England Too Tolerant Towards Islamists…

Mail On Line wrote on February 7:

“David Cameron today pledged to make Britain ‘a lot less’ tolerant towards Islamic extremists who whip up hatred against the West… the Prime Minister argued that Britain has been too ‘passive’ towards organisations and preachers who poison the minds of young Muslims. Mr Cameron said Britain needs to be… more judgmental when faced with ideologies that threaten the country’s basic values… he  suggested that to ‘belong’ in Britain, individuals must sign up to core values such as freedom of speech, the rule of law and democracy…

“The Prime Minister also hit out at… multiculturalism – calling it a failure. He [said] society has failed to provide a strong sense of what it means to be British, making it easier for extremists to prey on youngsters seeking something to identify with…

“Mr Cameron pledged to end the state funding of groups that help foster extremist views, even if they are not directly linked to terrorism. He warned that there is a ‘spectrum’ of dangerous groups, ranging from those advocating suicide bomb attacks to those who ‘may reject violence, but who accept various parts of the extremist world view, including real hostility towards western democracy and liberal values’… Mr Cameron warned fellow European leaders that they cannot tackle terrorism simply by tracking down extremists abroad in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan and must ‘wake up to what is happening in our own countries.’”

A far-reaching confrontation between Europe and radical Islam appears inevitable.

…and Militant Atheists

The Telegraph wrote on February 7:

“The Church of England will this week vow to fight ‘new atheism’ in an attempt to combat the rise of secularism and defend Christianity in Britain. Clergy are to be urged to be more vocal in countering the arguments put forward by a more hard-line group of atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, who have campaigned for a less tolerant attitude towards religion… The rallying call comes amid fears that Christians are suffering from an increasing level of discrimination following a series of cases in which they have been punished for sharing their beliefs…

“[A] landmark report… says that religion in Britain is under threat from atheists, but admits that the Church faces many internal problems as well, from ageing congregations to rows over homosexuality. Drawing particular attention to the threat posed by a new movement of militant atheists, led by Dawkins and Hitchens, it says the Church must respond if it is not to be pushed from the public square… It says the Church of England can appear too vague on where it stands on issues and risks further divisions over the introduction of women bishops and future debates about sexuality.”

A strong stance against atheistic ideas is only possible if a Christian organization is strongly convicted and unified. Sadly, the Church of England is far too permissive and indecisive in regard to many Christian values.

Britain Safe Haven for Foreign Terrorists?

The Scotsman wrote on February 4:

“The United Kingdom has become a ‘safe haven’ for foreign terrorism suspects because European human rights legislation is making it difficult to deport dangerous people… The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that some foreign terror suspects cannot be sent home if there is a risk they may be mistreated or tortured…

“To circumvent the European law, Britain has asked countries to sign agreements pledging not to mistreat suspects deported there, including Algeria, Jordan and Ethiopia. A pact struck with Libya is currently on hold after it was challenged by Britain’s courts.”

Developments like these will make a permanent separation between Great Britain and Europe more and more likely.

US Betrayal of Britain’s Secrets to Russia

The Telegraph wrote on February 7:

“The US secretly agreed to give the Russians sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent to persuade them to sign a key treaty… The fact that the Americans used British nuclear secrets as a bargaining chip also sheds new light on the so-called ‘special relationship’, which is shown often to be a one-sided affair by US diplomatic communications…

“A series of classified messages sent to Washington by US negotiators show how information on Britain’s nuclear capability was crucial to securing Russia’s support for the ‘New START’ deal.

“Although the treaty was not supposed to have any impact on Britain, the leaked cables show that Russia used the talks to demand more information about the UK’s Trident missiles, which are manufactured and maintained in the US.

“Washington lobbied London in 2009 for permission to supply Moscow with detailed data about the performance of UK missiles. The UK refused, but the US agreed to hand over the serial numbers of Trident missiles it transfers to Britain.”

The Bible shows that the “special relationship” between the USA and Great Britain will come to an end.

And It Might Still Not Pay…

The Associated Press wrote on February 7:

“Russia sees the planned U.S. missile defense system as a potential threat to its nuclear forces and may review its participation in a landmark nuclear arms treaty, officials said Monday.

“The New START deal, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s efforts to reset ties with Russia and the most significant arms control pact in nearly two decades, took effect last week. It limits each country to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200.

“The treaty doesn’t prevent the U.S. from building new missile defense systems, but Russia has warned that it reserves the right to withdraw from the treaty if the United States significantly boosts its missile shield. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reaffirmed Monday that a buildup in the U.S. missile defense capability would prompt Moscow [to] re-consider its obligations under the New START treaty.”

With America’s recent history, it is predictable that the USA will also give in to Russia on this matter …

Christian Values Under Attack in Europe

WorldNetDaily wrote on February 5:

“Christianity has been around what now is Europe since the first century, with some parts of the New Testament written to people in Greece and Rome. But a new report is warning that open hostility to Christianity across the continent is on the rise and intolerance is being paired with legislative power to attack and violate the religious rights of the faithful… European Christians are under attack for their freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and parental rights, are targeted by hate crimes… and they are subjected to negative stereotyping in the media…

“For example, last October, former British MP Christine McCafferty urged the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to recommend limitations to conscientious objection when it comes to abortion… Then in Spain there was a judge who was suspended from his position for objecting to the adoption of a young girl by lesbians. And in the United Kingdom, a registrar was ordered to perform homosexual weddings despite the individual’s personal religious objections to the procedures…

“Spain’s government fined a Christian television network 100,000 euros for carrying advertising opposing the homosexual lifestyle, an anti-abortion campaigner was jailed for sending abortion photos to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and a street preacher in the United Kingdom was arrested after telling passersby that homosexuality is a sin. BHA (British Humanist Association) has called on the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums… to shut down [a particular] zoo. The secular group claims the zoo is misleading tens of thousands of visitors annually and ‘threatening public understanding’ by questioning the traditional view of evolution…

 “In the Netherlands, students are taught that ‘Christianity would be abolished in the end, all other religions would disappear and everybody will convert to Islam. After all,’ said the lesson, ‘only Muslims can be good people.’

“… in the UK, an Employment Appeal Tribunal ordered that Christians cannot act according to their consciences if their beliefs conflict with the promotion of homosexuality, and a foster care giver was suspended from her career for allowing a Muslim child in her care to convert to Christianity…

“In Austria the government enforced sex education guidelines that ‘practically prohibit the teaching of authentic Christian sexual values,’ and in Germany, a mother of eight was jailed for eight days after she refused to send her nine-year-old son to school for its sexual education program.

“…journalists and the media are contributing, with a situation in Germany where the German Daily ‘Die Zeit’ wrongly accused Christians of favoring a radical law in Uganda and a popular BBC soap, ‘Coronation Street,’ featured attacks on the Christian faith…”

Values of true Christianity have been under attack for 2,000 years, and the attackers were professing Christians and non-Christians alike. The developments, described above, might motivate Europe to enact laws to protect perceived Christian values, but if history is a guide for the future, these laws might also include provisions to attack and persecute those who won’t submit to such values, which might or might not reflect true Christianity.

Europe Becoming More German?

Der Spiegel wrote on February 4:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have presented their vision for saving the euro zone to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels. The bold plan foresees countries taking radical steps to sort out their finances and reduce debt — in short, to become more German…

“As of Friday at the latest, Merkel is officially a leader on saving the euro… Together with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, she presented her plan for saving the common currency at a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels…

“Merkel is in a strong bargaining position because the other euro-zone countries rely on Germany, as Europe’s biggest economy, to help fund rescue packages. The chancellor seems determined to get her proposal for harmonizing national economies approved in return for Germany’s agreeing to proposed amendments to the EU’s euro rescue fund.

“Merkel’s proposal, which was presented to other EU leaders in a closed-door lunch session on Friday, is likely to split the bloc, however. On Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero expressed his support for the pact after a meeting with Merkel in Madrid. But the European Commission is opposed to the move as it would mean the euro-zone members going it alone, rather than including all 27 EU states…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Europe supposedly needs to become more German. Until recently, Merkel’s suggestion would have caused a storm of protest in Madrid, Athens and Paris. But after a year of the euro crisis, anything seems possible…’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘For many governments, Merkel’s plans sounds like the Germans want to dictate (what other countries do). But why should the Europeans follow Berlin, of all governments? The answer is simple: Merkel wants to exploit the current situation. At the moment, Germany, as a prosperous country, has a chance to set the rules. Everyone knows that the monetary union would be finished without Germany…

“’Nevertheless, the chancellor is playing a dangerous game. She wants all or nothing. She wants to get the whole package approved, or nothing at all. According to Merkel’s plan, other European countries must adopt the German culture of stability. They must reform their labor markets, health systems, taxes and wages as well as reduce their debt levels. If they refuse, Merkel will refuse to provide German guarantees for bailout packages. To some leaders, that might seem to show a lack of solidarity. But, actually, (Merkel’s approach) is very clever. Berlin needs to exploit the pressure created by the crisis to push through the necessary reforms that will allow the monetary union to survive.’”

The Bible shows that Germany is predestined to play the leadership role in the final configuration of a united Europe.

Greater Integration of Eurozone?

The Local wrote on February 4:

“Merkel said they had asked EU president Herman Van Rompuy to consult with other states in order to fix a decision at the next 27-nation EU summit on March 24 and 25, meaning ‘we would have to reach agreement within the eurozone’ first. Sarkozy underlined that this would mean ‘a greater integration’ than ever before. A special eurozone summit is likely to be needed earlier next month…

“Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme said he was ‘absolutely not in agreement’… the head of the European Trades Union Confederation said Germany and France were out to trample over the little guys…

“Support did, however, come from one of the other star eurozone economic performer[s]. Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte characterised the goal as ‘not a race to the bottom, but a race to the top…’

“Diplomats warned, though, that southern eurozone nations, including Portugal, fear being rail-roaded down an even more painful path of reform.”

A greater integration of the Eurozone is quite telling. It is prophesied that in the end, ten European nations or groups of nations will rule Europe, and that these nations will transfer their authority to a charismatic political and military leader.

Spain and the Euro

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 4:

“Spain’s economy has hit bottom, with unemployment soaring past 20 percent, as speculators bet the country will require an EU bailout. Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is undertaking mass austerity measures, and he has been praised for his action by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The stakes are high: If Spain goes bust, the euro could collapse…

“The scale of the crisis… is a danger to the entire European currency union… Greece and Ireland have already been forced to accept aid from other euro-zone countries. Portugal is continuing to reject the support, but it is considered to be the next candidate in line. And what happens then? Will things stop there, or will the euro-crisis contagion spread to Portugal’s neighbor…

“That scenario would be nothing less than a nightmare. Spain’s needs would surely surpass the €750 billion ($1.02 trillion) of the rescue fund that has already been set up; and the development could well send the euro crisis spinning entirely out of control. ‘Everything will stand and fall with Spain,’ says Christoph Rieger, an analyst with Commerzbank, Germany’s second largest private bank.

“Against that backdrop, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit with Prime Minister Zapatero in Spain on Thursday was a special one… it was actually the introduction of the euro that laid the foundation for the very developments that are now threatening to bring down the entire common currency. Spain entered into the monetary union with a peseta that had been seriously undervalued. Interest rates, which from then on were linked to developments in the entire euro zone, were far too low for the country.

“The result was an unbridled construction boom. During the wild years that followed, 800,000 new apartments were built annually in Spain, more than the combined total in Germany, Italy and France. Even simple laborers were in a position to not only purchase their own homes, but even additional ones as gifts for each of their children — or simply as an investment. Depending on the location, real-estate prices rose by between 150 and 300 percent…

“Spain’s central bank currently forecasts the volume of bad loans at €180 billion… During the boom, many young Spaniards… preferred to earn quick money rather than go to college. The percentage of people who don’t complete a college-prep education is close to 35 percent, twice as high as the EU average. Youth unemployment is, at 43 percent, also double the EU average…

“Right now, the government has one primary task ahead of it: saving money… [It] cut the salaries of civil servants, froze annual pension payments and reduced welfare benefits for the long-term jobless… the government has also reformed the labor market. The retirement age is to be raised from 65 to 67… And hours before Merkel’s arrival, [the government]  reached a social pact with unions and employers’ associations that will make collective bargaining more flexible based on circumstances. Merkel praised the development, saying: ‘It is a great relief that there will be no social unrest’…

“And, on Thursday, the prime minister was able to present Merkel with the first fruits of his labor. The chances aren’t bad that Spain will be able to push its budget deficit for 2011 to below the forecasted 6 percent. The Spanish people also appear to be slowly recovering from the shock that accompanied the bursting of the real estate bubble. Domestic consumption, which is vital to the Spanish economy, has recovered slightly. ‘Spain has really done its homework,’ Merkel said. ‘The markets will appreciate that.’”

Spain lived beyond its means—as the United States did—resulting in financial harm. But we can safely say that the euro will survive—whatever the outcome of Spain’s economic troubles might be.

Proposed Exchange Mergers Between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext

The Financial Times reported on February 9:

“The world’s bourses are being swept up in an accelerating wave of consolidation after Deutsche Börse revealed that it was in advanced talks with NYSE Euronext to create the world’s largest exchanges operator by revenues and profits. The proposed all-stock deal trumped the tie-up unveiled just hours earlier by the London Stock Exchange and Canada’s TMX Group and would create the world’s largest stock exchange by market value after Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing. Deutsche Börse has a market value of $15.3bn while NYSE Euronext has a market value of $8.7bn….

“A deal between Deutsche Börse – Europe’s largest exchange group – and the owner of the New York Stock Exchange throws down the gauntlet to their arch rival CME Group because it promises to create a dominant player in European derivatives as a counterweight to the CME’s dominance in the US…

“But the German-US deal could face antitrust issues in Europe. And in the US some analysts feared political opposition in Washington, since the deal would leave Deutsche Börse shareholders holding 59-60 per cent in a new, Netherlands-based holding company, with NYSE Euronext shareholders holding the rest. In a statement only hours after the chief executives of the LSE and TMX unveiled plans to create the world’s largest exchange by number of listings, the US and German bourses said they aimed to create a group ‘that is both a world leader in derivatives and risk management and the premier global venue for capital raising’.

“The combined Deutsche-NYSE group would have dual headquarters in New York and Frankfurt. Duncan Niederauer, chief executive of NYSE Euronext, would become chief executive of the new company from New York. Reto Francioni, chief executive of Deutsche Börse, would become chairman of the new business and be based in Frankfurt. The executive committee would be drawn equally from both companies… A source said that the deal had ‘good support’ at the highest political level in Germany.”

The Local added on February 9:

“The announcement came hot on the heels of the London and Toronto stock exchanges unveiling a landmark merger, creating one of the world’s biggest trading platforms that will dominate the raw materials and energy sectors…

“It is not the first time that the German firm, which operates the Frankfurt stock exchange, has attempted to go down the aisle with Euronext. Its earlier advances were spurned, however, and in 2007 Euronext merged with the NYSE. Deutsche Boerse also tried and failed three times to buy the London Stock Exchange (LSE)… NYSE Euronext’s equities markets, which include the New York, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam stock exchanges, represent one third of world equities trading, the most liquidity of any global exchange group.”

The Wall Street Journal added these comments on February 10:

“After 219 years as the citadel of American capitalism, the New York Stock Exchange was near an agreement to be acquired by Deutsche Börse AG in a deal that would create the world’s largest financial exchange… For New York, the move is symbolic of the city’s fading dominance on the world stage as other countries are drawing investors directly to their markets. The move also is a recognition that securities trading today goes on at all hours and in all time zones, making the actual bricks and mortar of Wall Street far less important than before…

“Antitrust experts cautioned that the proposed deal could face tough regulatory scrutiny in Europe, as the new behemoth would dominate share and derivatives trading in the European Union—and in Washington, where tempers may rise over a crown jewel of the economy falling into foreign hands.”

This proposed deal could be interesting in light of the biblical prophecies that Germany will rise and the USA will fall, and that ultimately, Europe, under German direction, will overtake the USA.

Muslim Brotherhood Against Violence?

The following articles will show the reader what the Muslim Brotherhood is all about. Far too many naïve and uninformed ideas are being circulated over the Internet, and it is time that we all realize what is happening. In fact, a confrontation between a “Christian” Europe and certain Middle Eastern Muslim countries is prophesied—as is the creation of an anti-Israeli confederation between Europe and certain Muslim countries.

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 4:

“A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt on Thursday evening repeatedly refused to commit to maintaining the peace treaty with Israel, or even recognizing Israel, if the Brotherhood becomes a player in the future governance of Egypt… [Mohamed] Morsy also said the Muslim Brotherhood opposed violence. ‘We do not use violence against anyone,’ he said. But what was happening on ‘Palestinian land,’ however, he said, was not violence but ‘resistance. And resistance is acceptable by all mankind. And it is the right of people to resist imperialism,’ he said.”

On February 7, Der Spiegel Online published the following interview with the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Rashad al-Bayoumi. Again, the Muslim Brotherhood is not forthcoming with their willingness to use violence:

“SPIEGEL: The Muslim Brotherhood is widely regarded as the largest opposition movement in Egypt. Why are you not present at the demonstrations?

“Bayoumi: That is ridiculous! Of course we are present. But we are keeping a low profile as an organization…

“SPIEGEL: In the West there is the fear that the Brotherhood is preparing to take power — that they want to transform Egypt into an Islamic state.

“Bayoumi: The West refuses to listen to us. We are not demons. We want peace, not violence. Our religion is not a diabolical religion. Our religion respects people of other faiths, these are our principles… The government says that there are over three million of us. All I know is that we are everywhere, in every city, every village, every neighborhood. We are an essential part of the people.”

What the Muslim Brotherhood REALLY Believes…

On February 6, IMRA (Independent Media Review Analysis) published the following statements about the Muslim Brotherhood:

“The Muslim Brotherhood has taken a greater role in organizing the protest against the Egyptian regime as it unfolds its independent political agenda. Rashad al-Bayumi, the Brotherhood’s second-in-command, announced in an interview with Japanese TV that the group would join a transitional government in order to cancel the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, as it ‘offends the Arabs’ dignity and destroys the interests of Egypt and other Arab states.’ He further stressed that Egypt does not need American aid.

“Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammad Mahdi ‘Akef told the Egyptian daily Al-Karama in 2007 that only Islam was the expression of true democracy. ‘Islam and its values antedated the West by founding true democracy, exemplified by the Shura [the advisory council under the Caliphs].’

“The Brotherhood’s official website notes that jihad is Islam’s most important tool in effecting a gradual takeover, beginning with the Muslim countries, moving on to reestablishing the Caliphate over three continents in preparation for a conquest of the West, and finally instituting a global Islamic state…

“One of Akef’s examples of America’s ‘corrupt values’ is the attempt to stop female circumcision in Africa. On July 12, 2007, he wrote that ‘[the Americans] spend billions of dollars and endlessly plot to change the Muslim way of life, they wage war on Muslim leaders, the traditions of its faith and its ideas. They even wage war against female circumcision, a practice current in 36 countries, which has been prevalent since the time of the Pharaohs.’

“According to the Muslim Brotherhood, jihad, that is, holy war against the infidels, is one of the fundamental elements spread by the Muslim Brotherhood. The organization’s ideology, as it appears on its official website, regards ‘the Prophet Muhammad as its leader and ruler, and jihad as its path.’ Jihad has a global strategy beyond self-defense; it is the unceasing attack on every infidel rule, intended to widen the borders of the Islamic state until all mankind lives under the Islamic flag.

“Clicking the links ‘The Goals of the Muslim Brotherhood’ and ‘Muslim Brotherhood Measures’ leads to explanations of jihad based on the writings of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna. Jihad, it is noted, is Islam’s most important tool in effecting a gradual takeover, beginning with the Muslim countries, moving on to re-establishing the Caliphate over three continents in preparation for a conquest of the West, and finally instituting a global Islamic state. The organization’s website states:

“‘We want a Muslim individual, a Muslim home, a Muslim people, a Muslim government and state that will lead the Islamic countries and bring into the fold the Muslim diaspora and the lands robbed from Islam and will then bear the standard of jihad and the call [da’wah] to Allah. [Then the] world will happily accept the precepts of Islam….The problems of conquering the world will only end when the flag of Islam waves and jihad has been proclaimed. The goal is to establish one Islamic state of united Islamic countries, one nation under one leadership whose mission will be to reinforce adherence to the law of Allah…and the strengthening of the Islamic presence in the world arena….The goal…is the establishment of a world Islamic state…’

“For the Muslim Brotherhood, jihad is at the center of the struggle against the United States, the West, Israel, and other infidel regimes. The supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood regards Islam as waging ‘a battle of values and identity’ against the forces of ‘imperialism’ and the ‘Anglo-Saxons’ attacking the Arab-Muslim world ‘on the pretext of spreading democracy, defending minority rights, and opposing what they call terrorism.’ He advises Muslims to adopt ‘the culture of resistance against the invasion,’ explaining that Allah gave ‘the occupied, oppressed nations jihad and resistance as a means of achieving freedom.’

“He added that ‘the culture of resistance to invasion and occupation have intellectual, military, and economic aspects. Experience in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan have proved that resistance is not imaginary or fictitious or impossible, but rather it is possible when the [Islamic] nation presents a united front and uses its weapons and faith to face an imperialist, whether he comes with arms or inundates us with his ideas, values, or obsolete morality.’ Akef’s successor, Mohammad Badi’, maintains the same platform.”

“Egypt’s Political Shift with Historic Proportions”

Reuters reported on February 6:

“The Muslim Brotherhood is certainly hostile to Israel and the United States’s policy in the region. It has historic links with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and shares its belief in armed struggle against Israel… The [Egyptian] government’s willingness to talk to the Brotherhood is a political shift with historic proportions…

“Brotherhood ideology steadily seeped into schools, households, the media, bookshops and even clothing shops. Much of this Islamic resurgence stems from social dislocation, economic hardship and political frustration… Many Brotherhood leaders… are confident that Islam and sharia (Islamic law) will eventually rule and they are working to achieve that goal…”

Talks with Muslim Brotherhood Welcome…?

On February 6, AFP reported the following:

“US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cautiously welcomed Sunday the Muslim Brotherhood’s involvement in political dialogue in Egypt… ‘Today we learned the Muslim Brotherhood decided to participate, which suggests they at least are now involved in the dialogue that we have encouraged,’ Clinton told National Public Radio (NPR) from Germany…

“Nathan Brown, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said the United States had ‘real concerns’ about Egypt’s future direction under the Brotherhood, particularly in relation to Israel. ‘They have supported violent resistance in Iraq, they support (Palestinian Islamist group) Hamas, they’ve made clear they don’t support the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty,’ Brown told AFP.”

… Or a Mistake of Historic Proportions?

On February 6, Der SPIEGEL published the following interview with Republican senator and former presidential candidate John McCain:

“SPIEGEL: Many people are drawing comparisons between the situation in Cairo and the Iranian revolution of 1979, which led to the country’s takeover by religious leaders. If you look at elements like the Muslim Brotherhood, how likely is a similar outcome in Egypt?

“McCain: I am deeply, deeply concerned that this whole movement could be hijacked by radical Islamic extremists.

“SPIEGEL: What is your assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood?

“McCain: I think they are a radical group that first of all supports Sharia law; that in itself is anti-democratic — at least as far as women are concerned. They have been involved with other terrorist organizations and I believe that they should be specifically excluded from any transition government…

“SPIEGEL: A certain role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the transition process in Egypt seems acceptable to the Obama White House. Does that concern you?

“McCain: It concerns me so much that I am unalterably opposed to it. I think it would be a mistake of historic proportions.”

Brotherhood Not Really Different from Al-Qaida

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 9:

“Banned but tolerated for decades by successive Egyptian regimes, the Islamist movement is now emerging as a central player in the country’s resurgent opposition… Pundits have portrayed the Brotherhood as uncompromising zealots or beneficent providers of social services that long-deprived Egyptians desperately need. But a translation released Tuesday of a 1995 book by the movement’s fifth official leader sheds light on just how Egypt’s Brotherhood views itself and its mission…

“The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday saw excerpts of the text, compiled by Palestinian Media Watch founder Itamar Marcus and analyst Nan Jacques Zilberdik. Marcus spoke to the Post about what he views as the danger of downplaying the Brotherhood’s ideology, or expecting it to moderate its objectives after being allowed into the political process. The movement differs from international terror groups like Al-Qaida, he said, only in tactics, not in its goals.”

Top Egyptian Leaders Resign…but Hosni Mubarak Stays…

USA Today reported on February 5, 2011:

“The top leadership body of Egypt’s ruling party resigned Saturday, including the president’s son, but the regime appeared to be digging in its heels, calculating that it can ride out street demonstrations and keep President Hosni Mubarak in office. The ruling party leaders who resigned included the country’s most powerful political figures — and its most unpopular among many Egyptians. The move may have been aimed at convincing protesters in the streets that the regime is sincere in implementing democratic changes they demand… The Obama administration welcomed word that Mubarak’s son, Gamal Mubarak, left his role in Egypt’s ruling party.”

Conflicting reports about Mubarak’s pending resignation have been circulated all week, especially by CNN. Now, on February 10, NBC, the Wall Street Journal, BBC News and Haaretz announced that Mubarak would or might resign “tonight.” However, in his speech, he indicated that he will stay as President until September, while announcing the possibility of revoking certain restrictive provisions of the Egyptian Constitution and the transfer of some of his powers to the Vice President. This move will not satisfy Egyptian protestors, and more turmoil can be expected.

Saudi Arabia Supports Mubarak

Haaretz reported on February 10:

“Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah told U.S. President Barack Obama that his country would prop up Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak if the United States withdrew its aid program… Abdullah told Obama not to humiliate Mubarak, who is under pressure from protesters to quit immediately… Obama’s administration has wavered between support for Egypt in Washington’s conflict with militant Islam and backing for Egyptians who have been protesting for weeks to demand Mubarak and his government quit.”

Don’t Rush Egyptian Democracy

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 7:

“In Germany, top Western officials at the annual Munich Security Conference warned at the weekend that a transition to democracy must not be rushed, otherwise the crisis could worsen and the Middle East could become more destabilized. Meanwhile Egyptian opposition figure Mohammed Elbaradei criticized the talks on Egypt’s future, saying the negotiations were being managed by the same people who had ruled the country for 30 years…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: 

“‘…In a country like Egypt that has never experienced democracy, it’s not enough to hold elections to make everything right. The political decision-making process must be organized and channelled. And even that wouldn’t guarantee that the acclaimed “Festival of Freedom” doesn’t produce a different, and possibly even worse autocratic regime.

“’There are plenty of radical forces in Egypt that would wish for such an outcome. The hesitancy over the removal of Mubarak and his system shouldn’t immediately be seen just as a sign of European or German indecisiveness or cowardice. The Americans and the Europeans… want to do everything in their — in this case not especially considerable — power to prevent the most populous and politically most important Arab country from descending into civil war or into a dictatorship of Islamists.’”

The EUObserver added on February 7:

“EU and US leaders have warned of the ‘chaos’ that could result if President Hosni Mubarak steps down immediately, with a top US diplomat describing the role of the hardman as ‘utterly critical’ and praising his ‘legacy.’

“’Early elections at the beginning of the democratisation process is probably the wrong approach,’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel [said…] at a high-level conference in Munich…”

Jordan Next?

CNN reported on February 6:

“In unprecedented criticism of Jordan’s royal family, three dozen prominent Jordanian tribal figures issued an urgent call for reform Sunday and warned that the country may follow Tunisia and Egypt into turmoil without it. The statement from 36 members of the country’s major tribes attacked what they called the interference of Queen Rania in running the country. The queen, ‘her sycophants and the power centers that surround her’ are dividing Jordanians and ‘stealing from the country and the people,’ the letter states…

“Jordan’s tribes make up about 40% of the country’s population and are seen as the bedrock of support for the Hashemite monarchy that has ruled the country for nearly a century. Though it was not clear whether all the signers were speaking for their tribes, such criticism of the monarchy is rare in Jordan — recent street protests that criticized the government stopped short of calling for King Abdullah II to step down… He dismissed his Cabinet last week, acknowledging that corruption needed to be tackled and political reforms urgently pursued…

“The tribal leaders said Sunday that allegations of corruption by Layla Trabelsi — the wife of longtime Tunisian strongman Zine El Abedine Ben Ali, who was forced into exile by a popular revolt in January — and by Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak have been ‘the catalyst of populist movements’ in those countries. What has happened in Jordan is even worse, the statement said.

“’We refuse the squandering of public money and aid to polish her [Queen Rania’s] own personal image at the expense of the nation,’ the statement said… Resentment of Rania, who is Palestinian, is not new among Jordan’s Bedouin tribes, but has risen sharply. In recent days, tribal sources have expressed to CNN their resentment about what they perceive as her lavish lifestyle and her interference in politics.”

Whatever the future of Jordan may be, it is unlikely, based on biblical prophecy, that it will become hostile to and an enemy of Europe.

“Iran Proclaims ‘Complete Domination’ Over Entrance to Persian Gulf”

Haaretz reported on February 7:

“As part of Iran’s annual revolution celebrations, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled locally-made satellites while a senior commander showed off mass produced missiles.

“Although Iran is not engaged in any military conflict, it is on constant alert against possible attacks from the United States and Israel, which have not ruled out possible pre-emptive strikes to stop Tehran getting nuclear weapons… In 2009, Iran launched a domestically-made satellite into orbit for the first time, a step that increased the West’s fear that the Islamic Republic is seeking to build a nuclear bomb and missile delivery systems.

“The chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards… said the new mass-produced missile would be able to target enemies at sea. ‘Its speed is three times greater than the speed of sound and it cannot be traced and deactivated by enemies,’ [he said].

“Another Guards commander… reiterated Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes. ‘The Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz are under the complete domination of the Revolutionary Guards … and it would be blocked in case of a threat,’ he said…”

The Netherlands Recalls Ambassador to Iran

Deutsche Welle reported on February 7:

“Dutch officials say the Netherlands is recalling its ambassador to Iran in protest of a Dutch-Iranian woman’s execution last week… after Iranian officials reportedly buried Zahra Bahrami’s body far from the Iranian capital of Tehran… so the family could not attend the funeral.

“The Netherlands had already frozen diplomatic relations with Iran after an Iranian public prosecutor announced Bahrami was hanged on January 29 for smuggling cocaine. However, Iranian blogs and news websites have reported that Bahrami actually died during torture by Iranian officials. Her family says Iranian authorities fabricated the drug charges after arresting her for participating in anti-government protests last December while visiting relatives. During her detention, Iranian authorities denied Bahrami access to Dutch consular services, arguing Iran does not recognize dual citizenship.”

Iran Develops Nuclear Fusion Reactor

The Iranian news agency, Press TV, reported the following on February 10:

“Iranian scientists at the Atomic Energy Organization or Iran (AEOI) have designed and built a nuclear fusion device… The device uses Inertial Electrostatic Confinement method and can produce isotopes and radioisotopes used in diagnosing and curing cancer. The US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and France are the only countries which boast fusion technology.

“Fusion — which extracts energy from nuclear reactions with a process akin to how light and heat are produced by the sun — has been studied for decades, but it has yet to be developed into a viable energy alternative.

“The US and its allies accuse Iran of developing a military nuclear program. In June 2009, the UN Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran’s financial and military sectors under Western pressure. Iranian officials have repeatedly refuted the charges, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran has the right to use peaceful nuclear technology.”

Iran remains a threat for Europe and the USA, and the relationship between Europe and Iran is bound to deteriorate. We can also expect the development of an ever closer alliance between Iran and Russia.

