Former Ukraine President in Hiding—Russia VERY Unhappy

AFP wrote on February 24:

“Ukraine issued an arrest warrant Monday for ousted president Viktor Yanukovych over the ‘mass murder’ of protesters and appealed for $35 billion in Western aid to pull the crisis-hit country from the brink of economic collapse. The dramatic announcements by the ex-Soviet nation’s new Western-leaning team — approved by parliament over a chaotic weekend that saw the pro-Russian leader go into hiding — came as a top EU envoy arrived in Kiev to buttress its sudden tilt away from Moscow…

“Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued one of Moscow’s firmest responses to date by condemning the ‘armed mutiny’ in Ukraine… Russia’s finance minister added to the pressure by warning that Moscow would have to raise duties on its goods if Kiev reversed Yanukovych’s decision and still signed the EU partnership pact… Russia’s anxiety about the changes sweeping its western neighbour were underscored Sunday when it recalled ambassador Mikhail Zurabov ‘due to the escalation of the situation in Ukraine’.”

Ukraine’s New Leadership on Collision Course with Russia

Deutsche Welle reported on February 26:

“Ukraine’s new pro-Western leadership has disbanded the feared riot police blamed for killing protesters. In a sign of tension with the West, Russia ordered a military drill to test the country’s combat readiness… The 46 million-strong nation’s sudden shift to a pro-Western government has fueled United States and Euopean Union tensions with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered an urgent drill to test the combat readiness of his country’s armed forces… The district lies on the border with Ukraine…

“Far-right opposition protesters played a significant role in the protests that unseated Yanukovych. In particular, Lavrov cited the attempts of Ukraine’s new leadership to ban the Russian language in the country, restore Ukrainian as the obligatory language in official documents, and turn the ‘Russian-speaking population into “non-citizens”.’

“The change in power has also raised fears that the southern Crimea peninsula, a Russian-speaking region where Yanukovych is believed to have gone into hiding, could secede. The port city of Sevastopol has already seen pro-Russian protests and further demonstrations were held Wednesday…”

Russia and Ukraine—How Will it Play Out?

The New York Times wrote on February 23:

“The sudden collapse of the Kremlin-backed government in Ukraine has for now delivered a profound setback to President Vladimir V. Putin’s strategy to deepen political and economic ties with the country and thus keep it from embracing Europe… Mr. Putin now faces the task of reasserting Russia’s influence in a country that it considers a fraternal ally, one with deep cultural, social and political connections that bind it to Moscow’s orbit regardless of its new government.

“Russia still has enormous leverage and close allies in Ukraine, particularly in the east and on the Crimea Peninsula, home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and a sizable ethnic Russian population that views the leaders of the political uprising that toppled President Viktor F. Yanukovych with disdain. That has raised fears that Russia would use the disenchanted populations there as a pretext to intervene to reverse Ukraine’s new trajectory — even militarily, as the Kremlin did in two ethnic enclaves in 2008 in another former Soviet republic, Georgia.

“The fears have been so palpable — and the subject of endless speculation in Ukraine and here in Russia — that President Obama’s national security adviser, Susan E. Rice, warned in a television interview on Sunday that it ‘would be a grave mistake’ for Russia to use force…

“How exactly Russia responds remains to be seen, but the turmoil is certain to further strain relations with Europe and the United States, which officials here have denounced for meddling in Ukraine at the expense of Russia’s vital interests. At the same time, the United States and Europe have accused Russia of trying to impose its will there…”

Putin Gets Tough in Moscow

The Daily Mail wrote on February 24:

“Russian president Vladimir Putin risked accusations of stifling dissent in Moscow today as police cracked down on a rally in support of a group [of] anti-government protesters facing jail. At least 100 were detained outside a courthouse in central Moscow where the defendants were sentenced today in the first protest since the fall of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich following protests there.

“Among those arrested were Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, from Pussy Riot, the dissident punk band. Putin is rumoured to be sheltering the ousted leader, an ally of the Kremlin, in the Crimea, a majority Russian area of Ukraine where the Russian Black Sea naval fleet is based.

“Today there were the first signs of support for the Ukraine demonstrations in Moscow, during a demonstration outside a court where opposition activists are being sentenced… Putin, who staked his reputation on the Olympics, engineered the release of long-jailed ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and two women from protest band Pussy Riot in December, moves widely seen as an effort to improve his image before the Games.”

Russia Is Getting More and More Involved

The New York Times wrote on February 27:

“Viktor F. Yanukovych, the ousted president of Ukraine, declared on Thursday that he remained the lawful president of the country and appealed to Russia to ‘secure my personal safety from the actions of extremists.’ Russian news agencies reported that he had already arrived in Russia…

“Mr. Yanukovych’s remarks were his first since he appeared in a video on Saturday night after fleeing Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, for eastern Ukraine. His defiance of the country’s new interim leaders only deepened the political turmoil in the country and threatened to draw Russia more deeply into the conflict.

“Mr. Yanukovych, in a letter published by news agencies here, went on to suggest that largely Russian regions of Ukraine – including the east and Crimea – did not accept ‘the anarchy and outright lawlessness’ that had gripped the country and said that orders by the new authorities to use the armed forces to impose order were unlawful. He clearly meant the response to pro-Russia demonstrations in Crimea, which took an ugly turn on Thursday morning when armed gunmen seized control of the regional Parliament in Simferopol [and raised the Russian flag there]…

“Russia has denounced the political upheaval in Kiev and refused to recognize the interim government… With Mr. Yanukovych apparently under Russian protection, and still calling himself Ukraine’s legitimate leader, Russia now finds itself in a worsening confrontation with Europe and the United States, which have promised political and economic support for the new leaders in Kiev…”

The Associated Press added on February 27:

“Russia scrambled fighter jets to patrol its border and reportedly gave shelter to Ukraine’s fugitive president as pro-Russian gunmen stormed offices of Ukraine’s strategic region, deepening the crisis for the new Ukrainian government even as it was being formed.

“The moves pose an immediate challenge to Ukraine’s new authorities as they seek to set up an interim government for the country, whose population is divided in loyalties between Russia and the West. Ukraine’s new prime minister said the country’s future lies in the European Union but with friendly relations with Russia…

“Oleksandr Turchynov, who stepped in as acting president after Yanukovych’s flight, condemned the takeover of government buildings in Crimea as a ‘crime against the government of Ukraine.’ He warned that any move by Russian troops off of their base in Crimea ‘will be considered a military aggression. Unidentified people with automatic weapons, explosives and grenades have taken over the governmental buildings and the Parliament building in the autonomous region of Crimea,’ he said. ‘I have given orders to the military to use all methods necessary to protect the citizens, punish the criminals, and to free the buildings.’…

“Shortly before the lawmakers chose him as the leader of the new Cabinet, Yatsenyuk said Ukraine doesn’t want a fight with Russia, but insisted the country wouldn’t accept the secession of the southern Crimea region… The Russian Foreign Ministry voiced concern Thursday about the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine and vowed to protect their interests…”

No to Tymoshenko?

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 24:

“While Ukraine went through its dramatic revolution, Yulia Tymoshenko was stuck in jail. Now she wants to be president. But many protesters say the former opposition leader doesn’t represent the change they fought for… Tymoshenko’s return to politics brings with it a potential for conflict… Neither her disputed trial nor her conviction in 2011 ever really mobilized the people, with only a few hundred people ever present to call for her release. It seems the West was far more interested in her fate than her own people.

“What’s more, many Ukrainians hold Tymoshenko partly responsible for the failure of the Orange Revolution in 2004… Conflict is also on the horizon with fellow opposition figure and world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko. Relations between the two have been tense for years… Both Tymoshenko and Klitschko have presidential ambitions, and both have made those public…”

Obama and NSA Have Not Learned Any Lessons

AFP wrote on February 24:

“US intelligence has stepped up eavesdropping on hundreds of key figures in Germany, including a government minister, after Chancellor Angela Merkel was dropped as a direct target, a German report said Sunday. Bild am Sonntag newspaper said that 320 political and business leaders in Germany were being monitored by the US National Security Agency (NSA), including Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere. ‘We have the order not to allow any loss of information whatsoever after the communication of the chancellor no longer being able to be directly monitored,’ Bild quoted an unnamed high-ranking US intelligence employee in Germany as saying.

“US-German ties soured amid revelations leaked by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden that US intelligence agencies had allegedly eavesdropped on Merkel and collected vast amounts of online data and telephone records from average citizens. Last month, US President Barack Obama said the US intelligence service would continue to spy on foreign governments but assured Merkel that he would not let intrusive surveillance harm their relationship.”

Europe and Brazil vs. USA

Reuters reported on February 24:

“Brazil and the European Union agreed on Monday to lay an undersea communications cable from Lisbon to Fortaleza to reduce Brazil’s reliance on the United States after Washington spied on Brasilia. At a summit in Brussels, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said the $185 million cable project was central to ‘guarantee the neutrality’ of the Internet, signaling her desire to shield Brazil’s Internet traffic from U.S. surveillance…

“EU leaders are sympathetic to Brazil’s call following the revelations of fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that showed the agency also eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone and some EU institutions… Brussels is threatening the suspension of EU-U.S. agreements for data transfers unless Washington increases guarantees for the protection of EU citizens’ data…

“Rousseff clearly took heart from Merkel’s calls this month for a European Internet that is protected from U.S. surveillance, even if there are questions about the practicalities of setting up alternative networks in Europe. Rousseff said Brazil and the European Union have ‘similar concerns’ about U.S. dominance of fiber-optic cables and hoped to have a cable running from the Portuguese capital Lisbon to the northeastern Brazilian of Fortaleza from next year…

“Brazil, one of the world’s largest and most influential emerging economies, is ready to do a deal. It is backed by Uruguay and Paraguay but the question is whether Argentina, one of the most protectionist members of the Group of 20 countries, will join in opening its economy to greater EU imports.”

German Supreme Court Abolishes Three Percent Threshold for European Parliament

Deutsche Welle reported on February 26:

“The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe on Wednesday ruled that the current 3 percent threshold required to secure seats in the European Parliament is unconstitutional, abolishing the hurdle altogether… The decision now opens the door to smaller and fringe parties winning seats in the May 25 poll that will see 96 German lawmakers elected – the largest national contingent. Polls have suggested fringe groups would poll well in many countries in the upcoming elections.

“These parties include the Euroskeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD), the anti-establishment Pirate Party, Free Voters and the Ecological Democratic Party. The decision could also see the country’s far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) winning seats in May.

“National voting systems for the EU Parliament differ across the 28 member states with most – including Britain, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands – having no threshold at all. The maximum threshold allowed under EU law is 5 percent, which eight nations have, including the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania.”

As we can clearly see, out of the multitude of European nations within the EU, a core Europe of ten nations or groups of nations will have to develop.

Iranian-Iraqi Weapons Deal

Reuters reported on February 24:

“Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 million, according to documents seen by Reuters – a move that would break a U.N. embargo on weapons sales by Tehran. The agreement was reached at the end of November, the documents showed, just weeks after Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returned from Washington, where he lobbied the Obama administration for extra weapons to fight al Qaeda-linked militants… Several Iraqi lawmakers said Maliki had made the deal because he was fed up with delays to U.S. arms deliveries…

“The Iranian government denied any knowledge of a deal to sell arms to Iraq. It would be the first official arms deal between Shi’ite Iran and Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government and highlight the growing bond between them in the two years since the departure of U.S. troops from Iraq…

“The official documents seen by Reuters showed that six of eight contracts were signed with Iran’s Defense Industries Organization to supply Iraq with light and medium arms, mortar launchers, ammunition for tanks as well as artillery and mortars. A final two contracts were agreed to with the state-owned Iran Electronic Industries for night vision goggles, communications equipment and mortar guiding devices… Officials from the Iraqi and Iranian defense ministries signed the agreements, according to the documents. They did not list a timetable for deliveries and it was not possible to confirm whether they had taken place.”

AFP wrote on February 21:

“A prominent hardline cleric in Iran warned on Friday against the Islamic republic resuming ties with the United States, and said any attempt to do so would prove futile… ‘Our people are anti-American…’ His comments sparked chants of ‘Death to the America!’ and ‘Death to Israel!’ from the thousands of Friday worshippers.

“Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all Iranian state matters including foreign policy and the nuclear issue… The most remarkable development to date was a 15-minute telephone conversation between [President Hassan] Rouhani and his US counterpart Barack Obama in New York in September… Khamenei later said he deemed part of Rouhani’s New York trip as inappropriate, but without referring directly to the phone call.”

These developments are interesting. As we point out in our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy,” Iran (biblical Elam) will fight against Israel [the state of Israel and also possibly the USA] and we also read that at the time of Christ’s return, “the remnant” of His people [remnants from the ancient houses of Israel and Judah] will be “left” in countries such as Shinar (Iraq) and recovered from there (Isaiah 11:11).

Israel at War with Lebanon’s Hezbollah

The Associated Press and JTA reported on February 27:

“Israel has allegedly opened a new front in its attempts to halt weapons smuggling to Hezbollah, striking one of the group’s positions inside Lebanon for the first time since the sides fought a war eight years ago. This week’s alleged airstrike, apparently meant to prevent the Islamic militant group from obtaining sophisticated missiles, is part of a risky policy that could easily backfire by triggering retaliation…

“With a lack of good choices, Israel has avoided taking sides in the Syrian war, and in the short term, is content watching the two sides beat each other up. But in the long run, officials have expressed concerns about the battlefield expertise that Hezbollah has gained…

“Hezbollah’s participation in the Syrian war is highly controversial and divisive in Lebanon and has eaten away at the group’s wider base. But Hezbollah remains a formidable force in Lebanon, and has two ministers in the current national unity government that was recently formed following 11 months of impasse… The likelihood of retaliation is just one of the shortcomings of the Israeli airstrike policy. It also appears that the strikes have failed to halt the flow of arms to Hezbollah. In recent days, Israeli military officials have acknowledged that Hezbollah has likely succeeded in sneaking sophisticated weapons into Lebanon.”

The Rocky Israeli-German Relationship

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 24:

“German public opinion of Israel is slumping… There is growing public and political disillusionment over Israel’s treatment of its Palestinian neighbors… A recent BBC poll showed that only 14 percent of Germans today had a positive view of Israel. ‘I think German public opinion is actually worse than what’s shown in the polls because Germans don’t publicly state their opinion, they play it down,’ said Israel’s former ambassador to Germany and the European Union, Avi Primor. ‘The Germans are still very aware of their Nazi past, particularly Merkel who is originally from East Germany, so she has a bad conscience from the past but this is changing and you can’t ignore the growing public opinion,’ he told DW…

“A senior Israeli official confirmed to DW that recent phone calls between Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during and since the P5+1 meetings on Iran had escalated to shouting and disagreements. The most divisive issue between the two countries is over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank…

“Germany is Israel’s third-largest trading partner after the US and China and if relations deteriorate, trade could be impacted said former ambassador Avi Primor. ‘Germany is totally indispensable to Israel – Germany has many pro-Israel policies, but I think this is gradually fading and if nothing in the Middle East changes it will get worse.’”

Will Israel Turn Over Control of Mount Zion to Catholic Church?

WorldNetDaily wrote on February 22, 2014:

“Israel could be entering the final stages of negotiations to turn over control of Mount Zion to the Vatican, according to a report by Israel National News. According to the online news source, a secretive meeting took place this week between the Jerusalem Municipality, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Tourism and senior Catholic officials. During the meeting, the Catholic delegation reportedly pressed Israel to follow through on a years-old proposal to give the Church control over the compound that houses the traditional ‘Hall of the Last Supper.’

“The problem is that the same compound also houses the traditional ‘Tomb of David,’ a holy site revered and frequented by religious Jews. Not to mention that Mount Zion is symbolic of Jerusalem as a whole, and surrendering it to the Vatican would be seen by many Israelis as a repudiation of Judaism’s claim to the city.

“In response to reports regarding the negotiations, the Jerusalem Municipality released a statement insisting that it would remain ‘the central sovereign power on Mount Zion.’ Others are not so sure, and believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to turn over control of Mount Zion prior to Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land in May.”

Israeli Lawmaker Debate Temple Mount Sovereignty

JTA reported on February 25:

“Jews should be allowed to pray at the Temple Mount, Likud party members said at a volatile Knesset debate on the right of non-Muslims to pray at the holy site. More than 30 Israeli lawmakers, from the right and left wings, asked to speak at the special session on Tuesday. Most of the Arab-Israeli lawmakers protested the debate by not attending the session. ‘I call on the government to apply the full sovereignty of the State of Israel in the entire Temple Mount,’ said the Likud’s Moshe Feiglin, who requested the debate. ‘I call on the Israeli government to allow free access to any Jew to the Temple Mount through any gate, and allow them to pray.’”

“… Zahava Gal-on, head of the Meretz party, said that while she believes Jews have a right to pray on the Temple Mount, it must be done in consultation with the agreement of the Arab world, the Times of Israel reported. She called Feiglin’s proposal ‘a match that could ignite the powder keg on which the Middle East rests,’ and said extending Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount would harm the peace process.

“The site is overseen by the Muslim Wakf, the Muslim religious administration charged with managing the Temple Mount site, which is holy to Jews and Muslims. Jews generally are not permitted by the Wakf to pray or bring any ritual objects to the Temple Mount. Earlier Tuesday, Palestinian youths rioted on the Temple Mount in response to the session, resulting in three arrests and injuries to two Israeli police officers.”

Jordan Responds to Israel’s Debate on Temple Mount Sovereignty

The Times of Israel wrote on February 27:

“Jordan warned Wednesday that it might review a 1994 peace treaty with Israel after Israeli MPs began a debate on allowing Jewish prayers at Jerusalem’s sensitive Temple Mount. ‘If Israel wants to violate the peace treaty in this issue, the entire treaty, its articles, details and wording will be put on the table,’ Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour told Qatar’s Al-Watan newspaper in an interview. Under the peace treaty, Jordan is the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

“Ensour’s remarks, quoted by state-run Petra news agency, came as Jordan’s parliament passed a motion urging the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador to the kingdom, Daniel Nevo. ‘Such Israeli attempts would lead to the destruction of the peace treaty as the international community is pushing for peace between Israel and the Palestinians,’ government spokesman Mohammad Momnai told Petra. ‘The Jordanian custodianship is not a privilege granted by Israel. It is the Hashemites’ historic responsibility that is emphasised in the peace treaty.’

“Last year, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed an agreement to confirm a verbal deal dating back to 1924 that gave the kingdom custodianship over Jerusalem’s Muslim holy sites. The Jordanian parliament’s vote followed a motion the previous day signed by 47 MPs demanding that the peace treaty with Israel be scrapped. ‘All deputies who attended a meeting today to discuss Israel’s debate on sovereignty over Al-Aqsa voted to kick out the Israeli envoy and recall the Jordanian ambassador in Israel (Walid Obeidat),’ prominent lower house deputy Khalil Attieh told AFP.”

Popes Francis and Benedict

Deutsche Welle reported on February 22:

“Pope Francis has appointed Catholic leaders from some the world’s smallest and poorest nations to the College of Cardinals. Former Pope Benedict XVI also joined the ceremony in a rare public outing… Two are from Africa, two from Asia and six from Francis’ native Latin America, which is home to nearly half the world’s Catholics. However, Latin American leadership is grossly underrepresented in the church’s hierarchy. German Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller is also among those appointed.

“Surprising the congregation, former pope Benedict XVI, who retired last year, made a rare public appearance at the ceremony. He was greeted by Francis with an embrace and by the people in the pews with applause and tears. It is the first time Benedict and Francis have appeared together at a liturgical ceremony since Benedict stepped down last March, the first pope to do so in 600 years. Two weeks later, Francis was elected the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.”

Pope Francis is also the first Jesuit who has ever been elected as Pope. At one time, the Catholic Church had even outlawed the Jesuits.

Uganda’s New Anti-Gay Bill

Deutsche Welle reported on February 24:

“Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed a controversial anti-gay bill into law that toughens already strict rules banning homosexual activity. In doing so, he defied international criticism about the legislation. ‘No study has shown you can be homosexual by nature, that’s why I have agreed to sign the bill,’ Museveni said in a speech after the signing ceremony… The law, which toughens penalties for homosexual sex, sets out a 14-year jail sentence for first-time offenders.

“The legislation also sets life imprisonment as the maximum penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” This category of offenses is defined as repeated gay sex between consenting adults and acts involving minors, a disabled person, or where one partner is infected with HIV. It also outlaws the promotion of homosexuality and requires people to denounce gays… The bill is popular with the conservative local constituency that is vehemently opposed to homosexuality, but international rights groups have condemned it as draconian.

“Museveni is a key African ally of the United States and the European Union but he has been under fire recently by key Western donors over the anti-gay legislation… Many African countries, with the exception of South Africa, have laws that ban or suppress homosexuality. In January, a law took effect in Nigeria that outlaws same-sex relationships with up to 14 years in prison for gay couples living together.”

CNN added on February 24:

“At the public signing of the bill Monday, a defiant Museveni declared that he would not allow the West to impose its values on Uganda. ‘We have been disappointed for a long time by the conduct of the West, the way you conduct yourselves there,’ he told CNN’s Zain Verjee in Entebbe. ‘Our disappointment is now exacerbated because we are sorry to see that you live the way you live, but we keep quiet about it. Now you say “you must also live like us” — that’s where we say no.’… [He] said he’d sign [the bill] because scientists had determined that there is no gene for homosexuality and that it is merely a choice to embrace abnormal behavior. ‘It was learned and could be unlearned,’ Museveni said.”

According to the Bible, the practice of homosexual activities is in fact an abomination, and it is also correct that no one is “born” as a homosexual. In this context, note the next article.

Oregon Ready to Allow Same-Sex Marriages?

The website of oregonlive.com wrote on February 20:

“Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a legal filing Thursday that she will not defend the state’s ban on gay marriage and argued that the ban ‘cannot withstand a federal constitutional challenge under any standard of review’…

“Federal judges in several states have struck down similar bans in recent months, saying that they conflict with last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking major provisions of a law prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

“At the same time, supporters of gay marriage are nearly done with their effort to collect enough signatures to put an initiative on the November ballot asking voters to strike the ban on gay marriage from the state Constitution and allow same-sex couples to marry.”

Same-sex marriages are in violation of Scripture. The Bible defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

And Now—Police May Search a House without a Warrant Even When There is NO Emergency

The Los Angeles Times reported on February 25:

“Police officers may enter and search a home without a warrant as long as one occupant consents, even if another resident has previously objected, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a Los Angeles case. The 6-3 ruling, triggered by a Los Angeles Police Department arrest in 2009, gives authorities more leeway to search homes without obtaining a warrant, even when there is no emergency.

“The majority, led by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., said police need not take the time to get a magistrate’s approval before entering a home in such cases. But dissenters, led by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, warned that the decision would erode protections against warrantless home searches. The court had previously held that such protections were at the ‘very core’ of the 4th Amendment and its ban on unreasonable searches and seizures…

“In the past, the court has frowned upon most searches of residences except in the case of an emergency or if the police had a warrant from a judge.”

And the erosion of our privacy rights continues in the “land of the free”…

Piers Morgan Leaves CNN

CNN wrote on February 23:

“There have been times when the CNN host Piers Morgan didn’t seem to like America very much — and American audiences have been more than willing to return the favor. Three years after taking over for Larry King, Mr. Morgan has seen the ratings for ‘Piers Morgan Live’ hit some new lows, drawing a fraction of viewers compared with competitors at Fox News and MSNBC.

“It’s been an unhappy collision between a British television personality who refuses to assimilate — the only football he cares about is round and his lectures on guns were rife with contempt — and a CNN audience that is intrinsically provincial. After all, the people who tune into a cable news network are, by their nature, deeply interested in America.

“CNN’s president, Jeffrey Zucker, has other problems, but none bigger than Mr. Morgan and his plum 9 p.m. time slot. Mr. Morgan said last week that he and Mr. Zucker had been talking about the show’s failure to connect and had decided to pull the plug, probably in March.  Crossing an ocean for a replacement for Larry King, who had ratings problems of his own near the end, was probably not a great idea to begin with. For a cable news station like CNN, major stories are like oxygen. When something important or scary happens in America, many of us have an immediate reflex to turn on CNN. When I find Mr. Morgan telling me what it all means, I have a similar reflex to dismiss what he is saying. It is difficult for him to speak credibly on significant American events because, after all, he just got here…

“Old hands in the television news business suggest that there are two things a presenter cannot have: an accent or a beard…  Mr. Morgan’s approach to gun regulation was more akin to King George III, peering down his nose at the unruly colonies and wondering how to bring the savages to heel.  In the current media age… Mr. Morgan’s lecturing on the evils of guns have clanked hard against the CNN brand… We don’t look for moral leadership from CNN, or from a British host on a rampage. Guns, along with many other great and horrible things, are knit into the fabric of this country…”

The bottom line is, America’s TV network “news” culture is an atrocity, and the above article from CNN, somehow trying to justify CNN’s separation from Piers Morgan, inadvertently brings this out. If one wanted to rely on the news, as reported by America’s main TV stations and networks, one would be hopelessly lost. Whether it’s CNN, NBC, MSNBC or FOX, just to name the more “popular” ones, they are all driven by their ideologies and political agendas, while having their carefully selected “guests” “debating” and talking to death their view points, as well as by their desire to cater to the “interests” of their viewership and, due to satisfactory ratings, to attract as many sponsors as possible, while being willfully indifferent regarding the fact that those “interests” are for the most part inconsequential, immaterial and futile.

The article above, demanding that Morgan should have assimilated and “reported” on mundane and insignificant events, speaks for itself. The comment that guns are “knit into the fabric of this country,” which is, sadly, very true, and that no one should dare to question this, especially not a “foreigner,” is another example showing the ungodly ideas permeating America’s “way of life.” When Christ returns, all people will learn the horrible effects of guns and they will beat their guns into plowshares. Until that time, America has still a long way to go and bitter lessons to learn…

New York’s Shame

National Review wrote on February 21:

“In 2012, black women in New York City aborted over 6,500 more children than they gave birth to. Data from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows that, among non-hispanic black women, there were 31,328 ‘induced terminations’ to 24,758 live births…

“In total, there were almost 74,000 abortions in New York in 2012, meaning that 42.4 percent of all abortions were of black children. Hispanic children accounted for 31 percent of those aborted in the city at a total of nearly 23,000. Altogether, black and Hispanic abortions were 73 percent of the total of 73,815 abortions in New York in 2012.

“For years, New York has had the highest abortion rate of any city in the nation.”

CNS News reported on February 25:

“Although whites outnumber blacks in Mississippi by nearly 2-to-1, 71.67% of the babies aborted in Mississippi are black, while 26.6% are white.”

2014—A Special Year

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 14:

“This year will be a historic one, marking three important anniversaries: the 100th anniversary of the eruption of World War I, the 75th anniversary of the start of World War II and the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall…”

The Futility of War — “Christians in Iraq Worse Off Now Than Under Saddam”

Newsmax wrote on February 16:

“The persecution of Christians in Iraq is worse today than it was before a United States-led force deposed brutal dictator Saddam Hussein, a Republican congressman declared. ‘As we witness the black flag of al-Qaida again fly over cities such as Fallujah, which we had won at the cost of so much American blood, we wonder how it is that for Christians in Iraq, life appears to be worse now than it was under the vicious dictator Saddam Hussein,’ Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey said at a Tuesday hearing of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.

“One of the witnesses at the hearing was Archbishop Francis Chullikat, who served as the papal nuncio to Iraq. Chullikat said the violence that children in particular have seen — including the killing of Christians — will ‘leave a lasting scar’ on that generation. Chullikat said ‘flagrant and widespread persecution of Christians rages even as we meet.’

“Smith disclosed that the population of Christians in Iraq has decreased from 1.4 million in 1987, prior to the first Gulf War, to an estimated 150,000 today. ‘Much of this exodus has occurred during a time in which our country invested heavily in blood and treasure in seeking to help Iraqis build a democracy,’ Smith said.

“In one of the most horrific recent attacks against Christians in Iraq, militants launched two separate bomb attacks against Christians celebrating Christmas, killing at least 37. In one attack, a car bomb went off near a church during Christmas Mass in Baghdad’s southern Dora neighborhood, killing at least 26 people and wounding 38, police said. Earlier that day, a bomb exploded at an outdoor market in a Christian neighborhood, killing 11 people and wounding 21.

“Smith added that ‘researchers from the Pew Center have documented incidents of harassment of religious groups worldwide — a term defined as including “physical assaults; arrests and detentions; desecration of holy sites; and discrimination against religious groups in employment, education, and housing” — and has concluded that Christians are the single most harassed group today.’”

America’s declared “noble” goal for invading Iraq to bring more freedom and democracy to the people backfired terribly and created a situation which is worse than it was prior to the invasion. Of course, the war was fought based on misleading, inaccurate and deceiving information, and many commentators feel that the real goal had nothing to do with bringing democracy to Iran. In any event, America’s conduct contributed to the prophesied alienation between America and the rest of the world. In regard to the issue of warfare, please view our StandingWatch program, “Should Christians Fight in War?” 

Iran Prepares for War Against USA

The Washington Examiner wrote on February 14:

“Iran’s surprising decision to move warships off the Atlantic coast poses a potential catastrophic threat to America from a nuclear or electromagnetic pulse attack, according to an expert who foresaw Iran’s move. Peter Pry, an expert on EMP attacks, said the ships are likely a dry run for a future attack, a maneuver meant to lull Washington into complacency while also embarrassing President Obama and his effort to convince Tehran to give up production of a nuclear bomb in return for a lifting of some economic sanctions…

“Pry said the ships are probably conducting a test for a future visit from an Iranian freighter that would launch the attack. ‘I think the Iranian Navy patrols off our coasts may be intended to lull us into complacency, to get the U.S. Navy accustomed to an Iranian naval presence in our hemisphere, so eventually they could contribute to “Zero Hour” and the great day when the Mullahs decide to drop the nuclear hammer on America,’ said Pry… Pry… one of the nation’s leading authorities on EMP, revealed that Iran recently purchased Russia’s Club-K missile launcher, which can be hidden in tractor-trailer-sized cargo boxes.”

America’s naivety in respect to Iran is topped by its indifference towards the dangers confronting the country from the outside and the inside. America’s downfall IS inevitable.

Nazi Scientists Worked on Malaria-Carrying Mosquitoes as a Weapon

The Local wrote on February 14:

“Nazi scientists worked on ways to use malaria-carrying mosquitoes as a weapon, according to researchers… Until now, it had been generally thought by experts that the Nazis only intended ever to use biological weapons defensively… But tests with mosquitoes infected with malaria were never carried out and Hitler opposed biological warfare, according to Reinhardt.

“He and his team published their findings in the Endeavor scientific journal in December. It states how in 1942 head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, set up the Dachau institute to study the physiology and control of insects that inflict harm to humans.

“Institute leader Eduard May had, Reinhardt said, an interest in dragonflies before Himmler put him – for reasons unknown – in charge of the Dachau institute. Reinhardt said: ‘I have a special interest in dragonflies so really came across the mosquito plan by accident.’”

The coming world war will be fought, no doubt, with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Eurozone’s Growth

The Telegraph wrote on February 14:

“The eurozone has taken a major step towards recovery with the single currency’s four major economies all growing for the first time in almost three years. Germany, Italy, and France all registered expansion in the final three months of 2013, official figures showed, with France avoiding a dreaded double-dip recession and Germany, the region’s biggest economy, performing better than had been expected.

“Along with Spain, which last month recorded its best quarterly growth since 2008, the countries led the 18-currency bloc to growth of 0.3pc in the final three months of 2013. The four biggest economies in Europe had not grown in unison since the first quarter of 2011.”

The “Revival” of Europe under German-French Leadership?

The EUObserver wrote on February 17:

“The French and German leaders will in Paris on Wednesday (19 February) discuss what France is calling ‘the revival of Europe.’ French President Francois Hollande has announced that his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her ministers will launch three projects: harmonisation of French and German corporate tax; the creation of a joint company, on the model of aeronautic firm Airbus, specialising in renewable energy; and ‘a Franco-German partnership for European defence.’

“He said in a speech last month the initiatives will open a new chapter in European politics after the economic crisis. Harking back to the idea of France and Germany as the engine of EU policy-making, he added that Wednesday’s summit will also ‘establish a basic principle: namely, that our governments are to collaborate from an early stage on all large projects. Initiatives for Europe must first be agreed between France and Germany,’ he said. ‘This Franco-German momentum will enable us … to revitalise the European ideal.’”

The Local added on February 19:

“France and Germany have decided to send elements of the Franco-German Brigade to Mali: the first deployment under the aegis of the EU and in an African location,” a statement said after a security and defence meeting in Paris between the two countries… The statement said the troops sent would integrate into a European mission in Mali to train soldiers… The Franco-German brigade… was set up in 1989 to increase military cooperation between the World War II-era foes…”

For more information on Europe’s rise, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

European Communication Network to Circumvent USA

Reuters reported February 15:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she would talk to French President Francois Hollande about building up a European communication network to avoid emails and other data passing through the United States… Merkel said in her weekly podcast that she disapproved of companies such as Google and Facebook basing their operations in countries with low levels of data protection [such as the USA] while being active in countries such as Germany with high data protection…

“[Merkel said:] ‘Above all, we’ll talk about European providers that offer security for our citizens, so that one shouldn’t have to send emails and other information across the Atlantic. Rather, one could build up a communication network inside Europe.’…

“Government snooping is a particularly sensitive subject in Germany due to the heavy surveillance of citizens practised in communist East Germany and under Hitler, and there was widespread outrage at the revelations of NSA surveillance by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden… Germany has been pushing, so far in vain, for a ‘no-spy’ agreement with Washington.”

Due to America’s NSA spying activities and the Obama Administration’s short-sighted refusal to consent to a no-spy agreement with Europe, the prophesied alienation between the USA and Europe continues, and Europe is being pushed into a position of creating even more of a powerful fortress in many different respects, keeping out of Europe and barring American power, interests and activities.

“Americans Only Understand the Language of the Wild West”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 18:

“Away from the public eye, the German government is moving toward implementing plans to turn its own spies against partner countries like the United States, putting allies on the same level as the Chinese, Russians and North Koreans. The stubbornness of the Americans, who have answered few relevant questions from Germany during the National Security Agency spying scandal, has angered the new government… ‘They’re like cowboys who only understand the language of the Wild West,’ sources in Merkel’s party say, referring to the Americans’ intractability…

“The plans for monitoring allies are already well developed. Section 4 in the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, where just 100 specialists had been employed, is to be significantly expanded… The changes mean that, nine months after the NSA affair, the German government is steering towards a serious confrontation with the US. It would mark a break with the decades-long practice of allowing Western partners to essentially do as they please in Germany…”

Europe’s Economic Boycott against Israel

The Christian Science Monitor wrote on February 16:

“The European Union, Israel’s No. 1 trading partner, accounts for about a third of its total trade, and was long the favored destination for Jordan Valley produce. But these fruits and vegetables are grown on land that Israel has occupied since 1967. For a growing number of European consumers, that’s a problem. They say that buying such produce is supporting the illegal confiscation and control of land and water resources that should be in Palestinian hands.

“The campaign is starting to bite. Last year, Jordan Valley farmers lost an estimated $29 million, or 14 percent of revenue, because they were forced to find alternative markets for their exports, such as Russia, where prices are 20 to 60 percent lower. Pepper exports to Western Europe have stopped completely, and grape exports are likely to be phased out this year because of consumer pressure…

“According to a 2013 BBC poll, public opinion of Israel is worsening. Favorability ratings dropped 8 percent in both Spain and Germany, to the single digits. Even in Britain, the first European country to formally support the establishment of a Jewish state, only 14 percent of citizens have a positive view of Israel today. EU citizens and lawmakers alike have long opposed Israeli policies, but popular discontent… is increasingly pressuring businesses and governments to take more concrete action…

“In September a Dutch engineering firm, under pressure from the government, dropped plans to build a sewage treatment plant in East Jerusalem, and in December, a Dutch water company cut ties with Israel’s national water carrier over its operations in the West Bank. But it’s not just the Dutch. Germany announced in January that it would not renew research grants to Israeli companies that do business over the Green Line, the de facto border before Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 war… Germany’s move prompted concern that if Israel’s best friend in Europe, still burdened by the guilt of the Holocaust, takes such steps, every other EU country could follow suit…”

Denmark Bans Religious Slaughter of Animals

The Independent wrote on February 18:

“Denmark’s government has brought in a ban on the religious slaughter of animals for the production of halal and kosher meat, after years of campaigning from welfare activists. The change to the law, announced last week and effective as of yesterday, has been called ‘anti-Semitism’ by Jewish leaders and ‘a clear interference in religious freedom’ by the non-profit group Danish Halal.

“European regulations require animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered, but grants exemptions on religious grounds. For meat to be considered kosher under Jewish law or halal under Islamic law, the animal must be conscious when killed. Yet defending his government’s decision to remove this exemption, the minister for agriculture and food Dan Jørgensen told Denmark’s TV2 that ‘animal rights come before religion’.

