Germany Uses Stasi Practices

The Associated Press reported on May 22:

“German authorities are using scent tracking to keep tabs on possibly violent protesters against next month’s Group of Eight summit–a tactic that is drawing comparisons with the methods of former East Germany’s secret police… The use of scent samples was widely known to be practiced in Germany by the East German secret police, the Stasi, who used the technique to track dissidents. “Petra Pau, a senior lawmaker with the opposition Left Party, a group that includes ex-communists, criticized the practice as ‘another step away from a democratic state of law toward a preventive security state. A state that adopts the methods of the East German Stasi, robs itself of every … legitimacy,’ she said in a statement…

“Earlier this month, police raided 40 offices and apartments used by left-wing protesters in Berlin, Hamburg and elsewhere, which provoked protests. Prosecutors at the time said they were investigating more than 18 people suspected of organizing what they called a terrorist group that planned to carry out firebombings and other violent attacks aimed at hindering or stopping the world leaders from holding the summit… A $17 million fence has been built around Heiligendamm in an attempt to keep protesters away. Security officials also have… announced tighter border controls.”

Attack on German Soldiers in Afghanistan

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 22:

“The death of three German soldiers in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz on Saturday has led to calls in Germany for a rethink of NATO’s entire strategy in Afghanistan… A suicide bomber blew himself up next to the soldiers as they were buying fridges in a busy market in the center of Kunduz. Five other German servicemen were wounded, two of them so seriously that they had to be put into an artificial coma for the flight back in a hospital jet… Seven Afghan civilians were also killed and 13 wounded. It was the deadliest attack on German troops in Afghanistan since 2003 when four were killed in a suicide car bombing in Kabul…

“The German government quickly declared that it remained committed to the Afghan mission. Chancellor Angela Merkel called the attack ‘perfidious murder that fills us all with disgust and horror. The international community is determined to continue helping the people of Afghanistan to build a good future for their country,’ she said in a statement… Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said German troops wouldn’t be confining themselves to barracks despite Saturday’s attacks.”

In a related article, the magazine wrote that “most [German] newspaper commentators say bringing the boys home would hand the Taliban a triumph.”

Italy Demands Ethiopian Withdrawal

AFP wrote on May 19:

“The Italian government on Saturday pressed Ethiopian troops to pull out from lawless Somalia…  ‘I expressed the position of my government that Ethiopian troops must withdraw,’ [Italy’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Patrizia Sentinelli] told a press conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, after visiting Rome’s former colony…

“Ethiopian forces were deployed last year and helped Somali troops expel the Islamists movement from southern and central Somalia at the start of the year.

“But the insurgents continued with attacks that culminated in two offensives by Ethiopia-Somali forces in March and April that killed at least 1,400 people… Apart from the face-to-face fighting, dozens of people — including peacekeepers — have been killed and scores wounded in separate attacks since then, mainly by homemade bombs and grenades… At least 1,500 African Union peacekeepers from Uganda, who are currently in Mogadishu, are due to take over from Ethiopian forces.”

United Europe Full Steam Ahead?

The EUObserver wrote on May 22:

“In the run up to the decisive EU summit on finding a way out of the constitutional impasse, the pro-European camp has started to sound the drum, with Italy’s prime minister [Prodi] calling to ‘preserve as much as possible’ of the draft EU treaty. ‘In the last two years, almost only eurosceptic views have been listened to. It is time to listen to those who ratified the 2004 treaty,’ [Prodi said].

“Mr Prodi – claiming to speak on behalf of 18 EU states which have largely ratified the original text – rejected ‘radical changes’ to the foreseen institutional reforms. He listed the EU foreign minister, a lengthier presidency, the extension of qualified majority voting, the union’s legal personality and the abolition of its three-pillar structure as elements which ‘must be preserved.’

“‘If the compromise does not convince us, we will not sign it,’ he warned, clearly stating that a multi-speed Europe could bring about the long-sought breakthrough on the controversial issue.  ‘At this point, a vanguard of countries could…be the best way to proceed towards a more integrated union, on condition that door remains always open to those countries willing to join later,’ he said.”

