NO JAMAICA COALITION IN GERMANY!
Deutsche Welle wrote on November 19:
“Germany’s Free Democrats have called off coalition talks with Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU and the Greens. FDP head Christian Lindner said that, after weeks of negotiations, the parties could not find a ‘basis of trust.’
“Germany will not be ruled by a so-called Jamaica coalition made up of Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc, the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP), after talks collapsed late on Sunday night. FDP head Christian Lindner announced that his party had walked out of the negotiations, saying ‘it is better not to govern than to govern badly.’ He added that the parties had failed to agree on a vision of how to modernize Germany…
“[It] remains unclear where this leaves Angela Merkel and her prospects of forming a new government. Her conservatives could choose to enter talks with just the Greens to form a minority government, or she may try to convince the Social Democrats (SPD) to join her to form a second consecutive grand coalition. Should both options fail, fresh elections would have to take place in the new year.”
Bild commented that Christian Lindner has become the villain of the nation.
Coalition Talks Collapsed… What’s Next?
AFP wrote on November 19:
“Merkel can in theory turn to the Social Democratic Party, which has been her junior coalition partner for the past four years. Mathematically, it would also be the most stable option as together, Merkel’s conservative alliance and the SPD have a crushing majority in parliament…
“Merkel can also remain chancellor but lead a minority government, as a candidate is elected to the post by parliamentarians. The Bundestag can be called to vote up to three times. If she wins a majority of the votes, Merkel could remain in office. But the veteran leader herself is not in favour of this high-risk option, saying that she wants a stable government. Such a minority government has also never been tested in post-war Germany…
“A return to the polls [i.e., new elections] in early 2018 is the most probable option. Before new elections could be called under Germany’s Basic Law, the Bundestag lower house of parliament would have to be dissolved by the president. Normally the chancellor could trigger this by calling a confidence vote in parliament. But because Merkel is only the head of a caretaker government, she does not have this option.
“To move the process forward, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier could nominate Merkel for election by the Bundestag. If she failed to win an absolute majority, a second vote may be held within 14 days. If this too is inconclusive, a third round would be held in which a plurality of the votes could potentially suffice to keep Merkel in office. Steinmeier would then have one week to decide whether to recognise Merkel as chancellor or dissolve the Bundestag. If he chooses the latter, snap elections must be held within 60 days.”
None of the options are satisfactory, nor do they guarantee a stable government in Germany. It appears the time for dramatic change has come.
Fresh Elections Coming?
Deutsche Welle wrote on November 20:
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Monday that she was ready to take her Christian Democratic (CDU) party into fresh elections… 63 percent of respondents said they want fresh elections if a grand coalition (between CDU and SPD) cannot be achieved…
“The German president is normally a largely ceremonial office, but Steinmeier has been thrust into the spotlight after what he characterized as ‘an unprecedented situation in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.’… ‘In view of the results of the September 24 election, we are not available for a grand coalition,’ said SPD chairman and defeated chancellor candidate Martin Schulz in Berlin on Tuesday. Schulz said that the SPD had ‘no fear of fresh elections’ and saw no mandate for another alliance with Merkel’s conservatives…
“In a joint press conference, the leaders of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which took 12.6 percent of the vote on September 24, said that they were happy that Merkel had been unable to forge an alliance… The AfD believes that they will profit if new elections are called… The Left Party also called for a snap election, saying that it was the ‘logical democratic extension’ of the failed coalition talks.”
Pressure on SPD to Enter into Great Coalition with Merkel
AFP wrote on November 22:
“Pressure mounted Wednesday on Germany’s Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz to reconsider an alliance with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and stop Europe’s biggest economy from sinking into months of paralysis…
“President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who holds the power to call snap polls and who is himself a senior Social Democrat, has said that this ‘is the moment when all participants need to reconsider their attitude’. Steinmeier will meet Schulz on Thursday. [They did meet, but nothing was announced as to the outcome of that meeting.]
“The president has already held talks with the leaders of parties in the failed coalition talks – the pro-business FDP – which halted the negotiations – and the ecologist Greens. And he met with the leader of Merkel’s Bavarian allies the CSU on Wednesday.