“Commenting on the change, Israel’s deputy minister of religious services Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan told the Jewish Daily Forward: ‘European anti-Semitism is showing its true colours across Europe, and is even intensifying in the government institutions.’ Al Jazeera quoted the monitoring group Danish Halal, which launched a petition against the ban, as saying it was ‘a clear interference in religious freedom limiting the rights of Muslims and Jews to practice their religion in Denmark’.

“The ban has divided opinions in the country, particularly after it recently made headlines for animal welfare policy after Copenhagen Zoo slaughtered the ‘surplus’ young male giraffe Marius… Last year politicians in Britain said they would not be outlawing religious slaughter despite ‘strong pressure’ from the RSPCA, the National Secular Society and other activists.”

Ukraine in Uproar

Newsmax reported on February 19:

“The office of Ukraine’s embattled president says he and leaders of the country’s raging protests have called for a truce. The brief statement late Wednesday came after President Viktor Yanukovych met with top leaders of the protests that flared into violence on Tuesday that has left at least 26 people dead… Yanukovych had moved to quell the growing insurgency by granting sweeping powers to the army and police after a region declared independence from his government, risking wider conflict.

“Reeling from the bloodiest clashes in a three-month standoff, the Russian-backed leader’s security service said Wednesday it was undertaking a nationwide anti-terrorism operation to restore public order and protect state borders. That move would give the military the right to search, detain, and even fire on Ukrainians in the course of the operation, the Defense Ministry said…

“Obama said the United States condemns the violence in the strongest terms and holds Ukraine’s government primarily responsible to ensure it is dealing with peaceful protesters appropriately… The European Union moved toward freezing the assets of Ukraine’s most powerful officials…

“Russia blames ‘extremists’ and ‘radical elements’ for the escalation of violence… Russia, which said this week it would renew funding for Ukraine, blamed the United States and the EU for the violence…”

The Washington Post added on February 20:

“Fierce fighting broke out Thursday between government forces and protesters in the Ukrainian capital, shattering a truce declared hours earlier and leaving scores of people dead. A top human rights official said at least 50 people were killed in the clashes that erupted Thursday morning in the streets around Kiev’s Independence Square. Other estimates of the death toll were considerably higher…

“In Washington, the White House called on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych  to ‘immediately withdraw his security forces’ from downtown Kiev and to ‘respect the right of peaceful protest.’ The statement Thursday also urged protesters ‘to express themselves peacefully.’ In Brussels, the 28-nation European Union decided unanimously Thursday in an emergency meeting to impose sanctions against Ukrainian officials deemed responsible for the violence… The E.U. also announced a suspension of arms sales to Ukraine…

“Videos indicated that some protesters have sniper rifles, and police were shown shooting automatic weapons… A truce reached late Wednesday between President Viktor Yanukovych and three main opposition political leaders has not been formally renounced, but the fighting demonstrated how neither side appears to have control over its armed contingents…

“The pressure on Ukraine — internal and external — has only increased, and the two sides are so far apart that reconciliation appears impossible. They are now faced with the challenge of getting the country back on track even without reconciling politically… Abroad, the Western nations and Russia blamed each other for supporting one of the two sides in Ukraine’s long-running political crisis…”

Syrian Electronic Army Attacks Forbes

The website of cnet.com reported on February 14:

“The Syrian Electronic Army has attacked Forbes, stealing user data and posting fake stories to its Web site. The hacking group announced the exploit on Friday, showing several screenshots of the WordPress-based backend of the Forbes.com Web site. The organization said in a tweet that more than 1 million user e-mails and passwords were successfully stolen and will be published at some point.

“Forbes acknowledged that its Web site and publishing platform were the targets of a hack in a Facebook post on Friday… IBTimes… talked to a spokesperson for the SEA, who said the attacks are based in its belief that Forbes’ ‘hate for Syria is very clear and flagrant in their articles’…

“The Syrian Electronic Army is one of the more active hacking groups. Last year, the organization hacked into Viber’s database, hijacked a Thomson Reuters Twitter feed, and took aim at both the Onion and BBC Twitter accounts. Earlier this year, the group also broke into several Microsoft Twitter accounts.”

And there seems to be no one able or willing to deal with these despicable criminal hackers.

Silly Governmental “Justification” for Video-Surveillance Cameras

Fortune reported on February 13:

“Is the video-surveillance system that blankets Manhattan from Midtown to the Battery, river to river, really not so different from an earlier anti-crime innovation, street lights? That’s what Richard Daddario, deputy commissioner for counterterrorism under former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, once told me. Street lights mean criminals can’t operate with impunity under cover of darkness. Cameras, same principle, slightly extended.

“‘That comparison seems a bit disingenuous and silly,’ according to Glenn Cohen, a professor at Harvard Law School, who spoke about privacy and technology recently at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in Cambridge, and corresponded with me afterward by e-mail. ‘Lights don’t have the potential for “function creep” whereby they are introduced for one purpose but then used for something quite different in the future, like social security numbers. Lights are temporary in their effect and don’t record what we do for the indefinite future. Finally, there are few activities that people actually want to do in the dark in public, so losing darkness is not a loss to many people, if anyone. By contrast, there are many activities we want to undertake without being recorded and watched…’

“In the post-Snowden era, alas, such concerns can seem almost quaint. A street-corner surveillance camera, easily evaded by ducking indoors, is one kind of intrusion. A smartphone that tracks our movements and hoards for future inspection by parties unknown [of] our emails, blog posts, photos and tweets, is something else altogether.

“Like it or not, we have entered the era of assumed ubiquitous snooping, and we have not begun to parse the implications… Can the law protect us? We shouldn’t count on it…”

Let’s face it, we have gone far beyond a George Orwellian “1984” Big Brother mentality, when NOTHING is sacred anymore to our governments. Forget the right of privacy… the “exceptions” are so manifold that one could not even begin to write them all down. And the average American, indifferent, detached and non-involved, seems to not even care, while governmental officials invent ridiculous excuses to justify such blatantly ungodly and SINFUL behavior.

Most of our Christian churches—including even many of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations–have been fearfully and suspiciously silent about such intrusions, and our main stream media and networks—“conservative” and “liberal” alike–have only half-heartedly “reported” about some of the most egregious violations, and even then, they were quick in interviewing a representative of either party to advance arguments as to why such activities are justified.

Especially in light of the appointment of czars and the issuing of executive orders to circumvent Congress, some, if not many in Europe—including older people who have experienced and still remember the horrors of World War 2–have begun to accuse the American government of trying to become as dictatorial as Hitler and Mussolini. Such impression, whether right or wrong, will not in any way build confidence and friendship between America and Europe.

Pope Francis—The “Super Pope” and Crowd Pleaser

The Associated Press reported on February 14:

“A year ago this past Tuesday [February 11], Pope Benedict XVI said in a voice so soft that cardinals strained to hear (and in a Latin not all could easily follow) that he was becoming the first pontiff to resign in more than half a millennium. On the eve of the anniversary, Benedict’s longtime private secretary credited the stunning decision with opening the way to the ‘enormous impact’ Pope Francis is having on the church and the world at large.

“Monsignor Georg Gaenswein’s comments sent a message of continuity between the awkward, bookish Benedict and his charismatic, superstar successor — the first Jesuit pope and the first pontiff from Latin America… ‘We are all seeing the impact that Pope Francis is having on the world, not just the faithful in the church but in the world. It’s an enormous impact…’

“Gaenswein is in the historically unique situation of serving two popes: While he remains Benedict’s secretary, lives with him in his retirement home in the Vatican gardens and takes daily walks with him in the afternoon, Gaenswein is also the head of Pope Francis’s household…

“As the anniversary of that momentous resignation day approached, Vatican officials have sought to stress Benedict’s generosity, courage and service to the church in deciding to step down as they battle to preserve his legacy amid the increasing temptation to contrast his often problematic papacy and reserved personality with his crowd-pleasing successor. It’s no easy feat when no one ever made a ‘Super Pope’ wall painting of Benedict or created a life-size chocolate statue of him — as has been the case with Francis….

“Benedict has largely stuck to his retirement pledge to live his remaining years ‘hidden from the world’ in a converted convent in the Vatican gardens… Francis seems perfectly at ease with the pope next door; they exchanged visits over the Christmas holidays, and they not only speak frequently by phone but also exchange written notes…”

Pope Francis—the Gentle Pontiff?

CNN wrote on February 19:

“In the year since Francis was elected Pope, the media have told us a certain story about this man ‘from the ends of the Earth,’ as he once described himself. Francis, we are told, is warm and friendly, gentle and compassionate. He embraces the poor, the disfigured, the outcast. These attributes pose a sharp contrast, we are informed, to his mean-spirited, judgmental and arrogant predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who was known for his fancy vestments and aloof, academic attitude.

“If Francis has the common touch, the story goes, Benedict was firmly out of touch, perched on an ivory tower far inside the Vatican. To many Catholics this media-driven contrast between the two Popes is laughable.

“Benedict may have been unpopular with the world and many of its opinion-makers, but those who loved him… knew a far different man than is cruelly caricatured in the media. We welcomed Benedict’s theology and liturgical vision… And when Benedict did say something likely to be deemed offensive, he was often extremely careful about the way in which he said it. In fact, he was much more careful not to offend than [Francis]… bluntness is a double-edged sword, and some of [Francis’] speeches and sermons have offended some of the papacy’s biggest supporters. This, of course, counters the image of Francis as the ‘gentle, pastoral shepherd.’ In sifting through media reports, I was shocked by how often the Pope criticized Christians and by the severity of his insults…

“Indeed, here’s some of the names the Pope has actually called people: ‘pickled pepper-faced Christians,’ ‘closed, sad, trapped Christians,’ ‘defeated Christians,’ ‘liquid Christians,’ ‘creed-reciting, parrot Christians,’ and, finally, those ‘watered-down faith, weak-hoped Christians.’ Catholics who focus on church traditions are ‘museum mummies,’ the Pope says. Nuns who fail to inspire faith in the church are ‘old maids,’ and the Vatican hierarchy has at times been ‘the leprosy of the papacy,’ in Francis’ words.

“Indeed, men of the cloth face the brunt of Francis’ fulminations. He has called some of them ‘vain’ butterflies, ‘smarmy’ idolators and ‘priest-tycoons.’ He’s described some seminarians as potential ‘little monsters.’… some Catholics have felt alienated by Francis’s criticisms, as if they are under attack. In blasting the status quo, it can sometimes seem as if the Pope is slighting the most faithful members of the church.”

California’s Ongoing Exceptional Drought—Is Climate Change Responsible?

The Telegraph wrote on February 14:

“For California this is the third year of little or no rain. More than 90 per cent of the state is in ‘severe to exceptional drought’. Records have been kept since the 1840s and last year was the driest yet. Some farm areas received less rain than Death Valley in 2013.”

The Washington Times wrote on February 14:

“While touring areas of California ravaged by a historic drought, President Obama on Friday sounded an ominous warning and said that even if the federal government takes meaningful action to combat climate change, much of the damage already has been done… ‘The planet is slowly going to keep warming for a long time to come,’ Mr. Obama said…

“Mr. Obama and many Democrats, along with their supporters in the environmental community, have held up extreme weather events such as California’s drought, Hurricane Sandy and others as proof that global warming is wreaking havoc all across the planet. But the issue remains bitterly divisive, and many lawmakers believe Mr. Obama’s dire warnings are grossly overstated. The heated debate over climate change has led to near gridlock on Capitol Hill, with Republicans and some Democrats standing in staunch opposition to major legislative proposals to address the issue.”

The Drudge Report linked to an article on February 16, stating: “If February ended today, this would be the third coldest winter on record in the US, after 1979 and 1899.”

The Washington Post wrote on February 16:

“Secretary of State John F. Kerry, calling climate change perhaps the world’s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction, urged developing nations on Sunday to do more to cut greenhouse-gas emissions as he derided climate-change skeptics at home and blamed big companies for hijacking the debate.

“Kerry painted a picture of looming drought and famine, massive floods and deadly storms as a result of global warming, and he urged ordinary citizens in developing nations to speak out on the issue and demand more from their political leaders. He labeled those who denied the evidence of climate change as ‘shoddy scientists and extreme ideologues.’”

So, is it man-made global warming or man-made climate change? Are they, or which one of them, causing droughts in California, terrible winters in large parts of the USA, and flooding in the UK? Apparently, something seems to be wrong with this inconsistent picture, and polemic accusations by proponents against those who dare to ask questions don’t help. Many may not know or recall that late Michael Crichton (M.D. and author of Jurassic Park) concluded in his remarkable novel, “State of Fear,” with interesting arguments, that one cannot prove man-made global warming. San Diego’s famous KUSI weather man and founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, came to the same conclusion. Are these skeptics “shoddy scientists and extreme ideologues”?

Radiation Leak at New Mexico Military Nuclear Waste Site

Reuters reported on February 16:

“Unusually high levels of radioactive particles were found at an underground nuclear waste site in New Mexico on Saturday… U.S. officials were testing for radiation in air samples at the site where radioactive waste, such as plutonium used in defense research and nuclear weapon making, is dumped half a mile below ground in an ancient salt formation… A different part of the site was evacuated this month after a truck used to haul salt caught fire…”

We are playing with fire, and serious disasters involving our nuclear power plants are bound to occur.

US Lawsuit Charges Japanese Company with Negligence over Radiation

The website nextgov.com reported on February 19:

“The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier experienced radiation levels 30 times above normal while its crew conducted disaster relief operations off the coast of Japan in March 2011 after a tsunami damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, according to a new analysis published on Monday. That analysis came just days after 79 Reagan crewmen filed an amended lawsuit in federal court in San Diego against the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. The plaintiffs seek $1 billion in damages, claiming the company was negligent in construction and operation of the plant and during the subsequent meltdown of its reactors following the tsunami March 11, 2011.

“Kyle Cleveland, a sociology professor at Temple University Japan, cited transcripts of a conference call between high level Navy and Energy Department officials in an article in the Asia-Pacific Journal… The transcripts… show concern among U.S. officials discussing the level of radioactivity on the Reagan on March 13… Troy Mueller, deputy administrator for naval reactors at Energy, said the radiation is ‘about 30 times what you would detect just on a normal air sample out at sea . . . So it’s much greater than what we had thought. We didn’t think we would detect anything at 100 miles.’…

“The law firm Bonner & Bonner, based in Sausalito, Calif., charged in its lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power that crewmen on the Reagan exposed to radiation from the Fukushima plant ‘now endure a lifetime of radiation poisoning and suffering which could have and should have been avoided,’ if the company had not been negligent in construction and operation of the facility. The suit also charged that sailors aboard the Reagan ‘have been and will be required to undergo further medical testing, evaluation and medical procedures, including but not limited to chelation therapy, bone marrow transplants and/or genetic reprogramming.’

“Sailors on the Reagan were exposed to both airborne radiation and radiation from contaminated seawater, the suit said. One plaintiff said the ship was taking in sea water, ‘but obviously the ship can’t filter out the radiation. Water we all showered with, drank, brushed our teeth, and had our food cooked with.’ Tokyo Electric Power registered as a California foreign corporation in 2003. As a result, TEPCO is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States Federal District Court, the suit said.”

Nulangate and German Anger

The Washington Post wrote on February 7:

“Germans were already smarting from revelations that U.S. intelligence listened in on the phone conversations of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Then came Nulandgate. On Thursday, a video was posted on YouTube in which Victoria Nuland, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, disparagingly dismissed European Union efforts to mediate the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine by bluntly saying, ‘F— the E.U.’ On Friday, Merkel, through press attache Christiane Wirtz, described the gaffe as ‘absolutely unacceptable,’ and defended the efforts of Catherine Ashton, the E.U.’s foreign policy chief. ‘The chancellor finds these remarks absolutely unacceptable and wants to emphasize that Mrs. Ashton is doing an outstanding job,’ Wirtz said.

“Still freshly furious over the phone-tapping scandals, Germans took to Twitter and other social media in a litany of bitter comments… In Brussels, E.U. officials remained publicly mum. Though the story played big across the continent, the official response beyond Germany appeared relatively muted. But the Germans were not the only ones smarting. Reactions among Austrian members of the European Parliament ranged from outrage to schadenfreude. ‘Victoria Nuland must step down after these remarks, otherwise there has to be a suspension of negotiations about the E.U.-U.S. free-trade agreement,’ Jörg Leichtfried, leader of the Austrian Social Democratic delegation in the European Parliament, told the Austrian press agency APA, according to the daily Die Presse.

“Nuland quickly apologized for the comments, with the United States pointing the finger Thursday at the Russians for recording and posting her private conversations with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt… Nevertheless, analysts said the unscripted moment served to underscore a serious point: the increasingly strained nature of the U.S. relationship with continental Europe — and, first and foremost, with Germany. In the aftermath of the exposure by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden of U.S. intelligence-gathering efforts in the region, distrust of the American agenda in Germany has jumped appreciably.

“Experts say the image of the United States has suffered deeply, with the Nuland gaffe reinforcing perceptions of American heavy-handedness at a highly sensitive time. This week, for instance, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper published fresh allegations that the United States had wiretapped former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder. In response, Schröder gave an interview to the Bild newspaper in which he said, ‘The U.S. has no respect for a loyal ally and for the sovereignty of our country.’

“Olaf Boehnke, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the gaffe could not have come at a worse time. To some extent, German officials — particularly Merkel — have sought to put the wiretapping scandal behind them, pragmatically attempting to move forward and mend the transatlantic relationship. Nuland’s comments, he said, had just made that effort more difficult, particularly with the increasingly skeptical German public. ‘It was really the worst thing that could happen; Germans will be going home tonight to discuss this at dinner,’ Boehnke said. ‘It fits into a broader picture that German people have of the U.S. betraying the trust in them.’”

BBC News wrote on February 7:

“The conversation between Ms Nuland and Mr Pyatt reveals deeper tensions between America and Europe. Washington seems to prefer a deal brokered by the UN rather than Brussels. If true, that would bruise the feelings of EU officials. They believe this is their crisis to solve. Today’s comments and accusations are a reminder that this crisis is far from over and that it has the potential to cause division and tension even between allies.”

The Local quoted the Geman newspaper, “Die Welt,” as follows on February 7:

“‘Not even those affected were surprised by Nuland’s unladylike turn of [a] phrase she used to express her negative judgment of the Europeans,’ Die Welt wrote. ‘In a different phone call, which can also be heard on YouTube, top German diplomat Helga Schmid can be heard complaining that the USA feel the EU is being ‘weak’ on Ukraine. Nuland’s conversation with Pyatt makes it clear how intensively the West, especially the US, are concerning themselves with the current uprising in Ukraine and what they think of opposition leaders,’ it added.”

The Bible prophesied long ago that the relationship between the USA and Europe (Germany in particular) will worsen until outright war will ensue between the two power blocs. A modern “King of Assyria” will be used by God to punish the sinful modern house of Israel—especially the USA and the UK. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.” Also, please take note of the next two articles, dealing with Germany’s history, which were written from a German perspective. As is so often the case, events of today and tomorrow can be explained, at least in part, by reviewing events of the past.

Obama—“No No-Spy Agreement with Europe”

The EUObserver wrote on February 12:

“US President Barack Obama after meeting his French counterpart in Washington poured cold water on European hopes that the US will sign no-spy agreements with countries like France and Germany. Obama said there is no country in the world the US has such agreements with, not even the UK.”

Germany’s Bad Memories of Hyperinflation

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 7:

“There’s a number that illustrates the brutal dynamics of the hyperinflation of 1923 better than anything else. It’s the number four. In the fall of 1923, prices were doubling in Germany approximately every four days… Three generations after the collapse of the German mark, the fear of hyperinflation is more alive today than ever before.

“The global glut of money as a result of the financial crisis has evoked painful memories of the great inflation that began with the beginning of World War I in 1914 and ended in chaos in 1923. Each new report on the need for billions in Europe’s crisis-ridden countries reignites concerns over the stability of money. According to a poll by the Allensbach opinion research firm, Germans fear inflation even more than life-threatening diseases like cancer…

“The euro has proven to be more stable than the deutsche mark ever was. Economists are more concerned that prices will decline on a broad scale, crippling the economy. It makes no sense to invoke terrible visions of 1923 today, says economic historian Hans-Joachim Voth. ‘A repeat is unthinkable,’ he notes. The Germans suffer from a sort of ‘collective psychosis,’ concludes Voth, who teaches in Barcelona…

“Families today still remember the horrifying reports of what once happened to grandparents and great-grandparents. The fate of someone like Berlin author Maximilian Bern illustrates the extent of despair. In 1923, Bern withdrew his savings, more than 100,000 marks, from the bank. But 100,000 wasn’t much compared with the 2.5 quintillion marks in circulation at the end of October. Years earlier, the money would have been enough to pay for Bern’s retirement, but now it was worth no more than the price of his last subway ticket. Bern went home, locked his door and died of hunger. Doctors, teachers and professors had not only lost everything they owned, but also their confidence in the state. In 1914, many had gone to war with enthusiasm, and they had bought bonds, which generally yielded a five-percent return. The government collected 98 billion marks, but not a pfennig of the money was repaid…

“People felt cheated, both of victory in the war and their money in the bank. The same bitter experience was repeated a generation later, when the Third Reich came to an end. This double loss of confidence shaped the civil society of the postwar period. Its members yearned for stability and order and were sharply opposed to experiments, especially with their money. This need for security — in other words, their aversion to risk — is practically proverbial to this day in Germany…

“In 1948, the Allies had decreed that the Bank of the German States was not to be ‘subject to the directives of any political entities or public agencies, with the exception of the courts.’ It was something then Chancellor Konrad Adenauer could never accept…  This is the irony of history: Washington and Paris, the Western wartime allies, once decreed complete independence and strict budgetary discipline for the Bundesbank, but now the mentors are violating their own principles.”

Germany’s Two Wars

On February 7, Der Spiegel Online published a lengthy article about Germany’s role in World War I and World War II, and the subsequent conduct of Germany’s enemies. We will be quoting quite extensively from this article, as it puts into perspective current conditions in Europe and it will give the reader a better understanding as to why things happened there in the past—and why and how prophecies will come to pass in the near future:

“As its name indicates, World War I was the first truly global conflict, the effects of which only a few nations managed to escape…  While Germany lost two million soldiers in World War I — more than any other country — that number was more than doubled in World War II. The situation was reversed among Germany’s adversaries in the West. More than twice as many Britons and four times as many Frenchmen died on the battlefields of World War I than in World War II…

“It is difficult to say how many German soldiers perceived the cease-fire as a shock, as Hitler did. But by the time the Treaty of Versailles was signed, the dream of exacting revenge for the humiliation Germany had suffered became an obsession… For many historians, there is a direct line between Verdun and Stalingrad… In their view, the years between 1914 and 1945 merge into a single, uninterrupted conflict interrupted by a prolonged cease-fire…

“The Treaty of Versailles seemed to confirm all fears… Under Article 231 of the treaty, Germany was forced to concede that it was solely responsible for the war — a genuflection from which the victorious powers derived their claim for extensive reparations… It was the United States that turned the tide in World War I… By August, some 1.3 million men had been shipped from the United States to Europe…

“Today Versailles is seen as a cardinal error, with the French playing the role of the victor seeking revenge. In truth, however, it was the United States that did not live up to its responsibility. Wilson drafted a new world order, in which all nations were granted a right to self-determination. But when it came to stepping into America’s new role as a hegemon, Congress withdrew its support by forcing the president to agree to a strict policy of nonintervention. The Europeans were on their own once again, but this time it was in a different configuration than before the beginning of the war.

“The British, who had entered the war as the world’s creditors, emerged from it as debtors to the United States. While the French were one of the victorious powers, they were in fact no longer a major military power… it was Germany that would hazard another war — precisely what the Treaty of Versailles was intended to avert…

“The indecisiveness of the United States, its political elites divided over how to assume their role as a new world power, was already apparent in the peace negotiations. The resulting peace was one with conditions that were insufficiently draconian to permanently weaken the German Reich, and yet too severe not to give rise to a desire among the losers to reverse the peace when the next opportunity arose…

“Germany’s total war reparations, enforced with massive threats, amounted to 132 billion gold marks, payable in 66 annual installments, together with 26 percent of the value of its exports. Present-day Germany was still suffering the consequences until 2010, when Berlin made its last interest payment on foreign bonds it had issued after World War I to satisfy the Allies’ demands for reparations. The most agonizing aspect of the war repayment was its duration.

“Hardly anyone was as familiar with the Germans’ smoldering resentment (or knew how to take advantage of it) as the private from Munich. Within three years, Adolf Hitler went from being an unknown veteran to the ‘King of Munich,’ a man who could fill the city’s largest beer halls with his appearances. The fact that the Allies had forced Germany to sign the Treaty of Versailles was a central theme of Hitler’s speeches. At his rallies, he never failed to mention ‘shameful and humiliating peace’ that had condemned Germany to ‘servitude’ for the foreseeable future. Humiliation at the hands of the victorious powers became a collective trauma that united Germans far beyond the circle of supporters of the rising Nazi Party…

“Until 1929, the German economy had managed to keep itself more or less afloat, partly as a result of American investments. Now the creditors from abroad were withdrawing their money, plunging the German Reich directly into the vortex of the Great Depression. The deflationary policy of Reich Chancellor Heinrich Brüning drove unemployment numbers to well over six million.

“Despite the defeat in 1918, the pride of the German officer corps was still intact. It was clear to everyone, beginning with the general staff, that the French would never have achieved victory on their own… When Germany invaded France in 1940, the Wehrmacht had learned from past mistakes. In the first war, German attacks had frequently failed due to an inability to bring up additional artillery and infantry quickly enough to preserve the momentum of attack achieved by shock troops.

“Now the tank force was being combined with dive bombers, which functioned as airborne artillery. This enabled German troops to advance at speeds previously believed to be impossible. German troops reached the Meuse River in two days, and after six weeks France was forced to capitulate. It was the greatest defeat of a proud nation in military history. When the French laid down their arms, half of their soldiers had not even arrived in the combat zone yet.

“For the majority of German officers, the victory over France was the gratification they had desired. But for their commander-in-chief, the western campaign was merely one stage in a much more extensive war of conquest. As a result, the world was transformed into a hell on earth once again, and what began as a war of revenge ended in a war of extermination more complete and boundless than the massive slaughter of World War I.

“What was to be done with Germany? The Allies now faced the same question a second time, in the summer of 1944. By the time the Americans had landed in Normandy, everyone knew that the Third Reich’s days were numbered. But the victorious powers were confronted with the same problem they had faced a quarter of a century earlier: How to prevent the Germans from planning the next war soon after their defeat.

“One of the men who had been pondering this issue for some time was US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau. He believed that the Germans were a people with an unquenchable thirst for war. Because there would no longer be anyone to stand in the way after a third attempt to achieve global dominance, the goal was to figure out how to prevent them from doing so. It was a question of survival, not just for Europe [but] for all of mankind.

“In September 1944, Morgenthau submitted a plan to the president in which he proposed the large-scale destruction of German heavy industry. Anything that could be used to produce weapons was to be destroyed, seized or placed under international control. This meant the elimination of Germany’s chemical, steel and electrical industries… Morgenthau had influential adversaries. Both the American State Department and senior military officials stationed in Germany were strictly opposed to sending Germany back to the Middle Ages… But the treasury secretary had both the strength of his convictions and the ear of President Roosevelt. Their wives were good friends, and the two couples socialized with each other.

“In addition, Roosevelt had little sympathy for what he called the ‘Huns.’… ‘We have got to be tough with Germany,’ Roosevelt told to his secretary of state. ‘You either have to castrate the German people or you have got to treat them so they can’t just go on reproducing people who want to continue as in the past.’

“Morgenthau seemed to prevail at a meeting between Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Quebec in September 1944. Churchill… initially had strong objections to the plan… But then money came into play and decided the issue. Churchill urgently needed a new loan from the United States. With that hurdle out of the way, the two commanders-in-chief placed their initials under a document agreeing on the transformation of Germany into a ‘country principally agricultural and pastoral in character.’

“That the Germans were eventually spared this fate is thanks the US public outcry over the plan and fear of the Russians. If Roosevelt dreamed of a long-term alliance with the Soviet Union, his successor Harry S. Truman had no illusions about the character of Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. Churchill, too, did not have to be convinced of Stalin’s malevolence…

“Everything was done differently this time. Instead of rubbing the faces of the defeated in the extent of their humiliation by demanding submission, the United States carefully guided the country back into the family of nations. The victors also practiced leniency in the courts, limiting their prosecutions to a small number of leading war criminals. The majority escaped with a formal interrogation, with which the requirements of denazification were satisfied. Only two decades later, in the Auschwitz trials starting in 1963, did a true investigation of the crimes begin…

“The notion that they could never be allowed to possess weapons again is a view that the Germans, only too happy to be disarmed, completely internalized over the years. Pacifism had become national policy by the time the peace movement began. Even the swearing in of new recruits by torchlight can be a source of discomfort. When the Germans decide to do something, they do it thoroughly. In a strange reversal of roles, they had assumed the role of the reformed criminal who lectures others on how to bring about peace without weapons…

“To this day, the mistrust among Germans hasn’t disappeared completely. In the European debate, the suspicion that things could change drastically once again is a subliminal but clearly perceptible motif. Hardly any appeal to European solidarity makes do without a reference to the war and the resulting obligation to keep the peace. Integration into Europe is seen as a sort of self-shackling of the German giant, intended to relieve its neighbors’ fears of the country’s size and economic might…

“During the euro crisis, there has been a noticeable decline in the Germans’ desire to contribute to peace in Europe through transfer payments. But the ongoing impact of the memory of both world wars remains evident in the fact that an EU-critical party has yet to win seats in German parliament. Until his death in 1967, Morgenthau remained convinced that the Germans could not be pacified. ‘You are too young to be able to evaluate whether the Morgenthau plan was a mistake,’ he told his biographer when he tried to get Morgenthau to admit that his plan was wrong. ‘And I’ll bet you — though I won’t be around to collect — that you’re going to have to fight Germany again before you die.’

“Like many historians, the former US treasury secretary saw World War I as the beginning — not of a Thirty Years’ War but of a Hundred Years’ War.”

And so, even though Morgenthal, Roosevelt, Churchill and others did not understand biblical prophecies, it is interesting to note that another World War will break out in this century, involving, at first, Germany and the USA… but this time, it will be a war between the United States of Europe—under German leadership—and the USA and Great Britain.

Will the Bundeswehr be Deployed More Often in the Future?

Deutsche Welle reported on February 8:

“In Mali, the Bundeswehr is being trained for future military interventions, says Christine Buchholz in a DW interview. The Left party politician accompanied Defense Minister von der Leyen on her latest trip to Africa… ‘I believe that the deployment of the Bundeswehr doesn’t have much to do with Mali itself. Mrs. von der Leyen, President Gauck and Foreign Minister Steinmeier have oriented their policy toward more foreign military deployments, and so they are looking for more trouble spots. That’s the higher objective. Of course it’s also about the training of the Malian army which can then be deployed in the north. But the main purpose is the training of the Bundeswehr for future assignments in Africa.

“For the defense minister, the trip also seemed to be about creating images to counteract the low acceptance of the German population regarding foreign assignments of the Bundeswehr… Mali is also a training ground for the Bundeswehr. During the Mali mission, the Bundeswehr refueled warplanes in-flight during deployment for the first time. That is an exercise under real-life conditions in Africa. Insofar, I expect that the Bundeswehr is now being trained to intervene in comparable conflicts. I also expect that there will be more engagements in the future. They will be very different – they won’t all be such large missions like the one in Afghanistan. In different ways, the Bundeswehr will be deployed more often.”

New International Assignment for German Bundeswehr?

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 12:

“The German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, may be facing a new foreign assignment – the German foreign office confirmed Wednesday that it is considering participating in the planned destruction of Syrian chemical weapons on a US ship in the Mediterranean. The German navy may participate by providing security to the American ship where the destruction will take place.

“Berlin had already offered to destroy Syrian chemical weapons on German soil, which would take place at a state-owned company in Munster, Lower Saxony… According to a United Nations mandate, the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad must destroy all chemical warfare agents by June 2014. However, the removal of toxic substances – including sarin and mustard gas – has been slow going… Assad’s regime has said it remains committed to the June deadline, but that security problems… were causing delays…

“Peace talks between the two warring parties continued in Geneva on Wednesday, but little progress has been made. They came even as warplanes bombed the rebel-held town of Yabroud, near Syria’s border to Lebanon.”

“Merkel Toppled from Popularity Throne”

The Local wrote on February 7:

“Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has overtaken Angela Merkel to become Germany’s most popular politician, a poll on Friday showed, with the Chancellor slipping from the top spot for the first time in two years… Seventy percent of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with how the Social Democrat (SPD) veteran was performing in his job as foreign minister, compared to 69 percent for Merkel. 

“Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, from Merkel’s CDU party, occupied third place, as 68 percent of those polled said they were happy with his work… Poll respondents were less pleased with the performances of Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who fell six points to 43 points, while Horst Seehofer, the leader of the Christian Democrats’ Bavarian sister party, the CSU, plunged ten points to 38 percent. Von der Leyen has started in her new post by looking to increase German troop numbers abroad, something which does not sit well with most Germans.

“Steinmeier, who served as foreign minister from 2005-09, has also been busy globetrotting in a sign Germany will pursue a more active foreign policy.”

Steinmeier, a Lutheran, is married and has one daughter. He studied law and served in many different political capacities, including that of Vice Chancellor. Merkel and Schaeuble are also Lutherans.

“Bosnia-Hercegovina Protests Break Out in Violence”

BBC News reported on February 7:

“Demonstrators in Bosnia-Hercegovina have set fire to government buildings, in the worst unrest since the end of the 1992-95 war. Hundreds of people have been injured in three days of protests over high unemployment and perceived inability of politicians to improve the situation… Black smoke could be seen coming from the presidency building in Sarajevo…

“About 40% of Bosnians are unemployed. The unrest began in Tuzla earlier in the week, with protests over the closure and sale of factories which had employed most of the local population. This appears to be a case of simmering frustration boiling over. Two decades on from the siege of Sarajevo, Bosnia has fallen off the international radar – and its people feel they have been forgotten. And not just by the wider world, but their own government.

“The administration is split along ethnic lines – and seems incapable of agreeing on anything but its own above-average pay packets.This has left the rest of Bosnia’s citizens struggling to move forward. Even practical matters like national identity cards, get mired in ethnic politics. At one point last year, desperate mothers formed a human chain around the main government building, begging for identity cards for their babies.

“The economic situation is desperate. Four in ten are unemployed – in large part due to a series of botched privatisations. That is what sparked the initial protests in Tuzla – but empathy with their cause brought demonstrators out in towns across Bosnia…”

American Presbyterian Church Angers Israel

JTA wrote on February 7:

“A study guide on Zionism published by an arm of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is drawing expressions of outrage from Jewish groups. The guide is ‘worthy of a hate group, not a prominent American church,’ said Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella body for Jewish public policy groups.

“The study guide by the church’s Israel Palestine Mission Network is titled ‘Zionism Unsettled.’ It posits that a ‘pathology inherent in Zionism’ drives the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and rejects theologies that uphold Zionism. It also calls for an ‘expanded, inclusive’ understanding of the Nazi genocide that would apply its lessons not just with respect to the persecution faced by Jews but also to the plight of the Palestinians, among others. The guide urges a ‘renunciation of the morally hazardous claims of a hierarchy of victimhood.’

“The Israel Palestine Mission Network advises the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) but does not necessarily speak for the church, according to mission network’s website. But the JCPA noted that the church funds and must approve the expenditures of the mission network. ‘As such it is impossible to separate the toxic actions of IPMN from the PCUSA without the kind of clarification from PCUSA officials that remains sorely missing,’ Gutow said in the statement.

“The Simon Wiesenthal Center warned that the guide could result in Jews cutting off ties with the church. ‘If this book reflects the feelings of the PCUSA, the Simon Wiesenthal Center will divest all contacts from this institution and call on other Jewish organizations to do the same,’ the center said in a statement. The American Jewish Committee called the guide ‘a devastating distortion of Jewish and Israeli history, aimed at nothing less than eradicating the State of Israel.’”

“The guide was released ahead of the church’s biennial General Assembly, taking place this June in Detroit. The gathering will once again consider recommendations that it divest from companies that deal with Israel’s military. Similar resolutions have been narrowly defeated in the past.”

Vast Majority of Israelis Don’t Trust Obama, Kerry and America

Breitbart wrote on February 7:

“A new poll by Israel’s Geocartography Institute found that 70% of Israeli Jews do not trust the U.S. to protect Israeli security interests in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, according to the Jerusalem Post. The poll… also revealed that 75% of Jewish Israelis do not trust President Barack Obama, with degrees ranging from ‘definitely no’ to ‘not completely.’

“In addition, the poll found that two-thirds of Israelis agree with their government’s recent criticisms of statements by Secretary of State John Kerry. In recent months, Kerry has warned that Israel could face boycotts and even a ‘third intifada’ if it did not reach a deal with the Palestinians. U.S. officials were at pains to stress that Kerry did not mean to threaten Israel but to warn Israel about what other parties might try to do to it.”

The relationship between the USA and Israel will steadily deteriorate, until Israel will have been forsaken by all of its allies.