EU vs. Russia

The Wall Street Journal wrote on May 18:

“Relations between Moscow and the U.S., as well as the EU, are at their worst since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Moscow on Tuesday… both sides… refused to budge on key disputes, from the placement of a U.S. missile-defense shield in Europe to proposals at the United Nations to make the Serbian province of Kosovo independent…

“Russians increasingly perceive their nation as distinct from Europe, according to opinion polls. More than half of respondents in a February survey by the EU-Russia Center said they viewed the EU as a potential threat to Russia, while 71% said they didn’t regard themselves as Europeans.

“In the U.S. and Europe, Moscow’s assertiveness is viewed with growing concern, particularly because it has been accompanied by a steady rollback of democratic institutions inside Russia and growing use of economic leverage and other means to pressure its neighbors.”

The German daily tabloid, Bild, reported on May 19 that there is “Eiszeit” (Ice Age) between Merkel and Putin.

The Herald Tribune stated on May 19:

“At a summit meeting overshadowed by discord on trade, security and energy issues, Russian and European Union leaders ended two days of talks Friday with a tense exchange over human rights but without an agreement on how to negotiate closer economic links, or even a joint statement… In her ninth meeting with Putin since becoming chancellor in 2005, Merkel was blunt about the lack of cooperation between the EU and Russia. ‘Our talks today showed that we are not cooperating very intensively,’ she said.

“The chancellor, who has consistently challenged Putin about the lack of press freedom and his country’s poor human rights record, criticized the Russian authorities for preventing Garry Kasparov, the former chess champion turned opposition leader, and his supporters from traveling to the summit meeting. They were stopped at the Moscow airport, where the police confiscated their passports and tickets and detained them for five hours.

“‘I say it completely openly that it is my wish that those who wish to demonstrate can do so in Samara,’ said Merkel, who grew up in Communist East Germany, where Putin once served as a KGB officer…

“Putin, who is expected to leave office in March 2008 after serving two terms, said his priority was to defend Russia’s interests. ‘We need each other,’ he said, referring to the EU, Russia’s largest trading partner. ‘We are open for an honest dialogue between Russia and the EU. But we must defend our interests in the same professional way as our partners do that.'”

The Moscow Times.com added on May 21:

“Top EU officials accused a visibly annoyed President Vladimir Putin on Friday of meddling in other countries’ affairs, turning a blind eye to the killings of Kremlin opponents, and muffling voices of criticism.

“No major deals were reached during the one-day Russia-EU summit at this Volga River resort, as expected. While the two sides spoke of a willingness to cooperate, they disagreed over almost everything, including the freedom of assembly, Polish meat and the removal of a Soviet monument in Estonia.”

Poland Is Happy

The EuObserver wrote on May 21:

“Polish politicians and analysts are celebrating EU solidarity after Berlin and Brussels took Warsaw’s line at the EU-Russia summit on Friday. But the meeting irked Russian president Vladimir Putin, damaging further the prospects of a new EU-Russia treaty.

“‘This is a great success for Polish diplomacy, in terms of Russian relations we got what we wanted,’ the chairman of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party, Marek Kuchcinski, said… ‘Our critics should finally admit this.’

“Analyst Andrzej Maciejewski of the Sobieski Institute in Warsaw said the EU ‘taught [Russia] a lesson.’ Rafal Trzaskowski of the European school in Natolin said the EU showed ‘it can speak with one voice, that solidarity is not an empty word.’

“The reactions – yet to be matched at top Polish government level – come after Germany’s Angela Merkel and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso gave backing to Polish, Estonian and Lithuanian concerns at last week’s meeting in Samara.”

A New Low in Anglo-Russia Relationship

AFP wrote on May 22:

“British prosecutors demanded Tuesday that Russia extradite an ex-KGB agent  [Lugovoi] to face murder charges over the death of former spy Alexander Litvinenko, plunging chilly ties with Moscow to a new low… Moscow has angrily denied having a hand in the killing, and on Tuesday the Russian foreign ministry said extraditing Lugovoi to Britain would contradict the Russian constitution… But Russia’s ambassador Yuri Fedotov was hauled in by the Foreign Office to be told London expects ‘full cooperation’ in bringing Lugovoi to face justice.

“Anglo-Russia ties have hit a post-Cold War low with Litvinenko’s murder and London-based exile Boris Berezovsky’s calls to overthrow Putin. British courts have refused to allow the tycoon to be extradited…

“White House spokesman Tony Snow said the United States was ‘not taking sides’ with either Britain or Russia.”

