After Blair–Is Bush the Next Convert to Catholicism?

The Associated Press reported on June 13:

“[President Bush] began the day [Friday] taking a rare stroll through the lush grounds of the Vatican Gardens, stopping at a grotto where the pontiff prays daily. ‘Your eminence, you’re looking good,’ Bush told Pope Benedict XVI at the beginning of their third visit. Normally, VIPS are received in the pope’s library in the Apostolic Palace. That’s where Bush had his first meeting with Benedict in June 2007. But in a gesture of appreciation for the hearty welcome Bush gave him in Washington in April, Benedict welcomed the president and Mrs. Bush near St. John’s Tower in the lush Vatican Gardens.”

Reuters added on June 13:

“Pope Benedict gave George W. Bush an unprecedented welcome in the tranquility of the Vatican Gardens on Friday before the U.S. president resumed his campaign to rally European support for sanctions against Iran… As birds chirped, the two entered a restored medieval tower and held 30 minutes of private talks. ‘Such an honor, such an honor,’ Bush said to the pope.

“After the meeting in the tower, they stood on a terrace to take in the view of 44 hectares (108 acres) of manicured gardens, buildings, ancient walls and St Peter’s Basilica that make up Vatican City. Bush asked: ‘How big is it?’ A Vatican aide responded: ‘Not quite as big as Texas.’ Bush then said: ‘Yes but more important … this is spectacular.'”

AFP stated on June 13:

“Bush ‘is a huge fan of the pope and has full respect for him,’ White House chief of protocol Nancy Goodman Brinker said. The US leader ‘fully supports the (Catholic) Church and fully supports everything this pope is trying to do on behalf of peace, education and hunger in cooperation with world political leaders,’ she told the ANSA news agency. Bush, whose relations with pope John Paul II were strained because of the US-led invasion of Iraq, feels closer to Benedict, who appreciates the religious fervour of the president, a born-again Protestant… On Friday, the two leaders will pray before a statue of the Madonna before bidding each other farewell.”

In fact, they did. Bild Online reported on June 13: “They prayed together before the picture of the Virgin Mary.” The paper also pointed out the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, Catholic Mary Ann Gleddon, kissed the pope’s hand when they met.

As a consequence, the Belfast Telegraph stated on Monday, June 16, that “Bush ‘may convert to Catholicism.'” The article continued:

“President George Bush was given such a splendid welcome by Pope Benedict XVI yesterday that rumours started flying that the President, like Tony Blair before him, was on the verge of converting to Catholicism… The notion was given extra mileage by the fact that the President’s brother Jeb, the former governor of Florida, converted to Catholicism on marrying his wife Columba, a Mexican.

“The Vatican differs from the White House on immigration and the death penalty but on other issues including stem cell research, gay marriage and abortion there has been, as the Catholic daily L’Avvenire put it, ‘total harmony.’  Cardinal Pio Laghi, the papal envoy to the White House, said: ‘Bush believes in the values of the Church and his brother is a convert.'”

Serious Problems for this Year’s Harvest Due to Flooding

The New York Times wrote on June 16:

“Last week, the price of corn rose above $7 a bushel on the commodities market for the first time, and soybeans rose sharply, too, reacting to the harsh weather hampering crop production across the Midwest. In addition to Iowa, the farming states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota have suffered an unusual level of flooding this year.

“Soaring global demand in addition to the increased use of corn for ethanol, an alternative fuel, have shrunk the worldwide supply of staples that are the core of practically every continent’s diet.

“Meanwhile, the price of oil has jumped, raising the cost of producing crops and feeding livestock and causing an increase in grocery bills here and abroad, sparking riots and protests in at least two dozen countries.

“At a moment when corn should be almost waist-high here in Iowa, the country’s top-producing corn state, more than a million acres have been washed out and destroyed. Beyond that, agriculture experts estimate that 2 million acres of soy beans have been lost to water, putting the state’s total grain loss at 20 percent so far, with the threat of more rain to come…”

US Floods Hit Food Prices

The Financial Times wrote on June 17:

“Consumers were warned to expect even sharper increases in global food prices after US officials said that some of the country’s best farmland was facing its worst flooding for 15 years. Agriculture officials and traders said the damage could push up worldwide corn and soyabean prices, which have spiralled in recent days as floods have swamped crops in parts of Iowa, the US’s biggest corn-producing state. The warning comes at a time when high food prices are already sparking protests across the developing world…

“The increase in the cost of corn and soyabeans – the two main feed crops for farm animals such as cows and chickens – increased the price of live cattle yesterday for the second day in a row, to the highest level in 22 years…

“After weeks of heavy rains and low temperatures, the US Department of Agriculture said that only 57 per cent of the country’s corn crop is in good or excellent condition, considerably less than the 70 per cent registered this time last year. Local farmers in Illinois said that the bad weather had delayed planting by up to five weeks, which would result in a much reduced crop of corn and soyabeans. Some farmers expected their corn production to be down by as much as 50 per cent from last year’s level.

“Agriculture traders described the problem graphically, saying that corn plants in Iowa or Illinois should now be reaching almost waist height, but due to the impact of the heavy rains and low temperatures were below knee-height.”

Reuters added on June 18:

“The swollen Mississippi River ran over the top of at least 12 more levees on Wednesday, as floodwaters swallowed up more U.S. farmland, adding to billion-dollar losses and feeding global food inflation fears… About 10 levees were breached earlier this week, bringing the total to 22 on Wednesday… The cost of the disaster may end up rivaling that of 1993 Midwest floods that caused more than $20 billion in damage and 48 deaths… The prospects of smaller crops have already jolted commodity markets, food producers and exporters. Chicago Board of Trade corn prices traded at a record $8.07 a bushel. The floods will mean more food inflation, not only for U.S. consumers, but also for dozens of countries that buy American grain. The United States exports 54 percent of the world’s corn, 36 percent of its soybeans and 23 percent of its wheat…

“Estimates are that 5 million acres across the Midwest have been ruined and will not produce a crop this year. Iowa and Illinois usually produce one-third of all U.S. corn and soybeans. Expectations of reduced crops from the main sources of livestock feed, renewable fuels like ethanol, starch and edible oils has sent commodity prices to record highs… The worst flooding has struck Iowa but evacuations have also affected flooded sections of Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota.”

After the Irish “No”-Vote–Difficult Times Ahead for Europe

Der Spiegel wrote on June 13:

“Ireland shot down the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum held on Thursday. Already, EU politicians are branding the Irish as ingrates. But it is exactly that kind of arrogance which helped lead to the Irish ‘no’ in the first place… Brussels is disappointed — and furious…

“Listen to the Irish themselves and it becomes clear that they remain, for the most part, committed Europeans. In the run up to Thursday’s referendum, though, the country posed two questions born of pragmatism: Is this treaty good for us? And: Are we happy with the current development of the EU? Both questions are ones which many millions of Europeans would likely have responded to with ‘no.’ Had they been asked…

“Already, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have said that ratification of the Lisbon Treaty should continue as planned — as though the Irish referendum never took place. But for the EU — which sings the praises of democracy and does what it can to improve democratic institutions in places like Turkey — that would be the wrong way to go.”

The Guardian wrote on June 14:

“The long campaign to forge a new dispensation for the European Union descended into panic and uncertainty yesterday when Ireland turned its back on its 26 EU partners and voted down the Lisbon Treaty. EU leaders in Brussels and governments across the union, particularly Germany and France, were stunned by the Irish verdict, which amounted to a huge vote of no confidence in the way the EU is run… The result left Europe’s leaders with a giant dilemma over what to do next… The pressure on Britain indicated that Germany and France still hope to salvage the treaty, although it was not clear how since it has to be ratified by all 27 EU countries to take effect…

“Everything suggested that Europe’s key leaders were urgently conferring on a scheme to steamroller their blueprint through despite the Irish rejection, a course likely to trigger protest from Eurosceptics and deepen Europe’s democratic legitimacy problems. At the very least, the deadlines for implementing the treaty looked difficult to achieve.”

The EUObserver wrote on June 16:

“Europe will this week try and pick up the political pieces following Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, but the relatively high turnout at the ballot box, the wide margin and the jumble of reasons for the No vote mean an exit strategy will be hard to find… Ireland has admitted it will be hard-pressed to come up [with] an answer and asked Europe to not isolate it… France and Germany have been careful to sing from the same hymn sheet, staving off a feeling of Europe in crisis and rushing out a joint statement to say ratification should continue in a bid to stop more eurosceptic countries such as Britain immediately calling off the process… But all countries need to ratify the Lisbon Treaty for it to come into force…

“The most obvious way out – without resorting to renegotiating the treaty for which there is little political appetite – is another vote to see if the Irish say yes second time round… But it appears unlikely that the Irish government can take this route… the EU would leave itself exposed to charges that it is ignoring the will of the people if it pushes Dublin towards a second vote.”

Coming–a Two-Speed or “Core” Europe

The Times wrote on June 15:

“Gordon Brown is privately ready to sacrifice the Lisbon treaty rather than allow the Irish no vote to create a two-tier Europe. Despite the Irish referendum, France, Germany and senior Brussels officials have insisted there should be no delay in implementing the European Union blueprint. But No 10 sources say the prime minister would rather see the entire constitutional treaty collapse than allow individual member states to be left trailing in a two-speed Europe… If Europe presses ahead without Ireland, it would set a precedent for a two-speed club, with Britain likely to be stuck in the second tier…

“The only EU leader so far to admit that the treaty is dead is Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, who declared the entire project ‘finished’. ‘Ratification cannot be continued,’ he said. There are signs that across Europe political leaders will face growing public opposition if they disregard the Irish vote.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 16:

“The most probable option that remains is an exhausting marathon. The EU would continue working, at least for a while, with the instruments and powers that it already has. Then, in a couple of years, a new round of negotiations would begin in order to come up with a more efficient set of rules for the club. That would take a long time and by that point the old longing for a smaller, better ‘core Europe’ among committed Europeans would once again have been awakened.”

In a related article, Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 16:

“Elsewhere, calls for a ‘two-speed’ Europe have once again become audible. Many in Germany, France and other long-time EU members have argued that, if not everyone is willing to fully integrate, then those who would like to should move ahead. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said on German radio on Saturday that it was time for a ‘Club of the Few.’ Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer likewise wrote in an editorial for Die Zeit that ‘those who want political integration should move forward and those who are happy with just a common market should be left behind.'”

Ultimately, a two-speed Europe WILL develop, and certain “core nations” WILL move forward. For more information, please watch our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Ireland Says No–What Now?” It is posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. Also, make sure to read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

“Fortress Europe Is Taking Shape”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 19:

“The European Parliament has approved new measures for handling illegal immigrants in the European Union. But does it make the EU more humane? German commentators aren’t sure…

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘Unfortunately, the train is heading in the wrong direction. … Already the approach is wrong. Instead of seeing immigration as a way to enrich and increase the growth prospects of the aging continent, the EU has set its sights on building a wall. … The slogans are regulation and repression. Fortress Europe is taking shape… there is absolutely no reason for the EU to strengthen the fortress.'”

European Defense–Top Priority

The EUObserver wrote on June 17:

“French president Nicolas Sarkozy has reaffirmed his intention to make European defence a major theme during his country’s six-month stint at running the European Union, beginning in less that two week’s time. In a key address before French military brass on Tuesday (17 June), Mr Sarkozy said ‘building European defence is our priority’ and that ‘whatever the future of the Treaty of Lisbon’ he would not change his mind…

“EU member states in 1999 committed themselves to achieving a Rapid Reaction Force of this size, deployable within 60 days… Mr Sarkozy said he wants to make defence and security policy an example of a ‘concrete Europe, of a Europe that responds to the needs of its citizens. I very much hope that the French presidency of the European Union (…) will be the first step in a veritable relaunch of European defence for the coming years,’ he said, according to AP.”

Blueprint for Nuclear Weapons in the Hands of U.S. Enemies?

CNN wrote on June 15:

“An international smuggling ring may have secretly shared blueprints for an advanced nuclear weapon with Iran, North Korea and other rogue countries, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The now-defunct ring led by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan is previously known to have sold bomb-related parts to Libya, Iran and North Korea.

“A draft report by former top U.N. arms inspector David Albright says the smugglers also acquired designs for building a more sophisticated compact nuclear device that could be fitted on a type of ballistic missile used by Iran and other developing countries, according to the Post.”

In addition, The Financial Times wrote on June 19:

“The US military cannot locate hundreds of sensitive nuclear missile components, according to several government officials familiar with a Pentagon report on nuclear safeguards. Robert Gates, US defence secretary, recently fired both the US Air Force chief of staff and air force secretary after an investigation blamed the air force for the inadvertent shipment of nuclear missile nose cones to Taiwan. According to previously undisclosed details obtained by the FT, the investigation also concluded that the air force could not account for many sensitive components previously included in its nuclear inventory. One official said the number of missing components was more than 1,000.”

Israel Believes Air Strike Against Iran Unavoidable–“We Will See a Middle East in Flames.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 16:

“The Israeli government no longer believes that sanctions can prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. A broad consensus in favor of a military strike against Tehran’s nuclear facilities — without the Americans, if necessary — is beginning to take shape… there is now a consensus within the Israeli government that an air strike against the Iranian nuclear facilities has become unavoidable…

“The one question over which Israel’s various political groups disagree is the timing of an attack. The doves argue that diplomatic efforts by the United Nations should be allowed to continue until Iran is on the verge of completing the bomb…

“The hawks, on the other hand, believe time is running out. They stress that there is now a ‘favorable window of opportunity’ that will close with the US presidential election in November, and that Israel can only depend on American support for as long as current US President George W. Bush is still in charge in Washington. They are convinced that the country cannot truly depend on any of the candidates to succeed Bush in office. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic candidate, has already said that he favors direct negotiations with Tehran. And even if Republican John McCain wins the race, politicians in Jerusalem do not expect him to be ordering an attack as his first official act… President Bush, however, has recently been sending out signals that are suspiciously reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq war…

“In a recent letter to Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak wrote that Tehran is not far from the ‘point of no return’ at which the Israelis believe it could no longer be prevented from developing a bomb. Israeli intelligence officials believe that Iranian weapons engineers could have enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear warhead by 2009.

“Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert who spent many years working for the CIA, says it would be ‘very difficult for this administration [of the USA] to start a war with Iran. There would be public uproar and congressional uproar.’ But the situation is different from Israel’s perspective, says Riedel. ‘There is some risk that Israel thinks it has limited time to act and it has a green light from American politicians.’ Besides, the Israeli Air Force is known for its ‘inventive solutions to military problems,’ says Riedel, who has strong contacts to Israel, referring to the feasibility of such an attack. ‘Israeli military planners tell me it is mission doable.’

“This is why Riedel sees an Israeli military strike, with the US government’s consent, as the most likely attack scenario. But the consequences, according to Riedel, would not differ from those of an American attack. ‘An Israeli attack will be seen as a US attack. Iran will retaliate against both Israel and the US.’ The consequences, says Riedel, would be fatal. ‘We will see a Middle East in flames.’

“Nevertheless, in Israel it is no longer a matter of whether there will be a military strike, but when.”

No Official Position on Homosexual Bishops in Lutheran Churches

Reuters reported on June 17:

“Germany could elect its first openly gay Lutheran bishop [Horst Gorski, a senior cleric from Hamburg] next month [July 12], a move conservatives say would alienate many Christians and open divisions in the Church…

“‘Many members of the community would have little understanding for a bishop with this kind of lifestyle,’ Ulrich Ruess, a pastor in the northern city of Hamburg, was quoted as telling Die Welt newspaper. Others have been quoted as saying Gorski’s appointment would damage the standing and weight of the Lutheran Church, founded by German Martin Luther in the 16th century and now one of the largest Protestant denominations.

“The election committee is standing by its choice of candidates. ‘After careful consultation, we have nominated two experienced provosts as candidates who have excelled in their localities and in the region in a variety of ways,’ said election committee member Bishop Maria Jepsen, the world’s first woman Lutheran bishop. In an Internet statement, she said the two candidates earned respect with their theological and pastoral work as well as through their strong charisma.

“The Lutheran World Federation, which represents nearly 69 million Christians, says it will not get involved as it has no common line on the question of homosexuality… Last year the largest U.S. Lutheran body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said it would allow homosexual clergy in sexual relationships to serve as pastors.”

California’s Gay Marriages

The Associated Press reported on June 18:

“Wearing everything from T-shirts to tuxedos and lavish gowns, hundreds of same-sex couples rushed to county clerks’ offices throughout California to obtain marriage licenses and exchange vows as last-minute legal challenges to gay marriage failed. All 58 counties began issuing licenses Tuesday following an order from the state’s highest court.

“San Diego County, typically a Republican stronghold, added four walk-up windows and assigned 78 employees to issue marriage licenses, up from the usual 19. It issued 230 licenses on Tuesday, breaking its previous single-day record of 176 on Valentine’s Day 2005…

“A recent Field Poll showed that Californians favor granting gays the right to marry 51 percent to 42 percent. It was the first time in 30 years of California polling that the scales tipped in that direction. In a sign of the growing political support for same-sex marriage, the Los Angeles City Council president, the mayor of Sacramento and at least two state lawmakers agreed to officiate at the weddings of staff members and friends.”

Romantic Human-Robot Relationships?

AFP wrote on June 15:

“Romantic human-robot relationships are no longer the stuff of science fiction — researchers expect them to become reality within four decades… ‘I am talking about loving relationships about 40 years from now,’ David Levy, author of the book ‘Love + sex with robots’, told AFP at an international conference. ‘… [Then] there [will exist] robots that have also emotions, personality, consciousness. They can talk to you, they can make you laugh. They can … say they love you just like a human would say “I love you”, and say it as though they mean it …’

“Scientists were working on artificial personality, emotion and consciousness, said Levy, and some robots already appear lifelike… Levy’s bombshell thesis, whose publication has had a ripple-effect way beyond the scientific community, gives rise to a number of complicated ethical and relationship questions.”

Jacob’s Pillar Stone in the UK–Fact or Fiction?

The Telegraph wrote on June 16:

“Scottish, English and British monarchs have been crowned on the ancient coronation stone since the ninth century. It spent 700 years under the chair in Westminster Abbey after it was seized in 1296 by King Edward I, and was finally returned to Scotland 12 years ago. It has since been viewed at Edinburgh Castle by tens of thousands of people, and is regarded as a symbol of Scottish independence. According to legend, Jacob used the ancient stone as a pillow when he dreamt of a ladder to heaven.

“But Scotland’s First Minister is convinced that it may be no more than a worthless lump of Perthshire sandstone. He believes it was passed off as the real coronation stone when Edward stormed Scone Abbey in 1296…

“On Christmas Day 1950, the Stone of Destiny was stolen from below the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey by a group of radical nationalist students… After a brief sojourn north of the border it was later handed back to British authorities and was used in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

“Ian Hamilton, a QC who was one of the four students who stole the relic 58 years ago, said he remained convinced it was the real thing… A spokesman for Westminster Abbey said she had always believed the stone was genuine.”

What Germany Can Expect from the Next U.S. President

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 9:

“It’s a dream, nothing but a dream… what if German politicians would exude just a smidgen of the youthfulness and spirit of optimism that Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, seems to have in abundance? In the grey bleakness exuded by Berlin’s grand coalition government, these daydreams thrive like marsh marigolds on a wetland meadow…

“Obamamania has gripped large segments of Germany’s political establishment and population… In an editorial in last Friday’s edition of the influential Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper titled ‘What the conservatives Must Do Now,’ former Bavarian conservative leader Edmund Stoiber gave his party some unsolicited advice. America, the Bavarian politician wrote, is ‘a marvellous example of the power of democracy.’…

“In a head-to-head contest with John McCain, the designated Republican presidential candidate, 67 percent of Germans would vote for Obama… Despite all the enthusiasm for Obama, Germans know little about his foreign policy ideas…

“McCain’s positions, at least, are well known… But the Republican candidate is also known for his temper. His fits of rage are legendary… McCain’s outbursts have long been the subject of ridicule among Americans attending the Munich conference…

“Obama, on the other hand, is as fascinating to German politicians as a mirage. He seems promising from afar, and yet no one knows what he actually stands for. In fact, hardly anyone knows him at all…

“If McCain wins the election, most German foreign policy experts predict trouble ahead for Germany. If Obama wins there will also be friction, but no one knows where and on what fronts.

“Whoever moves into the White House next January will base his decisions on American interests, not on personal preferences… For the Germans, Obama could in fact prove to be the more difficult partner… Analysts in Berlin believe that both Obama and McCain would be more adamant than the current president in calling for the German military, the Bundeswehr, to participate in combat missions in [the south of Afghanistan]…”

“What Is the Post-Bush Era Going to Look Like?”

On June 9, Der Spiegel Online stated the following:

“US President George W. Bush will arrive in Europe this week… But… Europe is more than happy to see him off… Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Europeans have viewed Bush with a great measure of distrust and fully 77 percent now disagree with his international policies…

“Bush himself seems content to play his bad-guy role right to the very end. Just recently, his government presented plans to require Europeans — even those who don’t need visas — to register online at least three days before travelling to the US. Bush himself once again mentioned the possibility of a strike on Iran. And his Republican Party recently blocked a climate protection bill in the Senate.

“Still, Europe is looking beyond Bush. The outgoing president has made it easy for Europe to resist requests for more involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, for example. But that will change — likely as soon as next year. Should Barack Obama, who is wildly popular in Europe, get elected, it will be even more difficult for Europe to say no. The question then would be a more existential one for trans-Atlantic relations… the question will be whether Europe and the US are natural partners as has so long been assumed. Or whether the rise of other world regions like Asia has done permanent damage to the axis.

“‘The Bush visit,’ says John Glenn of the German Marshall Fund, ‘is a reminder that one of the most interesting periods of all times is about to begin in trans-Atlantic relations: What is the post-Bush era going to look like?'”