Israel Minister of Housing Wishes Construction of Third Temple

The website of israelvideonetwork.com wrote on February 2, 2014:

“The Israel Minister of Housing and Construction Uri Ariel on Friday expressed his wish to see the construction of a ‘Third Temple’ in place of the Al-Aqsa Mosque that is currently occupying the temple mount. Uri Ariel said ‘The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE, the second Temple in 70 CE, and ever since the Jewish People have been mourning its loss.’

“He then went on to say ‘Al-Aqsa Mosque is currently in place of the temple, despite the temple being much holier than it. Al-Aqsa Mosque is only the third most holy mosque in Islam.’ ‘Now that Israel has once again become a Jewish sovereign state, the desire to rebuild the Temple is growing stronger and strong’ he added.”

Uproar in Israel’s Knesset Over European Parliament President Martin Schulz’s Speech

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 12:

“European Parliament President Martin Schulz came under fire Wednesday after making remarks in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, about the water usage of Palestinians and Israelis in the occupied West Bank.

“In his speech, Schulz said that when he was in Ramallah earlier in the week, a young Palestinian had asked him ‘why an Israeli can use 70 cubic liters of water daily and a Palestinian only 17?’ He then added, ‘I haven’t checked the data. I’m asking you if this is correct.’

“The remarks caused the Knesset to break out in turmoil. Right-wing Jewish Home Party member Moti Yogev shouted at him, ‘Shame on you, you support someone who incites against Jews.’ Yogev and Naftali Bennett, Economy Minister and Jewish Home party leader, then left the hall. Bennett immediately took to his Facebook page: ‘I will not tolerate duplicitous propaganda against Israel in the Knesset … and especially not in German.’

“Likud Party member Moshe Feiglin, known for his extreme statements, was absent for the speech because, ‘it is inappropriate that a speech is given in the parliament of the Jewish state, in the language used when our parents were thrust into the railway wagons and in the crematoria,’ he wrote on Facebook.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his own address to the Knesset, accused Schulz of repeating claims without fact-checking. ‘Check first,’ he said. Israeli media quoted Israel’s national water authority as saying the figures quoted by Schulz were inaccurate with West Bank settlers consuming 1.7 times more water per person, instead of 4.2 times more.

“In his speech, Schulz also said ‘the Palestinians have the right to self-determination and equality,’ and that they want to ‘live in peace and have unlimited freedom of movement,’ which he said they are denied in Gaza. Shortly before his Knesset speech, Schulz had complained of sensitivity in Israel against criticism from Europe…”

The Times of Israel wrote on February 12:

“Left-wing MKs reacted angrily to a right-wing walkout during the speech of EU Parliament President Martin Schulz in the Knesset Wednesday…  ‘The behavior of the Jewish Home MKs was shameful and scandalous,’ said opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog (Labor). ‘I think some of the [MKs] didn’t even hear the speech,’ he told Israel Radio shortly after the incident. ‘My colleagues and I were embarrassed. We know Martin Schulz. He defends Israel’s position, including in the European Parliament.’

“Schulz’s speech included ‘deep, historic words about the justice of Israel, about the Shoah and its lessons, about the battle against anti-Semitism and against evil; it was very impressive. And then he talked about our relationship with the Palestinians and the founding of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as part of the two-state solution. We have to get used to the fact that even our friends around the world are sometimes critical of us, and they’re going to say it. In the Knesset itself far worse things are said,’ Herzog added…

“Schulz had used the speech, delivered in his mother tongue of German, to reassure Israel of the European Union’s friendship, asserting that it plans no boycott against Israel and is committed to the Jewish people’s right to live in peace and security…

“‘I’m not familiar with the facts about water quotas,’ said Herzog, ‘but these are claims that can be dealt with, looked into, respectfully. Don’t put on a show. [Much of Schulz’s speech] would make Israel proud around the world, and we can only hope that every member of the EU Parliament will study it.’

“Meretz chair MK Zahava Gal-on was even harsher in her criticism. Responding to Jewish Home MKs’ complaints that criticism of Israel in German was especially problematic, she said in a statement: ‘The use of the Holocaust as a way to avoid dealing with international criticism isn’t just disgusting, it’s ridiculous.’ Jewish Home MKs were angry that Schulz ‘had dared to say that Israel needs to think about its relationship with the Palestinians,’ she said.”

America Is “Lying” and Still Iran’s Enemy

The Times of Israel wrote on February 8:

“Iran’s Supreme Leader said American officials are ‘lying’ when they say they are not seeking regime change in Iran… Khamenei also urged officials not to pin hopes for economic recovery on the sanctions relief from a landmark deal reached with world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program… Khamenei has given his blessing to Rouhani’s outreach policies. But he also has held to the line that the United States is fundamentally Iran’s adversary.”

The Associated Press reported on February 8:

“Iranian warships dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean will travel close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time, a senior Iranian naval commander said Saturday… The fleet, consisting of a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship, began its voyage last month from the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The ships, carrying some 30 navy academy cadets for training along with their regular crews, are on a three-month mission…

“IRNA quoted Haddad as saying the fleet is approaching U.S. maritime borders for the first time. The Islamic Republic considers the move as a response to U.S. naval deployments near its own coastlines. The U.S. Navy’s 5th fleet is based in Bahrain, just across the Persian Gulf.”

Iran Prepares for War Against USA and Israel

The Washington Times wrote on February 12:

“A leading military chief in Iran said America’s threats against Tehran mean next to nothing — and that it’s the United States that better watch it. ‘We are ready for the decisive battle against the U.S. and the Zionist regime,’ said Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, according to Fars News, Iran’s government-run news agency. ‘If we are targeted from the U.S. bases in the region, we will hit those bases.’

“The general also said that Iran’s been prepping for war against the United States and Israel for the past 10 years… The bellicose threats come as the West, led by U.S. influence, forged a deal with Iran to freeze its nuclear activity for six months in exchange for relaxed international economic sanctions.”

How America Forsakes Its Poor

The Huffington Post wrote on February 6:

“Democrats failed on Thursday to win enough Republican votes to reauthorize long-term unemployment benefits for more than a million workers cut off in December. At least five Republicans needed to vote for the bill in order for it to advance, but only four did. The bill failed 58-to-40. Even if the Senate eventually passes an extension of unemployment benefits, which seems unlikely, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have been unenthusiastic about holding a vote.

“More than 1.7 million long-term jobless Americans have missed out on benefits since the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program lapsed on Dec. 28. Since 2008, the program had provided extra weeks of benefits to laid-off workers who use up the standard six months of state benefits. Democrats tried to sweeten the deal by banning millionaires from receiving benefits. Thursday’s measure would have required unemployment claimants to certify they’d earned less than $1 million in the previous year; previously, there was no income restriction…

“Congress routinely installs temporary federal benefit programs when the economy sours, then lets them expire when it improves. Democrats say that with an unprecedented 3.9 million Americans unemployed six months or longer, it’s too soon to drop the benefits…

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the Senate would try again… Last week, Reid told the story of a 57-year-old Nevada woman who’d written him to say that since her unemployment benefits stopped, she’s been couch surfing at friends’ houses. He revisited the story at a press conference on Thursday. ‘She couldn’t pay her rent,’ he said. ‘I hadn’t heard the term, some of the younger people probably have — she’s been couch-surfing. She’s been going from friend to friend to sleep on their couch. She said, “How do you think it makes me feel?’”’

Sadly, these real tragic life stories are no exceptions, but are becoming more and more common place in a country which prides itself of helping the poor. We might be doing this in other countries, granting them financial assistance beyond control, but what about our own people?

How America Punishes Its Poor

The Huffington Post wrote on February 12:

“In recent years, local governments throughout the United States have locked up growing numbers of people for failing to pay their legal debts… a new report takes a closer look at the emergence of modern-day ‘debtors’ prisons’ in Washington state, specifically.

“People throughout the state are often sent to jail because they can’t afford to pay the heavy fines and legal fees issued by county courts… The county’s District Court fines people for misdemeanors… defendants are often ordered to pay for the cost of their trials… Throughout the state, defendants frequently must pay fines, fees and other charges exceeding several thousand dollars per conviction, accruing interest at the rate of 12 percent per year…

“Under the U.S. Constitution, Americans can’t be jailed for failing to pay their debts when the reason for their failure to pay is poverty. But in Washington and other states, county governments get around that by insisting poor defendants could find a way to pay if they simply tried hard enough…

“In Ohio, a woman who couldn’t pay a $250 legal debt was held in jail for over a month… thousands of courts in Southern states jail people who can’t keep up with the fees imposed on them by private probation companies. Some states have begun curtailing their versions of the practice. In Ohio, the state Supreme Court announced last week that it would hand out ‘bench cards’ to state judges, encouraging them to offer payment plans to people who couldn’t afford their fines.”

Weak US Economy

BBC News wrote on February 7:

“The US economy added 113,000 jobs in January, the second month in a row the figure has been weaker than expected. Economists had predicted the US Labor Department would report an increase of about 180,000 new jobs… Getting America back to work is unfinished business… there were declines in hiring in retail, utilities, government, and education and health employment… Earlier this week, an unexpectedly weak manufacturing report raised concerns about the strength of the US economy and sent the Dow Jones tumbling by 326 points.”

Obamacare Problems

Newsmax wrote on February 12:

“The White House has been dealt a stunning new blow on Obamacare sign-up numbers with reports showing that only about half of the people ‘enrolled’ at healthcare exchanges in various states have actually paid their premiums. With the March 31 deadline for enrollment just seven weeks away, the number of sign-ups in federal and state marketplaces has slowed down to an alarming figure since the sudden surge in the latter part of December and early January.

“But the bigger problem for the Obama administration is that roughly 50 percent of consumers who had supposedly enrolled for President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform have missed their payment deadline for January 1.”

House and Senate Raise Debt Ceiling

Breitbart wrote on February 12:

“According to an analysis by the Senate Budget Committee Republican staff, the national debt when the debt ceiling comes back into effect [on March 15, 2015] will be $18.2 trillion, about $1 trillion more than the current, $17.2 trillion debt…

“After House Republicans failed to agree on a plan to include spending cuts and reforms in their debt ceiling bill, Speaker John Boehner brought a ‘clean’ debt ceiling increase to the House floor yesterday, which passed with mostly Democrats and 28 Republicans.

“The Senate just advanced its version of the legislation, voting to invoke cloture on the bill by a vote of 67-31… The vote puts the bill on the fast-track to a signature from President Obama.”

Deutsche Welle added on February 12:

“… [the] bill which will allow the US to continue borrowing normally for the next 13 months, also known as ‘raising the debt ceiling’…  the US Treasury will be able to pay its current debts, estimated at more than $17 trillion (12.5 trillion euros) until March 15, 2015.”

IRS to Tax American Gold Medalists

On February 7, 2014, the Drudge Report linked an article from the website of Americans For Tax Reform, stating this:

“As 230 U.S. Olympic athletes gear up to compete in the 2014 Winter Games, the only thing colder than the slopes at Sochi is the fact that any prizes awarded by the U.S. Olympic Commission (USOC) will be taxed by the IRS. Many Americans don’t realize that the U.S. taxes income earned abroad, and as such even the winnings of Olympic athletes are subject to the reach of the IRS.

“The USOC awards prizes to U.S. Olympic medal winners: $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze. Relative to each athlete’s income tax bracket, some top earners such as Shaun White could end up paying over a third (39.6 percent) of their winnings to the IRS.

“Additionally, because the U.S. is one of only a handful of developed countries that tax income earned abroad, it is likely America’s competitors will not be subject to such a tax. Taken together – the tax on Olympic athletes and the tax on income earned abroad – it can be said the U.S. has officially ‘earned the Gold’ for having one of the most backwards and illogical tax codes in the world.”

Amen to that last comment.

Sweeping Changes for Same Sex Couples in Justice Department

Reuters wrote on February 8:

“Attorney General Eric Holder plans widespread changes within the U.S. Justice Department to benefit same-sex married couples, such as recognizing a legal right for them not to testify against each other in civil and criminal cases, according to excerpts of a speech on Saturday. The changes are designed to keep pushing for gay rights in the United States after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year said the federal government cannot refuse to recognize same-sex marriages carried out in states that allow them.

“U.S. law has long included a ‘spousal privilege’ that protects communications between a husband and wife so they cannot be forced to be incriminating witnesses against each other in court. In addition to extending the privilege to same-sex couples in situations involving the Justice Department, Holder said he plans to put same-sex couples on the same legal footing as opposite-sex couples in other areas, including how certain debts are handled in federal bankruptcy proceedings and visitation policies at federal prisons.

“‘In every courthouse, in every proceeding, and in every place where a member of the Department of Justice stands on behalf of the United States, they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, protections, and rights as opposite-sex marriages under federal law,’ Holder said in the speech excerpts released in advance…

“Holder will also make same-sex married couples equally eligible for death benefits paid to the surviving spouses of law enforcement officers who have died on duty and for benefits from the September 11 victims’ compensation fund, according to the speech excepts. The Justice Department runs both programs…

“Only 13 U.S. states have legalized gay marriage. In states where same-sex marriage is not legal, spousal privilege for same-sex couples is not guaranteed. In politically conservative Kentucky, for example, a state judge in September denied a woman’s request for spousal privilege to shield her from testifying against her partner in a capital murder case.”

Worldwide Disagreements of Catholics with Their Church

The Washington Post wrote on February 8:

“Most Catholics worldwide disagree with church teachings on divorce, abortion and contraception and are split on whether women and married men should become priests, according to a large new poll released Sunday and commissioned by the U.S. Spanish-language network Univision. On the topic of gay marriage, two-thirds of Catholics polled agree with church leaders.

“Overall, however, the poll of more than 12,000 Catholics in 12 countries reveals a church dramatically divided: Between the developing world in Africa and Asia, which hews closely to doctrine on these issues, and Western countries in Europe, North America and parts of Latin America, which strongly support practices that the church teaches are immoral. The widespread disagreement with Catholic doctrine on abortion and contraception and the hemispheric chasm lay bare the challenge for Pope Francis’s year-old papacy and the unity it has engendered…

“19 percent of Catholics in the European countries and 30 percent in the Latin American countries surveyed agree with church teaching that divorcees who remarry outside the church should not receive Communion, compared with 75 percent in the most Catholic African countries.

“30 percent of Catholics in the European countries and 36 percent in the United States agree with the church ban on female priests, compared with 80 percent in Africa and 76 percent in the Philippines, the country with the largest Catholic population in Asia.

“40 percent of Catholics in the United States oppose gay marriage, compared with 99 percent in Africa.

“The poll… focused on 12 countries across the continents with some of the world’s largest Catholic populations. The countries are home to more than six of 10 Catholics globally…

“Seventy-eight percent of Catholics across all countries surveyed support the use of contraceptives, which violate the church’s teaching that sex should always be had with an openness toward procreation… More than 90 percent of Catholics in Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Spain and France support the use of contraception. Those less inclined to support it were in the Philippines (68 percent), Congo (44 percent) and Uganda (43 percent). In the United States, 79 percent of Catholics support using contraception… The poll also showed 66 percent of Catholics opposing same-sex marriage, with majorities in eight of the 12 countries surveyed agreeing with church doctrine…

“Critics say [Pope Francis’] solicitation of opinions wrongly gives the appearance that Catholicism is a democracy. Others… say there’s no evidence that he would touch doctrine… Any change would be a complex undertaking, as Catholics are going in many directions… Catholics in Brazil, the most populous Catholic country, widely reject some core church teachings but are seeing a surge in men becoming priests for the first time in decades. Filipino Catholics… support church teachings on some social issues but have a powerfully charismatic faith that isn’t focused on being in step with church leaders.”

It has always been the policy of the Roman Catholic Church to open its doors to people of all kinds of different beliefs, convictions and persuasions, placing a “Christian” mantle on their pagan worship. This type of syncretism is one reason for the utter confusion within the Church.

Final Draft Agreement Between Catholic Church and Palestine

Zenit wrote on February 7:

“A Holy See-Palestinian commission announced Thursday that there is ‘great satisfaction’ at progress toward the final draft of an agreement that will regulate aspects of Church life and activity in the Holy Land…  The talks were chaired by Hanna Amireh, member of Executive Committee of the PLO and head of the Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs of the State of Palestine, and by Archbishop Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See.

“‘The discussions took place in a cordial and constructive atmosphere,’ the Holy See reported…  ‘The Palestinian side expressed its warm welcome to Pope Francis in view of his upcoming visit to the Holy Land.’”

Catastrophic Ice Storm in the USA

BBC News wrote on February 12:

“A ‘catastrophic’ ice storm wreaking havoc in the American South is now poised to pummel the eastern seaboard, say forecasters. More than 350,000 people are reportedly without power and 3,300 US flights have been cancelled due to ice and strong winds… North Carolina and Virginia are bracing for up to 1ft (30cm) of snow as the storm rolls north… The National Weather Service said it was an event of ‘historical proportions’, drawing comparisons with similar weather systems that struck the Atlanta area in 2000 and 1973…

“North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory urged residents to ‘stay smart’, asking people to charge their mobile phones and find batteries for radios and flashlights in anticipation of power cuts. Traffic was snarled in the state, especially in the city of Raleigh, as the snow began to fall in the early evening and prevented crews from clearing roads.”

The Weather Channel added on February 12:

“Winter Storm Pax continued its second wave of wintry weather Wednesday, dumping freezing rain and sleet across a wide area that could experience catastrophic conditions for a prolonged period of time. In North Carolina, snowfall led to a disastrous commute Wednesday afternoon in Raleigh and Charlotte…”

“Meanwhile, a Deluge in the UK…”

The Daily Mail wrote on February 8:

“A wave bigger [than] the hamlet of Sennen Cove, in West Cornwall, was seen crashing over the cliffs today as a series of devastating storms swept in bringing gales of up to 80mph. There are more than 300 low-level flood alerts and nearly 200 medium-risk flood warnings in place across Wales and southern and central England as north as Hull – two of them pose ‘a danger to life’. Today’s storms are expected to be at least as severe as those which caused widespread destruction across southern England last week leaving swathes of the country under water.”

BBC News added on February 12:

“Further flooding is expected in parts of the UK, as forecasters warn stormy weather could bring the ‘strongest’ winds of winter and a month’s rainfall in the coming days.”

One member of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party – “get the UK out of Europe” party) said that because of homosexuality etc., the country was having all these problems. The Guardian newspaper wrote on February 10 that “A UKIP councillor who blamed the Christmas and new year floods on the passage of gay marriage laws has been suspended from the party, Ukip said on Sunday, reversing an earlier view that he was entitled to his opinion.  Henley-on-Thames councillor David Silvester, who defected from the Tories in protest at David Cameron’s support for same-sex unions, said he had warned the prime minister of ‘repercussions’ if gay marriage went ahead.   He was suspended by Ukip after defying a request not to do further interviews on his beliefs following his initial claims made in a letter to a local newspaper. The move came as leader Nigel Farage launched a clearout of ‘extremist, nasty or barmy’ views from the party ahead of polls in May.”

This is just a tiny foretaste of what is to come when the nation is truly told about its sins! 

Appalling Conduct Towards European Zoo Animals

The Associated Press reported on February 9:

“Copenhagen Zoo killed a 2-year-old giraffe and fed its remains to lions as visitors watched, ignoring a petition signed by thousands and offers from other zoos and a private individual to save the animal. Marius, a healthy male, was put down Sunday using a bolt pistol… Visitors, including children, were invited to watch while the giraffe was then skinned and fed to the lions… the zoo, which now has seven giraffes left, followed the recommendation of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria to put down Marius… because there already were a lot of giraffes with similar genes in the organization’s breeding program.

“The Amsterdam-based EAZA has 347 members, including many large zoos in European capitals… EAZA membership isn’t mandatory, but most responsible zoos are members of the organization… [The] zoo had turned down offers from other ones to take Marius and an offer from a private individual who wanted to buy the giraffe for 500,000 euros ($680,000)… [The zoo] turned down an offer from Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Britain, which is a member of EAZA, because Marius’ older brother lives there and the park’s space could be better used by a ‘genetically more valuable giraffe.’… Copenhagen Zoo also turned down an offer from a zoo in northern Sweden, because it was not an EAZA member…

“EAZA said it supported the zoo’s decision to ‘humanely put the animal down and believes strongly in the need for genetic and demographic management within animals in human care.’ However, the organization Animal Rights Sweden said the case highlights what it believes zoos do to animals regularly. ‘It is no secret that animals are killed when there is no longer space, or if the animals don’t have genes that are interesting enough,’ it said in a statement…

“Elisa Allen, spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the U.K., said Marius’ case should serve as a wake-up call for anyone who ‘still harbors the illusion that zoos serve any purpose beyond incarcerating intelligent animals for profit…  Giraffes rarely die of old age in captivity, and had Marius not been euthanized today, he would have lived out his short life as a living exhibit, stranded in a cold climate, thousands of miles away from his true home.’”

This kind of animal cruelty and the destruction of perfectly healthy animals for arbitrary or no reasons won’t be allowed anymore, when Christ rules on this earth.

Israeli Prayers Against John Kerry

rt.com wrote on January 31:

“Thousands of Israeli Jewish hardliners gathered at the Western Wall imploring God to throw a wrench in a peace plan proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry, which would see a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem and other territorial compromises. Police say around 2,000 people attended the gathering in Jerusalem’s Old City, where participants called on God to strike fear in the hearts of those who might cause harm to the land of Israel. Housing Minister Uri Ariel and other members of the far-right Jewish Home party, which forms part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition but fiercely opposes a two-state solution, were in attendance.

“In a not-so-veiled reference to Kerry’s role in peace negotiations, Ariel said ‘thousands of people came to pray for the people of Israel, to strengthen the government and the one who stands at its head, that he may be able to stand firm against the different pressures coming from the other side of the ocean,’ Israeli National News reported… Kerry, who is set to visit Israel for the 11th time in under a year, has enraged hardliner Israelis with a peace plan that reportedly includes an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and a future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital… Moshe Cohen, of the Beit El settlement, who was one of the Western Wall event’s organizers, told AFP: ‘Kerry’s plan endangers us since he wants to separate between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.’…

“Discomfort over Kerry’s plan and the alleged influence he is yielding over Netanyahu has led some in the Israeli government to accuse Kerry of anti-Semitism.  Knesset member Motti Yogev from the right-wing Bayit Yehudi Party told Israeli Radio that Kerry’s ‘anti-Israeli roots’ preclude him from being a fair mediator… Yogev said most senior officials from Netanyahu’s center-right Likud party agree with him…

“Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon was forced to apologize after calling Kerry’s drive for peace as ‘messianic’ and ‘obsessive.’… Meanwhile, Netanyahu sparked a crisis in his governing coalition Sunday by saying that Jews currently living in the West Bank would live under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority (PA)… New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman… who is viewed as being exceptionally close to the Obama administration, said Kerry has been ‘fanatically relentless’ but also ‘highly sophisticated’ in his attempts to bring both sides together. He says Netanyahu is clearly aware ‘that some kind of two-state solution is necessary for Israel’s integrity as a Jewish democratic state, with the healthy ties to Europe and the West that are vital for Israel’s economy,’ but is ‘deeply skeptical about Palestinian intentions.’”

The Telegraph added on February 2:

“John Kerry, the US secretary of state, triggered an angry backlash from Israeli leaders on Sunday after warning Israel faces an economic boycott if it failed to reach a peace accord with the Palestinians… Yuval Steinitz, the intelligence and strategic affairs minister and a close ally of Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said America’s top diplomat was ‘holding a gun to [Israel’s] head’…

“Naftali Bennett, the industry minister and leader of the far-Right Jewish Home party, said: ‘We expect of our friends in the world to stand by our side against the attempts to impose an anti-Semitic boycott on Israel, and not to be their mouthpiece.’ His comments were echoed by Adi Mintz, a senior official in the Settler’s Council, who accused Mr Kerry of ‘an anti-Semitic initiative’. ‘The anti-Semites have always resorted to a very simple method – hit the Jews in their pockets,’ he told Israel’s Channel 10 TV station. Mr Netanyahu was more restrained, telling Sunday’s cabinet meeting that efforts to impose a boycott were ‘immoral and unjust’ and doomed to fail.”

The relationship between the USA and Israel is bound to deteriorate more and more. To label John Kerry as an anti-Semite is absolutely preposterous.

The Unending Conflict in the Middle East

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 31:

“World War I may have ended in 1918, but the violence it triggered in the Middle East still hasn’t come to an end. Arbitrary borders drawn by self-interested imperial powers have left a legacy that the region has not been able to overcome… In no other theater of World War I are the results of that epochal conflict still as current as they are in the Middle East. Nowhere else does the early 20th century orgy of violence still determine political conditions to the same degree. The so-called European Civil War, a term used to describe the period of bloody violence that racked Europe from 1914 onwards, came to an end in 1945. The Cold War ceased in 1990. But the tensions unleashed on the Arab world by World War I remain as acute as ever. Essentially, the Middle East finds itself in the same situation now as Europe did following the 1919 Treaty of Versailles: standing before a map that disregards the region’s ethnic and confessional realities.

“In Africa, Latin America and — following the bloodletting of World War II — Europe, most peoples have largely come to accept the borders that history has forced upon them. But not in the Middle East. The states that were founded in the region after 1914, and the borders that were drawn then, are still seen as illegitimate by many of their own citizens and by their neighbors… No group of countries, particularly given their small sizes, has seen so many wars, civil wars, overthrows and terrorist attacks in recent decades. To understand how this historical anomaly came to pass, several factors must be considered: the region’s depressing history prior to World War I, the failure of the Arab elite and the continual intervention by the superpowers thereafter, the role of political Islam, the discovery of oil, the founding of Israel and the Cold War.

“Perhaps most important, however, was the wanton resolution made by two European colonial powers, Britain and France, that ordered this part of the world in accordance with their own needs and literally drew ‘A Line in the Sand,’ as the British historian James Barr titled his 2011 book about this episode [also referred to as the] ‘Peace to End All Peace,’ as Fromkin’s book is called.

“… the unresolved conflicts left behind by World War I, combined with the spill-over effects from the catastrophic World War II in Europe — the founding of Israel, the Cold War and the race for Persian Gulf resources — added up to a historical burden for the Middle East. And they have resulted in an unending conflict — a conflict that has yet to come to an end even today, almost 100 years after that fateful summer in 1914.”

Actions always have results. What we are seeing in the Middle East has of course been prophesied to occur—but this does not in any way justify past conduct of world powers which at least contributed to the current disaster.

Kerry Admits to Failure of US Policy in Syria

The Washington Times wrote on February 3:

“Two senators said Secretary of State John Kerry admitted to them behind closed doors that the White House position and policy on Syria was failing. He made the startling admission during private remarks to 15 congressional members, said two senators who were in the room, The Daily Beast reported. ‘[Kerry] acknowledged that the chemical weapons [plan] is being slow rolled, the Russians continue to supply arms, we are at a point now where we are going to have to change our strategy,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was in the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, The Daily Beast said. The other senator in the room who confirmed the discussions: John McCain, the outlet reported.

“Mr. Kerry also reportedly told the congressional members that he thinks Syria President Bashar Assad is not keeping his promise to turn over chemical weapons as scheduled and that neither the Geneva peace talks nor the Russians were proving helping in forging a peace deal, The Daily Beast said.”

Another US attempt in foreign policy which is failing. Also note the next article.

US Failed Road Building Policy in Afghanistan

The Washington Post wrote on January 30:

“They look like victims of an insurgent attack — their limbs in need of amputation, their skulls cracked — but the patients who pour daily into the Ghazni Provincial Hospital are casualties of another Afghan crisis. They are motorists who drove on the road network built by the U.S. government and other Western donors — a $4 billion project that was once a symbol of promise in post-Taliban Afghanistan but is now falling apart. Western officials say the Afghan government is unable to maintain even a fraction of the roads and highways constructed since 2001, when the country had less than 50 miles of paved roads. The deterioration has hurt commerce and slowed military operations. In many places, the roads once deemed the hallmark of America’s development effort have turned into death traps, full of cars careening into massive bomb-blast craters or sliding off crumbling pavement…

“Since 2012, the United States has refused to fund the Afghan government’s road maintenance projects because it has no faith in the country’s ability to perform even simple tasks, such as dispatching a contractor to fill in a pothole or repaving a stretch of highway. Despite those concerns, the U.S. government is still building new roads in Afghanistan, multimillion-dollar projects whose funds were allocated years ago…

“Before the U.S. invasion in 2001, almost all of Afghanistan’s roads — mostly Soviet-built — had been destroyed by war and neglect. The new, U.S.-built highways seemed to be a godsend for this impoverished nation. But the projects became notorious for their exorbitant costs and poorly implemented contracts. Sometimes, money landed in the hands of the Taliban in exchange for a tacit cease-fire during road construction…”

More Devastating Revelations About the NSA

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 5:

“It wasn’t only Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone that was on the NSA’s target list… Now it appears that, in addition to eavesdropping German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile communications, the National Security Agency was also eavesdropping on Gerhard Schröder’s phone while he was still chancellor. On Tuesday night, the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and NDR reported that Schröder had appeared on the so-called National Sigint Requirement List, a list of people and institutions named for targeting by the intelligence agency whose telephone communications should be monitored…

“The reports cite unnamed US government and NSA insider sources claiming that Schröder was declared a target for monitoring because of his critical position on US preparations for a war in Iraq. A person with knowledge of the action is quoted as saying that the US had reason to believe that Schröder would not help lead the alliance toward success…

“In Germany, the revelations appeared to create new tensions in German-American relations. Speaking to SPIEGEL ONLINE, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas, of Schröder’s center-left Social Democratic Party, accused the NSA of conducting indiscriminate mass surveillance…

“When SPIEGEL reported in October 2013 that Angela Merkel’s mobile phone had been tapped — even as far back as 2002, when she headed the conservative Christian Democratic Union party before becoming German’s leader — the article prompted massive outrage in Berlin. Further stories showed that the US intelligence service had also been eavesdropping on numerous other world leaders. In a speech addressing the NSA scandal, US President Barack Obama pledged that his agencies would no longer eavesdrop on the leaders of allied countries in the future. However, he at the same time imposed conditions that still give the intelligence agencies plenty of room for maneuver…

“In their reports, Süddeutsche and NDR claim the NSA was tasked not only with collecting metadata, but also information about when and with whom each target was speaking. The contents of telephone calls and SMS messages were also captured. And this appears to have applied to both Merkel and Schröder.”

Germany Gives Britain a Lukewarm Reception

The Local wrote on February 3:

“Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave a lukewarm reception on Monday to Britain’s hopes of EU treaty change, days after France poured cold water on any renegotiation of London’s membership. Speaking after he met his British counterpart William Hague, Steinmeier said Europe’s economic powerhouse Germany appeared to have different views on the issue of changing the 28-member EU’s treaties. Prime Minister David Cameron’s hopes of renegotiating Britain’s relationship with the EU had largely rested with Germany, after President Francois Hollande of France said last week that treaty change was ‘not a priority’…

“Under pressure from eurosceptics in his Conservative party, Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s position in the EU and put the new deal to a referendum in 2017, provided that he wins the next election in May 2015. Cameron in particular wants to repatriate some powers from Brussels, as well as giving extra legal powers to protect the 10 member countries including Britain that do not use the euro currency…”

The UK will not stay within the EU, and it will never adopt the Euro.

Most Germans Opposed to Bigger Military Role

AFP wrote on January 31:

“Most Germans oppose a bigger role for their military in the world’s trouble spots despite a push by the country’s new defence minister, a poll released Friday indicated. Asked whether they would support more deployments of Bundeswehr forces to crisis regions, 61 percent said ‘no’ versus 30 percent who would back such moves… Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new defence chief Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview last weekend that Germany should engage more strongly in Africa by sending additional military trainers to Mali and supporting the French intervention in Central African Republic… The remarks triggered a debate in a country still marked by its militaristic past…”

Even though the majority of the people might not want a bigger military role of their country, sadly, prophecy reveals that, in part due to pressure from other nations, Germany is going to become a very powerful military might. See the next article.

Merkel to Extend German Military Engagement in Afghanistan?

Deutsche Welle reported on February 5:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet on Wednesday recommended to parliament that it extend Germany’s military deployment in Afghanistan until late December, the planned end of the NATO-led international combat mission. The Bundestag parliament is due on February 21 to make decisions on whether to mandate German military deployments, including 10 further months for Afghanistan and a plan to send extra personnel to train Mali’s army…

“Shortly after the cabinet session, it was reported that Germany’s new defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, had set out on a visit to Africa. Her destinations were not disclosed… Germany began a major reorganization of its Bundeswehr armed forces in 2010. The reform foresees 185,000 soldiers of which up to 10,000 could be deployed abroad on internationally mandate missions.”

Russia Warns Ukrainian Opposition

BBC News wrote on February 3:

“Russia has urged Ukrainian opposition leaders to end their campaign of ‘ultimatums and threats’ and to step up negotiations with the government. Russia’s foreign ministry said Moscow was concerned by activists’ attempts to ‘inflame’ the situation.

“Protesters in Kiev have repeated their calls for the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovych, who is now back at work after four days of illness. The EU and US are considering a big loan to help debt-laden Ukraine… It’s an understatement to say that the plan depends on a number of variables. President Yanukovych’s acceptance of the plan – if it is offered – is one of the main ones. Another is the reaction to the protesters on Kiev’s streets, who might not welcome the possibility of a ‘national unity’ government, which leaves Mr Yanukovych in power…

“European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso insisted that the EU was not going to enter into a ‘bidding competition’ with Russia to win Ukraine’s loyalty. Russia promised a $15bn (£9bn) aid package to Ukraine last year, but has indicated the next tranche will not be given until a new government is formed, following the resignation of the prime minister and cabinet last week.”

Ukraine will ultimately turn to Russia and disassociate from Europe.

Most Powerful Laser Weapon Fired

Mail On Line wrote on February 3:

“Lockheed Martin fires most powerful portable LASER weapon it has ever created in hi-tech race to replace missiles… It is a weapon that could mean the end of traditional missiles. Lockheed Martin revealed it has tested the a 30-kilowatt electric fiber laser, the highest power ever fired.

“The firm says the weapon could eventually be mounted on jets, tanks and fighter planes – and will more than triple in strength before being used in combat… The project has received funding from the US Army, which is also working with Boeing on a laser mounted weapon.”
 
Man has still not learned that his weapons of war will only bring destruction. As he advances in his developments of more and more powerful weapons, he is fast approaching the prophesied threat of total self-annihilation.

Bible Mindedness in American Cities

Time wrote on January 22:

“America, you may have a new Sodom and Gomorrah. The two least ‘Bible-minded’ cities in the United States are the adjacent metros of Providence, R.I., and New Bedford, Mass., according to a study out Wednesday from the American Bible Society. The study defines ‘Bible-mindedness’ as a combination of how often respondents read the Bible and how accurate they think the Bible is…

“Tennessee… is the most devout [state] in the union. Chattanooga was found to be the most Bible-minded city in America, a title it won from last year’s victor, Knoxville… ‘Not surprisingly, many cities in the East Coast continued to rank as the least Bible-minded in 2013,’ says a press release.

“Surprisingly, that den of sin called New York City didn’t make the top ten least Bible-minded cities, coming in at 89th in the list of 100. Suspecting New York’s large Jewish population may have rescued it from the bottom ten, TIME inquired as to whether the Torah counted as the Bible for the purposes of the survey. A spokesperson said questioners left it up to respondents to determine what they considered to be the sacred text, but the question asked was, ‘How many times do you read the bible outside of church or a synagogue?’”

In an accompanying chart, “Bible-minded” cities were listed in Missouri and Alabama, while least “Bible-minded” cities were identified in California and Iowa.

Catholic Church in Need of Reform?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 3:

“The Vatican last year sent out a survey to Catholics around the world focusing on attitudes to sex and sexuality. The responses are now in — and they show that the Church is badly in need of reform. Can Pope Francis meet such expectations?…

“SPIEGEL has taken a closer look at the mood in all 27 German dioceses… The outcome is devastating for the guardians of pure doctrine… Even in conservative Bavaria, 86 percent of Catholics do not believe it is a sin to use the pill or condoms, both condemned by the church. A look into the congregations reveals that Rome could soon be facing a wave of protest unlike anything the Vatican has experienced in a long time.

“… could it be that while the tone has changed at the Vatican, the substance remains unchanged? The Argentine pope has not eliminated or even softened a single dogma of his rigid church, even though he has the power to do so…

“The most contentious issue is the church’s strict prohibition of contraception, which almost all Catholics ignore… The Vatican’s notion that couples should only live together and have sex after marriage is equally outdated. Living together before marriage ‘is an unmistakable reality today,’ notes the Diocese of Augsburg. The same conclusions are drawn throughout the alphabet of dioceses, ending with Würzburg, where ‘about 90 percent of all couples practice cohabitation ‘ad experimentum’…

“Hardly anyone among the faithful understands how the various prohibitions are supposed to fit together. To begin with, couples are not supposed to have sex before marriage. Once they are married, they are not permitted to use birth control. And if the marriage fails, the church has other objections. Many Catholics are especially incensed over the treatment of people who have been divorced and then remarried, which, according to the wording of the survey, places them in ‘irregular marriage situations’ and excludes them from communion…

“Another group the church accused of committing sins also enjoys considerable support from the base: homosexuals. ‘Many Christians cannot understand this attitude,”’ the staff of Cologne’s Cardinal Joachim Meisner concluded after reading the survey responses they received…

“Finally, many Christians took advantage of a unique opportunity to tell the pope how they felt about issues that were not even included in the survey. One is the vow of chastity for the clergy… The parishioners [want] to see the church do away with mandatory celibacy.