Michael Moore’s Attack on US HealthCare System

The conservative news agency, Fox News, reported on May 20:

“Filmmaker Michael Moore’s brilliant and uplifting new documentary, ‘Sicko,’ deals with the failings of the U.S. healthcare system, both real and perceived. But this time around, the controversial documentarian seems to be letting the subject matter do the talking, and in the process shows a new maturity…

“‘Sicko’ works because in this one there are no confrontations. Moore smartly lets very articulate average Americans tell their personal horror stories at the hands of insurance companies… Moore criticizes both Democrats and Republicans for their inaction and in some cases their willingness to be bribed by pharmaceutical companies and insurance carriers.

“In a key moment in the film, Moore takes a group of patients by boat to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba because of its outstanding medical care. When they can’t get into the U.S. naval base, Moore proceeds onto Havana where the patients are treated well and cheaply. This has caused a great deal of controversy, with the federal government launching an investigation into the trip, which officials say was in violation of the trade and commerce embargo against the Communist country… Moore said he made a second master copy of ‘Sicko’ and had it shipped it to France immediately just in case of potential government issues.”

Reuters added on May 20:

“In ‘SiCKO’ he turns his attention to health, asking why 50 million Americans, 9 million of them children, live without cover, while those that are insured are often driven to poverty by spiraling costs or wrongly refused treatment at all.

“But the movie, which has taken Cannes by storm, goes further by portraying a country where the government is more interested in personal profit and protecting big business than caring for its citizens, many of whom cannot afford health insurance…

“One section of the film explains how a U.S. man severed the tip of two fingers in an accident and was told he would have to pay $12,000 to re-attach the end of his ring finger, and $60,000 to re-attach that of his index finger. ‘Being a hopeless romantic, Rick chose his ring finger,’ Moore quipped in a typically sardonic voiceover.

“It also follows a woman whose young daughter falls seriously ill but who said she was refused admission to a general hospital and instructed to go to a private one instead. By the time she got to the second hospital, it was too late to save the girl.

“One of the most controversial passages of the film, due to be released in the United States on June 29, compares health care in the United States to that which Islamic militant suspects receive at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. ‘I think when Americans see this they are not going to focus on Cuba or Fidel Castro,’ Moore said, referring to the controversy surrounding his trip to Cuba, which has prompted a U.S. government investigation.

“‘They are going to say to themselves, “You’re telling me that the al Qaeda detainees are receiving better health care, the people that helped participate in the attacks of 9/11 are receiving better health care from us than those who went down to rescue those who suffered and died on 9/11?”‘”

The International Herald Tribune added on May 23:

“Few of them may become Michael Moore fans. But some insurance industry officials and health policy experts have acknowledged that the film documentary ‘Sicko,’ Moore’s indictment of health care in the United States, taps into widespread public concern that the system does not work for millions of Americans. The movie, which had its first showing at the Cannes Film Festival in France last week and received many favorable reviews, presents a series of heart-rending anecdotes meant to illustrate systemic failures and foul-ups in the U.S. insurance industry – even if many of the major pieces of evidence are ones that have been widely reported elsewhere and in some cases date back 20 years…

“The film, scheduled for release in the United States on June 29 and in Asian countries later this year, is arriving as health care has become a leading policy concern in many polls in the United States, second only to the Iraq war…

“Perhaps not coincidentally, on Sunday, ’60 Minutes,’ the television news-magazine show, took up a scandal that is part of Moore’s film – and has been well chronicled in The Los Angeles Times – about the abandonment by Los Angeles hospitals of homeless patients after they have received medical treatment. Last week, Kaiser Permanente, the largest nonprofit health insurer in the United States, settled criminal and civil lawsuits, agreeing to establish new rules for discharging such patients, and to pay $55,000 in fines and to cover the city attorney’s investigative costs. Kaiser will also contribute $500,000 to a fund to help homeless people with follow-up care and other services.”

Will Gordon Brown End Special Relationship with George Bush?

The Telegraph wrote on May 20:

“Gordon Brown is prepared to risk the future of the ‘special relationship’ with the United States by reversing Tony Blair’s support for the Iraq war, President George W Bush has been warned. He has been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals from Mr Brown during his first 100 days in power. It would be designed to boost the new prime minister’s popularity in the opinion polls.