President Bush Apologizes for War Rhetoric

The Times wrote on June 11:

“President Bush has admitted to The Times that his gun-slinging rhetoric made the world believe that he was a ‘guy really anxious for war’ in Iraq. He said that his aim now was to leave his successor a legacy of international diplomacy for tackling Iran. In an exclusive interview, he expressed regret at the bitter divisions over the war and said that he was troubled about how his country had been misunderstood. ‘I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric.’…

“Mr Bush is concerned that the Democratic nominee Barack Obama might open cracks in the West’s united front towards Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. At the EU-US summit in Slovenia, he pressed for tougher sanctions against Iran unless it agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment programme verifiably… The President was keen to bind his successor into a continued military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq… he delivered a thinly veiled warning to Mr Obama that his promises to renegotiate or block international trade deals were already causing alarm in Europe and beyond.”

Practice for Guantanamo Bay Suspects Held Unconstitutional

The Associated Press reported on June 12:

“The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts. In its third rebuke of the Bush administration’s treatment of prisoners, the court ruled 5-4 that the government is violating the rights of prisoners being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The court’s liberal justices were in the majority… The court said not only that the detainees have rights under the Constitution, but that the system the administration has put in place to classify them as enemy combatants and review those decisions is inadequate…

“In dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts criticized his colleagues for striking down what he called ‘the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants.’ Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas also dissented. Scalia said the nation is ‘at war with radical Islamists’ and that the court’s decision ‘will make the war harder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.’ Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens joined Kennedy to form the majority.”

Lessons that the USA Must Learn

On June 7, USA Today published the following thoughtful and truly remarkable editorial:

“It has long been apparent that the United States rushed to war in Iraq based on false premises. Saddam Hussein didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, didn’t have ties to the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks and wasn’t an imminent danger.

“But one great unanswered question has festered in Washington: Did President Bush and his top officials knowingly lie when they repeatedly asserted that Saddam was reconstituting a nuclear program and had biological and chemical weapons? Or did they simply get it wrong, cherry-picking flawed intelligence to make their case for action?

“Anyone hoping for the final answer from the long-delayed Senate Intelligence Committee report released Thursday will be disappointed–unless, of course, they cherry-pick it to support their preconceived opinions.

“For the most part, the 171-page report contradicts the simplistic ‘Bush lied, people died’ formulation found on bumper stickers. It concludes that the administration’s prewar statements on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction were mostly backed up by available (but flawed) U.S. intelligence, although the statements tended to gloss over internal debate among intelligence agencies about those findings.

“The report does find, however, that assertions by Bush and Vice President Cheney that Saddam was prepared to arm terrorist groups to attack the United States contradicted available intelligence. In fact, that intelligence suggested Saddam was unlikely to do so because he feared an attack would strengthen the U.S. case for war.

“This mixed verdict won’t satisfy partisans on either side. But it doesn’t mean the report — endorsed by the panel’s eight Democrats and two of its seven Republicans — is an exercise in futility, as its GOP critics claimed. It is, in fact, a cautionary tale that provides important lessons, particularly as the nation decides what to do about Iran and its murky nuclear program.

“For Congress, the lesson is that lawmakers need to double-check intelligence themselves, not simply rely on summaries or administration assurances. Pathetically few members of Congress read the complete 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, which detailed misgivings of some intelligence agencies, before they cast fateful votes that authorized the Iraq war.

“For this and future administrations, the lesson is that White House officials need to weigh and study all available intelligence, not seize on only what supports their preconceived notions. They mustn’t present ambiguity as certainty. They mustn’t launch pre-emptive attacks without bulletproof evidence. And never again should they treat war as a marketing campaign, like selling a new brand of toothpaste.”

“Many Have Lost Faith in America”

On June 11, 2008, Der Spiegel Online reported about the German view on German-American relationships:

“German newspaper commentators have launched a scathing attack on US President George W. Bush’s record, saying he embodies ‘the arrogance of power’ and has shattered the world’s faith in America. The diplomatic fence-mending between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President George W. Bush over the past two years seems to have done nothing to pacify German editorial writers who have seized on the US president’s farewell trip to Europe to launch a tirade of criticism of his eight years in power.

“The Iraq war, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, CIA renditions and Bush’s record on climate change have tainted not only Bush’s image but also that of America for years to come, write Germany’s leading newspapers… German politicians from Merkel’s ruling coalition have been similarly scathing this week in their assessment of Bush’s record, throwing diplomatic caution to the wind five months ahead of the presidential election.

“Left-wing Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘Rarely has an American president been less popular in this country. And rarely has one embodied the arrogance of power more convincingly than Bush… Many have lost faith in America…’

“Business daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘With this unilateralism Bush damaged America’s reputation…’

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘In Germany, America is no longer seen as a country of individual liberty, as a reliable ally and definitely not as a model… in the thoughts and feeling of many Germans [Bush] is leaving behind a mixture of antipathy, ridicule, anger and skepticism towards US policies and towards America in general. Differentiating between the two has become more difficult with every year of his presidency. The memory of Bush will darken America’s image in the world for years to come.’

“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘… It’s not just George W. Bush who’s unwelcome. Ever since Reagan’s Berlin visit in 1987, American presidents haven’t been especially welcome whenever they embodied the uncomfortable aspect of the Atlantic alliance, which many regard as a burden that should be discarded soon. But the Bush critics are overlooking one thing: Whether Obama or McCain, the coming president of the US will be a difficult partner.'”

Iraq Caught Between the USA and Iran

The Los Angeles Times reported on June 10:

“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki concluded a three-day visit to Iran after meeting Monday with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who warned that the continued presence of U.S. troops was ‘the main obstacle on the way to progress and prosperity in Iraq.’

“The session with Khamenei, Iran’s top religious and political authority, served to further highlight the delicate position of the Iraqi government — caught between the U.S. and Iran, each seeking to pull Iraq out of the other’s sphere of influence…

“Khamenei and other Iranian politicians have repeatedly urged Maliki’s government not to sign a status of forces agreement being negotiated with the United States. The agreement would provide a legal framework for the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq after the United Nations mandate expires at the end of this year.”

A European Army–Friend or Foe?

The Associated Press wrote on June 8:

“Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton has warned Europe against forging closer military ties. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for greater defense cooperation among European nations. But Bolton told a conference in Dublin on Sunday that such a move could undermine NATO.

“Bolton says creating a European Union military capability would be a huge mistake. Sarkozy called in a speech last week for an independent European defense policy. But he insists his plans would complement — not compete — with NATO.”

Bush and Pope Will “See” Statue of “Madonna”

Reuters reported on June 9:

“Pope Benedict will unusually host talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in a restored medieval tower on Friday, to repay him for a warm reception at the White House, the Vatican said… St. John’s Tower is a round structure on a hilltop inside the Vatican gardens that is sometimes used as a residence for important guests. After their private talks, Bush and the pope will stroll in the gardens to see a statue of the Madonna.”

The big question is: Why would a U.S. President who is a Methodist, want to see a statue of the “Madonna”–who is worshipped by Catholics as the Queen of Heaven or the Holy Mother of God?

Please make sure to read the Q&A in this issue, discussing the “image of the beast,” as mentioned in the book of Revelation.

The Dollar and the Euro

The Wall Street Journal wrote on June 9:

“… the value of the U.S. dollar against the euro has fallen drastically in the last few years. In December 2002, one dollar was equal in value to one euro; today, it requires more than half… as many dollars to equal one euro…

“The euro is the official currency used by 320 million Europeans in 15 member states: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Another three member states – Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom – use their own currencies.”

New York’s Chrysler Building For Sale

The New York Post reported on June 11:

“The latest Big Apple trophy being coveted by oil-rich sovereign wealth funds is the landmark Chrysler Building. Sources say the super-rich Abu Dhabi Investment Council is negotiating an $800 million deal for a 75 percent stake in the Art Deco treasure that has defined the Midtown skyline since 1930. The Chrysler assets would be purchased from TMW – the German arm of an Atlanta-based investment fund that’s been eager to cash out of its Chrysler stake.

“The deal follows last month’s sale of the GM Building and three other Macklowe/Equity Portfolio properties for $3.95 billion to a group of investors including the wealth funds of Kuwait and Qatar and Boston Properties… Tishman Speyer Properties owns the remaining 25 percent stake in the Chrysler Building and operates the landmark at 405 Lexington Ave., along with the Trylons and the newer next door neighbor at 666 Third Ave… Recently Tishman Speyer obtained a 150-year extension of the ground lease.  Sources say the deal would leave Tishman Speyer in charge of the building, with the Abu Dhabi fund essentially acting as a silent partner. Abu Dhabi has also partnered with Tishman Speyer in other deals around the world, sources said.”

Israel Threatens To Attack Iran…

On June 7, 2008, the Guardian stated the following:

“Israel ‘will attack’ Iran if it continues to develop nuclear weapons, one of prime minister Ehud Olmert’s deputies warned yesterday. Shaul Mofaz, a former defence minister and a contender to replace the scandal-battered Olmert, said military action would be ‘unavoidable’ if Tehran proved able to acquire the technology to manufacture atomic bombs…

“Mofaz was born in Iran, giving his remarks extra edge… Mofaz’s remarks came at the end of a week of intense US-Israeli talks on Iran. They were also the most explicit threat yet against the Islamic Republic from a member of the Israeli government, which, like the Bush administration, has preferred to hint at force as a last resort should UN sanctions be deemed to have failed…

“Experts doubt whether Israel could destroy Iran’s extensive and heavily defended nuclear facilities without American help. In 1981 Israel bombed and destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor. Last September its planes bombed a site in Syria that the US said was a nuclear reactor built with North Korean help. Syria denied having any such facility. Israel is believed to have an arsenal of 150-400 nuclear warheads. Unlike Iran, it has never signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.”

… and Iran Responds in Kind

On June 10, 2008, Reuters reported:

“Iran’s defense minister was quoted on Tuesday as warning Israel of a ‘very painful’ response if it launched a military strike over the Islamic Republic’s disputed nuclear program…  In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asked ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday to refrain from discussing sensitive matters publicly, officials said… [Iran’s] Shahab-3 missile, with a range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), is capable of hitting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, Iranian officials say.”

Grim Prospects for Worldwide Harvests in 2008

The International Herald Tribune wrote on June 10:

“In a year when global harvests need to be excellent to ease the threat of pervasive food shortages, evidence is mounting that they will be average at best. Some farmers are starting to fear disaster. American corn and soybean farmers are suffering from too much rain, while Australian wheat farmers have been plagued by drought…

“At a moment when the country’s corn should be flourishing, one plant in 10 has not even emerged from the ground, the [U.S.] Agriculture Department said Monday. Because corn planted late is more sensitive to heat damage in high summer, every day’s delay practically guarantees a lower yield at harvest…

“Last winter, as the full scope of the global food crisis became clear, commodity prices doubled or tripled, provoking grumbling in America, riots in two dozen countries and the specter of greatly increased malnutrition. As the world clamors for more corn, wheat, soybeans and rice, farmers are trying to meet the challenge. Millions of acres are coming back into production in Europe. In Asia, planting two or three crops in a single year is becoming more common.

“American farmers are planting 324 million acres this year, up 4 million acres from 2007. Too much of the best land is waterlogged, however. Indiana and Illinois have been the worst hit, although Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota were inundated last weekend…

“United States soybean plantings are running 16 percent behind last year. Rice is tardy in Arkansas, which produces nearly half the country’s crop…

“Harvests ebb and flow, of course. But with supplies of most of the key commodities at their lowest levels in decades, there is little room for error this year. American farmers are among the world’s top producers, supplying 60 percent of the corn that moves across international borders in a typical year, as well as a third of the soybeans, a quarter of the wheat and a tenth of the rice…”

Shocking Rulings in Canada Regarding Alleged “Hate Crimes”

WorldNetDaily reported on June 9:

“A Canadian human rights tribunal ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality, according to a new report.

“In a decision dated May 30 in the penalty phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing his biblical perspective of homosexuality and ordered to pay $5,000 for ‘damages for pain and suffering’ as well as apologize to the activist who complained of being hurt… Boisson wrote a letter to the editor of his local Red Deer, Alberta, newspaper in 2002 denouncing the advance of homosexual activism as ‘wicked’ and stating: ‘Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights.’…”

Please listen to our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “Beware of Hate Crimes,” which discusses the problematic development of overzealous governmental agencies, prosecutors and courts in their dealing with alleged “hate crime” offenders. The program is posted on  StandingWatch or Google Video or YouTube.

The Word’s Questionable Obsession with “Hate Speech”

The International Herald Tribune wrote on June 11:

“A couple of years ago, a Canadian magazine published an article arguing that the rise of Islam threatened Western values. The article’s tone was mocking and biting, but it said nothing that conservative magazines and blogs in the United States did not say every day without fear of legal reprisal. Things are different here. The magazine is on trial.

“Under Canadian law, there is a serious argument that the article contained hate speech and that its publisher, Maclean’s magazine, the nation’s leading newsweekly, should be forbidden from saying similar things, forced to publish a rebuttal and made to compensate Muslims for injuring their ‘dignity, feelings and self respect.’ The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, which held five days of hearings on those questions in Vancouver last week, will soon rule on whether Maclean’s violated a provincial hate speech law by stirring up animosity toward Muslims…

“In the United States… [under] the First Amendment, newspapers and magazines can say what they like about minority groups and religions – even false, provocative or hateful things – without legal consequence…

“Canada, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and India all have laws or have signed international conventions banning hate speech. Israel and France forbid the sale of Nazi items like swastikas and flags. It is a crime to deny the Holocaust in Canada, Germany and France…

“[In the USA, the] First Amendment is not, of course, absolute. The Supreme Court has said that the government may ban fighting words or threats. Punishments may be enhanced for violent crimes prompted by race hate. And private institutions, including universities and employers, are not subject to the First Amendment, which restricts only government activities. But merely saying hateful things about minority groups, even with the intent to cause their members distress and to generate contempt and loathing, is protected by the First Amendment…

“Many foreign courts have respectfully considered the U.S. approach – and then rejected it. A 1990 decision from the Canadian Supreme Court, for instance, upheld the criminal conviction of James Keegstra for ‘unlawfully promoting hatred against an identifiable group by communicating anti-Semitic statements.’ Keegstra, a teacher, had told his students that Jews are ‘money loving,’ ‘power hungry’ and ‘treacherous.’…

“Steyn, the author of the Maclean’s article, said the court proceeding illustrated some important distinctions… ‘What we’re learning here is really the bedrock difference between the United States and the countries that are in a broad sense its legal cousins… Western governments are becoming increasingly comfortable with the regulation of opinion. The First Amendment really does distinguish the U.S., not just from Canada but from the rest of the Western world.'”

Did Jesus Visit Britain?

On June 7, 2008, the Daily Express stated the following:

“An astonishing new book claims that a decade before he was crucified, Jesus sailed [to Britain] on a trading ship… William Blake’s Jerusalem is a hymn about the legend that Jesus once came to Britain. In it Blake asks if Jesus ever walked upon England’s ‘mountains green’, words inspired by the myth that a man called Jesus wandered through British vill­ages a decade before He was crucified…

“By collating stories from local legends, architectural evi­dence from two ancient churches and analysing letters from our earliest historians, author Glyn Lewis believes the tale of Jesus’s visit to Britain is true. The key to it all is Jesus’s family. Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’s uncle, was a metal trader who travelled Europe. He was a trustworthy businessman – in Mark 15:43 he is described as an ‘honourable counsellor’.

“’Joseph of Arima­thea almost certainly came here to buy tin in Cornwall and copper and lead in Somerset,’ says Lewis, author of Did Jesus Come To Britain? ‘In the Bible Joseph of Arimathea approached Pon­tius Pilate for Jesus’s body after the crucifixion. The law then stated that only a close relative could have done this, which shows he and Jesus clearly knew each other well. Pilate also gave Joseph time in a meeting, which showed he wasn’t just “anybody” but a respected member of the community.’…

“Miners’ songs in Corn­wall mention Joseph and Jesus and folk songs from Somerset also tell of the days where He walked among the people of Glastonbury. ‘Britain is one of the very few countries that has songs and hymns about Jesus being here,’ Lewis explains. ‘There are so many that it just seems strange they would all be fictional.’…

“It is, however, difficult to find concrete evidence. ‘We have no written history until about the 6th century when famed histor­ian Gildas started writing but I think he refers to Jesus’s time in this country.’ St Gildas, who lived from AD516 to AD710 wrote that: ‘Christ afforded His light to our island during the height of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.’…

“If Jesus and His uncle landed in Cornwall they would have gone on to Somerset. This was a well-established route for metal traders like Joseph and he would have sailed his ship around the Cornish coast and moored near Burnham or Uphill in Somerset. Lewis writes, they ‘might have called in at the mouth of the Camel estuary in Cornwall’ to replenish supplies of food and water. There remains to this day a well on this harbour which legend has it was where Christ and His uncle stopped…”

The Latest News — Ireland’s EU Treaty Referendum Too Close to Call

AFP reported on June 12:
 
“Ireland on Thursday held a knife edge vote on the European Union’s new reform treaty, with rejection certain to plunge the 27-nation bloc into a new crisis… Counting starts on Friday morning and official results were expected later in the day… EU leaders are anxiously watching Ireland’s voters after a late surge of opposition… Ireland is the only EU member holding a public vote on the treaty, which replaced a draft EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005…

“The Lisbon Treaty, which aims to make EU decision-making more efficient following the recent expansion to 27 nations, has already been approved through a parliamentary vote by 18 other European nations. The Greek, Finnish and Estonian parliaments all ratified the treaty on Wednesday.

“If it is rejected by Ireland, the EU risks being pitched into a new period institutional crisis like that which followed the demise of the EU constitution three years ago… Ireland has caused upsets in EU referendums before. In 2001, its voters rejected the Nice Treaty, a result overturned in a second poll the following year.”

America’s Historical Moment–Obama Declared Democratic Presidential Candidate

As it was reported on Tuesday, June 3, 2008, Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

In a remarkable and unusually strong speech on Wednesday morning at a vast annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Council (AIPAC), Obama presented himself as a tough candidate and vowed unwavering support for Israel, coupled with a willingness to use everything within his power–a phrase that he repeated loudly three times to add emphasis–to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He also stated that America must take the lead in dealing with Iran, as Europe has failed to bring about any acceptable solutions.

AFP added the following in its article of June 4:

“Barack Obama said Wednesday that Jerusalem must remain the ‘undivided’ capital of Israel… Obama said in the strikingly pro-Israel speech that the US bond with the Jewish state was ‘unbreakable today, unbreakable tomorrow, unbreakable for ever,’ adding he was speaking from his heart as a ‘true friend’ of Israel… Obama warned Islamist movement Hamas must renounce violence, pledged to stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself at the United Nations and to provide the Jewish state the means to guarantee its security… ‘There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist organizations.'”

In its article of June 4, USA Today quoted the following additional comment from Obama’s speech: “…’let there be no doubt: I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel. Sometimes there are no alternatives to confrontation.'”

Will European-American Relationships Improve Under a New U.S. President?

Many German commentators and newspapers don’t think so.

Deutsche Welle published the following comment on June 3:

“Lots has been written about the world’s infatuation with Obama, here and elsewhere. With Obama’s candidacy assured, however, how he is perceived by an international audience and what is expected of him becomes more important… A lucid analysis of Obama’s international role and its possible problems offers Constanze Stelzenmüller of the German Marshall Fund of the United States: Entitled The Dalai Obama, Stelzenmüller writes that Germans’ high hopes for an Obama victory are not unfounded, but they may still be disappointed…

“Even if Obama defeats McCain and becomes President, the end of the euphoria is foreseeable writes Stelzenmüller. ‘Obama will call on the help of Germany and the rest of Europe to combat authoritarian regimes worldwide. Iran, NATO in Afghanistan, engagement on Europe’s borders, diplomacy in the Middle East, and perhaps stabilization assistance in Iraq. As an idealist, Obama hopes his appeal to Europe’s sense of responsibility, but if that fails, he must continue as a realist – without Europe.'”

Other German newspapers agree with this assessment. Der Spiegel Online stated the following on June 5, 2008:

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

“‘America is ready for a change and possibly even for a historic transformation … But regardless who gets elected president in November, the change is not going to be as earth-shattering as people expect… In terms of foreign policy, there won’t be a major shift under McCain or Obama — not even a rapid withdrawal of American soldiers from Iraq…’

“In the Hamburg weekly newspaper Die Zeit, journalist Josef Joffe writes: ‘The zeitgeist is blowing for Obama — even if not as strongly in Asia, Africa and Latin America as it is in Western Europe. But an optical illusion may be influencing our opinions: the comforting idea that the real problem is George W. Bush and not America. Out with cowboys and in with change and hope, and then we’ll be able to love America once again.’

“‘So, why is this a mental delusion? First, because anti-Americanism is older than the younger Bush. Second, because Obama (probably) comes, but the superpower stays. America, this modern steam hammer of a nation, is fundamentally a destroyer.

“‘In Old Europe, we’d prefer to take things a bit easier — and, no wonder, after all the catastrophes of the 20th century. And that’s why we don’t want (what former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder once described in his election campaign as) “American conditions.” We also don’t want any American demands about reinforcing the military in Afghanistan or hard sanctions against Iran or civilian assistance in Iraq, which both Obama and McCain would request.'”