“… the public pays little attention when the Vatican… energetically defends Catholic doctrine. The church’s new leader has already sent the relevant signals to the Roman Catholic community. ‘I am a son of the church,’ he reassured the curia…

“The retired pope [Benedict]  is the fixed star of the traditionalists in the Roman Catholic Church. His residence, the Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church) monastery, is only a few steps from St. Peter’s Basilica, set idyllically in the Vatican gardens. It forms the intellectual center of old Catholicism. Joseph Ratzinger keeps the strict worldview of his era alive through his presence alone. Benedict was in poor health during the weeks following his resignation. He suffered from heart and circulatory ailments, was emaciated and weak and plagued by depression. Many in his circle were convinced that he was dying. But then he recovered. His ideal of a spiritual church as an antithesis to a secularized, uninhibited society is very much alive. For the conservative establishment, Ratzinger continues to set the standard today.

“Of course, the retired pontiff keeps a low profile when it comes to the public… The old elites are not as discreet…

“A year of decisions is beginning for Francis and his church. Will the calls for attention from the basis be heard behind the thick walls of the Vatican? Can laypeople expect the church to change in accordance with their wishes?… Even Francis’s open-minded advisers are concerned that he will be unable to put the genie back into the bottle. Marcello Semeraro is the secretary of Pope Francis’ ‘crown council,’ the group of eight cardinals from around the world tasked with advising the pope on reforms. Semeraro does everything he can to dampen the overwhelming expectations of ordinary Catholics…”

This article raises quite a few interesting topics. First of all, we should clearly see that Catholic members are totally confused about right and wrong standards. Even where the Church is right, they disagree, as they have become more and more liberal.

For example, the church is absolutely right to speak out against sex before marriage and living together without being married, and it is also right in not justifying homosexual behavior. On the other hand, the church is wrong when prohibiting divorce for any reason or the use of birth control methods; and when it compels celibacy for priests.

We should not expect that major doctrinal reforms will occur in the Catholic Church. It is also noteworthy that the article refers to prior Pope Benedict as someone who is still exerting an important influence. We should not hastily dismiss him as a powerful force within the church.

UN “Interferes” in Church Matters?

BBC News wrote on February 5:

“The UN has said that the Vatican should ‘immediately remove’ all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers. The UN watchdog for children’s rights denounced the Holy See for adopting policies which allowed priests to sexually abuse thousands of children. In a report, it also criticised Vatican attitudes towards homosexuality, contraception and abortion.

“The Vatican responded by saying it would examine the report – but also accused its authors of interference…

“The Vatican has always given precedence to Church law, called Canon Law, over local criminal law in dealing with ecclesiastical crime. It does not easily tolerate interference by civil authorities in ecclesiastical matters. The recent case of a senior Vatican diplomat, a Polish archbishop, who was suddenly recalled to Rome from his post in Santo Domingo after serious police accusations of sexual abuse of minors there is a case in point. The Vatican has refused an extradition request by justice authorities in Poland and says an internal police investigation is under way inside Vatican City…

“The Vatican has denied any official cover-up. However, in December it refused a UN request for data on abuse on the grounds that it only released such information if requested to do so by another country as part of legal proceedings.”

Sadly, the UN is not the body with any credibility in spiritual matters, which is emphasized by that fact that even though they are right in strongly deploring child abuse by the Catholic clergy, they are wrong in advocating abortion and homosexuality.

Was Bavarian King Ludwig II Really Mad?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 31:

“People have long believed that Bavarian King Ludwig II, the man responsible for building the famous castle of Neuschwanstein, was mentally ill. Indeed, he was dethroned for that very reason. But a recent study casts doubt on that diagnosis.

“When the fate of the king of Bavaria was placed into his hands, Bernhard von Gudden was a highly regarded figure in medical circles. Not only had the doctor perfected a machine that could cut human brains into fine slices for research purposes. But he had also made a name for himself in the area of psychiatry… Still, the psychiatrist thoroughly botched his most famous case. The doctor, together with several colleagues, provided the following diagnosis: ‘He is teetering like a blind man without guidance on the verge of a precipice.’ The king in question was Ludwig II, the most famous of Bavaria’s monarchs, both for his moniker of ‘Mad King Ludwig’ and for the fact that he built several picturesque castles that still dot the southern German state today, including the famous Neuschwanstein at the foot of the Alps.

“Gudden et. al. declared Ludwig II unfit to conduct government business. The diagnosis led to Ludwig’s being dethroned on June 10, 1886. Three days later he — and, mysteriously, Gudden — drowned in what is now called Lake Starnberg, located just south of Munich.

“But how accurate was this drastic medical report? Did it stem from a proper examination that lived up to medical standards of the time? And who had an interest in Ludwig II being toppled? These questions have now been addressed by a group led by Mannheim-based psychiatrist Heinz Häfner. Their findings, recently published in the journal History of Psychiatry, contradict the conclusions reached by Gudden. Häfner says that at no time did the king’s behavior ‘provide reliable evidence of his purported mental illness.’

“Many historians have refrained from questioning the conclusion that the king from the House of Wittelsbach was mentally ill. After all, Ludwig gave his contemporaries ample reasons to question his sanity. He plunged his kingdom into massive debt with his megalomaniac construction projects… Ludwig hadn’t just angered his family and come close to driving his country to financial ruin. He also embarrassed the Bavarian royal family at every opportunity. War Minister Joseph Maximilian von Maillinger, for example, was forced to leave office in 1885, partly because the gay monarch couldn’t refrain from recruiting his lovers from a cavalry unit, the Bavarian Chevau-légers.

“As such, Gudden’s misguided diagnosis was far from unwelcome. The lethal outcome was probably unintended, but couldn’t be ruled out given that Ludwig faced the prospect of being confined to a royal cell in the Berg palace on the shores of Lake Starnberg, with barred windows, doors with observation slits and no handles. Harsh treatment for a man whose behavior these days would be regarded at worst as the product of a personality disorder. It is a diagnosis that countless people live with these days, without being locked away.”

Obamacare’s Individual Penalties

Market Watch wrote on February 2:

“Starting this year, the Obamacare law imposes a penalty on individuals who fail to have so-called minimum essential health insurance coverage for any month. This coverage requirement is commonly called the individual mandate, and the penalty is the cost for failure to comply. You will owe the penalty if you don’t have minimum essential coverage for yourself and your dependents. Minimum essential coverage includes certain government sponsored programs (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program), eligible employer-sponsored plans, plans obtained in the individual market, certain grandfathered group plans, and other coverage specified by the Feds. However, if you fit into one of [numerous] categories, you are exempt from the penalty… You are supposed to pay any penalty you owe with your Form 1040 for the year—starting with your 2014 return which you will file sometime next year.

“However, the only enforcement mechanism is that the government can subtract any unpaid penalty from your federal income tax refunds. So if you’re not owed a refund for 2014 or a later year, there will never be any consequences for not paying the penalty. (You aren’t subject to criminal prosecution, and the IRS cannot put a lien or levy on your income or assets.).”

Dangerous Third-Hand Smoke

CBS wrote on February 3:

“Exposure to surfaces and objects that have been saturated in cigarette smoke, labeled as ‘third-hand smoke,’ is just as deadly as smoking the cigarette itself. A new study from the University of California, Riverside finds that the third-hand smoke that has soaked into the surfaces, objects and environment around people becomes increasingly toxic over time. Third-hand smoke is defined as the second-hand smoke that is allowed to settle on objects in any environment. Non-smoking children, co-workers, spouses and friends of smokers breathe in such carcinogens left in rooms exposed to smokers…

“The researchers note that smoking tobacco remains a worldwide cause of serious health threats for smokers and nonsmokers alike, affected approximately 1.5 billion people globally…  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes an estimated 440,000 deaths each year in the U.S., which is about one-in-five deaths. The CDC notes that smoking causes more deaths annually than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries and firearm-related incidents.

“CDC data shows that exposure to secondhand smoke has “immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and can cause coronary heart disease.” Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 46,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers. Past research has shown that older children whose parents smoke get sick more often, their lungs grow less and wheezing, coughing are more common in children who breathe secondhand smoke.”

As we can see from this article, first-hand, second-hand and third-hand smoke are a terrible curse with bad consequences for the smokers and others. How can we deny the fact that smoking is harmful, and that it causes harm (not just displeasure) to others? In what way can smoking be a reflection of love towards neighbor and self? It is clearly sinful in the eyes of God.

Deluge in England

The Guardian wrote on February 1:

“The deluge that has engulfed southern and central England in recent weeks is the worst winter downpour in almost 250 years… The rainfall… in January was greater than for any winter month since daily recording began there in 1767, and three times the average amount… the region from Devon to Kent and up into the Midlands suffered its wettest January since its records began in 1910.”

On some cities it will rain… but sadly, far too much…

Drought in California

Newsmax wrote on February 2:

“California’s three-year drought could end up being the area’s worst in 500 years, forcing even tougher restrictions on residents who have been cutting back on showers and farming already. On Friday, the State Water Project, which is the main distribution system of municipal water in California, announced it would not be allocating any water from its reservoirs to local agencies this spring. It is the first time it has taken such action in its 54-year history. Drinking water for 25 million people and irrigation for 1 million acres of farmland will be affected… A snow survey Thursday in the Sierra Nevada showed a snowpack of only 12 percent of normal… Reservoirs are lower than in 1977, one of the state’s previous worst drought years.

“With forecasts still calling for no rain, 17 rural communities that provide water to 40,000 people could run out of [it] within 60 to 120 days… And air pollution in Los Angeles, which had been declining over the past 10 years, is on the rise without rain to clean the air. Bans have been put on fireplace wood burning to combat the problem.”

The Associated Press wrote on February 2:

“Amid California’s driest year on record, the nation’s leading agricultural region is locked in drought and bracing for unemployment to soar, sending farm workers to food lines in a place famous for its abundance. One-third of the Central Valley’s jobs are related to farming. Strains on water supplies are expected to force farmers to leave fields unplanted, creating a ripple effect on food processing plant workers, truck drivers and those who sell fertilizer, irrigation equipment and tractors.”

… while there will be no rain on other cities…

Volcano Eruption in Indonesia

Reuters wrote on February 1:

“Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung volcano erupted and killed at least 11 people on the western island of Sumatra on Saturday, the first time it is known to have claimed any lives, a senior government official said. The volcano has becoming increasingly active in recent months, regularly spewing columns of ash several kilometres into the air. The government has evacuated tens of thousands of residents near the area…

“Sinabung is one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in the world’s most populous country, which stands along the ‘Ring of Fire’ volcanic belt around the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Indonesia’s most deadly volcanic eruption in recent years was of Mount Merapi, near the densely populated city of Yogyakarta in central Java. It erupted in late 2010, killing more than 350 people.”

… and eruptions of volcanoes and other terrible natural disasters will continue, as we are nearing the return of Jesus Christ.

Dictatorial Governmental Restrictions in the UK

BBC News published an extremely disturbing report on January 24, showing the controlling and intrusive involvement of Western governments (in this case the UK) in private affairs and jeopardizing privacy and individual freedom, which terrible violations are normally only known in dictatorial countries. Let the reader beware as to what Satan’s world has still in store for us:

“Some HSBC customers have been prevented from withdrawing large amounts of cash because they could not provide evidence of why they wanted it, the BBC has learnt.  Listeners have told Radio 4’s Money Box they were stopped from withdrawing amounts ranging from £5,000 to £10,000…

“Stephen Cotton went to his local HSBC branch this month to withdraw £7,000 from his instant access savings account to pay back a loan from his mother. A year before, he had withdrawn a larger sum in cash from HSBC without a problem. But this time it was different, as he told Money Box: ‘When we presented them with the withdrawal slip, they declined to give us the money because we could not provide them with a satisfactory explanation for what the money was for. They wanted a letter from the person involved.’

“Mr Cotton says the staff refused to tell him how much he could have: ‘So I wrote out a few slips. I said, “Can I have £5,000?” They said no. I said, “Can I have £4,000?” They said no. And then I wrote one out for £3,000 and they said, “OK, we’ll give you that.”’

“He asked if he could return later that day to withdraw another £3,000, but he was told he could not do the same thing twice in one day. He wrote to complain to HSBC about the new rules and also that he had not been informed of any change. The bank said it did not have to tell him…

“Mr Cotton cannot understand HSBC’s attitude: ‘I’ve been banking in that bank for 28 years. They all know me in there. You shouldn’t have to explain to your bank why you want that money. It’s not theirs, it’s yours.’

“Peter from Wiltshire, who wanted his surname withheld, had a similar experience. He wanted to take out £10 000 cash from HSBC, some to pay to his sons and some to fund his long-haul travel plans…

“Money Box asked other banks what their policy is on large cash withdrawals. They all said they reserved the right to ask questions about large cash withdrawals…

“Douglas Carswell, the Conservative MP for Clacton, is alarmed by the new HSBC policy: ‘All these regulations which have been imposed on banks allow enormous interpretation. It basically infantilises the customer. In a sense your money becomes pocket money and the bank becomes your parent.’”

This is truly outrageous. The next step might be that banks will begin to confiscate (steal) the money of their customers, or the state will come in to impose a tax on bank accounts to rob their citizens of some of their savings… as did happen in Greece. Such conduct is ungodly and without any justification whatever. Bank executives and government representatives enacting such abominable rules should be ashamed of themselves… and will have to give account for it when their day of reckoning comes and they have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ to “justify” their ungodly conduct.

British Royal Household Living Beyond Their Means

NBC wrote on January 28:

“Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has just £1 million ($1.6 million) left in financial reserves after the royal household overspent on its budget last year, according to a report by British lawmakers released Tuesday. The royal household had to dip into its reserves after overspending £2.3 million ($3.8 million) on the £31 million ($51.4 million) it was given by the taxpayer in 2012/13.

“The report by the Public Accounts Committee said the amount was ‘historically low’ and that it was ‘concerned that the household has reduced its balances to such an extent that it could be unable to cover its expenditure on any unforeseen events.’

“This paltry figure of £1 million is in contrast to 2001 when the royal household had £35 million ($58 million) in its reserves. The royals spend the money on costs such as staff wages, maintaining their palaces and travel… The report also criticized the royals’ ‘complacency’ in allowing some 39 percent of royal buildings and land to slip into a state of disrepair. It said the 60-year-old heating system in Buckingham Palace alone will cost between £500,000 and £1 million to replace.”

Royals should not set such a bad example, lest citizens follow it.

Circumcision Divide between Denmark and Israel

The Copenhagen Post reported on January 24 about another example of potentially ungodly governmental intrusion in the affairs of minority private citizens, following the high level of approval of their citizens, which is ungodly. In this case, Denmark is the culprit, but other European states might follow suit. One is reminded of Shakespeare’s famous words that there is “something rotten in the state of Denmark (and Europe)”:

“Denmark may soon be the first country in the world to issue a ban on non-therapeutic circumcision of boys… In two fresh statements, Danish doctors express deep concern over ritual circumcision of boys. The Danish Society of Family Physicians, whose 3,000 members include two thirds of all general practitioners in Denmark, announced in December that circumcision of underage boys with no proper medical indication is nothing short of mutilation. In a separate statement, the overarching Danish Medical Association recommended earlier this week that non-therapeutic male circumcision should wait until the boy or young man is old enough to provide informed consent.

“An editorial in Jyllands-Posten, the second largest national newspaper in Denmark, urged the Danish government yesterday to ban ritual circumcision of underage boys, and a result poll among readers of BT, another large national newspaper, showed that 87 percent of well over 26,000 votes were in favour of such a ban.
 
“Not surprisingly, Israel has a quite different view on this matter. In December 2013, an Israeli delegation of Knesset politicians travelled to Paris in an attempt to overturn a visionary, human rights-based resolution that was passed by a comfortable majority of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 1 October  2013. The PACE resolution 1952 recommends that member states start moving towards abolishing all kinds of physical assaults on children, including non-therapeutic circumcision of boys and girls.

“The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organization with a current total of 47 member states, each of which has signed the European Convention of Human Rights. Israel is neither a member, nor has it signed the European Convention of Human Rights but, since 1957, Israel has held observer status in the Council of Europe…

“To most Europeans circumcision is an ethically problematic ritual that is intrinsically harmful to children…”

Of course, the left-liberal article goes on to try to defend such a ban, without any regard whatsoever for the Bible and God’s view point. This world is drifting farther and farther away from the truth and godly standards.

Another Deep Freeze in the USA

The Associated Press wrote on January 28:

“Parents brought kids to work or just stayed home because schools were closed, again. Office workers hailed cabs to ride a block — or less. And companies offering delivery services were inundated with business as [Arctic] air blasted the central U.S. on Monday for the second time in weeks, disrupting the lives of even the hardiest Midwesterners. As temperatures and wind chills plummeted throughout the day, even simple routines were upended by the need to bundle up, with anyone venturing outdoors being well advised to layer up with clothing, coats, hats, scarves and gloves.

“And there’s no quick relief in sight as subzero highs were expected to dominate across the region into Tuesday. ‘This is similar to what we had three weeks ago’ in terms of life-threatening conditions, said Sarah Marquardt, a National Weather Service meteorologist. ‘With wind chills in the minus 30 to minus 40 range, you can get frostbite within 10 minutes on exposed skin.’

“In Chicago, temperatures had fallen below zero by Monday afternoon with wind chills in the negative double-digits… Residents of Minnesota and Wisconsin faced similar if even somewhat more severe weather. Wind chills in the minus 40s were expected in Minneapolis, while in Milwaukee the chill hit minus 23 by mid-afternoon. Elsewhere, wind chills of minus 18 were expected in Dayton, Ohio, minus 14 in Kansas City, Mo., and minus 3 in Louisville, Ky.”

Edward Snowden Speaks to German TV Audience

Deutsche Welle reported on January 27:

“Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has told German public television what motivated him to go public, has asked whether NSA tapping stopped at Chancellor Merkel’s phone, and has said his return to the US is unlikely.

“German public broadcaster ARD showed a half-hour interview with Edward Snowden on Sunday night, the ex-NSA contractor’s first television interview since gaining temporary asylum in Russia last year. The 30-year-old fugitive whistleblower said there was ‘no question’ that the NSA conducted industrial espionage  and also alluded to a recent BuzzFeed article quoting unnamed US security officials as saying they wanted Snowden dead.

“Hubert Seipel, a journalist for ARD’s regional member NDR who conducted the interview in a Moscow hotel room, also asked Snowden what convinced him to go public with his information on global intelligence practices. ‘I would say sort of the breaking point was seeing how Director of National Intelligence James Clapper directly lied to Congress when under oath,’ Snowden said. ‘There’s no saving an intelligence agency that believes it can lie to the public, and to legislators, who need to be able to trust it and regulate its actions.’…

“When asked about the tapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone, and whether previous governments might have been similarly monitored, Snowden said this was ‘a particularly difficult question for me,’ saying it pertained to as-yet unpublished information which he ‘very strongly’ believed to be in the public interest. Snowden instead formulated his answer as a series of rhetorical questions, repeatedly asking ‘how reasonable’ it was to assume that the monitoring of Merkel would not extend to other European leaders, or to Merkel’s advisors or other prominent German politicians like ‘heads of ministries, or even local governments.’

“The relationship between the NSA and its German equivalent the BND was described by Snowden as ‘intimate.’ He alluded, among other things, to the BND’s ability to access the NSA’s ‘X Key Score’ database, which Snowden described as a ‘one-stop-shop for access to the NSA’s information… If I am a traitor, who did I betray? I gave all of my information to the American public, to American journalists,’ Snowden said.

“Asked where he had applied for asylum in Europe, Snowden said he no longer remembered the entire list, but numbered Germany, France and Britain among the European countries to turn him down.

“Hubert Seipel’s last questions were about the possibility of Snowden returning to the United States, either as part of an amnesty arrangement or to face trial. Snowden said he was unwilling to return if he was to be tried under the 1918 Espionage Act, because he would not get the chance ‘to convince a jury that what I did was in their benefit. So it’s, I would say, illustrative,’ Snowden said, after a lengthy pause before picking his adjective, ‘that the president should say, “come and face the music,” when he knows that “the music’ is a show trial.’”

The Local added on January 27:

“In his first TV interview since fleeing to Russia, Snowden told German broadcaster ARD: ‘If there’s information at Siemens that’s beneficial to US national interests, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with national security, then they’ll take that information nevertheless.’  The former NSA contractor also spoke about how he feared for his life. ‘These people, and they are government officials, have said they would love to put a bullet in my head or poison me when I come out of the supermarket, and then watch as I die in the shower,’ he said in the interview which was filmed in Moscow…

“Snowden is wanted by US authorities on treason charges for disclosing details of a vast intelligence operation that monitored millions of phone calls and emails across the world. He received temporary asylum in Russia in August – a move that infuriated the United States and was a key factor behind President Barack Obama’s decision to cancel a summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin last year.”

NSA and GCHQ Are Tapping Smartphones

Fox News reported on January 27:

“The NSA and its British counterpart [GCHQ] are tapping popular smartphone apps such as [the] Angry Birds [game] to peek into the tremendous amounts of very personal data those bits of software collect — including age, location sex and even sexual preferences, according to new reports from the New York Times and The Guardian… Both spy agencies showed a particular interest in Google Maps, which [are] accurate to within a few yards or better in some locations and would clearly pass along data about a phone owner’s whereabouts

“… surprising is the wide range of apps that the agencies cull for data, including innocent-seeming apps such as Angry Birds. One document in particular from GCHQ listed what information can be extracted from which apps, citing Android apps but suggesting the same data was available from the iPhone platform… Mobile photo uploads appear to be a particularly rich source of information for the spy agencies as well. Metadata in the photos — which is often ultimately stripped from pictures by social media sites like Facebook and Twitter — is briefly available.”

The Guardian added on January 27:

“Many smartphone owners will be unaware of the full extent this information is being shared across the internet, and even the most sophisticated would be unlikely to realise that all of it is available for the spy agencies to collect… The means of interception mean GCHQ and NSA could obtain data without any knowledge or co-operation from the technology companies. Spokespeople for the NSA and GCHQ told NBC all programs were carried out in accordance with US and UK law.”

NSA Will Continue to Spy on Germany

The EuObserver wrote on January 27:

“Major economic deals, which look as if they could cause ‘difficulties’ for the US, are a legitimate reason to spy on EU leaders, a US intelligence oversight panelist has said. ‘If Germany were making an economic deal for a gas pipeline in a way that would cause large international difficulties, that might be a reason to try to prevent a bad outcome,’ Peter Swire, a professor of law and ethics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told journalists in Brussels on Friday… He noted that he was speaking in a personal capacity.

“But his remark sheds light on US President Barack Obama’s thinking about the future of the National Security Agency (NSA) in light of Edward Snowden’s revelations. The professor is one of five authors who recently drafted 46 recommendations on how to reform US intelligence. The panel’s ideas formed the basis of Obama’s speech and presidential directive of 14 January on NSA regulation.”

Merkel Rebukes US and UK Over Spying

While President Obama made only a passing comment about the spying activities of the NSA in his disappointing State of the Union Address 2014 on Tuesday “without vision or any new ideas” (Die Welt, dated January 29), “having reached a new level of emptiness” (Politico), The Local reported on January 29 the following about Angela Merkel’s major speech to the German Parliament:
 
“Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a strong rebuke to the United States and Britain on Wednesday over sweeping surveillance and spying activities reported by fugitive IT contractor Edward Snowden. In a major speech to parliament… Merkel said that Western powers sacrificing freedom in the quest for security were sending the wrong signal to ‘billions of people living in undemocratic states. ‘Actions in which the ends justify the means, in which everything that is technically possible is done, violate trust, they sow distrust,’ she said…

“Merkel… also conceded that the allies remain ‘far apart’ on the ‘ethical question’ of freedom versus security in state surveillance. ‘Is it right that our closest partners such as the United States and Britain gain access to all imaginable data, saying this is for their own security and the security of their partners?’ asked Merkel. ‘Is it right to act this way because others in the world do the same?’ she added before also touching on alleged British spying at international talks. ‘Is it right if in the end this is not about averting terrorist threats but, for example, gaining an advantage over allies in negotiations, at G20 summits or UN sessions? Our answer can only be: No, this can’t be right. Because it touches the very core of what cooperation between friendly and allied countries is about: trust.’”

Please make sure to view our new StandingWatch program on the topic of the widening rift between Germany and the USA and the increasing influence of the Eurozone members, titled, “The Prophetic Rise of the Eurozone.”

Difficult Time in Trans-Atlantic Ties

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 29:

“US Secretary of State John Kerry plans to visit Berlin on Friday in an attempt to repair the damage done by the NSA spying scandal. German officials aren’t expecting any official apology, and the trip comes at a difficult time in trans-Atlantic ties.

“United States Secretary of State John Kerry wants to step in personally to smooth out trans-Atlantic relations that have deteriorated as a result of the NSA spying scandal…

“German diplomats are already warning against high expectations for the meeting. Already the way in which the visit has been planned suggests that the US government isn’t giving the secretary of state’s Germany visit its highest priority. American officials didn’t alert their German counterparts of the details of when they could expect Kerry in Berlin until Wednesday.

“Diplomats say they aren’t expecting the secretary of state to provide any formal apology for spying by the NSA. Instead, the trip will address more general working issues. Hopes for a formal no-spy agreement between Germany and the United States have also largely vanished…

“It has been alleged in SPIEGEL reporting that the NSA spied on the data of Germans millions of times and that it eavesdropped on the chancellor’s mobile phone… Kerry’s trip also coincides with a phase of new tensions in German-American relations. This week, members of the Bundestag, the federal parliament, want to submit a petition for the creation of a special committee to investigate the NSA affair…”

Separate Parliament for Eurozone Member States?

Bild Online reported on January 27 that German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble (who is presently Germany’s most popular politician) recommended in Brussels the creation of a parliament for the Eurozone member states. He stated that Germany and France had recommended in May to connect the EU parliament closer to decisions of the Eurozone members. He said that could be easily accomplished if the Eurozone member states had their own parliament.

The EUObserver added on January 29:

“German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has laid out ideas on how the single currency area should evolve, including having a eurozone parliament. Schaeuble’s plans – aired just four months ahead of EU elections – are likely to be controversial. They raise questions about how the existing EU parliament would function alongside a new euro-focused institution. They are also likely to heighten concerns, particularly in non-euro Britain, that the eurozone is the political heart of the EU.”

The Bible shows that out of the EU, ten nations or groups of nations will evolve financially, politically and even militarily, to lead Europe.

Germany on a New European Policy Course?

Der Spiegel wrote on January 28:

“Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen want Germany to assume a greater role in world affairs, including military missions abroad. Their stance marks a break with Angela Merkel’s policy of restraint.

“Last Tuesday’s meeting between German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius could hardly have been more harmonious… Relations between Berlin and Paris are better than they’ve been in a long time, and that’s evident not just in the effusive exchanges of pleasantries. The French now want to follow the German example in economic policy, after two years of resisting it. Berlin in turn wants to provide Paris with stronger support in military missions in Africa in future…

“That’s a big step not just for France, but for Germany as well. The new German government, inaugurated just a month ago, is charting a new course in foreign policy. The central question under Steinmeier’s predecessor, Guido Westerwelle, was: ‘How can we keep out of armed conflicts?’ Westerwelle favored a culture of military restraint, which meant leaving unpleasant tasks up to others.

“Now, two ministers from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new coalition, which pairs her conservatives with the center-left Social Democrats, have set about abandoning Westerwelle’s legacy. Steinmeier and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen believe that an economic powerhouse like Germany can’t continue to stand on the sidelines. They want to show Germany’s allies that the country can be relied upon…

“The new approach has already led to concrete policy changes. Germany plans to dispatch more troops to support France’s campaign against Islamists in Mali. The government is also considering providing military aircraft for transport and medical evacuation in the Central African Republic…

“Germany gained a reputation as a moralistic nation keen to wag its finger, but unwilling to get involved when things got dangerous. Steinmeier and von der Leyen want that to change…

“In her eight years in office thus far, Merkel has lost faith in the notion that military intervention can bring about improvements. She was particularly disillusioned by the German army’s mission in Afghanistan. In addition, she tends to be influenced by opinion polls, which show that Germans are skeptical about the army engaging in combat missions…

“Steinmeier would also like to become more involved in Europe than his predecessor was. French Foreign Minister Fabius could hardly hide his contempt for Westerwelle when the two met. Now, he has expressed his willingness to join Steinmeier on trips. ‘The Foreign Ministry has realized that the key to the European project is to be found in French-German relations,’ says Ulrike Guérot from the Open Society Initiative for Europe…

“Steinmeier would like to strengthen European institutions while von der Leyen, in her previous role as labor minister, voiced her support for a ‘United States of Europe.’… the two plan to present themselves as representatives of a changed Germany at the Munich Security Conference, which begins on Friday.

“In recent years, Berlin has been in the uncomfortable position of having to defend its passivity at the conference. This year, the Germans want to change the narrative. It is a message that German head of state, President Joachim Gauck, plans to deliver as well. In his opening speech, Gauck plans to call on Germans to recognize their place in the world, according to plans from his office…

“Defense Minister von der Leyen is not only interested in improving Germany’s image among its allies. Rather, she would also like to develop a joint European defense policy worthy of the name… Von der Leyen would like to increase Germany’s credibility and has even broached the topic of a joint European army. Just one year ago, her predecessor Thomas de Maizière rejected the concept at the Munich Security Conference.

“Just how far Steinmeier and von der Leyen get with their new policy ideas depends to a large degree on Merkel. In recent years, the Chancellery was not always happy about Westerwelle’s choice of words, but it supported his policy of military restraint. Merkel believes that Germany’s foreign policy role should be primarily that of enabling allies in difficult regions to solve crises themselves. To that end, she has authorized substantial exports of German weapons to authoritarian countries like Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

“Last week, during a cabinet retreat near Berlin, Steinmeier and von der Leyen presented their vision of a new German foreign policy, with the foreign minister focusing on Mali and the defense minister speaking about Central Africa. When they were finished, Merkel said: ‘I am not now going to say yes or no to the mission.’ One could hardly come up with a more precise formulation or her approach to policy.”

Ukraine’s Prime Minister and Government Resign

BBC News wrote on January 28:

“Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych has accepted the resignation of the prime minister and his cabinet amid continuing anti-government protests. Mykola Azarov had offered to step down as prime minister to create ‘social and political compromise’. The move came after the Ukrainian parliament voted overwhelmingly to annul a controversial anti-protest law…

“Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at an EU-Russia summit in Brussels, said all the agreements reached with Mr Azarov would remain in place despite the resignation even if the opposition formed the next government. [He later stated that he wants to wait with giving financial aid until a new government is formed.] The loan was to ‘support the people of Ukraine, not the government. It’s the people, the common people that suffer’, he told a news conference after talks with EU leaders…

“Despite the president accepting their resignations, the cabinet can remain in their posts for 60 days until a new government is formed…”

The Guardian wrote on January 30:

“Ukraine’s embattled president, Viktor Yanukovych, has accused the opposition of escalating the situation in the country and insisted that his government is doing all it can to solve the crisis. Yanukovych’s defiant statement – released on the presidential website – followed an announcement that he is taking sick leave due to an acute respiratory illness and high fever. There was no indication of how long he might be on leave or whether he would be able to do any work. The chief medical officer said the president was suffering from a ‘severe cold with a high temperature’”.

While the USA has imposed sanctions against Ukraine, the EU has refused to do so; in verbally “condemning” the violence in Ukraine, the EU is trying to please the government and the people. That approach will backfire, and Ukraine is going to become more strongly aligned with Russia.

EU-Russian Summit—“No Good News from Moscow”

The EUObserver wrote on January 28:

“This week’s summit has already been downgraded to a brief encounter between the European Union and Russian leaders and will not be able to overcome the deep rift which is widening between the EU and Moscow. The political reality is far from the ‘strategic partnership’ we mutually pretend to have established.

“The Russian Federation under Putin, despite the media charm offensive in the run-up to the Winter Olympics, has backtracked on democracy and the rule of law, and is run and governed by a regime more interested in feathering its own nest than improving the lives of Russian citizens and modernising its country…

“In 2013 we witnessed Russia pursuing a combination of hostile economic and political measures towards the countries that were actively seeking a closer association and integration with the European Union. Russia succeeded in blowing the Vilnius Eastern Partnership summit off course… Russia imposed a series of targeted sanctions against Ukraine’s exports…

“In parallel with a new EU-Russia policy framework, it is clear that the EU can and should play a stronger and more pro-active role in the search for political solutions to the frozen conflicts in its eastern neighbourhood and the EU’s External Action Service should come forward with an action plan for a renewed EU engagement in finding political solutions to these conflicts…

“We have recently celebrated the release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Pussy Riot and [Arctic] Rise activists. These individual cases should not distract our attention from the systematic and worsening crackdown on human rights defenders, civil society and political dissent… the EU has leverage and influence and soft power to influence developments abroad. However, for soft power to work, our engagement must be backed up by more robust measures when provoked or challenged.”

And so, the EU will become more influential and asserting… but ultimately, that will not be good news for the world….

Attack on Pope’s Doves Symbolic for Pope’s Failed Policy?

The Washington Post wrote on January 27:

“Pope Francis called for peaceful dialogue in Ukraine on Sunday, concluding his remarks by having adorable Italian children release two white doves from the window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The magical and touching symbol was quickly attacked by the harsh reality of bird-on-bird violence, with one seagull and one black crow attacking the doves. The crowd, inspired and blessed only moments earlier, watched in helpless horror as the crow and gull pecked and pulled at the doves.

“What better symbol could there be for the world in 2013, its many setbacks and disappointments, and in particular for Pope Francis’s well-intentioned but, so far, frequently unsuccessful attempts to improve it. Since taking  office last March, the pope’s high-aiming campaigns and grand gestures have often, and tragically, been overtaken by the cold, hard realities on the ground…

“One of Francis’s most significant forays into world affairs may have been his campaign against U.S. offshore strikes against Syria as retaliation for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons against civilians. In September, the pope went on a fast and led a global prayer vigil to oppose the strikes. Where this rankled many Syria activists and observers was Francis’s declaration that he was rallying against war and for peace by opposing U.S. strikes – a puzzling assertion given that both the Syrian regime and rebels had killed, and were continuing to kill, far more people than any U.S. cruise missiles would have done…

“Other papal doves have fallen less spectacularly… His forays into the U.K.-Argentine dispute over the Falkland Islands (a British colonial possession whose population has voted overwhelmingly to

Industrial Hemp in New Farm Bill

The Washington Times wrote on January 28:

“It’s not marijuana legalization, but the massive new farm bill includes a pilot program that would allow universities and state agricultural departments to legally grow industrial hemp. Pot advocates have long pushed for hemp legalization, touting it as a miracle plant that can be used for making rope, paper, clothing and a number of other products. But industrial hemp’s production has been illegal under federal controlled substances laws, since it is a cultivar of the same plant species that produces marijuana. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has been fighting for a change, and they said Tuesday that they’ve managed to get the relaxed rules written into the farm bill, which the House will vote on this week…

“Some states have legalized hemp but growers have still had to face the federal ban, which has required obtaining a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Industrial hemp plants contain less than 1 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical at work in marijuana. Marijuana plants typically contain between 3 percent and 15 percent THC by weight. But federal authorities say that in the field it’s impossible to distinguish between the two plants, which some critics argue makes it easy to hide marijuana plants in a hemp plot.

“The marijuana debate has undergone a major shift in recent years. Two states, Colorado and Washington, have legalized personal marijuana use, while a number of others have legalized it for medicinal purposes. It is still considered a controlled substance under federal law, but President Obama and Justice Department officials have said they don’t intend to go after users in states where it has been legalized.”

Politico wrote on January 29:

“The research title of the farm bill conference report, released Monday, allows for colleges, universities and agriculture departments in states that have legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp to grow the crop for research purposes. Industrial hemp is defined by the bill to contain no more than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol — the mind-altering ingredient contained in its even more controversial cousin, marijuana…

“Hemp is bred to contain far less tetrahydrocannabinol than marijuana and was widely grown in the United States until the mid-1900s. The plant, which historians say was grown by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, was cultivated mainly for rope fibers, paper and textiles that were often used as ship sails. Farmers abandoned hemp in the mid-1900s due to stringent federal restrictions. And lawmakers failed to include an exemption for hemp in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, sounding a death knell for domestic production of the crop.

“But interest in industrial hemp has grown in recent years, following the discovery of its potential nutrition benefits in food and as a component in composite materials and biofuel source material. Sales of hemp products in the U.S. reached $500 million in 2012, according to Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, which lobbies for the legalization of the product. ‘All of that’s coming from imported material,’ Steenstra said. ‘It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that really all our trading partners can grow these crops [but U.S. farmers can’t]. I think there is no question that hemp could be a multibillion-dollar market [in the United States].’