“The President recently discussed with a senior White House adviser how to handle the fallout from the expected loss of Washington’s main ally in Iraq [Tony Blair]… senior figures in the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department in Washington have expressed fears about Mr Brown. They believe that cordial relations between the two leaders will be ‘at an end’… President Bush’s aides fear that Mr Brown will boost Democrats’ demands for a timetable for a US pullout from Iraq and encourage wavering Republicans to defect – leaving the President more isolated.”

The Pope Angers Indians in Latin America

Reuters reported on May 19:

“Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez demanded Pope Benedict apologize to Indians in Latin America for saying this month in Brazil that the Roman Catholic Church purified them. Chavez, who regularly clashes with the Catholic Church in Venezuela but had not directly criticized the Pope before, accused the Pontiff on Friday of ignoring the ‘holocaust’ that followed Christopher Columbus’s 1492 landing in the Americas.

“‘With all due respect your Holiness, apologize because there was a real genocide here and, if we were to deny it, we would be denying our very selves,’ Chavez said at an event on freedom of expression.

“In a speech to Latin American and Caribbean bishops at the end of a visit to Venezuela’s neighbor Brazil, the Pope said the Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Indian leaders in the region were outraged by the comments. Millions of tribal Indians are believed to have died as a result of European colonization backed by the Church, through slaughter, disease or enslavement.”

Human-Animal Hybrids?

BBC News reported on May 17:

“Ministers [in Great Britain] have bowed to pressure to allow the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos for research… The draft bill allows the creation of human embryos that have been physically mixed with one or more animal cells. However, true human-animal hybrids, made by the fusion of sperm and eggs, remain outlawed.  And in all cases it would be illegal to allow embryos to grow for more than 14 days or be implanted into a womb.”

USA Least Desirable Tourist Attraction

Bild reported on May 19, 2007, that the USA has become the LEAST desirable country to visit IN THE WORLD–topping the list even ahead of the Middle East–mainly due to perceived inappropriate conduct of American immigration officials at US airports, as well as American tourist restrictions. The American tourist association TIA reportedly complained that due to American misconduct, many international tourists decline to travel to the USA. At the same time, Europe is perceived to be a very friendly country for tourists, with the exception of France.

Heavy Fighting in Lebanon

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 22:

“The United Nations is warning of a humanitarian crisis as fighting raged for the third straight day at a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon… the Lebanese army stopped six relief trucks from entering the camp, saying it was too dangerous to enter. The army has been bombarding the camp since Sunday in a bid to destroy the Palestinian extremist group Fatah Islam, which is holed up inside Nahr el-Bared. Lebanese troops are not allowed to enter the camp, home to 31,000 people… Some 215,000 of the 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon are housed in overcrowded camps, with many extremist groups likewise finding refuge there.”

The Associated Press added on May 22:

“People flooded out of a besieged Palestinian refugee camp Tuesday night, waving white flags and telling of bodies lying in the streets and inside wrecked houses after three days of fighting between Lebanese troops and Islamic militants.

“Twenty-nine soldiers and at least 20 militants had been killed since the battle began Sunday in the heaviest internal fighting in Lebanon since the 1975-90 civil war. But the number of civilian casualties remained unknown because relief workers were not able to get inside the camp…

“The military’s attack at the camp also has raised fears the fighting could destabilize Lebanon’s uneasy balance among its many religious sects and factions. Saniora’s Western-backed government already faces a domestic political crisis, with the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah militant group campaigning for its removal…

“The Bush administration repeated its support for Saniora, a close U.S. ally. It also hinted that it suspected a Syrian role in the turmoil. White House press secretary Tony Snow said the militants wanted to distract international attention from an effort at the United Nations to establish a special tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. He said the U.S. ‘will not tolerate attempts by Syria, terrorist groups or any others to delay or derail Lebanon’s efforts to solidify its sovereignty or seek justice in the Hariri case.’

“Lebanese security officials accuse Syria of using Fatah Islam to destabilize Lebanon, a charge Damascus denies. Syria controlled Lebanon for decades until growing street demonstrations by Lebanese and international pressure forced it to withdraw its troops after Hariri’s assassination.”