2008–Already Deadliest Tornado Year Since 1998

The Associated Press reported on May 28:

“With the year not even half done, 2008 is already the deadliest tornado year in the United States since 1998 and seems on track to break the U.S. record for the number of twisters in a year, according to the National Weather Service. Also, this year’s storms seem to be unusually powerful. But like someone who has lost all his worldly possessions to a whirlwind, meteorologists cannot explain exactly why this is happening…

“And it’s not just more storms. The strongest of those storms — those in the 136-to-200 mph range — have been more prevalent than normal, and lately they seem to be hitting populated areas more…

“Global warming cannot really explain what is happening… While higher temperatures could increase the number of thunderstorms, which are needed to trigger tornadoes, they also would tend to push the storm systems too far north to form some twisters…”

Islamic Terrorists Envision Devastation of America After Nuclear Attack

The Daily Mail wrote on May 30:

“Washington is laid to waste. The Capitol is a blackened, smoking ruin. The White House has been razed. Countless thousands are dead. This is the apocalyptic scene terrorists hope to create if they ever get their hands on a nuclear bomb.

“The computer-generated image below was posted on an Islamic extremists’ website yesterday.

“It appeared as rumours swept the Internet that the FBI was warning that an Al Qaeda video was about to be released urging militants to use weapons of mass destruction to attack the West… One message with the Washington picture said: ‘The next strike’s in the heart of America…’… Last night FBI sources said Al Qaeda was desperate to get its hands on a weapon of mass destruction, be it nuclear, chemical, or biological…”

U.S. Invasion of Iraq Has Failed–Why?

USA Today reported on May 28:

“Too often during this current occupation, Iraqis have been treated as mere pawns in a geopolitical game between the United States and the Baathists or the jihadists. We have surged our military forces and poured billions into the reconstruction but have made relatively little effort to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis by involving them in a common endeavor.

“Instead, we’ve conveyed the sense that the United States is in Iraq for its own interests and not those of the Iraqis. We fight the terrorists there so we don’t fight them here, we say. That may or may not be so, but… democracies are built not by the force of arms or a flood of dollars, but by an active demonstration of faith in the common bonds of humanity.”

Chuck Hagel: “New Great Leaders Will Arrive”

On June 3, Der Spiegel Online published an interview with U.S. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. We are bringing you the following excerpts from the interview:

“We invaded Iraq, we are occupying Iraq and we have made Iraq dependent on us. By our actions we have done terrible damage to our own country and undermined our interests in the world… Our first moral obligation is to our own people whom we keep sending back to Iraq again and again. Four-thousand US soldiers have given their lives, over 30,000 have been wounded, many seriously. I just got an e-mail today from the father of a helicopter pilot. His son is going back to Iraq for the fifth time. That is not acceptable…

“We need to get out [of Iraq], but responsibly. Much depends on how we are going to engage Iran. That spills over into the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. It spills over into Lebanon. It spills over into the relationship with Syria. We need a regional strategy, and in my view that means a permanent Middle East conference in which all Middle East nations participate. The longer we stay in Iraq, the more difficult it becomes to implement such a process. Many of the Arab nations don’t trust us…

“What has American involvement accomplished so far? The Middle East is as combustible and as complicated as it has ever been. Our policy has been disastrous.. We have to use our economic and also our cultural strength. Trust is the crucial currency in international relations. We willfully diminished the value of this currency and we now have to rebuild it. Trust is more important than anything else…

“A strong America is in the interest of the world. I often meet with foreign leaders and they know that the world is more dangerous when America is stumbling, bumbling and weak. America should lead, but through consensus and common interests…

“We are the greatest debtor nation in the world. We have an enormous trade deficit… you cannot continue to spend $600 billion a year that you do not have. We are spending $3 billion a week in Iraq alone…

“Today, I don’t see any great global leaders of the stature of Reagan, Kohl, Mitterand and Thatcher. They were important, whether you agreed with them or not. But as [former German Chancellor Helmut] Schmidt also told me in my office, there will come a time when we will find those new leaders again.”

Think the U.S. Economy Is Bad? It Will Get MUCH Worse!

The New York Times wrote on June 1:

“Struggling as we are with the housing bust, the credit crunch, shrinking consumption, rising unemployment and faltering business investment, we can be forgiven for thinking that all the big shoes have dropped. There is another one up there, however, and it is about to come down.

“State and city governments have yet to shrink the economy; indeed, they have even managed to prop it up. They have quietly maintained their spending at pre-crisis levels even as they warn of numerous cutbacks forced on them by declining tax revenues. The cutbacks, however, are written into budgets for a fiscal year that begins on July 1, a month away. In the meantime the states and cities, often drawing on rainy-day savings, have carried their share of the load for the national economy.

“That share is gigantic. At $1.8 trillion annually in a $14 trillion economy, the states and municipalities spend almost twice as much as the federal government, including the cost of the Iraq war. When librarians, lifeguards, teachers, transit workers, road repair crews and health care workers disappear, or airport and school construction is halted, the economy trembles. None of that, or very little, has happened so far, not even in California, despite a significant decline in tax revenue.

“’We are looking at a $4 billion cut to public schools and deep cuts that will result in thousands of Californians losing their health care,’ said Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, offering a preview of coming hardships. ‘But the reality is we have not pulled money off the streets yet.’

“Quite the opposite, the states and municipalities have increased their spending in recent quarters, bolstering the nation’s meager economic growth. Over the past year, they have added $40 billion to their outlays, even allowing for scattered spending freezes and a few cutbacks in advance of July 1. Total employment has also risen. But when the current fiscal year ends in 30 days (or in the fall for many municipalities), state and city spending will fall, along with employment — slowly at first and then quite noticeably after the next president takes office.”

New Law on Global Warming Would Create Giant Tax, Critics Say

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“The Senate began what is expected to be a weeklong, contentious debate Monday over legislation to combat global warming by mandatory reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases… The Senate measure, which has wide Democratic and some Republican support, would cap U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, cutting them by 18 percent by 2020 and by two-thirds by mid-century. It would specifically target refineries, power plants, factories and transportation for 70 percent reductions…

“Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called it ‘a giant tax on virtually every aspect of the economy,’ and accused Democrats of being ‘laughably out of touch’ in taking up the bill when the country is reeling from $4 a gallon gasoline and other high energy costs. President Bush said at a White House event that the measure amounted to ‘a huge spending bill fueled by tax increases’ and that it ‘would impose roughly $6 trillion in new costs on the American economy.'”

Myanmar’s Military Junta Prevents Aid for Their People

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“More than 1 million people still don’t have adequate food, water or shelter a month after a devastating cyclone swept through Myanmar, and it’s not clear what the military junta is doing to help them, the United Nations said Tuesday.

“Humanitarian groups say they continue to face hurdles from Myanmar’s military government in sending disaster experts and vital equipment into the country. As a result, only a trickle of aid is reaching the storm’s estimated 2.4 million survivors, leaving many without even basic relief. Aid groups are unable to provide 1.3 million survivors with sufficient food and clean water, while trying to prevent a second wave of deaths from malnutrition and disease, the U.N. said in its latest assessment report…

“Myanmar’s xenophobic military regime left survivors to largely fend for themselves. It barred foreigners from the delta until last week and refused entry to U.S. and French aid-laden naval vessels, which have been idling off the country’s coast.”

AFP added on June 4:

“US warships laden with supplies for Myanmar’s cyclone victims will sail away after the junta refused their help, even as aid workers Wednesday pleaded for more help… The United Nations estimates that of the 2.4 million survivors in need of food and shelter, 1.1 million have received no foreign aid.”

Worldwide Food Price Crisis

AFP wrote on June 3:

“UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for a huge rise in food production Tuesday as world leaders opened a summit on the food price crisis that threatens hunger, poverty and conflict worldwide…

“Prices have doubled in three years, according to the World Bank, sparking riots in Egypt and Haiti and in many African nations. Brazil, Vietnam, India and Egypt have all imposed food export restrictions. Rising use of biofuels, trade restrictions, increased demand from Asia to serve changing diets, poor harvests and increasing transport costs have all been blamed for the price rise.

“World Bank President Robert Zoellick has said two billion people across the world are struggling with high food prices, and 100 million extra people in poor countries may be pushed into poverty by the crisis… Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda urged fellow leaders to release excess stockpiles of food to ease shortages in poorer countries, offering more than 300,000 tonnes of imported rice held by Japan.”

Worldwide Fuel Crisis

The Independet wrote on May 31:

“All around the world, in a multitude of ways, the soaring price of oil is hurting rich and poor alike…

“The number of Britons in ‘fuel poverty’ – 10 per cent of their income goes on energy – is thought to have reached four million… Malaysia has told petrol stations to stop selling fuel to Singapore-registered cars…

“Africa is at the sharp end of the oil shock and the inter-related surge in food prices. With millions living on the tiny margin between subsistence and starvation, fuel costs can quickly become a matter of life and death… There are also growing fears that rapidly increasing fuel prices could have a knock-on effect for aid agencies in countries such as Ethiopia, which are struggling to pay for fuel. This week the Red Cross said in its annual report that rising oil and food costs would mean it now needs much more money than last year just to keep the same level of aid distribution. Africa remains the largest area of Red Cross spending, accounting for 45 per cent of the field budget in 2007…

“In Egypt, petrol prices have risen by as much as 40 per cent in a year. Yemen has been rocked by riots in the south, which is home to only a fifth of its 22 million population but produces 80 per cent of the country’s oil. Young men and separatists, angry that very little of the nation’s oil wealth has trickled down to ordinary people in the south, have been protesting since April, raising concerns that Islamic militants could exploit the unrest in the notoriously fractious country…

“In Gaza this week, where fuel shortages have long been a major source of seething discontent due to rationing by Israel and Hamas, Palestinians were forced to fill their cars with olive oil instead of diesel… Iran is acutely vulnerable to rises in fuel prices because, despite being the world’s second largest producer, it is still forced to import about 40 per cent of its petrol because of a lack of refining facilities. Protests last year over fuel prices brought in rationing, which is still in place in Tehran and other major Iranian cities.”

Germans Don’t Want Darwin Questioned

Deutsche Welle reported on June 4:

“A Swiss firm has announced plans to construct a ‘Genesis Land’ in the Heidelberg area. But local politicians and theologians don’t like the prospect of becoming home to an anti-Darwin amusement park… According to the developers’ plans, Genesis Land would feature a ‘life-sized’ Noah’s arch, a ride simulating the Biblical Flood and a 3-D animated retelling of the New Testament… The project’s Web site says it aims to ‘communicate Biblical history and a Biblical message in a modern, experience oriented way.’…

“But religious and political representatives from the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg are less than enthusiastic… ‘A project like this only gets in the way of our attempts to spread the faith,’ Hansjörg Hemminger, the Wuerttemberg Protestant Church’s Spokesman on World Views told the newspaper Die Welt.

“Civic planners, too, are against Genesis Land. ‘Such a project isn’t going to get any support from us,’ Raban von der Malsburg, the official in charge of construction in Heidelberg, told the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung newspaper. Christoph Trinemeier, the director of a regional association, shares the belief that creationism wouldn’t enhance the area’s reputation. ‘Scientists from the entire world live and do research at the most modern level in our region,’ he said to the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung as grounds for opposing Genesis Land.

“But the project is still very much in the planning stage and may never become reality.”

The Theory of Evolution is wrong. Our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–a Fairy Tale for Adults” proves from Scripture, WHY it is a human fabrication, without any scientific basis whatsoever. Please watch in this regard our latest StandingWatch program, “Is There Life on Mars?” View it on StandingWatch or Google Video or YouTube.

Tissue from Dead People to Create Cloned Stem Cells

On June 1, 2008, The Sunday Times wrote the following:

“Scientists [in the UK] are to be permitted to use tissue from dead people to create cloned human stem cells for research, under a legal change put forward by the government. Health ministers have proposed that laboratories should be allowed to use stored human tissue to create cloned embryonic stem cells without the explicit consent of the tissue donor. This would allow research to be done on tissue donated for medical research as long as 30 years ago. Scientists would also be able to use cells from people who have died since they donated their tissue or who cannot be contacted. Many laboratories have banks of stored tissue which act as DNA libraries…”

“Hate Crimes” in Canada…

WorldNetDaily reported on June 5 about hate crimes in Canada:

“A priest is being investigated as a potential criminal under a federal ‘hate crimes’ law for quoting from the Bible, and he’s being targeted using a Canadian provision under which no defendant ever has been acquitted, according to a new report.

“Pete Vere, a canon lawyer and Catholic journalist, has reported on the prosecution of Father Alphonse de Valk, a pro-life activist known across Canada, by the Canadian Human Rights Commission – ‘a quasi-judicial investigative body with the power of the Canadian government behind it’ – at CatholicExchange.com. ‘What was Father de Valk’s alleged “hate act”?’ Vere wrote.

“‘Father defended the [Catholic] Church’s teaching on marriage during Canada’s same-sex ‘marriage’ debate, quoting extensively from the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Pope John Paul II’s encyclicals. Each of these documents contains official Catholic teaching. And like millions of other people throughout the world and the ages – many of who are non-Catholics and non-Christians – Father believes that marriage is an exclusive union between a man and a woman,’ he wrote.

“The new case comes just as columnist and author Mark Steyn, and Maclean’s magazine which published an excerpt from his ‘America Alone’ book, are on trial before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal for similar ‘offenses.’… That case revolves around Joseph’s claims the defendants depicted Muslims as ‘a violent people’ with a religion that is ‘violent.'”

… and in Britain…

The Telegraph reported on June 2, 2008:

“A police community support officer ordered two Christian preachers to stop handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham. The evangelists say they were threatened with arrest for committing a ‘hate crime’ and were told they risked being beaten up if they returned. The incident will fuel fears that ‘no-go areas’ for Christians are emerging in British towns and cities…

“The preachers, both ministers in Birmingham, were handing out leaflets on Alum Rock Road in February when they started talking to four Asian youths. A police community support officer… interrupted the conversation and began questioning the ministers about their beliefs. They said when the officer realised they were American, although both have lived in Britain for many years, he launched a tirade against President Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“[One of the ministers] said: ‘I told him that this had nothing to do with the gospel we were preaching but he became very aggressive. He said we were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread our Christian message. He said we were committing a hate crime by telling the youths to leave Islam… West Midlands Police, who refused to apologise, said the incident had been ‘fully investigated’ and the officer would be given training in understanding hate crime and communication.”

… and in Continental Europe

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“Brigitte Bardot was convicted Tuesday of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying France. A Paris court also handed down a $23,325 fine against the former screen siren and animal rights campaigner. The court also ordered Bardot to pay $1,555 in damages to… [a] leading French anti-racism group known as MRAP…

“In [a] December 2006 letter to Sarkozy, now the president, Bardot said France is ‘tired of being led by the nose by this population that is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing its acts.’ Bardot, 73, was referring to the Muslim feast of Aid el-Kebir, celebrated by slaughtering sheep.

“French anti-racism laws prevent inciting hatred and discrimination on racial or religious… grounds. Bardot had been convicted four times previously for inciting racial hatred.”

These laws are on the books in many parts of Europe. Since they are prohibiting “inciting discrimination on religious grounds,” the time is drawing nearer when religious organizations will be prosecuted in Europe for teaching the Biblical truth about “orthodox Christianity” and especially the history and the prophesied future of Babylon the Great and the woman riding the scarlet-colored beast, as mentioned in Revelation 17 and 18.

For more information, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

The USA Is in a Lonely Spot…

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 27:

“Reality has taught America a bitter lesson. Years after the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the wars in those countries are still raging… The United States is in a lonely spot, even in the West. When Tony Blair resigned as British prime Minister, the US lost its last European vassal. In Asia, home to half the world’s population, America has many military bases but virtually no friends. To make matters worse, the weak dollar has made oil-rich Moscow and Tehran both strong and impudent.”

Shift in Global Power NOT in America’s Favor

The New York Times wrote on May 21:

“There has been much debate in this campaign about which of our enemies the next US president should deign to talk to. The real story, the next president may discover, though, is how few countries are waiting around for us to call. It is hard to remember a time when more shifts in the global balance of power are happening at once — with so few in America’s favor…

“[In] ‘The Post-American World,’ by Fareed Zakaria, the editor of Newsweek International, [the following is discussed:]

“Mr. Zakaria’s central thesis is that while the US still has many unique assets, ‘the rise of the rest’ — the Chinas, the Indias, the Brazils and even smaller nonstate actors — is creating a world where many other countries are slowly moving up to America’s level of economic clout and self-assertion, in every realm…”

None of this should surprise us. We have warned for decades that this development would come upon us. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America”

U.S. Housing Slump Continues to Deepen

The Associated Press reported on May 27:

“U.S. home prices dropped at the sharpest rate in two decades during the first quarter, a closely watched index showed Tuesday, a somber indication that the housing slump continues to deepen.

“Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller said its national home price index fell 14.1 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, the lowest since its inception in 1988. The quarterly index covers all nine U.S. Census divisions.”

In a follow-up article, the Associated Press reported on the same day:

“Sales of new homes rose in April for the first time in six months although the unexpected increase still left activity near the lowest level in 17 years.

“The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that sales of new homes rose 3.3 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 526,000 units. But the government revised March activity lower to show an even bigger drop of 11 percent to an annual rate of 509,000, which was the weakest pace for sales since April 1991…

“The Commerce report showed that the median price of a new home sold in April dropped to $246,100 in April, down 4.2 percent from April 2007… Many analysts don’t expect to see a rebound in prices until sometime next year.”

“USA Already In Recession”

On May 28, Der Spiegel Online published a revealing interview with US billionaire Warren Buffett. Buffett does not share the optimism of some regarding an alleged recent improvement of the U.S. economy. We are bringing you the following excerpts:

“I do believe that we are already in a recession. Maybe not according to the economists’ definition. That would require two consecutive quarters of negative growth. We haven’t reached that point yet. But people are already feeling the effects of the recession. It will be deeper and last longer than many believe.

“… the Germans know something about business. In fact, the strong euro works against Germany. But if an exporting nation like Germany is still strong, it proves that the supply and quality are right.”

The Associated Press reported on May 29:

“Consumers — whose spending is the economy’s lifeblood — are feeling the pressure from the economy’s problems. They increased spending at just a 1 percent pace in the first quarter. That was the slowest since the last recession in 2001. Consumers are pulling back as high energy and food prices leave them with less money to spend on other things. Falling home values are making many homeowners feel less wealthy and less inclined to spend. And, the credit crunch has made it harder to finance big-ticket purchases…

“Even if economic activity strengthens later this year, the unemployment rate — now at 5 percent — is expected to climb to 6 percent or higher early next year… An inflation measure linked to the GDP report showed that prices grew at a rate of 3.5 percent in the first quarter… Excluding food and energy prices, ‘core’ inflation increased at 2.1 percent pace in the first quarter… The core inflation figure… is still outside the Fed’s comfort zone. The upper level of the Fed’s inflation tolerance is 2 percent… Looking forward, inflation pressures could get worse given surging food and energy prices.”

No Freedom of Conscience for California County Clerks?

The Associated Press reported on May 20:

“The city attorney said Monday that county workers authorized to perform marriage ceremonies must be willing to conduct same-sex marriages under last week’s landmark court ruling, regardless of their personal views on homosexuality. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said in similar letters to the Secretary of State and Los Angeles County Supervisors that any policy that would allow certain workers to conduct only marriages between a man and a woman would be inconsistent with Thursday’s state Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriages in California… ‘County clerks have no legal standing to grant county employees the authority or ability to choose which marriage they wish not to officiate at, based on their personal views or biases,’ he wrote.”

German Government Can’t Rule Effectively

More and more German newspapers and magazines admit now what we have stated from the outset in the pages of this weekly Update: That the German grand coalition under Angela Merkel is unable to rule effectively. Note the following article:

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 27:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government will limp on to the next general election in 2009 but is too divided to rule the country effectively… The Social Democrats’ decision on Monday to nominate political professor Gesine Schwan to challenge conservative President Horst Köhler in Germany’s presidential election next May (May 23, 2009) has angered Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and rammed another nail in the coffin of their grand coalition government…

“Merkel’s left-right government is unlikely to fall because neither party will dare to withdraw from the coalition and risk being blamed for its collapse. Both the Social Democrats (SPD) and the CDU know that German voters would punish the perceived culprit at the ballot box. Nevertheless, this government is now too weak and divided to take any major decisions in the remaining 16 months of its term, say commentators…

“The left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘The coalition crisis will remain absurd because neither the conservatives nor the SPD will dare to break it up. After all, they haven’t got any alternative coalition partners, and an early election can be ruled out because it would undermine the credibility of both parties if they dissolved parliament prematurely yet again. But this grand coalition won’t be taking any more major decisions. Or put another way: this government has turned into a non-government organization, with immediate effect… The grand coalition was no successful model for Germany…'”

Germany Without Leadership

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 27:

“Politically, Germany seems rudderless these days. The government and the ruling parties’ leaders are unable to get their projects through or no longer have any policies to agree on.

“… what is the grand coalition good for? What will it do with its remaining 18 months? The government only has two grand projects, a difficult budget and an even more difficult healthcare reform program. The government lacks the strength to tackle any more than that…”

High Gasoline Prices in Europe

Time magazine reported on May 28:

“American motorists are understandably grumbling over skyrocketing oil prices as the summer travel season approaches. But their pain hardly registers against the rage afoot in Europe these days. Fishermen, truck drivers, and farmers are threatening to bring entire economic sectors to a halt with protests against crippling fuel costs. The wave of angry action is expected to spread further across Europe in coming days, despite efforts by political leaders to feel the pain and figure out what, if anything, they can do to alleviate it.

“Strikes and blockades staged over the past three weeks by French fishermen spread this week to Spanish ports; Italy, Portugal, and Greece expect more of the same on Friday as mariners seek to force national governments to offset marine diesel prices, which have shot up by 40% since January. Single boat owners and entire trawler fleets face a real threat of bankruptcy…

“On Tuesday, hundreds of British truck drivers in London and Cardiff brought traffic to a crawl in a campaign to get their government to lower taxes on diesel fuel, which now costs over $11 per U.S. gallon (3.8 liters). Other businesses owners who rely heavily on gas use – including farmers, ambulance and taxi drivers, and private bus companies – have joined the protest movement or are preparing to do so.