The Fall of the USA

We begin with a series of articles on America’s role in the Middle East. The articles show the helplessness and diminishing influence of the USA in that part of the world, as well as the disappointment and anger building up against the USA. At the core of the problem is America’s desire to buy allies for itself—and sadly in far too many cases, no matter what the costs. Our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” shows you what is in store for the USA, and why we are observing more and more the demise and fall of two countries which were at one time the greatest powers in the world.

America’s Losing Presidents

The Jewish paper, Haaretz, wrote on January 31:

“Jimmy Carter will go down in American history as ‘the president who lost Iran,’ which during his term went from being a major strategic ally of the United States to being the revolutionary Islamic Republic. Barack Obama will be remembered as the president who ‘lost’ Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt, and during whose tenure America’s alliances in the Middle East crumbled.

“The superficial circumstances are similar. In both cases, a United States in financial crisis and after failed wars loses global influence under a leftist president whose good intentions are interpreted abroad as expressions of weakness. The results are reflected in the fall of regimes that were dependent on their relationship with Washington for survival, or in a change in their orientation, as with Ankara.

“America’s general weakness clearly affects its friends. But unlike Carter, who preached human rights even when it hurt allies, Obama sat on the fence and exercised caution. He neither embraced despised leaders nor evangelized for political freedom, for fear of undermining stability.

“Obama began his presidency with trips to Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and in speeches in Ankara and Cairo tried to forge new ties between the United States and the Muslim world. His message to Muslims was ‘I am one of you,’ and he backed it by quoting from the Koran… Obama apparently believed the main problem of the Middle East was the Israeli occupation, and focused his policy on demanding the suspension of construction in the settlements and on the abortive attempt to renew the peace talks. That failure led him to back off from the peace process in favor of concentrating on heading off an Israeli-Iranian war…”

Obama Failed in the Middle East

On January 31, the German magazine Der Spiegel published a guest editorial by David J. Kramer, who served under George W. Bush as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. Today he is executive director of Freedom House in Washington. The organization’s research director, Arch Puddington, also contributed to this article:

“Of the people living in the region [of the Middle East] , 88 percent live in countries that lack honest elections, a free press and rule of law. A few months into his presidency, Barack Obama delivered what still ranks as the most ambitious foreign policy address of his administration. Presented at Cairo University, the speech set forth the outlines of a ‘new beginning’ between the United States and the Muslim world… He said the United States would support ‘elected, peaceful governments’ and endorsed democratic values like free expression, honest government and ‘freedom to live as you choose’…

“By his words, the president demonstrated that he, like President George W. Bush before him, understood that the Middle East’s ‘democracy deficit’ contributes in important ways to the strategic problems that feed regional instability and pose threats to the rest of the world… Unfortunately, President Obama’s subsequent actions have failed to fulfill the promise of his Cairo vision, especially when it comes to confronting concerns over repression when committed by autocracies of the Middle East, to say nothing of China or Russia.

“This pattern was established during the protests over the 2009 Iranian elections when the administration mustered little more than a pro forma objection to the suppression of the opposition movement. It continued with the administration’s non-response to last November’s sham elections in Egypt, in which the ruling party orchestrated results comparable to those in such obvious dictatorships as Syria and, until recently, Tunisia. And we witnessed it in the initial reactions to the latest developments in Tunisia and Egypt…”

Egyptian Wrath Turns on USA

The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 31:

“The protests [in Egypt] have lacked a clear leader to unite them and provide an alternative to Mubarak, and demonstrators are beginning to focus their wrath not just on Mubarak and the country’s widespread corruption, but also on the United States and, to a lesser extent, Israel. They blame Israel and the US for supporting a government because it is convenient for them, not because it is good for the Egyptian people.”

ElBaradei Attacks USA

The French news agency, AFP, reported on January 30:

“The United States is ‘losing credibility by the day’ in calling for democracy in Egypt while continuing to support President Hosni Mubarak, leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday.”

USA Dubious and Helpless?

The Jewish news agency, A-7 News, reported on January 30:

“The United States in the past last three years supported ‘democracy activists’ who planned to overthrow the Mubarak regime, according to leaked cables quoted by the London Telegraph…

“‘The harsh reality of events in the Middle East have all decisively proven that the assumptions that underpinned President Obama’s Middle East policy initiatives were wrong,’ wrote Foreign Policy.com’s Peter Feaver Saturday. ‘The foreign policy team seems to be quite uncertain how to proceed and with good reason: our ability to predict what will happen is probably even less than our ability to shape what will happen.’”

USA Can’t Do Much…

Deutsche Welle reported on January 29:

“After the fall of the regime in Tunisia and with mass protests sweeping across many other Middle Eastern countries, most notably Egypt, the US has been conspicuously tight-lipped… The US has to tread carefully in a region where Washington while calling for democratic reforms and respect for human fights for decades, has supported and stabilized some of the same authoritarian regimes that are now being challenged. Egypt, for instance is the second-biggest recipient of military aid from Washington after Israel.

“The US has been supporting its staunch ally with $1.3 billion (0.9 billion euros) in military assistance per year for decades, strengthening not only its military’s capabilities as a potential fighting force in the region, but also its role inside the regime… even if it wanted to, the US has little it can do to influence the outcome in Egypt or elsewhere in the region where it is viewed negatively by many…

“Whatever the ultimate outcome of the events in the Middle East, the one thing Washington definitely doesn’t want to happen to the region is its descent into chaos. A prolonged phase of instability and tumult could threaten US economic and political interests…”

Egyptians Want “Freedom”—But What Kind?

The following articles discuss the uncertain future of Egypt and the Middle East, and the incredible blindness of some liberal and conservative U.S. politicians and commentators, when trying to “analyze” the current situation, the chances for democracy in Egypt, and the nature of radical Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 31:

“The demonstrators have dismissed Mubarak’s appointment of a new cabinet and prime minister. His promises of economic reform to address rising prices and unemployment appear to be too little too late… The hope for change has been coupled with fear of anarchy and chaos. The population was largely left to protect itself over the weekend as the police force, which had been involved in clashes with protestors during the week, disappeared. Neighborhood vigilante groups formed over the weekend, setting up checkpoints and patrolling the streets to defend their homes as thugs roamed the streets. Gangs have looted supermarkets and stores as well as homes, and there were breakouts from at least four prisons in Cairo in recent days, adding to safety concerns… The unrest is having an impact on the economy… with shops and businesses closing and tourists fleeing the country in droves. Tourism is vital to the Egyptian economy…

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘… The pharaoh in the Führerbunker: If he has to go down, he’ll take his country and his people down with him…’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘… An “Iranian solution” in Cairo would disqualify Egypt as a partner in the West…’

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘Chaos and anarchy are mounting… There are signs that the chaos wasn’t just caused by gangs of criminals and plunderers from the slums, but also by parts of the security forces. That happened in Tunisia too. That is what the regime is banking on: the worse the situation becomes, the more people will wish for the return of the strong arm of the law… The regime is waiting for the demonstrations to lose momentum and for the situation to calm down. But the more damage is done in the cities, the less the military will be able to remain passive.’

“The left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘… Washington lacks what Mubarak’s repressive policy has been fighting for years: a direct link to a democratic opposition — to people who could emerge from the democracy movement as an alternative to the dictator. In this atmosphere, which is marked by fears of a deja-vu of the Iranian revolution of 1979 and concern about the future neighbourhood of Israel, there’s a fierce dispute going on in Washington between the advocates of stability and those who are banking on democratic reform… it’s clear that the days of the Mubarak regime are numbered. And that the other authoritarian rulers and kings face turbulent days. The domino that fell in Tunisia has long since touched all the others.’

“Mass-circulation Bild writes: ‘We have reason to be worried. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians or more want a different kind of freedom from the freedom we mean. They want to be free to turn their country into a fundamentalist theocracy. They want the freedom to declare Israel as an enemy again after decades of peace. They want the freedom to tear down the solid bridges to America. That cannot be in our interest. We need Egypt as an ally in this chronically warlike corner of the world. We can only hope that the people in Egypt will take the right decisions in the coming weeks. For themselves and for peace in the region.’”

Will Radical Islam Overtake Egypt?

Haaretz reported on January 31:

“What happened in Iran could happen in Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel… Netanyahu said he feared that a radical Islamic regime like the one in Iran could also come to power in Egypt…

“Senior officials in Merkel’s office have said recently during closed door briefings that the chancellor will be very tough with Netanyahu and will use the meeting as a chance to tell him that it is his responsibility to renew the peace negotiations with the Palestinians.”

Is the Muslim Brotherhood a Peace-Loving, Harmless Organization?

WorldNetDaily wrote on January 31:

“Islamists, in particular the anti-Western Muslim Brotherhood, seem poised to take power throughout the Middle East as a result of riots that have already toppled one Arab regime and are threatening others, in what some are calling only the latest wave of an Islamic ‘tsunami’ sweeping the globe…

“In fact, some Muslim clerics are already calling the riots in Egypt simply an extension of 1979’s Islamist conquests… The leader of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, Hammam Saeed, warned that the unrest in Egypt will spread across the Mideast until Arabs succeed at toppling leaders allied with the United States… Salafi cleric Abu Mundhir Al-Shinqiti issued a fatwa… encouraging the protests in Egypt, claiming Islamist jihadis are now on the verge of a historic moment in the history of the Islamic nation, an ‘earthquake’ he likened to the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City.

“As clerics are accurately noting, Egypt is only one of many recent cases where Islamic unrest has surged in the Middle East and North Africa. In Tunisia, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled following rioting and street protests and widespread looting. In Yemen, last week witnessed the largest protests in years against Yemen’s leader, Ali Abullah Saleh, who is considered a crucial ally in the U.S. fight against al-Qaida in his country and in the Middle East. The protests further escalated yesterday…

“Egyptian officials speaking to WND… warned the Muslim Brotherhood has the most to gain from any political reform… Hamas and al-Qaida are violent Brotherhood offshoots. An Egyptian security official noted the Muslim Brotherhood was directly involved in protest organization. Similarly, it is Islamists allied with the Muslim Brotherhood who stand to gain in Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia and Yemen. Already, the Shiite fundamentalist Hezbollah organization is poised to exert enormous influence over Lebanon…

“A senior Egyptian diplomat told WND the regime of Mubarak suspects the U.S. has been aiding protest planning by Mohamed ElBaradei, who is seen as one of the main opposition leaders in Cairo. ElBaradei, former International Atomic Energy Agency chief, has reinvented himself as a campaigner for ‘reform’ in Egypt. He is a candidate for this year’s scheduled presidential elections. Last week, ElBaradei gave an interview to Der Spiegel defending the Brotherhood… the Muslim Brotherhood said it was in talks with other anti-government figures, including ElBaradai, to form a national unity government without Mubarak.

“David Rubin, former mayor of the Israeli town of Shiloh and author of the book ‘The Islamic Tsunami,’ however, warns that the Obama administration cannot continue to ignore the Muslim Brotherhood’s and other Islamist groups’ greater goals. ‘There is a plan to take over Western civilization,’ Rubin told The Washington Times…

“Multiple prominent U.S. commentators have… been claiming the Muslim Brotherhood is a moderate organization and denying any Islamist plot to seize power. On Friday, President George W. Bush’s former press spokeswoman, Dana Perino, told Fox News, ‘Don’t be afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This has nothing to do with religion.’ Bruce Reidel, a former CIA analyst and advisor to President Obama, penned a Daily Beast article in which he claimed, ‘The Egyptian Brotherhood renounced violence years ago’… Reidel’s assertion the Brotherhood renounced violence, however, is contradicted by the Brotherhood’s own statements in recent months, including a call to arms against the West…”

Choice Between Pro-Western and Anti-Western Dictatorship in Egypt

Der Spiegel wrote on January 28:

“Israel is watching developments in Egypt with concern. The government is standing by autocratic Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, out of fear that the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood could take power and start supplying arms to Hamas…

“Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel, in 1979, but the relationship between the neighboring countries remains delicate. Good relations are limited to government circles… Even 30 years after the peace agreement, annual trade between the neighboring countries only amounts to a value of $150 million (€110 million). (For comparison, Israel’s trade with the European Union was worth around €20 billion in 2009.)

“A recent incident involving the vice governor of the Sinai Peninsula reveals how many Egyptians think about Israel. After a shark attack off the coast, the official said that it could not be ruled out that the deadly fish had been released by Israeli intelligence to harm Egypt’s tourism industry. After the bloody attack on a church in Alexandria on Jan. 1, a spokesman for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood speculated that Israel could be responsible for the attack, with the intention of sowing discord between Christians and Muslims.

“Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the main reasons why official Israel seems to support Mubarak so keenly. It is considered the most popular political movement in Egypt, and its position regarding the peace treaty with Israel is clear: They want it revoked immediately…

“For Israel, more is at stake than the current so-called ‘cold’ peace with Egypt and a few tens of millions of dollars in trade… Much of the Arab world, and especially Mubarak, sees Shiite Iran and its allies, such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as an existential threat, just as Israel does…

“The Israeli government has noted with concern the fact that, even after 30 years of peace, Egypt’s army is still equipped and trained mainly with a possible war against Israel in mind. A cancellation of the peace treaty would open up a new front with the 11th largest army in the world, which is equipped with modern American weapons. But what Israel fears more than [an] armed conflict with Egypt is an alliance between an Islamist regime in Cairo and Hamas, which considers itself an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. An Egyptian regime that opened the border with Gaza for arms deliveries would pose a serious danger to Israel.

“[Some commentators consider] the West’s demands for more openness and democracy in Egypt to be a fatal mistake… It is an illusion to believe that the dictator Mubarak could be replaced by a democracy… The Muslim Brotherhood is the only real alternative… which would have devastating consequences for the West… Ultimately the choice is between a pro- or an anti-Western dictatorship…”

Egypt Becomes More Violent

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 3:

“The crisis in Egypt took a sharp turn for the worse Wednesday almost immediately after 82-year-old President Hosnai Mubarak rejected calls for him to give up power and leave the country. Violent clashes on Wednesday and Thursday between opponents and supporters of his rule have left at least five dead… Although the army has struggled to maintain a neutral stance since the protests began 10 days ago, most observers still believe it will ultimately decide the country’s fate.

“On Wednesday, soldiers stood back and watched as things turned very ugly with pro-regime supporters attacking anti-Mubarak demonstrators. While some threw rocks from rooftops, others charged the crowds on horses and camels. The clashes continued into the early hours of Thursday, with automatic weapons fire pounding the anti-government protesters in the square. Egypt’s health minister said on state-run Nile TV that the number of injuries at Tahrir Square had reached 836 — including 200 within a single hour on Thursday morning. Later Thursday, Al-Jazeera reported that army tanks had created a buffer zone between the two sides to protect the pro-democracy camp from the carloads of regime loyalists seen heading toward the square…

“In Thursday’s newspapers, German commentators criticized the escalating violence and examined how events in Egypt have left the West in a conundrum.

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘Mubarak is inciting the political camps against each other and looks on as Egyptians attack Egyptians… How are the Americans and Europeans supposed to continue working with their long-time partner in Cairo?’

“The center-right Die Welt writes: ‘The fighting makes clear that the transition to a new era will be anything but smooth. And that the regime has not given up yet… Those on camels and horses who suddenly attacked the regime opponents were almost certainly not normal citizens who had spontaneously decided to launch a counter-demonstration. … It seems that many were members of the security forces. They were thugs mustered and paid by the regime to help foster the widespread impression that there is a civil war… After Mubarak’s offer not to contest the presidential elections in September, the military had made it clear that the demonstrations should end. The opposition doesn’t want to accept that…’

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘The political powder keg of the Middle East is facing a very dangerous period of instability. Given these circumstances, it is all the more important to avoid chaos and anarchy… The Europeans and Americans have done little in these days of fury to present themselves as partners in a time of need. They were not prepared for the transformation, backed the wrong forces and underestimated the rage of the people. Neither the US nor the EU has the power or means to have any far-reaching influence on the developments in these states. The transformation has to be carried out by the states themselves. However, the Europeans could back the democratic forces, help economic development through investment projects and enter into a closer political partnership with North Africa and the Middle East. In the process, Turkey could serve as a valuable mediator.’

“‘The US has to work hard to prevent the peace process from being buried in the ruins of the old power structures, and active involvement on the part of Israel is essential. The Netanyahu government is stuck in a bunker mentality. It has obviously not understood that nothing will be as it was before in the Middle East. Neither peace nor democracy nor a civil society can be achieved overnight. But if the region is to be freed of dictators and not fall into the hands of anti-Western Islamists, the right signals have to be sent. The EU has an opportunity to do just that right now.’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘At the moment, Washington, Jerusalem and Berlin are primarily concerned with the issue of Islamists, and correctly so. It’s clear that Mubarak has to go. But, at the same time, the West must do everything it can to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from taking a leadership role in the freedom movement and then later taking power through free elections… The threat of anarchy is dangerous for the entire region. Yet just as dangerous is the prospect of allowing Egypt to stagger uncontrolled toward freedom after three decades of autocracy. The most radical solution — immediate free elections — is not the best one. The transition to a functioning democracy has to be mediated in a measured way.’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘(Egypt) has played and still plays a key role in the efforts to prevent a region that is becoming more radicalized, that is riddled with seemingly unsolvable conflicts and that the world depends on for its oil from descending into chaos and war. The fact that Israel has stuck with Mubarak speaks volumes… However, the examples of Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories do not exactly increase the hope that everything will turn out well…’”

Israel in Strategic Distress… in Search of New Allies

Haaretz wrote on January 29:

“The fading power of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s government leaves Israel in a state of strategic distress. Without Mubarak, Israel is left with almost no friends in the Middle East; last year, Israel saw its alliance with Turkey collapse… Israel’s increasing isolation in the region, coupled with a weakening United States, will force the government to court new potential allies…

“After Israel’s war against Egypt in 1956, David Ben-Gurion attempted to establish alliances with non-Arab countries in the region, including Iran, Turkey and Ethiopia. The Shah of Iran became a significant ally of Israel, supplying the country with oil and money from weapons purchases…

“Israel’s next alliances were forged with Jordan’s King Hussein and Morocco’s King Hassan. These ties were operated in secret, as well as ties with leaders in Lebanon’s Christian community. The late 1970s saw the fall of the Shah of Iran, with an anti-Israel Islamic republic created in his stead. Around the same time, Egypt and Israel broke their cycle of conflict by signing a peace agreement. Egypt positioned itself on the side of Saudi Arabia, as head of the pro-American camp. Mubarak inherited the peace agreement after President Anwar Sadat’s assassination… Egyptian public opinion was openly hostile towards Israel and anti-Semitic terminology was common.

“Despite all of this, the ‘cold peace’ with Egypt was the most important strategic alliance Israel had in the Middle East… The friendship between Mubarak and Netanyahu is based on a mutual fear over Iran’s strengthening and the rising power of Islamists, as well as over the weakening and distancing of the U.S. government with Barack Obama at its head.

“Now, with Mubarak struggling over the survival of his government, Israel is left with two strategic allies in the region: Jordan and the Palestinian Authority… But Israel’s relationship with these two allies is complicated… Jordan’s King Abdullah refuses to meet Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is waging a diplomatic struggle against Israel’s right-wing government…”

Demonstrations in Jordan…

The apparently not-so-peace-loving Muslim Brotherhood is also trying to gain power and influence in Jordan:

AlJazeera wrote on January 29:

“Thousands of people in Jordan have taken to the streets in protests, demanding the country’s prime minister step down, and the government curb rising prices, inflation and unemployment… In the third consecutive Friday of protests, about 3,500 opposition activists from Jordan’s main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organisations gathered in the capital… Another 2,500 people also took to the streets in six other cities across the country after the noon prayers…

“Members of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan’s largest opposition party, swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, massing outside the al-Husseini mosque in Amman and filling the downtown streets with their prayer lines.”

Jordan’s Government Dismissed

The Associated Press wrote on February 1:

“Jordan’s King Abdullah II fired his government Tuesday in the wake of street protests and asked an ex-prime minister to form a new Cabinet, ordering him to launch immediate political reforms…

“When he ascended to the throne in 1999, King Abdullah vowed to press ahead with political reforms initiated by his late father, King Hussein… But little has been done since. Although laws were enacted to ensure greater press freedom, journalists are still prosecuted for expressing their opinion or for comments considered slanderous of the king and the royal family. Some gains been made in women’s rights, but many say they have not gone far enough.

“Abdullah has pressed for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of ‘honor killings,’ but courts often hand down lenient sentences. Still, Jordan’s human rights record is generally considered a notch above that of Tunisia and Egypt. Although some critics of the king are prosecuted, they frequently are pardoned and some are even rewarded with government posts.”

It was pointed out in the press that the dangers are enormous for Israel, as Jordan is the only Arab country—besides Egypt—which has signed a peace treaty with Israel. It was also reported that massive demonstrations are planned this weekend in Syria and Algeria.

EU and USA Divided on How to Proceed in Egypt

The Associated Press reported on February 2:

“EU leaders urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday to respond quickly to pro-democracy protests but stopped short of calling for him to resign before elections scheduled for September.

“President Barack Obama said he had told Mubarak the transition must begin at once and must include opposition parties. On Tuesday, the 82-year-old Mubarak rejected protesters’ demands that he step down immediately, ending nearly 30 years in office, but said he would not seek re-election in the fall…

“The European Union has had close relations with Egypt as part of its partnerships with other Mediterranean nations and tens of thousands of EU citizens flock to Egyptian beaches in wintertime. In recent days, the EU has been criticized for being too timid in supporting pro-democracy demonstrations and for trailing behind the U.S. in distancing itself from Mubarak’s regime.

“Unlike the United States and a number of other countries, the EU has not called on its citizens to leave Egypt. But a number of European tour operators have started carrying out plans to evacuate their clients. About 50,000 Europeans — mostly tourists — are believed to still be in Egypt.

“In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy…has been criticized for failing to strongly back the Egyptian protesters and for appearing to support the regime of former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled by mass protests last month.

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called Mubarak’s announcement that he would not run for a new term ‘a step that clears the way for a new political beginning…’ He did not, however, call for Mubarak to resign, saying only: ‘Who leads Egypt in future will be decided in Egypt by the Egyptian people.’”

Europe’s Dubious Role

The EUObserver wrote on January 29:

“Tony Blair, former UK prime minister and envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East – comprising the EU, the US, Russia and the United Nations – warned of the danger of ‘extremists’ taking advantage of the situation. ‘The danger is that when you open up a vacuum, anything can happen,’ he told the BBC…

“The EU is… a major donor to Egypt, with €449 million in the Egypt kitty for the next two years… Some of the weapons and vehicles such as helicopters, tanks and anti-riot trucks that may be used against the Egyptian people are sourced from the US and EU. US weapon sales to the country include Black Hawk helicopters, Abrams tanks and Humvees, while Egyptian anti-riot vans are supplied by Italy’s Iveco SpA… 18 EU member states sold a total of €75.7 million worth of arms to Egypt in 2009.”

Europe has deep-rooted interests in Egypt, and it will not sit idly by when it sees the threat and danger that those vested interests may disappear…

Will Europe Intervene?

The EUObserver wrote on January 28:

“Italy has said the EU should send a crisis mission to north Africa… Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini said the EU should send a high-level ‘political support team’ to calm tensions in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and other countries in the region hit by deadly civil unrest in recent days.

“’The European mission … [should make] contact with the highest levels… I do not think this can be dealt with by sporadic initiatives of this or that country in Europe, but only by a European initiative.’”

The Euro’s Survival… WITHIN a Core Europe

The following articles are quite remarkable. They do not only totally debunk the short-sighted and ill-conceived notion that the euro will fail, but they also show how the fight for the euro will contribute to the creation of a Europe of two speeds or a core Europe WITHIN the EU. This is exactly in line with biblical prophecy, and all other concocted scenarios show a terrible misunderstanding or ignorance of Scripture. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy,” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 31:

“According to the plan [of German Chancellor Angela Merkel], the euro-zone countries would coordinate their economic policies far more closely in the future, thus playing a leadership role within the entire EU. What Merkel has in mind is essentially nothing other than the ‘two-speed Europe’ that her finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, similarly proposed many years ago… Merkel has made a political U-turn that is virtually as dramatic as the change in course made by her predecessor in office, Gerhard Schröder, when he introduced his radical — and hugely unpopular – ‘Agenda 2010’ reforms of the labor market and welfare system… Merkel has discarded a number of her fundamental convictions about Europe.

“Until recently, the chancellor had strictly opposed any closer cooperation among the 17 countries in the euro zone. She wanted to include all 27 EU member states. Her concern was that this would otherwise lead to a union within the Union. Her fear was that countries that are not members of the euro club, such as Poland, could be sidelined… Now it’s a different story altogether. Now Merkel wants to make the center of the current crisis, the euro zone, into the focus of efforts to combat the common currency’s woes. That notwithstanding, the pact is intended to be open to all EU countries, not just the members of the euro zone…

“Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will present the rough outlines of the plan at the EU summit in Brussels this Friday. The proposal is not on the official agenda. The 27 heads of state and government will confidentially and informally discuss the issue over lunch. Then it will primarily be up to Germany and France to hammer out the details of the plan. But other governments will also participate in the process. The plan is to be discussed in detail at the next regularly scheduled EU summit in late March. The chancellor, however, is also considering calling a special summit before then. Sarkozy is Merkel’s most important partner on this issue.

“The French president has long advocated intensifying cooperation among euro countries… If the chancellor manages to push through her plan, it would send a strong signal that the Europeans are really prepared to pursue a common approach, each in their own area of responsibility… The Chancellery estimates that 23 EU countries will go along with it. Denmark and Sweden are said to be on the fence, while the UK and the Czech Republic are reportedly reluctant…

“To foil France’s ambitions, Merkel long opposed a special role for the euro zone within the broader European Union. But since the onset of the financial crisis, Germany’s resistance has been crumbling. At first, Berlin was generally opposed to special summits for the euro-zone countries. Later, the German government agreed to meetings of national leaders in the event of particularly sensitive issues. Now such summits will be held on a regular basis. Just how often this will occur is something that Merkel and Sarkozy will have to agree to over the coming months. The French president would prefer to have the euro-zone leaders reach agreements ahead of each EU summit. Then the 27 members of the broader EU would, in principle, merely rubber stamp what the 17 euro-zone members had already decided… EU member states like Poland, the UK and Sweden… would be excluded, as they don’t have the euro…

“Merkel has been pushing for every EU member to be allowed to attend the euro summits. She also wants to prevent these events from being held too often. Ideally, she would like the euro meetings to take place after the regular EU summits. Then the euro-zone countries could not make any pre-arrangements that would affect the entire Union…

“But Merkel is not about to let such objections put the brakes on her plan. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last Friday, she made a plug for her plan in front of top business and political leaders from around the world. In order to protect the euro, new approaches must be adopted, she said. Merkel added that nothing less than Europe’s position in the world is at stake. The often hesitant chancellor appeared highly determined. She said the euro was ‘the embodiment of Europe today’… ‘We will defend the euro,’ she said. ‘There can be no doubt about it.’”

The Euro Will Never Fail

BBC News reported on January 27:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said France and Germany will never let the euro fail… ‘Whether it be [German] Chancellor Merkel or myself, never will we turn our backs on the euro. Never will we abandon the euro,’ he said. He added that those who bet against the euro should watch out for their money.

“‘The euro spells Europe. The euro is Europe and Europe has spelled 60 years of peace on our continent, therefore we will never let the euro go or be destroyed,’ he insisted.”

Guttenberg Under Attack

The Local wrote on January 29:

“Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg this week angrily dismissed criticism of his handling of several military scandals, but newspapers in The Local’s media roundup wrote he risks losing control of his ministry.

“The popular and aristocratic Guttenberg relieved the commander of the Gorch Fock navy training ship from his duties over the weekend, as embarrassing details about conditions leading up to and after the death of a woman cadet in November continued to emerge. The minister is also under fire for two other military scandals, including the accidental shooting death of a soldier in Afghanistan and the unexplained opening of soldiers’ mail from the Afghan front.

“Opposition leaders have accused the minister of scapegoating the Gorch Fock commander Norbert Schatz to distract from his own failure to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the sailor’s death, while also allowing misinformation about the shooting death in Afghanistan to spread. Guttenberg responded angrily on Monday, calling his critics ‘clueless.’ But on Tuesday some commentators warned that such disdain would create enemies, while others said they saw signs that the slick Guttenberg may be acting out of self-preservation as he loses control of his ministry… Guttenberg… could be accused of… ignorance for not first summoning Gorch Fock commander Norbert Schatz to Berlin to hear his side of the story before relieving him of duty…

“Right-wing daily Die Welt said that while the recent scandals in the military reveal communication failures within the Defence Ministry, Guttenberg risks losing his authority if he admits this… It was also clear that he was not in control of his ministry, it added…

“Meanwhile financial daily Handelsblatt criticised Guttenberg for doing little to quell rumours about the different scandals within the German military as anger grows in parliament… ‘Guttenberg was either falsely briefed or didn’t concern himself with the bad news.’ Guttenberg has also kept officials on staff who have shown themselves to be untrustworthy in the past, the paper said… ‘his indifference over the frightful conditions behind the false messages will soon catch up with him. Because on his hardest front, the parliament, resentment over his behaviour is growing immensely.’

“… Guttenberg runs the risk of relying too heavily on his popularity to get through the current scandals… The centre-left Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that… Guttenberg showed signs that he was interested only in protecting himself…

“The left-wing taz concluded that a particularly troubling revelation from the affair was Guttenberg’s closeness to the tabloid Bild, to whose Sunday edition he gave the story that he had dismissed the captain and ordered a review into military behaviour… Guttenberg decided to fire him on Friday night and immediately called the paper, it said. ‘Two days later the tabloid praised the minister’s decisiveness and denounced critics from the (pro-business coalition partners) Free Democratic Party and the socialist Left party as small-minded grumblers,’ taz wrote. ‘The question is not only what Guttenberg knew when, but also, to whom is the minister beholden: the parliament or Bild?’”

This article shows that we must be careful not to concentrate too quickly on one particular individual. There have been speculations being circulated over the Internet to the effect that Mr. Guttenberg is the “beast,” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Some even have proclaimed this quite dogmatically. Such premature pronouncements by self-appointed “prophets” are just plain foolish. God tells us to watch the news events and in His due time, He will reveal to His true servants what must be revealed and announced (compare Amos 3:7).

Watch Donald Trump!

Newsmax wrote on January 30:

“Donald Trump [says:] ‘We have a very weak policy. Whether it’s China, or the horrible agreement just signed with South Korea, or any of the other horrible deals that we make, we don’t have the ability to make good deals with other countries. We’re like a whipping post for other countries. We are standing there and being beaten by South Korea, by Mexico, by China, by India. If you have a problem with a credit card and you call somebody up, that person is based in India. And then they wonder why we’re not going to have jobs for another five or six years…

“‘All our jobs are going to China. We’re rebuilding China and other places… If we ever taxed Chinese products coming into this country, we would pay off the debt so fast. More importantly, we would start creating jobs in our country. They cheated at the Olympics with their gymnasts, they’re cheating us with their manipulation of the currency. They’re not our friends. I know them very well. I do business with them. I’m not angry at them. I just can’t believe that they can get away with it. My friends from China said to me just recently… we cannot believe how stupid your politicians are to allow us to get away with what we’re getting away with…’

“Trump says [about President Obama’s State of the Union Address:] ‘He didn’t talk about the deficit, he didn’t talk about how to pay off all the debt that we have. Instead he’s telling everybody what a great country China is, that China has the fastest computer in the world… Unless we get tough, and smart, and unless we stop having dinners for people that are destroying us… we’re going to have big problems.’