U.S. Democrats Lose Fight for Withdrawing Troops

The New York Times wrote on May 22:

“Congressional Democrats relented today on their insistence that a war spending measure sought by President Bush also set a date for withdrawing troops from Iraq. The decision to back down… was a wrenching reversal for some Democrats, who saw their election triumph as a call to force an end to the war. A Democratic effort to include timelines prompted Mr. Bush’s veto of the original bill last month, producing a political impasse… “The Democratic leaders’ concession infuriated one of their own, Senator Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin, who failed last week in his attempt to win passage of a measure that would have cut off money for the war next spring.

“’I cannot support a bill that contains nothing more than toothless benchmarks and that allows the president to continue what may be the greatest foreign policy blunder in our nation’s history,’ he said. ‘There has been a lot of tough talk from members of Congress about wanting to end this war, but it looks like the desire for political comfort won out over real action. Congress should have stood strong, acknowledged the will of the American people, and insisted on a bill requiring a real change of course in Iraq.’”

U.S. War Games at Iran’s Doorsteps

Reuters reported on May 24:

“The U.S. navy began war games on Iran’s doorstep on Thursday, navy officials said, a day after a large flotilla of U.S. ships entered the Gulf in a dramatic daytime show of military muscle.

“The group includes two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, whose presence adds to the pressure on the Islamic Republic to abandon its own nuclear ambitions, which the West says are an attempt to develop atomic weapons… Asked if any of the American ships carried atomic weapons, a U.S. navy spokesman said the United States routinely did not comment on whether its warships were equipped with nuclear arms.

“On the same day the U.S. ships entered the Gulf, skirting Iran’s coast as they passed the Gulf’s narrowest point, the U.N.’s atomic agency released a report saying Iran was continuing to defy world demands to stop enriching uranium….Oil prices have continued to rise, hitting a nine-month high above $71 on Thursday.

“The ships, carrying about 17,000 personnel and 140 aircraft will take part in war drills over the next two weeks, the group’s leader Rear Admiral Kevin Quinn said on Wednesday, adding that the drills would include exercises to defend against air, surface and submarine threats… The passage of the U.S. ships through the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow channel in the Gulf and major oil shipping lane, was the largest such move in daylight hours since the 2003 Iraq war.”

AFP added on May 24:

“The United States threatened new UN sanctions to punish Iran’s nuclear drive as it ratcheted up tensions with the biggest display of naval power in the Gulf in years.

“Hours after a bristling US armada led by two aircraft carriers steamed into waters near Iran for exercises Wednesday, Iran defied the threats and pledged that its controversial atomic program was expanding.”

“When Will They Ever Learn…?”

The popular song, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” asks the pertinent question, after describing the horrors of war: “When Will They Ever Learn?” Sadly, prior to the return of Jesus Christ, man will not understand that his wars will NEVER bring peace, but they will ONLY produce MORE wars! Because of man’s attempts to establish “peace” through war, man will find himself at the brink of self annihilation and total destruction, which can and will only be prevented by Almighty God. Once Christ rules on this earth, as the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), THEN man will LEARN war NO MORE (Isaiah 2:1-4).

Cheney Threatens Iran…

The International Herald Tribune wrote on May 11:

“Vice President Dick Cheney used the deck of an American aircraft carrier just 240 kilometers off Iran’s coast as the backdrop Friday to warn the country that the United States was prepared to use its naval power to keep Tehran from disrupting oil routes or ‘gaining nuclear weapons and dominating this region.’… the symbolism of sending the administration’s most famous hawk to deliver the speech so close to Iran’s coast was unmistakable… the speech Friday was not circulated broadly in the government before it was delivered, a senior American diplomat said. ‘He kind of runs by his own rules,’ the official said… Oil seemed to be on Cheney’s mind Friday, when he told an audience of 3,500 to 4,000 American service members on the Stennis that Iran would not be permitted to choke off oil shipments through the waters of the region.”

… and So Does Bolton

On May 16, The Daily Telegraph published the following report:

“John Bolton, who still has close links to the Bush administration, told The Daily Telegraph that the European Union had to ‘get more serious’ about Iran and recognise that its diplomatic attempts to halt Iran’s enrichment programme had failed. Iran has ‘clearly mastered the enrichment technology now… they’re not stopping, they’re making progress and our time is limited’, he said. Economic sanctions ‘with pain’ had to be the next step, followed by attempting to overthrow the theocratic regime and, ultimately, military action to destroy nuclear sites…

“President George W Bush privately refers to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has pledged to wipe Israel ‘off the map’, as a 21st Century Adolf Hitler and Mr Bolton, who remains a close ally of Vice President Dick Cheney, said the Iranian leader presented a similar threat.

