“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.