“Trump has a surprising response to speculation that the turmoil in Egypt and other countries in the Middle East could push oil prices to as high as $200 a barrel. ‘…the Middle East is a tinderbox. It’s going to explode. OPEC will probably be destroyed if it explodes… and that could have a positive impact on oil prices…’

“Trump has especially harsh words for OPEC and its grip on oil prices… ‘I think it’s unfair. I think it’s illegal… Here you have 12 men, in this case all men, they sit around a table and they set the price of oil. We have so much oil. There’s so much oil out at sea… We have more natural gas than anybody. Why we not using it is an amazing thing. Abu Dhabi, which has plenty of oil, just went to all natural gas for transportation because they want to sell us the oil at exorbitant prices… We have to do something about OPEC because that’s the life blood of the country. Right now, until we get on natural gas and other things, they really have us, and they’re sitting around inflating the price… I give a lot of the credit for the almost collapse of this country to the price of oil. It’s going to be up there again very soon and you’re going to have another catastrophic problem…

“Turning to Afghanistan and the timeline President Obama has proposed for withdrawal of American troops, Trump [says:] ‘We should be out of there as soon as possible. At the same time, when Obama announced that he’s going to be out at a certain date, these militants are just sitting back saying, “He gave us a specific date. This is fantastic. We’ll just sit back and then we’ll take it over the minute they leave.” So for him to give a date was a very dangerous, stupid, and foolish thing to do.’”

Donald Trump also announced that he is seriously considering running for the office of President in 2012. If he does and if he should be elected, his political stance and actions, based on his comments, would in all likelihood be quite different from those of some of the former U.S. presidents.

Florida Federal Judge Rules Obamacare Unconstitutional

Newsmax reported on January 31:

“A federal judge ruled Monday that the Obama administration’s health care overhaul is unconstitutional, siding with 26 states that sued to block it. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson accepted without trial the states’ argument that the new law violates people’s rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties… The next stop is likely the U.S. Supreme Court. Two other federal judges have upheld the insurance requirement, but a federal judge in Virginia also ruled the insurance provision violates the Constitution. In his ruling, Vinson went further than the Virginia judge and declared the entire health care law unconstitutional…

“At issue was whether the government is reaching beyond its constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce by requiring citizens to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties. Attorneys for President Barack Obama’s administration had argued that the health care system was part of the interstate commerce system. They said the government can levy a tax penalty on Americans who decide not to purchase health insurance because all Americans are consumers of medical care…

“Other states that joined the suit [in Florida] are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.”

The Washington Post added on January 31:

“In ruling against President Obama‘s health care law, federal Judge Roger Vinson used Mr. Obama‘s own position from the 2008 campaign against him, when the then-Illinois senator argued there were other ways to achieve reform short of requiring every American to purchase insurance. ‘I note that in 2008, then-Senator Obama supported a health care reform proposal that did not include an individual mandate because he was at that time strongly opposed to the idea, stating that, “If a mandate was the solution, we can try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house,”’ Judge Vinson wrote in a footnote toward the end of his 78-page ruling Monday…

“The footnote was attached to the most critical part of Judge Vinson‘s ruling, in which he said the ‘principal dispute’ in the case was not whether Congress has the power to tackle health care, but rather whether it has the power to compel individual citizens to purchase insurance.”

The Curse of War

Good Culture reported on January 27:

“For the second year in a row, more American soldiers—both enlisted men and women and veterans—committed suicide than were killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Excluding accidents and illness, 462 soldiers died in combat, while 468 committed suicide. A difference of six isn’t vast by any means, but the symbolism is significant and troubling. In 2009, there were 381 suicides by military personnel, a number that also exceeded the number of combat deaths.

“Earlier this month, military authorities announced that suicides amongst active-duty soldiers had slowed in 2010, while suicides amongst reservists and people in the National Guard had increased. It was proof, they said, that the frequent psychological screenings active-duty personnel receive were working… This new data, that American soldiers are now more dangerous to themselves than the insurgents, flies right in the face of any suggestion that things are ‘working.’…

“One of the problems hindering the military’s attempt to address soldier suicides is that there’s no real rhyme or reason to what kind of soldier is killing himself. While many suicide victims are indeed afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after facing heavy combat in the Middle East, many more have never even been deployed. Of the 112 guardsmen who committed suicide last year, more than half had never even left American soil.”

The above-described cases of suicide are apparently linked to fighting in war or to the prospect of having to fight in war. Our eye-opening free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?,” shows you why God calls war a curse, and not a blessing.

Australian Cyclone Yasi Hits

The Associated Press wrote on February 3:

“Residents and officials were amazed and relieved that no one was reported killed by the monstrous Cyclone Yasi, which roared across northern Queensland with winds up to 170 mph (280 kph). Tidal surges sent waves crashing ashore two blocks into seaside communities, several small towns directly under Yasi’s eye were devastated and hundreds of millions of dollars of banana and sugarcane crops were shredded.

“Officials said lives were spared because, after days of increasingly dire warnings, people followed instructions to flee to evacuation centers or bunker themselves at home in dozens of cities and towns in Yasi’s path…

“Yasi crossed the coast around midnight at the most-destructive Category 5 rating and then immediately began to weaken. Still, it was strong enough to hold a Category 1 cyclone rating about 500 miles (800 kilometers) inland, where it was threatening to cause flooding late Thursday in the Outback town of Mount Isa. It was a terrifying night for thousands who waited out the storm in their darkened houses…

“The disaster zone was north of Australia’s worst flooding in decades, which swamped an area in Queensland state the size [of] Germany and France combined and killed 35 people during weeks of high water until last month. But the storm added to the state’s woes, and was sure to add substantially to the estimated $5.6 billion in damage since late November. The government has already announced a special tax nationwide to help pay for the earlier flooding…

“Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said initial assessments were that more than 280 houses were damaged in the three hardest-hit towns, and crews were unable to reach at least four others, so the tally would certainly rise. Australia’s huge, sparsely populated tropical north is battered annually by about six cyclones — called typhoons throughout much of Asia and hurricanes in the Western hemisphere. Building codes have been strengthened since Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin in 1974, killing 71 in one of Australia’s deadliest natural disasters. ‘This was the worst cyclone this country has experienced, potentially, for 100 years, and I think that due to very good planning, a very good response … we’ve been able to keep people safe,’ Roberts said.

“Still, signs of devastation were everywhere. The main coastal highway was a slalom course of downed trees and power lines, fields of sugar cane and banana were shredded and flattened, and lush hillside forests were stripped of every leaf.”

Hard to Believe—Global Warming Causing Snowfalls?

On February 1, 2011, Al Gore posted the following comments on his blog:

“As it turns out, the scientific community [says] that increased heavy snowfalls are completely consistent with what they have been predicting as a consequence of man-made global warming:

“In fact, scientists have been warning for at least two decades that global warming could make snowstorms more severe. Snow has two simple ingredients: cold and moisture. Warmer air collects moisture like a sponge until it hits a patch of cold air. When temperatures dip below freezing, a lot of moisture creates a lot of snow.

“A rise in global temperature can create all sorts of havoc, ranging from hotter dry spells to colder winters, along with increasingly violent storms, flooding, forest fires and loss of endangered species.”

Cloning a Mammoth

CNN reported on January 17:

“A team of scientists from Japan, Russia and the United States hopes to clone a mammoth, a symbol of Earth’s ice age that ended 12,000 years ago… The researchers say they hope to produce a baby mammoth within six years. The scientists say they will extract DNA from a mammoth carcass that has been preserved in a Russian laboratory and insert it into the egg cells of an African elephant in hopes of producing a mammoth embryo.

“The team is being led by Akira Iritani, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University in Japan… who successfully cloned a mouse from cells that had been frozen for 16 years… The U.S. researchers are in vitro fertilization experts.

“’If a cloned embryo can be created, we need to discuss, before transplanting it into the womb, how to breed [the mammoth] and whether to display it to the public,’ Iritani [said…] After the mammoth is born, we’ll examine its ecology and genes to study why the species became extinct and other factors.’”

What will be next? Will scientists, in their idle and vain endeavor to play God, attempt to clone flesh-eating predatory dinosaurs and other vicious animals?  Will Jurassic Park become a frightening reality? We should be able to see more and more clearly WHY God has to intervene soon to put an end to man’s madness (compare Matthew 24:22).

The Designed Human Brain

Pravda wrote on January 18:

“The brain has for a long time been compared to man-made computers in its astounding ability to process, store, and route information. But a new imaging technique has revealed that just one brain’s connections and capacities far outnumber and outpace those of all the world’s computers. And this makes the question of the origin of brains that much more difficult for naturalistic explanations… New computer software processed all the data to produce stunning three-dimensional images of never-before-seen brain cell connections…

“‘[The researchers] found that the brain’s complexity is beyond anything they’d imagined,’ according to an article appearing in the Health Tech section of the online news source CNET. For instance, they found that the total number of synapses in a brain roughly equaled the number of stars in 1,500 Milky Way galaxies! And memory patterns and tiny on/off switches, which were long thought to reside in the larger neuron cell bodies, were instead found to be smaller than the tiny synapse connections. Each of the neurons imaged in the study serves thousands of synapses.

“Stanford University professor and senior study author Stephen Smith said that ‘one synapse may contain on the order of 1,000 molecular-scale switches. A single human brain has more switches than all the computers and routers and Internet connections on Earth.’ This research multiplies the brain’s overall computing power far beyond what was previously known.

“The more complicated a system is, the stronger it argues for having been intentionally designed. And brains certainly qualify, despite assertions that random-acting natural processes somehow assembled them. In these cases, the burden of proof lies heavily on those who insist that such systems are not in fact what they plainly appear to be: the products of intentional ingenious design.

“The God of the Bible stands as the most tenable source of the specified complexity of interconnected neurons upon which human and much animal life depends. Until a naturalistic alternative can explain how a self-healing, adaptive, cosmic-sized internet of connectivity has been shrunk down to the size of a brain, then it is best to identify this hyper-tech design as being the product of a real Designer. And until an objective body of evidence can legitimately debunk the Bible’s historicity and proven accuracy, then it is best to identify this Designer as the Creator and Sustainer revealed in Scripture.”

Why can’t we just accept godly-inspired truth, as written down in the Bible? If you want to learn more about the reality and veracity of God’s Word, please read our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible.” Also, if you want to learn the scientific and biblical proofs for man’s creation, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?”

Terror Attacks in Russia

Deutsche Welle reported on January 25:

“Russian security officials suspect militants from the country’s Muslim-majority North Caucasus region in the planning and execution of Monday’s deadly bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. The state-run news agency RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed security official as saying a female suicide bomber may have carried out the attack, and that the bombing ‘followed the classic scheme’ of terrorists from the North Caucasus… Russia’s Emergency Ministry published a preliminary casualty list on Tuesday, saying eight foreign citizens were killed in the attack… The total death toll stands at 35, while more than 100 were wounded.

“Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday said he held the management of Domodedovo Airport, the country’s busiest, partially accountable for security breaches that allowed the attack to happen…

“The airport bombing recalled another attack in Moscow on March 29 last year, when two female suicide bombers carried out dual bombings on the city’s metro and killed 40. The attack was blamed on so-called ‘Black Widows’ – women from the North Caucasus who volunteered for suicide bombings after their militant husbands were killed in fighting with Russian security forces. Russia has been fighting for stability and control in the North Caucasus for years. Then-President Vladimir Putin launched a war in late 1999 to defeat a rebellious government in semi-autonomous Chechnya.
 
“Putin succeeded in establishing a pro-Moscow government in the regional capital Grozny, but since then the insurgency has continued and spread to neighboring Ingushetia and Dagestan. Terrorist attacks by rebels from the North Caucasus are causing some concern ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, a resort city located at the edge of the Caucasus and claimed by some rebels as part of its future Islamic state.”

The Associated Press added on January 25:

“Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed ‘retribution is inevitable’ for the suicide bombing… Putin has built much of his reputation on harsh statements, but he did not elaborate on what kind of retribution he had planned…

“Putin rose to power largely on his tough-against-terror image, including a famous vow that Chechen rebels would be hunted down and killed ‘in the outhouse.’ But despite launching the second Russia-Chechnya war and pushing harsh against suspected rebels, he was unable to wipe out the Chechen insurgency during his 2000-2008 presidency.”

As observers may recall, Vladimir Putin’s “war” with Chechnya, including civilians, women and children, was extremely brutal and inhumane. Since war always breeds more war, and violence produces more violence, the current problems are not surprising.  Of course, terrorist attacks against innocent travelers are to be sharply condemned, but so is the hypocrisy of the Russian government’s “reactions” to those actions. Mr. Putin is again placing the world on notice as to his intentions; however, the world is not listening. For more information, you might want to read our free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?”

Opportunity for Europe

On January 25, Der Spiegel Online  published an interview with Alvaro de Vasconcelos, head of the European Union Institute for Security, pertaining to the ongoing turmoil in Tunisia. We are bringing you the following interesting excerpts from the interview:

“SPIEGEL ONLINE: ‘The EU hasn’t exactly excelled itself in its handling of Tunisia. The deposed president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was fawned over for decades as the supposed guarantor of political stability, while the EU simply turned a blind eye to torture and repression. Do you regard Europe as being complicit?’

“Alvaro de Vasconcelos: ‘I have to agree there. The European Union, and especially the member states geographically closest to Tunisia, accepted Ben Ali’s regime for far too long. They saw the status quo as a safer option than experiments with democracy. The underlying reason for this is the Europeans’ fear that Islamists could gain power. Many still consider authoritarian Arab regimes to be the lesser evil… In fairness, we have to acknowledge that nearly all the EU’s members discussed the “Tunisian model,” with its mixture of authoritarian rule and halfway solid economic development, as a model for success… But no one in Europe or North Africa can do this seriously anymore after the revolution in Tunisia…

“’The EU needs to urge its neighbors to pursue both economic stability and political modernization in equal measures… The European Neighborhood Policy is at its core a highly effective tool for bringing the south and east closer to the EU… There’s a real chance for democracy here [in Tunisia], but also the risk that the revolution could fail. The country is in turmoil, and much depends on Europe during this phase. The EU should consider Tunisia its highest strategic priority… There’s a great deal Europe can do. For example, we can help in setting up political parties, just as Germany helped after the toppling of the Salazar and Franco regimes in Portugal and Spain. We can also provide financial assistance. Tunisia is extremely dependent on economic conditions in Europe, which is why it also experienced shockwaves from the euro crisis. One possibility is emergency aid, to be increased depending on progress. Giving such aid might seem a hard sell given the current financial situation, but we shouldn’t forget what is at stake here.’”

Europe will get more and more involved in world affairs, including the Middle East. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Germany Unmoved by Egypt’s “Demands“

The Local wrote on January 24:

“Egypt’s antiquities chief said Monday that Cairo has demanded that Germany return the 3,400 year-old bust of fabled Queen Nefertiti, 98 years after it was uncovered on the banks of the Nile. Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities head, Zahi Hawass, announced an ‘official request’ for the bust’s return, backed by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and Culture Minister Faruq Hosni.

“The demand was sent in a letter to Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the governing body of the Neues Museum in Berlin where the piece has pride of place, he said. But the German government, which has always refused to return the bust, unearthed in 1912 by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, was unmoved.

“’This is not an official request. An official request is a request from one government to another,’ foreign ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke told a regular government briefing in Berlin. He added that the position of the German government was ‘unchanged and not new’…

“Cairo began to demand the restitution of the Pharaonic-era statue back in the 1930s, but successive German governments have insisted the piece was bought legally by the Prussian state, and that there are documents to prove it.

“Nefertiti, renowned as one of history’s great beauties, was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaton, remembered for having converted his kingdom to monotheism with the worship of one sun god, Aton. The bust is at the top of a ‘wish list’ of five major artifacts exhibited abroad that Egypt wants returned as part of its cultural heritage… Hawass… asked that ‘this unique treasure be returned to the possession of its rightful owners, the Egyptian people.’”

The Bible tells us that Germany will enter into a confederacy with certain Middle Eastern countries, against Israel, but interestingly, Egypt will not be part of that confederacy (Psalm 83:3-8). We also read that a united Europe, under German leadership, will invade Egypt (Daniel 11:42). The relationship between Germany and Egypt is bound to deteriorate.

Ongoing Protests in Egypt

The Associated Press reported on January 26, 2011:

“Thousands of Egyptians vented their rage against President Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic government in a second day of protests Wednesday that defied a ban on public gatherings. Baton-wielding police responded with tear gas and beatings in a crackdown that showed zero tolerance for dissent. Egypt’s largest anti-government protests in years echoed the uprising in Tunisia, threatening to destabilize the leadership of the most important U.S. ally in the Arab world. The ability of the protesters to sustain the momentum for two days in the face of such a heavy-handed police response was a rare feat in this country…

“Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on Egypt to adopt broad reforms and not crack down on the anti-government crowds… Still, there was no indication that Mubarak, who has ruled with an iron fist for nearly 30 years, intends to relinquish power or make democratic or economic concessions, and no sign he would rein in his security forces… Parliamentary elections in November were widely decried as fraudulent, rigged to allow candidates from Mubarak’s ruling National Democratic Party to win all but a small fraction of the chamber’s 318 seats…

“German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle invoked Tunisia Wednesday, saying the unrest in Egypt ‘underlines the necessity of democratization, of respect for human and civil rights. We are seeing in the last few weeks that a country’s stability is not endangered by granting civil rights. It is through the refusal of civil and human rights that societies become unstable,’ he said.”

Deutsche Welle added on January 26:

“Despite the strong show of defiance, Clara O’Donnell at the Center for European Reform, a London-based think-tank, believes the opposition lacks a unifying leader to rally behind and push for real change. ‘There is a big challenge to bring the opposition together in Egypt as there is no one key leader among them,’ she told Deutsche Welle. ‘So these are headless protests in a way and it makes it hard to imagine these protests leading anywhere, especially a Tunisia-style overthrow.’

“Almut Möller, the head of program at the Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies at the German Council on Foreign Relations, agrees that Egypt is unlikely to follow Tunisia’s lead to the same conclusion. But she believes Egypt is still entering a time of great uncertainty…

‘”The European Union has called the protests “a signal” of the Egyptian people’s “wish for political change” and urged the Mubarak regime to respect and protect the right of citizens to express their aspirations in peaceful demonstrations… There are concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt but there are far more dangerous groups there who could exploit a more open society. The EU is wary of that.'”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 27:

“Egypt entered another day of unrest on Thursday, as calls for the end of the authoritarian regime of President Hosni Mubarak continue. Protests against the regime have been raging since Tuesday, and have left at least four people dead and seen over 1,000 people arrested…

“While the US has urged Cairo to implement reform for years, it has tolerated the human rights and other abuses there, due to the country’s strategic importance in the region, particularly its role as an intermediary in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last year, Egypt received more than $1.5 billion from the US in economic support and military assistance.

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘… Egypt is the most important US ally in the region apart from Israel. Representatives from the government in Washington practically have a seat at the cabinet table in Cairo. What is being discussed behind closed doors will be the decisive factor, not the official announcements from Washington…’

 “The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Egypt has long been regarded as a powder keg. And while Islamists play no role socially or politically in Tunisia, in Egypt they are the strongest opposition force. They control important economic positions and operate a tight network of charitable institutions, which makes them so popular among the poorer sectors of society. It is hard to imagine an united opposition like that in Tunisia. In addition, Egypt has the strongest army in the Arab region, is a regional power and an important pillar of American Middle East policy…

“’Just as the strike by dockworkers in Gdansk in 1980 lead to the founding of Solidarity and the beginning of a process that culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, so the Tunisian revolution could in a decade be looked back upon as the signal for the emancipation of the Arab world from autocratic rulers. That is the optimistic hypothesis. The alternative: Islamist movements profit from the ossification of the regimes and the paralysis of society.’”

The second less “optimistic” proposal is much more likely to occur, based on biblical prophecy.

Hezbollah Chooses New Lebanese Prime Minister

The New York Times wrote on January 24:

“A prime minister chosen by Hezbollah and its allies won enough support on Monday to form Lebanon’s government, unleashing angry protests, realigning politics and culminating the generation-long ascent of the Shiite Muslim movement from shadowy militant group to the country’s pre-eminent political and military force.

“Hezbollah’s success served as a stark measure of the shifting constellation of power in this part of the Middle East, where the influence of the United States and its Arab allies — Egypt and Saudi Arabia — is seen by politicians and diplomats as receding, while Iran and Syria have become more assertive.

“American diplomats tried to forestall the triumph of Hezbollah’s candidate, Najib Miqati… But the symbolism of Hezbollah’s choosing Lebanon’s prime minister was vast, potentially serving as the beginning of a new era for a combustible country whose conflicts have long entangled the United States, Iran and Syria. A practical impact may be the realignment of Lebanon away from the United States, which treated the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri as an ally…

“By nightfall, angry opponents of Hezbollah took to the streets in parts of Beirut, Tripoli and other cities, burning tires, shouting slogans and offering at least an image of what many feared Hezbollah’s victory might unleash: strife among communities in a country almost evenly divided over questions of foreign patrons; posture toward Israel; and the relative power of Lebanon’s Shiite Muslims, represented by Hezbollah, and its Sunni foes…

“Israel, with which Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006, has warned of the implications of the new cabinet. In a radio interview, Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom described it as effectively ‘an Iranian government on Israel’s northern border.’”

MSNBC added on January 25:

“Hezbollah’s control over the government for the first time will sound alarm bells in Washington and Israel and raise concerns in moderate Sunni Arab states.”

The powder keg in the Middle East is bound to explode soon. It is interesting to see how American influence in that part of the world is more and more decreasing.

No Obama Long-Form Birth Certificate Exists

WorldNetDaily wrote on January 24:

“Former Hawaii elections clerk Tim Adams has now signed an affidavit swearing he was told by his supervisors in Hawaii that no long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate existed for Barack Obama Jr. in Hawaii and that neither Queens Medical Center nor Kapi’olani Medical Center in Honolulu had any record of Obama having been born in their medical facilities…

“‘Senior officers in the City and County of Honolulu Elections Division told me on multiple occasions that no Hawaii long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate existed for Senator Obama in the Hawaii Department of Health,’ Adams’ affidavit reads, ‘and there was no record that any such document had ever been on file in the Hawaii Department of Health or any other branch or department of the Hawaii government.’ In a recorded telephone interview, Adams told WND that it was common knowledge among election officials where he worked that no long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate could be found at the Hawaii Department of Health…

“Moreover, Adams was told that neither Queens Memorial Hospital nor Kapi’olani Medical Center had any records of Obama’s birth at their medical facilities. ‘We called the two hospitals in Honolulu: Queens and Kapi’olani,’ Adams stressed. ‘Neither of them have any records that Barack Obama was born there’…

“Moreover, Adams claims, the Hawaii government was engaged in a cover-up designed to tell the American public through the Obama-supporting mainstream media that Obama was born in Hawaii, even though no long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate for Obama could be found on record in the Hawaii Department of Health… Nor does Adams feel the short-form Certification of Live Birth is authoritative documentation proving that Obama was born in Hawaii.

“’My basic assumption is that he wasn’t born there,’ Adams said. ‘Certifications of Live Birth were given to people who were born at home, or to people who were born overseas and whose parents brought them back to the islands. If his parents were U.S. citizens, or if one parent was a U.S. citizen, as was the case with Obama, the family would apply for a Hawaiian birth certificate when the parents came back from overseas. That’s normally how you would have gotten on [a Certification of Live Birth] in the 1960s.’”

The White House is anxious to belittle and ridicule “birthers” who question the constitutional legitimacy of President Obama’s presidency, as it has not been established that he is a naturally-born citizen. For instance, Politico 44 reported on January 24:

“[During] Monday’s White House briefing with press secretary Robert Gibbs… Gibbs snuck a jab at the so-called birthers who don’t believe Obama was born in Hawaii. ‘I think rational people have — have long ago, many when they first heard and saw the president, come to the conclusion of his citizenship,’ he said.”

Really? The truth is, pertinent nagging questions regarding Mr. Obama’s eligibility as President are not going away.

Ongoing Torture in the USA?

Regarding Bradley Manning’s incarceration for allegedly disseminating classified documents to Wikileaks, the Guardian wrote on January 24, 2011:

“Amnesty International has put out a statement protesting Manning’s treatment in pre-trial detention. ‘We’re concerned that the conditions inflicted on Bradley Manning are unnecessarily severe and amount to inhumane treatment by the US authorities. Manning has not been convicted of any offense, but military authorities appear to be using all available means to punish him while in detention. This undermines the United States’ commitment to the principle of the presumption of innocence’…”

Der Stern Online added on January 24: “This sounds like Guantanamo. Manning is allegedly deprived of sleep. More than 30,000 people have signed an Online petition, protesting against the manner of Manning’s detention.”

Those reports do not help to establish President Obama’s and America’s reputation as being fair, democratic and law-abiding. The ghost of Guantanamo is again raising its ugly head.

The Spirit of Antichrist Is Everywhere…

Newsmax wrote on January 21:

“Franklin Graham says just mentioning the name Jesus Christ in the public square is increasingly frowned upon and warns: ‘The spirit of anti-Christ is everywhere.’ The… son of beloved evangelist Dr. Billy Graham voiced his dismay at the rapid secularization of society… Graham, who was banned from a Pentagon national day of Prayer event last year for expressing his opinions about Islam, told students: ‘Even in our government today, you can’t pray to Jesus in many public meetings. You can pray to God or a god. You can mention Buddha or the name of Muhammad — but you can’t pray to Jesus Christ.’

“The president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association criticized the recent memorial service for the Tucson shooting victims. Unlike the memorials held after the Oklahoma City bombing and 9/11, he said, the Tucson program did not include an official prayer or mention of God… The one religious dedication on the program came from a member of the Pascua Yaqui tribe, who delivered a peroration that among other things called out to ‘Father Sky, where we get our masculine energy’ and ‘Mother Earth, where we get our feminine energy’…

“’How sad,’ the Graham op-ed stated. ‘Father Sky and Mother Earth can do nothing to comfort Capt. Mark Kelly, who had been at the bedside of his wife, Rep. Giffords, wondering if she’d ever leave her bed. Or Mary Stoddard, who was only alive because her husband sacrificed his life by shielding her with his body. Or the family, classmates, teammates and friends of little Christina, whose life was snuffed out before she could play another season of Little League’… Graham predicted the persecution of Christians will get worse in coming years…”

For more information, please listen to our new StandingWatch program, “Arizona’s Real Murderer.”

Adventists “Pro Choice”

The Washington Post wrote on January 24:

“Christians of all denominations are gathering on the National Mall today to protest the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. But one denomination that may be sparsely represented is Seventh-day Adventists whose large worldwide network of 170 hospitals allows elective abortions… Adventists resemble many conservative Protestant denominations as they believe in divinely inspired Scripture, six literal days of Creation, justification by faith and baptism by immersion.

“Their distinctive rites include worshiping on Saturday, the seventh day of the week as opposed to Sunday, an emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ and an emphasis on following Jewish dietary laws concerning abstinence from pork, shellfish and other foods proscribed as ‘unclean’ in the Old Testament. The denomination is known for its emphasis on health. Alcohol and tobacco are prohibited and many Adventists are vegetarians. But the denomination may be the only theologically conservative Protestant group that allows elective abortions. Many of their own members didn’t know that their worldwide hospital network performed the procedure…”

This is indeed a sad testimony. Elective abortion is wrong. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Are You Already Born Again?”

Celibacy a “Great Good” or a “Great Evil”?

Deutsche Welle reported on January 25:

“A handful of Catholic German politicians have sparked renewed debate over the ordination of married priests. Eight members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) urged the German Bishops’ Conference to consider allowing married men into the priesthood… The letter – signed by Bundestag President Norbert Lammert, Education Minister Annette Schavan and former state premiers Bernhard Vogel, Erwin Teufel and Deiter Althaus – stated it was ‘of urgent importance, in light of the worrying and growing shortage of priests, that Germany’s bishops take on the ordination of “viri probati” [“established men”] as their own cause.’ The letter continued: ‘The reasons for adhering to the long-standing tradition, though it was not irrefutably decreed by Christ, are in part justified, yet they do not weigh as heavily in our consideration as the dire needs of priestless congregations, which are no longer able to hold Sunday Mass.’…

“Meanwhile, CDU parliamentarian Patrick Sensburg, along with several other CDU politicians, expressed opposition to the letter and support of priests’ celibacy. Sensburg, who called celibacy a ‘great good’ said it would be ‘quite a pity’ to burden Pope Benedict XVI’s September visit to Germany with a ‘separate path for Germany.’

“German [Catholic] lay groups did show their support for the proposed reform, despite a less than enthusiastic response from the Bishops’ Conference… Since 2009, the Catholic Church has allowed the ordination of some married Anglican priests who decide to convert to Catholicism.”

Forced celibacy is wrong and unbiblical. It is also partially responsible for the ongoing sexual abuse of boys, being perpetrated within the Roman Catholic clergy. In this context, make sure to read the next article. Also, for more information, please read our free booklet, “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families.”

Vatican Covered Up Crimes by Pedophile Priests

The Associated Press reported on January 18:

“A 1997 letter from the Vatican warned Ireland’s Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police — a disclosure that victims’ groups described as ‘the smoking gun’ needed to show that the church enforced a worldwide culture of covering up crimes by pedophile priests.

“The newly revealed letter, obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE and provided to The Associated Press, documents the Vatican’s rejection of a 1996 Irish church initiative to begin helping police identify pedophile priests following Ireland’s first wave of publicly disclosed lawsuits. The letter undermines persistent Vatican claims, particularly when seeking to defend itself in U.S. lawsuits, that Rome never instructed local bishops to withhold evidence or suspicion of crimes from police…

“Child-abuse activists in Ireland said the 1997 letter demonstrates that the protection of pedophile priests from criminal investigation was not only sanctioned by Vatican leaders but ordered… Today, the Vatican’s child-protection policies remain in legal limbo. The Vatican does advise bishops worldwide to report crimes to police — in a legally nonbinding guide on its website. This recourse is omitted from the official legal advice provided by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and updated last summer. That powerful policymaking body continues to stress the secrecy of canon law.”

Natural Disasters… Worse to Come…

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“Natural disasters killed almost 300,000 people and harmed nearly 208 million others in 2010, a report by a UN agency has found. It was the deadliest year in at least two decades, and the report warns of worse to come… The Americas headed the list of the world’s worst affected continents for the first time, as Haiti’s earthquake caused 75 percent of the deaths with about 222,500 fatalities. Europe was next with Russia’s heat wave claiming some 56,000 deaths in 2010.

“Other extreme climate events in Europe included storm Xynthia in February, heavy floods in France in June and the extreme weather conditions all over Europe in December. Asia was hit by fewer disasters but was the most-affected region, accounting for 89 percent of all people affected by disasters in 2010. Five out of the top ten disasters happened in China, Pakistan and Indonesia. Altogether, the disasters and disaster relief cost nearly $110 billion (81 billion euros).”

Jesus spoke of terrible natural disasters prior to His return, calling them the beginning of sorrows. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

China vs. the USA

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 19:

“When US President Barack Obama took office two years ago, among the many hopes riding on him was an improvement in US relations with China… But instead of a new era of harmony between the major powers, the opposite has happened. US-Chinese relations are currently tenser than they have been in years. Chief among the many bones of contention is bilateral trade. American politicians accuse China of keeping its currency undervalued against the dollar to make its exports artificially cheap.