“Those labor protests reflect the hit millions of Europeans are taking at the gas pump. As American drivers groan over prices nearing $4 a gallon, the French are paying $8.67 for a gallon of super, compared to $7.10 in January, 2007. A gallon of diesel in French gas stations averages $8.54, up from $5.35 just a year ago. And in the U.K. diesel costs $11.50 per gallon, compared to around $3.90 in the U.S. Across the European Union, the average cost of a gallon of gas runs to about $8.70 – more than twice what Americans are shelling out to fill ‘er up. And Europe’s dizzying fuel costs would be even worse if it weren’t for the considerable appreciation of the euro and the British pound against the dollar over the past year, which has partially off-set the price escalation in dollar-traded oil.

“One big reason for the difference is that European governments put a much higher tax burden on fuel than the U.S. does. State and federal taxes currently make up just 11% of the pump price in the U.S., according to the Energy Information Administration; in France and the U.K., taxes account for an average of around 70%.

“Given the growing chorus of angry protests, it isn’t surprising that leaders across Europe have begun scurrying for ways to provide some relief at the pump. But their margin for maneuver is limited. On Tuesday, for example, French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed suspending most value added tax (VAT) on gas, a measure he said would mean as much as $267 million in savings per quarter to those hit hardest by fuel price increases… But as Sarkozy himself acknowledged, no nation among the European Union’s 27 member states can make such a move without the unanimous approval of the others.”

How Europeans Would Vote in U.S. Presidential Election

The Telegraph reported on May 29:

“Senator Barack Obama emerged as Europe’s favourite candidate for America’s presidency today when a poll conducted for Telegraph.co.uk gave him 52 per cent support across five of the world’s richest nations, including Britain. John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, received only 15 per cent of the vote in [an] unprecedented survey covering Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia.

“The poll also found a striking level of anti-American feeling in every country. A clear majority of Russians – 56 per cent – believe the US is a ‘force for evil’ in the world. In Britain, only 33 per cent see America as a ‘force for good’.

“Opinion towards America has become steadily more hostile throughout the presidency of George W Bush, with the Iraq war probably being the single most important factor. Mr Bush’s unpopularity appears to have rubbed off on Republican presidential candidates in general. This might explain why Mr McCain, a strong supporter of the Iraq war, is the least popular potential president in all the countries surveyed.

“Meanwhile, Mr Obama, the only consistent opponent of the Iraq war in the race for the presidency, commands a clear lead. He is especially popular in Italy, where a remarkable 70 per cent would vote for him if they could. In France, historically the European country with the strongest anti-American sentiment, 65 per cent would back Mr Obama. In Germany, the Democratic Senator would get 67 per cent of the vote – while Mr McCain would receive a derisory six per cent. Mr Obama appears to have made less of an impact in Britain than elsewhere in Europe. A relatively modest 49 per cent of Britons would vote for him, while 14 per cent would back Mr McCain – twice the totals favouring the Republican candidate in Germany or France.”

“Hezbollah Triumphs in Lebanon”

The Associated Press reported on May 26:

“Lebanon’s new president got a red carpet welcome Monday, but was quickly thrust into the political thicket as Hezbollah’s leader warned against any efforts to disarm his Iranian-backed guerrilla group. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah delivered his stern message after military bands and an honor guard saluted President Michel Suleiman on his first day on the job… The Shiite militant group has rejected demands it disarm, insisting its weapons are needed to protect Lebanon from Israel…

“Pro-Western political groups, which hold a small majority in parliament, have repeatedly called for a defense arrangement that would eventually integrate Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons into the national army. Hezbollah rejects the idea…”

Der Spiegel Online reported on May 29:

“A new civil war has been averted in Lebanon, and Israel and Syria are back at the negotiating table. But Hezbollah is stronger than ever, and its arsenal is brimming with weapons — partly because the United Nations monitoring program has failed…

“Hezbollah has further expanded its position as a state within a state… Hezbollah and its allies… are expected to receive 11 cabinet posts in the new government of national unity to be formed in Beirut. This bloc will be large enough to veto any cabinet decisions in the future. Most of all, the Qatar agreement allows Hezbollah to keep its weapons, a sensitive issue that all parties to the talks were quick to remove from the agenda…

“Various intelligence services have long been warning of Hezbollah’s regaining strength. Intelligence experts believe that the militia replenished, and even doubled, its arsenal after the summer war against Israel in 2006. Hezbollah is now believed to have 27,000 medium-range missiles, some of which could even reach Tel Aviv… The weapons were purchased with the help of funds from Iran and Syria. In 2007 alone, Hezbollah is believed to have received anti-tank weapons and rocket launchers worth $800 million (€516 million) from Tehran. The weapons were delivered overland through Syria.

“Observers consider it a foregone conclusion that [Hezbollah’s leader] Nasrallah is both capable and willing to engage in a new round of fighting with Israel. Political scientist Saad-Ghureib believes that it is not a question of if, but when, this could occur.”

“Unwinnable War in Afghanistan”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 29:

“Forty nations are embroiled in an unwinnable war in Afghanistan. Anyone who travels through the country with Western troops soon realizes that NATO forces would have to be increased tenfold for peace to be even a remote possibility.”

The article continued:

“Good days are in short supply in Afghanistan, a country at war — or involved in several wars, to be exact. There is constant fighting on many fronts, hard and soft. The newspapers, and there are many of them in Kabul now, serve up pages of chaotic images every day. Their reports are about bombs and drinking water, holy warriors and wheat prices, NATO air attacks and schoolbooks, kidnapped children, refugees and bandits.

“Almost seven years have passed since the overthrow of the Taliban regime, and in those seven years half of the world has tried to bring a better future and, most of all, peace to this new country, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. As part of the NATO military operation known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), 40 nations have 60,000 soldiers deployed in the country. There are 26 United Nations organizations in Afghanistan, and hundreds of private and government agencies are pumping money, materials and know-how into the country’s 34 provinces. But anyone seeking success stories or asking about failures will encounter reports that do not seem to be coming from the same country…

“There is no peace anywhere in Afghanistan, not even in the north, which officials repeatedly insist has been pacified… The United States and Europe have stumbled their way into a new type of international war, one in which all of today’s global and regional powers are involved…

“Since the fall of the Taliban regime almost seven years ago, the country’s opium harvest has been more abundant in almost each successive year. Last year, 93 percent of the heroin traded in the world came from Afghanistan… For fear of triggering hostility against foreign troops among the local population, the powers that be agreed early on that the Afghans would have sole responsibility for waging the drug war, with no NATO involvement whatsoever.”

And There WILL BE Earthquakes in Different Places…

On May 25, AFP wrote the following:

“A major quake such as the one that left at least 60,000 dead in southwestern China this month can trigger other earthquakes half way around the world, according to a study released Sunday… A team of geologists in the United States found that 12 out of 15 major quakes — registering a magnitude of 7.0 or higher — since 1990 generated surface waves that set off smaller seismic events in fault systems on distant continents… The terrible December 2004 mega-quake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, for example, provoked seismic events as far away as Alaska, California and Ecuador.

“There is a better than 95 percent likelihood that the earthquake rate in distant areas will be much higher in the immediate aftermath of a big quake than before or after, the study found. And while the seismic movements triggered by far away quakes were generally smaller — in the three-to-five magnitude range — there is no reason they could not be as big or bigger than the first.”

When the “Big One” Hits…

The Associated Press wrote on May 21:

“The ‘Big One,’ as earthquake scientists imagine it in a detailed, first-of-its-kind script, unzips California’s mighty San Andreas Fault north of the Mexican border. In less than two minutes, Los Angeles and its sprawling suburbs are shaking like a bowl of jelly. The jolt from the 7.8-magnitude temblor lasts for three minutes –15 times longer than the disastrous 1994 Northridge quake.

“Water and sewer pipes crack. Power fails. Part of major highways break. Some high-rise steel frame buildings and older concrete and brick structures collapse. Hospitals are swamped with 50,000 injured as all of Southern California reels from a blow on par with the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina: $200 billion in damage to the economy, and 1,800 dead. Only about 700 of those people are victims of building collapses. Many others are lost to the 1,600 fires burning across the region — too many for firefighters to tackle at once.

“A team of about 300 scientists, governments, first responders and industries worked for more than a year to create a realistic crisis scenario… The scenario is focused on the San Andreas Fault… [which] is the source of some of the largest earthquakes in state history, including the monstrous magnitude-7.8 quake that reduced San Francisco to ashes and killed 3,000 people in 1906…”

Even though these are frightening figures, it appears that they are far too conservative and optimistic. The reality will be MUCH grimmer–and who is to say that the earthquake which WILL hit Southern California in the not-too-distant future [and much sooner than 30 years from now] will not exceed a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale? The Bible predicts terrible calamities in the USA and around the world. Notice Jesus’ warning in Luke 21:11, 25-26:

“And there will be GREAT earthquakes in VARIOUS places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven… And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on earth DISTRESS OF NATIONS, with PERPLEXITY, the SEA AND THE WAVES ROARING; men’s hearts failing them from FEAR AND EXPECTATION of those things which ARE COMING on the earth, for the powers of the heavens WILL BE shaken.”

For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord“

War Profiteers–USA, Russia and Germany

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 16:

“According to a recent study, only the United States and Russia export more military goods than Germany — and the supposedly pacifist nation leads the EU in such sales. The rise in weapons profits is part of a global trend. Once one of the world’s most aggressive powers, Germany today likes to project a pacifist image. From the German army’s reluctance to fight abroad to a foreign policy that promotes peaceful intentions and global harmony, Germany regards itself as a model the world should follow.

“But a report released yesterday by the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), a German think tank, reveals a different side of Germany’s relationship to war… Germany, it turns out, exports nearly a billion euros worth of military goods each year ($1.55 billion) to developing countries. In fact, the BICC estimates, Germany’s total defense sales in 2006 made it the world’s third largest arms exporter. ‘That makes Germany the European Union’s biggest military goods exporter…'”

Trouble for the Germans in Afghanistan

On May 19, Der Spiegel Online reported:

“German special forces had an important Taliban commander in their sights in Afghanistan. But he escaped — because the Germans were not authorized to use lethal force. The German government’s hands-tied approach to the war is causing friction with its NATO allies.”

The article continued:

“The Taliban commander is regarded as a brutal extremist with excellent connections to terror cells across the border in Pakistan… He is also thought to be behind one of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan’s history, the Nov. 6, 2007 attack on a sugar factory in the northwest province of Baghlan. The attack killed 79 people, including dozens of children and many parliamentarians and other politicians, as they celebrated the factory’s reopening.

“Germany’s KSK special forces have been charged with capturing the terrorist, in cooperation with the Afghan secret service organization NDS and the Afghan army… The dangerous terrorist escaped. It would, however, have been possible for the Germans to kill him — but the KSK were not authorized to do so.

“… even in a time of growing threats in Afghanistan, Berlin is sticking to its ‘principle of proportionality,’ stressed one high-ranking official in the Defense Ministry. A fugitive like the Baghlan bomber is not an aggressor and should not be shot unless necessary, the official explains. Soldiers from Britain’s British Special Air Service or the US’s Delta Force are less bothered about such hair-splitting. For them, this is a war in which it comes down to ‘kill or be killed,’ say sources in military circles in Kabul. The ‘targets’ are identified, tracked down and — often with the help of laser-guided weapons systems — ‘eliminated.’ The Germans have considerable misgivings about such an approach…

“The case of the Baghlan bomber is not the end of the story. More trouble has been brewing for the Germans in Afghanistan… The battalion will be relieving the Norwegian Quick Reaction Force in northern Afghanistan as of July 1. Then, at the latest, the Germans will be on the frontline.”

Germany is DESTINED to become the leading player within a United States of Europe; and as such, it WILL play a major MILITARY role on the world scene. However, this will not be good news. For further information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Germany and Iran–A Crazy Relationship

The Wall Street Journal wrote on May 15:

“[Germany’s] position toward Tehran seems to be at a crossroads. The ‘grand coalition’ government looks at Iran through different prisms. While Chancellor Angela Merkel argues for tougher sanctions if necessary to stop the Iranian bomb, Germany’s foreign policy establishment, including a key advisor to Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, preaches accommodation, even a ‘strategic partnership’ with Iran.

“The diplomatic dissonance is striking. In March, Ms. Merkel declared in what has been called a historic speech to the Israeli parliament that she won’t shy away from ‘using additional, tougher sanctions to convince Iran to stop its nuclear program.’ If we Europeans were to shrink from tougher sanctions, said the Christian-Democratic chancellor, ‘we would have neither understood our historical responsibilities nor developed an awareness of the challenges of our time.’ This clear statement was welcomed in Israel and the U.S.

“Not so in Germany itself. ‘Sanctions get us nowhere!’ countered Christoph Bertram in the weekly Der Spiegel last month. ‘Chancellor Angela Merkel should not back every Israeli warning of catastrophe.’ Mr. Bertram’s voice carries weight. He used to head the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and later the German Foundation for Science and Politics, a think tank that advises the government and parliament on foreign policy. According to Mr. Bertram, the West must recognize ‘the immense advantage of a close and cooperative relationship with this country [Iran].’…

“Amid these politically uncertain times, business relations between the two countries are strong. After slowing between 2005-2007, German exports surged 13% in January. With Ä3.6 billion of goods going to Iran last year, backed by Ä500 million of export guarantees from Berlin, Germany is the world’s second largest exporter to Iran, and its products crucial for Iran’s economic survival… Germany is Iran’s No. 1 supplier of almost all types of machinery except for power systems and the building sector, where Italian manufacturers dominate the Iranian market…

“An unbridgeable gap lies between Ms. Merkel’s promise and the geopolitical approach of her domestic opponents, primarily among Social Democrats but also in her own party. While the German proponents of tougher sanctions seek an alliance with the West in order to confront Islamist terror, the ‘partner’ proposal implies a strategic alliance with Islamism and an estrangement — to say the least — from America and Israel.”

Germany’s Conscription Policy–Fundamentally Unfair

“A 21-year-old man has begun a hunger strike to protest his conscription into the army. The case throws the spotlight anew on Germany’s conscription policy, which many view as unfair. Mathias Schirmer, stationed at a Bundeswehr base in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania, has refused to eat for a week, saying conscription is ‘not compatible with democracy and freedom as well as with human rights.’  

“According to the German Peace Society, Schirmer was ordered to report to the Bundeswehr on April 1. When he did not show up, he was picked up by military police and sent to a base in the town of Viereck in north-eastern Germany. But Schirmer refused to wear a uniform… He rejects both military service or civilian alternative service, which is an option for conscripts who do not want to serve in the armed forces. After 12 days of confinement to his quarters, Schirmer was sentenced to a further 21 days of detention. As his standpoint did not change, the military imposed a 21-day arrest sentence on him, which began on May 9. It was then that he began the hunger strike… The Bundeswehr has said releasing Schirmer from his duty can only be decided once his 21-day sentence is completed, or if ‘other circumstances’ arise… There is one other conscientious objector serving a sentence in Germany, although he is not on a hunger strike.

“The cases are likely to again raise the question of the fairness of Germany’s conscription program. For years, fewer then one-third of those of draft age are called into the armed forces. Calls regularly go out that the Bundeswehr should be converted into a voluntary, professional body. Most of Germany’s major NATO partners have done away with mandatory service. However, the federal government in Berlin has resisted calls to do away with conscription all together…”

For a short time, it seemed that Germany HAD learned a temporary lesson after it had caused the terrible devastation of World War II, PROHIBITING conscription in Germany. Later, however, under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, that prohibition was lifted and, regrettably, a mandatory draft was instituted which remains in force and effect to this very day. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?” Also, make sure to read the next article, titled, “The Curse of War.”

The Curse of War

AFP wrote on May 16:

“Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love… Chiroux joined the army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private to sergeant. He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines before he was honorably discharged and placed in the reserves.

“As a reservist, he was due to be deployed next month in Iraq. On Thursday, he refused to go. ‘I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq,’ Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington. ‘My decision is based on my desire to no longer continue violating my core values to support an illegal and unconstitutional occupation… I refuse to participate in the Iraq occupation,’ he said, as a dozen veterans of the five-year-old Iraq war looked on…

“Former army sergeant Kristofer Goldsmith told the landmark hearing of ‘lawless murders, looting and the abuse of countless Iraqis.’ He spoke of the psychologically fragile men and women who return from Iraq to find little help or treatment offered from official circles… Some 300,000 of the 1.6 million US soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or both, an independent study showed last month.

“A group of veterans in the packed hearing room gazed blankly as their comrades’ testimonies shattered the official version that the US effort in Iraq is succeeding. Almost to a man, the testifiers denounced serious flaws in the chain of command in Iraq.

“Luis Montalvan, a former army captain, accused high-ranking US officers of numerous failures in Iraq, including turning a blind eye to massive fraud on the part of US contractors. Ex-Marine Jason Lemieux told how a senior officer had altered a report he had written because it slammed US troops for using excessive force in the face of a feeble attack — they took four rounds of enemy fire. Goldsmith accused US officials of censorship.” 

“You Will Hear of Wars and Rumors of Wars…”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on May 20:

“US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran in the upcoming months, before the end of his term, Army Radio quoted a senior official in Jerusalem as saying Tuesday. The official claimed that a senior member of the president’s entourage, which concluded a trip to Israel last week, said during a closed meeting that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were of the opinion that military action was called for.

“However, the official continued, ‘the hesitancy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’ was preventing the administration from deciding to launch such an attack on the Islamic Republic, for the time being.

“The report stated that according to assessments in Israel, recent turmoil in Lebanon, where Hizbullah de facto established control of the country, was advancing an American attack. Bush, the officials said, opined that Hizbullah’s show of strength was evidence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s growing influence. They said that according to Bush, ‘the disease must be treated – not its
symptoms.”

In a follow-up article, the magazine added on May 20:

“The White House on Tuesday flatly denied an Army Radio report that claimed US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term. It said that while the military option had not been taken off the table, the administration preferred to resolve concerns about Iran’s push for a nuclear weapon ‘through peaceful diplomatic means.'”

Lebanon Braces for War

Time Magazine wrote on May 20:

“Almost as soon as Lebanon’s leaders boarded planes for Qatar on Friday for talks to resolve their most dangerous political showdown since the end of the civil war, the Lebanese took a collective sigh of relief. Not because anyone thinks that peace is about to break out, but because Lebanon is arguably safer as long as most of the top men are out of town…

“Unfortunately for the Lebanese, their leaders are almost certainly coming back soon, and probably without a workable agreement. That’s because 18 months into the stalemate between the U.S. and Saudi-backed government, on the one hand, and the Syrian and Iranian supported opposition on the other, the differences between the two camps appear to be irreconcilable for now…

“With a vacuum in government – a new president is yet to be elected – the streets are reasserting themselves. Already the country is dividing up neighborhood-by-neighborhood, town-by-town, with gangs forming to protect their turf and screen outsiders. Unable to confront Hizballah directly, Sunni gangs may be tempted to seek revenge on Shi’ite civilians. Al-Qaeda-inspired groups are clamoring to come to Lebanon and kill Shi’ites, just as they have done in Iraq…”

How Burma’s Military Junta Blackmails the Submissive West

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 15:

“The stubbornness of Burma’s military junta puts the West into a hopeless situation. If the international community wants to provide relief to victims of Cyclone Nargis, then it has to play by the regime’s rules. But the West’s submissiveness sends a dangerous signal to despots everywhere.”

The article continued:

“Everyone wants to help. And everyone needs to help, if thousands more deaths from disease and hunger are to be prevented. But nobody is able to help — at least as long as the regime does not want them to. Support for the victims of the disaster can only take place in cooperation with the junta, not in opposition to it. That’s something that Burma’s military rulers have made abundantly clear to the world… Burmese generals are able to dictate the conditions under which aid can be given…

“US first lady Laura Bush and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner expressed themselves with strong words at the beginning of the crisis. Now Western diplomats are expressing an equally strong submissiveness. ‘We cannot make any more criticisms,’ says one Western diplomat, who preferred not to be identified. ‘If we did so, the door through which further relief supplies to the cyclone victims must past could slam shut.’… So no criticism of the junta, then. No critical words about a police state, where citizens are always put in second place — even after a devastating cyclone, in which, according to the latest estimates, as many as 250,000 people may have died…

“If many people’s lives are at risks, then criticizing the government becomes taboo: This is the uncomfortable subtext of the new soft Burma policy. It is also an all-too-reassuring signal to despots everywhere. It appears possible that the regime will now be given carte blanche for as long as the victims’ situation remains precarious. However one should not forget that it was precisely the mismanagement by the Burmese junta that greatly aggravated the crisis situation in the Irrawaddy Delta…

“The administration of US President George W. Bush may have taken a hard line on Burma in the past. But now it is taking a strikingly passive stance… The Germans have not done much better.”

Vladimir Putin–The New Russian Tsar

The Daily Mail wrote on May 17:

“As ex-President Putin settles in to his new role as Prime Minister, he has every reason to congratulate himself. After all, he has not only written the script for his constitutional coup d’etat, but staged the play and given himself the starring role as well. Of course, he has given a walk-on role to Dmitry Medvedev, his personally anointed successor.

“But the transfer of power from Putin to his Little Sir Echo, Medvedev, and the show of military strength with those soldiers and clapped-out missiles in Red Square on Victory Day which followed it last week, made it clear who is really in charge. No decision of any significance for the Russian people or the rest of us will be made in the foreseeable future without the say – so of Medvedev’s unsmiling master…

“Despite the fact that Putin’s Russia is increasingly autocratic and irredeemably corrupt, the man himself – their born-again Tsar – is overwhelmingly regarded as the answer to the nation’s prayers. Russia has a bloody and tormented history. Its centuries of suffering – its brutalities, its wars and revolutions, culminating in the collapse of communism and the anarchic buffoonery of the Yeltsin years – have taken a terrible psychological toll. Cynicism and fatalism which eat away at the human psyche have wormed their way into the very DNA of the Russian soul. In a nation that has not tasted and – with very few exceptions – does not expect or demand justice or freedom, all that matters is stability and security. And, to a degree, Putin has delivered these twin blessings. But the price has been exorbitant…

“An autocratic and resurgent Russia that feels bruised and threatened is an unstable beast. The Kremlin’s growing rapprochement with Beijing (the adversaries of a generation ago are now not only major trading partners, but conduct joint military exercises) shifts the balance of power in the world. And as life on earth becomes less and less secure, with evermore people competing for a dwindling supply of vital resources, Russia, as an energy giant, is once again a big player on the world stage. Make no mistake, we are in for a very bumpy ride.”

