when homosexuals kissed in public – an increase of 15 per cent in a similar survey in 2011.”

We find this disgusting too.

Deutsche Welle added on June 15:

“A third thought same-sex marriages should be banned… Confidence in socio-political organizations, including the police and political parties has decreased significantly, with many people telling researchers they no longer feel represented by the political system…

“Also on Wednesday, a separate study by the polling company Allensbach revealed further skepticism towards Muslims. Only 13 percent of those interviewed agreed with the statement ‘Islam belongs in Germany.’’

No More Multiple Wives for German Migrants

Daily Mail wrote on June 15:

“Germany will no longer allow migrants to have multiple wives or child brides, the justice minister has said. Heiko Maas told German newspaper Bild that no one has the ‘right to place their cultural values or religious beliefs above our laws’. There has been increased concern over polygamous marriages in the wake of a rise in the number of migrants arriving in Germany, many from Muslim countries.

“While polygamy is already banned in Germany, many officials ‘turn a blind eye’ to migrants who arrive in the country with more than one wife, the newspaper reports. This is also true of forced and underage marriages…

“Referring to migrants arriving with underage brides, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees told local media: ‘If the wife is underage, the youth authorities are alerted and they decide if the family stays together or not.’”

Yearning for the Third Temple

JTA wrote on June 10:

“Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, David Lau, said the Jewish temple can be rebuilt on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount without moving any of the Muslim shrines there. Speaking on the Knesset Channel Tuesday, Lau appeared to approve the idea of rebuilding the temple at the hotly contested site and said that there is enough room there for ‘Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone’…

“Since 1967, when the Temple Mount came under Israeli sovereignty, the chief rabbis have consistently ruled that Jews should not go there for fear they might inadvertently step over the place where the Ark of the Covenant was said to be stored in the first temple. The mount, which is adjacent to the Western Wall and was the location of Judaism’s first and second temples, is run by the Islamic Waqf, a Jordanian body, under a deal worked out in 1967. Muslims generally have full access to the site, from where Mohammed is believed to have ascended to heaven, and the exclusive right to pray there. Jews can only ascend the mount during limited visiting hours and are forbidden from doing anything resembling worship such as kneeling, singing, dancing or rending their clothes… Rumors that Israel planned to change the status quo helped trigger the wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks and other violence that began in October.

“Speaking on Tuesday, Lau said, according to The Times of Israel: ‘I can’t tell you exactly what was in the temple, but the truth is that when you see the prophets, the writings, the sayings of the sages, you understand that whoever went there came back full of inspiration, emotion, joy and satisfaction, so I yearn for those days.’ Orthodox authorities are divided over whether Jews should rebuild the temple themselves, or should wait for divine intervention.”