“Meanwhile Beijing, which has huge foreign currency reserves, has been flexing its burgeoning economic might by buying up European sovereign debt, ostensibly to help the euro zone overcome its current woes. Observers believe that China is keen to diversify its investments as a result of economic trouble in the US; it already owns massive amounts of American debt. Washington is also eyeing China’s ongoing military expansion with concern. Beijing’s recent unveiling of a new stealth plane was just the latest sign that China’s armed forces are becoming increasingly powerful. America’s ally Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, also remains a contentious issue between the two countries…

“The countries are also divided over issues of democracy and human rights. Obama’s support for the winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, is unlikely to have won him many friends in Beijing. The US is also concerned about China’s growing influence in Africa, where Beijing has been trying to secure access to raw materials, and is frustrated that the Chinese leadership has not done more to reign in its unruly ally North Korea.

“Hence the four-day visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington is being closely watched… The lavish reception that the US is laying on for Hu shows how important the trip is to Obama. Progress on the fundamental issues that divide the rival powers seems unlikely, however, and the main aim of the meeting appears to be a thawing in the frosty atmosphere… German commentators ponder the future of the US-China relationship and wonder how the new world order will function once Washington has to share power with Beijing.

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The two nuclear powers must find a way in which they can build trust and avoid misunderstandings… Weakened by the financial crisis, America is seen — at least partially — as a superpower in decline. In contrast, China, whose economy is now the world’s second largest, is regarded as the savior of the global economy.’

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘… They know that they need each other, but at the same time they are also rivals competing for the riches and loyalties of the Pacific Rim. They are separated by the question of who will inherit the Earth. For today, the answer is the US. But how long will that last? And how will America share the role of the world’s leading power, moderate the ensuing conflicts and achieve the transformation from hegemony to a new balance of powers? And what will this mean for the Europeans, including Russia, in terms of equilibrium and their influence?’

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘… Obama… cannot afford a rift with China; he needs Beijing’s vote on the Security Council to impose further sanctions against Iran, just as he needs its influence in North Korea… Even if Europe does not want a new world order based on the G-2, no one wants a power struggle between the US and China whose consequences cannot be predicted.’”

As the old saying goes, man thinks, and God directs. The Bible has prophesied that an altogether different picture will emerge. The influence of the United States will continue to decline, while China, Russia, India, Japan and other Far Eastern countries will build a strong confederacy. At the same time, Europe will emerge as the most powerful entity in the world, and a military conflict between these two new power blocs (Far Eastern countries and Europe) will become a certainty. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Mysteries Regarding President Obama’s Birthplace Continue

WorldNetDaily wrote on January 18:

“Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie suggested in an interview published yesterday that a long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate for Barack Obama may not exist within the vital records maintained by the Hawaii Department of Health… For seemingly the first time, Abercrombie frankly acknowledged that presidential politics motivated his search for Obama birth records, implying that failure to resolve the questions that remain unanswered about the president about his birth [and] early life may damage his chance for re-election…

“So far, the only birth document available on Obama is a Hawaii Certification of Live Birth that first appeared on the Internet during the 2008 presidential campaign. It was posted by two purportedly independent websites that have displayed a strong partisan bias for Obama… the Hawaii Department of Health has refused to authenticate the [same]…

“…in 1961, Obama’s grandparents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, could have made an in-person report of a Hawaii birth even if the infant Barack Obama Jr. had been foreign-born. Similarly, the newspaper announcements of Obama’s birth do not prove he was born in Hawaii, since they could have been triggered by the grandparents registering the birth as Hawaiian, even if the baby was born elsewhere… the address reported in the newspaper birth announcements was the home of the grandparents…

“Tim Adams, a former senior elections clerk for the city and county of Honolulu in 2008 has maintained that there is no long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate on file with the Hawaii Department of Health and that neither Honolulu hospital, Queens Medical Center or Kapiolani Medical Center, have any record that Obama was born there.”

Whether the existence or non-existence of a long form birth certificate will have any influence on the President’s re-election appears to be highly doubtful. Sadly, most Americans don’t seem to care about the requirements and injunctions of their own Constitution; otherwise, the outcry over the lack of evidence that the President is actually eligible for the office he occupies would be deafening and ongoing. Not only the left-liberal press, but also many “conservative” voices seem to have no interest whatsoever of entering into the “debate.”

New Twist in Arizona Shooting

The Washington Post reported on January 16:

“One of the Arizona shooting victims was arrested Saturday and then taken for a psychiatric evaluation after authorities said he took a picture of a tea party leader at [a] televised town hall meeting and yelled: ‘you’re dead.’

“James Eric Fuller, 63, [a left-liberal “activist”] objected to something Trent Humphries said during the forum taped for a special edition of ABC’s ‘This Week’… [Fuller] was in the front row and apparently became upset when [it was] suggested that any conversations about gun control should be delayed until all the dead were buried…”

This story was virtually suppressed by the left-liberal American media, as it does not fit into the paradigm of those who claim that the Tea Party movement and Sarah Palin were somehow responsible for Jared Loughner’s mass murders. As we show in our last Update, the real culprit must be seen in forces which most people do not even want to consider.

Europe—the “Fatherland of Peace”

The EUObserver wrote on January 17:

“EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy has issued a robust defence of the European Union in the face of growing ‘suspicion and fear’, arguing that the bloc must not be seen as a new ‘Moscow’, but instead, the ‘Fatherland of peace.’ … The President said… said that the EU was responsible for hastening the demise of the Soviet Union…

“While in Berlin last November, he issued a stark warning against the forces of nationalism, euro-scepticism and populism:  ‘… Fear leads to egoism, egoism leads to nationalism, and nationalism leads to war… ‘I sometimes explain that the enlargement of the European Union with the countries of Eastern and Central Europe in and after 2004 is not a bureaucratic process, driven by “Brussels”, but that enlargement should rather be seen as a deeply political enterprise, driven by a great historic event: the end of the Cold War and the unification of the European continent’… He said the coming year must see a deepening of the single market…”

President Van Rompuy’s stunning allegation that the EU was responsible for hastening the demise of the Soviet Union carries with it the germ of future conflict, and the Bible shows that a military confrontation between the EU and Russia will ensue in the not-too-distant future. The illusionary claim that the EU is the “Fatherland of peace” is also remarkable in light of Paul’s warning in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6:

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief… therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.”

“Keeping the Euro”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 19:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has categorically stated that Germany will not abandon the euro and reintroduce the deutsche mark…

“’There can be no return to the deutsche mark,’ she said, adding that Germany would ‘continue to do everything necessary to guarantee a stable euro.’ She told the magazine [“Der Stern”] that, while she took citizens’ concerns very seriously, she was convinced that ‘we in Germany can handle everything.’

“She expressed strong support for the common European currency and dismissed talk of splitting the euro zone into economically stronger northern countries and weaker southern countries. ‘Not on my watch. On behalf of Germany I say a clear “no”’…

“On the subject of France’s demands for a so-called European economic government, Merkel said that the leaders of the EU’s 27 member states had already said in February 2010 that they saw themselves as an economic government…”

The unification of Europe is unstoppable, and the euro will continue to become the most powerful currency in the world—much more powerful than America’s or China’s currencies. The Bible also prophesies that ten core nations or groups of nations will emerge WITHIN—not outside—the EU. And, that these nations will transfer dictatorial powers to a political and military European leader, setting in motion the final stages of the last revival of the ancient Roman Empire. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

Anti-Americanism in Germany

The following provocative article was first published in Der Tagesspiegel and then re-published in The Local. The warnings contained in the article should not be readily dismissed. When political agendas, restrictions of individual liberties, and pre-conceived prejudices are at play, all of us suffer.

The Local wrote on January 17:

“Germans certainly love freedom of thought, and if they could turn those thoughts into actions, the country would have become a foreigner-free zone a long time ago. But Germans are not so keen on freedom of speech, which is why they limit it with all kinds of laws. And they welcome any opportunity to plead for more restrictions and regulations.

“The latest of these opportunities is the horrific attack in Tucson, Arizona on US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The shooting has been used as a chance to crow about the ‘climate of hate’ in the United States, regardless of the question of what exactly motivated a man to kill six people and wound 14 others. This satisfies two German urges at once.

“Firstly, it gives them a chance to exercise their wonted anti-Americanism, which has been stifled since the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Now it can run riot again, not with the despised and derided George W. Bush, but by targeting Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement. The German pressure cooker, long bubbling with accusations of Yankee gun-loving, the death penalty, evangelical Christianity, and rabid anti-government rhetoric, has finally found a way to blow off steam. Apparently the revival of ‘Evil America’ has been bursting to get out [for] quite some time…

“Secondly, the assertions of a ‘climate of hate’ in the United States have fed the conviction that freedom of speech can be a little too free – in other words, that the rigid German model is superior to the libertarian American approach. This assertion is good for German self-satisfaction. It pacifies them… Just as the now discredited Senator Joseph McCarthy pursued alleged communists in the 1950s, today’s German witch hunters are hunting the likes of Palin and the Tea Party for causing the tragedy in Tucson…

“We should be… worried about Germany (and Europe). Here, freedom is still a luxury. One can almost feel the subliminal desire to use the Tucson attack to finally ban public appearances by Thilo Sarrazin [who wrote a book speaking out against Islamic influence in Germany.]”

Dead Pope Works Miracles?

On January 14, BBC News published the following incredible story. Sadly, many gullible and deceived people will believe it, and so the heretical concept that those who have died can work miracles from heaven will spread:

“Pope Benedict XVI has formally approved a miracle attributed to his late predecessor, paving the way to John Paul II’s beatification on 1 May… John Paul II died in 2005 after a papacy of nearly 27 years. The Vatican credits him with the miraculous cure of a nun said to have had Parkinson’s Disease.

“Church officials believe that the Polish pope, who himself suffered from the condition, interceded for the miraculous cure of Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, a Frenchwoman in her late forties. She has said her illness inexplicably disappeared two months after John Paul II’s death, after she and her fellow nuns had prayed to him.

“Church-appointed doctors agreed that there was no medical explanation for the curing of the nun, although last year there were some doubts about the validity of the miracle… Up to a million people are expected to gather in Rome for the beatification… In order for John Paul II to be canonised as a saint, a second miracle would have to be verified following the beatification.”

Please note that these miracles must occur AFTER the death of the pope, to give “evidence” to the idea that the dead pope (or his “immortal soul”) went to heaven and is answering prayers, which were directed to him (!), by working miracles. This unbiblical concept is rejected in Scripture for numerous reasons. If you want to learn more about the TRUTH, please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”

Why NOT the Sabbath?

WorldNetDaily wrote on January 15:

“It’s perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of not only the Holy Bible, but also the history of mankind and Christianity…It was first mentioned the day after the first man, Adam, was created, as God set apart the seventh day of the week from the other six. And it is so important, God made it one of the famous Ten Commandments, telling us to remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy and not do any work that day.

“But this day of rest that was observed for thousands of years on the seventh day of the week, Saturday, has mysteriously been transformed into a special reverence for the first day of the week, Sunday. In fact, if you ask Christians today, ‘Which day is the Sabbath of God?’ most will undoubtedly answer ‘Sunday.’

“Just how did this enigmatic change take place? …

“In the archives and libraries of international scholarship… researchers have discovered the secret strategies that changed the Christian day of rest on Saturday to the primary day of worship on Sunday… One novel approach took the form of a letter, a letter that supposedly came directly from heaven… It was actually a fraudulent epistle demanding the rigorous observance of Sunday, an example of the heavy-handed attempts to manipulate the consciences of medieval Christians… The promotion of Sunday, commonly called ‘the Lord’s Day,’ was an integral part of the Reformation-era conflict over Church authority.”

That the Roman Catholic Church “changed” the Sabbath to Sunday, without any biblical or divine backing whatsoever, cannot be denied. It was done for two reasons—to embrace Sunday-worshipping pagans into their fellowship, and to distance themselves from the Jews, due to blatant anti-Semitic feelings. God does not endorse this unauthorized “change”; in fact, He condemns it. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

Now—Cattle Dying…

Wsaw.com reported on January 17:

“The 200 dead cattle were discovered on a farm field on 4th Street in Amherst [Wisconsin], Sunday, the bodies were taken out in semi-loads to be disposed of. The farm’s veterinarian says preliminary results show the animals died of acute interstitial pneumonia, also known as AIP. Samples from the dead animals were sent to Madison for testing.

“The vet says the steers began to die early last week, with the last dying Saturday. The animals started showing symptoms of illness and then died within 12 hours. The vet says animals didn’t respond to treatment… The cattle on the farm are not quarantined.”

For further information, please view our StandingWatch program, “Birds And Fish Will Waste Away.”

House Repeals New Healthcare Law…

The Los Angeles Times wrote on January 20, 2011:

“House Republicans passed a largely symbolic resolution Wednesday to repeal the nation’s new healthcare law, fulfilling a top campaign promise and setting the stage for a renewed battle in the Senate. The Senate showdown… promises to be substantially messier and more drawn-out than the debate just completed in the House. The result could be a return to bitter partisan gridlock ahead of a budget confrontation in March, when the healthcare law repeal could become intertwined with a debate over federal spending.

“House Republican lawmakers, who hold a commanding majority, passed their two-page repeal resolution 245 to 189 after less than two days of floor debate. Three Democrats joined all 242 Republicans in support of the repeal resolution… In the Senate, Republicans will have to use contentious procedural maneuvers to pressure Democrats to vote on a repeal measure. Democrats retain a 53-47 edge in the Senate, counting two independents who caucus with them, and Democratic leaders firmly oppose repeal…

“Independent voters, who were crucial to GOP electoral gains in November, do not want years of gridlock that produce no alternative to the current healthcare law…”

USA Today added on January 20:

“House Republicans will move ahead today with an effort to replace parts of the nation’s health care law after easily passing legislation to repeal the measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid… has vowed the repeal legislation will go nowhere in the Senate… President Obama has said he’ll veto the bill that aims to overturn one of his proudest achievements.

“Still, GOP committee chairmen in the House will outline their plans today to replace the law with proposals to lower health-care costs, expand access to coverage and protect the doctor-patient relationship… congressional Republicans will look for leadership from GOP governors, who control a majority of the nation’s states. Already, half the states have joined lawsuits filed by states such as Florida and Virginia to overturn the law’s mandate that all Americans obtain health insurance coverage.”

How Some on the Left Lose All Decency…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 10:

“Saturday’s assassination attempt on Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is a tragedy… only hours [later], the debate showed signs of derailing. Of all people, it is precisely those who have complained the loudest about the culture of debate — about the rhetoric of the Tea Party, the right wing’s harsh words and the baseless Obama-Hitler comparisons — who are now poisoning the debate with their own baseless insinuations. With little reliance on facts, they began searching for scapegoats for the attack and they found them, selectively, among the right wing, the Tea Party, Republican Party boss Michael Steele and Tea Party heroine Sarah Palin.

“… commentator Keith Olbermann called for Palin to be ousted from the Republican Party if she didn’t repudiate her role in ‘amplifying violence and violent imagery in politics.’ In his column in the New York Times, Paul Krugman sought to link the ‘toxic rhetoric’ coming from right-wing preachers of hate with the assassination attempt…

“What little is known about the perpetrator does not suggest that he was a supporter of the Tea Party or an admirer of Palin’s — he doesn’t even appear to have any clear political convictions. His favorite books include the ‘Communist Manifesto,’ Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ and ‘Peter Pan’… So far, there is no evidence that there were any political motives behind the crime. Indeed, the massive criticism of Sarah Palin is misguided. This is not only due to the fact that the accusation is baseless, but also because the calculated attempt to weaken Palin in this manner could ultimately backfire.”

Occult and Devil Worship the Real Cause?

Yahoo reported on January 10:

“The 22-year-old Arizona shooter who attacked Rep. Giffords and 17 others on Saturday (Jan. 8, 2011) initially appeared to be motivated by political beliefs… Now, though, it appears that Jared Loughner was also inspired by devil worship or some other occult practice. Investigators have discovered a tent in the back yard of Jared Loughner’s home, containing an altar. Atop the altar there is a skull on a pot of charred oranges. Candles and potting soil sit nearby. These items are reportedly common elements of occult rituals…

“If Jared Loughner’s actions were truly motivated by devil worship or some other occult belief system, then his political rantings might have been intentional misdirection or an irrelevant sideline. This news also once again raises the possibility that Loughner might belong to some group that advocates killing – perhaps an occult group of some kind”.

USA Today reported on January 11 that the shooter had “a curious, dark change,” continuing, “the nice, skinny kid some classmates remember from Tucson’s Mountain View High School appears to have transformed into an oddball with psychological problems… former friends, co-workers and mental health specialists suggest a personality gone awry… Paul Ragan, a professor of psychiatry… says news reports about Loughner strongly suggest he was a paranoid schizophrenic….

“‘Being psychotic is not like a light switch where you’re OK one moment and then you’re suddenly psychotic,’ says Ragan… ‘People talk about descending into psychosis. They experience this ego disintegration.’… Loughner’s demeanor may have changed as he began dabbling in alcohol and drugs…Loughner took a job at a Quiznos sandwich shop a year or so ago. Manager Jose Landeros… says he seemed normal at first but underwent a sort of personality transformation that led to his firing.”

Many do not believe that Satan and his demons can actually motivate or even possess humans to induce them to carry out most despicable acts. They might even dabble in the occult, thinking it is “harmless fun.” The Bible shows, however, that the devil and evil spirits exist; that trying to get in touch with them in some way, even “inadvertently” or “ignorantly,” is terribly dangerous; and that demonic activity will increase in these last days. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”

No More Father And Mother in US Passports

Newsmax reported on January 9:

“In what seems to be a diplomatic effort at extreme political correctness and a nod to gay rights groups, the Obama administration is removing the words ‘mother’ and ‘father’ from U.S. passport applications and replacing them with ‘gender neutral’ terminology. Mom and dad will now be referred to rather coldly as ‘parent one’ and ‘parent two.’

“Conservative Christian groups are outraged over the decision… Family Research Council president Tony Perkins wrote: ‘… This is clearly designed to advance the causes of same-sex “marriage” and homosexual parenting without statutory authority, and violates the spirit if not the letter of the Defense of Marriage Act.’

“… A statement on the State Department website noted: ‘These improvements are being made to provide a gender neutral description of a child’s parents and in recognition of different types of families’… Gay rights groups are applauding the decision.”

How Religious Liberals Violate Scripture

The left-liberal Huffington Post published the following incredible article by a “Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge” on the Bible and homosexuality. This article is not only a disgrace and postulates totally wrong concepts, it shows the kind of wrong religious “leadership” within U.S. Christianity, which is so rampant today. Be warned: Reading excerpts from this article will probably make you upset and even somewhat angry—and it should!

The author makes the following outrageous claims:

“There are several reasons that gays and lesbians should never argue scripture… Those who are anti-gay are more likely to see the Bible as the infallible ‘Word of God’ — which means the words literally dripped from the lips of God through the pens of the scribes and onto the page. Each jot and tittle is God-breathed and never to be contradicted. (Never mind that much of the Bible is full of contradictions and much of it we disregard with impunity these days. Those sorts of inconveniences never actually apply to the argument around homosexuality.)

“Those who argue from the pro-gay side are generally those who see the Bible as inspired by God, but not the literal, infallible words of God. This means they are more open to different interpretations and approaches to scripture…

“The most important reason, however, that gays and lesbians should never, ever argue about scripture is because the Bible has nothing much to say about homosexuality. We have to remember that this is an ancient book… we cannot extract modern ideas from an ancient book. The writers of the Bible no more understood homosexuality than they understood that a spherical Earth orbited the sun…. Why on earth would we take [the Bible] as an authority on sexual orientation?…

“Humanity has moved from seeing God as a harsh judge and lawmaker to… seeing God as full of grace, mercy and love.  We don’t learn about God by pulling out tiny details of the book and proclaiming them as true for all time…

“The reason gays and lesbians should never argue over scripture is because, not only does scripture not condemn homosexuality, arguing over it produces nothing but strife, division and hatred. Anything that does not promote love is not of God. Instead of arguing, let us love one another, even those with whom we disagree. This is God’s message to us. Nothing else matters.”

This incredibly foolish article overlooks and denies myriads of truisms, one of which is the definition of love: “This is the love of God that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). The Bible clearly condemns homosexual practices–please read the first chapter in the book of Romans. Religious teachers who write articles like the one excerpted above are of no value to God’s people or to this nation. In fact, they are deceivers who mislead those who listen to them.

If you want to prove to yourself what value the Bible should have in your life today, and that it is indeed inspired by God to be taken quite literally, please read our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible.”

Special US Relationship with Britain in Jeopardy?

Mail On Line wrote on January 11:

“Barack Obama has declared that France is America’s greatest ally, undermining Britain’s Special Relationship with the U.S. The President risked offending British troops in Afghanistan by saying that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a ‘stronger friend’ than David Cameron. The remarks, during a White House appearance with Mr Sarkozy, will reinforce the widely-held view in British diplomatic circles that Mr Obama has less interest in the Special Relationship than any other recent American leader.

“The comments follow a pattern of coldness towards the UK. When Gordon Brown was prime minister, Mr Obama snubbed his requests for meetings in the U.S. He also denounced Britain during his inauguration speech.

“The UK has lost nearly 350 troops in the war against the Taliban – seven times as many as France. And there are more than 10,000 British soldiers serving in Helmand province, compared with just 3,850 Frenchmen. Mr Obama’s stance was swiftly condemned in Westminster… The remarks also angered conservatives in Washington.

“Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre For Freedom at the Heritage Foundation think-tank, said: ‘Quite what the French have done to merit this kind of high praise from the U.S. President is difficult to fathom. And if the White House means what it says this represents an extraordinary sea change in foreign policy.’

“Dr Gardiner… added: ‘To suggest that Paris and not London is Washington’s strongest partner is simply ludicrous. Such a remark is not only factually wrong but insulting to Britain, not least coming just a few years after the French knifed Washington in the back over the war in Iraq.’”

The Bible reveals that the relationship between the USA and Great Britain will indeed continue to deteriorate. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Book of Zechariah—Prophecies for Today!”

Core Europe Pressures Portugal

The EUObserver wrote on January 10:

“Reports over the weekend quote senior European sources as saying Berlin, Paris and other core eurozone capitals are leaning heavily on Lisbon to apply for a financial rescue…

“The eurozone core fears that if a firewall is not built around Portugal, investor nervousness could spread to Spain, a much larger economy than those of the two states – Greece and Ireland – that have already been bailed out.”

The Bible prophesies the emergence of a core Europe, led by Germany, which will consist of ten nations or groups of nations. This core Europe will have great economic, political, military and even religious influence on the entire world. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is that in the Bible—the Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

Crisis in Lebanon

The Associated Press reported on January 13:

“The collapse of Lebanon’s government plunged the country into deep political uncertainty Thursday after a year of relative stability, as the president began the process of putting a new administration together.

“President Michel Suleiman asked Saad Hariri to stay on as caretaker prime minister after the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah and its allies resigned Wednesday and brought down Hariri’s government. The crisis was the climax of tensions that have been simmering for months over the U.N. tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Hariri’s father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

“The tribunal is widely expected to indict members of Hezbollah soon, which many fear could rekindle violence in the tiny nation plagued for decades by war and civil strife… The collapse of the government ushers in the worst political crisis since 2008 in one of the most volatile corners of the Middle East.”

In a related article, The Associated Press noted on January 13 that “Israeli troops in the north were on alert Thursday over worries that the political turmoil in Lebanon might spill over into renewed violence on their shared border, following the collapse of the Lebanese government.”

Floods in Australia

Reuters wrote on January 13:

“The floods across the state of Queensland have killed at least 19 people, 12 of whom died in the Toowoomba area inland, and 61 were missing, the state government said. Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley region, west of state capital Brisbane, were devastated by tsunami-like flash flooding on Monday. Large parts of Brisbane have become muddy lakes, with an entire waterfront cafe among the debris washing down the Brisbane River, a torrent that has flooded 12,000 homes in the city of 2 million and left 118,000 buildings without power…

“Officials warned of the risk of further severe flooding in the coming weeks, with two months of the wet season ahead and already overflowing dams requiring seven days to empty to normal levels to cope with more heavy rains…

“The floods could cost insurers nearly $1 billion and some economists expect $6 billion in damage from the deluge that began last month in Queensland, crippling the coking coal industry and destroying roads, railways and bridges.”

Mysterious Mass Deaths of Animals Continues

On January 6, 2011, The Huffington Post wrote the following:

“On Wednesday, GeaPress reported hundreds — possibly thousands of dead and dying birds in Italy. Countless turtle doves were found scattered in the streets, in flower beds and hanging tragically from trees… in the town of Faenza. Many of the birds that fell dead from the sky were discovered with a mysterious blue stain in their beaks.

“In the past week, similar incidents of mass animal death have been reported across the world. Thousands of dead birds fell from the sky in Arkansas on New Year’s Eve, and similar incidents were reported on different days in Louisiana, Kentucky and Sweden. Two million fish were discovered dead in Maryland, with other fish kills also reported in Brazil, New Zealand and Arkansas — approximately 100 miles from the bird incident. 40,000 crabs washed up on England beaches in the past few days, as well.

“While the events are likely unrelated, most still remain a mystery.”

CBS wrote on January 11:

“A bizarre scene is evolving on the Chicago lakefront, with Canada geese and mallard ducks gulping down dead or dying gizzard shad… Thousands, perhaps far more than that, of dead gizzard shad in the 3- to 5-inch range are frozen in the ice of Chicago harbors or floating around in open patches of water.”

Please view our new StandingWatch program, “Birds and Fish Will Waste Away.”

Mysterious Deaths of Thousands of Birds

Today’s THV wrote on January 2, 2011:

“Just before folks in Beebe (Arkansas) rang in the New Year, many witnessed an uncanny resemblance to the Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds.’ About 2,000 black birds [actually, up to 5,000, see article below] fell from the sky off Windwood Drive, leaving quite the mess to clean up. Folks Today’s THV spoke with initially thought the birds were poisoned because they are what they call a nuisance around this time every year, but they are surprised to hear it is more of a mystery…

“The mystery is unraveling like scenes from a movie, dozens of U.S. Environmental Services crews spent the day picking up the birds, walking between homes and climbing on roofs with protective hazmat suits and breathing masks.

“Charles Boldrey stands outside watching the crews, ‘Nobody knows, I asked these guys who are out here picking them up and they don’t seem to know anything. Nobody seems to know anything. It just kind of freaked everybody out.’… Game and Fish Commission’s Karen Rowe says poisoning doesn’t appear to be the case and strange events similar to this have occurred across the globe a number of times.”

MSNBC wrote the following  on January 3, thereby only adding to the mystery:

“Preliminary autopsies on 17 of the up to 5,000 blackbirds that fell on this town indicate they died of blunt trauma to their organs, the state’s top veterinarian told NBC News on Monday. Their stomachs were empty, which rules out poison, Dr. George Badley said, and they died in midair, not on impact with the ground. That evidence… suggests they suffered some massive midair collision, he added. That lends weight to theories that they were startled by something…

“Violent weather rumbled over much of the state Friday, including a tornado that killed three people in Cincinnati, Ark. Lightning could have killed the birds directly or startled them to the point that they became confused. Hail also has been known to knock birds from the sky… Rough weather had hit the state earlier Friday, but the worst of it was already well east of Beebe by the time the birds started falling, said Chris Buonanno, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.”

CNN added the following on January 4:

“Karen Rowe, an ornithologist for the game and fish commission, said the incident is not that unusual and is often caused by a lightning strike or high-altitude hail… Officials also speculated that fireworks shot by New Year’s revelers in the area might have caused severe stress in the birds… ‘Initial examinations of a few of the dead birds showed trauma. Whether or not this trauma was from the force of hitting the ground when they fell or from something that contacted them in the air, we don’t know,’ she said…

“In a seemingly separate incident, some 500 red-winged blackbirds, starlings and grackles were found dead in southern Louisiana in Labarre. The birds showed no evident trauma, according to Jim LaCour, a veterinarian with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.”

On January 5, USA Today reported about another theory explaining the deaths of thousands of birds in Arkansas: “It was someone shooting off professional grade fireworks in a residential district, scaring the night-blind birds out of their roost into a 25-mph flight that ran them into houses, signs and even the ground, says Karen Rowe, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission ornithologist.”

The Local reported on January 5 that “Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, residents found 50 to 100 jackdaws on a street in Falköping southeast of Skövde [Sweden]. The incident echoed a number of unexplained incidents earlier this week across the southern US.”

Ktre.com reported on January 5: “A large number of dead birds spotted on the Hwy 155 bridge near Ore City [Texas] is most likely a natural occurrence in the area and not related to the mysterious bird deaths in Arkansas and Louisiana.”

Deaths of Thousands of Fish

There have also been reports of many fish dying. Today’s THV reported on January 2: “Arkansas Game & Fish is trying to figure out why 100,000 fish in Northwest Arkansas turned up dead. They were found along a 20-mile stretch between the Ozark Dam and Highway 109 Bridge in Franklin County.”

The Guardian added on January 4:

“Birds dropping dead from the skies and rivers flowing with tens of thousands of dead fish sounds like a cheesy Hollywood movie about the Apocalypse. Or the ravings of a Revelation-obsessed street preacher. But residents of several US states are coping with the reality of mystery mass wildlife deaths, which have left officials scratching their heads and jumpy members of the public joking (nervously) about the end of the world…

“Today it emerged that about 500 red-winged blackbirds and starlings had been found dead in Louisiana… That would be spooky enough. But the Louisiana bird die-off came just a few days after up to 5,000 blackbirds fell to earth in neighbouring Arkansas in the small town of Beebe…

“In even more grim news, anglers and other members of the public reported that more than 80,000 drum fish had suddenly died in the state’s Arkansas river, about 100 miles west of Beebe. The silvery bodies of the fish floated in the river and washed up on its sides having died at roughly the same time. In another incident, hundreds of miles away on the Maryland coast of Chesapeake Bay, tens of thousands of dead fish also washed up on the shore…”

Wftv.com reported on January 5: “Thousands of dead fish were floating in Volusia County Tuesday (in Florida). The fish kill is unusual because it is warm, according to people who live along the creek.”

In addition, The Star reported on January 5 that “more than 40,000 Velvet swimming crabs have wound up dead on England beaches.”

Parana Online reported on January 3: “A survey… indicates that at least 100 tons of fish (sardine, croaker and catfish) have turned up dead since last Thursday off the coast of Parana (Brazil).”

“Birds and Fish Will Waste Away…”

These incidents remind us of a prophecy in Hosea 4:3 which awaits worldwide fulfillment in the future: “… the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.” In this context, the following article by The Examiner, dated January 4, is quite interesting:

“The incidents have prompted Christian sects to look to the Bible and, most importantly, to the sky, for more alleged signs of apocalyptic happenings… many believe this week’s dead birds and fish are a sign the Great Tribulation talked about in the book of Revelation and Daniel is fast approaching…

“According to the book of Revelation (depending on how one interprets prophetic code), there will be an increase in earthquakes, floods, war, and strange phenomena before God ushers mankind into the Great Tribulation, a three-and-half-year period of poverty, war, persecution, disease and mass death. Most Christians believe God will unleash the wrath while world powers move closer to one final battle between good and evil… 

“According to Christians, Jesus Christ will return to Earth to save mankind from destroying the world… Whether these events will unfold lies with those who believe in Bible prophecy. However, according to prophecy, as many understand it, they will occur before Christ returns.

“According to studies, 41 percent of Americans believe Jesus Christ will return by 2050. The remaining 59 percent make up those who predict other dates and groups who don’t believe in the Second Coming.”