Catholic Church Must “Evangelize,” Pope Says

Zenit wrote in May 18:

“The evangelizing mission of the Church remains ‘urgent and necessary,’ Benedict XVI told members of the general assembly of the Pontifical Missionary Works… he reaffirmed that ‘the whole Church is missionary by nature’ and that ‘mission regards all Christians.’… [He] invited every local Church to collaborate with other Churches, becoming the interpreter of a ‘mission of communion.’ ‘… Mission is a duty about which one must say “Woe to me if I do not evangelize” (1 Corinthians 9:16),’ the Pope added, citing the words of the Apostle Paul…”

Will the Adoration of “the Virgin Mary” Unite Catholics and Protestants?

Catholic.Net reported the following in its February-March 2008 edition:

“When Anglicans and Catholics agreed in May 2005 that Marian dogmas were consonant with Scripture, few guessed the accord would signal a veritable Marian regeneration. Yet, in the nearly three years that have followed, the increasing acceptance of Mary among Christians has been witnessed in everything from theology to pop culture… Mary’s inspiration has been most spectacular, however, in the process of conversion.

“In a move that amazed evangelical Protestants and Catholics alike, and continues to rock Christian blogs, Francis Beckwith resigned his high-profile post as president of the Evangelical Theological Society, revealing that he was returning to full communion with the Catholic Church… ‘Many Protestants are asking: Can we honor Mary in a way that’s not so adoring as Catholics but acknowledges that she was the greatest Christian?’ he said… ‘The necessity of the Immaculate Conception protects the Church from second-guessing Christ’s divinity and humanity; it protects us against Docetism and Arianism. Evangelicals are realizing this’… Protestants have returned to the Church Fathers with renewed vigor to understand the devotion proper to Mary.”

The Bible prophesies that most Christian denominations WILL unite with the Roman Catholic Church. They will adopt Roman Catholic teaching, and they will acknowledge the pope as their spiritual leader. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.” Also, note the next article on Pastor Hagee’s apology to the Catholic Church.

Hagee Apologizes for Anti-Catholic Remarks

The Associated Press reported on May 13:

“John Hagee, an influential Texas televangelist who endorsed John McCain, apologized to Catholics Tuesday for his stinging criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and for having ’emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews.’

“Hagee’s support for McCain has drawn cries of outrage from some Catholic leaders who have called on McCain to reject Hagee’s endorsement. The likely Republican nominee has said he does not agree with some of Hagee’s past comments, but did not reject his support. In a letter to William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote: ‘Out of a desire to advance a greater unity among Catholics and evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.’…

“Hagee has cited the Inquisition and the Crusades as evidence of anti-Semitism within the Catholic church and has suggested that Catholic anti-Semitism shaped Adolf Hitler’s views of Jews. ‘In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholics and Protestant relations with the Jews,'” Hagee wrote. ‘In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not.”

“Hagee has often made references to ‘the apostate church’ and the ‘great whore,’ terms that Catholics say are slurs aimed at the Roman Catholic Church. In his letter, Hagee said he now better understood that the Book of Revelation’s reference to the Catholic Church as ‘the apostate church’ and the ‘great whore’ are ‘a rhetorical device long employed in anti-Catholic literature and commentary.’ He stressed that in his use, ‘neither of these phrases can be synonymous with the Catholic Church.’…

“In a statement posted in the Catholic League’s Web site, Donohue added: ‘What Hagee has done takes courage and quite frankly I never expected him to demonstrate such sensitivity to our concerns.'”

Frankenstein in the Making…

Times On Line wrote on May 19:

“British scientists will be allowed to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons tonight rejected a ban.

“An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would have outlawed the creation of ‘human admixed embryos’ for medical research was defeated in a free vote by a majority of 160… A second amendment, that would have banned the creation… of ‘true hybrids’ made by fertilising an animal egg with human sperm, or vice-versa, was also defeated by a majority of 63.”

Gay Marriages–A Blessing or a Curse?

AFP reported on May 17:

“California’s Supreme Court quashed a ban on gay marriage in a historic ruling here Thursday, effectively leaving same-sex couples in America’s most populous state free to tie the knot. In an opinion that analysts say could have nationwide implications for the issue, the seven-member panel voted 4-3 in favor of plaintiffs who argued that restricting marriage to men and women was discriminatory. ‘Limiting the designation of marriage to a union “between a man and a woman” is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute,’ California Chief Justice Ron George said in the written opinion…

“Legal analysts say Thursday’s court ruling could have wide-ranging implications for other US states, noting the California Supreme Court’s history of landmark rulings. ‘The California Supreme Court’s example is often emulated and it often is sort of a groundbreaker,’ said David Cruz, a law professor at the University of Southern California and an expert in constitutional law. ‘In the 20th century California was the first state to strike down laws against inter-racial marriage. They did that 19 years before the US Supreme Court got around to it.'”

Reuters added on May 17:

“As gay and lesbian couples made plans to marry, activists opposed to the California Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage said on Friday they would escalate efforts for a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexuals. An amendment to the state constitution would override Thursday’s decision, which superseded state laws from 1977 and 2000 that defined marriage as a union between a man and woman. Californians could vote in November on an amendment cementing that definition in the state constitution.”

An appalling article and “commentary” was published on May 18 by Erica Jung on the left-liberal Website of HuffingtonPost.com, stating:

“I’ve never understood the objection to gay marriage… In the past, gay people had to adopt their lovers to leave them their goodies… All sorts of legal mumbo-jumbo was required because marriage was forbidden. And why? Because a BIGOTED OLD BIBLE SEEMED TO IMPLY that God made Adam and Eve — not Adam and Steve — as the anti-gay faction likes to say.

“I’ve often found that gay people are better at marriage than straight people. They don’t get all bent out of shape about sex for sex’s sake. At least this is true for gay men. And they don’t run to bust up a perfectly cozy union because one member of the couple — or both — has a fling. Some couples are faithful and some not. And they seem to practice this without the territoriality and hypocrisy of mixed-sex couples. Actually, THEY SHOULD BE OUR ROLE MODELS IN MARRIAGE. They take it far more seriously than straight people — perhaps because it was forbidden for so long.

“So hurrah for California and Massachusetts. Let’s hope the anti-gay lunatic fringe eventually sees GAY MARRIAGE IS A BLESSING not a curse. It certainly PROMOTES STABILITY AND FAMILY. AND IT’S CERTAINLY GOOD FOR KIDS.”

Of course, in our liberal Western society, it has become increasingly unpopular to uphold the STANDARDS OF THE BIBLE. It is much safer and acceptable to embrace opinions like the one above. But let us ask this question: What has our nation come to when unbiblical and ungodly opinions like the one quoted above become accepted? The Bible calls marriage a blessing and condemns sexual relationships outside the sanctity of marriage. The Apostle Paul said very clearly that no practicing homosexual will inherit the Kingdom of God! No left-winged liberal commentator, calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20), will change the mind of Almighty God.

No wonder that the Bible has this to say about our modern western societies, and especially the United States of America, Canada and Great Britain:

“Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked Him to anger… They have turned away backward… The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints… Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good…” (Isaiah 1:4-5, 16-17).

If you want to learn the TRUTH of God in this matter, rather than the human philosophy of misguided commentators, newspaper reporters and newscasters, politicians, sociologists, lawyers and judges, please read our free booklet, “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families.”

Israel Celebrates 60 Years

With much fanfare, the state of Israel has this week marked its 60th year of existence as a nation. However, the enemies of Israel continue to threaten this small nation. The Associated Press stated in an article on May 13 the following:

“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Israel is dying and that its 60th anniversary celebrations are an attempt to prevent its ‘annihilation.’

“He spoke hours after President Bush arrived in Israel for the anniversary celebrations.

“‘The Zionist (Israeli) regime is dying,’ said Ahmadinejad during a speech in northern Iran. ‘The criminals assume that by holding celebrations … they can save the sinister Zionist regime from death and annihilation.'”

Coinciding with the arrival of US president, George Bush, Palestinians remained defiant. Reuters, May 15, 2008, ran this headline: “Palestinians mark Israel’s 60th angry and split.” The article commented about the angry mood of Israel’s waring neighbors:

“Protests highlighted the plight of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, 4.5 million of whom now live in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or further afield, many in grim camps.

“In Ramallah, school children walked the flag-lined streets in black t-shirts that read ‘1948’ on the back and ‘Not for Sale’ on the front. Some held old, rusty metal keys of homes their families were expelled from or fled.

“Thousands of black balloons, denoting each day since Israel was established on May 15, 1948, were released above the West Bank. Organisers hope they will darken the sky over Jerusalem for Bush, who will mark the Jewish state’s founding with a congratulatory speech to parliament.”

Bush’s Middle East Prophecy?

President Bush may have inadvertently made statements in line with Bible prophecy on his most recent trip to Israel to celebrate the 6oth anniversary of the state.

Bloomberg (5/15/08) stated, “President George W. Bush said the Palestinians ‘will have the homeland they have long dreamed of’ — without saying when — in a speech to Israel’s parliament prophesying a peaceful Middle East 60 years from now.

“Bush gave no timeframe for the establishment of such a state, which earlier in his presidency he pledged would be born before he leaves office next January.

“Focused on the distant future rather than the current state of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Bush predicted in the next 60 years, a new Middle East will take shape that will be ‘characterized by a new period of tolerance and integration.'”

We are definitely looking forward to the time when peace will come to the Middle East…hopefully it will be much sooner than 60 years and it will come in a manner other than outlined by man.  For more information on the developments soon to happen, have a look at our booklet entitled, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord” which addresses this and other related subjects.

Coming–A European Army

The EUObserver reported on May 8:
    
“Germany’s foreign minister [and possibly the Social Democratic Party’s candidate for the next German Chancellor] Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has indicated he would like to see a European army established… German daily Tagespiegel reported Mr Steinmeier as referring to the fact that the EU’s new treaty, currently undergoing ratification across the European Union, allows for the possibility of a group of member states to ‘move ahead’ in defence policy. He noted that from Berlin’s point of view, France is the key partner for this. Mr Steinmeier said he had already spoken with his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, on concrete steps to improve common areas in the military field… The end result of a consolidation of military capacities must be a European army, said Mr Steinmeier…

“At the same conference, other leading politicians from the Social Democratic party – which currently forms part of the governing coalition with the Christian Democrats in Germany – also spoke out in favour of the idea. Former defence minister and head of the SPD group Peter Struck said: ‘There will still be opposition to the idea of a European army as there once was against the single currency, the euro…’

“The German politicians’ comments appear to be in line with the views of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has in the past made several statements on the need for common European defence. The French president has more recently not been so vocal on the issue. This is being seen as a deliberate ploy not to upset the EU treaty ratification process, particularly in neutral Ireland – the only country to have a referendum on the charter and where military issues are highly sensitive with the electorate… But Mr Sarkozy is expected to return to the issue in the second half of this year, during his stint at the EU helm.

“The EU treaty, which has to be ratified by all 27 countries to come into force, allows for a group of member states who are politically willing to go forward to structured cooperation in defence.”

Deutsche Welle added on May 8:
    
“In today’s world, many believe, an EU military force can tackle problems national armies cannot… The SPD laid out its arguments for a common armed force and its suggestions toward moving its military in the same direction that Europe did with its currency. Money is one principle reason for the move, proponents of a joint fighting force say, adding that running 27 different militaries with 27 different sets of equipment represents an enormous waste of resources… the 27 members of the European Union spent 201 billion euros ($308 billion) on defense in 2007, second only to the 491 billion euros spent by the United States. However, the cumulative effect of these expenditures is lessened because of the duplication of capacities in individual national militaries… The European army has a good deal of support among German and European leaders.”
    
Many may not think that a European Army could be a problem. And from a human standpoint, a concerted unified fight against terrorism may sound feasible. However, the future of the world looks grim, once Europe is fully united. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Successful Ecumenical Dialogue Continues

VIS reported on May 9:
    
“This morning the Pope received… Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. He then met with the bishops in the patriarch’s delegation who were from many diverse countries. At noon in the Clementine Hall, the [pope] presided over the celebration of the Middle Hour (hora media), which was attended by Karekin II,  the Armenian bishops, and a group of faithful apostolic Armenians from a number of countries in the East and West… Benedict XVI emphasized that in ecumenical dialogue ‘important progress has been made in clarifying the doctrinal controversies that have traditionally divided us, particularly over questions of Christology. During the last five years, much has been achieved by the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, of which the Catholicosate of All Armenians is a full member’… [The pope] added that ‘we pray that its activity will bring us closer to full and visible communion, and that the day will come when our unity in faith makes possible a common celebration of the Eucharist…'”
    
Why does this cause concern–or does it? Isn’t ecumenical dialogue and religious unification something to be desired? Humanly speaking, perhaps–but God does not see like man sees. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

Deadly Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease in China

CNN reported on May 9:
    
“The death toll from China’s outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease has risen to 32 — all of them children… Authorities reported 24,934 cases of the disease on Thursday — a 25 percent increase from a day earlier. The official count of infections has increased dramatically in recent days, since an order issued late last week by the Ministry of Health mandating that all cases be reported… The deaths are blamed on enterovirus 71, or EV-71, one of the most common causes of HFMD… HFMD is not related to foot-and-mouth disease, which affects farm animals. HFMD can be caused by a number of intestinal viruses, of which EV-71 and Coxsackie A16 are among the most common.

“In mild cases, EV-71 causes cold-like symptoms, diarrhea, and sores on the hands, feet and mouth. Severe cases can cause fluid to accumulate on the brain, resulting in polio-like paralysis and death. There is NO TREATMENT for severe EV-71 infections NOR DOES A VACCINE EXIST. Adults with well-developed immune systems can usually fend off the virus, but children are particularly vulnerable to it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Public health officials expect the number of cases to peak this summer, since the disease thrives in warm weather. The virus is a concern for Chinese officials as the nation prepares to host the Summer Olympic Games starting August 8. A large outbreak of HFMD occurred in Taiwan in 1998 with 78 deaths, and smaller outbreaks recurred there in 2000 and 2001, according to the CDC.”

Man-Made Disaster in Burma

The Sun reported on May 9:
    
“The death toll in cyclone-ravaged Burma could hit 500,000 – more than TWICE the total killed by the Boxing Day Tsunami… Sources said 200,000 people were already dead or dying. But the figure could rise to HALF A MILLION through disease and hunger if the nation’s hardline army rulers continue to block aid for the devastated lowlands of the Irrawaddy Delta. That would dwarf the 230,000 deaths across South East Asia in the 2004 catastrophe.

“Nyo Ohn Myint, of exiled opposition party The National League for Democracy, told The Sun at a border crisis centre: ‘Much of this will be a man-made disaster, caused by the military regime. The bodies need to be collected and burnt as soon as possible or disease will claim many more lives. But the government has organised nothing and its 400,000 soldiers are doing nothing while undistributed aid piles up. ‘They are hoping bodies will be washed out to sea so the final count is smaller – but it could kill half a million people within a matter of weeks. The world must know what is going on.’”

EU Condemns Violence in Beirut

Deutsche Welle reported on May 10:
    
“The European Union strongly condemned the fierce outbreak of violence in Beirut and voiced support for the Lebanese government, the EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Friday night… Radical Shiite group Hezbollah and allies took control of broad parts of Beirut on Friday, laid siege to areas that included government buildings and clashed with security forces…
    
“German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier phoned Lebanese Premier Fouad Seniora on Friday to express his concern at what he termed ‘the escalation of violence. I urgently call on all parties to withdraw their armed factions, lay down their weapons and recognise the Lebanese state’s exclusive right to use force,’ Steinmeier said in a statement. ‘The developments of the last few days have shown that a resolution to the political conflict in Lebanon cannot wait any longer.’… With the escalation of violence this week, Lebanon has seen the the worst sectarian bloodshed since the 1975-1990 civil war.”

“Russia Is Not Threatening Anyone”?

The New York Times wrote on May 10:
    
“Nuclear missile launchers and columns of tanks rolled through Red Square on Friday in a display of martial hardware not seen since the Soviet Union’s waning days. The parade… marked the 63rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, which is observed in Russia as Victory Day, a solemn state holiday… The Kremlin’s decision to parade its military hardware has been a subject of competing interpretations, viewed variously as symbolic confirmation of Russia’s pride, or aggressiveness, as a marketing show of Russian arms, and as a nationalistic festival ordered by Mr. Putin, for Mr. Putin.

“Mr. Putin insisted earlier in the week that the parade should not be viewed as ‘saber rattling.’ ‘It is not a warlike gesture,’ he said. ‘Russia is not threatening anyone.’ But it followed a year during which the Kremlin asserted its case against what it regarded as reckless American foreign policies. Mr. Putin has strongly protested an American-led plan to install a missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. As tensions rose, Russia’s aging strategic bombers conducted international patrols, entered British airspace and approached American carrier groups on the high seas.

“Russian state-controlled television stations have featured extensive coverage of small-scale exercises of Russia’s navy, and of supposedly new weapons systems. Mr. Putin, who firmly opposed the American-led invasion of Iraq five years ago, also endorsed a doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against threats to Russian soil… The United States expressed no alarm over the parade.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 9:
    
“For the first time since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow has put on an arms parade to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany. Russians are impressed with the military show of strength, but in Eastern Europe the parade has reawakened old fears… it seemed as if Russia was searching for its future in the past. European diplomats spoke privately of ‘the wrong signal.’…
    
“It will take a while to judge if Russia did itself any favors in terms of foreign policy. Its biggest problem is not the West, but its relationship with the countries of the former Warsaw Pact in Eastern Europe and the states that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Poland and tiny Lithuania are now blocking the start of negotiations between Russia and the European Union on a new partnership agreement, while Georgia has been delaying Russia’s long overdue accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“And it is in these countries that parades that ape the style of the former Communist power are viewed with horror… In countries such as Georgia, the show of strength in Moscow will probably increase rather than decrease the determination to seek protection by joining the Western defence alliance NATO. But most Russians approved of the demonstration of military strength…

“According to aviation expert Ruslan Puchow, ‘Many of the weapon systems which were on display [during the parade] are more often sold abroad than given to our army.’ That is why the respected business newspaper Vedomosti ran a story on the parade with the derisive headline ‘Parade for Export.’ Comments from Washington were particularly sneering, if not entirely inaccurate.”

It may perhaps come as a surprise to some, but it is the future United States of Europe–and not so much the United States of America–which will look at Russia as a threat. And it will be Europe which will act and respond forcefully to that perceived threat. We read in Daniel 11:44: “But news from the east and the north [an area north-east of Jerusalem, referring to nations such as Russia, China, India, and Japan] shall trouble him [the soon-coming military leader of a United Europe]; therefore he shall go out [or try to invade those countries] with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.”

Vatican: It’s OK to Believe in Aliens

After persecuting Galileo nearly 400 years ago in a clash between religion and science, the pendulum has now swung too far in the opposite direction.  According to the AP on May 13th, 2008:

“Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

“The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

“In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion ‘doesn’t contradict our faith’ because aliens would still be God’s creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like ‘putting limits’ on God’s creative freedom, he said.

“The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world’s best.”

The Bible is clear that there are no extraterrestrial beings or aliens, but rather there are demons posing as such.  These “fallen” beings, once a part of the angelic realm, are no doubt taking advantage of this fact.  For more information on this please see our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”

7.9 Earthquake Slams China

On May 15, 2008, Reuters reports, “The death toll from China’s massive earthquake could reach more than 50,000, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday, quoting rescue headquarters.

“Already some 20,000 are confirmed dead as a result of Monday’s 7.9 magnitude quake, but tens of thousands more remain buried in rubble in areas of the worst-hit province of Sichuan that rescuers are only just beginning to reach.”

While the Chinese look for possible survivors, another Reuters article dated the same day speaks to other impending danger:

“Thousands of Chinese troops have rushed to plug cracks in a massive dam, amid fears that the city of Dujiangyan and much of the Chengdu Plain would be swamped by floods.

“The Zipingpu dam, above Dujiangyan, which has a population of 600,000, was at one stage on Wednesday in an ‘extremely dangerous state’ with cracks more than 10 centimetres long. The Water Resources Ministry later said it was stable for the time being.

“Some 391 reservoirs, two of them major bodies, were in ‘dangerous situations’ across five provinces, including Sichuan which was the worst hit, officials of the National Development and Reform Commission were quoted as saying. Tulong dam, north of Dujiangyan on the Min River, was said to be near collapse. Its destruction would have a knock-on effect on a series of dams and power stations downstream, officials said.

“Experts said these dams, around the Longmen Shan fault, may have damage that could cause them to fail even weeks in the future.”
    
This powerful earthquake follows on the heels of the punishing Cyclone Nargis which has caused the death of tens of thousands in Myanmar. The aftermath of both of these terrible disasters pose only added problems with disease and starvation looming in Myanmar and grueling living conditions in the heavily destroyed counties of China. Jesus Christ warned that at the end of the age there would be shocking and catastrophic occurrences.

As prophesied in Matthew 24:7-9, earthquakes like this will precede the Great Tribulation and is one of several telltale signs that we are in the end-time.  Listen to Norbert Link speak on another prophesied event of Matthew 24 in our most recent StandingWatch programs, “Famine in the USA” and “Food Shortage in the USA.”