“Already 10 states have legalized cultivation of hemp — including Kentucky, Colorado and California — and 11 more are set to consider bills on the issue during their 2014 legislative sessions. The initiatives follow an August 2013 Justice Department memo in which the Obama administration left policing the cultivation of industrial hemp off a list of marijuana enforcement priorities. Since then, states have been quick to interpret that as a green light to move ahead with laws allowing the crop.

“However, it’s not quite that simple. Hemp and hemp seeds are still considered a controlled substance and cannot be imported…”

Medical Marijuana—Does It Really Work?

Fox News reported on January 27:

“A Florida measure that would allow the use of medical marijuana has cleared its final hurdle and will be on the November ballot. The state Supreme Court on Monday approved the language for the proposed constitutional amendment. The justices gave its approval by a 4-3 vote just three days after a petition drive reached the required number of signatures to place the measure on the ballot. The decision is a defeat for Attorney General Pam Bondi, who challenged the ballot language by saying it’s misleading.”

CBS Denver wrote on January 24:

“There’s a medical marijuana plant that has parents moving to Colorado to help their children. The strain of marijuana is called ‘Charlotte’s Web’ [named after Charlotte, a young girl suffering from epilepsy]… The strain, converted into oil, has drastically changed Charlotte Figi’s life for the better. Now advocates claim hundreds of families are moving to Colorado in a last ditch effort to help their suffering children…

“The Jay family hails from Minnesota, but they have now been Coloradans for about two weeks. It was a move solely to help their daughter Jenna. ‘Jenna has extractible epilepsy due to brain malformation,’ Marie Jay said. Jenna’s smile is bright, but her past is filled with years of suffering — 20 different medications and a surgery. Right now she takes 15 pills a day, but still has up to 500 seizures a month. Marie and Jason Jay are done guessing with doctors… They are one of many families turning to Colorado…

“The Harmons came from Amarillo, Texas, to help 8-year-old Jillian, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy… Charlotte’s Web has less than .03 THC… Currently about 300 patients are on the marijuana oil, a number that tripled in only a few months after its name-sake gained notoriety. ‘(Charlotte) is amazing. She’s the same two years into this. Now off all her pharmaceuticals,’ Charlotte’s mother Paige Figi said… Paige Figi now works with Realm of Caring, a nonprofit that educates parents, patients and even other state legislatures on the drug that changed her daughter’s life. ‘She has her life back again. She can do things like a 2- to 3-year-old child can do,’ Paige Figi said.

“Just this month state health officials have offered $7.1 million in research grants to look into the helpful properties of marijuana and its derivatives.”

The Website of myfoxdc.com added on January 24:

“A Frederick, Md., mother wants to give her 3-year-old twin boys medical marijuana to help ease their severe seizures, and now she is working with state lawmakers to help make it happen. Nicolas and Byron Deliyannis were born with a rare disorder called Miller-Dieker syndrome. It is a condition that [has] brought on almost daily seizures. Their mother, Shannon Moore, says nothing her family and doctors have tried is helping her little boys. ‘The medicines that they’re on, in addition to having really negative side effects, have really stopped working for them,’ she says.

“Moore wants to give her kids medical marijuana to help calm their seizures. She says she learned about the therapy and its success while watching a news report. The problem is marijuana isn’t legal in Maryland where Moore and her family live. ‘Medical marijuana is helping to save lives of children with catastrophic epilepsy in other states where it’s legal, and I want it to be legal here,’ Moore says.

“Last year, the state legislature passed a bill that only made medical marijuana available through academic medical centers. None is taking advantage of the new law.

“Now, Moore is working with local and state lawmakers, including Frederick County Delegate Patrick Hogan, to craft a better law…

“There has been some push back by those concerned about the potential for abuse. But a recent poll shows 90 percent of Maryland residents support medical marijuana if prescribed by a doctor. Moore says even if it can’t save Nicolas and Byron’s lives, it is worth it to help other kids who may be just as severely sick. Studies show that medical marijuana works for about 85 percent of kids with epilepsy. It is usually administered dietarily, but can also be used with a vaporizing apparatus…”

The Las Vegas Sun reported on January 16:

“Several Nevada municipalities are issuing moratoriums on medical marijuana dispensaries, but [US Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid really thinks they should be moving in the opposite direction – toward making medicinal pot legal… Reid, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is not one who normally rushes to embrace controversial substances…

“But Reid described his evolving opinion on medical marijuana by citing the stories of individuals whose ailments found no other relief… people he’s heard about on the news, and people he’s known personally. There was one case in particular, about the only son of a Las Vegas elected official whom Reid did not specify by name, who had severe kidney failure, losing not just one, but two kidneys while a college student…

“Reid cited CNN and NPR reports about children suffering from seizures as well, to make the case that over the past several years, he’d come to think that marijuana seemed a sensible and humane treatment for people suffering from particular conditions with no other treatment or cure… Reid stressed that his opinions only pertain to medical uses of marijuana…”

BBC News reported on January 5:

“The US state of New York is planning to relax its marijuana laws to allow limited use by seriously ill patients, reports say… The drug is still illegal under federal law. New York’s new policy is expected to be far stricter than in California or Colorado, which had already loosened rules around the use of medical marijuana.

“In California, people suffering from mild medical complaints can obtain prescriptions for the drug. But in New York, the drug will be made available in only 20 hospitals across the state for people with cancer, glaucoma or other serious diseases that meet standards to be set by the state department of health.”

If it is true that medical marijuana—especially those products in the form of oil with a greatly reduced or eliminated amount of THC (the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana)–help patients who are suffering from serious and otherwise “untreatable” diseases, such as cancer, kidney failure or epilepsy, then the federal law’s all-encompassing universal prohibition of the same seems to be highly suspect. Sadly, the desire of many to allow and legalize marijuana for “recreational” improper personal purposes has clouded or even suppressed the recognition of a need for research regarding a potentially beneficial medical use of certain marijuana products with virtually no THC.

Do Cold and Flu Meds Spread the Flu?

The website of wtop.com reported on January 27:

“Could cold and flu drugs help spread the flu? Some researchers think so. Over-the-counter cold and flu drugs contain ibuprofen, acetaminophen or other drugs that can reduce fever. When patients’ fever is down, they tend to feel better. But researchers at Canada’s McMaster University concluded that when some patients reduce their symptoms with cold and flu medications, they feel better and return to work or school while still infected. While patients feel fine, they are still able to infect others, according to the study…

“NBC News reports that it’s a controversial study, but it suggests as many as 1,000 more people a year may die from flu because of people taking over-the-counter medicines that make them feel good enough to get out of their sick beds and back into the swing of things, infecting others. ‘We aren’t saying don’t take medication. That’s not the message,’ David Earn, who specializes in mathematics and disease, said to NBC News. ‘Be aware that if you take this medication, there is this effective increase in transmission.’

“Just because you have a mild case of flu doesn’t mean the person you infect will get a mild case, too. Influenza kills anywhere between 3,000 and 49,000 people a year, NBC reports. Earn says a flu that may make a child feel bad, could be more serious for the elderly.”

The State vs. Individual Beliefs Against Vaccinations

KPBS wrote on January 2:

“A new state law went into effect Jan. 1 making it a little harder for California students to skip required vaccinations. The law says parents can now only claim a personal belief exemption from vaccines if they have a signed form from their doctor… California law requires students be vaccinated against diseases like polio, measles and whooping cough before they can attend school. But parents have been able to skip these requirements by signing a personal belief exemption, which says immunization is contrary to their way of thinking.

“Under the new California law, parents will still be able to do that. But they have to get a signed form from their pediatrician saying they’ve been informed of the ‘benefits and risks of immunization.’ Although the law took effect at the start of 2014, students only need this new form when they start kindergarten or middle school or move to California from out of state. Otherwise, their existing exemption will still apply.

“The new form also has a box that says the family belongs to a religion that prohibits ‘seeking medical advice or treatment.’ If parents check this box, they don’t need a doctor’s signature to exempt their children from vaccinations. This religious exemption was added by Gov. Jerry Brown when he signed the law. Catherine Flores Martin, the director of the California Immunization Coalition, told NPR she worries the additional box on the form will weaken the law, because parents don’t have to provide proof of their religion to check it…”

The new California form is available under http://eziz.org/assets/docs/CDPH-8262.pdf

In Colorado, similar developments can be observed.

As Fox 31 reported on December 11, 2013, “Soon it may not be as easy to get vaccination exemptions for your child. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released a new report with recommendations on improving immunization rates among children Tuesday… The rate of parents claiming ‘personal belief exemptions’ to get out of school and daycare immunizations requirements triggered the report… 3,000 kindergarteners last year were not immunized. Ninety-three percent for personal beliefs—not religious or medical. The state says the exemptions can put other children at risk…”

It is the position of the Church of the Eternal God and its international affiliates that it is a personal decision of their members whether or not to immunize their children, but the Church recognizes the convictions of those who refuse immunization, and it supports such requests for exemption, as everything which is not done from faith and out of (godly-permissible and approved) conviction is sin (Romans 14:23). The Church recognizes the biblical validity and rationale of such conviction as it very well understands that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that immunizations may not be harmless and could cause serious side effects.

“The Truth about Israel’s Secret Nuclear Arsenal”

The Guardian wrote on January 15:

“Israel has been stealing nuclear secrets and covertly making bombs since the 1950s. And western governments, including Britain and the US, turn a blind eye. But how can we expect Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions if the Israelis won’t come clean?… Israel managed to assemble an entire underground nuclear arsenal – now estimated at 80 warheads, on a par with India and Pakistan – and even tested a bomb nearly half a century ago, with a minimum of international outcry or even much public awareness of what it was doing.

“Despite the fact that the Israel’s nuclear programme has been an open secret since a disgruntled technician, Mordechai Vanunu, blew the whistle on it in 1986, the official Israeli position is still never to confirm or deny its existence. When the former speaker of the Knesset, Avraham Burg, broke the taboo last month, declaring Israeli possession of both nuclear and chemical weapons and describing the official non-disclosure policy as ‘outdated and childish’ a rightwing group formally called for a police investigation for treason.

“Meanwhile, western governments have played along with the policy of ‘opacity’ by avoiding all mention of the issue. In 2009, when a veteran Washington reporter, Helen Thomas, asked Barack Obama in the first month of his presidency if he knew of any country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, he dodged the trapdoor by saying only that he did not wish to ‘speculate’.

“UK governments have generally followed suit. Asked in the House of Lords in November about Israeli nuclear weapons, Baroness Warsi answered tangentially. ‘Israel has not declared a nuclear weapons programme. We have regular discussions with the government of Israel on a range of nuclear-related issues,’ the minister said. ‘The government of Israel is in no doubt as to our views. We encourage Israel to become a state party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT].’…

“The list of nations that secretly sold Israel the material and expertise to make nuclear warheads, or who turned a blind eye to its theft, include today’s staunchest campaigners against proliferation: the US, France, Germany, Britain and even Norway… Meanwhile, Israeli agents charged with buying fissile material and state-of-the-art technology found their way into some of the most sensitive industrial establishments in the world. This daring and remarkably successful spy ring, known as Lakam, the Hebrew acronym for the innocuous-sounding Science Liaison Bureau, included such colourful figures as Arnon Milchan, a billionaire Hollywood producer behind such hits as Pretty Woman, LA Confidential and 12 Years a Slave, who finally admitted his role last month…

“As more and more evidence of Israel’s weapons programme emerged, the US role progressed from unwitting dupe to reluctant accomplice. In 1968 the CIA director Richard Helms told President Johnson that Israel had indeed managed to build nuclear weapons and that its air force had conducted sorties to practise dropping them… The Johnson White House decided to say nothing, and the decision was formalised at a 1969 meeting between Richard Nixon and Golda Meir, at which the US president agreed to not to pressure Israel into signing the NPT, while the Israeli prime minister agreed her country would not be the first to ‘introduce’ nuclear weapons into the Middle East and not do anything to make their existence public.

“In fact, US involvement went deeper than mere silence. At a meeting in 1976 that has only recently become public knowledge, the CIA deputy director Carl Duckett informed a dozen officials from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the agency suspected some of the fissile fuel in Israel’s bombs was weapons-grade uranium stolen under America’s nose from a processing plant in Pennsylvania… The investigation was shelved and no charges were made…

“In the Arab world and beyond, there is growing impatience with the skewed nuclear status quo. Egypt in particular has threatened to walk out of the NPT unless there is progress towards creating a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East. The western powers promised to stage a conference on the proposal in 2012 but it was called off, largely at America’s behest, to reduce the pressure on Israel to attend and declare its nuclear arsenal…”

More and more countries will align themselves against the state of Israel, until it will be completely isolated. See the next article as well.

Diplomatic War Against Israel in Every Conceivable Forum

The Times of Israel wrote on January 17:

“The Palestinian leadership has reportedly decided to reject Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and instead launch a global diplomatic and legal assault on Israel. The Palestinian Authority is currently setting up teams to wage diplomatic war against Israel in ‘every conceivable’ forum, including pushing for boycotts of Israel and seeking legal rulings against Israel via international courts in The Hague, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported Friday night.

“Unless Kerry significantly changes the current formulation of his proposals, the report said, the Palestinians will reject his overtures, confident that much of the international community will consider them to be the injured party and hold Israel responsible for the failure of peace efforts. The Palestinians are furious that Kerry is offering them a state ‘with no borders, no capital, no [control over] border crossings… and without Jerusalem,’ the TV report said, quoting Palestinian sources.

“On Jerusalem, rather than the complete control that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is demanding over all areas of the city captured by Israel in the 1967 war, including the Old City, Kerry is merely offering the Palestinians a capital based in one of the city’s outlying neighborhoods such as Isawiya, Abu Dis (where construction of a Palestinian parliamentary building was begun in 2000), Beit Hanina or Shuafat…

“Palestinian sources told AFP in early January that Abbas rebuffed pressure from Kerry to recognize Israel as a Jewish state… Neither Kerry’s security proposals, nor his evolving framework deal for ongoing talks, have been made public, but leaked details indicate Israel and the Palestinians are at odds over almost all key issues — notably including the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugee demands, border demarcations, land-swap arrangements, and security proposals. Current talks are set to end in April…”

Israel in Fear of Major Earthquake

The Times of Israel wrote on January 21:

“With Israel situated in one of the world’s earthquake-prone areas, officials are taking action to protect the Holy Land’s most important ancient treasures so they don’t come tumbling down. After a series of five moderate earthquakes shook the country in October, experts installed a seismic monitoring system at the Tower of David, one of Jerusalem’s most important — and most visible — historical sites…  ‘We have to remember that this is the Holy Land,’ said Avid Shapira, head of a national steering committee for earthquake preparedness… Most of Israel’s historical sites ‘have not been checked,’ said Shapira…

“Israel sits along the friction point of the African and Arabian tectonic plates, and is prone to small tremors… About once a century throughout history, a large earthquake has rattled the region, often damaging key historical sites. The last major quake occurred in 1927.

“The Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, was destroyed in an earthquake shortly after it was built in the 8th century and was damaged and repaired multiple times since due to quakes. The 1927 quake, which was over 6 in magnitude, caused hundreds of deaths and damaged Al-Aqsa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried.

“Israel has been bracing for another major earthquake for years. But those efforts have focused on retrofitting existing schools and hospitals and apartment buildings, and improving standards in new construction. The country is just getting around to surveying its historical sites, and the assessment process has turned out to be sensitive… Political sensitivities have prevented Israeli officials from conducting earthquake-impact assessments on the region’s most revered, most ancient, and likely most vulnerable sites, including the gold-capped Dome of the Rock… In the past, Israeli involvement in the Old City’s ancient buildings has sparked protest from Palestinians who seek sovereignty there in their quest for an independent state…”

According to the Bible, a major earthquake will strike Israel and destroy parts of the city of Jerusalem, killing 7,000 people (Revelation 11:13).

Iran: We Did Not Agree to Dismantle Anything

CNN reported on January 21:

“Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted Wednesday that the Obama administration mischaracterizes concessions by his side in the six-month nuclear deal with Iran, telling CNN in an exclusive interview that ‘we did not agree to dismantle anything’… He repeated that ‘we are not dismantling any centrifuges, we’re not dismantling any equipment, we’re simply not producing, not enriching over 5%.’”

Iran sends Warships to Atlantic Ocean

Breitbart wrote on January 21:

“Iran is sending its first flotilla of warships to the Atlantic Ocean, consisting of a helicopter carrier and a destroyer, and passing through the Mediterranean, the Times of Israel Reports. Rear Admiral Seyyed Mahmoud Moussavi declared that the mission will be peaceful, though Iran also wishes to show its capabilities–and to stake a claim as a Mediterranean power, which it has achieved through its virtual control of Syria and Lebanon. Iran is also planning a naval mission to the Pacific in the weeks ahead…”

Will NSA Spying Continue after Obama’s Speech? Chances Are, It Will…

In this and subsequent articles, we discuss President Obama’s speech regarding the NSA’s spying activities around the world, and the less-than-enthusiastic reactions from allies and foes alike.

“Five Big Takeaways from Obama’s NSA Speech”

The Washington Post wrote on January 17:

“Here are the major changes in U.S. policy on conducting surveillance both at home and abroad…

“1) Obama has declared that U.S. spy agencies will no longer hold Americans’ phone records. As a result, the surveillance program that became the biggest Edward Snowden-related controversy will come to an end, at least as it is constructed now. This major shift will take months if not more to accomplish. In the meantime, President Obama is imposing new limits on the government’s ability to access such data.

“2) Even so, Obama wants to ensure that the government can still access call records when it needs to. How is not yet clear…

“3) Obama has ordered significant new restrictions on spying on close U.S. allies. Heads of states that are friendly with the United States will now be off-limits for electronic surveillance. White House officials said they already stopped collection on ‘dozens’ of such targets. Still, there are loopholes. Obama isn’t making clear who qualifies as a close ally, and the restrictions don’t apply to foreign leaders’ aides.

“4) Obama is calling for the creation of a new panel to serve as public advocates in cases handled by a special surveillance court. Members of the panel would be cleared to appear before a court that has approved massive surveillance programs entirely in secret, with no input from the public or those who would be surveillance targets. Creating the new panel would require action by Congress.

“5) Obama is also promising new privacy protections for foreigners, aiming to assure citizens of countries in Europe and elsewhere that they won’t be swept up in U.S. surveillance unless there is a compelling national security purpose for the United States. The new rules are to be developed in the coming months.”

These “promises” are vague and ambiguous at best…

Obama’s Definition of “Spying”

In an accompanying article, The Washington Post wrote on January 17:

“Obama placed restrictions on access to domestic phone records collected by the National Security Agency, but the changes he announced will allow it to continue — or expand — the collection of personal data from billions of people around the world, Americans and foreign citizens alike… Obama squares that circle with an unusually narrow definition of ‘spying.’ It does not include the ingestion of tens of trillions of records about the telephone calls, e-mails, locations and relationships of people for whom there is no suspicion of relevance to any threat… Obama described principles for ‘restricting the use of this information’ — but not for gathering less of it…

“Obama avoided almost entirely any discussion of overseas intelligence collection that he authorized on his own, under Executive Order 12333, without legislative or judicial supervision… Those operations are sweeping in a large but unknown number of Americans, beginning with the tens of millions who travel and communicate overseas each year… Under the classified rules set forth by the president, the NSA is allowed to presume that any data collected overseas belongs to a foreigner. The ‘minimization rules’ that govern that collection, intended to protect the identities of U.S. citizens and residents, remain classified. The White House and NSA have declined requests to release them…”

Obama Vindicates Snowden

The Huffington Post wrote on January 17:

“In a major speech Friday on the future of the National Security Agency, President Barack Obama announced a series of modest reforms to the way the agency does business. While he was doing so, he also grudgingly acknowledged the secret surveillance programs that former NSA contractor Edward Snowden exposed needed changing… Obama’s remarks were grudging toward Snowden, who fled to Russia after his leaks were made public and has been charged with violating the Espionage Act…

“Snowden’s leaks didn’t just inform the public debate: in a piece on Thursday, The New York Times reported that Obama himself was unaware until Snowden’s disclosures that the NSA was tapping the phones of foreign leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel… For Snowden, whose supporters have always maintained that he is a whistleblower motivated by the Constitution’s higher ideals, the speech and the changes it telegraphs will likely come as a major vindication.”

Obama Vindicates NSA

The Guardian wrote on January 17:

“US president Barack Obama forcefully defended the embattled National Security Agency on Friday in a speech that outlined a series of surveillance reforms but stopped well short of demanding an end to the bulk collection of American phone data… Obama made it clear that the databases would continue to exist, effectively rejecting a call from civil libertarians to require the NSA to collect subscriber information from phone companies only when they possess specific suspicion of connection to a terrorist group or other wrongdoing.

“Mounting a forceful defence of the NSA, Obama said: ‘They’re not abusing authorities in order to listen to your private phone calls, or read your emails.’ He did not mention that judges on the secret surveillance court have found NSA has repeatedly and ‘systematically’ overstepped its bounds. ‘We cannot unilaterally disarm our intelligence agencies,’ Obama said.

“Obama’s remarks were bound to give the beleaguered NSA a boost of confidence, while disappointing civil libertarians who wanted to hear Obama more defend the privacy of American citizens more emphatically…

“Obama said that ahead of transitioning the database out of government hands, the NSA will now have to receive approval from the secret surveillance court before searching through the data trove for connections to terrorist groups. Those searches would be restricted to two ‘hops’, meaning that a number ‘reasonably’ suspected can have all the numbers it called and from which it received calls reviewed, and all of those numbers can also have their connections examined… That call fell short of expectations from privacy advocates in and outside of Congress, who want the government collection of Americans’ metadata without specific connections to terrorism, approved by a judge, to stop…

“Obama did not issue new protections for non-Americans abroad, saying instead that he wanted additional privacy protections for foreigners… Obama defended a program, now conducted under Section 702 of the Fisa Amendments Act, that allows the NSA to hold the internet communications of foreigners abroad…

“Much of the substance of Obama’s proposals remain undefined… The lack of clarity places increasing pressure on Congress to ultimately resolve many of the complexities of surveillance – creating effectively a new round of jockeying on Capitol Hill between privacy advocates and the NSA’s allies, who fear losing what Obama described as a valuable tool for determining domestic connections to terrorism…”

All Show and No Substance

Fox News published the following article on January 17:

“Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said Friday… that President Obama’s speech on the administration’s review of government surveillance practices was all show and no substance. ‘It was a terrific speech,’ Krauthammer said. ‘It was 90 percent smoke and mirrors, and very little substantive change, which is what we need.’

“Krauthammer went on to say the speech at the Department of Justice was the ‘best use of Obama’s rhetorical powers of dazzling with very little content’ since his first election campaign. ‘He made enough rhetoric…to make it look as if he did something,’ Krauthammer said, adding, ‘But if you look at all the points he mentioned, they are really unimportant in the overall scheme.’”

Obama’s Missed Moment—“He Did Not Even Try!”

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 17:

“The NSA’s massive intelligence gathering apparatus remains largely untouched and in place. That was the gist of US President Barack Obama’s remarks at the Department of Justice on Friday (17.01.2014). To be sure, Obama announced a few helpful measures to increase judicial oversight and restrict access to certain data sets… But the president’s remarks did not address the heart of the matter. Obama does not intend to curb or cut any of the NSA’s myriad of mass surveillance collection programs that sweep up much of the world’s Internet and phone traffic. That means every Internet or phone user is still presumed guilty by default…

“While the minor changes announced by Obama were meant to at least try to assuage Americans worried about government snooping, he did at best make a half-hearted effort to address international concerns about US mass surveillance. Obama’s message to everyone outside the US was essentially what his intelligence services have been saying all along – just trust us that we will use your data responsibly. The only concrete assurance Obama gave was that foreign allied leaders will not be placed under surveillance any longer unless there are compelling national security reasons. Given all that has been revealed by the Snowden disclosures and the damage done specifically to the transatlantic relationship, that is not a good sign for Washington’s international allies.

“Obama, a former constitutional law professor and NSA critic, apparently has made his choice. By leaving the agency’s mass surveillance gathering systems that sweep up as much of our collective digital lives as they can essentially unchanged, he has clearly sided with the intelligence apparatus over citizens’ privacy concerns. The sad thing is that he hasn’t even tried to balance the two.”

Deutsche Welle added on January 18:

“Obama’s speech was mainly addressed to his fellow US citizens, who have proved to be much less upset with the scope of spying conducted by the NSA than people in Europe and Brazil… Obama, who was quick to bring up the ills of the all-encompassing surveillance state in the former East Germany, remained vague in his 40-minute speech while making promises of transparency and judicial oversight. But he did not provide details on how such measures would be implemented. Only the leaders of friendly nations received a promise that their privacy would be respected, which makes Chancellor Angela Merkel the only German who can feel safe from the NSA’s spy programs. But mere promises of transparency and new controls were not enough to restore the German government’s trust in Obama’s administration completely… “

The Local wrote on January 19:

“Norbert Röttgen, head of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee and a member of Merkel’s CDU party, said Obama’s comments were ‘technical’ and didn’t respond to ‘the real problem’ of ‘transatlantic divergence’ on matters of security and freedoms. Germany’s confidence in Washington will not be restored unless ‘we sign an accord to protect, in a way that is judicially binding, the data of all citizens,’ German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in comments run by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.”

Criminal Investigation in Germany Against NSA?

The Local wrote on January 20:

“Parliamentary chairman of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) Thomas Oppermann said on Monday: ‘A “no spy” treaty must come. Obama’s speech on Friday can only be the beginning. The USA knows that spying for us is a crime. The German justice system will not stand idly by if the efforts of the NSA blithely continue here,’ he told Bild newspaper on Monday.

“Magazine Der Spiegel reported on Monday that the Federal Attorney General, Harald Range, told the country’s Minister of Justice, Heiko Maas, that there were grounds for a criminal investigation into the alleged tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone by the US National Security Agency (NSA). And it appears the Minister of Justice, who is authorized to give orders to the Federal Attorney General, would not block an investigation…

“The Berliner Morgenpost wrote: ‘Finally the American President seems to have grasped the extent of the breach of trust caused by the mass spying of his intelligence services… The speech on Friday was, so far, little more than a glimmer of hope.’

“Berlin’s Tagesspiegel [said:]  ‘… Obama has disappointed the expectations of many Germans. That should not surprise us. He is the President of Americans and they think differently and carry on using the, from their perspective, traditional methods, indifferent to outrage abroad.’”

The Guardian wrote on January 17:

“Europeans were largely underwhelmed by Barack Obama’s speech on limited reform of US espionage practices, saying the measures did not go far enough to address concerns over American snooping on its European allies.”

To summarize, the trust in America, its political leadership and its institutions has pretty much gone around the world, and President Obama’s reputation continues to falter. Overall, his speech is being rejected as too little, too late—or, as the Bible might put it, “great swelling words of emptiness.”

Execution of Inmate in Ohio Raises Doubts

The Associated Press reported on January 18:

“Ohio’s latest experience with putting an inmate to death raises new question about the ability of states to carry out executions in constitutional fashion. A gasping, snorting Dennis McGuire took 26 minutes to die after the chemicals began flowing Thursday — the longest execution of the 53 carried out in Ohio since capital punishment resumed 15 years ago, according to an Associated Press analysis… Whether McGuire felt any pain was unclear. His death — unconsciousness, followed by apparent obstructed breathing — followed the prediction of one state expert…

“States are in a bind for two main reasons: European companies have cut off supplies of certain execution drugs because of death-penalty opposition overseas. And states can’t simply switch to other chemicals without triggering legal challenges from defense attorneys…

“Missouri at one point proposed using propofol, the powerful operating room anesthetic infamous for its role in Michael Jackson’s overdose death. But Missouri’s governor backed off for fear the European Union, which opposes the death penalty, would cut off exports to the U.S. and cause a nationwide shortage of propofol. Companies in India and Israel put similar prohibitions on their drugs…”

According to biblical injunctions in the Old Testament, no person could be convicted unless at least two witnesses testified unanimously against the perpetrator. Circumstantial evidence was never sufficient all by itself, and God, as the supreme Judge over ancient Israel, saw to it that there was no miscarriage of justice. Those who strongly support the death penalty today need to realize that it was part and parcel of a system of safeguards and quick execution, while prolonged appeal processes with the declared goal of just delaying the execution were prohibited—as was the kind of execution described in the article above.

Ukraine Is Becoming a Totalitarian State

Deutsche Welle reported on January 17:

“The extensive legislative package the Ukrainian Parliament passed on Thursday (16.01.2014) came as a complete surprise. The laws were waved through without any consultation with advisory boards and after just a single parliamentary reading. The government majority carried out the vote by a show of hands in the parliament and all protest from the opposition was in vain.

“The new law is supposed to make it punishable to spread ‘defamations’ – especially online: The legislation could silence journalists and bloggers if they criticize state officials or politicians. The right to peaceful protests will also be curbed. There might also soon be a Ukrainian equivalent to the recent controversial Russian law which labels non-governmental organizations as ‘foreign agents’ if they receive funding for their projects from outside the country. The legislative package will come into law as soon as the president has signed it.”

The EUObserver added on January 17:

“The German government on Friday (16 January) said controversial Ukrainian laws banning pro-EU protests would have ‘consequences’ for its EU relations… according to Ukrainian media, [the President] already signed [the new law] in secret on Friday. The law is aimed at deterring people from joining the anti-Yanukovych and pro-EU protests which erupted in Kiev last November when he declined an EU pact in favour of a Russian bailout… Germany’s message on Friday was echoed by Sweden’s foreign minister Carl Bildt, who said ‘there can be no business as usual with Kiev.’”

Ukraine will end up aligning closely with Russia against Europe.

Warmer Ties Between Russia and Japan

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 20:

“Japan’s PM Abe has announced he would meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Sochi Winter Olympics, an indication of the thawing ties between Moscow and Tokyo after decades of disguised distrust. Japan and Russia have yet to sign a peace treaty to conclude World War II, a result of troops from the Soviet Union occupying Sakhalin and a scattered archipelago of islands off northern Japan in the final days of the conflict. But after years of respective governments giving each other the cold shoulder, the relationship has started to grow warmer

“The latest indication of improvement in bilateral ties includes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe… announcing that he will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games on February 7 in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. The prime minister has also made it clear that he would like to take the opportunity to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Japanese media are strongly behind the meeting, although there have been expressions of concern about the security situation in the region. If the meeting goes ahead, then it would be the fifth time the two leaders have met since Abe took office in December 2012 – a remarkable number given the preceding years of apparent indifference between Russian and Japanese leaders.

“President Putin returned the positive message in a slightly different manner by declining to criticize Abe for visiting Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine in December. Visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders draw criticism from countries that were occupied by Japan in the early decades of the last century as it is considered a place to honor the souls of Japanese who died in war, including a number of Class-A war criminals…

“‘The warmth has been coming back into Russia-Japan ties for the last couple of years, but it is getting even stronger now,’ Go Ito, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Meiji University, told DW. He added that Putin has been positive towards improving ties with Japan, as he doesn’t want the Russian economy to become overly reliant on China for oil and natural gas exports,’ he said…

“Moving beyond cooperation in trade and energy, the Japanese government has hinted that it is considering revising a memorandum on defense exchanges with Moscow to expand areas of possible cooperation, including reciprocal visits by defense ministers and joint military exercises. The new agreement could be in place this autumn…

“Yet another advantage of warmer ties between Russia and Japan – and one that Tokyo is particularly keen on, given recent tensions in the Asia-Pacific region – would be closer commitments in the areas of security and defense.”

The Bible indicates that countries such as Russia, China and Japan will build strong military ties against Europe. See also the next article.

Japan Moves in Far-Right Direction

Asia One wrote on January 20:

“A longtime no-war pledge has disappeared from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s annual working policy revealed on Sunday, while the ruling party vowed to continue visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and push ahead constitutional revision, in another move leading the country in a far-right direction, observers said.

“At its 81st LDP annual convention in Tokyo, the party removed the pledge that Japan would “never wage a war”, China Central Television reported on Sunday. In another change from last year’s policy, the party added a phrase saying it will ‘bolster veneration for the war dead’ – referring to continued shrine visits – and also made clear it will amend the country’s constitution. The changes show that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is also the party chief, will intensify efforts step by step to push Japan further into animosity with neighbouring countries, analysts said.”

Eurozone Political Heart of Europe

The EUObserver wrote on January 22:

“Poland wants to join the eurozone because it is the political heart of the European Union, its foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, has said, with the country looking to enter the single currency by 2020… ‘Our judgement is that in the next decade the real European union will be inside the eurozone. And we want to be part of that.’”

Serbia Wants to Join the EU

The EUObserver wrote on January 21:

“It was on the UN sanctions list and bombed by Nato in the 1990s Balkan wars, but Serbia on Tuesday (21 January) officially started EU membership talks at a ceremony in Brussels. It will take several years of talks before it can join. But the Serbian Prime Minister, Ivica Dacic, who flew in to the EU capital, described the event as the ‘most important moment for Serbia since the end of World War II.’ He said his country is now seen for what it wants to be – an EU member state – instead of people focusing on its role in past conflicts.”

Come-Back of Berlusconi?

BBC News reported on January 19:

“Italy’s controversial ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi has returned to the centre of the political stage, striking a reform deal with a centre-left rival. Berlusconi was thrown out of parliament in 2013 after a tax fraud conviction. But he still heads the opposition Forza Italia party and held lengthy talks with Democratic Party (PD) leader Matteo Renzi late on Saturday.

“Under their agreement, he will back electoral and constitutional proposals aimed at making Italy more governable. The current electoral system has left Italy with a series of shaky coalitions… After the talks Berlusconi said the deal would ‘consolidate the biggest parties and simplify the political system’…

“Silvio Berlusconi is keen to make a political comeback despite his fraud conviction and a separate conviction for paying an underage prostitute for sex. He is appealing against a seven-year jail term. Much wrangling is expected in parliament over the reform proposals, with smaller parties hostile to changes likely to diminish their role in future governments.”

Italy will play a major role within the final resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.”

Benedict Defrocked 400 Priests for Molesting Children

The Associated Press reported on January 17:

“A document obtained by The Associated Press shows Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests over just two years for molesting children… The document was prepared from data the Vatican had been collecting to help the Holy See defend itself before a U.N. committee this week in Geneva.”

Pope Pleads for Unity of all Christian Churches

Zenit wrote on January 22:

“Pope Francis… said that while certainly Christ was not divided, sadly Christian communities continue to live divided. ‘The divisions among us Christians are a scandal. There is no other word: a scandal,’ he said… Christ’s name creates communion and unity, not division! He has come to make communion among us, not to divide us. Baptism and the Cross are central elements of Christian discipleship which we have in common. Divisions, instead, weaken credibility and the effectiveness of our commitment to evangelization… Let us go forward on this path, praying for the unity of Christians, so that this scandal may cease and be no longer with us…’”

The Bible predicts that most “Christian” denominations and organizations will return to the Roman Catholic Church as  their “mother church.”

Unprecedented Droughts in Western USA

The New York Times wrote on January 5:

“The sinuous Colorado River and its slew of man-made reservoirs from the Rockies to southern Arizona are being sapped by 14 years of drought nearly unrivaled in 1,250 years… many experts believe the current drought is only the harbinger of a new, drier era in which the Colorado’s flow will be substantially and permanently diminished. Faced with the shortage, federal authorities this year will for the first time decrease the amount of water that flows into Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, from Lake Powell 180 miles upstream.

“That will reduce even more the level of Lake Mead, a crucial source of water for cities from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and for millions of acres of farmland. Reclamation officials say there is a 50-50 chance that by 2015, Lake Mead’s water will be rationed to states downstream. That, too, has never happened before… Should Mead continue to fall, Arizona would lose more than half of its Colorado River… The Southern California region using Colorado water is expected to add six million people to the existing 19 million in the next 45 years, and its other water source — the Sierra Nevada to the north — is suffering the same drought and climate problems as the Colorado basin…”

NBC wrote on January 17:

“Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency Friday for California after weeks of intensifying pressure from lawmakers to take action as the state’s water reservoir levels remain strained with no rain in the forecast. The declaration comes during one of the driest winters on record in California, following two dry years that already have left many reservoirs depleted. The state is facing ‘perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen’ since records began, Brown said during the Friday morning announcement…

“The U.S. Drought Monitor has reported extreme drought conditions in central and northern California, and there has been little snowfall so far this winter. Precipitation in most of the state is less than 20 percent of normal, and reservoirs are dwindling. Forecasts suggest the dry spell could continue, exacerbating the already heightened fire danger.

“California is on pace for the driest January on record. The all-time low rainfall record in January occurred in 1984, when just 0.3 inches of rain fell across California.”

The website of cbslocal.com wrote on January 22:

“In California, 2013 was a record-setting year because of the lack of rainfall. A professor at UC Berkeley warns this time could go into the record books as the driest in centuries… Dried up creek beds along with golden hills that look like its August instead of January could become our typical landscape, if history repeats itself… A study about tree rings led her to predict that we could be in for the driest winter in 500 years. Narrow tree rings indicate little or no water for growth, just like people saw in the 1500s…

“Some droughts, like one in the Middle Ages, lasted more than a century…”

The Bible predicted that in these end times, the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel—especially the USA—will be plagued with prolonged droughts. We read in Deuteronomy 28:23-24: “And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.”