Flood of “Biblical Proportions”?—Hardly!

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote on January 1:

“Queensland was suffering a flood disaster of ‘biblical proportions’ that could cost the state’s economy more than $1 billion, its government declared yesterday. Authorities confirmed that 200,000 people had been affected and 22 cities and towns inundated by the worst floods in Queensland’s history. More than 1000 people were in 17 evacuation centres across the state yesterday. That figure was expected to reach 4000 in the next few days, police said.”

BBC News added on January 3:

“Devastating flood waters across the Australian state of Queensland may not recede for weeks, the state’s Premier Anna Bligh has warned… Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard [said:] ‘This is a major natural disaster and recovery will take a significant amount of time. The extent of flooding being experienced by Queensland is unprecedented and requires a national and united response.’ Approximately 850,000 sq km have been affected, an area equivalent in size to France and Germany…

“The Queensland premier said 75% of operations at the state’s coal fields had been halted, which supply half of the world’s coking coal needed in steel manufacturing. The state is also responsible for almost all the country’s sugar production, and with cane fields drenched, Australia, usually a net exporter, will be forced to import.”

Even though such devastating floods are extremely trying, a flood of biblical proportions would be worldwide–one which would destroy the entire earth. God promises us, however, that such a flood will not occur (compare Genesis 8:21-22). But Christ also said that floods—much bigger than the current one in Australia—will ravage parts of this planet. Compare Luke 21:25: “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring…” At the same time, the Bible does say that certain English-speaking countries like Australia—one of the descendants of the ancient house of Israel—will experience tremendous hardship before certain other countries will, such as those in continental Europe.

2010—“Exceptional Year” for Worldwide Disasters

AFP wrote on January 3:

“The Haiti earthquake and floods in Pakistan and China helped make 2010 an exceptional year for natural disasters, killing 295,000 and costing $130 billion… The last time so many people died in natural disasters was in 1983, when 300,000 people died, mainly due to famine in Ethiopia… A total of 950 natural disasters were recorded last year, making 2010 the second worst year since 1980… And in terms of economic cost, insured losses amounted to approximately $37 billion, putting 2010 among the six most loss-intensive years for the insurance industry since 1980…

“The earthquake in Haiti in January was by far the worst disaster in terms of human cost, killing 222,570 people… Some 56,000 died in a combination of heatwaves and forest fires in Russia… The other most destructive events were an earthquake in China in April that killed 2,700, floods in Pakistan between July and September that cost 1,760 lives and August floods in China in which 1,470 perished… [the] earthquake in Chile… was the world’s most expensive natural disaster last year, with overall losses of 30 billion dollars and insured losses of eight billion dollars. The second most expensive disaster for the insurance industry was a series of earthquakes that rattled New Zealand, which cost an estimated 3.3 billion dollars…

“The American continent suffered the most disasters — 365 in total — with 310 in Asia. A total of 120 natural disasters were recorded in Europe, 90 in Africa and 65 in Australia and Oceania…”

New Laws in California

The Los Angeles Times reported on December 31:

“Californians will welcome 725 new laws on Jan. 1. Here’s a glance at some of the laws taking effect when you ring in the new year:

“AB 119 prevents insurance companies from charging different rates for men and women for identical coverage. SB 782 prevents landlords from evicting tenants who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse or stalking. AB 1844… will increase penalties, parole provisions and oversight of sex offenders, including a ‘one-strike, life-without-parole penalty’ for some.  AB 1871 allows people to lease out their cars when they are not being used—alleviating the need to purchase additional insurance… SB 1411 makes it a misdemeanor to maliciously impersonate someone via a social media outlet or through e-mails… SB 1317 allows the state to slap parents with a $2,000 fine if their K-8 child misses more than 10 percent of the school year without a valid excuse. It also allows the state to punish parents with up to a year in prison for the misdemeanor… SB 1399 allows California to medically parole state prison inmates with physical incapacitating conditions…”

Some of these new laws are good (for instance, AB 119, AB 1844 and SB 1411), but some are very bad, as they open up possibilities of terrible abuse (such as SB 1317). As always, this proves that man—in spite of good intentions—is really incapable of ruling justly and fairly.

New Governor in California—Same Old Same Old

BBC News reported on January 3:

“Jerry Brown is set to be inaugurated as the new governor of the US state of California, taking over from outgoing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr Brown, a Democrat who also served as California’s governor from 1975 to 1983, will be only the second person to lead the state for three terms. He has warned California residents to expect ‘shared sacrifice’ as the state struggles to overcome a fiscal crisis… The state faces a $28bn (£18bn) budget shortfall over the next 18 months. Voters may be asked to agree to the extension of temporary taxes that were brought in in 2009 and are due to expire in July. Mr Brown, 72, will need the backing of some Republicans in the state legislature if he is to put any tax measures to voters.”

The Telegraph added on January 3:

“Having taken the helm of the troubled state declaring ‘failure is not an option’, Mr Schwarzenegger, 63, leaves with an approval rating of just 22 per cent and a tripled $28 billion budget deficit. His decision to focus on tackling climate change was criticised by opponents and commentators who said he should have prioritised fixing the state’s economy, the eighth largest in the world. His departure, which comes amid fears California could become insolvent, has prompted headlines in the US media such as ‘Hasta La Vista, Failure’.”

We have seen a steady decline in California’s economy—notwithstanding all of the usual (but failed) promises from past and present politicians, regardless of whether they belong to one of the two major parties or whether they are independent. And so, it would be extremely naïve to expect that the new administration were to improve California’s status.

Why the Euro Will Not Fail

Bloomberg wrote on December 31:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy said today that an end of the euro common currency would signal the end of Europe.  ‘Europe held strong, Europe protected us’ in the economic crisis, Sarkozy said… ‘I will oppose this backlash with all my strength,’ he said… France will hold the rotating chairmanship both of the Group of 20 nations and of the Group of Eight in 2011…”

Reuters reported on December 30:

“’Europe stands, in these months, in the middle of a great test. We must strengthen the euro. It’s not just about our money. The euro is far more than a currency,’ [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel [told] the country… ‘The euro is the foundation of our prosperity. Germany needs Europe and our common currency. For our own well-being and in order to overcome great worldwide challenges. We Germans assume our responsibility, even when it is sometimes very hard.’”

President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel are absolutely right. The end of the euro would be the end of Europe, and since the Bible clearly says that Europe’s unification (the last revival of the ancient Roman Empire) will continue until shortly before Christ’s return, we know that the euro will also continue to be the common currency for the major EU countries—including the ten nations or groups of nations which will arise out of the current EU. Far from abandoning the euro, more and more European countries are adopting it, as the next article shows:

The Associated Press reported on December 31:

“Estonians are preparing for historic New Year’s celebrations as the tiny Baltic country begins phasing in the euro on Jan. 1. Estonia will become the 17th nation in the euro area and the first former Soviet republic to adopt the common currency.”

This is not to say that the world, including Europe, won’t face for a while dire or “expensive” times in the future, including financial hardship. Jesus speaks in His famous Olivet Prophecy of “expensive times,” in addition to wars and “earthquakes here and there” (Matthew 24:7, revised Luther translation from 1964). In this context, please see the next article:

Expect Sharply Rising Oil Prices

Deutsche Welle reported on January 3:

“Oil prices closed out 2010 at a 26-month high of $92 (69 euros) a barrel… there is widespread agreement that consumers and industry can expect sharply rising prices due to soaring demand…  some experts are predicting… a surge to levels never seen before – possibly as high as $200 a barrel…

“Werner Zittel, an oil expert… told German public broadcaster ARD on Monday that ‘the hour of truth’ had arrived. ‘Can global oil production keep up with the growing demand or not? I tend to think: no, game over,’ he said. Zittel is convinced that 2011 will be a fateful year for worldwide oil supplies. He believes that the price shock of 2008 was just a harbinger of what’s to come…

“Economists are worried that rising energy prices could stifle the fledgling economic recovery. If manufacturers are forced to charge more for goods due to rising production costs for energy, consumers will cut back on purchases which, in turn, would put another dent in sales and profits.”

Russia-China Oil Pipeline Opens

BBC News reported on January 1:

“The first oil pipeline linking the world’s biggest oil producer, Russia, and the world’s biggest consumer of energy, China, has begun operating… Concentrated in western Siberia, Russia’s network of pipelines for oil exports has so far run towards Europe… Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest oil producer in 2009. China surpassed the US as the world’s largest consumer of energy last year.”

As prophesied, Russia and China are moving closer together, and farther away from Europe. What impact the new pipeline will have on overall oil prices for the rest of the world will have to be seen.

Europe Concerned Over Egypt

Deutsche Welle reported on January 3:

“Chancellor Merkel said in a message to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday that she experienced ‘horror and revulsion’ when hearing the news of the New Year’s Day bombing in Alexandria, Egypt, in which 21 people died and dozens were injured. ‘The German government condemns this barbaric terrorist attack, in which Christians – but also Muslims – lost their lives, to the utmost,’ Merkel wrote. The deadly attack has prompted widespread condemnation across the political spectrum in Europe.

“In a letter to Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote that ‘nobody should be worried or afraid for their life in exercising their fundamental right to freely practice their faith.’ Italy’s foreign minister Franco Frattini urged his European Union counterparts to respond forcefully to the attack and to discrimination of Christians throughout the world… ‘The moment for a powerful and clear political response by all governments that cherish human rights, of which religious freedom is a basic part, has come’…

“The parliamentary human rights spokesman of Germany’s Green party, Volker Beck, said ‘the condemnation of such attacks is not enough. Egypt and other states must effectively combat the demons of religious intolerance.’ Contemplating measures that could be taken, Stefan Mueller, the parliamentary leader of Germany’s Christian Social Union, said it was time to tie development aid to the question of whether or not Christians are persecuted by the state or groups in a particular country. ‘There can be no financial aid to countries in which Christians cannot practice their faith unhindered,’ Mueller said…

“The deputy party leader of Germany’s governing Christian Democrats, Annette Schavan, called on Islamic leaders around the world to take a clear stand against religious violence. ‘Muslim authorities in Cairo and elsewhere must clearly distance themselves from all forms of violence in the name of religion,’ she said…”

Die Tageszeitung wrote on January 3:

“So the new year has brought al-Qaida’s insanity, as we know it from Iraq, into Egypt… the Egyptian government needs to finally stand up against the creeping Islamization of the country…”

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote on January 3:

“… America’s war in Iraq has increased pressure on Christians in the region. But the errors and dubious nature of Western politics alone cannot ‘explain’ this new terror. The jihadists believe that they have to ‘cleanse’ Islam of Western influence…”

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote on January 3:

“Egypt was long seen as the anchor of stability in a region which, for decades, has been synonymous with political violence. But the human rights situation is a catastrophe, the regime is corrupt, the superficial democracy is a farce. That all fuels the popularity of… Islam. Given the fine line between militant and non-militant Islam, violent attacks could soon return to Egypt.”

The Bible predicts a confederacy against Israel (the state of Israel, as well as USA and Great Britain) between nations such as Germany (biblical Assyria) and Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq (Psalm 83:5-8; note, however, that Egypt is not listed there; nor is Iran). Daniel 11:42-43 also shows that in these last days, Europe (the king of the North) will invade the Middle East and the Glorious Land, and “Egypt shall not escape.”

Core Europe in the Making…

The Guardian wrote on January 4:

“2011 could turn out to be the year that a multispeed Europe starts to look more like a two-speed Europe, with an inner core impelled towards closer political and economic union by the need to rescue the single currency.

“The UK risks becoming a marginal voice, as European decision making is increasingly centred around the euro area. The French and allies are pushing hard for summits restricted to euro area leaders, who would meet to discuss ‘European economic government’ within their inner core… Britain is the least powerful of the three most powerful countries that between them dominate the EU. On its own, it cannot make the EU bend to its will…

“The single market’s creation, nearly two decades ago, required an unholy alliance between European federalists and free market liberals… calling for a free-trade Europe without a supra-national regulator at the top is so much empty talk, you don’t get one without the other.

“As EU leaders struggle to save the euro in 2011, the danger is of a different bargain between federalists and corporatists. In concrete terms, rich paymaster countries like France and Germany may accept pleas to guarantee the debts of insolvent nations on Europe’s periphery only in exchange for economic harmonisation on their terms. The numbers would be on their side: assemble the countries that use the euro – with such free-market advocates as Britain, Sweden, Denmark or the Czech Republic absent from the room – and the balance of opinion swings towards interventionism.

“…any creation of a formal inner core around the single currency… could change the very nature of the European project, in ways that make it far less congenial to the free market… If 2011 does see a leap towards a two-speed Europe, securing a place in the slow lane will only mark the start of Britain’s worries.”

The Bible clearly prophesies the emergence of a core Europe, consisting of ten nations or groups of nations, and countries like Britain, Denmark and Sweden will—in all likelihood–not be part of core Europe.

Russia Laughs at Europe

The EUObserver wrote on December 30:

“Commentators have warned that polite diplomacy alone will have zero impact on an increasingly wayward Russia as EU leaders lined up to criticise the jailing of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Thursday…

“’There’s nothing anyone can say outside of Russia that has any effect on the Russians. They just laugh as we condemn their actions,’ Bill Browder, the CEO of US venture capitalist firm Hermitage Capital, whose lawyer, Sergey Magnitsky, died in suspicious circumstances in a Russian prison last year, told this website shortly after the Khodorkovsky sentence.

“’The only action that has any effect on their behavior is targeted sanctions taken outside Russia against specific Russian officials. When they see that they could be personally punished for violating human rights or abusing their own people, they get scared,’ he added. ‘If they behave like cannibals at home, we shouldn’t invite them to our dinner tables in Europe.’

“Andrew Wilson, a UK-based Russia expert at the European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR) think-tank, noted: ‘Definitely, there is no rule of law in Russia. There is the opposite: the trial shows that everyone is fundamentally prosecutable.’…

“…the EU is currently finalising its approval of Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organisation. EU member France this week clinched a €1.4 billion arms deal with Moscow, while Germany is the lead EU investor in a new Russian gas pipeline. Beyond the Union, the International Olympic Committee aims to hold the 2014 winter games in Russia and the international football authority, Fifa, recently awarded it the 2018 world cup…

“Mr Browder added: ‘My advice to the big companies in the West is to avoid Russia entirely because investing there is like a game of Russian roulette and you should be prepared to literally have your head blown off if things go wrong… if you do have problems, as my company did, you don’t just risk losing money, people get killed.”

However, greed and the desire to make a profit will override Mr. Browder’s warnings. And sadly, political and economic interests seem to be much more important to the rulers and the mighty of this world than individual liberties and freedom.

“When the Messiah Comes…”

On January 6, 2011, Haaretz wrote the following:

“When the Messiah comes, rabbis will treat him like Jesus. They will brand him disloyal… In wall posters, Sabbath sermons, ritual decrees and signed petitions, careful not to use his title, chief rabbis of cities and towns will warn of an existential threat to the essential Jewish character of the state… The rabbis’ declarations will divide the Jewish people and bring wrath and dishonor upon Israel…

“When the Messiah comes, the Right will crucify him… ads and billboards [will show] him with a tail to go along with his horns…

“When the Messiah comes, an Israel political party… will propose legislation declaring him a delegitimizer of Israel and the army…, a blasphemer of Zionism… and rendering him ineligible for citizenship unless he signs a loyalty oath stating that even if Israel did practice crucifiction, it did so in a democratic and Jewish manner… [They] will take out a Facebook page headed ‘Mavet L’ Mashiach’ – Death to the Messiah.”

Sadly, when the Messiah comes, the nations of this world will not recognize Him and even try to fight Him in war.

Hitler Correctly Identified Origins of Christmas

Mail On Line reported on December 24:

“… the Nazi Christmas [as celebrated by Hitler and other Nazi officials on December 18, 1941] was far from traditional. Hitler believed religion had no place in his 1,000-year Reich, so he replaced the Christian figure of Saint Nicholas with the Norse god Odin and urged Germans to celebrate the season as a holiday of the ‘winter solstice’, rather than Christmas… at the top of the tree… was a swastika instead of an angel, and many of the baubles carried runic symbols and iron cross motifs…

“In 1944-1945, the Nazis tried to reinvent Christmas once again as a day to commemorate the dead, in particular fallen soldiers – by that time Germany had lost almost four million men in the war. But while many Germans baked biscuits and cakes in the shape of swastikas and adorned their trees with the symbols of the Nazi regime, most still called the festival Christmas.”

It may perhaps be surprising to some, but Hitler did not replace the “Christian figure of Saint Nicholas with the Norse god Odin.” Rather, he quite accurately identified Saint Nicholas as the pagan god Odin; and he went back to the real foundations of Christmas, which originated in the heathen “winter solstice.” For more information on the incredible transition from a pagan festival to a presumably “Christian” holiday, please read our free and eye-opening booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

Why Not to Eat Pork

The Huffington Post wrote on December 24:

“Last week the Humane Society of the United States released a grisly report and undercover video on the disgusting treatment of pregnant sows at one of its industrial swine facilities in Virginia. And this week, Russia announced it will not buy pork products from the company’s Smithfield, VA plant, because they are tainted with ‘residue and pathogen issues’…

“Smithfield produced 27% of all US pork products in 2007… The animal you are eating could well have been born in a windowless piglet factory, where his mother was held prisoner in a tiny metal crate during pregnancy, then grief stricken as her still-nursing young were yanked away, before she was artificially impregnated once again.

“Your young pig was then transferred to a nursery facility — another sealed off building crammed with thousands of animals — before ending up at a ‘finishing operation,’ where he was raised on concrete slats over pits filled with ammonia emitting excrement, and supplied a steady diet of drugs, heavy metals and other unnatural feed additives that accelerate growth and stave off disease long enough to get him to market weight…

“I eat very little pork. Pigs are smart and… Aztec nobles once informed their nauseated Spanish captors that pork tastes just like people. They couldn’t get enough of the stuff.”

The Bible prohibits the consumption of pork, calling such consumption an “abomination.” Those who laugh at God’s law–“Christians” and non-Christians alike–are warned that they will have to give account to God for their gross disobedience in this regard. The time of reckoning IS coming. For more information, please read our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound.”

National Support for “Gay Marriages” Inevitable

The MacClatchy Newspaper wrote on December 24:

“Attitudes toward same-sex marriage are ‘evolving,’ and a national consensus for gay marriage is inevitable, Vice President Joe Biden said… Biden cited the administration’s successful push to repeal the military’s 17-year-old ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy toward gays as a sign of the change in public attitudes. He saw the trend as leading to support of same-sex marriage…

“58 percent of Marines and 48 percent of Army respondents [were] saying that ending the ban would have negative consequences. And a sizable minority said repeal could affect morale and training and whether they would stay in the military. Marines voiced the loudest opposition…

“… a Pew Research Center poll of the American public [in December] found 59 percent of the public favored allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly… A Pew survey released in October… found that 48 percent opposed allowing gays and lesbians to legally marry, while 42 percent were in favor. Still, a Pew analysis noted, ‘for the first time in 15 years, fewer than half oppose same-sex marriage… Notably, pluralities of white mainline Protestants and white Catholics now favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally…’”

Vice President Biden, a practicing Catholic, has found himself in disfavor with the Catholic hierarchy over his stance on abortion, so that communion was refused to him. His latest stance on same-sex marriages, which is apparently supported by many white Catholics, will certainly create further controversies with the Church of Rome.

The Next Trend?

The Daily Mail reported on December 28:

“Elton John and his civil partner David Furnish have announced they are proud parents to a healthy baby boy… He was born via a surrogate mother in California on Christmas Day… Sir Elton, 62, married Furnish, 48, in 2005 after 12 years together…

“They first attempted to adopt an HIV positive child from the Ukraine last year, but were rejected because of Sir Elton’s age and the fact that the country did not recognise civil marriages…”

Evangelist Graham Chastises U.S. Military

Newsmax wrote on December 24:

“Franklin Graham… the noted evangelist and son of world-renowned preacher Billy Graham…strongly chastised the U.S. military, which has restricted Christian displays of faith.

“‘Chaplains in the United States military are not allowed to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Isn’t that a shame that a chaplain in the Christian faith is not allowed to pray in the name of Christ? So yes, there is a war, no question about it.’

“Franklin Graham himself has felt the sting of the hostility, when Pentagon officials excluded him from participation in this year’s National Day of Prayer event, citing his controversial comments about the dangers of radical Islam.”

Even Liberals Want to See President Obama’s Birth Certificate

Real Clear Politics reported on December 27 about some surprising statements by liberal MSNBC television host, Chris Matthews:

“On Monday night’s edition of ‘Hardball,’ host Chris Matthews talked about putting the birth certificate controversy surrounding President Obama to rest. ‘Why has the president himself not demanded they put out the original documents?’ Matthews wonders. ‘If it exists, why not put it out?’ Chris Matthews asks.”

Newsmax added on December 29:

“Even MSNBC’s pro-Obama host Chris Matthews has joined the crowd calling on the president to release his long-form birth certificate to settle the controversy surrounding his birthplace once and for all…  Matthews has been critical of the so-called ‘birthers’ who insist that Obama was not born in the United States and therefore is ineligible to be president…

“The majority of Americans discount that conspiracy theory… Still, many find it interesting that Obama has continued to refuse to release his long-form birth certificate, and Obama joins just a handful of presidents who have no declared place of birth as a significant national landmark…

“’I am not a birther,’ Matthews declared. ‘I am an enemy of the birthers.’ But he held up the long-form birth certificate of someone who was born the day before Obama, and compared it with the shorter version Obama has released… ‘Why has the president himself not demanded that they put out the official document?’ Matthews said… ‘ Why doesn’t the president just say, send me a copy right now?… The department out there just said the… original document of his birth is available. They have it in storage, they said. And if it exists, why not put it out? Will there be any harm done by releasing the original document?’”

Monster Storm in the USA

USA Today reported on December 27:

“The effects of a blizzard that pummeled the Northeast continued to wreak havoc Monday on the plans of thousands of holiday travelers, many of whom may not reach their final destination for days… Snow continued to snarl traffic, flights were delayed, trains sold out, cars got stuck by the side of the road, and air passengers tried frantically to book a spare seat…

“There were roughly 3,000 flights canceled Sunday and another 3,000 were likely to be canceled Monday… New York’s LaGuardia and JFK airports closed Sunday in the midst of the storm, began to slowly reopen Monday. So did Philadelphia’s airport. Newark wasn’t scheduled to open for arrivals until 6 a.m. Tuesday…

“In New Jersey, hundreds of people were stranded Sunday night on hilly highways that became clogged with disabled vehicles, says the state’s Commissioner of Transportation Jim Simpson… ‘We had people driving in their pajamas, people out shopping after-Christmas sales, or people out for fun … to see the snow,’ he says. ‘No one was prepared.’”

The Associated Press reported on December 26:

“The monster storm is the result of a low pressure system off the North Carolina coast… The white Christmas in the South was one for the record books. Columbia, S.C., had its first significant Christmas snow since weather records were first kept in 1887. Atlanta had just over an inch of snow—the first measurable accumulation on Christmas Day since the 1880s…”

In addition, The Daily Star wrote on December 30 that Britain’s winter might end up to be the coldest winter since 1683 and close to being the chilliest in nearly 1,000 years.

Global Warming or Mini Ice Age?

Investors.com wrote on December 22:

“Nothing makes fools of more people than trying to predict the weather. Whether in Los Angeles or London, recent predictions have gone crazily awry. Global warming? How about mini ice age?

“The sight of confused and angry travelers stuck in airports across Europe because of an arctic freeze that has settled across the continent isn’t funny. Sadly, they’ve been told for more than a decade now that such a thing was an impossibility — that global warming was inevitable, and couldn’t be reversed.

“This is a big problem for those who see human-caused global warming as an irreversible result of the Industrial Revolution’s reliance on carbon-based fuels. Based on global warming theory — and according to official weather forecasts made earlier in the year — this winter should be warm and dry. It’s anything but. Ice and snow cover vast parts of both Europe and North America, in one of the coldest Decembers in history…

“Prognosticators who wrote the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, global warming report in 2007 predicted an inevitable, century-long rise in global temperatures of two degrees or more. Only higher temperatures were foreseen. Moderate or even lower temperatures, as we’re experiencing now, weren’t even listed as a possibility. Since at least 1998, however, no significant warming trend has been noticeable…

“Unfortunately, the prophets of climate doom violate this idea. No matter what happens, it always confirms their basic premise that the world is getting hotter. The weather turns cold and wet? It’s global warming, they say. Weather turns hot? Global warming. No change? Global warming. More hurricanes? Global warming. No hurricanes? You guessed it.

“Nothing can disprove their thesis. Not even the extraordinarily frigid weather now creating havoc across most of the Northern Hemisphere…”

What can be said for sure is that our weather conditions have become unusually extreme. Since God is in control of the weather, this should perhaps tell us something.

2010 Worst Year for US Bank Failures Since 1992

The Washington Post wrote on December 28:

“More banks failed in the United States this year than in any year since 1992, during the savings-and-loan crisis… Amid high unemployment, a struggling economy and a still-devastated real estate market, the nation is closing out the year with 157 bank failures, up from 140 in 2009. As recently as 2006, before the bubble burst, there were none. Now, there are more on the horizon. The FDIC’s list of ‘problem’ banks – those whose weaknesses ‘threaten their continued financial viability’- stood at 860 as of Sept. 30, the highest since 1993. Historically, about a fifth of banks on the watch list end up failing…

“About half of the 2010 failures involved banks headquartered in four states: California, Florida, Georgia and Illinois. As of Sept. 30, the FDIC insurance fund for bank deposits had a balance of negative $8 billion. But that doesn’t include reserves such as premiums collected in advance from the banking industry. Also, as of the third quarter, the agency was predicting that bank failures would cost $52 billion through 2014…”

Asia—the Historic Battlefield

The International News reported on December 25:

“Since after the World War II, Asia’s geopolitical landscape has gone through a sea change in terms of its emerging political, economic and strategic problems and priorities. In the post-World War II era, the real Cold War was enacted on Asian soils which witnessed some of the most violent eruptions of the East-West struggle, and even some of the longest wars of the last century. These include the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the conflicts in Laos and Cambodia, the Arab-Israeli wars, the three India-Pakistan wars, the Iran-Iraq War, the Afghan War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and now the ongoing US war in Afghanistan…

“Asia is a vast region, home to nearly two-thirds of the world’s population, covering almost one-third of the earth’s landmass and comprising… the poverty-stricken and tension-ridden South Asia, the resource-rich yet politically unstable Central Asia, the economically pulsating East Asia, the volatile Middle East and the oil-rich Persian Gulf…

“Asia’s major regions continue to be a global hotspot. The long-standing Asian issues include the Palestine question, the Kashmir issue, the tensions on the Korean Peninsula and across the Strait of Taiwan and the triangular relations among Japan, the US and China, or in an expanded regional context, pentagonal relations among these three powers plus Russia and India.

“The ramifications of endless tensions and instability in some parts of Asia for global peace and security are immense. Some of the sources of current tensions and conflicts in Asia include America’s yet-to-end wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, its growing military and nuclear cooperation with India, the Iranian nuclear crisis, North Korea’s worrisome nuclear and ICBM capability, the deadlocked six-party talks on this issue, and other unresolved territorial disputes in the region, including those between Japan and Russia, China and South Korea.

“The new unipolarity has created serious imbalance of global power… What aggravates this scenario is the growing inability of the international community to respond to these challenges with unity of purpose. Iraq is still simmering. Afghanistan has yet to have peace. Kashmir is disillusioned. Palestine has given up. Germany has been reunited but the Korean Peninsula remains artificially divided…

“This year, China has had high-level visits and exchanges with almost all Asian countries including India and Pakistan. Next year, Pakistan and China will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations…

“For Asia, the real challenge in the 21st century is to capitalise on its own resources and assert its role as a balancing factor in the unipolar world by carving out a new niche for itself in the global geopolitical matrix. It has the power and the clout to do so as one of the largest geographical groups at the UN where it must now decisively stake a claim for an additional Asian permanent seat in the Security Council for a criteria-based rotation among the important Asian states.

“India must cede its regional hegemonic ambitions to a larger regional cause. Asian states must rise above sub-regional mode and concentrate on a common Asian cause by concerting their policies on issues of global relevance while also addressing Asia’s interstate and intraregional issues in an appropriate manner.”

The Bible shows that most Asian nations will unite under Chinese and Russian leadership. And while this unification will perhaps at first appear to be peaceful and in fragile harmony with Europe (as the next articles might suggest), it will ultimately lead to a terrible war between an Asian confederacy and united Europe. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

China to Europe’s Rescue…?

Reuters reported on December 23:

“China is willing to help countries in the euro zone return to economic health and will support the International Monetary Fund element of a bailout package for the bloc, … Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu [said. She] also told a regular news conference in Beijing that the euro zone was one of the most important areas for China’s foreign exchange investments, following reports that Beijing could step in to shore up European finances…
 
“The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that China had offered to take more ‘concerted action’ to support European financial stabilization.”

… Or Not?…

The Telegraph wrote on December 29:

“’In the coming five years, our military will push forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction,’ said [Chinese defense minister] Liang Guanglie… ‘We may be living in peaceful times, but we can never forget war, never send the horses south or put the bayonets and guns away,’ Mr Liang added.”

Western World “Condemns” Russia

Deutsche Welle reported on December 27:

“Germany and other Western countries have condemned the guilty verdict pronounced by a Russian court against jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on new fraud charges. In a statement, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called the verdict ‘a step backward’ for Russia. Westerwelle said that the way the trial was conducted was ‘very dubious’ and called on Russia to ‘stand up for the rule of law, democracy and human rights.’

“German Human Rights Commissioner Markus Loening found even stronger words to condemn the verdict, telling the dpa news agency that he was ‘outraged.’ ‘The judgment throws no good light on circumstances in Russia,’ he said…

“Chief European Union diplomat Catherine Ashton called on Russia ‘to respect its international commitments in the field of human rights and the rule of law.’ She said the EU would ‘continue to follow developments very closely, including the forthcoming announcement of the sentence.’

“Across the Atlantic, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the verdict raised ‘serious questions about selective prosecution – and about the rule of law being overshadowed by political considerations.’ Clinton also warned in a statement that ‘this and similar cases have a negative impact on Russia’s reputation for fulfilling its international human rights obligations and improving its investment climate’…

“Khodorkovsky is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for tax evasion. His release was scheduled for 2011. Sentencing in the current case is expected in the next few days. The prosecution is seeking a six-year jail term…’

“Khodorkovsky and his lawyers say the [embezzlement] charges against him are politically motivated. The tycoon has been an outspoken opponent of former president and current prime minister Vladimir Putin, openly funding opposition parties ahead of 2003 parliamentary elections. Khodorkovsky’s original trial in 2003 was widely seen as having been orchestrated by Putin. If Khodorkovsky remains in jail through 2012, it will prevent him from wielding his influence ahead of the election scheduled in that year.

“The current case has been seen as a test of the independence of the Russian justice system. But Monday’s conviction sheds grave doubts on President Dmitry Medvedev’s vows to modernize Russia and take it out of Putin’s shadow.”

The International News gave the following additional shocking details in its report, dated December 27:

“Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of Russia’s largest oil company and once its richest man, has been found guilty of embezzlement. His supporters say his real crime was daring to oppose the country’s prime minister, Vladimir Putin.

“Former oil tycoon and billionaire Mihkail Khodorkovsky, nearing the end of a first sentence of hard labour at a Siberian prison camp, was again judged guilty Monday by a judge deliberating on new charges of theft and money laundering at a second trial… The entire case has been called by many a personal vendetta by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Russia’s most powerful politician, against a once-potential rival… For many observers, the verdict of the trial was a foregone conclusion – and one that calls into question the credibility of Russia’s legal system.”