Emptying the U.S. Bread Basket

The Washington Post wrote on April 28:

“Across America, turmoil in the world wheat markets has sent prices of bread, pasta, noodles, pizza, pastry and bagels skittering upward, bringing protests from consumers. But underlying this food inflation are changes that are transforming U.S. agriculture and making a return to the long era of cheap wheat products doubtful at best.

“… in… North Dakota… many farmers are cutting back on growing wheat in favor of more profitable, less disease-prone corn and soybeans for ethanol refineries and Asian consumers… Wheat’s fall from favor, little noticed when it was cheap, has been long coming. Though still an iconic symbol of American abundance — engraved on currency and praised in song — the nation’s amber waves of wheat have been increasingly shoved aside by other crops. The ‘breadbasket of the world,’ which had alleviated hunger and famine since World War I, now generally supplies only a quarter of world wheat exports.

“U.S. farmers are expected to plant about 64 million acres of wheat this year, down from a high of 88 million in 1981. In Kansas, wheat acreage has declined by a third since the mid-1980s, and nationwide, there is now less wheat in grain bins than at any time since World War II — only about enough to supply the world for four days. This occurs as developing countries with some of the poorest populations are rapidly increasing their wheat imports… That poses serious concerns for countries that historically have counted on the United States to have inexpensive wheat on hand to cushion shocks…”

America No Longer Leads

On May 3, Newsweek published an incredibly naive article about a man-made prosperous and wealthy future of America. These concepts are unbiblical–of course, we concede that the writer of the article probably does not understand biblical prophecies. (For you to understand what is prophesied, please read our free booklets, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “Europe in Prophecy.”) However, Newsweek does make some interesting comments about the present situation–although the overall picture which it paints is also far too optimistic and unrealistic. Nevertheless, we do agree with the following excerpts:

“In April, a new poll revealed that 81 percent of the American people believe that the country is on the ‘wrong track.’ In the 25 years that pollsters have asked this question, last month’s response was by far the most negative. Other polls, asking similar questions, found levels of gloom that were even more alarming, often at 30- and 40-year highs. There are reasons to be pessimistic—a financial panic and looming recession, a seemingly endless war in Iraq, and the ongoing threat of terrorism… And—for the first time in living memory—the United States does not seem to be leading the charge. Americans see that a new world is coming into being, but fear it is one being shaped in distant lands and by foreign people… The world has shifted from anti-Americanism to post-Americanism…

“For the last 20 years, America’s superpower status in every realm has been largely unchallenged—something that’s never happened before in history, at least since the Roman Empire dominated the known world 2,000 years ago. During this Pax Americana, the global economy has accelerated dramatically… At the military and political level, we still live in a unipolar world. But along every other dimension—industrial, financial, social, cultural—the distribution of power is shifting, moving away from American dominance. In terms of war and peace, economics and business, ideas and art, this will produce a landscape that is quite different from the one we have lived in until now—one defined and directed from many places and by many peoples.”

The Future of the American Dollar

On May 5, Der Spiegel Online wrote the following, somewhat speculative article about the perceived future of the American Dollar. The magazine stated:

“There’s a growing sense among currency traders that the US dollar might finally stop its long slide against other major currencies. The euro almost hit $1.60, a record high against the dollar, on Apr. 22… But since then, the buck has been on a modest upswing. The euro traded at $1.54 on May 2.

“… recent lifts for the dollar have come from hopes for a second-half recovery for the US economy, and worries that other countries’ economies are slowing, which could force their central bankers to cut rates. For some politicians and popular commentators, the weak dollar can be a sore spot. Listed alongside economic ills such as financial market turmoil, high oil prices, falling home prices, and weak consumer spending, the falling dollar is seen as a symbol of declining American prestige…

“High oil and commodity prices can already be partly blamed on the dollar’s weakness, which points to a big disadvantage of a weak currency… The price of oil is up almost 17 percent since the beginning of the year when priced in dollars, but it’s still up 11.6 percent in euros…

“The future direction of the dollar depends on a wide, complex array of variables, currency experts say. Factors that could weaken the dollar further include more financial instability in US markets, more interest rate cuts from the Fed, and evidence of slower-than-expected US growth… Even if the dollar stops its slide, it will remain quite cheap by historic standards. Against the dollar, the euro has jumped 37 percent from five years ago, when it was trading at $1.12. As any American tourist in Europe will tell you, the dollar’s purchasing power has also fallen to what seem like artificially low levels… Whether or not the buck regains its bang, that’s a tall order.”

Cyclone May Have Killed More Than 100,000 People

Times on Line wrote on May 5:

“As many as ten thousand people could have died in the catastrophic storm which ripped across Burma on Saturday, and the number is likely to rise [by now it is estimated that more than 100,000 people have died, see below]… Apart from the loss of life… the disaster may have far reaching secondary effects. The flooding and destruction of sanitation systems increases the risk of epidemics, including malaria and typhoid, and adds to pressure on villages where many people subsist [on] less than a dollar a day.

“The stricken area is Burma’s richest agricultural region, and the cyclone must have wrought terrible damage on the rice crop. World rice prices are at a record high already, provoking food riots in more than 30 countries. Burma is a net exporter of rice, and the destruction of crops in the Irrawaddy Delta will only add to upward pressure on international prices. Burma may be unable to keep its promise to sell rice stocks to other more needy countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where a cyclone last year destroyed crops.”

The Associated Press added on May 7 that “The Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that five states hit hardest by Saturday’s cyclone produce 65 percent of the Southeast Asian country’s rice. The region also is home to 80 percent of its aquaculture, 50 percent of its poultry and 40 percent of its pork production.”

Reuters reported on May 8:

“Desperate survivors cried out for aid on Thursday nearly a week after 100,000 people were feared killed by Cyclone Nargis, as pressure piled up on Myanmar [formerly known as Burma] to throw its doors open to an international relief operation. The United States was awaiting approval from the ruling junta to start military aid flights, but the U.N. food agency and Red Cross/Red Crescent said they have finally started flying in emergency relief supplies after foot-dragging by the generals…

“Approval for such a flight would be significant, given the huge distrust and acrimony between the former Burma’s generals and Washington, which has imposed tough sanctions to try to end 46 years of unbroken military rule. Aid has barely trickled into one of the world’s most impoverished countries, although experts feared it would be too little and too late to cope with the aftermath of Nargis, which also left one million homeless. Witnesses have seen little evidence of a relief effort under way… The storm pulverized the delta on Saturday with 190 km (120 mph) winds followed by a massive 12 ft wave that caused most of the casualties and damage, virtually destroying some villages. It was the worst cyclone in Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people were killed in neighboring Bangladesh.”

Der Spiegel wrote on May 5:

“… the only thing the military junta [in Burma] appears to care about is keeping its hold on power… Burma, already the poorest country in Southeast Asia, shows all the signs of total collapse… But the government… doesn’t appear to have the situation in hand or be able to coordinate disaster relief… many deaths could have been prevented in Burma if the government had warned its people about the impending disaster. But nothing of the kind happened…”

Erupting Volcano in Southern Chile

Reuters reported on May 8:

“Chile evacuated the last military personnel from the vicinity of an erupting volcano in its remote Patagonian region before dawn on Thursday, after it spat a surge of fiery material. But a few civilians refused to leave two villages near the Chaiten volcano in southern Chile which began erupting last week for the first time in thousands of years… The military and a few journalists drove around 50 miles south of the volcano to the village of Santa Lucia after earth tremors and an electric storm at its peak around midnight… A strong smell of sulfur hung in the air…

“Chaiten volcano lies 760 miles south of the capital Santiago and has showered ash on towns as far away as in neighboring Argentina… The long dormant 3,280-foot (1,000-metre) Chaiten volcano began erupting on Friday and the huge plume of volcanic ash is clearly visible on satellite images cutting a swathe across South America’s southern tip. Experts say the volcano could continue belching out vast clouds of ash for months and could rumble on for years.

“Chile has the world’s second most active string of volcanoes behind Indonesia. It is home to 2,000 volcanoes, 500 of which experts say are potentially active. Around 60 have erupted over the past 450 years.”

China’s Secret Nuclear Submarine Base

The Telegraph reported on May 2:

“China has secretly built a major underground nuclear submarine base that could threaten Asian countries and challenge American power in the region… Satellite imagery… shows that a substantial harbour has been built which could house a score of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and a host of aircraft carriers. In what will be a significant challenge to US Navy dominance and to countries ringing the South China Sea, one photograph shows China’s latest 094 nuclear submarine at the base just a few hundred miles from its neighbours. Other images show numerous warships moored to long jettys and a network of underground tunnels at the Sanya base on the southern tip of Hainan island.

“Of even greater concern to the Pentagon are massive tunnel entrances, estimated to be 60ft high, built into hillsides around the base. Sources fear they could lead to caverns capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites. The US Department of Defence has estimated that China will have five 094 nuclear submarines operational by 2010 with each capable of carrying 12 JL-2 nuclear missiles… The location of the base off Hainan will also give the submarines access to very deep water exceeding 5,000 metres within a few miles, making them even harder to detect.”

Don’t Attack the Roman Church!!!

The New York Times published a telling article on May 4, which is interesting in light of the debate pertaining to Barak Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Especially the left-leaning press is trying to attack John McCain for his refusal to distance himself from “televangelist John Hague.” What’s the discussion about? Hagee is perceived as being anti-Catholic for commenting on the 17th chapter of the book of Revelation. Notice the following excerpts from the New York Times’ article:

“… a white televangelist… John Hagee… pokes at the image of a woman… her hand raising a golden chalice. The woman is ‘the Great Whore,’ Mr. Hagee explains, and she is drinking ‘the blood of the Jewish people.’ That’s because the Great Whore represents ‘the Roman Church,’ which, in his view, has thirsted for Jewish blood throughout history, from the Crusades to the Holocaust… On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him… Mr. Hagee, it’s true, did not blame the American government for concocting AIDS. But he did say that God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins, particularly a scheduled ‘homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came.’… Even after Mr. Hagee’s Catholic bashing bubbled up in the mainstream media, Mr. McCain still did not reject and denounce him…”

How Russia Suppresses Religious Liberty and Freedom

The New York Times wrote on April 24:

“Just as the government has tightened control over political life, so, too, has it intruded in matters of faith. The Kremlin’s surrogates in many areas have turned the Russian Orthodox Church into a de facto official religion, warding off other Christian denominations that seem to offer the most significant competition for worshipers… This close alliance between the government and the Russian Orthodox Church has become a defining characteristic of Mr. Putin’s tenure…

“The [Russian Orthodox] church’s hostility toward Protestant groups, many of which are based in the United States or have large followings there, is tinged with the same anti-Western sentiment often voiced by Mr. Putin and other senior officials… On local television last month, the city’s chief Russian Orthodox priest, who is a confidant of the region’s most powerful politicians, gave a sermon that was repeated every few hours. His theme: Protestant heretics…

“Protestants here must receive official permission before doing anything remotely like proselytizing… Vladimir Kotenyov, a Baptist minister, said his church had given up asking. ‘Naturally, it will be perceived as propaganda directed at our population,’ Mr. Kotenyov said. ‘”What kind of propaganda are you preaching?” they would ask. “An American faith?” This is how they think: If you are a Russian person, it means that you have to be Russian Orthodox.'”

Putin Stays in Power

The Associated Press reported on May 8:

“Vladimir Putin was named prime minister of Russia Thursday after a fervent speech full of ambitious plans that overshadowed his low-key successor and suggested that he will keep a strong hand in ruling the country. Putin promised to build on Russia’s economic recovery and work to satisfy its people’s dreams of comfort and prosperity… Putin’s unprecedented move from the Kremlin to the No. 2 post will keep him politically prominent for the foreseeable future and could serve as a springboard back to the presidency. It has Russians wondering who will really hold the country’s reins…

“[Putin] said Russia’s economy could surpass Britain’s this year and become the world’s sixth-largest… Critics say the show of solidarity by mentor and protege masks fears that Putin has navigated Russia into a dangerous period of political uncertainty… Putin, 55, a longtime KGB officer, served as prime minister for five months in 1999 under Boris Yeltsin, who stepped down on Dec. 31 of that year and handed him the presidency. Putin was elected to his first term three months later.”

European Superstate in the Making

The Telegraph wrote on May 3:

“The European Union will open its own embassies under a plan critics fear represents a ‘power grab’ by Brussels officials pushing for a federal superstate… The ‘Embassies of the Union’ would be controlled by a new EU diplomatic service created by the Lisbon Treaty… Working papers circulating in Brussels suggest that more than 160 EU offices around the world, including in member states, would become embassies… Equally controversial is a proposal for EU ambassadors who would be accountable to the European Parliament.”

Far-Reaching New Powers for Brussels?

Der Spiegel Online reported on May 5:

“The EU’s monetary affairs commissioner has called for far-reaching new powers for the European Commission. He would like Brussels to have greater control over economic policy in euro zone countries — and even wants its members to speak with one voice on the international stage…

“Opponents of the European Union claim that Brussels already has too much influence over the internal affairs of the EU’s 27 member states. They are unlikely to be thrilled by the news that a leading EU official is calling for far-reaching new powers for the EU’s executive branch when it comes to member states’ economic affairs — and even foreign policy… The euro zone currently consists of 15 EU member states, including Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Finland, who have adopted the euro as their currency.”

“Most Germans Feel No Responsibility for Israel”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 5:

“A new survey reveals that most Germans [53 percent] feel their country has no special responsibility for Israel, despite Germany’s official foreign policy of support for Israel. And only 13 percent of Germans are in favor of providing military support to Israel if the country came under attack [while 81 percent responded in the negative].

“Israel is celebrating its 60th anniversary this Thursday [May 8,which marks the 60th anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar. This is] an event which will be marked with particular attention in Germany. Six decades after the Holocaust, Germany is very aware of its historical obligations to the Jewish state, and the country’s right to exist is a cornerstone of German foreign policy… The attitudes revealed in the survey contrast with German government doctrine that the country has a special responsibility to the state of Israel.”

As we have warned earlier, this official German foreign policy–as well as the vast majority of blind-sighted reporting in the German press–is backfiring. The average German is getting tired of being told how much supportive he must be toward Israel. Sadly, biblical prophecy reveals that within a few years from now, German and European policy toward Israel will drastically change for the worse.

Israel Marks 60th Birthday Amidst Conflict

AFP reported on May 8:

“Israel on Thursday celebrated its 60th anniversary with displays of military might… Military air shows were among the crowd-pleasers with warplanes going through their paces in sunny skies even as a dark cloud hung over the political future of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is under a corruption investigation. Crowds also thronged military bases which opened their gates to the public to show off some of the mighty arsenal used by an army well tested in six decades of conflicts…

“Sixty turbulent years after its creation in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust, Israel remains mired in a seemingly intractable conflict with neighbours still technically at war and with the Palestinians still struggling for their own state… The Jewish state enjoys a stable economy on a par with most Western states, a powerful military, a booming high-tech sector and what is thought to be the region’s sole if undisclosed nuclear arsenal. Israel also enjoys strong support from the United States…

“Palestinians stayed away from the celebrations and marked the anniversary with commemorations of the ‘Naqba’ — Arabic for catastrophe. The term refers to the creation of some 760,000 Palestinian refugees after the shock defeat of the Arab armies which invaded immediately after Israel was established.”

A German Missile Shield for Europe?

Der Spiegel Online reported on May 5:

“The party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to unveil a new foreign policy platform this week that would have as its centerpiece the goal of creating a missile shield to protect Europe from a nuclear attack, as well as provisions for extended missions by the German military abroad.

“The controversial plan by the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) would seek to consolidate more foreign policy authority within the Chancellery, the German equivalent of the White House, by creating a National Security Council within the chancellor’s office, which would have ‘its own staff’ with the capacity to coordinate security policy…

“The plan is already coming up against resistance from the SPD. The party opposes a missile shield, and resistance within the SPD to foreign military deployments is growing… Meanwhile, the deputy chair of the Green Party group in parliament, Jürgen Trittin, lambasted the plan… Guido Westerwelle, leader of the business-friendly Free Democratic Party, told the Flensburger Tageblatt: ‘We are very alarmed because we fear that the axis of our foreign policy is being shifted massively. What could be most dangerous is if this is preparing the way for regular deployments of the German military on domestic soil.’…

“CDU foreign policy specialist Willy Wimmer [said:] ‘It is unworthy of a democratic party’… to release a paper that would fundamentally change the country’s security policy coordination ‘without a cautious internal discussion.’ He said it would provide the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, with a ‘totally changed role in the country.’ He added that it created the impression that the report’s authors wanted to pick up where Weimar Republic President Paul von Hindenburg left off in the early part of the 20th century. ‘For people like Hindenburg, the army was a state within a state,’ he said.”

Whether or not the plan will be adopted this week, it shows the THINKING of the German Chancellor and others within the German government. As biblical prophecy clearly shows, sooner or later, that thinking will prevail.

German Reaction to Gordon Brown’s Debacle

Der Spiegel Online reported on May 5:

“Britain’s Labour Party suffered a devastating defeat in last week’s local elections and then lost the mayoral race in London… The opposition Conservative Party made strong gains across the whole country, beating Labour even in its strong holds in parts of the north. The Conservatives also wrested the coveted London mayoral position from Labour, which the eccentric Boris Johnson won.

“British newspaper commentators spoke of a ‘blood bath for Labour’ and a ‘massacre.’ Media commentators in Germany lay the election defeat squarely at Brown’s feet, pointing in particular to his economic policies as chancellor…

“Spiegel Online writes: ‘Last [fall], boosted by a short grace period Brown, who was seen as a modest, serious anti-Blair, considered holding an early election… But after the Conservatives … improved their standing in the polls, he drew back, and then did not have the courage to admit he did so out of caution. The British do not like that kind of behavior. They like people who — when it gets tough — demonstrate courage and succeed. People who hesitate have a tough time on the island, where the stiff upper lip resistance to Hitler is seen as the nation’s “finest hour”‘…

“The financial daily Handelsblatt writes: ‘With hidden taxes he took with one hand and gave with the other through tax credits and other special programs… Companies are threatening to move abroad, because they are fed up with ever more complex taxes. And Labour’s core supporters are rebelling against the abolishment of a low tax rate, which Brown himself introduced a few years ago. Once Britain had a simple tax system, light regulation and a slim state. Brown’s micro-management has turned these into a bureaucratic apparatus, which creates a new problem every time it tries to solve one.'”

President Bush Blames Congress For High Gas Prices

The Associated Press reported on April 29:

“President Bush said Tuesday that Congress is blocking his proposals to deal with high gas prices and dragging its feet on other issues to address the nation’s sagging economy… Bush was asked about a proposal by Republican presidential contender John McCain, later endorsed by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, to suspend taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel for the summer travel season. The tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel fuel… Bush… said he didn’t want to inject himself into the ongoing presidential race…

“He sidestepped a question on whether there should be a second stimulus package. Rebates started to go out this week as part of a $168 billion stimulus package enacted in February. The checks will range up to $600 for an individual, $1,200 for a couple and an additional $300 for each eligible dependent child… As he has in the past, Bush declined to call the current economic slowdown a recession, even though many economists say the nation is already in one.”

Oil Companies Report High Profit

AFP reported on April 29:

“British energy giants BP and Royal Dutch Shell revealed Tuesday that their combined first-quarter net profits surged to almost 17 billion dollars (11 billion euros) thanks to record high oil prices. Crude oil prices smashed record after record in the three months to March and hit an all-time high of nearly 120 dollars per barrel on Monday… The price of BP and Shell shares jumped sharply in London on Tuesday as investors seized on the better-than-expected profits.”

Bloomberg.com reported on May 1 that “Exxon Mobil Corp. posted the smallest earnings increase among the world’s three largest oil companies… Exxon Mobil fell 3.3 percent to $90 in New York trading after the Irving, Texas-based company said first-quarter net income rose to $10.9 billion, or $2.03 a share, from $9.28 billion, or $1.62, a year earlier… Exxon Mobil’s 17 percent profit increase lagged behind the gains of 25 percent and 63 percent by Royal Dutch Shell… and BP…”

CNN added on April 27 that “In January, ExxonMobil Corp., the nation’s largest oil company, reported U.S.-record profits for…  the year ($36.1 billion).”

Rising Oil and Gas Prices–Could Anything Be Done?

CNN reported on April 27:

“Amid rising gas and oil prices, a leading Republican [Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee] said on Sunday that the U.S. government should consider imposing a windfall tax on oil company profits… [Previously, according to CNN of April 28, President Bush had “rejected calls to tax oil companies’ record profits, but said he expects those companies to re-invest those profits in alternative fuels and new energy technologies.”]

“[Specter] also criticized consolidation in the oil industry. ‘I believe that we have allowed too many companies to get together to reduce competition,’ he said, citing the combinations that created ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. Specter said that… he has co-sponsored legislation that would, in part, ‘make the OPEC countries, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela and the other countries, subject to our antitrust laws. They get together, reduce the supply of oil, and that drives up prices,’ he said. ‘In the short run, it’s hard to deal with it for tomorrow…’

“Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, told CNN’s ‘Late Edition’ on Sunday, ‘We need a windfall profits tax, because these profits have been absolutely obscene… If the president would call the oil companies into the Oval Office and tell them he’s going to support a windfall profits tax … I’ll bet that the price of gasoline would come down within a matter of days,’ Levin said. ‘But the president will not call the oil companies into his office, because he’s been too closely allied with those oil companies…'”

No Short Term Relief?

CNN reported on April 28:

“If any of the proposals [to cut gas and oil prices] survive election-year partisanship to pass, Democrats and Republicans said they would be unlikely to affect the price of gas in the short term. That opinion was shared by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during congressional testimony Thursday. ‘Unfortunately there’s nothing, really, that can be done that’s going to affect energy prices or gasoline prices in the very short run,’ Bernanke said.”