“As the crisis shows no signs of abating, the Sueddeutsche daily reported that ‘in the SPD, unease is growing over its clear refusal of a grand coalition’. EU Budget Commissioner, Günther Oettinger, also urged the SPD to reexamine its stance… ‘Resistance is growing’ against Schulz, Bild reported, adding that the ‘most prominent secret advocate for a new grand coalition is deputy chancellor Sigmar Gabriel’…
“SPD parliamentary group chief Andrea Nahles said on Monday she would not rule out backing a Merkel-led minority government. The party’s rank and file are also wondering if former European Parliament chief Schulz is the best man to lead them into any new election campaign…”
CDU’s Jens Spahn said it was up to the party (SPD) to decide whether it wanted to govern or “remain maliciously in the corner.” It was reported that Steinmeier will also speak to leaders of the AfD and the Left.
Would New Elections Change Anything?
AFP wrote on November 19:
“Merkel, a veteran leader with experience of countless nights of fraught EU negotiations, knows what is at stake — failure to forge a government essentially puts her chancellorship in peril.
“But fundamental differences between the parties… are unlikely to go away…”
Reuters wrote on November 20:
“Polls suggest a repeat election would return a similarly fragmented parliament [bringing] roughly the same result as the September election…
“The failure of coalition talks… was likened by newsmagazine Der Spiegel to the shock election of U.S. President Donald Trump or Britain’s referendum vote to leave the EU…
“Even if the SPD or the FDP revisit their decisions, the price for either party to change its mind could be the departure of Merkel…”
The media had written in the past that if the Jamaica coalition fails, Merkel would have to step down.
German Newspaper Reactions
The Huffington Post wrote on November 20:
“The breakdown has plunged German politics into a deep political crisis… Here’s how German newspapers analyzed the developments:
“‘No trust, only losers,’ Spiegel Online headlined… ‘None of the parties involved strongly signaled they wanted the coalition to succeed. Merkel’s ”trusty old method” failed to work…’
“As the Taz summarized the situation: ‘The morning after: No power for nobody.’
“Bild… warned that all parties will feel the ‘rightful anger’ of the voters if they would fail to come to an agreement.’
“The Rheinische Post argued neither new elections, nor the creation of a minority government, would help Germany’s global image. The far-right party Alternative for Germany would exploit the situation, the paper said…
“Finally, many newspapers agree that the current political crisis may be catastrophic for Merkel. ‘The failure of the Jamaica coalition could also sound the bell for the end of Merkel’s career,’ Rheinische Post wrote…”
When people are angry, unexpected reactions might be the result.
Out For Merkel?
Express wrote on November 22:
“Merkel’s worries continue as the latest polls reveal the majority of Germans did not want her to run as a candidate for Chancellor again… 54 per cent said she should not run for office, according to the polling institute Civey for t-online.de. Only 38.5 percent of Germans would welcome a renewed candidacy of the chancellor…
“There was also little comfort for the German leader in another poll published yesterday in Der Spiegel (showing) that support for the coalition between Mrs Merkel’s CDU and the CSU fell below 30 per cent to 29.2 per cent. This is believed to be their lowest ever level…
“There was no joy though either for the main opposition party the Social Democrats (SPD) which also suffered a decline in popularity…
“The inability of Mrs Merkel to secure sufficient support has seen Germany plunged into uncertainty… The situation has resulted in the co-founder of the Greens, Hans-Christian Ströbele, saying he could not envisage the chancellor staying in her role for much longer. In an interview with Swiss website Watson, he said: ‘The end of the chancellorship of Angela Merkel has already been announced by the outcome of the general election…”
“EU ‘Cannot Afford’ Lengthy German Deadlock”
The EUobserver wrote on November 21:
“German chancellor Angela Merkel’s failure to form a coalition government has raised concerns in Europe that the EU’s most powerful country will send the block into paralysis… French president Emmanuel Macron said… the situation was creating ‘real risks’. Dutch foreign minister Halbe Zijlstra said the delay in forming a new German government was ‘bad news for Europe.’… German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that ‘incomprehension and worry would be big in particular in our European neighbours…’
“‘There is a need of leadership at EU level, and the EU cannot have momentum without Germany,” [Yann-Sven Rittelmeyer, from the European Policy Centre (EPC) in Brussels] told Euobserver… Recent proposals on the EU’s future by Macron and from the European Commission ‘are waiting for an answer from Germany,’ Rittelmeyer noted.