Many observers also feel that Russia is ruled by a repressive and totalitarian regime, and that the conviction of Khodorkovsky, at the instigation and manipulation of Vladimir Putin, formerly a spy in East Germany who worked for the despicable STASI, was political and unjust. Is the West interested in the rule of law and personal liberty and freedom in Russia and Asia? Will it be intimidated by Russia’s objections (see next article)?  Or does the West’s real interest lie in lucrative economic deals with rich Asian countries? If so, lip services of condemnation (note the pitiful and meaningless statement by Catherine Ashton, as quoted above), will not convince anyone.

Totalitarian Russia Reacts and Accuses…

Predictably, Russia complained about the complaints from the West. The New York Times wrote on December 28:

“…  the Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement accusing other countries of trying to interfere with a domestic judicial matter… Mr. Khodorkovsky is the country’s best-known prisoner, and his treatment has been cited by the Kremlin’s opponents as evidence that justice here is readily manipulated by those in power. Supporters of Mr. Khodorkovsky contend officials pressed new charges against him to make sure that he would stay in prison at least through presidential elections in 2012…

“As the session began, [Khodorkovsky and another defendant] were hustled into the courtroom by a squad of black-clad commandos. The judge entered with a stack of what appeared to be several hundred typewritten pages… Outside, a few hundred people gathered in an impromptu protest… But the protest soon ended with the sounds of sirens, screams and cursing, as the riot police dragged people into police vans… Mr. Khodorkovsky’s lawyers called the new charges absurd and politically motivated. Even some government officials said they had a hard time understanding exactly what Mr. Khodorkovsky had done wrong.”

All of this brings to mind the abominable history of Stalin’s murderous conduct, and the criminal methods of Hitler’s Gestapo during Nazi Germany…

… And Does Not Care About Meaningless Criticism!

The BBC News reported on December 30:

“Imprisoned former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man, has been sentenced to six more years in jail for fraud [the maximum penalty for such “accusations”]. With his current sentence due to expire next year, Khodorkovsky, 47, now faces imprisonment until 2017. He could ‘only be reformed by being isolated from society’, the judge said…

“After the sentencing, US state department spokesman Mark Toner said Washington was concerned by the apparent ‘abusive use of the legal system for improper ends…’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was ‘disappointed’ by the sentence. ‘The impression remains that political motives played a role in the trial,’ she said in a statement… As sentence was passed, Khodorkovsky’s mother shouted at the judge: ‘May you and your offspring be damned!’… Defence lawyer Yury Shmidt told reporters that the sentence amounted to ‘lawlessness’.”

Lawlessness is not only symptomatic for Russia, but it is, sadly, a worldwide phenomenon. For more information, please read our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound.”

In addition, an interesting comment was posted in The Local, dated December 30:

“Viktor and Marina Kalashnikov, now thought to be poisoned by mercury here in Berlin, Alexander Litvinenko murdered by radioactive poisoning in London, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky is jailed for another 6 years, all have become victims of Mr. Putin.  All have one thing in common, they were critical of the Kremlin. I can understand why Germany might have some reservations about the Russian government.”

But here is the clincher. As The Local states in its main article, “Russia and Germany have a lucrative trade relationship. Russian exports to Germany reached €25 billion ($33 billion) in 2009 while Germany exported nearly €21 billion in goods and services to Russia.”

No Peace in the Middle East

The Associated Press reported on December 26:

“Israel’s foreign minister [Avigdor Lieberman] said Sunday a peace deal with the Palestinians is impossible under current conditions… After days of accelerated Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel and Israeli airstrikes in response, Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians on the border early Sunday… ‘It’s not only that it is impossible’ to reach an overall agreement, [Lieberman] said. ‘It is simply forbidden.’

“Lieberman said the West Bank Palestinian Authority — with whom Israel has pledged to negotiate — is ‘not legitimate’ because it has postponed elections. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remains in office though his term expired almost a year ago, and there is no date for a new election… A statement from [President] Netanyahu’s office said Lieberman’s comments reflect ‘his personal positions,’ not those of the government.

“Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority broke down in September after an Israeli freeze on settlement construction expired. The Palestinians say they will not negotiate as long as Israel builds homes for Jews in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, lands the Palestinians claim for a future state…

“Israeli Cabinet Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer warned Sunday that if peace talks fail, ‘the whole world’ is likely to recognize a sovereign Palestinian state–a development Israel would not welcome. ‘Within a year, we will find ourselves in a situation where the whole world — and I wouldn’t be surprised if even the United States — would support a Palestinian state,’ he said.”

The Bible shows that the whole world WILL turn against the state of Israel. For  more information as to what is predicted to happen soon, please read our free booklet, “The Book of Zechariah—Prophecies for Today!”

Germany’s Move from Peace to War

Deutsche Welle reported on December 28:

“In memory of the atrocities committed under the Third Reich, democratic West Germany foreswore war as an instrument of its foreign policy. Its military served a single purpose: To help defend the NATO allies in Western Europe and North America from a Soviet attack. But when the Berlin Wall fell, the world changed, as did Germany’s role within it. The government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl had just finalized German reunification when a series of conflicts erupted in the Persian Gulf, Yugoslavia and Somalia.

“As the international community intervened to contain these conflicts, Germans faced a historically uncomfortable question: Should a reunited and fully sovereign Germany become a military power capable of using force on the world stage?… As the US and its coalition partners launched air strikes to eject the Iraqi military from Kuwait in January 1991, the streets of Germany’s major cities filled with 250,000 protestors who opposed the US-led war against Saddam Hussein. The protests expressed a deep-seated national aversion to war and militarism. After living at the epicenter of international conflict for an entire century, German society had lost its taste for political violence…

“But the Germans’ rejection of the American-led coalition, and a UN-sanctioned military campaign that targeted an aggressive dictator, left Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s government in a deeply uncomfortable position… Instead of sending troops to the Persian Gulf, Bonn wrote the coalition partners a check for 17 billion marks ($12 billion, or 8 billion euros) and supplied logistical support…

“The Kohl government had been politically and legally boxed into a corner. On top of vehement public opposition, the government faced a constitution that sanctioned war only in self-defense. And since Saddam Hussein had neither attacked Germany nor the NATO allies, direct German military participation in the conflict was off-limits.

“In an effort to reconcile Germany’s laws with its international obligations, the center-right Christian Democratic Union called for the “clarification” of two conflicting constitutional articles. Article 87 gave Germany the right to field an army for national defense. But Article 24 also permitted Germany to join collective security organizations to preserve world peace. Many conservatives argued that Article 24 sanctioned German participation in multilateral military operations – with or without a UN mandate – that were not directly related to territorial defense…

“But world events overshadowed the partisan debate in Germany. The dust had hardly settled in the Persian Gulf when devastating civil wars broke out in Yugoslavia and Somalia. In an attempt to contain violence in Southeastern Europe, NATO and the West European Union – a European defense organization – imposed a sea and air blockade on Yugoslavia. NATO deployed AWACS radar planes to patrol the skies of the Balkan war zone. With Germans serving in the multinational crews that manned these aircraft, participation in the blockade was a foregone conclusion…

“While NATO tried to stem the tide of violence in Yugoslavia, the UN sanctioned a US-led peacekeeping mission to stabilize Somalia… With the political parties still in gridlock over the constitutional question, the Kohl government decided to act without parliamentary approval. Kohl deployed ships and aircraft to Yugoslavia and more than 1,000 soldiers to Somalia…  the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that Germany could participate in UN, NATO and WEU military operations worldwide. But there was an important caveat: These operations had to be approved by a simple parliamentary majority.” 

This article showed how a nation can be drawn into war—sometimes even against the will of the majority of the people. The Bible prophesies that Germany will become the leading nation of a European military alliance, and that that confederation will engage in a worldwide war in the not-too-distant future. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

“Franco-German Exhibition Highlights Napoleon’s Ambiguous Glory”

Deutsche Welle reported on December 29:

“A world of opinions exists about Napoleon and his time, and that has always been the case. In 1806, Hegel described him as an iconic ‘world-soul,’ and even his enemies could not quite shake off the fascination for the emperor who at first seemed to be invincible. But poets and artists of his time also portrayed Napoleon as a heartless warmonger, a ridiculous caricature, and even as Satan’s eldest son.

“In ‘Napoleon and Europe, Dream and Trauma’ the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany takes on Napoleon in the context of his time… The historic exhibition was done in cooperation with the Musee de l’Armee in Paris, where it will be shown in the spring of 2012… ‘Up to now in France, it’s been quite impossible to have a reasonable point of view about Napoleon,’ Robert Bresse, director of the Musee de l’Armee, told Deutsche Welle…

“His ambitious plans to unify Europe under his command resulted in strategic triumphs, such as the Battle of the Three Emperors in 1805. But they also led to his disastrous defeat and eventual downfall after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815… Other exhibitions have dealt thoroughly with the millions of victims who were killed in the Napoleonic wars…

“Napoleon’s influence remains a part of Europe up to the present day. The exhibit shows how he implemented new standards like the metric system, connected European cities through a system of roads and telegraph lines, and, of course, introduced the Napoleonic Code, the civil rights opus still applied in France. But Napoleon’s impact on the face of Europe was dark as well… [and was] as controversial as Napoleon himself.”

Under Napoleon, who was apparently of Italian (not French) descent, the eighth revival of the ancient Roman Empire occurred. The ninth revival happened under Mussolini and Hitler, and we are observing right now in Europe the beginning of the final and last revival of ancient Rome. For more information, please watch or listen to Norbert Link’s recent sermon, “Rome’s Revivals”.

The True Origin of Christmas

The following was circulated this week on the Internet:

 

Origin of New Year’s Celebrations

The Local wrote on December 30:

“Silvester is the German name for New Year’s Eve – owing to the fourth century Pope Sylvester I. Eventually made a saint by the Catholic Church, his feast day is observed on December 31… But despite the holiday’s Christian name, many German New Year’s traditions can be traced back to the pagan Rauhnächte practices of heathen Germanic tribes, which took place at the end of December and beginning of January.

“Instead of recognizing a single day as the winter solstice, the Germanic tribes observed twelve Rauhnächte – hairy nights, so called due to the furry forms of the deep winter demons – or Rauchnächte – smoky nights, due to the practice of smoking the spirits out of one’s house on January 5. Bringing very little sun to the northern regions, the twelve Rauhnächte were considered days outside of time, when the solar and lunar years were allowed to re-synchronise. Silvester took place right in the middle of the twelve Rauhnächte and was the night of the god Wotan’s wild hunt, a time of particular commotion and celebration.

“As in many other countries, the Germans celebrate Silvester with fireworks, champagne, and boisterous social gatherings. Making noise is key: the ruckus of fireworks, firecrackers, drums, whip-cracking and banging kitchen utensils has been driving away evil winter spirits since the days of the Germanic Teutons…

“Besides being a fun spectacle, the light of pyrotechnic displays also provides a surrogate sun during the dark Silvester night. Suffering the winter bleakness in their northern regions more than anyone, the Teutons feared that the sun, which they thought of as a wheel that rolled around the earth, was slowing to a stop during the darkest days of winter. Perhaps as a sign of protest, they lit wooden wheels on fire and sent them rolling down mountains and clubbed trees with flaming cudgels. These practices are likely forerunners to the Silvester firework tradition.

“The belief that the sun was slowing to a stop also led to the German tradition of doing no work on New Year’s Eve: everything should stand just as still on earth. Above all no one should do any laundry, because the god Wotan made his rounds with his army of devils for a wild hunt during Silvester and would be terribly angry if he got caught in any clotheslines.

“Because the twelve Rauhnächte – now associated with the twelve days of Christmas…  – were days outside of time, all manner of supernatural events were possible. Spirits of all sorts charged through the night, either embodying the horror of winter or chasing it away…

“The Rauhnächte were also a time when the future for the New Year could be divined. Silvester in Germany still calls for oracle traditions, which often take the form of party games. Bleigießen (lead pouring) is the most popular Silvester fortune-telling tradition. Party-goers melt small lead forms with a candle in an old spoon and pour them into cold water. The lead hardens into a shape that supposedly bears a certain meaning for the New Year. An eagle, for example, indicates career success, while a flower foretells that new friendships will develop.

“Other oracle traditions on Silvester include swinging a pendulous object, such as a necklace or watch, and asking it a yes-or-no question. If the pendulum swings in a circle, the answer is ‘yes,’ if it swings vertically, the answer is ‘no,’ and if it swings horizontally, the answer is uncertain. Bibelstechen involves opening the Bible to a random page, closing one’s eyes and pointing to a random verse. The verse should provide some information or advice for the coming year.”

For more information on the pagan origins of Christmas and New Year’s, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible? Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days.”

Our Crazy Weather

The Associated Press wrote on December 19:

“Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined…

“And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say. Even though many catastrophes have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and weird year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes. Poor construction and development practices conspire to make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable buildings in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river breaches, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die…

“[Some scientists say] the world’s population is moving into riskier megacities on fault zones and flood-prone areas [and] that 400 million to 500 million people in the world live in large cities prone to major earthquakes. A Haitian disaster will happen again, [some say]: ‘It could be Algiers. it could be Tehran. It could be any one of a dozen cities.’”

Coldest Winter for Britain Since at Least 1910

The Daily Mail reported on December 20:

“The Arctic conditions are set to last through the Christmas and New Year bank holidays and beyond, and as temperatures plummeted to -10c (14f) the Met Office said this December was ‘almost certain’ to become the coldest since records began in 1910.”

Chaos in Europe

The Associated Press reported on December 20:

“Snow and freezing temperatures continued to cause holiday travel chaos for road, rail and air passengers in Britain and much of Europe… Airlines said that Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, was the worst hit by the poor weather — with only a limited number of flights to arrive and depart. Hundreds of passengers camped overnight in terminal buildings after services were canceled or delayed… Eurostar reported that its trains linking England to France and Belgium were also severely delayed or canceled and urged travelers to cancel or postpone their trips if possible…

“In Germany flight operations were slowed even though Frankfurt airport, Germany’s biggest, was clear of snow and ice. Officials canceled about 300 flights there Monday… because of problems elsewhere in Europe… French civil aviation authorities, meanwhile, asked airlines to reduce their flights at the two main Paris airports by 30%…”

“Drought-Plagued California Copes with Near-Record Rainfall”

USA Today wrote on December 22:

“A powerful storm dumped more rain on already waterlogged Southern California on Wednesday, washing hillsides onto highways, endangering houses in canyons and forcing rescuers to pluck dozens of motorists from flooded streets… Floodwaters washed away homes in Arizona and inundated parts of Nevada and Utah…
 
“In Southern California, the burst of heavy rain in the morning left streets flooded and caused minor mudslides. The threat, however, of larger mudslides could last for weeks in the suburban Los Angeles canyon hillsides laid bare by wildfires… Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in six counties… In southern Nevada, a state of emergency was ordered after rain-swollen creeks closed some roads in the Las Vegas area and snow disrupted electricity…”

Obama’s Dangerous Strategy

The Guardian wrote on December 17:

“President Obama has decided to pursue a dangerous strategy that could cause irreparable harm to freedom of the press as we know it… Attorney General Eric Holder is investigating the possibility of prosecuting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in connection with the 250,000 diplomatic cables stolen – according to the government – by army private Bradley Manning.

“By longstanding first amendment tradition, third parties such as news organisations — even an unconventional one like WikiLeaks — are not prosecuted for publishing leaked material, even if the person who gave it to them broke the law. So, Holder is working on the theory that WikiLeaks ‘colluded’ with Manning, acting not as a passive recipient, but as an active participant in persuading Manning to give up the goods.

“The problem is that there is no meaningful distinction to be made. How did the Guardian, equally, not ‘collude’ with WikiLeaks in obtaining the cables? How did the New York Times not ‘collude’ with the Guardian when the Guardian gave the Times a copy following Assange’s decision to cut the Times out of the latest document dump?… For that matter, I don’t see how any news organisation can be said not to have colluded with a source when it receives leaked documents.

“The Obama-Holder wrinkle is to attempt to draw distinctions between WikiLeaks and the traditional media. It can’t be done… attempts to separate the Times and the Guardian, on the one hand, and WikiLeaks, on the other, should be seen as entirely political. Presumably, dragging a handcuffed-and-shackled Assange into federal court would prove quite popular. By contrast, sentencing Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger to a long stint in a federal penitentiary would likely prove too much, even though senator Joe Lieberman, an occasionally moderate former Democrat, has suggested that the Times could be prosecuted.

“…the White House’s legal war against WikiLeaks is a shameful assault on our guarantee of free speech and a free press. It’s ironic that after two years of bogus claims from the right that Obama is dismantling the constitution, now that he really is, the only people who seem to care are on the left.”

U.S. “Overclassification” Made Assange Relevant

The Washington Post wrote on December 18:

“… prosecuting Assange would give him exactly what he wants: proof that America is hypocritical, that we don’t live by the freedoms we preach. Assange would like nothing more than to be a martyr – and President Obama shouldn’t give that to him. The better way to deal with Assange is to make him irrelevant. The only reason WikiLeaks has been a sensation is the absurd secrecy of the Obama administration, in some ways worse than that of George W. Bush…

“The episode spotlighted Obama’s surprisingly poor record on government openness. The administration has already undertaken four prosecutions of government leakers, more than any predecessor, in some cases using the arcane, World War I-era Espionage Act. At the same time, the administration stymied efforts in Congress to pass a ‘shield law’ to protect journalists’ confidential sources…

“Over-classification is so prevalent that even the Pentagon Papers – leaked by Daniel Ellsberg nearly four decades ago – are still classified as Top Secret. Thomas Blanton of the National Security Archive at George Washington University said that between 50 percent and 90 percent of classified material shouldn’t be; the result is ‘vast prairies’ of phony government secrets that are impossible to protect.

“It achieves little to punish Assange for trespassing on the prairie, either by prosecuting him (as Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other Democrats suggest) or hunting him like a terrorist (as Sarah Palin would have it). Instead, end the obsessive classification that made Assange possible – and deny him the martyrdom he desires.”

“Helmut Schmidt Slams ‘Foolish’ U.S. Pursuit of Wikileaks”

The Local wrote on December 21:

“Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt has blasted as ‘foolish’ the United States’ pursuit of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. ‘That seems like revenge and it is,’ Schmidt told weekly Die Zeit’s magazine in an interview… Schmidt, who served as West German chancellor from 1974 to 1982, frequently weighs in on topical issues despite having reached the advanced age of 91…

“Schmidt said there was a ‘moral obligation for the publication’ of secret documents that exposed abuses at prisons such as Abu Ghraib or Guantánamo Bay, but questioned whether secret diplomatic communications should be released… For the US government, the publication of the cables was ‘a terrible thing, which will affect diplomatic relations for a long time.’”

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” No More

Time Magazine wrote on December 22:

“President Obama… signed the law allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the U.S. military. ‘This morning I am proud to sign a law bringing an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”’ he said. No one should have to ‘sacrifice their integrity’ to wear the uniform of the U.S. armed forces, he said…

“The Pentagon itself is basking in public approval, which isn’t something it always gets… The papers praising the step are not just from the reliably Democratic northeast – journals from more conservative precincts… all have hailed the move… the unanimity, so far anyway, is surprising.”

The President’s words, the action of the House and the Senate, and newspaper unanimity is indecisive as to whether a matter is right or wrong. What really should count is God’s point of view. And the Bible makes that one very clear.

US Senate Approves Nuclear Arms Pact With Russia

BBC News reported on December 22:

“The US president has welcomed the US Senate’s ratification of a much-delayed nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Barack Obama said the agreement, which will pave the way for new cuts in American and Russian nuclear arsenals, was the most important such deal in almost 20 years. After months of wrangling in the Senate, the New Start treaty was passed by a vote of 71 to 26. Under the deal, Russia and the US will cut deployed nuclear warheads by 30%…

“Despite lengthy protests from a number of congressional Republicans, 13 Republican Senators voted with the Democrats during Wednesday’s vote… The treaty must still pass Russia’s parliament, a move expected next spring.

“The New Start treaty, which will replace its lapsed predecessor, Start (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), was signed by Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, President Dmitry Medvedev, in April 2010. It trims US and Russian nuclear arsenals to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads… The treaty would also allow each side visually to inspect the other’s nuclear capability, with the aim of verifying how many warheads each missile carries.

“In addition, there will be legally binding limits on the number of warheads and missiles that can be deployed on land, on submarines, and on bombers, at any one time… senior Republicans… argued that the treaty could compromise US national security, handing Russia influence over American missile defence strategy.”

America’s attempts to buy allies—called “lovers” in the Bible—is doomed. The Bible clearly says that these lovers will turn against the USA and whatever treaties have been signed, will be broken (as the USA has signed and shamefully broken treaty after treaty with the “Native Americans” or “American Indians”).

Still Plenty to Destroy the World

BBC News wrote on December 22:

“Nobody pretends that the so-called ‘New Start’ treaty is going to save the world from the nuclear threat. It will reduce deployed warheads from 2,200 to 1,550 on each side – still plenty to destroy the world… Tactical Nuclear Weapons [or] short-range weapons emerged as a serious issue during the New Start debate, with opponents of the treaty complaining that it does not deal with them. The US revealed last year that it had 5,113 nuclear weapons in total, of which about half are estimated to be tactical. Russia has about the same.

“One problem is that if each side agrees to store them at home, Russia could deploy them in any war in Europe much more quickly. A ‘world without nuclear weapons’ is a long way off.”

“Obama Biggest Loser of 2010”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 23:

“After months of stalling, the US Senate has finally approved the New START disarmament treaty with Russia. The ratification is a major triumph for US President Barack Obama, but German commentators warn that it may be the last such success for a long time…

“SPIEGEL’s Washington correspondent Marc Hujer writes…: ‘Barack Obama was the biggest loser of 2010. He allowed the angry Tea Party movement to grow powerful, he did not pass any decent laws despite his majority in Congress and he was aloof, elitist and indecisive. He had to accept a formidable, yet entirely understandable, defeat in the midterm elections as a result. No one expected much from Obama, at least not during the rest of this year.

“‘Now, just days before Christmas, Congress has ratified the New START disarmament treaty with Russia. … Will Obama build on this victory? Is it Obama’s breakthrough as a president? Will it mark his comeback as a reformer? … Is a new era of cooperation beginning? The opposite is much more probable, namely that the disarmament treaty will be Obama’s last significant achievement for a long time. In January, the new Congress will convene. The new representatives who won in the midterm elections will come to Washington, including those Tea Party activists who have little interest in making compromises with Obama…’”

US Cities and States Could File for Bankruptcy

The Guardian wrote on December 20:

“More than 100 American cities could go bust next year as the debt crisis that has taken down banks and countries threatens next to spark a municipal meltdown… American cities and states have debts in total of as much as $2tn… US states have spent nearly half a trillion dollars more than they have collected in taxes, and face a $1tn hole in their pension funds…

“Detroit is cutting police, lighting, road repairs and cleaning services, affecting as much as 20% of the population. The city, which has been on the skids for almost two decades with the decline of the US auto industry, does not generate enough wealth to maintain services for its 900,000 inhabitants. The nearby state of Illinois has spent twice as much money as it has collected and is about six months behind on creditor payments. The University of Illinois alone is owed $400m…

“California has raised state university tuition fees by 32%. Arizona has sold its state capitol and supreme court buildings to investors, and leases them back. Potential defaults could also hit Florida…”

Europe’s Dependency on USA “Pathetic”

The EUObserver wrote on December 16:

“Europe’s willingness to take directions from other world powers is ‘pitiful’ and ‘pathetic,’ China’s top man in Brussels has said. The remarks come as leaked diplomatic cables show the US lobbied hard to prevent the EU from ending its arms embargo on China.”

Europe Needs Germany

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“Germany’s controversial approach to fighting the euro crisis has split the European Union. Some countries are complaining about Berlin’s rigid course, while others accuse Chancellor Merkel of betraying the European project. The only thing they can agree on is that the EU needs Germany as a motor if it is to survive…

“… the Germans… dominated the stage politically in Brussels, once again. The 26 other heads of state and government gave in to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s demand to amend the EU’s Lisbon Treaty to include a permanent crisis fund, known as the stability mechanism, for the euro zone starting in 2013. Also at the chancellor’s request, they inserted a passage stating that the stability mechanism is only ‘to be activated if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the euro area as a whole.’ The group also approved Germany’s demand that private lenders be involved in the event of a government bankruptcy.

“’We came to an agreement,’ a clearly pleased Merkel announced. ‘It was a good day for Europe.’ The other summit participants had no choice but to make similar statements… In Rome, Merkel has long been seen as a chancellor who can do everything Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cannot. She is seen as credible and honest… But since Germany began going it alone in the EU, Merkel seems to have become sinister and even a threat to the Italians. Suddenly she is being viewed, once again, as the ‘iron chancellor,’ the moral watchdog.”

“Berlin Blocks Bulgaria, Romania from Schengen”

The Local wrote on December 21:

“France and Germany decided Tuesday to block Bulgaria and Romania from joining Europe’s borderless 25-nation Schengen area next year, a move denounced by the Romanian president as discriminatory… The Schengen area allows more than 400 million citizens to travel across a territory that ranges from Greece to Finland, and Portugal to Poland, without having to pull out a passport. The area includes 22 of the European Union’s 27 members plus Iceland, Switzerland and Norway.

“Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007. By choice, EU members Britain and Ireland have not joined the travel zone while Cyprus has applied to enter Schengen… Allowing a country to join Schengen must be agreed by member states by unanimity, meaning that France and Germany have veto power over the applications. The decision to block the entry of Romania and Bulgaria follows a summer row over France’s deportation of Roma migrants from the two eastern European nations, although the issue was not cited as a reason for the Schengen veto.”

Britain’s Isolation

The Economist wrote on December 17:

“Increasingly, these days, Britain seems to be attending a different summit from other countries. Most leaders went to Brussels in the hope of demonstrating unity and determination in safeguarding the euro; Mr Cameron made the trip to safeguard the British (and, he says, the European) taxpayer… the British move was mis-timed and discordant. Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, was irritated by the British move at a time when she wanted European leaders to rally in defence of the euro.

“There is a distinct detachment about Britain and the burning questions of Europe. Partly it is circumstance: the crisis is raging in the euro zone, and Britain is not a member of it. But partly it is also a matter of choice: Mr Cameron seems most comfortable sitting on the sidelines. This attitude that is much different from that of, say, Sweden, a non-euro country that is nevertheless strongly involved in every aspect of the debate about the euro.

“The crisis is slowly creating a two-speed Europe: a more integrated euro core, with a looser fringe that Britain is happy to inhabit.”

Maybe Britain won’t be that happy for long, after all. In fact, what we are seeing now is the beginning of the prophesied fact that Britain will end up as being totally isolated in Europe.

The Afghan War Debacle

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“During a surprise weekend visit to Afghanistan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel finally called the conflict a war… While Merkel praised the troops, the Afghanistan mission continued to spark political crossfire at home. Germans have long been critical of their troops in Afghanistan, which make up the third-largest NATO contingent in the country…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘In January, German parliament will extend the Afghanistan mandate by another year… In the year 2011 we will only agree to support a corrupt government which gained power through electoral fraud, which sees economic growth purely in relation [to] its own foreign accounts and which shows no ambition to reform Afghanistan’s archaic social structures. It is at least honest that the chancellor, in her own convoluted way, called the war a war. But her sentence is only half of the truth. The rest is: We can only lose this war.”

“The left-leaning Frankfurter Rundschau writes:  ‘Angela Merkel calls (war) what it is to make the subject a firm fixture in the consciousness of German people. In reality she produces a headline without any content… She does with words what her defense minister did with television pictures last week. All of that does not bring us forward, at least not towards peace.’”

No Children for Homosexual Couples

The Local reported on December 20:

“Volker Kauder, the parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats, said on Monday that homosexual couples had no right to have children. ‘This has to be accepted, even if it’s difficult for those affected,’ Kauder [said]. ‘I don’t think children wish to be raised by homosexual couples.’ He said the question of children’s well-being should come before the desires of adults to become parents…

“Germany introduced ‘registered partnerships’ for same-sex couples in 2001, but stopped short of granting them the full rights and privileges afforded to married heterosexual couples. Homosexuals can legally adopt the children of their partners, but adopting an unrelated child as a couple is not currently allowed… Kauder’s most recent comments highlight the ongoing discrepancy between the Christian Democrats and their junior coalition partners the Free Democrats on gay issues.”

Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s Foreign Minister and Leader of the FDP, is openly homosexual. Volker Kauder’s comments do surprise, however, as it has become extremely politically incorrect in Europe (and more and more in the USA) to say anything about or relating to homosexuals which could be remotely construed as criticism or “discrimination.”  To emphasize this point, please read the next article.

Religious Persecution in Britain (and Soon in the USA?)

WorldNetDaily wrote on December 20:

“Telling a street preacher that it is against the law to affirm the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality is costing a team of British police officers some $11,000 – plus legal fees. That was the resolution announced by The Christian Institute in a case that it fought on behalf of a street preacher, Dale Mcalpine, who was arrested and detained for nearly eight hours on the basis of the officers’ decision that the Bible’s teachings violated the law…

“Mike Judge, spokesman for the institute, which fights on behalf of Christian and human rights in the United Kingdom, said [that] ‘Mr. Mcalpine was arrested and held in a cell for expressing his Christian views… Sadly, it’s not an isolated case. We have defended a number of Christians wrongfully arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act. There is a problem with the law and it needs to be fixed.’…

“The U.K.’s Public Order Act includes language that is similar to Barack Obama’s ‘hate crimes’ law in the U.S. that he signed more than a year ago in that they ban some statements regarding homosexuality. That bill became law over the objections of a multitude of Christian organizations who say it grants special protections to those who choose a homosexual lifestyle, creating a form of ‘thought police’ in the United States…

“In one U.S. situation, a street preacher’s toe apparently brushed the grass of private property and he was arrested, and in Oslo, authorities have tried to shut down those who would share their Christian [beliefs] in public. At the time the case developed, Liberty Counsel Cultural Affairs Analyst Matt Barber raised the warning that such cases will be seen more and more in America, too.

“’We know that what’s happening in Europe and what’s happening in Canada offers us a window into the future of what will happen here in the United States,’ he said. ‘The hate crimes laws and employment sexual orientation laws such as ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act here in the United States, have been the precursor to the more oppressive hate speech laws,’ Barber explained. ‘Make no mistake, those laws we have now for hate crimes and the more present danger with ENDA, these laws are the precursor in the U. S. for the same kind of criminalization of Christianity that’s happening in the U. K.,’ Barber said…

“Barber added that the goal of the radical homosexual lobby is to silence Christians. ‘Their goal is to silence any dissent and to silence under any penalty of law the biblical recognition and expression of a traditional Judeo-Christian world view relative to sexual behavior and sexual morality,’ Barber said.”

Belarus—Europe’s “Last Soviet-Style Dictatorship”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“Officially, Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko [formerly part of the Soviet Union] won re-election with almost 80 percent of the vote on Sunday… Throughout Sunday night and into the early hours of Monday morning, security forces went after both opposition activists and critical journalists who denounced the elections as fraudulent. Demonstrators were beaten and at least four of the nine candidates who ran against Lukashenko were arrested. Police took hundreds of protesters into custody…

“… the violence with which the regime confronted protestors will likely have consequences for relations between Belarus and the European Union. The EU recently pledged €3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) in aid for the country.