Americans Faced With Mounting Debt and Rising Prices

The Associated Press reported on April 29:

“Struggling with mounting debt and rising prices, faced with the toughest economic times since the early 1990s, Americans are selling prized possessions online and at flea markets at alarming rates. To meet higher gas, food and prescription drug bills, they are selling off grandmother’s dishes and their own belongings. Some of the household purging has been extremely painful…

“At Craigslist, which has become a kind of online flea market for the world, the number of for-sale listings has soared 70 percent since last July. In March, the number of listings more than doubled to almost 15 million from the year-ago period… Meanwhile, soaring gas and food prices haven’t kept pace with meager wage growth. Gas prices have already hit $4 per gallon in some places, and that could become more widespread this summer. The weakening job market is another big worry.”

Recession Or Not–And Does it Really Matter?

AFP reported on April 30:

“The US economy managed to avert the onset of recession as it struggled to grow at a 0.6 percent annual pace in the first quarter, government figures showed Wednesday. The first estimate of gross domestic product… came amid fears that the world’s biggest economy is headed for recession, generally defined as two consecutive quarters of declining activity. The 0.6 percent growth rate was the same as in the fourth quarter of 2007, the Commerce Department report showed… “Economist Aneta Markowska at Societe Generale said the report paints a picture of an economy teetering on recession… ‘For the US economy which can potentially grow at about 2.75 percent, consistent growth below 1.0 percent should be considered recessionary.'”

In addition, another recent report issued by U.S. state legislators showed that many states ARE in a recession. In light of these contradictory reports–and depending on what favorable or unfavorable “numbers” are being used–the question remains: Whom are we to believe? And more importantly, as President Bush said in his press conference on Tuesday, Americans are suffering tremendously–whether we might want to call it “recession” or just “slower economic growth.”

No More Iranian Oil Transactions in U.S. Dollars

The Associated Press reported on April 30:

“A top Oil Ministry official says Iran, OPEC’s second-largest producer, has completely stopped conducting all its oil transactions in U.S. dollars. Iran has dramatically reduced dependence on the dollar over the past year in the face of increasing U.S. pressure on its financial system and the fall in the value of the American currency… [The] Oil Ministry official… said Wednesday all oil transactions are now being carried out in euros and yen.”

Other Gulf States May Follow Suit

Bloomberg.com reported on May 1:

“Gulf states are considering dropping their pegs to the dollar after the U.S. currency’s decline stoked inflation across the region, Kuwaiti Finance Minister Mustafa al- Shimali said.  ‘Yes, there are some’ Gulf Cooperation Council states considering dropping their pegs to the dollar, which has fallen 13 percent against the euro in the last 12 months, al-Shimali said in an interview in Kuwait late yesterday without naming the countries.”

India Launches 10 Satellites

On April 29, vnunet.com reported the following:

“India has successfully launched 10 satellites into orbit from a single rocket, setting a new record. The rocket lifted off from the Sriharikota space centre carrying two satellites from India and eight from foreign countries. The subcontinent is hoping to rival the Russian, US and EU space agencies as a launch vehicle for new orbital technology…

“One of the Indian satellites is a mapping system that will scan the entire country. It is hoped that the system will be able to view in high enough resolution to identify every house in the land. The second Indian craft is a technology gathering system, and the other eight are small research devices from Canada, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.”

A Strong European Defense Force–Coming

The EUObserver wrote on April 25:

“Despite its image as a strong ally of the US, Poland has indicated it would support a boost in Europe’s defence activities, including setting up the bloc’s own military planning headquarters… The signal from Warsaw could prove crucial for the incoming French presidency of the European Union, starting in July. President Nicolas Sarkozy has indicated on several occasions that he will try to push for more integration in the area. Paris has been arguing that a common defence in the face of common threats and security interests would be a logical step forward on the path of Europe’s unification…”

Denmark Tenth Country to Ratify Lisbon Treaty

The EUObserver wrote on April 24:

“Both Denmark and the lower house of Germany’s parliament on Thursday (24 April) ratified the EU’s new treaty, just a day after Portugal approved the document… Denmark is the tenth EU country to ratify the Lisbon Treaty… So far, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia, Romania, France, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Portugal and Denmark have ratified the treaty which replaced the failed European Constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

“Ireland is the only country that will hold a referendum on it, expected on 12 June. Ratification by all countries is meant to be finalised by the end of this year, in order for the treaty to come into force in early 2009.”

Child Dies of Untreated Diabetes

The Associated Press reported on April 28:

“Two parents who prayed as their 11-year-old daughter died of untreated diabetes were charged Monday with second-degree reckless homicide. Family and friends had urged [the parents]  to get help for their daughter, but the father considered the illness ‘a test of faith’ and the mother never considered taking the girl to the doctor because she thought her daughter was under a ‘spiritual attack,’ the criminal complaint said…

“[The] parents were told the body would be taken to Madison for an autopsy the next day. ‘They responded, “You won’t need to do that. She will be alive by then,”‘ the medical examiner wrote in a report. An autopsy determined that [the girl] died from undiagnosed diabetic ketoacidosis, which left her with too little insulin in her body. Court records said she likely had some symptoms of the disease for months. The [parents] each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted…

“In March, an Oregon couple who belong to a church that preaches against medical care and believes in treating illness with prayer were charged with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment in the death of their 15-month-old daughter. The toddler died March 2 of bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection that could have been treated with antibiotics, the state medical examiner’s office said.”

There is no question that the Bible teaches that God heals us from physical sickness, according to His Will. On the other hand, as we explained in detail in our booklet, “Sickness and Health–What the Bible Tells Us” (copyright 2004), we are to do our part–including seeking competent medical help, especially  for our children. We quote the following from page 36 of our booklet:

“… the law in most countries prescribes that, as a parent, you are to seek medical help for your sick child. If you fail to do so, the government might take your child away from you, or, if the child should die, you may face charges of involuntary manslaughter, or worse. Additionally, faith is necessary in order to be healed. But what if your child does not have the required faith? God does not transfer your faith to that of the child. The Bible clearly states that God does not apply the righteousness of the parents to the children (Ezekiel 14:19–20). Romans 14:22 asks, ‘Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God!’

“This is not to say that parents are not to teach their children the necessity of having faith in God when they are sick. They are, in fact, supposed to encourage them to ask God for healing by asking the elders of the church to anoint them with oil and to pray over them… Even though parents are to teach their children to place their faith in GOD for healing, they should not withhold medical help from them, if it is due (compare Proverbs 3:27).”

Also, note our additional comments regarding medical help, on page 32:

“We can’t expect to be healed by God if we refuse to do what we CAN and ought to do for ourselves. For instance, somebody who is a diabetic and who needs insulin would act foolishly if he or she were to say: ‘I believe that God will heal me, so from this moment on I will stop taking insulin.’ Rather, a diabetic should continuously look to God to heal this terrible sickness in this life, asking God to prevent long-term complications from affecting the diabetic. In the meantime he or she must do what is necessary to stay alive. Any doctor will tell you that a person who takes insulin because of juvenile diabetes, for instance, is only trying to simulate what the pancreas of a healthy person does naturally. Taking insulin does not constitute healing in any way.  It does not regenerate the pancreas nor induce it to start producing insulin again.  But taking insulin is necessary to sustain the life of that person and it would be dangerous not to take it.”

Actor Wesley Snipes Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Mere Failure to File Tax Returns

The Associated Press reported on April 25:

“Snipes was convicted of three [misdemeanors, i.e. three] counts of willfully failing to file returns [since 1998]… Snipes was acquitted of five other charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy, that would’ve exposed him to 13 more years in prison.

“Snipes’ co-defendants, Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were convicted on both felony counts on which the actor was [acquitted]. Kahn, who refused to defend himself in court, was sentenced to the maximum 10 years, while Rosile received 4 1/2 years… Kahn was the founder of American Rights Litigators, and a successor group, Guiding Light of God Ministries, that purported to help members legally avoid paying taxes. Snipes was a dues-paying member of the organization, and Rosile, a de-licensed accountant, prepared Snipes’ paperwork.

“The actor maintained in a yearslong battle with the IRS he did not have to pay taxes, using fringe arguments common to ‘tax protesters’ who say the government has no legal right to collect. After joining Kahn’s group, the government said, Snipes instructed his employees to stop paying their own taxes and sought $11 million in 1996 and 1997 taxes he legally paid.

“Defense attorneys Hernandez and Daniel Meachum said Snipes was unfairly targeted because he’s famous. Meachum called prosecutors ‘big game hunters,’ selectively prosecuting the actor while Kahn’s some 4,000 other clients remained free.

“[Judge] Hodges was not swayed. ‘One of the main purposes which drives selective prosecution in tax cases is deterrence,’ the judge said, while denying it had anything to do with his sentence. ‘In some instances, that means those of celebrity stand greater risk of prosecution. But there’s nothing unusual about it, nor is there anything unlawful about it. It’s the way the system works.'”

Let this be a strong warning for those “tax protestors” who think that they don’t have to file tax returns or pay their taxes. Such conduct would not only be against man’s laws, but it would also be against God’s Law, as we read in Matthew 22:15-22.

Earthquakes Galore

Reuters reported on April 27 that “A strong earthquake of magnitude 5.8 shook the southern Mexican state of Guerrero on Sunday and was felt in the capital. The earthquake hit south of the town of Teloloapan… at a depth of 55 miles (88 km)…”

USA Today reported on April 29 about a series of earthquakes in Reno, Nevada, as follows: “Residents here are being shaken, literally, by an ongoing series of earthquakes, which experts warn could be a precursor to a major seismic event. Since late February, hundreds of earthquakes have rattled parts of west Reno. The strongest quake — with a magnitude of 4.7 — hit shortly before midnight last Friday, cracking walls and breaking windows… More than 200 additional small quakes have followed, the lab reported, including two Monday evening and some small earthquakes Tuesday… These quakes started out small and the general trend shows them building in strength.”

Also, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 was reported on April 29 to have struck Vancouver Island in Canada. In addition, a 4.2 magnitude quake struck outside Palm Springs four hours before a 4.4 magnitude quake “shook a mountainous area near Bakersfield, Calif., early Thursday,” May 1, 2008, according to the Associated Press.

Food Rationing in the USA–and Around the World

The New York Sun reported on April 21:

“Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks…

“Spiking food prices have led to riots in recent weeks in Haiti, Indonesia, and several African nations. India recently banned export of all but the highest quality rice, and Vietnam blocked the signing of a new contract for foreign rice sales… For now, rice is available at Asian markets in California, though consumers have fewer choices when buying the largest bags…”

The Washington Times wrote on April 23:

“Farmers and food executives appealed fruitlessly to federal officials yesterday for regulatory steps to limit speculative buying that is helping to drive food prices higher. Meanwhile, some Americans are stocking up on staples such as rice, flour and oil in anticipation of high prices and shortages spreading from overseas. Their pleas did not find a sympathetic audience at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), where regulators said high prices are mostly the result of soaring world demand for grains combined with high fuel prices and drought-induced shortages in many countries… Costco and other grocery stores in California reported a run on rice, which has forced them to set limits on how many sacks of rice each customer can buy. Filipinos in Canada are scooping up all the rice they can find and shipping it to relatives in the Philippines, which is suffering a severe shortage that is leaving many people hungry…

“Food economists testifying at a daylong hearing of the commission said the doubling of rice and wheat prices in the past year is a result of strong income growth in China, India and other Asian countries, where people entering the middle class are buying more food and eating more meat. Farm animals consume a substantial share of the world’s grain… In addition, the diversion of one-third of the U.S. corn crop into making ethanol for vehicles has increased prices for corn and other staples such as soybeans and cotton as more acreage is set aside for ethanol production… “

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 23:

“Vast amounts of money are flooding the world’s commodities markets, driving up prices of staple foods like wheat and rice. Biofuels and droughts can’t fully explain the recent food crisis — hedge funds and small investors bear some responsibility for global hunger…

“Jim Rogers, the former business partner of legendary financier and philanthropist George Soros, is perhaps the best-known investor in broad-based commodity funds… now Rogers… is warning: ‘Unless something happens soon, we will see people not getting any food at all, at any price. This is the sort of thing we read about in history books, but now I’m afraid that it could happen again.'”

CNN added on April 24:

“Retail chain Sam’s Club will limit the sale of large quantities of rice amid a dramatic increase in the global price of rice…  Sam’s Club — a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. — has 593 wholesale locations in the United States and more than 100 abroad, in countries such as Brazil, Canada, China and Mexico. Food prices have soared worldwide in recent months, leading to violence in some developing countries. ‘In just two months,’ World Bank President Robert Zoellick said this month, ‘rice prices have skyrocketed to near historical levels, rising by around 75 percent globally and more in some markets, with more likely to come.'”

The Los Angeles Times stated on April 24:

“This week, Costco said it had seen sales of flour, rice and some cooking oils leap. Some Costco stores already have held customers to just two bags of rice a day, but the chain doesn’t plan to limit sales nationwide. By midafternoon Wednesday, the Costco in Alhambra — which had not placed limits on purchases — said it had run out of rice… Prices for many foods, including beer, bread, coffee, pizza and rice, are rising rapidly as the nation contends with its worst bout of food inflation since 1990. The cost of groceries is climbing at an annual rate of about 5% this year.”

“Japan’s Hunger Becomes a Dire Warning for Other Nations”

The age.com.au wrote on April 21:

“Japan’s acute butter shortage, which has confounded bakeries, restaurants and now families across the country, is the latest unforeseen result of the global agricultural commodities crisis… A 130% rise in the global cost of wheat in the past year… has forced the Government to hit flour millers with three rounds of stiff mark-ups. The latest — a 30% increase this month — has given rise to speculation that Japan, which relies on imports for 90% of its annual wheat consumption, is no longer on the brink of a food crisis, but has fallen off the cliff. According to one government poll, 80% of Japanese are frightened about what the future holds for their food supply. Last week, as the prices of wheat and barley continued their relentless climb, the Japanese Government discovered it had exhausted its ¥230 billion ($A2.37 billion) budget for the grains with two months remaining. It was forced to call on an emergency ¥55 billion reserve to ensure it could continue feeding the nation.”

Effect of Weak U.S. Dollar on Europe

The Telegraph wrote on April 19:

“Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU’s ‘Mr Euro’, has given the clearest warning to date that the world authorities may take action to halt the collapse of the dollar… Mr Juncker, who doubles as Luxembourg premier and chair of eurozone financiers, told the Luxembourg press that he had been invited to the White House last week just before the G7 at the urgent request of President George Bush. The two leaders discussed the dangers of rising ‘protectionism’ in Europe. Mr Juncker warned that matters could get out of hand unless America took steps to halt the slide in the dollar…

“David Woo, currency chief at Barclays Capital, said the Europeans and Americans are talking past each other… Washington is happy to watch the dollar slide… While Germany and Holland have prospered under the strong euro, most of southern Europe and Ireland is in trouble… The European Commission’s economists fear that the loss of competitiveness against Germany over the last decade may have passed the point of no return.”

German Viewpoint on American Presidential Election

Der Spiegel Online reported on April 23 about the elections in Pennsylvania, as follows:

“Democratic voters just can’t make up their minds between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In Pennsylvania, they denied him victory but spared her defeat. It will be the job of the superdelegates to commit political murder — but will it mean suicide for the party? After the confetti has been shaken out of the hair and the party balloons have deflated, what is left from Tuesday’s election night is a disturbing message: There is nothing to celebrate.

“The winner is the loser. But the loser is not the winner. Clinton’s victory was not big enough to snatch the nomination from Obama. But neither was his star power enough to woo the voters in the center… He was handed a defeat when he needed a victory, and she secured a victory when only an improbable triumph would have helped her. Barring a miracle, Clinton’s role at the Democratic Party convention in Denver in August will be limited to guest speaker. But Obama will go into the actual presidential election badly damaged…

“Obama’s chances of a successful run for the White House are anything but rosy… The party seems to be cursed in this primary season, as if Obama’s supporters and Clinton’s fans had sealed a diabolical pact. They refuse him victory but spare her defeat. But this game is approaching its terrible end. The superdelegates, who are independent from the party base, will have to commit a political murder in the coming months. Will it be Obama or Clinton? For the party, the decision could amount to political suicide.”

Flu Vaccines Rarely Effective

Foodconsumer.org reported on April 20:

“If you got [a] flu shot and still came down with the flu symptoms like fever, cough and running nose, you should not be alone. A study released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the effectiveness of this year’s vaccine was estimated at only 44 percent, The New York Times reported. What’s gone wrong with the vaccine then?  According to the Times, what makes it so hard for a vaccine to effectively prevent the flu is that the virus changes from year to year and experts would have to GUESS what forms of virus will be circulating for the next flu season based on the current year… this year they guessed it wrong and made many recipients miserable…

“In an article published in 2004 by the Center for Medical Consumers, which is a not-for-profit organization that does not accept any funding from the drug industry, Maryann Napoli, the staff writer for the Center, explains why flu vaccine is rarely effective. It is commonly known that flu viruses change from year to year… But what is not as commonly known is that the vaccine is more likely to be effective against the type that causes fewer than 15 percent of all flu cases…

“Flu vaccine has proved to be a controversial issue.  Critics said that the recommendation for the vaccine is not justified based on both the severity of the flu and the efficacy of the vaccine. Official reports project that deaths from the flu can be as many as 36,000 a year.  But critics said that the death toll includes both deaths from the flu and pneumonia. The actual number of [deaths] for any given year may not exceed 300.”

Pope: “Hold Fast to Scripture… and Tradition!”

On April 19, USA Today published an article with the headline, “Pope urges all Christians to ‘hold fast’ to scripture.” However, the article itself clarified that the pope did not just refer to “scripture.” It was stated:

“Pope Benedict XVI met with leaders of other Christian faiths on Friday evening, telling them that only by ‘holding fast’ to sound doctrinal teaching can they confront secular ideology and the individualism that ‘undermines or even rejects transcendent truth.’… the pope talked about… unity in belief in the Holy Trinity — God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit… Benedict warned of the damage done when people give up on the fractured voices of Christianity and turn instead to beliefs that are not always based on scripture and tradition. The pope also criticized Christian communities that bypass unified action ‘choosing instead to function according to the idea of “local options'”— a phrase often invoked by those who want to reform church teachings even if the wider church won’t follow. He warned against actions that are ‘not always consonant with … Scripture and Tradition,’…”

The Austrian Internet publication, News Online, reported that the pope challenged interpretations especially in Protestant churches, stating that individual belief systems and interpretations “must not be allowed” to sabotage the gospel.

Orthodox and Catholic Churches Are Allies

The Catholic News Agency, CNA, reported on April 24:

“Bishop Hilarion, the Russian Orthodox Bishop of Vienna and Austria, has said in an interview that the Orthodox and Catholic Churches are allies who could form a strategic alliance to defend Christian values… The bishop said that ‘romantic ecumenism,’ which he said characterizes the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches, is not viable.  He said that many Protestants have created a ‘light version of Christianity, without apostolic succession, without sacraments, without strict dogmatic teaching and what is also important they don’t require sticking to Christian moral norms.’… He said this version of Christianity had stopped recognizing centuries-old sins, and now even promotes them.

“Bishop Hilarion’s statement comes just days after Pope Benedict addressed an ecumenical gathering in New York where he also denounced versions of Christianity that contradict apostolic teachings. At the gathering of about 300 people, the Pope said that Christian churches which change their beliefs by so-called ‘prophetic actions,’ often use a method of interpretation that is inconsistent with Scripture and Tradition…

“[He] added that this causes those interested in Christianity to become ‘understandably confused about the Gospel message itself’ because they see Christians splintering and disagreeing about the beliefs of the faith…  Bishop Hilarion said a joint Orthodox-Catholic ‘front’ is necessary to oppose both the challenges of secularism and dialogue with other world religions.  Bilateral, strategic partnerships between the two Churches, he thought, would be the best way to achieve this. ‘I don’t mean union, administrative merger or compromise in theological teaching, I mean strategical partnership,’ said Bishop Hilarion, who is also the Russian Orthodox Church Representative to European International Organizations.”

Pope Backs U.S. Catholic Clergy

Even though he showed sympathy for sexual abuse victims of Catholic priests, Pope Benedict XVI “has offered support to America’s clergy during his visit,” according to an article in The Associated Press of April 19. The article continued:

“He said priests who had done nothing wrong had been unfairly tarred by the crisis. More than 4,000 clergy have been accused of molesting minors in the U.S. since 1950. Abuse-related costs have surpassed $2 billion in that period, with much of the payouts in just the last six years. But most of the recent claims concern wrongdoing that occurred decades ago. At the height of the scandal, which erupted in 2002 with the case of one predator in the Archdiocese of Boston, the shame was so intense that some priests took off their clergy collars before going out in public. Benedict compared their suffering to ‘Christ in his Passion.'”

Strange “Image” Appears in Florida Hospital

Coinciding with the Pope’s visit in the USA, a bizarre report emerged about an unexplained image in a hospital in Florida. Local6.com stated on April 15:

“A crowd inside the Florida Hospital Medical Complex in Orlando snapped photos of the image apparently showing the profile of Jesus Christ crying… Cruzada, who was one of several viewers to send an e-mail about the image to Local6.com, said his ex-wife was recently diagnosed with stage-3 cancer. ‘This was just a sign for me to not worry about what is going on in my life and that everything else is under control,’ Cruzada said. ‘It was an enlightening experience.’… A viewer said the image caused ‘a commotion’ in the hallway near the prayer garden. The hospital is calling it an unexplained image. An official said as long as the image makes people feel good, that is all that matters… Witnesses said after a few hours, the image vanished.”