The Curse of Abortion

Life News wrote on January 21:

“I thought of the more than 55,000,000 lives that have been [aborted] in the U.S. since 1973, and I became overwhelmed at the tragedy. Tragedy for the babies, their mothers, their fathers, families, and us… 40 years ago today, seven men on the Supreme Court decided in favor of a case presented to them from a 27 year-old, unknown, post-abortive lawyer, Sarah Weddington. That case was Roe v. Wade and, along with its companion Doe v. Bolton, it legalized abortion in all 9 months of pregnancy, for any reason, in the United States.

“Today, this 27 year-old is writing to you as a survivor of that decision. The undeniable fact is that nearly a third of my generation is missing. We are missing brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, husbands and wives. You see, Miss Weddington’s generation got it wrong. In attempting to correct gender inequality in the workplace and in our society, they set into motion the ultimate act of discrimination – abortion. Instead of glorifying motherhood, they pitted the mother against her child, creating an endless cycle of selfishness, pain, and deceit.”

In ancient times, idol worshippers killed and sacrificed their children to their terrible “gods,” by throwing them into the fire. Today, we are killing and sacrificing our unborn children to our self-made modern idols, by butchering them in the mother’s womb. You might want to listen to our shocking StandingWatch program, “Why Abortion Is Murder in God’s Eyes.” 

Francis vs. Obama on Abortion

Breitbart wrote on January 22:

“On Wednesday, Pope Francis sent out a tweet supporting the pro-life marchers and offering his prayers: ‘I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable,’ he tweeted.

“On a day set aside to mourn the sadness, hardship, and pain associated with abortion, President Obama praised Roe v Wade as a great moment in history for women…”

Superstition Among Sports Fans

The Washington Post wrote on January 21:

“50 percent of sports fans see some aspect of the supernatural at play in sports, meaning they either pray to God to help their team, have thought their team was cursed at some point in time, or believe that God plays a role in determining the outcome of sporting events… A fervent 26 percent of the respondents say they have prayed that ‘for God to help their team’, while an equal number have entertained the notion that their team was ‘cursed.’…

“Football fans are also more likely than other fans to say they pray for their team (33 percent ), perform pre-game or game-time rituals (25 percent), or to believe that their team has been cursed (31 percent). White evangelical Protestants (38 percent), white mainline Protestant (33 percent) and minority Protestant (29 percent) sports fans are considerably more likely than Catholic (21 percent) or religiously unaffiliated (15 percent) fans to say they have prayed for their team, the survey found. Twenty one percent have either a special ritual or a lucky item of clothing they associated with a big game…”

“We Want a United States of Europe!”

The Telegraph wrote on January 11:

“A campaign for the European Union to become a ‘United States of Europe’ will be the ‘best weapon against the Eurosceptics’, one of Brussels’ most senior officials has said. Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission and the longest serving Brussels commissioner, has called for ‘a true political union’ to be put on the agenda for EU elections this spring. ‘We need to build a United States of Europe with the Commission as government and two chambers – the European Parliament and a “Senate” of Member States,’ she said.

“Mrs Reding’s vision, which is shared by many in the European institutions, would transform the EU into [a] superstate relegating national governments and parliaments to a minor political role equivalent to that played by local councils in Britain. Under her plan, the commission would have supremacy over governments and MEPs in the European Parliament would supersede the sovereignty of MPs in the House of Commons. National leaders, meeting as the European Council, would be reduced to consultative, second chamber role similar to the House of Lords…

“Mrs Reding’s comments illustrate the growing gulf between a Europe committed to ‘ever closer union’ and Britain, which is pushing to reduce the EU’s powers… While Britain may have been written off, concern is mounting because hostility has reached unprecedented levels across continental Europe and anti-EU parties are leading the polls in France, the Netherlands and Greece. Senior EU figures, such as Mrs Reding, want the European elections in May to move beyond debates over eurozone austerity by embracing a grand vision of Europe. ‘This debate is moving into the decisive phase now. In a little more than four months’ time, citizens across Europe will be able to choose the Europe they want to live in,’ she said…

“Speaking in Athens, José Manuel Barroso, the commission president, signalled that the EU would use the centenary of World War One to warn that Euroscepticism, far-Right and populist anti-European parties could bring war back to Europe…[He said:] ‘It is especially important to recall this as we will commemorate this year the start of the First World War. We must never take peace, democracy or freedom for granted. It is also especially important to remind this as in May the peoples of Europe will be called to participate in European elections.’”

The Bible shows that Europe will unite—including politically and militarily—under German leadership.

Germany Has Been Wanting a United Europe

On January 15, 2014, the International Herald Tribune published an article from January 15, 1964:

“West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard called today [Jan. 15] for a united Europe with British participation. Mr. Erhard, who arrived for a two-day official visit, made his appeal in a speech at a Mansion House banquet given in his honor by the Lord Mayor of London. ‘Europe will remain a torso unless it is joined by Great Britain,’ he told the gathering of British and German leaders. Mr. Erhard was greeted in London by Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home. In his speech, Mr. Erhard said Germany has proposed ‘a new Initiative’ to prevent Europe from being strangled by technocrats. The Chancellor, in contrast to French President Charles de Gaulle, called for an outward- looking Europe. ‘The Atlantic partnership is indispensable if we are to survive in this world of tension,’ he said. ‘If Europe is to play a decisive role in world politics and make its influence felt, this also means that it has to be a united Europe, a community of free equals.’”

UK Threatens Again with European Exit

The Guardian wrote on January 14:

“George Osborn will today deliver a stark warning to Britain’s European partners that the UK will leave the EU unless it embarks on whole-scale economic and political reform. The chancellor’s comments come as the Tory leadership tries to regain the initiative on Europe, after 95 MPs signed a letter calling for the dismantling of the core principles of the EU… Tory backbencher Bernard Jenkin won the support of about 100 MPs for a letter to David Cameron calling for the British parliament to be given a veto over all EU laws.

“Such a move would dismantle the rules of the European single market…  Osborne will make clear that Cameron will push for wide-ranging reforms if he wins the general election next year with a mandate to renegotiate the terms of British membership.”

Deutsche Welle added on January 15:

“Osborne once again went as far as to say that Britain might be forced to leave the European Union, should the rights and interests of EU members currently not in the single-currency be neglected… His renewed EU exit threats came as Osborne remained under pressure from the euroskeptic wing of his Conservative Party, with Prime Minister David Cameron having promised to hold a referendum on EU membership by 2017, should he be re-elected next year.”

Soon, the wish of the UK will become true, and they will leave or be excluded from the unification of the core nations of Europe.

New European No-Spying Pact?

The Local wrote January 16:

“Germany has hosted confidential EU talks for months to forge a ‘no-spying’ pact among its member states, a drive opposed especially by Britain, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.  The Süddeutsche Zeitung report came two days after the newspaper said that similar US-German talks were seen close to failure, sparking denials from both Berlin and Washington…

“In the aftermath of the Snowden revelations, Germany ‘is negotiating with the EU member states a European anti-espionage agreement,’ the Süddeutsche and public broadcaster NDR reported. Such a pact had been discussed confidentially for months in Berlin and would commit the countries of the 28-nation bloc ‘to refrain from mutual espionage’, both political and economic, the daily said.”

How to Make German Military an “Attractive Employer”

The Associated Press reported on January 12:

“Germany’s new defense minister is pledging to make the country’s military more attractive for people with young families as the all-professional force seeks recruits. Ursula von der Leyen, a mother of seven, became Germany’s first female defense minister last month — inheriting an ongoing military overhaul after Germany abandoned conscription in 2011.

“Von der Leyen said in an interview with Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper that ‘reconciling service and family’ is the key issue in efforts to make the Bundeswehr an attractive employer. She said she will review its practice of regularly moving service-people, suggested it could explore part-time options and added the military needs ‘a flexible childcare system.’”

Germany’s military is destined to become very powerful.

Vatican Claims Diplomatic Immunity for Alleged High-Ranking Sex Offender

The Associated Press reported on January 11:

“The Vatican has told Polish prosecutors that its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, under investigation for alleged sex abuse, is covered by diplomatic immunity and that the Vatican doesn’t extradite its citizens, Polish officials said in the latest development in an embarrassing case for the Holy See.

“Polish Archbishop Josef Wesolowski is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be investigated for alleged sex abuse, and his case has raised questions about whether the Vatican, by removing him from Dominican jurisdiction, was protecting him and placing its own investigations ahead of that of authorities in the Caribbean nation.

“The Holy See recalled Wesolowski on Aug. 21 and relieved him of his job after the archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez, told Pope Francis in July about rumors that Wesolowski had sexually abused teenage boys in the Dominican Republic. Dominican authorities subsequently opened an investigation, but haven’t charged him. Poland, too, has opened an investigation into Wesolowski and a friend and fellow Polish priest…

“That two Vatican entities are investigating Wesolowski suggests that he has remained inside the Vatican ever since his recall. The Vatican has refused to say where he is, provide information about whether he has a lawyer or how he has responded to the accusations.

“The case is particularly problematic for the Vatican since Wesolowski was a representative of the pope, accused of grave crimes that the Holy See has previously sought to distance itself from by blaming the worldwide sex abuse scandal on wayward priests and their bishops who failed to discipline them. The Wesolowski case is also delicate because he was both ordained a priest and bishop by his Polish countryman, Pope John Paul II, who will be made a saint in April.”

The Catholic Church under its new Pope is by no means turning into an organization which will show much transparency. One is reminded of President Obama’s promises to run a transparent government, while the facts are that his administration has become one of the least transparent US administrations of all times.

Pope Francis Pleases Conservatives!

Newsmax wrote on January 13:

“Pope Francis, whom conservatives in the Roman Catholic Church have accused of not speaking out forcefully enough against abortion, on Monday called the practice ‘horrific’. The pope made his toughest remarks to date on abortion in his yearly address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, a speech known as his ‘State of the World’ address. ‘It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day,’ he said in a section of the speech about the rights of children around the world.

“Since his election in March, the pope, while showing no signs of changing the Church’s position against abortion, has not spoken out against it as sternly or as repeatedly as his predecessors Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II. Both of those popes often delivered sermons against abortion, which the Church considers murder.

“Conservatives in the Church were alarmed when Francis, in a landmark interview in September with the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica, said the Church must shake off an ‘obsession’ with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality. His stance favoring mercy over condemnation has disoriented conservative Catholics, notably in rich countries such as the United States, where the Catholic Church has become polarized on issues such as abortion.

“Last year, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, spoke for many conservative Catholics when he said he was disappointed that the pope had not addressed ‘the evil of abortion’ more directly. Conservative Catholic websites have criticized the pope in the past months for what they called his silence on abortion.”

Pope Francis is anxious to please all sides. Note the next article.

Pope Francis Pleases Liberals

The New York Times wrote on January 13:

“Francis is steadily replacing traditionalists with moderates… Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, one of the highest-ranking Americans in the Vatican, found his influence diluted. Another conservative, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, was demoted. Among the bishops, Archbishop Guido Pozzo was sidelined. To some degree, Francis, 77, is simply bringing in his own team…

“Interviews with cardinals, bishops, priests, Vatican officials, Italian politicians, diplomats and analysts indicate that the mood inside the Vatican ranges from adulation to uncertainty to deep anxiety, even a touch of paranoia. Several people say they fear Francis is going department by department looking for heads to roll. Others whisper about six mysterious Jesuit spies who act as the pope’s eyes and ears on the Vatican grounds. Mostly, once-powerful officials feel out of the loop…

“Francis remains tricky to define, a doctrinal conservative whose humble style and symbolic gestures have thrilled many liberals.”

The true colors of Pope Francis will be revealed very soon.

Kerry Asks Vatican For Help

JTA wrote on January 14:

“U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asked the Vatican to intercede in helping free American-Jewish contractor Alan Gross from a Cuban jail. Kerry said in a meeting Tuesday with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, they discussed Cuba and the need for respect for freedom of religion and human rights in the island nation. ‘I raised the issue of Alan Gross and his captivity, and we hope very much that they might be able to be of assistance with respect to that issue,’ Kerry told reporters following the meeting…

“Kerry is the first Catholic U.S. secretary of state in more than 30 years, according to Reuters. He and Parolin in their meeting also discussed such issues as Syria, Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and global poverty.”

World politicians will turn more and more towards the Vatican for help.

How the US Government Wastes Our Money…

Engadget wrote on January 8:

“The International Space Station just got another lease on life. The White House has approved funding that would keep the floating lab running until ‘at least’ 2024, as long as other countries also chip in.

“The additional funding should help both general science research as well as the human endurance studies that NASA needs for voyages to asteroids and Mars. The extension is primarily good news for those who want a long-term human presence in space; it’s the second extension past the original 2015 decommissioning timeframe…”

While the poor in this country increase and unemployment benefits and disability payments are being withheld, money is being pilfered to explore space—in the vain attempt to find life out there to “prove” the ungodly concept of the evolution hypostasis.

House Passes Spending Bill Without Reading It

Breitbart wrote on January 15:
“On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the 1,582 page omnibus spending bill worth more than a trillion dollars of spending to accompany the recently-passed budget deal. The deal came up for the vote in the House less than two full days after it was introduced Monday evening, meaning that many of the members who voted for it likely did not read it. The vote overwhelmingly passed the House with a total vote count of 359-67. Only three Democrats – Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Mike McIntyre (D-NC) – voted against it, while 64 Republicans did the same… this bill was conceived in a flawed process, which exemplifies dysfunctional Washington. This massive 1,582 page bill was written behind closed doors. There was no open debate. No amendments were allowed…”
The Los Angeles Times added on January 16:

“Congress gave final approval Thursday to a $1-trillion spending bill, but not without a last-minute standoff in the Senate by tea party Republicans who opposed the measure. Conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) kept senators in suspense throughout the afternoon as he considered his options for blocking the bipartisan measure, which was overwhelmingly approved Tuesday by the House. Eventually, the tea party opponents lost their fight and the measure was approved on a lopsided vote, 72-26.

“Seventeen Republicans voted in favor and 26 opposed. All Democrats and independents voted in favor. President Obama is expected to quickly sign the bill into law before Saturday’s midnight deadline when funding for federal operations runs out… Budget issues continue to divide Republicans. The party’s top leaders in the Senate, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voted against the measure, as did the GOP’s potential presidential hopefuls, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).”

US Government “Arrangements” with Mexican Drug Cartel

Business Insider wrote on January 13:

“An investigation… found that between the years 2000 and 2012, the U.S. government had an arrangement with Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed the organization to smuggle billions of dollars of drugs while Sinaloa provided information on rival cartels. Sinaloa, led by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, supplies 80% of the drugs entering the Chicago area and has a presence in cities across the U.S. There have long been allegations that Guzman, considered to be ‘the world’s most powerful drug trafficker,’ coordinates with American authorities.

“But the El Universal investigation is the first to publish court documents that include corroborating testimony from a DEA agent and a Justice Department official… ‘The DEA agents met with members of the cartel in Mexico to obtain information about their rivals and simultaneously built a network of informants who sign drug cooperation agreements, subject to results, to enable them to obtain future benefits, including cancellation of charges in the U.S.’ reports El Universal, which also interviewed more than one hundred active and retired police officers as well as prisoners and experts.”

Nothing new under the sun… but still shocking to be reminded of such activities…

Murder of Four Americans in Benghazi Could Have Been Prevented

The New York Times wrote on January 15:

“A stinging report by the Senate Intelligence Committee released Wednesday concluded that the attacks 16 months ago that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, could have been prevented, and blames both American diplomats and the C.I.A. for poor communication and lax security during the weeks leading up to the deadly episode.

“The report is broadly consistent with the findings of previous inquiries into the September 2012 attacks, which has become the subject of a fiercely partisan debate, with Republicans charging that Obama administration officials made misleading statements about connections between the attackers and Al Qaeda… [The report] is unsparing in its criticism of the State Department for failing to provide adequate security at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi… The report found that, in the months before the attacks, American intelligence agencies gave ample warning about deteriorating security in Benghazi and the risks to Americans in the city… Moreover, the committee found, the Pentagon was ill prepared to deal with crisis that night…”

While all this incompetency was going on, the American public was misled into believing that the attack was just a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Mohammed movie.

Target’s Data Breach

cnet.com wrote on January 10:

“Target’s data breach is much broader than once believed. The nationwide retailer on Friday announced that personal information on as many as 70 million additional customers was stolen as part of the company’s payment card data breach. The information stolen includes names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, the company said. While Target spokesperson Molly Snyder said that there could be some overlap with the approximately 40 million people first said to be affected by the breach in December, the new total of people impacted by the breach could be as high as 110 million…

“Not surprisingly, hackers moved quickly to take advantage of the stolen information and put the information on the black market. According to reports, following the Target breach there was a ‘ten-to-twentyfold increase’ in stolen cards available on underground markets…

“Target, which has nearly 1,800 stores in the US, said Friday that affected customers will suffer no liability for any fraudulent charges. The company will also offer one free year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection… the company was forced to lower its fourth-quarter sales forecast, saying that it experienced ‘meaningfully weaker-than-expected sales’ following the data-breach announcement.”

Many customers of other companies are apparently being “targeted” as well, but it may take years to find out the terrible scope of those affected by these unscrupulous vicious criminals.

Germany Outraged over Obama and “No-Spy Agreement” with USA

Deutsche Welle reported on January 15:

“Talks between Berlin and Washington over a deal to not spy on each other was announced last August, after it was revealed the US tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone. A New York Times report in December had hinted that Germany would likely be disappointed in its efforts to broker a deal. The paper reported Obama’s national security advisor Susan Rice had already warned the government in Berlin that Washington did not want to set an international precedent by making an explicit arrangement with Germany.

“On Tuesday, Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung quoted a German source close to the talks as saying: ‘We’re getting nothing.’ Interior Ministry Parliamentary State Secretary Günter Krings, of Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats party (CDU), conceded that information the US has supplied on NSA spying was ‘highly unsatisfactory,’ but said that to achieve more transparency the no-spy agreement negotiations had to continue…

“Adding to the controversy over the spying affair was the revelation Wednesday that the NSA has developed the ability to spy on computers that are not connected to the internet. According to the New York Times, the NSA has implanted software in 100,000 computers around the world allowing the agency to conduct surveillance and creates a ‘digital highway’ for launching cyber-attacks…”

Deutsche Welle added on January 14:

“In a story that ran under the headline ‘The US lied to us,’ the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), along with national public broadcaster NDR, reported on Monday (13.01.2013) that the planned no-spy agreement between the US and Germany was on course to fail, according to insiders.

“On Tuesday (14.01.2013), the SZ voiced an expectation that US President Barack Obama could make a statement on reforms at the NSA this week, but claimed that these are likely to be ‘political declarations’ rather than detailed agreements. An opinion piece also published in the Munich-based paper on Tuesday poured scorn on US justifications for refusing to come to a binding agreement, for example by pointing out that ‘The US refusal [to agree to stop spying on German politicians] shows that the fight against terrorism is only an excuse.’ The daily paper claimed that it was an illusion to think that the spying was an ‘aberration, an excess of the US intelligence agency alone, and not of US politics in toto’, which it concludes must see itself as ‘above the law.’

“The national daily Die Welt hypothesized about possible ways to protect German privacy if the no-spy agreement really and truly falls through. Several German politicians interviewed by the paper suggest that technical advancements could prevent spying or at least make it more difficult. According to member of the Bundestag Wolfgang Bosbach one way would be to create a European Internet server, so that German internet traffic would no longer pass through US servers – along the lines of a similar suggestion made by Germany’s Digital Infrastructure Minister Alexander Dobrindt. The paper also quotes a spokesman of the conservative CDU party, Stephan Mayer, who explains that such technical solutions would entail increased investment in the Federal Office for Information Security: ‘We need a bigger toolbox,’ he told Die Welt.

“The Kölner Stadtanzeiger cautioned that the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s claims, which it also reported, have not been ‘officially confirmed’ and added that ‘German security politicians had been becoming less and less hopeful in the past weeks’ anyway. The article also calls on Chancellor Angela Merkel to finally take a stand on the issue, rather than shirking her responsibilities, as she did at the height of the scandal last summer.

“The weekly news magazine Stern went further in chastizing the government and Angela Merkel’s politics in particular. It wrote that by refusing to guarantee that the NSA will stop spying on German politicians and adhere to German law in their missions in Germany, US President Obama has ‘conclusively downgraded Germany to a second-class ally,’ and is even labeling the country as a potential enemy. And since Merkel was depending on the negotiations over a no spy agreement to resolve the NSA scandal, Stern concludes that ‘The German state is not able to protect our civil rights. It can’t even protect itself.’ And if Merkel ‘doesn’t dare’ to risk putting transatlantic relations on the line to ‘put up a fight,’ the NSA will have won, the newpaper said.”

America is playing with fire, and Angela Merkel’s dillydallying around will soon backfire, because Germans will not much longer tolerate the irresponsible conduct of the American and German leadership.

Innocent Drone Deaths—Shocking Statistics

Breitbart wrote on January 10:

“Sometime within the last year, the U.S. has probably killed more innocent people through drone strikes than the 2,606 U.S. citizens killed on 9/11. Although there are no hard numbers for the public to source, the statistical ratio from leaked sources can provide reasonable assurances that, at some point in the last year, we have surpassed this threshold.

“Back in February 2013, while speaking at a Rotary Club meeting, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that the number of people killed by our current drone program was 4,700. The most recent data added another approximately 271 persons to this total. Although from a historical casualty perspective, 4,971 is not a large number when a country is at war, the number of deaths of innocent people relative to deaths of ‘high-value targets’ is deeply skewed. This makes the existing drone policy nothing more than an Al Qaeda recruiting tool.

“The U.S. has incinerated innocent women and children as well as low-level minions who pose no risk to our country in the process of fighting our endless War on Terror. The irony of this war is that through our own actions, we are creating a new crop of jihadists who might have otherwise lived their lives out in peace.

“In the 2008 and 2012 election cycles, Presidential candidate Ron Paul brought up the concept of ‘blowback’ to the American public. People like Rudy Giuliani showed their ignorance by laughing in response. This term, familiar within government circles, is not something the average man on the street spends any time contemplating. In essence, by waging a covert war from the skies, the very thing we are trying to stop – terrorism – might blowback in our faces further down the road when the families of innocent victims set out to avenge their loved ones’ murders.

“The reaction of some Americans, if this were to happen to their friends or family, would be nothing short of an all-out bloodbath exacted on the perpetrators. For example, if Mexico, in its efforts to stop their drug cartels from operating within our borders, were to employ drones to do their dirty work, and this resulted in the deaths of innocent citizens, it would not be surprising to see within hours the great state of Texas mobilizing and loading for bear. What will we say to Russia or China in the future if they begin deploying drones in foreign lands? We have set a terrible precedent.

“The problem we have with evaluating this program is that the public has been intentionally kept in the dark about what our country is doing. This administration, which ran on being ‘the most transparent ever,’ has been exposed as even more secretive and devious than its predecessor. It’s no wonder the American public has grown to fear its own government more than terrorists; we are being told lies all the time!

“How can the public have confidence that the numbers we have been given are, in fact, true?… Patrolling high above the clouds on the other side of the world, drones have mistaken things like wedding parties and tribal gatherings for Al Qaeda. Heather Linebaugh, former Air Force Geo-spatial analyst who has firsthand knowledge of a drone’s limitations, reported to The Guardian that what ‘the public needs to understand is that the video provided by a drone is not usually clear enough to detect someone carrying a weapon, even on a crystal-clear day with limited clouds and perfect light.’…”

This conduct by the American government and military is truly appalling.

Iran in Blatant Defiance of Geneva Deal

Debka wrote on January 9:

“Iran’s utilization of advanced IR-2m centrifuges for enriching uranium, in violation of the interim Geneva accord, was presented by the US and the five powers Wednesday, Jan. 8, as the main difficulty in its implementation… Iran has not even started implementing any part of the Geneva accord it signed last November 24…

“Iranian Majlis member Mohammed Nabavian took the podium on Friday January 3… The main point of Nabavian’s narrative wasn’t just confirmation that Iran possesses the capacity to produce a nuclear bomb at extremely short notice, but its continued development of ever-faster centrifuges that will dramatically change these figures within a short time and produce a complete arsenal aimed at a single target: Israel.

“This is not what President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry or Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to hear or bring to general knowledge. The Iranians have no such inhibitions and are making no bones about flouting at least five separate clauses of the nuclear pact they signed in Geneva – plus one:

“1.  There has been no suspension or slowdown of 20-percent uranium enrichment.

“2.  Uranium enrichment to 3.5- and 5-percent purity continues apace in disregard of the ceiling agreed in Geneva.

“3. Advanced IR-2m centrifuges continue to roll off the assembly lines. Making a slight bow to the pact, they are being installed at Fordo and Natanz in individual units, not cascades. The Geneva pact bans their installation in any shape or form.

“4. Iran has not stopped preparations for moving up to 60-percent enrichment and is being urged by many voices at home to go up to 80 percent. Iran’s pretext is that this level is necessary to fuel the reactors of the nuclear vessels it is building.

“5. There has been no pause in the high-speed construction of the heavy water-plutonium plant at Arak.

“6. Neither is there any slowdown at the research and development centers for nuclear weapons. Since the military dimension of Iran’s nuclear program was left unmentioned in the Geneva accord, Tehran is at liberty to continue this pursuit free of international inspection while denying it is taking place.”

This “deal of the Century” was a joke from the outset. One wonders whether the USA and the other “world” powers negotiating with Iran are really that naïve, or whether some act with ulterior motives, while God has poured on others the spirit of slumber.

JTA wrote on January 12:

“Iran and six world powers signed an agreement implementing a plan that temporarily freezes Iran’s nuclear production. The Joint Plan of Action, which was finalized and approved on Sunday, will go into effect on Jan. 20.

“Under the plan first agreed to in November, Iran will freeze most of its nuclear enrichment capability, including not installing or starting up additional centrifuges or using next-generation centrifuges. In return, the United States and five other world powers — Germany, Russia, England, France and China — will provide Iran with some economic sanctions relief. Iran also will allow new and more frequent inspections of its nuclear sites.”

We will see whether this new “agreement” will be worth the paper it is written on. Note the next article.

Iran’s Victory and the Surrender of the Western Powers

The Associated Press reported on January 14:

“President Hassan Rouhani has praised a landmark nuclear deal struck in Geneva as his country’s victory, telling a home crowd it effectively means the ‘surrender’ of Western powers to Iranian demands. The remarks were part of the moderate Rouhani’s efforts to bring around hard-liners who claim the deal tramples on Iran’s enrichment rights.

“Last week, the six-nation group — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany — and Iran agreed to start implementing the terms of the November deal later this month.”

Ariel Sharon (85) Has Died

Newsmax wrote on January 11:

“Ariel Sharon —  the military hero and prime minister who was among the most controversial figures in the history of Israel — has died, eight years after the massive stroke that left him comatose. He was 85. He died Saturday at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, outside of Tel Aviv, where he has been cared for since 2006.

“Over his long career Sharon served as Israel’s 11th prime minister, headed several ministries including Defense, and rose to the rank of general in the Israeli army, seeing action in all four of Israel’s major wars. Reviled by Arabs over his hardline policies and viewed with a mixture of respect and suspicion by many Israelis, Sharon had been on life support at the hospital far from the public gaze…

“Sharon’s bold maneuver in crossing the Suez Canal and encircling Egypt’s Third Army was considered the key to Israel’s ultimate victory and led the Israeli public to nickname him ‘The King of Israel’ and ‘The Lion of God.’… In 1983, an Israeli state inquiry found Sharon indirectly responsible for the killing of hundreds of Palestinian men, women, and children at Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The slaughter took place after the Israeli army, which invaded Lebanon in 1982, allowed Israeli-backed Christian Phalangist militiamen to enter the camps. Sharon was forced to resign his post…

“On Sept. 28, 2000, Sharon — then head of the Likud Party — led more than 1,000 Israeli police officers to the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem, a Jewish holy site that also includes two of Islam’s holiest sites, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. He declared that the complex would remain under perpetual Israeli control. The provocative move torpedoed ongoing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and led to the Palestinian uprising known as the intifada. But Sharon and his supporters claimed that Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian National Authority had planned the uprising months before Sharon’s visit…

“He ordered the unilateral withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, expelling nearly 10,000 settlers from 21 settlements in August 2005. Israeli soldiers formally left Gaza in September.  Critics of the withdrawal point to the territory’s seizure two years later by Hamas Islamists opposed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and to intensive rocket fire from Gaza. The withdrawal decision sparked bitter protests from members of the Likud Party. Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quit the Cabinet in protest.

“In November 2005, Sharon resigned as head of Likud to form a new party, Kadima, and his rival Netanyahu took over as leader of Likud… Polls in November 2005 indicated that Sharon was likely to beat Netanyahu at the polls, but on Dec. 18, he suffered a mild stroke while heading to his ranch in the Negev Desert. He left the hospital after two days, but on Jan. 4, 2006, suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage that left him comatose and on life support… Within months, Sharon was transferred to a long-term care unit at Sheba. Medical experts said his cognitive abilities were destroyed by the stroke and he was in a persistent vegetative state with little chance of regaining consciousness, though family members refused to allow them to turn off his life support… In the end, he died peacefully.”

Tel Aviv—Bastion of Secularism

The Local wrote on January 11:

“Israel unveiled Friday a memorial in Tel Aviv to remember the gay and lesbian victims of Nazi persecution, in a ceremony attended by Germany’s ambassador. Members of Tel Aviv’s gay community turned out to see the stone monument, modelled on the pink triangle Nazis made homosexuals wear in concentration camps during World War II, which features inscriptions in German, Hebrew and English. ‘In addition to the extermination of Europe’s Jews, the Nazis committed many atrocities, in an attempt to destroy anyone who was considered different,’ Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said at the unveiling…

“The heart of Israel’s cultural life and a bastion of secularism, Tel Aviv hosts an annual gay pride parade with relatively few objections from the country’s religious community, unlike similar events in Jerusalem that have seen violence and even one stabbing. Israel is widely seen as having liberal gay rights policies, despite the hostility shown towards homosexuals, particularly men, from the ultra-orthodox Jewish community… Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany sent thousands of homosexuals to concentration camps in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Gestapo secret police arrested an estimated 100,000 men for being gay.”

Jewish Discovery Might Cause Diplomatic Earthquake

Israel Today reported on January 10:

“We reported last year on the discovery of an ancient biblical-era palace probably dating back to the time of King David himself that was subsequently covered up for political reasons. Now, the group that stumbled upon the unprecedented find tells Israel National News that they will publicly reveal the location of the buried palace next Friday, January 17, an event that is likely to cause a diplomatic earthquake…

“At the time, a member of the Kfar Etzion Field School in the Eztion Bloc of Jewish communities had stumbled across an ancient ornate pillar as he descended into a cave in the Judean hills. The pillar and its attached capital clearly belonged to a royal structure, and local archaeologists said it certainly dated back to the times of the Judean kings, if not David himself…

“The Antiquities Authority later confirmed to Makor Rishon that the find exists, and had actually been first discovered the year prior, but that political sensitivities had prevented archaeologists from exploring the site. It was pointed out that the find is located in territory claimed by the Palestinian Authority. Uncovering a major and even unprecedented archaeological site that solidifies the ancient Jewish presence in and control of these lands could upset the peace process.”

No Recognition of Israel?

JTA wrote on January 12:

“Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told supporters that he will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state or sign a peace deal that fails to include eastern Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state… Abbas also said he would not negotiate beyond the original nine-month deadline set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for the U.S.-backed negotiations to end in a final status deal. After the deadline, which expires in May, Abbas said he will seek international recognition for a Palestinian state without an agreement.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not sign an agreement unless the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Kerry reportedly will return soon to the region to present a framework agreement to Israeli and Palestinian negotiators that covers the core issues.”

There will not be a true and lasting peace treaty with Israel in the Middle East. It is prophesied that the state of Israel will be attacked and occupied by European powers, and that God will allow this to happen to punish Israel for their sins (compare, for example, the previous article on Tel Aviv). Subsequently, the invading armies will be overthrown themselves, as Europe is by no means “more righteous” than Israel.

Massive Extinction of Fish

The Associated Press reported on January 15:

“State wildlife officials are trying to figure out why all the fish have died in a northern Nevada marina where the stocked fishery has flourished since the man-made lake was created nearly 15 years ago. As many as 100,000 trout, bass and catfish have died over the past month in the Sparks Marina along U.S. Interstate 80 east of Reno…

“Scientists… don’t understand what sparked the massive die-off… ‘The 100,000 dead fish figure is something that is probably a pretty conservative guess,” said [Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris] Healy, who estimates they’ve stocked close to 1 million adult fish in the lake since they started in 1998… ‘We don’t know if any small fish have survived, but for all intents and purposes, the fishery doesn’t exist anymore,’ he told The Associated Press…”

The Bible predicts that in these end times, many land animals and ALL fish will die.

Is History Repeating Itself – 1914 All Over Again?

The Independent wrote on January 5:

“… an internationally respected historian is warning that today’s world bears a number of striking similarities with the build-up to the First World War. The newly mechanised armies of the early 20th century produced unprecedented slaughter on the battlefields of the ‘war to end all wars’ after a spark lit in the Balkans with the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

“Professor Margaret MacMillan, of the University of Cambridge, argues that the Middle East could be viewed as the modern-day equivalent of this turbulent region. A nuclear arms race that would be likely to start if Iran developed a bomb ‘would make for a very dangerous world indeed, which could lead to a recreation of the kind of tinderbox that exploded in the Balkans 100 years ago – only this time with mushroom clouds,’ she writes in an essay for the Brookings Institution, a leading US think-tank… ‘the Middle East today bears a worrying resemblance to the Balkans then,’ she says. ‘A similar mix of toxic nationalisms threatens to draw in outside powers as the US, Turkey, Russia, and Iran look to protect their interests and clients.’

“Professor MacMillan highlights a string of other parallels between today and a century ago. Modern-day Islamist terrorists mirror the revolutionary communists and anarchists who carried out a string of assassinations in the name of a philosophy that sanctioned murder to achieve their vision of a better world…

“Another similarity highlighted by the historian is the belief that a full-scale war between the major powers is unthinkable after such a prolonged period of peace. ‘Now, as then, the march of globalisation has lulled us into a false sense of safety,’ she says. ‘The 100th anniversary of 1914 should make us reflect anew on our vulnerability to human error, sudden catastrophes, and sheer accident…’”

The Bible has prophesied long ago that in our days, World War III is coming…

Iraqi City Fallujah Back in Al Qaida Hands

On January 3, 2014, Newsmax wrote the following:

“Al-Qaida-linked militants held control of much of the Iraqi city of Fallujah and other nearby towns, fighting off efforts by troops with air support to regain control… Fallujah became notorious among Americans when insurgents in 2004 killed four American security contractors and hung their burned bodies from a bridge… The town also was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq War. Nearly 100 U.S. Marines were killed and hundreds wounded in the second battle of Fallujah in 2004.

“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sent reinforcements on Jan. 1 to dislodge militants from Fallujah and nearby Ramadi, a focus of the 2007 ‘surge’ of U.S. forces. The fighting there is part of an escalation of violence in Iraq, where 2013 saw the most civilian casualties for five years amid the kind of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims that also has engulfed Syria and Lebanon…

“There is little support in the U.S. for renewed military involvement in Iraq, where 4,489 Americans were killed and 51,778 wounded in action after the Bush administration invaded the country almost 11 years ago. Obama has listed ending the war in Iraq as one of his main accomplishments. Civilian fatalities in Iraq, including police, totaled 7,818 last year, with almost 18,000 wounded…

“So far, the violence hasn’t affected Iraq’s major oil fields, the country’s main source of revenue. Output rose by 100,000 barrels a day last month to 3.2 million barrels, the most since August… The country pumped more crude as it increased links to wells in its predominately Shiite south. Iraq is the second-biggest producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia… Maliki also faces political unrest, with 44 members of Iraq’s parliament resigning because the government used force to dismantle Sunni-led protests.”

Deutsche Welle reported on January 7:

“For most Americans, the Iraq War ended when its last troops were withdrawn at the end of 2011. But the violence in the country has barely relented since then, and last week’s outbreak of fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi was only the latest eruption of long-lasting sectarian tensions… Those sectarian tensions remained unresolved when US troops forces pulled out… In effect, then, analysts argue, greater diplomatic pressure on Baghdad in 2009 and early 2010 could have stemmed the tensions that erupted so violently last week.”

The Iraqi war was a terrible mistake and destined to failure from the outset, and subsequent diplomatic blunders only added to the disaster. Things have only gotten worse. And what if Iraq’s oil fields fell into the hands of radical Islamists and the oil export to the USA were to stop?

North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong Un and His Unpredictable Demonic Rule

The Straits Times wrote on January 2:

“The execution of Jang Song Thaek, the No. 2 man in North Korea, took Beijing by surprise and will adversely affect bilateral relations. Beijing’s displeasure is expressed through the publication of a detailed account of Jang’s brutal execution in Wen Wei Po, its official mouthpiece, in Hong Kong, on Dec 12. According to the report, unlike previous executions of political prisoners which were carried out by firing squads with machine guns, Jang was stripped naked and thrown into a cage, along with his five closest aides. Then 120 hounds, starved for three days, were allowed to prey on them until they were completely eaten up. This is called ‘quan jue’, or execution by dogs. The report said the entire process lasted for an hour, with Mr Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader in North Korea, supervising it along with 300 senior officials.