“… police and members of the Belarus intelligence service, known as the KGB, began beating the crowd with batons. [Presidential candidate] Neklyayev was seriously injured and lost consciousness. Despite the police brutality, however, over 10,000 Lukashenko opponents gathered in the capital to protest what they saw as election fraud…

“The US Embassy in Minsk said that Washington was ‘especially concerned over excessive use of force by the authorities, including the beating and detention of several presidential candidates’… German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said ‘it is unacceptable to harass, beat or arrest opposition candidates and their supporters who want to exert their right to freedom of expression.’ Poland demanded the immediate release of opposition candidates and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek was scathing in his critique: ‘This cowardly attack on defenseless presidential candidates is horrifying and scandalous.’

“Belarus is seen as the last Soviet-style dictatorship in Europe… dozens of demonstrators were heavily beaten, including presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov. Sannikov was reportedly taken into custody on the way to the hospital. His wife, who works as a reporter for the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, told the radio station Echo Moscow that her husband had been ‘struck several times in the face.’ Aides to injured presidential candidate Neklyayev reported that he was abducted by several men in civilian clothing shortly after arriving at hospital with serious head wounds.

“At 4:20 on Monday morning, special forces broke down the door of the offices of the opposition website Charter 97. Editor in Chief Natalia Radina only had time for one final bit of news. ‘We are all at the KGB,’ she wrote.”

These incredible totalitarian and criminal methods remind us of another dictator who ruled Russia not too long ago—Josef Stalin. And they remind us of Adolf Hitler who terrorized Germany and who was responsible for the outbreak of World War II. It shows how easy it is for dictators to abuse power when they think they have the capability to do so, and that others won’t object to their evil deeds.

Dictators Never Change

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 21:

“The Western outcry has been loud but feckless, the Russian response purse-lipped (‘an internal matter,’ said President Dmitry Medvedev) — and Lukashenko is unrepentant. On Tuesday a Belarusian court issued blanket 15-day jail sentences to over 600 protestors arrested by police on Sunday. They face up to 15 years in prison, should they be convicted of inciting violence. It was an implicit snub to the European Union, which had made overtures to Belarus ahead of the election and afterwards demanded freedom for the candidates and journalists…

“There has been little progress toward democratic reform during President Aleksander Lukashenko’s 16 years in office. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice famously called him ‘Europe’s last dictator,’ and the nickname stuck. His close relationship with Moscow — like Belarus’ state-run economy — depends on cheap oil and gas.”

The Financial Times Deutschland wrote on December 22:

“The misdeeds under Lukashenko aren’t new. What is new is that Germany and its EU partners believed a little fair-weather diplomacy would change everything…”

Die Welt wrote on December 22:

“At some point even the Kremlin found it absurd to be played for such a fool by the president of Belarus. The old idea of a Russian ‘union’ began to sound tuneless. The little Soviet brothers would have to learn for themselves how to survive a frigid winter in the no-man’s land between Russia and Europe… (Western) dream that more democracy would move Belarus further West has not grown likelier with the recent election.

“But why do strong men — in Africa or Asia or, in this case, on the doorstep of the EU — need election majorities hovering near 100 percent? The first West German chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, started his long term in office with a one-vote (parliamentary) majority, and John F. Kennedy proved in his day that a narrow victory is also a victory. The world of potentates is different. On the one hand they give lip service to democracy and allow elections; on the other, they never allow those elections to bring change… But fraud is fraud, and dictatorships never change.”

Palestinian State With or Without American Approval?

The Daily Israel Report wrote on December 19:

“The Palestinian Authority is continuing its drive to unilaterally declare independent statehood next year, with or without a negotiated settlement with Israel. PA spokesman Nabil Shaath continued to lay the public relations groundwork Saturday by telling reporters the peace process with Israel is in a ‘deep coma’ and that U.S. proposals for negotiations are ‘totally useless.’ … Moreover, the PA has also formally requested for the first time that European countries recognize a Palestinian state, should one be declared – even in the absence of a final status agreement with the State of Israel…

“Thus far, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela have formally recognized the PA as a sovereign entity, with Uruguay promising to do so in 2011. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told reporters that he expects Ecuador to follow with a similar announcement shortly.

“Just three days earlier, Norway had upgraded the status of the PA mission in Oslo from a ‘general delegation’ to a ‘diplomatic mission.’ In addition, the head of the PA mission in the country was granted diplomatic immunity. This follows a similar decision by France in July 2010…

“The U.S. House of Representatives, meanwhile, unanimously approved on Thursday a resolution opposing the unilateral declaration of a new PA country. The resolution called on the Obama administration to ‘deny recognition to any unilaterally declared Palestinian state… Former PA head negotiator Saeb Erekat responded with anger to the reaction by the U.S. Congress…”

Europe’s Far Right vs. Islam

Reuters reported on December 20:

“Far-right political parties in Europe are stepping up their anti-Muslim rhetoric and forging ties across borders, even going so far as to visit Israel to hail the Jewish state as a bulwark against militant Islam.

“National Front leader Marine Le Pen has shocked the French political elite in recent days by comparing Muslims who pray outside crowded mosques — a common sight during the holy month of Ramadan — to the World War Two Nazi occupation. Oskar Freysinger, a champion of the Swiss ban on minarets, warned a far-right meeting in Paris Saturday against ‘the demographic, sociological and psychological Islamization of Europe.’ German and Belgian activists also addressed the crowd.

“Geert Wilders, whose populist far-right party supports the Dutch minority government, told Reuters last week he was organizing an ‘international freedom alliance’ to link grass-roots groups active in ‘the fight against Islam.’

“Earlier this month, Wilders visited Israel and backed its West Bank settlements, saying Palestinians there should move to Jordan. Like-minded German, Austrian, Belgian, Swedish and other far-rightists were on their own Israel tour at the same time. ‘Our culture is based on Christianity, Judaism and humanism and (the Israelis) are fighting our fight,’ Wilders told Reuters in Amsterdam last week…

“Some on the far right see similar trends in the United States. Wilders attended a rally in New York on September 11 to protest against a mosque planned near Ground Zero and the leader of the Austrian Freedom Party, Heinz Christian Strache, has said he wants to visit the United States to meet leaders of the Tea Party movement…

“The Israeli newspaper Haaretz accused the rightists of ‘trading in their Jewish demon-enemy for the Muslim criminal-immigrant model’ and visiting Israel only to get ‘Jewish absolution that will bring them closer to political power.’”

This comment by Haaretz is absolutely right. Demagogues like Wilders, Strache or LePen are doing much more harm than good. Their self-serving attempts to create fear for political gain must be rejected. Their unspecified attempts to woo Israel and to “warn” Europe and now even the USA of “Islamization” is of no value, but could prove to be quite dangerous.

Japan’s Dynamic Defense Policy

RTT News reported on December 17:

“Tokyo has adopted a new ‘dynamic defense capability’ policy which marks a major shift from the existing one that seeks only a minimum defense capability… pronouncements include adopting measures for promoting confidence and co-operation with China and Russia even while expanding engagements with the European Union (EU) and the NATO… it moots enhanced defense ties with the United States, Australia, India and South Korea. The country’s projected defense expenditure over the next five years has been pegged at 23.49 trillion yen ($279 billion).”

Japan’s decision to promote co-operation with China and Russia is remarkable in the light of biblical prophecy which predicts that these and other Far Eastern countries will form an alliance against Europe and the USA.

Dangerous Scientific Games

AFP wrote on December 16:

“The White House… said the controversial field of synthetic biology, or manipulating the DNA of organisms to forge new life forms, poses limited risks and should be allowed to proceed. The panel was created by Obama last year. Its first order of business was to consider the issue of synthetic biology after the J. Craig Venter Institute announced in May it had developed the first self-replicating bacteria cell controlled by a synthetic genome.

“Critics said the discovery was tantamount to ‘playing God,’ creating organisms without adequate understanding [of] the ramifications, and upsetting the natural order… But the commission said Venter’s team had not actually created life, since the work mainly involved altering an already existing life form.”

Still, altering existing life forms could be extremely dangerous, and the consequences are unpredictable. Such scientific advances are just foolish and terribly short-sighted.

Catholic Church’s Wrong Teaching on Condoms Continues

USA Today reported on December 22:

“The Vatican on Tuesday sought to clarify the pope’s controversial comments about condoms and HIV, saying he by no means suggested condom use could be condoned as a means of avoiding pregnancy…

“The Vatican has been under pressure from conservative theologians to issue such a clarification amid widespread confusion about what Pope Benedict XVI meant and whether he was breaking with church teaching.”

“Christmas the Deadliest Day of the Year”

The National Post wrote on December 20:

“A new U.S. analysis of mortality rates during different times of year found that people are more likely to die during the holidays — notably on Christmas and New Year’s Day — and researchers cannot explain the yearly spike. After analyzing all official United States death certificates over the 25-year period between 1979 and 2004, a trio of sociologists identified an excess of 42,325 natural deaths — that is, above and beyond the normal seasonal winter increase — in the two weeks starting with Christmas. More people die in hospital emergency wards, or arrive dead on arrival, on Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day than on any other days of the year.

“’It’s not trivial,’ said Mr. Phillips, a professor of sociology at the University of California at San Diego. ‘We looked at all cause categories and, for nearly every one, we found an excess of deaths — particularly for people who are dying rapidly, like dead-on-arrival or dying in the emergency department.’… Less clear are the reasons behind this fatal phenomenon.”

Could the reasons lie, perhaps, in the fact that all these days listed above (Christmas on December 25, Boxing Day on December 26 and New Year’s Day on January 1) are of Satanic, and not godly origin?

Christ Is Not in Christmas!

USA Today reported on December 20:

“Christmas 2010 is a whole lotta jingle and not so much Jesus. Two new surveys find more than nine in 10 Americans celebrate the holiday — even if they’re atheists, agnostics or believers in non-Christian faiths such as Judaism and Islam… ‘It’s alarming to me that while nine in 10 celebrate Christmas, only six in 10 encourage any belief in the source of Christmas and only three in 10 actually read the story of Christmas,’ [Ed] Stetzer, [president of LifeWay Research] says.

“John Lindell — lead pastor of James River Assembly in Ozark, Mo…  is not as alarmed by the gap. Instead, he sees an open path to outreach. ‘We believers put Christ in Christmas by how we care for others and give people chances to change their lives,’ he says.”

Sadly, Christ has nothing to do with Christmas, and to try to “put Christ in Christmas” is exactly what God prohibits us to do. When one wants to go back to “the source of Christmas,” he needs to return to ancient pre-Christian practices of heathens worshipping their pagan sun gods. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

The Vatican’s POLITICAL Role

The Guardian wrote on December 10:

“The pope is responsible for the Vatican’s growing hostility towards Turkey joining the EU, previously secret cables sent from the US embassy to the Holy See in Rome claim. In 2004 Cardinal Ratzinger, the future pope, spoke out against letting a Muslim state join, although at the time the Vatican was formally neutral on the question…The cable released by WikiLeaks shows that Ratzinger was the leading voice behind the Holy See’s unsuccessful drive to secure a reference to Europe’s ‘Christian roots’ in the EU constitution. The US diplomat noted that Ratzinger ‘clearly understands that allowing a Muslim country into the EU would further weaken his case for Europe’s Christian foundations’…

“Roman Catholicism is the only religion in the world with the status of a sovereign state, allowing the pope’s most senior clerics to sit at the top table with world leaders. The cables reveal the Vatican routinely wielding influence through diplomatic channels while sometimes denying it is doing so. The Vatican has diplomatic relations with 177 countries and has used its diplomatic status to lobby the US, United Nations and European Union in a concerted bid to impose its moral agenda through national and international parliaments…

“The then US ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Rooney, briefed Washington in 2006, shortly after the election of Pope Benedict XVI, that ‘the Holy See hopes that Poland will hold the line at the EU on “life and family” issues that arise’ and would serve as a counterweight to western European secularism once the country had integrated into the EU… In 2001 another American diplomat to the Vatican stated: ‘The Holy See will continue to seek to play a role in the Middle East peace process while denying this intention.’”

The New York Times wrote on December 11:

“Recently released diplomatic cables show the Vatican fighting to shore up its eroding control over sexual abuse scandals in the United States and Ireland, highlighting complex tensions between the Vatican hierarchy, local bishops and civil authorities. The cables… provide a telling glimpse of how American diplomats often rely on the Roman Catholic Church’s worldwide network of prelates for intelligence…

“A cable sent that year by the United States Embassy to the Holy See said that Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Pope John Paul II’s last secretary of state, ‘took the bulk of his initial meeting’ with Ambassador James Nicholson ‘to register his displeasure with the several lawsuits filed in U.S. courts that have been served at the Vatican.’ It added that Cardinal Sodano ‘complained about the “aggressive attorneys” who had started in on the Vatican with the sexual abuse scandal and had also filed suits about Nazi-era gold allegedly acquired by the Holy See. It’s one thing for them to sue bishops… but another thing entirely to sue the Holy See.’ Cardinal Sodano urged Ambassador Nicholson to help defend the Holy See’s sovereignty.

“In 2005, the State Department argued that Pope Benedict XVI should be immune from a lawsuit accusing him of conspiracy to hide abuse because he was a head of state. A federal judge later dismissed the case. The sovereignty issue emerged again more recently in Ireland, where two government-appointed commissions released reports in 2009 revealing a widespread cover-up of abuse, shaking the Irish church to its core. According to a cable sent in February from the American Embassy to the Holy See, requests by Irish investigators ‘offended’ many in the Vatican ‘because they saw them as an affront to Vatican sovereignty.’…

“Other cables show the Catholic Church to be deeply involved in local politics worldwide and a useful source of information for American diplomats, especially in places like Cuba and Venezuela. One cable from 2006 said that a Venezuelan clergyman might be a good source on President Hugo Chávez. The Holy See has also had full diplomatic ties with Iran for decades…

“A 2002 cable said that ‘despite the real progress’ under John Paul in the Vatican’s relations with Judaism, some in the hierarchy still ‘manifested remnants of anti-Semitic sentiments.’  It cited…[a] curial official [as saying] some lawsuits against the Holy See ‘were the result of “Jewish judges having too much influence.”’

The EUObserver wrote on December 13:

“Freshly-published cables from the US mission to the Vatican have shed light on the inner workings of Europe’s most secretive diplomatic corps… ‘The Vatican is second only to the United States in the number of countries with which it enjoys diplomatic relations… and there are Catholic priests, nuns and lay people in every country on the planet. As the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide and enjoying respect as well from non-Catholics, the Pope wields an unparalleled moral megaphone,’  a 2009 US note ahead of President Barack Obama’s meeting with the pontiff says. ‘Private comments from Vatican officials to European diplomats also carry some weight – particularly in the traditionally Catholic countries,’ a 2006 cable says.”

The book of Revelation describes in vivid terms the political role of the Catholic Church in the world. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

The Queen Is Dead—Long Live the Queen…

NPR wrote on December 11:

“Though she suffered a major setback in the Middle East peace process this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she’s not giving up. She says the U.S. will remain active trying to bridge the gap between Israelis and Palestinians — even though their leaders aren’t even talking to each other now… The secretary told the audience that she regrets that the two sides are still far apart. She used her speech to warn Israelis and Palestinians that the status quo is not sustainable…

“Israelis argue that it was a mistake to make a settlement freeze a precondition for talks…Palestinians don’t like the idea of an interim deal and have been considering a different route to statehood — through the United Nations. Clinton argued Friday night that unilateral efforts at the U.N. are ‘not helpful and undermine trust.’”

The problem is, any trust in the USA is pretty much gone.  It is obvious that Israel and the Palestinians are looking towards other powers to help them to solve their dilemma. Especially the Palestinians look to Germany and the EU for support. The next article may show some of the reasons.

Influential Ex-EU Leaders Advocate Sanctions Against Israel

BBC wrote on December 10:

“A group of 26 ex-EU leaders has urged the union to impose sanctions on Israel for continuing to build settlements on occupied Palestinian territory. In a letter sent on Monday, they said Israel ‘like any other state’ should be made to feel ‘the consequences’ and pay a price for breaking international law. The signatories include the former EU foreign affairs chief, Javier Solana…

“The letter sent to European governments and EU institutions, asks EU foreign ministers to reiterate that they ‘will not recognise any changes to the June 1967 boundaries and clarify that a Palestinian state should be in sovereign control over territory equivalent to 100% of the territory occupied in 1967, including its capital in East Jerusalem’. It also asks ministers to set the Israeli government an ultimatum that, if it has not fallen into line by April 2011, the EU will seek an end to the US-brokered peace process… The EU should… ban imports of products made in settlements; and force Israel to pay for the majority of the aid required by the Palestinians, it adds… ‘Time is fast running out’, the letter warns, because ‘Israel’s continuation of settlement activity… poses an existential threat to the prospects of establishing a sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian state.’

“In addition to Mr Solana, the letter was signed by 10 former leaders of European countries – including Romano Prodi and Giuliano Amato of Italy, Richard von Weizsaecker and Helmut Schmidt of Germany, Mary Robinson of Ireland, Felipe Gonzalez of Spain and Norway’s Thorvald Stoltenberg – 10 former ministers and two former EU commissioners.

“In a letter of response to the former leaders, sent on Tuesday and seen by EUobserver, Baroness Ashton said the EU’s approach to Jewish settlement expansion would remain unchanged for the time being… ‘The European Union will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to advance the peace process and engage with both the Palestinians and the Israelis to find a way to resolve the conflict,’ her letter reportedly said… she [also] said: ‘The EU position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Recent settlement related developments, including in East Jerusalem, contradict the efforts by the international community for successful negotiations.’”

In any clash between newcomer Baroness Ashton and highly prestigious influential personalities such as Helmut Schmidt or Richard von Weizsaecker, it should be obvious who will ultimately prevail. In addition, as the next article points out, a violent clash between the Israelis and the Palestinians appears to be inevitable.

Israel Won’t Share Jerusalem with Palestinians

The Associated Press reported on December 12:

“Conflicting claims to  east Jerusalem lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The dispute over the area, home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, has derailed past peace talks and spilled into violence. Palestinians claim the sector as the capital of their future state.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaffirmation of his intention to hold on to east Jerusalem… was likely to increase friction with the Americans… Netanyahu’s defense minister, Ehud Barak… called for sharing Jerusalem with the Palestinians. But a government official said Barak’s idea does not reflect the government’s view.

“’Mr. Netanyahu is distancing himself not from Barak, he is distancing himself from international consensus, he’s distancing himself from international resolutions and distancing himself from international law,’ said Palestinian spokesman Husam Zomlot. ‘And most importantly, he’s distancing himself from any possible negotiated settlement based on the two-state solution.’”

Desecration of the Sabbath Causing Destruction?

On December 4, 2010, the Jerusalem Post wrote:

“Shas Council of Torah Sages Head Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said on Saturday night that the devastating Carmel fire was a result of insufficient Shabbat observance in the area. ‘Fires only happen in a place where Shabbat is desecrated,’ he quoted from the Babylonian Talmud Shabbat tractate in his weekly sermon. ‘Homes were ruined,’ he continued, ‘entire neighborhoods wiped out, and it is not arbitrary. It is all divine providence. We must repent, keep Shabbat appropriately. When the People of Israel repent, God safeguards them with a wall of fire,’ but not of the incinerating type, Yosef added.”

This position is of course overreaching, even though it cannot be denied that God is unhappy with the desecration of His Sabbath. One must be careful, however, that one does not fall into the trap of Pharisaical rules and regulations pertaining to the Sabbath, which Christ, the Lord and Creator of the Sabbath, strongly condemned.

Merkel and Sarkozy Pledge to Protect the Euro

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 10:
 
As German troops officially took up their first symbolic post on French soil since WWII, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed their commitment to the eurozone.
 
“Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy reaffirmed their commitment to the single European currency and to the fiscal solvency of the eurozone at a  meeting in the German city of Freiburg on Friday. ‘There is a spirit that is uniting us all,’ the German chancellor told reporters during a break in the talks. ‘If the euro fails, the European Union fails, too.’ President Sarkozy, meanwhile, pledged that Germany and France ‘will defend the euro, because the euro is Europe.’…

“’Without agreement from France and Germany – the historic motors of European integration and two economies that make up half of the eurozone’s gross domestic product – nothing very important is possible,’ Professor Henrik Uterwedde from the Franco-German Institute in Ludwigsburg told Deutsche Welle…

“While Sarkozy and Merkel discussed the harmonization of economic policies like labor and taxation laws, saying this would improve the eurozone’s coherence as an economic bloc, military leaders just across the border were preparing a more visible symbol of Franco-German cooperation. The first German battalion to be stationed on French soil since the Nazi occupation in World War II officially took up their post near the border-city of Strasbourg on Friday. German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and his French counterpart Alain Juppe attended a ceremony to mark the event…

“‘I was always surprised that the Franco-German Brigade only consisted of French soldiers in Germany,’ Sarkozy said. ‘We are two sovereign nations, two countries at peace, two countries that founded Europe.’”

The historical relationship between Germany and France has been a rocky one, but both countries are predestined to play a leading role during the last revival of the ancient Roman Empire. Charlemagne, Otto the Great, Charles V and Napoleon, who are widely viewed as French and German leaders, did in fact revive in the past the ancient Roman Empire. Angela Merkel’s comments that a spirit is uniting them all is very remarkable. As this report and the next articles show, the concept that the euro would fail and that as a consequence Europe would break apart, is just in total contradiction to biblical prophecy. The Bible does show, however, that a core Europe will develop WITHIN the European power bloc and that it will lead the greater Europe. To an extent, this core Europe or “two-speed Europe” is already developing, as the next article suggests:

A Two-Speed Europe

The Financial Times wrote on December 14:

“With Alliance Trust’s European Equity Fund celebrating its first year anniversary on Tuesday the German and Swiss markets are set to play a central role in the fund’s ongoing success. Fiona MacRae, fund manager of the European Equity Fund, … said: ‘We are currently experiencing a two-speed Europe. There is a strong centre led by Germany, filtering out to a much weaker periphery.’”

“The Euro Won’t Fail”

The Local wrote on December 11:

“German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble on Saturday warned speculators on the financial markets not to bet against the euro, as European leaders prepared for a summit next week to shore up the embattled currency. ‘Whoever bets his money against the euro will not succeed,’ Schäuble [said]… ‘The euro will not fail,’ added the minister, amid speculation that debt crises in some countries of the 16-nation zone could bring down the currency. ‘All those in charge in Europe are agreed: The euro brings us all advantages. And therefore we will successfully defend it,’ Schäuble added… ‘Even if one of the small countries were to leave [the eurozone], the consequences would be incalculable,’ Schäuble said.”

Of course, Wolfgang Schäuble is absolutely right. In addition, note this excerpt from an article which was published by the EUObserver on December 13:

“…  Schaeuble has said… that the next decade is likely to see Europe take significant steps towards closer political union… ‘In 10 years we will have a structure that corresponds much stronger to what one describes as political union,’ he added.”

According to the Bible, Europe’s economic union will lead to a political and military union.

Euro-Zone’s STRONG Performance

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 14:

“The euro-zone economy looks set to achieve a healthy fourth quarter, with an ongoing strong performance in the core member states expected to limit the likely poorer outcome from the smaller, peripheral economies. The German ZEW expectations survey, released Tuesday, rose for a second straight month in December as investors’ confidence was buoyed by an increasingly broad-based strong economic performance. The expectations element of the survey rose to 4.3 from November’s 1.8, and above the 4 forecast. The harder official data also suggested the euro zone started the fourth quarter on a strong footing.”

The paper added the following in a related article:

“German economic expectations improved for the second consecutive month in December, rebuffing immediate concerns about a deepening debt crisis in the euro zone’s periphery.”

Majority of Germans for the Euro

The Local wrote on December 10:

“Sixty percent of those polled said they preferred the euro, while one-third said they longed for the return of the Deutsche mark, the survey for broadcaster ARD found. The nostalgia for the former German currency was highest among less-educated. Forty-nine percent said they wanted to fill their wallets with the mark once again after 11 years with the euro. Meanwhile 80 percent of the highly educated participants said they were against the reinstatement of the old bills and coins…

“Though it remains considerably stronger versus the US dollar than the mark was back in 1998, the euro’s precipitous decline has sparked concern in Europe’s largest economy.”

A poll, which was published this week in Der Stern, suggests that many Germans are unhappy with the euro, but that a majority are against a return to the Deutsche Mark.

No Euro-Zone Break-Up!

The Local wrote on December 15:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel moved Wednesday to silence fears of a eurozone break-up, saying that although some members faced tough challenges, Europe’s paymaster would not desert them. ‘No one in Europe will be left alone, no one in Europe will be abandoned. Europe succeeds when it acts together and I would add, Europe succeeds only when it acts together,’ Merkel said in a speech to parliament. Merkel said that some in the 16-nation eurozone faced an uphill task in repairing their public finances but she expressed confidence that the single currency would survive.”

Who Speaks for Europe?

This article shows that there is presently no powerful leader in Europe who could speak for Europe with “one” strong voice, but the Bible predicts that this situation will change soon.

The New York Times wrote on December 15:

“With the euro under siege, European Union leaders will gather Thursday for a meeting aimed at restoring confidence in their monetary union, but threatened by one of Europe’s persistent failings: its inability to speak with one voice… The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, called on the leaders Wednesday to maintain discipline and show ‘that the E.U. is in control of events.’… Despite the pleas to present a united front, the markets are expected to put further pressure on borrowing costs in Portugal and Spain, two euro countries perceived as weak… Once a key conduit between Berlin and Paris, Mr. Juncker [Luxembourg’s leader] has fallen out of favor in both capitals. With diminished influence behind the scenes, he seems to be trying to bolster his reputation among supporters of closer European integration…

“Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was Mrs. Merkel’s foreign minister from 2005 to 2009, and Peer Steinbrück, finance minister in the same period, said Germany should take the lead in pushing for more European integration…”

German Military Conscription to Be Suspended

The Local wrote on December 11:

“With just months to go before military conscription is set to be suspended in Germany, the government is looking toward pay hikes and monthly bonuses to encourage volunteers to join the armed forces… the draft law foresees a triple system of financial and other incentives, including drivers’ licenses, leisure-time perks and continued education opportunities…

“On Thursday, leaders of Merkel’s coalition government agreed on troop reductions in the Bundeswehr, from 240,000 to 185,000 soldiers. Professional soldiers would account for most of that number, with 15,000 volunteers rounding out the ranks.”

Der Stern Online added on December 10 that military conscription will not be totally abolished and that it could be re-instituted in case of necessity. At the same time, Der Spiegel Online reported on December 15, 2010, that commencing March 1, no one will be drafted against his will.

The future will show what the move of suspending military conscription in Germany will do. We do know that Europe will very soon have a powerful common army, and Germany will be heavily participating in the same.

Europe Needs Germany, and Vice Versa

Der Spiegel Online published an highly propagandistic article on December 14, bordering on the ridiculousness, when describing Europe and especially Germany as extremely pacifistic, comparing them with the “peace-loving Venus,” while picturing America as the “warlord Mars.” However, the following excerpts are worth noticing:

“Germany needs Europe, and Europe needs Germany. This is still true today, but for different reasons than in the past. In the first few decades after World War II, our neighbors wanted to contain Germany so that they could tame the German demon. The Germans needed Europe so that they could play a role on the international stage once again… Today Germany can only exert political influence through the EU, and even that is becoming difficult, because of the strong reciprocal relationship between China and the United States… economic strength must go hand-in-hand with political strength, which Germany can only attain through Europe.

“The Germans gave up their beloved deutschmark for the euro. It was the right decision… Another area in which greater European unity would be in Germany’s interests is security policy… it wants to play a role internationally. The best way to achieve this is through a European foreign policy that has at its disposal a European army… it makes no sense at all for each European country to maintain a complete military force…”

The Bible shows that there will be a most powerful European army within a few years from now.

“The Royal Guttenbergs”

The Local wrote on December 14:

“Not used to glamorous politicians, Germans are both dazzled and dismayed by Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and his wife Stephanie… Politicians in Germany aren’t allowed to be attractive or enjoy their jobs. The public immediately becomes suspicious of anyone daring to break either of these rules…

“It’s in this context that Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg travelled this week to Afghanistan to visit German troops ahead of the holidays – but he wasn’t alone. The aristocratic minister was accompanied by his fetching wife Stephanie, two state premiers, and the TV talk show host Johannes B. Kerner. The Bundeswehr base at Mazar-i-Sharif became the backdrop for Kerner’s show, which had one prominent guest: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. A few soldiers were used for garnish.

“Is the war trivialised by such visits? Is there room for glamour and entertainment where death and killing is so prevalent? Did Guttenberg exhibit once more his political genius, or did he finally overstep the line separating tact, dignity and humility from obscenity?… The blueblood baron would probably say this division merely separates great minds from small ones… we should be happy to have someone like Guttenberg. He’s stuck to his principles whether the issue was bailing out carmaker Opel or reforming his own ministry. Guttenberg has fearlessly stared down both friend and foe alike on issues such as ending military conscription.

“At the same time, he’s brought a fresh approach to politics – which can both impress and annoy people. But the more he seems to annoy, the more people appear to be impressed by him… Our brutally fickle times demand hero-worship be followed by a precipitous fall. The public instinctively wants to tear people down to its own size – especially those with an aura of aristocracy about them… The Guttenbergs are aware of this and yet don’t seem to care…”

Without perhaps openly admitting it, many Germans are longing for leadership which is respected in the world and which they can be proud of. The “ghost” of the Habsburg empire and “Kaiser Wilhelm” is not dead. And voices can be heard these days to the effect that “not everything that Hitler did was bad. He just shouldn’t have killed all the Jews, but ‘we’ knew nothing about that.”

Freedom in the West Under Attack

On December 13, Der Spiegel Online published the following article:

“Since 9/11, press freedom in the West has come under attack… the hunt for WikiLeaks is a greater danger to democracy than any information that WikiLeaks might reveal…

“Since becoming embroiled in the war against terrorism, the US government has transformed itself into a huge security apparatus… 854,000 people in the US government… hold top-secret security clearances — and this under a president who came into office promising a new era of openness in government…

“In the crisis, the countries of Old Europe are also putting up the barricades. Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing platform WikiLeaks, is playing with the fire of anarchy… the hatred he reaps in return is beneath all democracies…

“The US Justice Department[ ] attempt[s] to invoke the controversial Espionage Act of 1917… The period of World War I was a dark time for constitutional freedoms in the US. In its practically hysterical fear of communists and all other critics, the judiciary even prosecuted people who distributed flyers critical of military service, and in doing so ignored all constitutional guarantees…

“For Berlin constitutional law expert Dieter Grimm, it is clear that the whistleblower website enjoys ‘the protections for freedom of the press under Germany’s Basic Law.’ As a judge on the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Grimm played a very important role in shaping the current interpretation of freedom of opinion and freedom of the press in Germany…”

“Intolerable Censorship”

The Local reported on December 16:

“A group of major German newspapers and a human rights advocacy group… published an appeal against the criminalisation of whistleblower website Wikileaks, saying the site deserved as much protection as traditional media… The political and economic pressure put on Wikileaks following its publication of thousands of confidential US diplomatic cables has been ‘inappropriate,’ the statement said. While there may be good reasons to criticise the release, taking action against the ‘journalistic medium’ was a form of intolerable censorship, it added…

“Pressure by the US government for large international companies such as MasterCard, PayPal and Amazon to end their cooperation with Wikileaks reveals a ‘shocking understanding of democracy in which freedom of information is only valid when it doesn’t harm anyone.’ ‘Journalism has not only the right, but the duty to check the state and illuminate the mechanisms of government business,’ the statement said, calling on businesses and governments to end their attempts to silence the site.”