If the above picture is not just a hoax, but “real,” then it most certainly would not portray the face of Christ, but might be described as a “lying wonder.” We can expect more and more of such “manifestations” or better “apparitions” to occur in the near future. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”

“Sarkozy Has Lost All Credibility on Human Rights”

Der Spiegel Online reported on April 23 about German reactions to French President Sarkozy’s latest course of conduct towards China. The magazine stated:

“The left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘A few calls for a boycott of a French supermarket in China were enough to cause President Nicolas Sarkozy’s commitment to human rights to falter badly. … Naturally it’s easy to talk about freedom when there are no important economic interests at stake. But if it is about civil rights in the giant market that is China, then it is considerably more difficult to stick to big principles.’…  The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘… Sarkozy has maneuvered himself into a position of weakness, where it is now possible to blackmail him… Money matters more than the Olympic honor. What an abysmal overture to France’s leadership of Europe.'”

New EU Treaty Good for Europe?

Der Spiegel Online reported on April 24:

“The German parliament has voted by a large majority in favor of the European Union Reform Treaty… The ratification process in Germany will not be complete until the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, passes it on May 23. Then President Horst Köhler will have to sign it.

“During the two-hour debate before the vote, German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the Reform Treaty as a ‘great project.’ She said that the agreement was a ‘solid basis’ for overcoming stalemate and blockades. ‘The new treaty is good for Europe.’ The treaty in its current form was negotiated during Germany’s EU presidency last year, and was agreed to by all EU nations last October in Lisbon.

“It is due to come into force on January 1, 2009 after formal ratification by all 27 member states. Ireland is the only country that is holding a referendum on the treaty.”

California’s Battle With Spanking

CNSNews reported on April 18:

“The issue of spanking has again surfaced in California, where members of the California Assembly’s Public Safety Committee voted 5-2 on Tuesday to advance a bill that would define the use of switches or paddles to be child abuse and subject anyone convicted under the statute to face a possible year in jail. The bill, AB 2943, is sponsored by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View), the same lawmaker who made national headlines last year for her proposal to totally ban spanking in California, even in people’s homes…

“This year, however, Lieber is quietly proposing a bill that would continue to allow spanking with the hand for children older than three but would ban parents from using ‘implements’ to punish children. Lieber defines ‘implements’ as ‘sticks, rods, switches, electrical cords, belts, brooms, or shoes.’

“Pro-family conservative groups are up in arms, saying the bill would criminalize wooden spoons and rolled-up newspapers. ‘AB 2943 will result in good parents being arrested, handcuffed, and charged with criminal child abuse,’ said Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), a California-based pro-family conservative organization.

“Outraged parents, like Sacramento-area mom Sarah Berke, gave lawmakers an earful at a public hearing held Tuesday before the vote. ‘As someone dead-set against the evil of child abuse, I also have a strong faith that calls on me to correct misbehavior and rebellion when it occurs,’ Berke said. ‘This means a spanking once in a while. My faith and moral beliefs teach me to “train up a child in the way he should go”‘… Using a wooden spoon in a medicinal, loving manner to discipline, she said, is not child abuse…

“The nation’s leading researchers who have studied spanking – professors Robert Larzelere and Murray Straus – are split on the question of whether all corporal punishment should be banned. But both… agree on one thing: Spanking in itself is not child abuse.”

Berlusconi’s Comeback in Italy–“Real Danger for Europe”?

Silvio Berlusconi won Italy’s general elections by an unexpectedly wide margin, claiming the prime minister’s office for the third time.

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 10:

“[Last] weekend’s elections in Italy [marked] billionaire Silvio Berlusconi’s return to power in what [is] his third term in office. But rarely have Italian voters been so weary of their politicians — and rarely has there been so little hope of any real change…

“Europe can start getting used to the idea of a third term for this billionaire politician, who was never able to see a difference between his own interests and the common good. No one outside Italy’s borders is likely to understand this — or, for that matter, anything that happens in politics in this magnificent country [of Italy]. It is a country that is both an esthetic superpower and the site of burning piles of garbage in Naples. And it is a country whose business executives working abroad, for companies like BMW and the German financial giant HypoVereinsbank, celebrate successes, while its most profitable business organization at home is the Mafia…

“In no other European country except the Vatican is the political class so heavily influenced by old people… Berlusconi’s list of senators… includes Giuseppe Ciarrapico, 74, a bankrupt dealmaker with a criminal record — and a man who publicly declared that he has ‘never denied’ his fascist sympathies… There are currently 24 convicted Italian criminals who hold seats in the Italian or European parliaments. Their crimes include tax evasion, perjury, corruption, violating explosives laws and incitement to murder… For those who think that all politicians are liars, Berlusconi would have to be the cream of the crop… Why on earth would anyone want to vote for this man?… Berlusconi may be a joke to the rest of the world, but not in [Italy]. No one here is interested in the litigation still pending against the godfather, in cases involving the bribing of witnesses and tax evasion on a grand scale. And the past charges of financial misstatement, corruption of television staff and senators? No problem, say his supporters…”

After his stunning victory, AFP reported on April 15:

“Praise and criticism began pouring in on Tuesday, with US President George W. Bush saying he was eager to work again [with] Berlusconi who was one of Bush’s strongest European allies, notably in the run-up to the Iraq war… The Italian billionaire will be a precious ally to opponents of a strong euro and of European budgetary discipline, notably for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who vowed to ‘deepen the traditional bond of friendship’ between their two countries. And Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely be the first to congratulate Berlusconi in person, with plans to stop in Italy on Thursday as part of one of the Russian leader’s final trips before he steps down on May 7, the Kremlin said. In Brussels, German euro MP Martin Schultz, head of the Socialists in the EU parliament, warned that Berlusconi’s alliance with the ‘extreme-right, openly xenophobic’ Northern League party, represented a ‘real danger for Italy and for Europe.'”

German Reaction to Berlusconi’s Victory

On April 15, 2008, Der Spiegel Online published excerpts from German newspapers, commenting on Berlusconi’s victory in Italy:

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes:

“‘The only people who can profit from this are Berlusconi and his clique. He lacks the political will to modernize the country — and that’s not only bad for Italy, but also for all of Europe. And it has to matter to the EU that the economy of one of its biggest member states, also a G-8 member, is declining… Growth rates are disastrous, productivity rates are pre-modern, the budget deficit is monstrous and those are all risk factors not just for the domestic market but also the euro zone. Berlusconi will never undertake the difficult reforms necessary to defuse the risks’…

“The business daily Handelsblatt writes:

“‘When Berlusconi takes power, Europe will have one less ally. Nicolas Sarkozy has already clearly shown that he is a skeptical European. And the question with Gordon Brown is how long he will be able to stay prime minister. Indeed, Angela Merkel will soon be getting lonely… Berlusconi… was very open about his true feelings about the EU in the past — indeed, the course his government took damaged Europe. Under the Italian EU presidency in 2003, a poorly prepared Berlusconi allowed the summit on the European constitution to run aground. His government was also fond of attacking the European common currency. When it came to foreign policy, too, Berlusconi had his own ideas. He saw the United States under President George W. Bush as his main ally. And as Berlin and Paris distanced themselves from Washington, Berlusconi joined Bush in the Iraq war and, by doing so, helped to divide the European Union. Besides, he was completely off the mark with his repeated demands to expand the EU to include Russia and Israel. … The outlook is grim for the European Union.’…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘Italians have a weakness for patriarchs and comedians. Berlusconi is both. Scores voted for him almost out of spite — irrespective of their own misgivings and the lack of understanding the decision would be met with abroad. They follow him with the same spirit of self-deception as a circus audience watching a magician. The problem is: This magician’s performance could last five years. Other voters were neither enchanted nor naïve. They were simply pragmatic, voting with their pocket calculators in their heads. The calculator tells then that under a Prime Minister Berlusconi, they will have more money at their disposal than under Veltroni. They know from experience that Berlusconi is populist enough to give the gift of tax cuts to his people without second thought — even if he doesn’t have the budget for it. Of course, that can’t function in the long term, but many voters feel Italy doesn’t have much of a future anyway…'”

Merkel Pleads With Irish Voters to Back EU Constitution

The EUObserver wrote on April 15:

“German chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Irish voters to back the EU treaty… In a state visit to Ireland, the only country to hold a public poll on the treaty, Ms Merkel on Monday (14 April), said ‘To my mind, the Lisbon treaty offers the best preparation for Europe’s future. To the sceptics, I can only say that if everything remains as it is now, your concerns will definitely not be better addressed’…  Ms Merkel also reassured Ireland, as a small country, that it will have an equal seat at the EU table noting that the new majority voting system in the treaty ‘is actually more of a problem for the bigger states.’

“During her visit the Irish government was forced to contend with a story in the Irish Daily Mail which gives details of an email sent by a British official… According to the article, the email says that the Irish government had ruled out having a referendum in October although it would have been better procedurally because they were concerned about ‘unhelpful developments during the French presidency – particularly related to EU defence.’ The email noted that French president Sarkozy was considered ‘completely unpredictable.'”

Deutsche Welle added on April 14:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Irish voters Monday to allow the European Union to ‘continue to flourish’… ‘What I can say looking back not least on my own life is that unification and the creation of the EU is the best thing that has happened to Europe in its long history,’ Merkel told a forum of politicians and campaigners in Dublin… Ireland is the only one of the 27 EU member states holding a vote on the treaty, and rejection could in theory block it and plunge the union into fresh chaos…

“Merkel’s speech to the National Forum of Europe kicked off a pro-European assault on Ireland this week, with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso visiting on Thursday to rally votes in favor of the treaty… A poll published Monday showed that a vast majority of Irish voters remain undecided on the treaty and less than a third plan to vote at all… Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has said he will [step] down in May to fight allegations of financial irregularities. His likely successor, current Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, has vowed to make securing a ‘Yes’ vote his first priority.”

The current developments in Italy and Ireland are very interesting, as they relate to a United Europe. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy – The Unfolding of End-Time Events“

Most Europeans See China As Greatest Threat to World Stability

The EUObserver wrote on April 15:

“China’s image abroad has suffered a blow, with an opinion survey in the five largest EU states showing that most Europeans see Beijing as the greatest threat to world stability… 35 percent of Europeans – coming from Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain – labelled China a bigger threat than any other state… The most recent shift in public opinion is seen as a result of China’s crackdown on Tibetan protesters…

“The results of the… poll suggest that Italians have adopted the most critical stance towards China, with 47 percent singling out the country as the chief threat… The chart continues with France where 36 percent of people rank China as the biggest threat to world stability… Germany (35 percent) and the UK (27 percent) follow… Only the Spaniards continue to see the US as a bigger threat than China, attributing to the two powers 41 percent and 28 percent respectively.”

The Pope Visits the USA

CNN reported on April 14:

“The leader of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics has been to the White House only once in history. That changes this week, and President Bush is pulling out all the stops: driving out to a suburban military base to meet Pope Benedict XVI’s plane, bringing a giant audience to the South Lawn and hosting a fancy East Room dinner. These are all firsts. Bush has never before given a visiting leader the honor of picking him up at the airport. In fact, no president has done so at Andrews Air Force Base, the typical landing spot for modern leaders…

“President Carter hosted the first White House [visit] by a pope. Pope John Paul II was greeted at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington by Vice President Walter Mondale… There are more than 64 million reasons for this. Catholics number nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population, making them a desirable constituency for politicians to court… The Vatican — seat of a government as well as a religious headquarters — has an interest, too…”

The Pope “Ashamed” of Sexual Scandals–But Did He Go “Far Enough”?

The Associated Press reported on April 15:

“Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday he was ‘deeply ashamed’ of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church and will work to keep pedophiles out of the priesthood, addressing the toughest issue facing the American church as he began his first papal trip to the United States… Benedict said, ‘It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission … to these children’… [In a subsequent article of April 16, The Associated Press reported that the pope “told the nation’s bishops that the scourge of clergy sex abuse had sometimes been ‘very badly handled.'”]

“Abuse victims’ advocates said Benedict’s comments on the scandal did not go far enough. Peter Isely, a board member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said… there should be penalties for church leaders who fail to discipline predatory priests. ‘It’s easy and tempting to continually focus on the pedophile priests themselves,’ Isely said. ‘It’s harder but crucial to focus on the broader problem — complicity in the rest of the church hierarchy.’

“Jason Berry, a New Orleans writer who first drew national attention to clergy sex abuse in the 1980s, said the root of the problem is that the Vatican doesn’t punish bishops who shelter offenders. ‘Until the church creates a genuine system of justice to redress these wrongs the abuse crisis will continue,’ said Berry…

“Although a few bishops accused of molestation have stepped down, no bishop has been disciplined for failing to keep abusive clergy away from children. Cardinal Bernard Law resigned as archbishop of Boston in 2002 after church files were made public showing he and other church leaders had allowed accused clergy to continue in public ministry.”

German Reaction to Pope’s “Apology”

On April 17, 2008, Der Spiegel Online published excerpts from German newspapers, commenting on the pope’s “apology” regarding the sexual scandals within the Catholic Church:

“Even before the airplane carrying Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to the US as pontiff touched down in Washington, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had addressed the issue which has done untold damage to the Catholic Church in the US. The pope told reporters he was ‘deeply ashamed’ of the child sex abuse scandal that had rocked the US Catholic Church… The child sex abuse scandal in the US Catholic Church first came to light in 2002. Since then the church has paid out $2 billion in compensation settlements to victims…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes… ‘The pope cannot speak about human rights at the United Nations if the victims of sexual abuse are denied justice. The pope cannot appeal for global social justice, the protection of the family, human and unborn life, if inside his church human rights are being disregarded, the victims overlooked and their stories of suffering ignored. Those who appeal to the world’s conscience have to examine their own consciences first. They must be able to admit their own guilt; they must know they speak as sinners.’

“The left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes that for the 65 million Catholics in the US, the pope’s visit is either a long-awaited chance to heal the wounds of the past or the final rejection of the church… Although Pope Benedict already apologized for the child abuse cases on his flight over to Washington, that will not be enough if he wants to convince and reconcile the faithful. But that is something the Catholic Church desperately needs to do, as it is the only large church in the US to lose members.'”

Bush and Pope Pray Together

Reuters reported on April 16:

“Pope Benedict and U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura prayed together in the White House on Wednesday, the Vatican said… Bush is a Methodist. Both he and the Roman Catholic pope have said that the traditional family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman, is under threat.”

Zenit added on April 15:

“A White House spokeswoman said President George Bush plans to tell Benedict XVI that millions of Americans have been praying for his visit and that their hearts are open to his message… [The spokeswoman] also confirmed that Bush is interested in the Pope’s work to establish interreligious dialogue…”

The Associated Press reported on April 16 that “The German-born pope began his first full day in America with a visit to the White House, where a South Lawn crowd of more than 13,500 sang ‘Happy Birthday’ [the pope turned 81 on April 16] and President Bush said that the first papal White House visit in 29 years was a reminder for Americans to ‘distinguish between simple right and wrong.'” He also referred to the pope repeatedly in his public speech as “Holy Father.”

In regard to that religious title, you might want to read Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:9: “Do not call anyone on earth your father [let alone, “holy father”]; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”

Pope Warns Americans, Holds Unprecedented Mass and Meets with Non-Christian Leaders

Reuters reported on April 16:

“Pope Benedict tempered his praise for American religious tolerance on Wednesday with a warning that U.S. society can quietly undermine Catholicism by reducing all faiths to a lowest common denominator. Addressing the nation’s Catholic bishops, the German-born pope said the U.S. Church could not drop its guard against relativism just because faith plays a larger part in public life in the United States than it does in more secularized Europe.

“A strong individualist streak in American culture leads some Catholics ‘to pick and choose,’ following Church doctrines they like and ignoring others… While the Church teaches that the Eucharist is clearly the most important of its sacraments, only 25 percent of those polled thought so…”

Even though the term “Eucharist” is a misnomer, please make sure to read the Q&A in this Update, on the correct understanding of Christ’s sayings in Matthew 26:26-28, pertaining to the partaking of bread and wine.

AFP reported on April 17: “Tens of thousands flocked Thursday for the first Mass by Pope Benedict XVI on his US visit, hours after he chided Americans for a moral breakdown which he said fueled the church’s child sex abuse scandal… Benedict angered victim support groups by praising the bishops’ efforts to heal the wounds from the scandal.”

Reuters added on April 17 that the pope will “meet with leaders of five non-Christian religions… The inter-faith meeting… will bring Benedict together with 220 members of the Jewish, Muslim, Jain, Buddhist and Hindu religions.”

Putin Elected Leader of United Russia

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 15:

“The pro-Kremlin United Russia party has loyally chosen Vladimir Putin as its new leader. But the outgoing president, who has vowed to reform the party, needs to compensate for his impending loss of power — even if it means depending on the party’s criminal elements.”

The article continued:

“After the party congress voted unanimously for Putin to become its party leader, without bothering with any kind of debate, Putin made his way back to the podium and promised he would do everything to ‘reinforce the authority of the party’ and to make Russia the fifth-largest economic power in the world… Putin can now use the party to push any laws through the Duma and to exert influence on the regional elite in the provinces. However, the outgoing president himself has stated that ‘all kinds of rogues’ have seized positions of power in the provinces, without the Moscow leadership doing anything about it.

“…it is the Kremlin’s policy of systematically leasing entire regions to what are virtually criminal gangs. In many places in the northern Caucasus, for example, central authority — as well as the United Russia party — is in the hands of people who are much more conversant with vote rigging and contract killing than they are with the rules of parliamentary democracy. In large swaths of Russia, the United Russia party acts as a bureaucratic and dictatorial party that has no qualms about strong-arming officials during elections and squandering state funds.”

Nightmare Scenario–“Now We Can Clone Children”

The Independent wrote on April 14:

“A new form of cloning has been developed that is easier to carry out than the technique used to create Dolly the sheep, raising fears that it may one day be used on human embryos to produce ‘designer’ babies. Scientists who used the procedure to create baby mice from the skin cells of adult animals have found it to be far more efficient than the Dolly technique, with fewer side effects, which makes it more acceptable for human use…

“The technique involves the genetic reprogramming of skin cells so they revert to an embryonic-like state. Last year, when the breakthrough was used on human skin cells for the first time, it was lauded by the Catholic Church and President George Bush as a morally acceptable way of producing embryonic stem cells without having to create or destroy human embryos. However, the same technique has already been used in another way to reproduce offspring of laboratory mice that are either full clones or genetic ‘chimeras’ of the adult mouse whose skin cells were reprogrammed…

“These offspring are chimeras – a genetic mix of two or more individuals – because some of their cells derive from the embryo and some from the skin cell. Technically, such a child would have three biological parents… Furthermore, studies on mice have shown that it is possible to produce fully cloned offspring that are 100 per cent genetically identical to the adult…

“However, Dr Lanza said that the mouse experiments his company had done demonstrated how easily the technology could be used to produce cloned or chimeric babies… This is not banned in many countries, where legislation has not kept pace with scientific developments… ‘At this point there are no laws or regulations for this kind of thing and the bizarre thing is that the Catholic Church and other traditional stem-cell opponents think this technology is great when in reality it could in the end become one of their biggest nightmares,’ he said. ‘It is quite possible that the real legacy of this whole new programming technology is that it will be introducing the era of designer babies. ‘So for instance if we had a few skin cells from Albert Einstein, or anyone else in the world, you could have a child that is say 10 per cent or 70 per cent Albert Einstein by just injecting a few of their cells into an embryo,’ he said.”

Germany Eases Stem Cell Restrictions

Deutsche Welle reported on April 11:

“After months of political negotiations, German lawmakers agreed to allow broader embryonic stem cell use. ‘The changes give German researchers the chance to stay competitive internationally,’ said Max Planck Institute President Peter Gruss… German scientists had pushed for Germany to reconsider a 2002 law which imposed strict limits on the use of embryonic stem cells in medical research. While the law banned all creation of stem cells in Germany, it did allow cells produced from abroad to be imported, but only if they had been created before Jan. 1, 2002. Scientists also had to show that the project had overwhelming significance and that no other research method could be used… Embryonic stem cells are prized by scientists for their ability to develop into any type of cell. This versatility has led scientists to trump stem cells as offering the potential to cure diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s and heart maladies.

“Yet in Germany, the use of embryonic stem cells makes many people uncomfortable on religious and ethical grounds. Stem cell research carries historic overtones of the Nazis’ genetic experiments linked to the creation of a master race. Traumatized by grisly experiments on humans under the Nazis and influenced by its Christian churches, Germany has agonized for a decade about the ethics of using the cells. Critics argue that a human life is sacrificed when an embryo is torn apart. Religious groups expressed unhappiness with the parliament’s decision.

“‘This is not a good day for the protection of life in Germany,’ said Munich Archbishop Reinhard Marx. Guenther Beckstein, Bavaria’s conservative premier, also said he thought the change would set a dangerous precedent. ‘My worry is that it will now become easier to further undermine the protection of unborn life,’ Beckstein said.”

Unusual Earthquake Activities Off Oregon Coast

The Associated Press reported on April 11:

“Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off the central Oregon Coast. Scientists don’t know what the earthquakes mean, but they could be the result of magma rumbling underneath the Juan de Fuca Plate – away from the recognized earthquake faults off Oregon… There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4 and two others were more than magnitude 5.0… It looks like what happens before a volcanic eruption, except there are no volcanoes in the area…”

Big Earthquake Certain to Occur in Southern California

The Associated Press reported on April 15:

“California faces an almost certain risk of being rocked by a strong earthquake by 2037, scientists said in the first statewide temblor forecast. New calculations reveal there is a 99.7 percent chance a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will strike in the next 30 years. The odds of such an event are higher in Southern California than Northern California, 97 percent versus 93 percent…

“Scientists still cannot predict exactly where in the state such a quake will occur or when. But they say the analysis should be a wake-up call for residents to prepare for a natural disaster in earthquake country… ‘A big earthquake can happen tomorrow or it can happen 10 years from now,’ said Tom Jordan, director of the earthquake center, which is headquartered at the University of Southern California.”