“The horrifying report vividly depicted the brutality of the young North Korean leader. The fact that it appeared in a Beijing-controlled newspaper showed that China no longer cares about its relations with the Kim regime. Two days later, the Global Times, associated with the People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist Party organ, followed up with a sternly worded editorial saying that the abrupt political change epitomised the backwardness of the North Korean political system. It warned the Chinese government not to coddle North Korea any longer, saying that the majority of Chinese were extremely disgusted with the Kim regime…

“The purge of Jang reflected the longstanding suspicion and apprehension of the North Korean regime towards China, which dates back to the time of Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founder. Although China fought the Korean War to preserve the Kim regime, he was less than grateful. Once the war was over, Kim started purging the Yan-an faction within his party. This faction received its training in Yan-an, the capital of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1940s… When the son, Kim Jong Il, took over the helm, he did not hide the fact that his nuclear weapons could be used against China… So when the grandson, … Kim Jong Un, took over the helm, this family tradition of suspecting China prompted the young leader to take drastic action to cleanse the party of any pro-China elements.

“Recent developments have posed a number of issues for China. First, China’s own security is at risk. The erratic and ruthless behaviour of Mr Kim Jong Un suggests that China should not underrate the likelihood of a nuclear threat from Pyongyang…

“Second, China’s political and strategic influence on the Korean peninsula has been drastically reduced. China was widely considered to be able to rein in the unruly Kim regime, thus acting as a force for peace in the region. But it now appears China’s influence over its neighbour is close to zero. This is clear from the fact that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi telephoned his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for urgent consultation on Dec 13. This was followed by Ambassador Wu Dawei’s trip to Moscow. Both moves suggest that Beijing realises it can no longer tame the Kim regime by itself.

“Third, China had hoped to nurture a less belligerent neighbour by encouraging reform, open-door policies and economic development in North Korea… With Jang brutally executed, the idea of a peaceful transformation seems unrealistic.”

Some, like Newsmax, dated January 6, have stated that the “dog story” might have been a myth, as it was allegedly received from a Chinese satire website.  There is no discussion, however, that Jang Song Thaek was murdered by the North Korean regime, but it is suggested that he was “executed” by a firing squad. We have serious doubts that this “clarification” is based on facts. Kim Jong Un is a ruthless leader, and further reports have emerged that his aunt, wife of the late Jang Song Thaek, is also dead. As the Daily Mail reported, dated January 6, she died “under mysterious circumstances.” She “is said to have either suffered a heart attack or committed suicide by North Korean media.”

Rodman’s Shameful and Disgusting Show in North Korea

Based on the foregoing, the following report by CNN, dated January 6, is appalling, stating: “Eccentric basketball star Dennis Rodman and several other former NBA players have arrived in North Korea to take part in a controversial basketball game on the birthday of Kim Jong-Un, the country’s young, unpredictable leader.”

On January 8, 2014, BBC News added: “US basketball star Dennis Rodman has sung Happy Birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in front of a crowd of thousands in the capital. Rodman said Mr Kim, who was in the audience with his wife and other senior officials, was his ‘best friend’.”

How anyone, “eccentric or not,” can justify celebrating the birthday of Kim Jong-un by playing a basketball game is beyond sound reasoning. To call him “his best friend” shows much about the character of Rodman — former Chicago Bull teammate of Michael Jordan–and those following him. What a shameful disgrace for the US, which became even more appalling during Rodman’s interview with CNN. As Deutsche Welle reported on January 8:

“Rodman’s CNN appearance took a turn towards the surreal when he was asked about US missionary Kenneth Bae, who has been held in North Korean custody since May on charges described only as ‘anti-state’ crimes… ‘If you understand what Kenneth Bae did … Do you understand what he did in this country? Why is he held captive in this country?’ Rodman asked the interviewer, declining to elaborate when asked to provide the information in question…

“White House spokesman Jay Carney said he was ‘not going to dignify that outburst with a response’… The National Basketball Association (NBA), meanwhile, issued a statement saying it was ‘not involved’ in Rodman’s trip and would not take part in so-called ‘basketball diplomacy’ without discussions with the US State Department.”

This response by the NBA is another shameful and cowardly attempt not to take any position against Rodman’s and the other former NBA players’ behavior.

In that context, Breitbart wrote on January 6:

“‘The trip comes at the worst possible time—after Kim Jong-un brutally solidified his grip on power—and with no progress towards denuclearization,’ Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Breitbart.com. ‘This basketball game will do nothing to improve the abysmal human rights conditions in North Korea. It’s a propaganda win for the regime.’

“If they don’t return home with a renewed appreciation for America, the basketball giants might thank God for their height. North Korea has long pursued an eradication campaign against little people—ones even smaller than the diminutive Kim Jong-un—that has relied on imprisonment and eugenics. Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il, strangely proclaimed, ‘The race of dwarves must disappear.’”

This reminds us of Hitler and his Nazi elite, who strangely advocated the advance of a Nordic master race (blond, blue-eyed and tall)—a description which was not met in the slightest by little Hitler, overweight Goering or limping Goebbels.

We are convinced that Kim Jong Un is demonically possessed, and those too closely associated with him come likewise under his demonic “spell.” This fact makes the baby-faced young radical murderer extremely dangerous, irrational and privy to any imaginable destructive action. We might think of Hitler who was undoubtedly demon-possessed as well. For proof, please read our free booklets, “Europe in Prophecy” and “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.”

We can expect that more and more world leaders will give in to strong demonic influences, as the Bible clearly prophesies. Demons truly rule this world, and true Christians must be aware of this and resist Satan, while submitting to God for His protection. You might want to view or re-view our recent sermon on the topic, titled, “Demons on the Loose.”

Demonic Possession on the Rise

The Telegraph wrote on January 5:

“Dioceses across Italy, as well as in countries such as Spain, are increasing the number of priests schooled in administering the rite of exorcism, fabled to rid people of possession by the Devil. The rise in demonic cases is a result of more people dabbling in practices such as black magic, paganism, Satanic rites and Ouija boards, often exploring the dark arts with the help of information readily found on the internet, the Church said.

“The increase in the number of priests being trained to tackle the phenomenon is also an effort by the Church to sideline unauthorised, self-proclaimed exorcists, and its tacit recognition that belief in Satan, once regarded by Catholic progressives as an embarrassment, is still very much alive. The trend comes four decades after the 1973 release of The Exorcist, the American horror film based on the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and attempts to exorcise her by two priests…

“In Spain, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid, chose eight priests to undergo special training in May to confront what he described as ‘an unprecedented rise’ in cases of ‘demonic possession’. The Church in Spain was coming across many cases that ‘go beyond the competence of psychologists’ and they were occurring with ‘a striking frequency’, the archbishop said. ‘Diabolical possessions are on the increase as a result of people subscribing to occultism,’ said Fr Francesco Bamonte, the president of the Italy-based International Association for Exorcists. ‘The few exorcists that we have in the dioceses are often not able to handle the enormous number of requests for help,’ he told La Repubblica last month.

“The association was founded in 1993 by Fr Gabriele Amorth, who served as the Vatican’s chief exorcist and claims to have conducted thousands of exorcisms. A controversial figure, he has claimed that yoga is ‘evil’ because it leads to a worship of Hinduism and other Eastern religions. During the papacy of Benedict XVI he said that the sex abuse scandals which engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Australia and other countries were proof that the Antichrist was waging a war against the Holy See…

“[People with demonic possession] must undergo the official Catholic rite of exorcism, which involves a consecrated priest invoking the name of God, as well as various saints and the Archangel Michael, to cast out their demons…”

It is true that demonic influence and possession are on the rise. But the “exorcisms” performed by the Catholic Church, as well as those by certain TV Evangelists, are deceitful and of no help whatsoever. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.” 

Pope Francis and the Gay Community

AFP wrote on January 5:

“Pope Francis has called for a rethink in the way the Catholic Church deals with the children of gay couples and divorced parents… Though the Church has often been in conflict with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community over its opposition to same-sex marriage and to homosexuality, Francis has drawn praise for attempts to be inclusive. In July he reached out to gays, declaring that ‘if someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?’ And in December, the Advocate magazine — dedicated to the gay and lesbian community — chose the head of the Catholic Church as the ‘single most influential person of 2013 on the lives of LGBT people.’”

Inasmuch as it has been reported infrequently in the news that some—if not many—within the Catholic clergy are homosexual, this recent trend within that Church is quite remarkable. The conservative German paper, Die Welt, reported on January 7, 2014, that many men of the Catholic Swiss Guard have been allegedly approached by priests, bishops and cardinals. In its article, “The Vatican is a Paradise for Gays,” the paper wrote that the Swiss Guard has been “protecting” the Pope and the Vatican for 500 years, but that the 110-men-troop has also been serving as a “lust object.”

Pope Francis—“The Lamb of God”

This is how the Drudge Report linked the following article by The Independent, dated January 8:

“Pope Francis has visited a live nativity re-enactment at the Church of St Alfonso Maria dei Liguori on the outskirts of Rome. After greeting the 200 costumed participants and a large number of farmyard animals, he made his way to the most important member of the group: the 2-month-old baby Francesco, who had been baptised that morning and played the role of Jesus in the proceedings. A group of ‘shepherds’ also placed a young lamb on the Pope’s shoulders as children sang Christmas songs and presented the Pope with a bunch of roses.”

UFO Sighting in Germany

The Local wrote on January 7:

“An unidentified flying object which ruined the travel plans of passengers at Bremen airport on Monday night looked like a plane but was a lot louder, according to eyewitnesses… The airport said on Monday night that the UFO showed up on its radar several times over three hours from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Police said in a statement that they were alerted at 6.30pm about a UFO over Bremen and a patrol car also saw the object.

“A police helicopter was sent up to try and find the UFO but could not, although the Weser Kurier newspaper reported it could be seen through binoculars from the airport’s traffic control tower. The helicopter search was called off at 8.45pm, according to the police statement.

“Officers are now investigating the case on grounds of unauthorized intrusion into controlled air space. A spokeswoman for German Air Traffic Control (DFS) said: ‘It had normal lights, red and green, and an approach light on both sides,’ the Weser Kurier reported. Eyewitness Dominique Höber told the paper the object was flying at between 100 and 200 metres and passed over his house four times. ‘It looked like a plane,’ he said. ‘It had lights but was a lot louder.’

“A flight from Frankfurt had to be cancelled and a second flight from Munich was diverted to Hannover. Another plane coming from Paris had to stay airborne for a while before it could land. A Bremen police spokesman said. ‘We still don’t know what it was, but it was there.’ Possible explanations are that it was a drone or a balloon-like aircraft.

“On Sunday in the town of Zwickau, Saxony, an initially unidentified aircraft landed on a field behind a house. Hours later it turned out to be a remote-controlled model airship.”

Whatever it might have been, the fact that it could not be located and identified is quite disturbing and worrisome.

Israel’s Challenges for 2014

The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 3:

“Here are [several] challenges that await Netanyahu in 2014:

“… Iran – Insisting on a good deal. Netanyahu’s goal is to ensure the world reaches a deal that will permanently prevent Iran’s military nuclearization and avoid the need for a military strike…

“… Syria – Staying out of it. The Washington Institute estimated this week that there are fighters from 74 countries in the Syrian civil war, which has become what in wrestling is called a battle royal. While Israel is included on that list because there are Druse from the Golan who went there to help their families, the Jewish state has done a good job so far in staying out of the fighting. The last thing Israel wants in 2014 is for all those fighters to stop attacking each other, and decide to turn their guns against their common enemy.

“… Palestinians – Avoiding war. Hamas’s ability to attack Israel has been hindered by the new Egyptian regime closing hundreds of tunnels from Egypt to Gaza. Hamas loses millions in monthly revenue from the tunnels. But terror tunnels to Israel are still being built and rockets are still fired regularly.

“… Palestinians – Making peace. The prime minister is under intense pressure from US Secretary of State John Kerry… If Netanyahu’s goal is to stall and avoid concessions, it will be harder than ever in 2014. If his goal is to reach an agreement, then – as usual – his success will depend on whether his Palestinian counterparts have the same goal…”

The paper lists additional challenges for Mr. Netanyahu’s political survival, but the ones quoted above go beyond just the person of Mr. Netanyahu, and address the problems regarding the very survival of the state of Israel.

Kerry Leaves Israel Without a Deal

JTA wrote on January 7:

“Israel published plans to build nearly 300 West Bank apartments as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a visit to the Middle East without an official framework agreement between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators… On Monday, Netanyahu reportedly told Knesset members from his Likud party that he would oppose withdrawal from settlements such as Hebron and Beit El, which are not part of major settlement blocs but are ‘important to the Jewish people’…”

Michael Moore: “Obamacare Is Awful!”

On December 31, 2013, The New York Times published an editorial by left-liberal filmmaker and Obama-supporter Michael Moore, severely criticizing Obamacare. Moore became famous for films such as “Bowling for Columbine,” dealing with the unregulated use of guns, and his 2007 film ‘Sicko,’ which examined the American health care industry:

“Today marks the beginning of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s new insurance exchanges, for which two million Americans have signed up. Now that the individual mandate is officially here, let me begin with an admission: Obamacare is awful.

“That is the dirty little secret many liberals have avoided saying out loud for fear of aiding the president’s enemies, at a time when the ideal of universal health care needed all the support it could get…

“I believe Obamacare’s rocky start — clueless planning, a lousy website, insurance companies raising rates, and the president’s telling people they could keep their coverage when, in fact, not all could — is a result of one fatal flaw: The Affordable Care Act is a pro-insurance-industry plan…

“What we now call Obamacare was conceived at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and birthed in Massachusetts by Mitt Romney, then the governor. The president took Romneycare, a program designed to keep the private insurance industry intact, and just improved some of its provisions…By 2017, we will be funneling over $100 billion annually to private insurance companies…

“For many people, the ‘affordable’ part of the Affordable Care Act risks being a cruel joke. The cheapest plan available to a 60-year-old couple making $65,000 a year in Hartford, Conn., will cost $11,800 in annual premiums. And their deductible will be $12,600. If both become seriously ill, they might have to pay almost $25,000 in a single year…”

Of course, Moore has also “good things” to say about Obamacare, which we do not quote herein, as we do not believe that Moore’s overly optimistic and gratuitous comments insofar are accurate. But we did quote the excerpts above to show that even strong Obama supporters are unhappy with the President’s health-care policies… even though they might disagree for wrong reasons…

Secret Court Continues to Authorize Secret Spying on All American Phone Calls

The Washington Times wrote on January 3:

“The secret court that oversees the nation’s intelligence activities renewed its approval of the National Security Agency’s telephone-records program on Friday, granting the government a new three-month window to collect data on all Americans’ phone calls… The decision marks the 36th time the program has been approved by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court…

“Last month a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled that the NSA’s phone-records program was likely unconstitutional, but another federal judge in New York concluded the opposite. The Obama administration has said it is appealing the adverse ruling… Under the NSA program, the agency collects the time, duration and parties involved in most calls placed within the U.S. The agency stores that data for five years…

“A White House review, released last month, was harshly critical of the program, saying the NSA shouldn’t store the data but rather should leave it with telephone companies, only accessing the data when analysts have a specific articulable reason. The White House review was also critical of the secret court that has repeatedly upheld the NSA’s snooping program…”

Just to clarify and bring back to America’s consciousness. These incredible violations of privacy are not perpetrated in dictatorial countries such as North Korea, but in the “land of the brave and the free.”

Class Action Lawsuit by Rand Paul and Ken Cuccinelli against Obama for Spying

Breitbart reported on January 4:

“Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said the grassroots in America will ‘overwhelm’ the federal government and President Barack Obama’s administration by signing up for his class action lawsuit against Obama himself over the National Security Agency (NSA) spying on American citizens.

“‘Well, the thing about it is the question here is whether or not constitutionally you can have a single warrant apply to millions of people,’ Paul said in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Eric Bolling on Friday evening… ‘We now have several hundred thousand people who want to be part of this suit to say to the government and to the NSA “you can’t have our records without our permission or without a warrant specific to an individual.”… We want to overwhelm the government and we want to show publicly that hundreds of thousands of people object to the government looking at our records without our permission.

“Paul confirmed to Bolling that former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will be leading his legal team’s efforts against President Obama… He was also the first attorney general to file a lawsuit against Obamacare. And he’s joined our legal team. He has constitutional expertise. We’re hoping with his help we can get a hearing in court and so that we can get this class action lawsuit, I think the first of its kind, all the way to the Supreme Court.’

“Paul said the goal of the lawsuit is to force the Obama administration to follow the constitution… ‘We want them to protect the Fourth Amendment,’ Paul said. ‘We want them to protect the right to privacy. We want them to understand that we’re not willing to trade our liberty for security. We think we can have security and we can defend against terrorism but that doesn’t mean every individual American has to give up their privacy. We think we can have both. But we are very upset that this president doesn’t seem to be too concerned with our right to privacy.’

“When Bolling asked Paul if Director of National Intelligence James Clapper should be prosecuted for a factually inaccurate statement he made to Congress in 2013, Paul said he thinks so. Clapper denied during a congressional hearing that the NSA had engaged in collection of Americans’ records–something that has been proven to be untrue. ‘Lying to Congress is a felony,’ Paul said…”

Whether this class action lawsuit will be successful is doubtful in a country run by a government and a Congress determined to continue with spying on its citizens.

But lest anyone thinks that we are involved in politics and support one particular political candidate, let us make clear that we do not. We are reporting on political events in the light of biblical prophecy and social developments which are in contradiction to biblical standards. But we realize that this is Satan’s world, and that no politician, whether well-meaning or not, is able to solve our problems. That is why we are NOT voting in governmental elections. It will require the return of Jesus Christ to set up godly rule and the Kingdom of God here on earth.

We also know that no politician is infallible. For example, Rand Paul made some questionable statements in opposition to President Obama’s desire to prolong unemployment benefits. We reported about Congress’ failure to extend these benefits in our last Update. Now Newsmax reported on January 7 that Rand Paul “fired back at President Barack Obama’s aggressive push for extended unemployment benefits, saying that like ‘most liberals,’ he makes ‘big-hearted, small-brained policy statements.” Obama had responded to Paul’s controversial claim that “expanding benefits harms the country.” As we mentioned, it is easy to make such unsupportable statements when one is gainfully employed, has big savings in the bank, or has financial support from rich relatives, but it is a different story when one is becoming unemployed, searching for a job and is unable to find one. The Bible COMMANDS and enjoins the nation that these people MUST be supported.

Congress Not Exempted from NSA Spying?

CNN reported on January 5:

“Congress is just like everyone else. That’s the message the National Security Agency has for Sen. Bernie Sanders. The independent senator from Vermont sent a letter to the agency Friday, asking whether it has or is ‘spying’ on members of Congress and other elected American officials. The NSA provided a preliminary response Saturday that said Congress has ‘the same privacy protections as all U.S. persons.’… The NSA would say nothing more, except that it is further reviewing the letter…

“Attorney General Eric Holder similarly deflected answering the same question at a congressional hearing last summer…

“The intelligence community has faced heated criticism from the right and left in 2013 after Edward Snowden’s leaks, and the intensity has continued fiercely in 2014. On Thursday, the New York Times and the Guardian published scathing editorials that slammed the ‘violations’ Snowden’s leaks revealed and advocated a presidential pardon for him.

“Among those charges was the notion that James Clapper Jr., the director of National Intelligence, lied to Congress while testifying last March that the NSA was not collecting data on millions of Americans. National Intelligence was quick to push back, with a letter to the editor… by general counsel Robert Litt, published in the New York Times on Saturday. ‘As a witness to the relevant events and a participant in them, I know that allegation is not true,’ writes Litt, explaining that Clapper misunderstood the question, but couldn’t publicly correct his mistake ‘because the program involved was classified.’… Litt said that Clapper was ‘surprised and distressed’ when he was informed by staff that he gave a misleading answer after the testimony.”

This reminds us of the impeachable offense by former President Bill Clinton when he lied under oath regarding the nature of his extra-marital adulterous affair with “this woman,” subsequently stating that he misunderstood the question…

Obama Most Hostile President Towards the Press Since Nixon?

The Huffington Post wrote on January 7:

“President Obama demanded a criminal investigation into leaks to the New York Times just a month into his first term, a new book by his former defense secretary claims… In it, the paper reports, [Robert] Gates ‘reveals the depth of Mr. Obama’s concerns over leaks of classified information to news outlets, noting that within his first month in office, the new president said he wanted a criminal investigation into disclosures on Iran policy published by The New York Times.’

“It wasn’t clear which exact piece from the Times triggered Obama’s anger. The paper has famously been a subject of a Justice Department investigation into the leaking of detailed information of a classified program against Iran in 2012. But the claim highlights the zeal that has caused many to accuse Obama of being the most hostile president towards the press since Richard Nixon.”

USA in the Grip of Polar Vortex

The Associated Press wrote on January 5:

“Temperatures not seen in years are likely to set records in the coming days across the Midwest, Northeast and South, creating dangerous travel conditions and prompting church and school closures. A ‘polar vortex’ will affect more than half of the continental U.S. starting Sunday and into Monday and Tuesday, with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama. The vortex is a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air, and is behind the startling forecast: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago.

“The bitterly cold temperatures already pushed into northern states Sunday morning… It hasn’t been this cold for almost two decades in many parts of the country. Because of that, medical experts are reminding people that frostbite and hypothermia can set in quickly at 15 to 30 below zero, and it’s key to be dressed for the temperatures.”

BBC News added on January 7:

“A brutal blast of arctic air has settled over eastern North America, bringing dangerously low temperatures not seen in decades. About half of the US population has been placed under a wind chill warning or cold weather advisory. In Toronto, the temperature dropped to -24C (-11F) before dawn on Tuesday. Air, rail and road travel remain snarled by high, freezing wind, and residents have been warned to stay indoors to avoid frostbite.

“Cold air broke records in Chicago on Monday, where the temperature of -16F (-27C) was the lowest ever seen on that date. It was one of more than 120 daily temperature records broken in cities across the US since the beginning of 2014, many dating back decades.”

CBS wrote on January 7:

“The Polar Vortex has dropped unusually far south, keeping the Contiguous United States below freezing overnight, and 90-percent of the country below freezing Tuesday!”

Newsmax reported on January 7 that controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh made headlines again, stating: “The polar vortex is ‘a hoax’ perpetuated by the liberal media to further its agenda of climate change and global warming… ‘[We] are having a record-breaking cold snap in many parts of the country, and right on schedule, the media have to come up with a way to make it sound like it’s completely unprecedented,’ the conservative talker said, ‘because they’ve got to find a way to attach this to the global-warming agenda, and they have. It’s called the polar vortex. The dreaded polar vortex.”

It is not quite clear to us what the polar vortex has to do, if anything, with global warming, and why it must be a hoax to support global warming. The fact is, the term and phenomenon of “polar vortex” has been used and known for many years—before there was even a debate about global warming—and the USA is experiencing a freezing record unparalleled for decades. The following editorial by the Washington Times, dated January 6, sounds much more sensible to us than Rush Limbaugh’s conclusions.

“Polar Vortex Threatens Global Warming Delusions”

“If it’s too cold, the cause is man-made global warming. Not cold enough? That’s the fault of man-made global warming… Despite adoption of ‘climate change’ to replace ‘global warming,’ the public takes notice when Midwestern wind chills hit 70 degrees below zero and the average nationwide temperature falls to a mere 15 degrees…

“The liberal website Slate insists ‘Winter Does Not Disprove Global Warming’… Slate’s conclusion rests on a supposed scientific consensus and cites a draft of the U.S. National Climate Assessment that predicts ‘heavy precipitation in winter storms’ as proof that the cold snap is caused by global warming. When the winter is warm, [they] cite the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment of more than a decade ago, which predicted ‘Milder winter temperatures will decrease heavy snowstorms.’ Even ‘mild’ was a cause for alarm, as the same report predicted killer ice storms would cause even more damage than blizzards…

“Australians dutifully heard the urgent warnings of the experts and the climate scientists, and enacted a dramatic global-warming carbon-dioxide tax… It has been in place for more than a year and a half. Instead of cooling down, a summertime heat is scorching the nation with the hottest temperatures on record (by one-half of a degree). Australians have elected a conservative, the Liberal Party’s Tony Abbott, as prime minister, who set as his top priority abolishing the job-killing levy.

“Mr. Abbott’s top business adviser, Maurice L. Newman, put liberals to steaming over recent comments on the subject. ‘Regrettably for the global-warming religion,’ wrote Mr. Newman in an op-ed, “’its predictions have started to appear shaky, and the converts, many of whom have lost their jobs and much of their wealth, are losing faith.’ The new prime minister hopes to collect the votes to kill the global-warming tax after elections later this year.

“Hot and cold, extreme and mild aren’t proof of global warming. They’re proof that nature is stronger than man and man’s feeble attempts to make the weather behave the way he thinks it should.”

British Tea Party on the Rise

Fox News reported on January 4:

“The often stale British political system is being rocked by its very own Tea Party. The UK Independence Party (UKIP), formed in 1993 opposing Britain’s entry into the European Union, failed to make an electoral dent for a long time. However UKIP has built up steam in recent years and is spearheading a seismic shift in the British political spectrum. In this year’s local elections – the British version of midterms — UKIP took a stunning 23 percent of the vote, up from the 3.1 percent they won in the 2010 national election. Their leader, Nigel Farage, is buoyed by their recent success. ‘We want to take back our country, we want to take back our government, and we want to take back our birthright,’ Farage told FoxNews.com in forthright language rarely seen in British politics…

“Farage has good reason to be confident of UKIP’s potential. Since he took the party’s helm for a second time in 2010, the party has been revitalized, capitalizing on dissatisfaction with the Conservative Party’s shift to the center under current Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron has radically overhauled the ‘Tories,’ embracing nationalized health care, fighting for gay marriage, and changing the party logo from the flame of liberty to an environmentally conscious tree. This, UKIP argues, makes them indistinguishable from the left-wing Labour Party and Liberal Democrats. It is here where UKIP spied an opportunity, adopting an anti-establishment, populist platform that argues for lower taxation, privatization, smaller government and getting Britain out of the European Union. The message is proving effective. UKIP look[s] likely to make significant inroads in the next general election in 2015, possibly snatching seats away from the main parties.

“Farage is not getting ahead of himself however, instead focusing on the European elections in May 2014, where Europe is the determining factor. Britain has been turning decidedly away from Europe in recent years, with a September Opinion poll finding that 53 percent of British voters wanted to leave the E.U., with only 32 percent wanting to stay…

“Andrew Russell, Head of Politics at the University of Manchester, told FoxNews.com that the comparison between the Tea Party and UKIP is an accurate one, and that he believes that UKIP could take the 2014 elections by storm. ‘UKIP will do well in the 2014 European elections. They may even win them in terms of the popular vote. This will increase the pressure on the Conservatives.’ Yet instead of reaching out and finding middle ground, the Tories have snubbed UKIP. In 2006 David Cameron dismissed the newcomers as full of ‘fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists,’ and top Tory Kenneth Clark recently branded them as ‘a collection of clowns.’ However, Russell is unsure as to whether UKIP’s popularity could translate to general election success…”

Time will tell. But the “politically established” “conservative” reaction towards the US and British “Tea Party” movement is the same—dismissal rather than cooperation. This may heavily damage Boehner’s Republican Party as well as Cameron’s “Tories.” And the Bible strongly suggests that the UK will exit the EU.

“What Will You Worship in 2014?”

The Huffington Post wrote on January 1, 2014:

“Today we can ask ourselves the ultimate question: To what will we devote our life in this very short span of time that we have in this world? What will captivate us, be the focus of our life’s energy, be what we care most about in the world. In short — what will we worship? I use the term ‘worship’ because we worship that which we value, that which holds the highest place in the pantheon of our lives.

“Much of what we worship is, as we all know, not worthy of our time. We succumb to the desire for luxury that is out of our reach, or the perfect body, that will never be ours, or the status of power and intelligence that is fleeting and fraudulent. We can be aware of these unworthy objects of devotion while still spending far too much time bowing down at their altars. Yet we can replace these false idols. The decision of what is worthy of devotion, and actually devoting ourselves to it, is ours to make this New Year’s and every day of our lives.”

The Bible says, We cannot serve God and mammon. And: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and our physical needs will be satisfied.

Great!–Let The Spying Continue…

Fox News reported on December 27:

“A federal judge in New York has ruled the National Security Agency’s massive data collection program is legal, one week after another federal judge ruled the opposite. The conflicting rulings increase the likelihood that the challenges could someday end up before the Supreme Court. The ruling on Friday came from District Judge William H. Pauley III, in the case of the ACLU vs. James Clapper, the director of national intelligence. The judge agreed with the federal government’s request to dismiss the case. ‘No doubt, the bulky telephony metadata collection program vacuums up information about virtually every telephone call to, from, or within the United States,’ the judge wrote. But he added: ‘As the September 11th attacks demonstrate, the cost of missing such a thread can be horrific…’

“After the ruling, the ACLU said it would appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. ‘We are extremely disappointed with this decision, which misinterprets the relevant statutes, understates the privacy implications of the government’s surveillance and misapplies a narrow and outdated precedent to read away core constitutional protections,’ Jameel Jaffer, ACLU deputy legal director, said in a statement.

“The Justice Department issued a brief statement: ‘We are pleased the court found the NSA’s bulk telephony metadata collection program to be lawful.’ The decision was a victory for the Obama administration after a string of setbacks. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon, in Washington, D.C., ruled that the NSA phone record collection program likely violates the Constitution… Leon, unlike Pauley, questioned the program’s effectiveness in helping officials conduct ‘time-sensitive investigations in cases involving imminent threats of terrorism.’ Leon called the program ‘almost-Orwellian technology,’ and said: ‘Surely such a program infringes on “that degree of privacy” that the founders enshrined in the Fourth Amendment.’”

The extremely problematic decision of Pauley and the sensible and convincing decision of Leon proves that a divided country cannot stand. When constitutional judges can’t even agree on the clear mandates of the Constitution, what hope in human direction is there?

NSA Hacking into Computer Deliveries

The Associated Press wrote on December 29:

“A German magazine lifted the lid on the operations of the National Security Agency’s hacking unit Sunday, reporting that American spies intercept computer deliveries, exploit hardware vulnerabilities, and even hijack Microsoft’s internal reporting system to spy on their targets. Der Spiegel’s revelations relate to a division of the NSA known as Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, which is painted as an elite team of hackers specializing in STEALING DATA from the toughest of targets…

“Der Spiegel said TAO had a catalog of high-tech gadgets for particularly hard-to-crack cases, including computer monitor cables specially modified to record what is being typed across the screen, USB sticks secretly fitted with radio transmitters to broadcast stolen data over the airwaves, and fake base stations intended to intercept mobile phone signals on the go… One of the most striking reported revelations concerned the NSA’s alleged ability to spy on Microsoft Corp.’s crash reports, familiar to many users of the Windows operating system as the dialogue box which pops up when a game freezes or a Word document dies…”

Bible-believing Christians would have thought that their government would abide by God’s command not to steal…

US Greatest Threat to Peace?

Breitbart reported on December 31:

“… the world now believes the U.S. is the world’s greatest threat to peace. Our image is so bad that the runner-up, Pakistan, only received 8% of the total aggregate vote for [the] world’s most dangerous country, far behind the 24% of respondents vilifying the United States. China was third at 6%, followed by North Korea, Iran and Israel which all got 5%.

“Islamic countries polled were vehement about the U.S. and Israel being the greatest threat… the anti-American sentiment was strong in traditional foes Russia, 54%, and China, 49%, but also in supposed allies such as NATO partners Greece and Turkey 45% apiece, and Pakistan, (which is the large recipient of American largesse) at 44% percent.

“The list continues with Bosnia, looking to join the EU, at 49% , Argentina, 46%,  Mexico, 37%, Brazil, 26%, and Peru, 24%… Even in the Ukraine, which saw pro-Europe/anti-Russian demonstrations in November, 33% of respondents chose the U.S. with only 5% choosing Russia. Germany? The U.S. topped the list at 17%, even ahead of Iran at 16%. Spain? The U.S. came in at 25%, while 11% voted for North Korea and 10% for Iran.

“How about Great Britain, whose national icon, Winston Churchill, was put in his place when Obama removed his bust from the White House? The U.S. tied Iran for the top spot at 15%.”

Fear of Nuclear Contamination

Infowar.com reported on January 1:

“The Department of Health and Human Services has ordered 14 million doses of potassium iodide, the compound that protects the body from radioactive poisoning in the aftermath of severe nuclear accidents, to be delivered before the beginning of February… Potassium iodide helps block radioactive iodine from being absorbed by the thyroid gland and is used by victims of severe nuclear accidents or emergencies. Under current regulations, states with populations living within 10 miles of a nuclear plant are encouraged, but not required, to maintain a supply of potassium iodide.

“A search of the FedBizOpps website returns no other results regarding the purchase of potassium iodide from any government agency, suggesting that the DHHS bulk buy of the tablets is unprecedented in recent times. The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant has prompted concerns that the purchase is connected to the threat posed by radioactive debris washing up on the shores of the west coast or the potential for another natural disaster occurring in Japan which could impact the U.S….

“Last month it was revealed that 71 U.S. sailors who helped during the initial Fukushima relief efforts are suing the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) after they returned with thyroid cancer, Leukemia, and brain tumors as a result of being exposed to radiation at 300 times the safe level. TEPCO has repeatedly been caught lying in their efforts to downplay the scale of the disaster…

“Top scientists have warned that if another major earthquake hits Fukushima, which is almost inevitable, it would mean ‘bye bye Japan’ and the complete evacuation of the west coast of North America. Now that radioactive debris is hitting the West Coast of North America, numerous different animals and sea life are suffering from  mysterious diseases, including 20 bald eagles that have died in Utah over the last few weeks alone.”

The Curse of a Failed Economic Policy

The US Congress rejected the plea to extend Unemployment Benefits for 1.3 million Americans. Right-wing websites like Breitbart applaud this incompetent decision with ridiculous arguments, refusing to recognize the personal misery of innocent individual victims of a failed economic direction. A country which does not take care of its needy citizens is condemned by God. It’s easy to take a position against unemployment benefits as long as one has a job, nice savings or rich relatives to support someone. It’s different when the shoe is on the other foot. We are bringing you some excerpts from real-life miseries and hope that the hardened hearts of some will be softened.

The Huffington Post wrote on December 28:

“David Torian is an Ivy League-educated lawyer and a onetime chief of staff to then-Rep. Michael McNulty (D-N.Y.). He has 23 years of experience in congressional and government relations, witnessed and practiced politics at the highest level, and has been well compensated along the way.  On Dec. 28, he will also be among the 1.3 million Americans who will lose their long-term federal unemployment insurance benefits.

“Unemployment is not just a blue collar problem. As Torian’s experience shows, it can affect even Beltway power players. And it comes without much, if any, warning. When the consulting firm that Torian worked for after his time on the Hill folded, there were few options available. He took time off to help his sister tend to their ailing mother, who died at the end of 2012. The Washington resident then went looking for work. While he found that his government affairs experience was a draw, his age, 49, was not. ‘I get interviews but lose out in the end because prospective employers tell me my experience makes me “over-qualified” and they do not feel I would stay long in the position if it was offered,’ Torian told The Huffington Post.

“For over a year now, he has been receiving unemployment benefits as he tries to find a job. The benefits, roughly $430 a week, were set to last another few months. But he has been informed that his last check came this past Wednesday… Already, he said, he’s moved to a cheaper home, maxed out credit cards, and gone through his savings and 401(k) accounts. He’s found some work on the side through a friend. But the income isn’t enough. He figures that he can pay rent for three more months without the unemployment insurance…

“Americans don’t qualify for unemployment insurance by being poor. In fact, you can only qualify for unemployment benefits if you had a solid work history prior to being laid off… Roughly 40 percent of Americans who’ve received long-term unemployment benefits since 2008 had previously earned between $30,000 and $75,000…”

The New York Times wrote on December 27:

“An emergency federal program that acts as a lifeline for 1.3 million jobless workers will end on Saturday, drastically curtailing government support for the long-term unemployed and setting the stage for a major political fight in the new year.  The program, in place since the recession started in 2008, provides up to 47 weeks of supplemental unemployment insurance payments to jobless people looking for work. Its expiration is expected to have far-reaching ramifications for the economy, cutting job growth by about 300,000 positions next year and pushing hundreds of thousands of households below the poverty line… When the federal program expires, just one in four unemployed Americans will receive jobless benefits — the smallest proportion in half a century…

“At one point, Mr. Davis, 68, made more than $100,000 a year as an information technology expert and web designer. He is now living on ramen noodles and $140 he counted out from his change jar. Since being laid off over the summer, he has missed mortgage payments, forcing him to take out a reverse mortgage on his home. He sold his car and got a late-1990s model Ford Taurus, and is looking to cut his utility and cellphone bills…

“The loss of benefits is expected to drain billions in consumer spending from the economy next year… The psychological toll is significant, too. ‘I get up. I check my messages. I go through my ritual,’ said Margie Bogash, 52, a laid-off medical laboratory manager in Pennsylvania, describing her job application process. ‘When I’m done cleaning up around my house, I sit down, I go on again. When I can’t sleep, I go on again. The past year has been very stressful — it’s still just very stressful.’…

“Extending the program for a year would cost an estimated $25 billion. But because recipients tend to immediately spend the money they receive in unemployment benefits, the effect on the economy will be amplified, economists said…

“Since her federal benefits expired, Jamie Young, a library scientist living in Portland, Ore., has accepted a part-time job, taking a large reduction in her income… But the unemployment rate will primarily drop as workers, especially older workers, drop out of the labor force… ‘The opportunities that were there for my brother and my parents, they don’t seem to be there,’ said Brett Ivey, a 29-year-old college graduate in Seattle, who lives on his $329-a-week unemployment insurance payment and about $15 a week in food stamps. ‘There’s hundreds of people fighting for the same job, just trying to get by.’”