“… if the political deadlock ‘drags on, or even if there is new elections, or even a minority government, it’s a big setback for Europe,’ [Judy Dempsey, from the Carnegie Europe think tank in Berlin] told EUobserver. She insisted that ‘it would [be] incredibly damaging for Europe if Germany doesn’t come up with a government soon.’…”
Germany knows this too. They will do everything they can to resolve the situation soon. But what will that solution look like?
Sexual Scandals Galore in the USA
The Huffington Post wrote on November 21:
“This is the toxic mentality of Capitol Hill… The byzantine process for making an official complaint shows just who Congress aims to protect:
“To make an official complaint, a sexual harassment victim has to call the Office of Compliance to get a password to fill out an online form. This is an office that, based on a survey by Roll Call in mid-2016, many women working on the Hill didn’t know existed. And victims must register a complaint within a 180 days of when the harassment occurred. Once formal complaints are made, those filing them are forced to get professional counseling for up to 30 days. After counseling, they have 15 days to decide whether they’ll drop the issue or move forward.
“Those moving forward must sign a temporary confidentiality agreement and begin 30 days of mediation. The accused is given a lawyer at taxpayer expense, the accuser has to pay for one. If agreements aren’t reached during mediation, there’s another 30-day ‘cooling-off period’ before complainants can request an administrative hearing or go to federal court. If agreements are reached, the complainants will likely have to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to receive money from a hush fund at taxpayer expense… interns or those working on the Hill through a fellowship are on their own. This process isn’t open to them.
“On Monday night, BuzzFeed News published an explosive report detailing how Congress had come to four separate agreements with staffers over sexual harassment by the longest-serving current House member ― and the top Democrat on the chamber’s Judiciary Committee ― Rep. John Conyers of Michigan.
“Spokesmen for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters that neither of their bosses were aware of the settlements that Conyers paid out with tax dollars. The congressional hush fund has paid out more than $17 million over the last 20 years for employment abuse like sexual harassment. But Conyers, in at least one case, opted to pay an employee out of his staff budget, meaning the total paid out to keep victims of sexual harassment in Congress quiet could be much higher.”
The allegations against John Conyers are just the tip of the iceberg, even though they brought to light the despicable and absolutely abominable “procedure” adopted by Congress to protect the perpetrator and persecute or silence the victim. Others who have been recently accused by many women and men of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, molestation, indecent exposure and other inappropriate sexual behavior, include, just to name a few, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Roy Moore, Al Franken, Charlie Rose, Bill O’Reilly and three top executives of Disney. Some have admitted guilt, while most have denied any wrongdoing or kept silent.
Further, old allegations against Bill Clinton’s sexual misconduct were brought back to the forefront this week, prompting Sean Hannity of the Fox Network to chastise the liberal mass media for suppressing those allegations and protecting the Clintons for many years.
While one is considered to be innocent until proven guilty, the picture of alleged terrible sexual transgressions is not a pleasant one. While President Trump spoke out against Democrat Al Franken, he answered reporters, when he was asked about Roy Moore, that Moore had denied all allegations, seemingly “endorsing” him as the Republican Senate candidate for Alabama. This was considered odd by many, given the allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Trump himself and the condemnation of Moore by many Republicans.
Space War Coming
National Post wrote on November 17:
“The world is at the cusp of a ‘New Space Age.’ Led by dynamic private-sector entrepreneurs pioneering new technologies and pursuing exciting new opportunities, the number of satellites has increased over the past five years by almost 50 per cent…
“While many of the most active ‘New Space’ companies are based in the United States, other countries too are in this amazing race. Space start-ups are booming in India. Singapore and Luxembourg are investing in future space capabilities such as orbital debris removal and space resource extraction. Australia, for the first time, is setting up a national space agency. Canada’s 2017 national budget included $80.9 million in investment over the next five years for space projects, including quantum encryption of communications.