U.S. Air Force in Violation of U.S. Constitution?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 14:

“The U.S. Air Force is blocking its personnel from using work computers to view the websites of the New York Times and other major publications that have posted classified diplomatic cables, people familiar with the matter said.

“Air Force users who try to view the websites of the New York Times, Britain’s Guardian, Spain’s El Pais, France’s Le Monde or German magazine Der Spiegel instead get a page that says, ‘ACCESS DENIED. Internet Usage is Logged & Monitored,’ according to a screen shot reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The notice warns that anyone who accesses unauthorized sites from military computers could be punished.

“The Air Force said it had blocked more than 25 websites that contained the documents, originally obtained by the website WikiLeaks and published starting late last month, in order to keep classified material off unclassified computer systems…

“‘It is unfortunate that the U.S. Air Force has chosen not to allow its personnel access to the most important news, analysis and commentary,’ a New York Times spokeswoman said…

“One senior defense official questioned the wisdom of blocking the newspaper sites or even prohibiting service members from visiting them on military computers, arguing that the information has spread on the Internet and that sites like the New York Times contain other, useful information. The defense official said blocking the New York Times was a misinterpretation of military guidance to avoid visiting websites that post classified material. The new order doesn’t prevent Air Force personnel from viewing the media websites on nonmilitary computers, one Air Force official said…”

The German and Austrian news agency, news.at, wrote in addition:

“Critics view the blocking as a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech.”

This kind of controversial conduct, which even America’s allies perceive as hypocritical, extremely dangerous and a threat to liberty and freedom, is inflicting much additional harm on the USA.

US Is Suing BP

BBC News reported on December 15:

“The US is suing BP and eight other firms for allegedly violating federal safety regulations in connection with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The lawsuit asks that they be held liable without limitation for all clean-up and damage costs.

“The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in April killed 11 workers and spilled millions of barrels of oil over several months. The oil leak became the worst environmental disaster in US history… In a statement, BP said the filing ‘does not in any manner constitute any finding of liability or any judicial finding that the allegations have merit’… But the justice department said on Wednesday that the investigation into the oil spill was ongoing and that more defendants and charges could be added to the lawsuit.”

The negative US media coverage about BP’s role pertaining to the oil spill has upset many Brits. The lawsuit will only increase Britain’s anger against the USA.

Berlusconi’s Uncertain Future

Deutsche Welle reported on December 14:

“Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the lower house of parliament, after the Senate also voted in his favor earlier Tuesday. The no-confidence motion was rejected by 314 votes to 311. However, Berlusconi’s government still faces an uncertain future, as its tiny majority will make it difficult for him to pass legislation… Tuesday’s votes come after a year fraught with corruption and sex scandals involving Italy’s premier…

“Italy’s economy [is] in serious trouble, and the country has one of the heaviest public debt burdens in the world… Recent surveys show that less than 30 percent of Italians wanted Berlusconi to finish his current term… Italy’s high court will soon hand down a ruling on the constitutionality of a law passed by Berlusconi to protect himself from prosecution while prime minister. If the law is deemed invalid, he will face charges of corrupting a judge. Berlusconi took power for the first time in 1994, winning three elections and transforming Italy’s political landscape. But now, he faces some rocky times ahead.”

In the USA and many other Western European countries, Silvio Berlusconi would have been forced to resign a long time ago. But not so in Italy. Even though differences exist between Berlusconi and Mussolini, still, sad memories of the times under Benito Mussolini do come to mind…

Terror in Sweden

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote on December 13:

“On Saturday two bombs exploded, and a person blew a hole through his stomach for his beliefs… Islamist terror is untamable, because there are vast groups of angry, young men with backgrounds in religious fanaticism who are not able to be mollified. Their targets are random….

Die Welt wrote on December 13:

“Bombs exploding during Advent. Germans security agencies had warned about the possibility. And now it has happened in Sweden…. A society like Israel constantly is experiencing a balancing act between maintaining a heightened state of alert against omnipresent enemies, and, at the same time, enjoying life and personal freedom. This enormous psychological challenge faces Europe if the situation gets any worse.”

The Berliner Zeitung wrote on December 13:

“The attack… reminds us that there aren’t any terror-free islands anymore. Even in a Scandinavia that appeared to be safe, there are fanatics whose wrong-headed ideology doesn’t preclude the murder of innocent civilians… There is no excuse for inhumane terror, nor is there one for pinning a crime committed by a single actor or terror organization on an entire ethnicity or religion.”

The German press reported that, according to captured al-Qaida informants, terror attacks are planned around Christmas time in Europe and the USA, and that the activities in Sweden were already a part of the planned worldwide attacks.

Richard Holbrooke Dies

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 14:

“There is little doubt that he was the embodiment of US diplomacy. Richard Holbrooke, who died on Monday evening at the age of 69, was a widely-respected negotiator, a former US ambassador in Berlin and elsewhere, a key player in bringing peace to Bosnia. Most recently, he was President Barack Obama’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was, in short, a ‘giant of US foreign policy,’ as Obama said on Monday…

“Holbrooke often seemed to be a throwback — a symbol of a time when the US maintained an unshaken belief in its supremacy, a time when China was still in a deep slumber. The proud members of the US Foreign Service were the tools of a Washington that wanted a say in all parts of the globe. Self-doubt was not a widespread characteristic in US embassies around the world… Holbrooke… was a co-author of the Pentagon Papers, the secret report which analyzed how the US became involved in the morass in Vietnam, [and] which… later contributed to the end of the war…

“Holbrooke’s American self-confidence, his conviction that he and his country could solve virtually any problem, never abandoned him… The fact that his aorta ruptured during a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — which triggered multiple operations before his passing on Monday — is reminiscent of a soldier dying in the field. And as sad as it sounds, it may also be a fitting analogy to the US involvement in Afghanistan: A determined and energetic fight, but with little to show.”

America’s “Lovers”

The New York Times wrote on December 4:

“… going through the WikiLeaks cables has made for some fascinating reading… It is a rather sobering message. America is leaking power…

“Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors want the U.S. to decapitate the Iranian regime and destroy its nuclear facilities so they can celebrate in private this triumph over the hated Persians, while publicly joining with their people in the streets in burning Uncle Sam in effigy, after we carry out such an attack on Iran — which will make the Arab people furious at us. The reason the Arab people will be furious at us, even though many of them don’t like the Persians either, is because they dislike their own unelected leaders even more and protesting against the Americans, who help to keep their leaders in power, is a way of sticking it to both of us…

“While the Saudis are urging us to take out Iran’s nuclear capability, we learn from the cables that private Saudi donors today still constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide — not to mention the fundamentalist mosques, charities and schools that spawn the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. So basically our oil payments are cycled through Saudi Arabia and end up funding the very militants whom our soldiers are fighting…

“Yes, these are our allies — people whose values we do not and never will share… America lacks leverage in the Middle East because we are addicted to oil. We are the addicts and they are the pushers, and addicts never tell the truth to their pushers… We’re… supporting a regime that… uses our money to fund a religious ideology, schools, mosques and books that ensure that Al Qaeda will always have a rich pool of recruits in Saudi Arabia and abroad. We also lack leverage with the Chinese on North Korea, or with regard to the value of China’s currency, because we’re addicted to their credit…

“Fifty years ago, the world was shaped in a certain way, to promote certain values, because America had the leverage to shape it that way. We have been steadily losing that leverage because of our twin addictions to Middle East oil and Chinese credit — and the WikiLeaks show just what crow we have to eat because of that…”

The Bible warned ancient Israel and the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel–mainly the USA and Great Britain—not to hire “lovers” for themselves– allies with different interests (compare Hosea 2:4-5; 8:8-9). These warnings were ignored then, and they have been ignored today, and the predictable consequences were and are devastating (compare Jeremiah 4:30; 30:12-14; Ezekiel 16:36-42).

WikiLeaks Under Attack

NPR wrote on December 5:

“WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange…has been widely praised and criticized. Supporters view him as a savior of the media and free speech; critics vilify him for brazenly unleashing diplomatic secrets… PayPal, a subsidiary of U.S.-based online marketplace operator EBay Inc., said the WikiLeaks website, which specializes in disclosing confidential documents, was engaged in illegal activity…

“[Wikileaks] said it noticed an increasing number of supporters creating ‘mirrors’ of the WikiLeaks site on their own servers, meaning that copies of the site would remain up and running even if WikiLeaks were somehow to lose its own site.

“Starting Friday, the Swiss Web address… became the site’s main access point after… a company based in Manchester, New Hampshire, stopped accepting traffic to the site’s principal address… saying cyberattacks threatened the rest of its network. Amazon stopped hosting WikiLeaks’ Web site and governments and hackers were continuing to go after the organization…”

The release of confidential and secret diplomatic US documents is highly embarrassing for the US government and its allies, and any mutual relationship of trust has been damaged or irreparably destroyed. No wonder, then, that many react with hatred toward the messengers, while trying to ignore the message. As mentioned above in our introductory comments, this is not to imply that we in any way endorse or support the publication of any confidential or secret information—but the fact that these documents are now available to the broad public reveals the ongoing nightmare scenarios which are being created for the USA.

Biblical Dimensions of the WikiLeaks Cables…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 6:

“The cables… have shocked, alienated and appalled the world… former Saudi Arabian intelligence chief Prince Turki bin Faisal says that American’s ‘credibility and honesty are the victim of these leaks’ and assumes that from now on people ‘will no longer speak to American diplomats frankly’…

“Those at the right end of the American political spectrum feel threatened by a foreign power once again. Whoever passed on this information is guilty of treason, says former Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, one of the leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. According to Huckabee, ‘anything less than execution is too kind a penalty.’ His rival Sarah Palin wrote on her Facebook page that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be hunted down like a terrorist. ‘He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands. … Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders?’

“One leading politician who hasn’t said much is President Barack Obama, whose handling of the WikiLeaks affair thus far only confirms his political adversaries’ criticisms. Just like with the controversy over an Islamic center in New York and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Obama is once again being accused of not taking decisive action, showing weakness and putting America’s superpower status at risk…

“Turkey has considered taking legal action because of the leaks. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan… wants to strike back at US diplomats in a big way. ‘Those who have slandered us will be crushed under these claims, will be finished and will disappear,’ Erdogan announced in Istanbul, where he is considering filing a lawsuit against the diplomats. Many Turks suspect that a massive conspiracy by the Jewish lobby is behind the WikiLeaks campaign, a view held even by the deputy chairman of the governing party, the AKP. The goal of the reports, he says, is to weaken the Turkish government…

“Last Thursday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) criticized what it called a ‘political campaign’ against Assange and Manning. According to the IFJ, the ‘calls by right-wing commentators for Manning to be executed and that Assange be hunted down as a spy … show a mood of intolerance and persecution that is dangerous not just for the two men but for all journalists engaged in investigating public affairs.’

“The US government is now doing its utmost to prevent the spread of the documents. The Social Security Administration was the first government agency to warn its employees, 62,000 in all, not to disseminate the WikiLeaks documents to others, copy them or even read them. Government workers caught in violation of the order could face criminal consequences.

“Manning, who was 22 when he copied the files, has repeatedly been accused of being motivated by a desire for recognition. But Manning himself offered a different explanation before he was taken into custody. He said that he had been told to cover up a lot of things during his time in Iraq, and that this had outraged him. After seeing the now notorious Baghdad helicopter video, he apparently decided to search for more material. When he found the cables, he said, he wanted the world to find out about them.”

There are important revelations which we can glean from the article. First, as mentioned above in the lead article,  worldwide trust in America deteriorated, and America’s allies—or “lovers”—are turning against the USA. Secondly, as was also prophesied in Scripture, Turkey (biblical Edom) is turning against “Israel” (the peoples of the USA and Great Britain are the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel, and the Jewish people are the modern descendants of the ancient house of Judah).  And thirdly, messengers of highly unpopular messages, who are being perceived as threatening US security or even America’s reputation, will be hated and hunted down.

God has given His Church a very unpopular message to proclaim—the fact that God will punish modern “Israel”—including the USA and Great Britain–for their many sins. The Bible is very clear that modern “Israel” will be defeated in war and end up in slavery and captivity. When Jeremiah proclaimed a message of inevitable doom to the ancient nation of Judah, he was called a traitor and imprisoned, and his life was in great jeopardy. How could it be any different today for God’s true servants? In addition, God’s Church must also proclaim to ALL nations that God will punish all of them for their sins. God’s people will not be liked for the bold and uncompromising proclamation of His message. In fact, Jesus said that His true disciples who are doing His Work will be hated by ALL nations.

“Assange’s ‘Martyr Status’ Further Damages US Reputation”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 7:

“WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London and denied bail on charges of rape and sexual molestation. German opinion makers are split on what the arrest really means. One thing they agree on: The reputation of the US continues to suffer…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘The reputation of the United States has been damaged by the WikiLeaks-controlled release of secret documents. That is true… But the United States’ reputation is being damaged much more right now as they attempt — with all of their means — to muzzle WikiLeaks and its head, Julian Assange. By doing so, the US is betraying one of its founding myths: Freedom of information. And they are doing so now, because for the first time since the end of the Cold War, they are threatened with losing worldwide control of information.

“‘The first real information war has begun,’ writes US civil rights activist John-Perry Barlow. ‘The battlefield is WikiLeaks.’ He is right. With the doctrine ‘Free Flow of Information’ the US has dominated the flow of information and most of its content for decades. They said that every person had the right, everywhere, and without limitations, to collect information and to broadcast and disseminate it. That was a tremendous doctrine, as long as only American companies had the power, the means, and the logistical capabilities, to make use of this freedom. That changed somewhat with the Internet, but companies like Apple, Windows, Google, Facebook and Amazon advance US-domination in the supposedly democratic Internet. Julian Assange and WikiLeaks are the first who have used the power of the Internet against the United States. That is why they are being mercilessly pursued. That is why the government is betraying one of the principles of democracy’…

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘The arrest is as potentially scandalous and it is superfluous. The operation has produced a martyr… The already damaged reputation of the United States will only be further tattered with Assange’s new martyr status…’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘In the so-called ‘war on terror’ the democracies of the US and Europe have not only instigated wars without satisfactory reasons but have also tried to reduce the privacy, civil rights and liberties of their citizens…’

“The Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel writes: ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’: this Anglo-Saxon saying still holds true in the Internet age. To the US, Assange is a terrorist; to the Internet community, he is a pioneer of freedom. The favourable view of Assange seems to have more sympathy here in Germany…’”

The “Powerlessness” of the US Superpower

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 8:

“No one knows what really happened on those two August evenings in Sweden, but it’s difficult to see the subsequent and diligent attempts to catch Assange by Swedish prosecutors as anything other than a part of the dogged US pursuit of WikiLeaks. It’s painful for a superpower to have to look on, powerless, as a small group publishes its secrets for the whole world to see. First, there were the revelations on the Afghan war, then the military log books from Iraq, and most recently the slew of diplomatic dispatches.

“But this powerlessness has transformed into anger, and it’s the display of anger – not the WikiLeaks files – that might cause the US to really lose face… The US image abroad is more likely to be damaged when Hillary Clinton blows ‘Cablegate’ out of proportion, calling it ‘an attack on the international community,’ or when Assange is dubbed a traitor, terrorist, or hardened criminal.

“The US really loses face when the online payment service PayPal blocks WikiLeaks’ account, when Mastercard stops transferring donations to the whistle-blowing organization, and when the internet service provider Amazon suddenly stops hosting the website online.

“Bear in mind that freedom of expression was the first amendment ever made to the US Constitution; at least in theory, the US places far greater emphasis on this right than many other democratic countries, including Germany. Already, participants on Internet forums in China are asking just how committed the US really is to freedom of expression, considering its handling of the WikiLeaks case…

“In ancient Greece, the bearer of bad or sensitive tidings was sometimes executed – but we’re in the 21st century, and the world should have moved on. As the world’s superpower, the US is forever under pressure to show its quality – this crusade against Julian Assange is doing precisely the opposite.”

Overreaction by US Government and Legislators?

NPR wrote on December 8:

“The legal and political troubles that WikiLeaks has encountered… may have troubling implications for more traditional media outlets… A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation last week, the SHIELD Act, which would make it illegal to publish the names of U.S. military and intelligence informants.

“Jeffrey Dvorkin, a former NPR… vice president for news, agrees that the WikiLeaks episode illustrates the blurred ethical boundary lines of the new media age… Dvorkin… shares the concerns of civil libertarians… ‘The big immediate danger for all of us now is an overreaction by legislators or governments — or Internet service providers who are worried about lawsuits,’ Dvorkin says…

“U.S. courts have maintained that news organizations may publish government documents, even if the documents were obtained illegally. The most famous decision in this regard came from the Supreme Court in 1971, when it upheld the right of The New York Times to print the Pentagon Papers, which were volumes of secret documents about the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Electronic publishers have enjoyed the same protections as traditional publishers…”

US Failure in the Middle East

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 9:

“The Middle East peace process has been left foundering after Washington admitted its efforts to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table have failed… The stand-off over the issue of Jewish settlements has left President Barack Obama’s policy in the region in tatters and the two sides more entrenched in their respective positions than ever… The Palestinians are now left with grave doubts that the US will ever be able to broker a final peace settlement if it cannot even persuade Israel to temporarily freeze settlements. There are indications that they could now push ahead with their Plan B, a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state…

“The German papers on Thursday take a look at the failed policy and many blame President Obama for allowing the Palestinians to set a settlement freeze as a precondition to talks.

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘It was a tactical mistake to present the settlement issue as the main problem in the conflict. From the beginning it was unrealistic to believe that the right-wing coalition in Israel would agree to a moratorium in the long term…’

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘The peace process is at an end. The most powerful man in the world has capitulated to a bunch of settlers on the hills of Judea and Samaria… Instead of being principled, his policy is marked by ridiculous zig-zagging… Obama had his chance in the Middle East and it is hardly likely he will be given another one during the remaining two years of his term…. The Israelis know now that they have nothing to fear from him…. The Palestinians on the other hand have learnt that they cannot trust him…. Now, an escalation can be expected…’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘The Middle East strategy was a vision that Obama couldn’t back up with successes. Now the region is going back to square one… The US should never have allowed the Palestinians to make the settlement freeze the condition for starting talks…’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘… It is now likely that the US failure will lead to improved relations between Fatah and Hamas… Consideration for the US may dwindle considerably.’

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘… The peace process will have to hit the “reset” button once again. But who can, or who ought to take over the role of mediator, if the Americans haven’t succeeded? The EU takes a courageous stand on the side of the Palestinians by condemning settlement construction as illegal and demanding fresh talks. Neither EU Commissioner for External Relations Ashton, nor German Foreign Minister Westerwelle appear to have a “Plan B” up their sleeves. Empty phrases are not enough. The EU must do better than that if it wants to be taken seriously as a mediator…’”

Interesting Traditions About the Magi

USA Today wrote on December 5:

“The story of the Three Wise Men is one of the most familiar and beloved parts of the Christmas story. But for all of their popularity, the mysterious travelers from the East — known as the Magi — appear in only one short passage in the New Testament, following a star to the site of Jesus’ birth and bringing gifts of gold, francincense and myrrh…

“Brent Landau, a professor of religious studies at the University of Oklahoma and an expert in ancient biblical languages, found references to a text about the wise men in writings from the Middle Ages and learned that a collector in the 18th century had discovered in a Turkish monastery a manuscript called ‘the Revelation of the Magi’ with a narrative about the wise men…

“Landau spent seven years translating and analyzing the text, written in Syriac, a language used by early Christians throughout the Middle East and Asia…Landau’s book, ‘Revelation of the Magi: The Lost Tale of the Wise Men’s Journey to Bethlehem’ describes the Magi as [having] descended from Seth, the pious and virtuous third son of Adam and Eve. From Seth they inherited a prophecy of ‘a star of indescribable brightness’ someday appearing and ‘heralding the birth of God in human form.’ This same star had initially hovered over the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

“Among the book’s other revelations:

“The Magi are described as coming from a land called Shir, ‘located in the extreme east of the world, at the shore of the Great Ocean’…In Syriac, the word Magi means ‘to pray in silence.’ Landau says it has no relationship to magicians or astrologers, sometimes cited in stories today. The text names 12 Magi, not three, while other parts of the text suggest that ‘a group the size of a small army’ traveled to Bethlehem, says Landau…

“Although the text claims to be personal testimony, ‘it seems unlikely that it could have been written by the Magi themselves,’ Landau says. He cites a number of anachronisms, such as references to Christian writings recorded years after Jesus’ death…

“When they first encounter the long-prophesied star, the text says it initially appears in a celestial form that then transforms into a human form… who instructs them to go to Bethlehem…”

We should not give too much credence to apocryphal uninspired texts, as they include many errors. But some statements in the article above are interesting; for instance the concept that twelve (!) Magi visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem (perhaps representing the twelve tribes of Israel); that they were not astrologers; and that the star was in fact an angel. These are concepts which have been considered for a long time (compare our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”) The additional statement that the star “had hovered over the Tree of Life” is remarkable in light of the fact that a cherub (an angelic being) guarded the Tree of Life after Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden.

The Netherland’s Santa Claus and Black Peters

Deutsche Welle reported on December 5:

“For the Dutch, Sinterklaasavond (St. Nicholas Eve) on December 5 is the biggest celebration of the year – bigger than Christmas… Sinterklaas’ helpers, the Zwarte Pieten or ‚Black Peters,’ are portrayed according to degrading racial stereotypes. They’re typically dressed in 19th-century Moorish outfits, curly Afro wigs, and painted red lips. It is common for both adults and children to dress up as Zwarte Piet, complete with their faces painted black

“… nowadays the Zwarte Pieten are friendly characters that are clever and mischievous, and adored by children. Yet in the original Sinterklaas story, the Zwarte Pieten were slaves. Gradually, the tale evolved and they became Sinterklaas’ helpers, but they were portrayed as being stupid and spoke broken Dutch with a Surinamese accent. They were also frightening figures: It was their job to punish misbehaved children by beating them…

“It’s not uncommon for St. Nicholas figures to have a devilish companion – such a figure exists in both Austrian and Swiss traditions – but the Netherlands is the only place where he is imagined as a black man.“

Devilish companions of Santa Claus are actually very common. In German tradition, the companion of the German “Nikolaus“ is called “Knecht Ruprecht.“ Of course, the entire stories of “Santa Claus“ or “St. Nicholas“ are not Christian, but of pagan origin. Please read our free booklets, “Don’t Keep Christmas” and “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

UN Prays to the Moon Goddess

The Washington Post wrote on November 29:

“With United Nations climate negotiators facing an uphill battle to advance their goal of reducing emissions linked to global warming, it’s no surprise that the woman steering the talks appealed to a Mayan goddess Monday.

“Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, invoked the ancient jaguar goddess Ixchel in her opening statement to delegates gathered in Cancun, Mexico, noting that Ixchel was not only goddess of the moon, but also ‘the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving. May she inspire you — because today, you are gathered in Cancun to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools.’

“Delegates from 193 countries are gathered in Cancun for the two-week meeting, which kicked off today at 10:20 a.m. local time, or 11:20 a.m. Eastern… Two weeks from now, we’ll have a sense of whether Ixchel — and the delegates — were listening to Figueres’s appeal.”

This is really shocking, but it shows where this world is heading. We wonder how many “Christian” delegates bowed their heads to the moon goddess and participated in this pagan ritual–and how many appealed to the one and only true God of the Bible for inspiration and guidance.

The next article also shows to what extent our liberal societies have turned away from the true God.

British Prisoners Allowed to Practice Pagan Festivals

Mail On Line reported on December 6:

“Hundreds of criminals are to be given four days a year off prison work – to celebrate pagan festivals. Prison governors have been issued with a list of eight annual pagan holidays and told pagan inmates can choose four to celebrate.

“The festivals include Imbolc – The Festival of the Lactating Sheep – which falls on February 1 and is dedicated to the goddess Brighid. Another is the festival of Beltane, which falls in early May… devotees are urged to celebrate the Sun God with ‘unabashed sexuality and promiscuity’. The Yule festival involves pagans ‘casting spells’ and dressing up as ghosts.”

“Bread and Games”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 6:

“On the weekend, German television audiences watching one of the country’s most popular shows were shocked when they saw a live stunt go horribly wrong… Viewers watching the popular German television show, ‘Wetten, Dass..?’ (‘Want to Bet?’) are used to seeing members of the public doing crazy things. The prime time show, which regularly attracts 10 million viewers to ZDF, the public television channel that screens it, is based upon ordinary people doing strange feats…

“But on Saturday evening, the television audience got far more than they had bargained for. They were shocked to see Samuel Koch, a 23-year-old drama student and part-time stuntman… fall heavily after an attempt to leap lengthways over a moving car wearing spring-loaded stilts. His own father was driving the vehicle.

“While the cameras rolled, Koch ended up face down and unconscious on the ground. He was then taken to a hospital in Düsseldorf where he was put into an artificial coma after doctors operated on him for two-and-a-half hours. He has serious spinal injuries and until he is re-awakened, doctors say, there is no way of telling the extent of Koch’s injuries.

“The show itself was halted for the first time in its 29-year history… German commentators praised the show’s makers for halting the broadcast and contemplated whether the program had a future. Commentators also lamented the fact that the battle for prime-time ratings on the weekend may have been partially responsible for the tragic accident.

“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘…Thomas Gottschalk… must be asking himself how things went this far — and not least because the candidate fell badly twice during rehearsals. TV stations, like editors, may have lost their sense of perspective in the fight for the ratings crown… The constitutional obligation of the public broadcaster, funded by public money, has been deformed beyond recognition by ratings pressure. Thanks to their dual incomes through broadcasting fees and advertising, ARD and ZDF have outrageous advantages in the fight for market share…’

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘… Is Samuel Koch the first victim in the fight for ratings, injured by “friendly fire”? Higher, faster, further? Ever more spectacular, ever more dangerous?…’”

This horrible story reminds us of the atmosphere in ancient Rome, just prior to its fall. The people were basically interested in receiving two things from their government—to have bread on the table and to be able watch horrific dangerous “games.” Man has not changed, and we are seeing a repeat of such desires. We should not be surprised that God will very soon make an end with our way of living.

Austria’s Strache a Friend of Israel?

The Austrian Independent reported on December 7:

“Officials in Austria are at odds over Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Heinz-Christian Strache’s decision to travel to Israel. The right-winger visited Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a territory Palestinians are also claiming. Speaking about the ongoing conflict about the area and the throwbacks the peace talks have suffered, Strache said in the West Bank area today (Tues): ‘One who comes to this place can understand the real problems. Our hearts are with you, Israel!’…

“Fritz Edlinger, the general secretary of the Society for Austrian-Arabian Relations (GÖAB), said it was ‘incredible’ Strache decided to travel to Israel. Edlinger explained he was ‘surprised’ the head of a party which was ‘still the political home for old and new anti-Semites in Austria’ would find dialogue partners in Israel…

“Strache was elected federal leader of the FPÖ after its former spearhead Jörg Haider walked out to form the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) five years ago. Polls have shown that most right-wing Austrians consider Strache as the political heir of Haider who died in a car crash in 2008… Israel withdrew its ambassador from Vienna in a reaction to the coalition agreement between the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) and the FPÖ in 2000 before sending a diplomat to become ambassador in the Austrian capital three years later.

“Haider caused outcry in Israel and Western Europe by meeting with late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein several times in 2002… The FPÖ’s election campaigns have been branded as ‘xenophobic’ since Haider became federal leader in a party summit revolt in 1986. Hundreds of thousands of Austrians took to the streets to protest against the FPÖ’s ‘Austrians must come first!’ referendum in 1993. Strache has revealed plans to initiate a similar referendum next year, citing growing fears of ‘growing “Islamisation”’ in Western Europe. He also voted to press on with a referendum against possible new mosques in Vienna where one in 10 residents are Muslims… a majority of 52 per cent of Austrians opposed the idea of more mosques with minarets.”

A Hard Core of EU Member States

On December 7, the EUObserver published a thought-provoking interview with former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. We are bringing you the following excerpts:

“Europe lacks leaders, former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt has said in an exclusive interview with the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. Set to mark his 92nd birthday later this month, Mr Schmidt… predicts a hard core of EU member states defined by common foreign policy perspectives…

“Helmut Schmidt: … I would say that, in general, Europe lacks leaders. It lacks people in high positions in the national states or in the European institutions with sufficient overview of domestic and international questions and sufficient power of judgment… Additionally, the present German government is composed of people who are learning their business on the job. They have no previous experience in world political affairs or in world economic affairs… The mistake was made around the time of Maastricht, in 1991-92. At this time we were 12 member countries in Europe. They not only invited everybody to become a member of [the] European Union but they also invented the euro and invited everybody to become a member of the euro area. And this was done without changing the rules or clarifying the rules beforehand… What we are suffering now is the consequence of that failure… So far the idea of a common currency still has my full backing, even if the European leaders did fail to set the rules and made the enormous mistake to take in anybody.

“Over the next 20 years, I think it is rather likely, at least 51 percent likely, that a hard core of the Union will emerge. And it would comprise the French, the Germans, the Dutch – I’m not so sure about the Italians. I’m rather sure [that] the British would not be part of it, the same may come true of the Poles. It would not be a hard core in written paragraphs of paper but it would be a hard core de facto and [not] de jure… Probably Austria [would be part of it], conceivably Denmark and Sweden. The Danes are very cautious – they would still look to London… Not necessarily would this [the hard core] pertain to the field of currencies but it would probably pertain to the field of world policies whether vis-a-vis China, Iran, Afghanistan or a new coalition of Muslim states, which is one of the great dangers of the 21st century, that you get a coalition of Muslim states. If there was a president in Washington and he wanted to drop the atomic bomb on Tehran, the Europeans would be strong enough to say: ‘We are not part of it.’ Right now, no one is strong enough in Europe to be in that position…

“It’s difficult to say [whether France would be part of the core nations].  I said the probability would be 51 percent – that makes 49 percent left…  It depends very much on the behaviour of the Germans… The Germans indeed sometimes behave like the strongest nation, they tend to give lessons to everybody. In fact they are more vulnerable than they think… I used to believe in British common sense and state rationale… I was brought up in a very Anglophile way. I was a great supporter of Edward Heath who brought Britain into the European community. But then we had Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher, who didn’t always behave so sensibly. And then we had Tony Blair who brought himself into a position of far too great a dependence on America. You can’t have this dependence on America and at the same time play a responsible role in Europe…”

“Fiscal Situation in the United States Much Worse than in Europe”

Reuters reported on December 8:

“The U.S. dollar will be a safe investment for the next six to 12 months because global markets are focused on the euro zone’ s troubles but America’s fiscal health is worse than Europe’s, an adviser to the Chinese central bank said on Wednesday.

“Li Daokui, an academic member of the central bank’s monetary policy committee, said that U.S. bond prices and the dollar would fall when the European economic situation stabilized. ‘For now, market attention is still on Europe and for the coming 6-12 months, it will not shift to the United States,’ Li said…

“’But we should be clear in our minds that the fiscal situation in the United States is much worse than in Europe. In one or two years, when the European debt situation stabilizes, attention of financial markets will definitely shift to the United States. At that time, U.S. Treasury bonds and the dollar will experience considerable declines.’”

Mail On Line reported on December 8:

“As unemployment in the U.S. nears the dreaded 10 per cent mark, it is a chart to chill the bones of any job hunter. Comparing previous recoveries from all 10 American recessions since 1948 to the current financial crisis, the stark figures show almost no improvement in employment. Some commentators have described the comparison as ‘the scariest jobs chart ever’…”