This is part of the REAL story of an incompetent political leadership coupled with their failed economic policies. Of course, one who does not WANT to work should not receive unemployment benefits. And yes, there will be some, if not many, who might “play” the system. But there are also those who can’t find a job or who can’t work because of health reasons. A nation–any nation–which neglects to take care of those innocent victims of an increasingly corrupt system is cursed in the eyes of God. The Bible is very clear that our refusal to help those in need is an abomination in God’s eyes.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” Was Probed as Communist Propaganda

Newsmax wrote on December 29:

“The beloved… classic ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ was investigated as a vehicle for communist propaganda after its 1946 release, according to previously classified FBI documents. During the Red Scare following World War II, FBI informants asserted that the movie’s portrayal of wealthy banker Henry Potter as a greedy villain reflected the film’s communist sympathies.

“The recently published documents also show that investigators accused the film’s screenwriters, husband and wife duo Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, of associating with known communists, the Daily Mail reported… The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a small-town loan officer whose money is stolen by banker Potter. Bailey’s imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, who shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community would be had he never been born.

“The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has been ranked No. 11 on the American Film Institute’s list of top 100 American films. FBI informants also linked the movie to an earlier Russian film with a similar plotline.”

If you have never heard of the epitome of ridiculous nonsense, here it is… But it shows how far removed from reality and sound reasoning governmental agencies can drift in their pursuit of political agendas…

Holland’s Black Pete–How Culpable Were Dutch Jews in the Slave Trade?

JTA wrote on December 26:

“On a busy street near the Dutch Parliament, three white musicians in blackface regale passersby with holiday tunes about the Dutch Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, and his slave, Black Pete. Many native Dutchmen view dressing up as Black Pete in December as a venerable tradition, but others consider it a racist affront to victims of slavery. With Holland marking the 150th anniversary of abolition this year, the controversy over Black Pete has reached new heights. Hundreds demonstrated against the custom in Amsterdam last month, and more than 2 million signed a petition supporting it.

“Through it all, Dutch Jews — some of whom celebrate their own version of the Black Pete custom, called ‘Hanukklaas’ — have largely remained silent. But that changed in October, when Lody van de Kamp, an unconventional Orthodox rabbi, wrote a scathing critique about it on Republiek Allochtonie, a Dutch news-and-opinion website…

“Speaking out against Black Pete is part of what van de Kamp calls his social mission, an effort that extends to reminding Dutch Jews of their ancestors’ deep involvement in the slave trade. In April, he is set to publish a book about Dutch Jewish complicity in the slave trade, an effort he hopes will sensitize Jews to slavery in general and to the Black Pete issue in particular. ‘Money was earned by Jewish communities in South America, partly through slavery, and went to Holland, where Jewish bankers handled it,’ he said…

“Though he holds no official position in the Dutch Jewish community, van de Kamp, 65, is among the best-known Orthodox rabbis in the Netherlands…In one area of what used to be Dutch Guyana, 40 Jewish-owned plantations were home to a total population of at least 5,000 slaves, he says… On the Caribbean island of Curacao, Dutch Jews may have accounted for the resale of at least 15,000 slaves landed by Dutch transatlantic traders, according to Seymour Drescher, a historian at the University of Pittsburgh. At one point, Jews controlled about 17 percent of the Caribbean trade in Dutch colonies, Drescher said. Jews were so influential in those colonies that slave auctions scheduled to take place on Jewish holidays often were postponed, according to Marc Lee Raphael, a professor of Judaic studies at the College of William & Mary.

“In the United States, the Jewish role in the slave trade has been a matter of scholarly debate for nearly two decades… But in Holland, the issue of Jewish complicity is rarely discussed…”

The bottom line is: No nation in this world is without fault.

Israel’s Liberal Abortion Laws to Become Even More Liberal?

The website of ThinkProgress.org published the following article on December 30:

“Beginning in 2014, Israel may cover the cost of elective abortions for women in between the ages of 20 and 33. Health officials in the country recommended the new policy… and indicated they eventually intend to expand it to offer abortion funding to women of all ages. It now heads to country’s Health Ministry for approval.

“In Israel, a health committee determines which treatments will be funded through government dollars by approving some medical services… Before the proposed update…, women under the age of 20 or over the age of 40 could receive subsidized abortion services for personal reasons — but women in between those age groups could only get abortion funding if they were suffering a medical emergency, or if their pregnancy resulted from rape or incest…

“In a press conference on Monday, the committee members explained that the rule change is necessary because not every women can afford the reproductive care she needs without state assistance. ‘It was brought to our attention that there is a large group of women between 20 and 40 who for various reasons — financial or reasons of secrecy — do not terminate pregnancies,’ Prof. Jonathan Halevy, who heads the panel that makes the final recommendations for the health basket, explained…

“State-subsidized contraceptives are not currently available because of limited funds…

“Abortion is  less of a hot-button issue in Israel than it is in the United States. Although ending a pregnancy is technically illegal in Israel, punishable by up to five years in prison, there are a wide range of exceptions under which abortion is permitted. Before obtaining state funding for abortion, women have to appear before a government panel of experts and explain why they need one — but approval is  practically automatic… minors don’t need consent from their parents. Women serving in the military have access to at least one state-funded abortion.”

This unbiblical development in Israel is very shocking and abominable in God’s eyes.

Gay Marriage During 2014 Rose Parade Float

Breitbart reported on December 30:

“Contrary to the claim of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) President Michael Weinstein that the gay wedding of Danny LeClair and Aubrey Loots on a float in the Tournament of Roses parade is… intended as a political statement…

“Leclair and Loots, who own three LA hair salons together, had planned to wed after the Supreme Court in June allowed same-sex marriages to resume in California. But they sped up their plans once they realized the vast platform the Rose parade presents…

“One study revealed that 83% of the homosexual men in the study estimated having sex with 50 or more partners during their lives, 43% with 500 or more, and 28% with 1,000 or more. 78% of homosexual relationships intended to show commitment lasted less than 3 years.”

The “gay” agenda is being pushed more and more… now the famous “family-oriented” Rose Parade, which is being seen in hundreds of countries around the world,  is being used for that purpose.

Did Pope Francis Abolish Sin?

The Daily Mail wrote on December 31:

“The Vatican has said that Pope Francis has not ‘abolished sin’ despite a left-wing newspaper claiming he had done so through his words and gestures.

“In an article in La Repubblica newspaper, Eugenio Scalfari, an atheist columnist, argued that the Pope believed he had eradicated sin because God’s love was eternal… The article was based on a long interview Scalfari had with the Pope earlier in the year, though Scalfari admits that he did not take notes or use a recording device during the conversation…The Vatican had hosted a script of the conversation on its website, but has now removed sections of it claiming they were ‘inaccurate’.

“In his first year as pontiff following the resignation of Emeritus Pope Benedict earlier in 2013, Pope Francis has become a much-loved figure throughout the world. He won applause after he was photographed kissing the face and head of a man suffering from neurofibromatosis, a disease similar to that suffered by the ‘elephant man’ which causes growth to form all over his body.

“He also washed the feet of convicts in Rome, ate a meal with the city’s homeless just before Christmas, and sent handwritten notes to Catholics all over the world asking for his help. He famously appeared in the first Papal ‘selfie’ photograph, won Esquire’s Best Dressed award for 2013 and was named Time magazine’s Man Of The Year.”

Catholic Brazil Worship African Sea Goddess

Deutsche Welle reported on December 31:

“More than 2 million people are expected at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach this New Year’s Eve to honor the African goddess, Yemanja… Brazil is the country with the highest black population outside of Africa. For them, as well as other Brazilians, the festival at Copacabana is a continuation of Brazil’s tradition of syncretism, whereby African gods and Catholic saints are honored at the same time.

“… the event also has a modern touch: Just after midnight, some 24 tons of fireworks will be fired into the air over a period of 15 minutes. Some 50 pyrotechnic experts will set off fireworks across the bay in front of Copacabana beach, as onlookers observe from the shore. This year the event is due to be broadcast across Latin America and the United States for the first time by the American television network Fox.

“But on New Year’s Eve, focus turns to the sea goddess Yemanja, from the Afro-brazilian religion Candomble. To please the goddess, who it is said decides over life and death, the locals throw white roses into the surf, light candles, and pray to the heavens. Then the good wishes will rise up into the sky, which is lit up with fireworks, and the live music and dancing can begin. 2014 is set to start – Brazilian-style.”

Syncretism within the Catholic Church is by no means limited to Brazil. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Don’t Keep Christmas” and “Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days.”

“Surprising Number Of Americans … Don’t Believe In Evolution”

The Huffington Post wrote on December 30:

“One in three Americans doesn’t believe in evolution, according to new survey results from the Pew Research Center… 33 percent of Americans think ‘humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.’ Among Americans who said they believe in evolution, a quarter said ‘a supreme being guided the evolution of living things for the purpose of creating humans and other life in the form it exists today.’

“While six-in-ten Americans said they believed that ‘humans and other living things have evolved over time’ and about half of them said processes such as natural selection — not God — that led to evolution, religion continues to play a significant role in how it’s viewed. White evangelical Protestants were most likely to not believe in evolution, with two-thirds saying humans have existed in their current form since the beginning of time. Half of black Protestants said the same. Only 15 percent of mainline Protestants agreed…

“Currently, 43 percent of Republicans and 67 percent of Democrats believe in human evolution, while in 2009, 54 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of Democrats held that view… A September HuffPost/YouGov survey also asked about views on evolution. That poll found that a quarter of Americans believe humans and other species evolved ‘without the guidance of God,’ while 14 percent didn’t believe in evolution. About 46 percent of respondents said evolution happened ‘over time with the guidance of God.’”

AT LEAST 1/3 of all Americans do not believe in any kind of evolution. That is the GOOD NEWS. But 2/3 believe in some kind of evolution, either by “chance” or by “godly design,” and that is the BAD NEWS. The TRUTH is that NO EVOLUTION took place. For more information on the SCIENTIFIC IMPOSSIBILITY of Evolution, please read or free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—A Fairy Tale for Adults.” Please also view our recent StandingWatch program on the subject, titled, “Good News! Many Americans Don’t Believe in Evolution!”

What 2014 May Mean for Germany

The Local wrote on December 31:

“Next year [2014] could prove a crucial one in Germany’s relations with the United States. As fall-out from the NSA spying scandal continues to land, the German government is likely to come under great pressure to defend its people’s internet security from American eyes and ears. It could also prove to be a crucial year for the continuing trade talks between the European Union and the US…

“The centenary of World War I will be marked across Europe and the world from 2014 onwards. History students learn that Germany’s defeat, its unsteady embrace of republicanism and democracy, and the harsh conditions imposed by the victorious Allies set the country on the path to fascism and the world on the route to World War II…

“Once bitten, twice shy, the Social Democrats (SPD) are likely to prove trickier coalition partners for Merkel than in her first partnership with them from 2005 to 2009. In that coalition they were overshadowed by Merkel and will be kicking harder and screaming louder this time for their policies.

“The main arguments within the coalition government will be between Merkel’s Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the SPD’s more left of centre figures. CSU leader Horst Seehofer has already upset SPD ministers with his call for restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians coming to Germany. Seehofer has also questioned the SPD’s flagship policy of introducing a nationwide minimum wage. Merkel will have to find a way to please both the left and right flanks of her coalition…

“Elections to the European Parliament in May are shaping up to be an unusually exciting affair. With the march of rightwing and anti-EU parties across the continent, Merkel will have to counter the threat from Germany’s first eurosceptic party, Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), while staying on good terms with her centre-left coalition partners, the SPD…

“German troops will be among the thousands of NATO forces withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2014 after more than a decade of conflict. The intervention has been unpopular in Germany and has done nothing to suggest that the country has become more willing to send troops into foreign war zones. All eyes will also be on Germany’s new defence minister Ursula von der Leyen. The mother-of-seven has been tipped as a successor to Merkel in 2017 and if she can survive in the normally scandal-hit post of defence minister she will emerge as a front runner to be the country’s next chancellor…

“The German economy may be performing well but it is under fire from both the US and EU for building up a huge trade surplus…”

Latvia Becomes 18th Euro Zone Member

Quartz wrote on December 31:

“Today is the last day of the lat. Latvia’s national currency will go the way of the deutschemark, franc and lira tomorrow, to be replaced by the euro on Jan. 1. The tiny Baltic nation will become the euro zone’s 18th member… Although Latvia is now the fastest-growing economy in the EU, around half the country is against the switch to the euro… The euro zone is also a bit wary of its newest member, given many Latvian banks’ reliance on Russian deposits… Whatever these misgivings, the euro changeover is a done deal.”

BBC News added on January 1:

“The former Soviet republic on the Baltic Sea recently emerged from the financial crisis to become the EU’s fastest-growing economy… there is… hope that the euro will reduce dependency on Russia.

“EU commissioner Olli Rehn said joining the eurozone marked ‘the completion of Latvia’s journey back to the political and economic heart of our continent, and that is something for all of us to celebrate’. The government and most business owners also welcomed the single currency, saying it would improve Latvia’s credit rating and attract foreign investors.”

Greece In Charge of Europe?

Deutsche Welle reported on January 1, 2014:

“For the next six months, Greece holds the presidency of the European Union. The country is virtually bankrupt, and has been bailed out several times by the EU. Now it’s in charge of the EU’s daily agenda… On 1 January 2014 the recipient of Europe’s biggest bailout took over the EU presidency, following an order of rotation that was set down years ago. The Greek government will have to lead hundreds of meetings, conduct complex negotiations, and host 13 ministerial councils in Athens…

“Greece’s presidency will really last only three-and-a-half months, according to the calculations of its deputy EU representative, Andreas Papastavros. He reminded journalists in Brussels that elections for a new European parliament are due to be held at the end of May, meaning that all discussion of legal proposals must be concluded by the beginning of April…

“The upcoming European elections, as well as the election campaign, will prove decisive for the Greek presidency, says Papastavros. ‘Europe is at a crossroads,’ he announced in Brussels.”

Will Cameron’s Career End Over Europe?

The EUObserver wrote on December 27:

“David Cameron ended 2013 as he started it: harried by his own Conservative party over Europe and trying to persuade it not to vote for an early referendum on EU membership… the idea the other 27 EU leaders will agree to a tailor-made package of opt-outs to satisfy the most eurosceptic wing of the Conservative party is fanciful… a large proportion of Conservative supporters do not trust [Cameron] on Europe and want to leave the EU as quickly as possible.

“… the prospects of the UK holding an in/out vote are greater now than at any time since its last EU referendum in 1975… The Conservative party’s fixation with the EU has damaged its unity for more than 20 years.  It has ended the careers of some of its brightest politicians. It may yet claim Cameron.”

“Ukraine Above All”

The Associated Press reported on January 1:

“About 15,000 people marched through Kiev on Wednesday night to honor Stepan Bandera, glorified by some as a leader of Ukraine’s liberation movement and dismissed by others as a Nazi collaborator… Some wore the uniform of a Ukrainian division of the German army during World War II. Others chanted ‘Ukraine above all!’ and ‘Bandera, come and bring order!’…

“Bandera, who died 55 year ago, remains a deeply divisive figure in Ukraine, glorified by many in western Ukraine as a freedom fighter but dismissed by millions in eastern and southeastern Ukraine as a traitor to the Soviet Union’s struggle against the occupying German army.

“Bandera was a leader of Ukraine’s nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s, which included an insurgent army that fought alongside Nazi soldiers during part of the Second World War. Bandera’s supporters claim they sided with the Nazis against the Soviet army, believing that Adolf Hitler would grant Ukraine independence… Bandera did collaborate with the Nazis and receive German funding for subversive acts in the USSR as German forces advanced across Poland and into the Soviet Union at the start of the war.

“He fell out with the Nazis in 1941, after the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists declared Ukraine’s independence, and he was sent to a concentration camp. Bandera won back Germany’s support in 1944, and he was released. The German army was hoping the Ukrainian insurgents could stop the advance of the Soviet army, which had regained control over much of eastern Ukraine by then. Bandera set up a headquarters in Berlin and oversaw the training of Ukrainian insurgents by the German army.

“His group also was involved in the ethnic cleansing that killed tens of thousands of Poles in 1942-44. The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists portrayed Russians, Poles, Hungarians and Jews — most of the minorities in western Ukraine — as aliens and encouraged locals to ‘destroy’ Poles and Jews. Bandera was assassinated in 1959 by the KGB in West Germany.

“In January 2010, less than a month before his term in office was to end, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko posthumously decorated Bandera with the Hero of Ukraine award. That led to harsh criticism by Jewish and Russian groups. The award was annulled by a court in January 2011 under President Viktor Yanukovych.”

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 27:

“Former President Mohamed Morsi is in prison. His head of government Haschim Kandil was recently arrested: practically the entire leadership of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is behind bars. They are accused of playing a role in the deaths of protesters, high treason and terrorism. Some of their trials are already under way, others are being prepared. Since September, the Brotherhood is de facto banned through a court decision.

“Now, the transitional government backed by the military has taken things further than even former dictator Hosni Mubarak ever did. The Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization… The organization was founded in 1928 and until recently was seen as the best organized political force of the country. With the election of their candidate Morsi as president, the Brotherhood seemed at the height of its power.

“The decision to list them as a terrorist organization comes in response to a bomb attack on Tuesday (24.12.2013) outside a police building in the town of Mansura at the Nile Delta. Sixteen people were killed and more than 100 were injured. Although an Islamist group operating from the Sinai called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for the blast, the government blamed the Muslim Brotherhood…

“Reports suggest that the desert area of Libya was used for several training camps where militant members of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as Salafists were being trained for terrorist attacks… There are said to be already as many as 1,000 members of the Brotherhood… There still is also substantial backing for the Muslim Brotherhood among ordinary Egyptians, so that there’s a large potential to find new recruits…”

The Washington Times reported on December 31:

“Interim governing authorities in Egypt ordered security forces on Tuesday to seize the assets of more than 500 Islamist leaders and Muslim Brotherhood members, the latest in a crackdown on the organization just slapped with the terrorist label.”

We have not heard the latest yet from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and other radical Islamist organizations. Egypt’s turmoil will continue.

Turkey in Uproar

BBC News reported on December 28:

“Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will not step down amid corruption allegations that have forced the resignations of three ministers. The ministers’ sons were among dozens of people detained as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe… Police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects.

“The scandal has caused Turkey’s lira to fall to a new low against the dollar… The country’s top administrative court has blocked a government decree, introduced last week, ordering police to inform their superiors before launching investigations. The Council of State’s ruling on Friday, blocking the regulation, is seen as the latest setback in Mr Erdogan’s efforts to stop the political fallout from the scandal… Numerous police and judicial officials have been removed from their posts since the first arrests 10 days ago…

“Commentators in Turkey believe the scandal stems from a power struggle between Mr Erdogan’s government and an influential US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who is said to have many followers within Turkey’s police and judiciary. Supporters regard the Hizmet movement inspired by Mr Gulen as the benign, modern face of Islam, but critics question its motives.”

Turkey will end up supporting a military European power bloc against Israel. God will condemn Turkey for this.

Israel Upset With USA and Britain over Spying

Israel National News reported on December 22:

“Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opened his weekly cabinet meeting Sunday with comments about the revelations that the US and Britain have been spying on Israeli officials… The New York Times reported Friday that in monitoring more than 1,000 targets in upwards of 60 countries between 2008 to 2011, US and British intelligence agencies tapped the communications of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, among other foreign leaders, according to secret documents revealed by intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

“Other MKs and government officials continue to express outrage at the reports throughout Sunday, as the story makes waves throughout Israeli and foreign press…”

And so, prophecy is being fulfilled… the relationship between Israel, the USA and Britain WILL deteriorate… with Ephraim (UK) against Manasseh (USA), and Manasseh against Ephraim, and both of them against Judah… (Isaiah 9:21). For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Sudan—the Latest War

Reuters wrote on December 21:

“Three U.S. aircraft came under fire from unidentified forces on Saturday while trying to evacuate Americans from a spiraling conflict in South Sudan. The U.S. military said four of its members were wounded in the attacks. Nearly a week of fighting in South Sudan threatens to drag the world’s newest country into a Dinka-Nuer ethnic civil war just two years after it won independence from Sudan with strong support from successive U.S. administrations…

“The German military said on Saturday it had evacuated 98 people, including Germans and other nationals, from South Sudan by air to neighboring Uganda. The German ambassador to South Sudan was among them, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said.”

The Washington Post wrote on December 24:

“The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to nearly double the number of peace­keepers in the world’s newest nation to more than 14,000 and urged swift action to end a violent political and ethnic conflict that threatens to become a full-blown civil war. Amid reports of mass graves, extrajudicial killings and rapes, tens of thousands of civilians have sought refuge in U.N. base camps that in some cases were described as under siege from ethnically motivated fighters. Hundreds of people, if not several thousand, have been killed, according to witnesses and U.N. officials…

“Although 380 U.S. citizens have been evacuated, the State Department said it has no fixed count of how many remain — many of them are humanitarian workers — because they may not have registered with the U.S. Embassy here or may have left the country on their own.”

Another war… and the USA is again being dragged into it. A sign of the times… wars and rumors of wars.. the beginnings of sorrow… (Matthew 24:6,8).

The American Economy Doomed to Fail…

Newsmax wrote on December 19:

“… many well-respected economists, billionaires, and noted authors…[and]  experts such as Marc Faber, Peter Schiff, Donald Trump, and Robert Wiedemer [telling us that] we are on the verge of another recession, and this one will be far worse than what we experienced during the last financial crisis.

“Marc Faber, the noted Swiss economist and investor, has voiced his concerns for the U.S. economy numerous times during recent media appearances, stating, ‘I think somewhere down the line we will have a massive wealth destruction. I would say that well-to-do people may lose up to 50 percent of their total wealth.’ When he was asked what sort of odds he put on a global recession happening, the economist famous for his ominous predictions quickly answered . . . ‘100 percent.’…

“Faber’s pessimism is matched by well-respected economist and investor Peter Schiff, the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. Schiff remarks that the stock market collapse we experienced in 2008 ‘wasn’t the real crash. The real crash is coming.’… Most alarming is his belief that daily life will get dramatically worse for U.S. citizens.

“If we keep doing this policy of stimulus and growing government, it’s just going to get worse for the average American. Our standard of living is going to fall . . . People who are expecting Social Security can’t get all that money. People expecting government pensions can’t get all their money . . . We simply can’t afford to pay them.”

“Equally critical of the current government and our nation’s economy is real estate mogul and entrepreneur Donald Trump… It is this massive debt that worries Trump the most… In a recent appearance, Trump went to so far as to say the dollar is ‘going to h…’

“Where Trump, Faber, and Schiff see rising debt, a falling dollar, and a plunging stock market, investment adviser and author Robert Wiedemer sees much more widespread economic destruction. In a recent interview to talk about his New York Times best-seller Aftershock, Wiedemer says, ‘The data is clear, 50 percent unemployment, a 90 percent stock market drop, and 100 percent annual inflation…’”

It will happen… God is not mocked. What we sow, we will reap…

More on the Obamacare Disaster—Is America Ever Going to Wake Up?

Bloomberg reported on December 20, 2013:

“Hundreds of thousands of people whose health plans are being canceled because their coverage doesn’t meet Obamacare rules will be exempt next year from the U.S. mandate that all Americans carry medical insurance. People losing coverage will now be allowed to buy bare-bones ‘catastrophic’ insurance that the law usually limits to those younger than age 30… Others can opt out completely without the threat of the fines being imposed next year on the uninsured as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“The change will affect fewer than 500,000 people as a Dec. 23 deadline looms to purchase policies for coverage that starts Jan. 1, according to Obama administration figures. Insurers said the exemptions may keep younger, healthier people from buying new coverage through Obamacare, a demographic that is needed to bring balance to the new government-run insurance marketplaces… President Barack Obama has been issuing a flurry of last-minute policy changes to give people more time to sign up for his signature domestic policy initiative following a botched rollout of key programs, delays of others and political backlash over the cost and effects of the law…

“The latest exemption from the law’s individual mandate would last a year and potentially longer for consumers granted hardship exceptions… ‘The sad reality is that when the law takes effect come Jan. 1, more Americans will be without coverage under Obamacare than one year ago,’ Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in an e-mail. ‘Rather than more White House delays, waivers, and exemptions, the administration should provide all Americans relief from its failed law.’ …

“California… has already reported that more than 1 million policy holders have received letters from their current insurers saying their coverage will be canceled after Dec. 31 because their plans don’t comply with Obamacare… People whose plans are canceled must apply to the government for a hardship exemption from the requirement to carry insurance and submit the letter they received from their current insurer. Once the government approves the exemption, they are eligible to purchase catastrophic plans, which usually have the lowest premium of any coverage sold on exchanges. The plans aren’t eligible for federal subsidies, meaning there’s no discount for the premium.”

Further, to call these policies “catastrophic” is, actually, quite applicable. They are indeed a catastrophic way of circumventing meaningful health insurance and may have catastrophic consequences for those enrolled in them. America’s healthcare system has been a total disaster, but Obamacare will be making matters so much worse. Whatever the government and the opposition are doing, seems to be cursed by Almighty God and doomed to fail. We should ask ourselves why this is.

European Army–Is the EU Torturing Britain?

The EUObserver wrote on December 20:

“Why does the EU torture Britain so? Ten pages of EU Council conclusions on defence! Prime Minister David Cameron was forced into a preemptive strike to defuse a potentially mighty tabloid attack… He personally scratched out a reference to ‘Europe’s armed forces’ from the text. He spoke to press about co-operation between nation states. His brother in arms on this matter – Anders Fogh Rasmussen from Nato – gave him some backing. In a little pep talk to leaders, he noted that military assets should be ‘owned by individual nations.’

“However, the Dane – widely thought to be eyeing an EU post next year – craftily managed to straddle both sides of the debate. The EU needs to be militarily strong all the same, he noted.

“So what did others think of the noise made by Cameron? French President Francois Hollande thought his [Cameron’s] fears about an EU army were a ‘false concern.’ And EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy noted that he [Cameron] had achieved little, managing ‘no substantial changes’ to the conclusions.

“But it depends who is doing the telling. ‘Relaunching Europe’s Defence, one of the (rare) promises on external policy of Hollande torpedoed tonight by Cameron’ tweeted French MEP Arnaud Danjean. And the truth falls somewhere between. The lengthy conclusions… will be what member states make of them… On the back of his military intervention in the Central African Republic, the French president called for an EU fund for military operations…”

And EU member states will “make” a European army “of it”… without British approval.

Let the True Pope Francis Stand Up

BBC News wrote on November 26, 2013 about Pope Francis. Even though somewhat belated, this article is still worth reading again:

“… he appeals to both Church conservatives and reformers, being seen as orthodox on sexual matters, for instance, but liberal on social justice – though far from being a ‘liberation theologist’…

“Born in Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American – and the first Jesuit – to lead the Roman Catholic Church… he was ordained as a Jesuit in 1969 and went on to study in Argentina and Germany… The Society of Jesus is a male order of the Catholic Church, with 19,000 members worldwide. It was established in 16th Century Europe as a missionary order, and members swear vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The order became so powerful that it was suppressed at the end of the 18th Century but later restored…

“For the Church establishment, it is a novelty to have a Jesuit in charge… As a Jesuit, he is a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church, who are known as expert communicators… It appears that few who know him doubt his conservative credentials. This is how Monsignor Osvaldo Musto, who was at seminary with him, described him in a BBC News article back in 2005: ‘He’s as uncompromising as Pope John Paul II, in terms of the principles of the Church – everything it has defended regarding euthanasia, the death penalty, abortion, the right to life, human rights, celibacy of priests.’

“His views have been put to the test in Argentina, the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage with a President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who promotes free contraception and artificial insemination. When he argued that gay adoptions discriminated against children, the president said his tone harked back to ‘medieval times and the Inquisition’… Aside from his universal significance, the former cardinal appears to be a strong Argentine patriot, telling Argentine veterans of the Falklands War at a Mass last year: ‘We come to pray for all who have fallen, sons of the Homeland who went out to defend their mother, the Homeland, and to reclaim what is theirs.’…

“Since becoming pope, he has continued to put his concern about economic inequality at the forefront of his message. In Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), the first major work he has written since he became Pope, he says ‘the worship of the ancient golden calf… has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy’. The document also suggests Pope Francis is planning radical reforms to the Vatican bureaucracy, another theme that has gained prominence in his papacy.”

Note that as a Jesuit, he is “a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church, who are known as expert communicators.” He is a very strong conservative, and his political stance for Argentina and against the UK is also remarkable. Finally, as Time magazine’s “man of the year,” his charisma and increasing popularity is truly telling…

Sky-High Approval Rate of the Pope Among US Catholics

CNN wrote on December 24:

“Americans’ opinions of the pontiff appear to be as high as the dome on St. Peter’s Basilica… 88% of American Catholics approve of how Francis is handling his role as head of the 1.2 billion-member church. The popular pontiff has also made a positive impression among Americans in general: Nearly three in four view Francis favorably.  The new survey suggests that the Pope is arguably the most well-regarded religious figure among the American public today… Nine months into his papacy, the Argentine-born Francis has captured attention with crowd-pleasing acts of compassion…

“The Pope has also shown a common touch rare for such a lofty religious leader. Pope Francis was the most talked about person on the Internet this year, and even atheists have professed appreciation for the 77-year-old pontiff… he was named person of the year by both Time magazine and The Advocate, a gay and lesbian publication…

“More than 85% of American Catholics say Francis is neither too liberal nor too conservative, and 86% say he’s in touch with the modern world. By comparison, more than half of American Catholics said Pope John Paul II was out of step with the times in 2003, near the end of his 26-year-long papacy… More than six in 10 American Catholics agree with Francis’ comments about women in the church… The Pope has said that women should have a larger role in church governance but cannot be ordained as priests… It remains to be seen how long the honeymoon will last for Francis, and how long he can continue to build goodwill among American Catholics.”

Two Popes?

The Associated Press wrote on December 23:

“Pope Francis has visited his predecessor, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, to exchange Christmas greetings. Photos released by the Vatican newspaper show the two men, dressed in identical white robes save for Francis’ cape, chatting in a sitting room inside Benedict’s retirement home during the visit Monday. They also prayed together in the adjoining chapel. Benedict was looking well, using a cane for support while they stood in prayer.

“It is the first time the interior of Benedict’s home has been shown publicly: The sitting room and furniture were all white. An Advent wreath decorated the coffee table. Since Benedict’s retirement in February, the two men have met only once publicly, for an official Vatican ceremony in July. They also have met privately and occasionally have spoken by telephone.”

The Jewish (Christian) Dilemma with “Christian” (Pagan) Holidays and Customs

JTA wrote on December 19:

“Last spring, I found myself averting my eyes when my 4-year-old mentioned something about the Easter bunny in front of my dad. We were at my parents’ home in Michigan for Passover and my son said, ‘When I get back to Brooklyn, the Easter bunny is going to bring me a basket!’… Although my son is being raised as a Jew, he celebrates Christmas and Easter with his non-Jewish father, my ex. I know it bothers my dad to hear his grandson talk about these Christian icons. It bothers me, too.

“During our four-year courtship prior to becoming engaged, my then-boyfriend and I came to an agreement about the religious upbringing of our future children. After taking two classes on Jewish culture and an interfaith couple’s workshop at the JCC, we agreed that our children would be raised according to Jewish tradition but could celebrate Christian holidays — in a secular way — with their non-Jewish grandparents. But after my husband and I separated and eventually divorced, some of the prenuptial agreements we made surrounding our interfaith family were no longer heeded.

“Before our separation, my husband had begrudgingly agreed not to have a Christmas tree in our home. But since our separation, he has had a tree every winter. That means Santa doesn’t just bring gifts to my son’s grandparents’ homes in Seattle, but to his father’s home in Brooklyn, too.

“Our son attends a Jewish preschool and has all kinds of children in his class – some with two Jewish parents, some from interfaith homes and others who are not Jewish at all. He already knows that families have their own ways of observing the holidays, and that you can be Jewish and still celebrate non-Jewish holidays with some of your family and friends. Last December he rambled on and on about what Santa was going to bring him for Christmas. I was tempted to remind him that he is Jewish and explain that Jews don’t believe in Santa. But I went along with it because I didn’t want to burst his Christmas bubble.

“Nevertheless, it’s hard for me to accept that our child won’t be raised according to the terms that my ex-husband and I had agreed upon before we married. And somehow I feel threatened that inserting these Christian traditions into my son’s home life will dilute his Jewish identity, even though I know a Christmas elf can’t come and stomp out thousands of years of Jewish tradition…

“Do I break it to him that a fat bearded man will not actually squeeze himself through a chimney (especially considering there are very few chimneys in Brooklyn apartments)? Or do I let him figure it out when he gets a bit older, like he probably would if he were raised by two Christian parents? And come spring, do I tell him that no giant Harvey-sized rabbit is going to show up with a basket full of treats, but that his grandmother will carefully pick out the treats in Seattle, put them in a priority mailbox and ship them to Brooklyn?

“For the time being, I figure I’ll leave it alone, and age will take care of it. I believe we will provide our son with a strong enough Jewish identity that these Christmas and Easter icons will not threaten his understanding of who he is. But ask me again later this month. I may change my mind.”

This article is a classic example of how NOT to act, and of foolish arrangements before marriage compromising with the truth. The consequences will be catastrophic.

We repeat for you the statements from the article, setting forth concepts which are most unfortunate, misleading, erroneous and damaging:

“During our four-year courtship prior to becoming engaged, my then-boyfriend and I came to an agreement about the religious upbringing of our future children. After taking two classes on Jewish culture and an interfaith couple’s workshop at the JCC, we agreed that our children would be raised according to Jewish tradition but could celebrate Christian holidays — in a secular way — with their non-Jewish grandparents.”

Such an arrangement should have never been made… in fact, such a marriage should have never been entered into.

“He already knows that families have their own ways of observing the holidays, and that you can be Jewish and still celebrate non-Jewish holidays with some of your family and friends.”

The child should never be allowed to celebrate pagan “Christian” days with his friends or family, if the parent is in control and can prevent this. See below for a further explanation of this statement.

“Last December he rambled on and on about what Santa was going to bring him for Christmas. I was tempted to remind him that he is Jewish and explain that Jews don’t believe in Santa. But I went along with it because I didn’t want to burst his Christmas bubble.”

Sadly, a golden opportunity was missed. Not wanting to burst the Christmas bubble is tantamount to going along with wrong customs and ungodly practices.

“I know a Christmas elf can’t come and stomp out thousands of years of Jewish tradition…”

Don’t be too sure. It does not take much encouragement to lead a child on the wrong path.

“…age will take care of it.”

Yes, the time will come when the child may ask the parent: “Mom, why did you lie to me, even though you knew better?”

“I believe we will provide our son with a strong enough Jewish identity that these Christmas and Easter icons will not threaten his understanding of who he is.”

If a strong enough “Jewish identity” has been provided, that would be one thing. From the article, it does not appear that this is indeed the case, but that compromise has been the norm.

As long as a child is under the care of a Jewish or truly Christian parent, it is extremely important that the child be taught the right principles, and that no compromises be made with pagan holidays or customs. In an existing or broken-up mixed marriage, the Jewish or truly Christian parent may have no control over the teaching and conduct of the non-Jewish or non-truly Christian parent who will many times try to counteract the efforts of the other side, but as long as the Jewish or truly Christian parent can guide and lead the child, he or she MUST do so without any compromise—sadly, the above article does not show such important commitment.

Christianity Under Attack in Europe? What “Christianity”?

The Independent wrote on December 24:

“The former Archbishop of Canterbury… said Christianity was under threat in Europe and elsewhere… ‘there is an increasing timidity on the part of churchgoers in the West – about even admitting that they have a faith in the workplace.’… Lord Carey said last month that Christianity was a ‘generation away from extinction’ in the UK.”

Breitbart News wrote on December 24:

“Young people in Britain are confused about the story of Christ’s birth as told in the Bible… one in 10 young people ages 18-24 believe ‘Father Christmas’ was a ‘Biblical figure mentioned in Gospel accounts of Jesus Christ’s birth.’ Seven percent of respondents in the poll believed ‘there was a Christmas tree mentioned in the Bible,’ and a third of the 2,000 respondents believed ‘the Bible specifies Dec. 25 as the day Christ was born.’”

This ignorance is appalling. Of course, a Christmas tree IS mentioned in the Bible, in Jeremiah 10, but it is strongly condemned by God.