“In the near future, the world is looking at a jump from about 1,500 satellites to tens of thousands, providing services such as low-cost Earth imagery, global Internet connectivity, asteroid mining, and even Moon and Mars exploration.
“… war in space is no longer unthinkable. Indeed, for the past few years, the United States Air Force has been waging a vocal campaign to convince policymakers, Congress, and the public that U.S. satellites are under imminent threat… Thus, the argument goes, the U.S. military must pour resources into preparing to fight in this domain, including building offensive weaponry based on the ground and in space…
“The same advances that are driving commercial and civil interest in new space missions have also enabled improved satellite attack capabilities… satellites — which have been demonstrated and/or deployed by the United States, Russia, and China — could also be used to disable or destroy an enemy satellite… There may not be ways out of more serious military competition in space… The security of space is now central to human security for providing and improving the welfare of everyone on Earth, and even the planet itself…”
Since man’s creation, there have been wars on earth. Now, it appears that there will soon be wars in space. Wherever man’s influence can be felt, there is war, bloodshed and destruction. Very soon, we will face a man-made global catastrophe unparalleled in history.
Tobacco Company Admits: Our Products KILL People
Newsmax wrote on November 20:
“Tobacco companies are to begin running TV and newspaper ads proclaiming their products are bad for you — really bad. The new initiative is part of a settlement between big tobacco and the Justice [Department] which found cigarette companies had violated racketeering laws and lied for decades about the dangers of smoking… one of the statements the ads must use is: ‘More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol combined.’
“Other pitches will read: ‘Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer and coronary heart disease in adults who do not smoke,’ and tobacco companies will admit they ‘intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive.’
“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, annually killing 480,000 people and costing $170 billion in healthcare expenses, the Daily News says.”
Knowing this, why do people smoke and selfishly destroy the health of those exposed to second-hand smoke? Are they on a suicide mission? Have they lost all love and decency for the welfare of themselves, and others? Do they not understand that they will have to pay dearly for their ungodly conduct… either in this life or in the next—or, in all likelihood, in both?
Marijuana Overdose Cause for Death of 11-Month-Old Boy?
9News.com wrote on November 17:
“Two poison control doctors claim to have documented the first known case of death by marijuana overdose, sparking a medical debate over what killed an 11-month-old baby in Colorado two years ago… They claim that damage to the child’s heart muscle, which was listed as the boy’s cause of death, was brought on by ingesting marijuana… The case report makes what amounts to a very bold statement in the scientific world… If correct, the phenomenon… would remain the only time a marijuana overdose is known to have caused a human death. Other doctors are deeply skeptical of the strong language used in the report…
“It’s widely accepted as fact that marijuana overdoses are not fatal. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration fact sheet on pot says simply that ‘no death from overdose of marijuana has been reported’ and the National Institutes of Health says there is ‘insufficient evidence’ to link THC overdose to fatalities…
“Both published accounts of this case clearly state that the autopsy shows that the 11-month-old boy died of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) which caused the heart to fail. The Nappe/Hoyte published case study takes the diagnosis a step further, theorizing that the myocarditis was caused by cannabis overdose, which then caused the baby boy’s heart to fail… Myocarditis is rare in children, and can often be fatal when diagnosed. In children, fatal myocarditis is usually caused by a virus called Coxsackievirus. The authors of the case report say that virus was ruled out in this case. Myocarditis has a long list of other known causes, mostly from infections by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites…
“9NEWS spoke to multiple ER doctors and medical researchers for this story. Many praised the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center as a top-tier institution for researching the issue, but none accepted this case as bulletproof evidence of a marijuana overdose death, though some were more open to the idea than others…Hoyte and Nappe wrote that the boy ate an ‘unknown dose of THC,’ and tell 9NEWS they aren’t sure exactly what product was involved or precisely when he ate it…
“Doctors on both sides of the debate agree on what parents should learn from this case. It’s the same advice they’ve given since marijuana first became legal in Colorado: keep it away from kids… Colorado has taken recent steps aimed at preventing accidental ingestion by children. In the years since legalization, the state has imposed new restrictions on the potency and design of edible marijuana products. New rules that took effect last month ban edibles that resemble existing non-marijuana candies and also bans shaping edibles in the form of people, animals, or fruit.
“Dr. Hoyte was careful to point out that even though he does believe THC led to this death, there are plenty of more harmful substances parents also need to worry about… Even if Hoyte and Nappe’s determination is confirmed, it’s worth noting that we would have more confirmed deaths from swallowed laundry and dish detergent pods than from marijuana…”
These kinds of sensational claims by two doctors help no one. One cannot approach a serious subject by disseminating false and wild speculations. We clearly reject the use of “recreational” marijuana, but it is politically objectionable, indefensible and highly offensive conduct by the Federal Government to continue to declare as a “crime” the use of medically prescribed marijuana for suffering patients in appropriate cases. Reports like the ones quoted herein only play into the hands of those who want to continue to support the pharmaceutical industry and the poisonous and dangerous substances (called “medications”) which they prescribe and market.
The Radical Transgender War
On November 22, the Daily Mail published the following article by Piers Morgan:
“Natasha Devon advised that teachers should no longer refer to female students as ‘girls’ or ‘ladies’, or to male students as ‘boys’… I’ve never heard such utter garbage in my entire life, and given I judged talent shows for six years that is a very high bar of garbage.
“Speaking as a father of four children – three boys and a girl – I’ll tell you what I think might just cause young kids more anxiety than being called ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ – and that is telling them they CAN’T be called ‘boys’ and ‘girls’.
“The simple reason is they were born boys and girls. Yes, they were all handed to their proud parents at birth with the words ‘Congratulations, you have a little boy’ or ‘Congratulations, you have a little girl.’ Not, ‘Congratulations, you have a non-binary, gender fluid creature of indeterminate sexuality.’
“These children will have spent years happily being boys and girls, and for the vast majority of them that’s exactly how they wish to remain. To banish these descriptive terms now is… the first step to banishing gender altogether, thus disrupting and destroying one of society’s strongest and until now, least contentious norms: i.e. that we’re all either male or female.
“I suspect the real reason for Natasha Devon’s speech can be found buried away as almost an afterthought. She said she was also advising the abandonment of the terms ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ to protect the feelings of transgender children…
“This new gender war is being driven by the radical transgender community, which – like radical feminism to non-radical feminism – is a very different, far more aggressive, loud and extreme group to the non-radical transgender community… their campaign has been undeniably successful. That’s why Facebook currently provides over 70 different gender ‘options’, from ‘two-spirit person’ to ‘neutrois’ and ‘transmasculine’. One is simply: ‘neither’…
“I do care when massive pressure is applied on the rest of us to stop using words like ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ because it may offend the gender fluid brigade. I also care that kids as young as five are being encouraged to embark on a journey to change their gender and/or sex before they even really know what either of things even mean. Anyone who’s had children knows they go through all kinds of confusing emotional turmoil before, during and after puberty. Why add to that confusion by making them think that ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ are offensive terms?…
“Some schools have begun eliminating gender distinction in their sports programmes, so any boy who feels he’s a girl can play on the girls’ team… Other schools now allow boys who identify as girls… to use the female bathrooms…
“Companies are being bullied and harangued into converting to non-gender-specific merchandise lest they get branded ‘trans bigots’ on social media. We see it in our high street stores and on our TV commercials. The problem gets even more acute when we consider sexual offenders in prison. Already, we are getting cases of male rapists identifying as female so they can switch to female prisons. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why they may want to do that…
“What does the word ‘gender‘ even mean? Well, check any dictionary and it will provide a simple answer—something like this: ‘The state of being male or female.’ Therefore we are all either boys or girls, men or women…”
Amen to that.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