“‘If the choice is them continuing [towards a nuclear bomb] or the use of force, I think you’re at a Hitler marching into the Rhineland point. If you don’t stop it then, the future is in his hands, not in your hands, just as the future decisions on their nuclear programme would be in Iran’s hands, not ours.’ But Mr Bolton conceded that military action had many disadvantages and might not succeed. ‘It’s very risky for the price of oil, risky because you could, let’s say, take out their enrichment capabilities at Natanz, and they may have enrichment capabilities elsewhere you don’t know about.’…

“Although he praised Tony Blair for his support of America over the Iraq war, he criticised the Prime Minister…’ for persisting with supporting EU attempts to negotiate with Iran that were “doomed to fail”… Blair just didn’t focus on it as much as [Jack] Straw [former Foreign Secretary] did, and it was very much a Foreign Office thing because they wanted to show their European credentials, wanted to work with the Germans and the French to show “we’ll solve Iran in a way differently than those cowboy Americans solved Iraq.'”

“Mr Bolton, a leading advocate of the Iraq war, insisted that it had been right to overthrow Saddam Hussein and that the later failures did not mean that military action against rogue states should not be contemplated again.”

To Nobody’s Surprise, US Senate Fails to End the Iraq War…

On May 16, The Associated Press reported:

“The Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation that would cut off money for combat operations in Iraq after March 31, 2008. The vote was a loss for Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., and other Democrats who want to end the war. But the effort picked up support from members, including presidential hopefuls previously reluctant to limit war funding — an indication of the conflict’s unpopularity among voters… The Senate agreed only on a nonbinding resolution expressing the need to pass a war spending bill by Memorial Day.”

In a related article, The Associated Press stated on May 16:

“Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton voted Wednesday to advance legislation cutting off money for the Iraq war, then refused to pledge to support the measure if it came to a vote, then said she would.

“At lunchtime, the New York senator and presidential candidate was asked repeatedly by reporters whether she favored the troop withdrawal legislation that had just come up for a procedural vote on the Senate floor. Her answer: ‘I’m not going to speculate on what I’m going to be voting on in the future. I voted in favor of cloture to have a debate.’ By supper time, she had a different answer. ‘I support the underlying bill,’ she said. ‘That’s what this vote on cloture was all about.’

“A rival Democratic camp quickly criticized Clinton’s evolving — and possibly revolving — statements. ‘We’re as confused as anyone on Senator Clinton’s position,’ said Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd’s campaign spokeswoman, Christy Setzer. ‘Frankly, it’s hard to know whether it’s indecision, miscommunication or simple word games and political gamesmanship we’re dealing with. Our troops in Iraq don’t have time for poll-tested word games,’ Setzer said.”

Reuters added on May 17:

“The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed an interim Iraq war funding bill that promised support but gave no specific dollar figure, enabling congressional negotiators to begin work on a compromise they hope to send to President George W. Bush next week. By voice vote, the Senate approved vague language expressing the need to support U.S. troops. The measure reflected the Senate’s inability to bridge differences between Democrats and Republicans on war funding legislation that Bush would sign.”

…And Prince Harry Will Not Be Sent To Iraq

The Associated Press reported on May 16:

“Britain’s Prince Harry will not be sent with his unit to Iraq, Britain’s top general said Wednesday, citing specific threats to the third in line to the throne. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt said the changing situation on the ground exposed the prince to too much danger… Harry would have been the first member of the British royal family to serve in a war zone since his uncle, Prince Andrew, flew as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands conflict with Argentina in 1982.”

Sky News added on May 17 that “the Prince was ‘very disappointed’ that he would not be going with his squadron in the Household Cavalry. But a spokesman insisted that he would not quit the Army.”

Blair-Bush Whitehouse Swansong

AFP wrote on May 17, 2007:

“US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday staged a White House swansong for their tumultuous double-act, defiant to the last over the Iraq war which sunk their political fortunes. Taking turns to lavish praise on each other’s leadership, they said history would be the judge of their decision to invade Iraq in search of elusive weapons of mass destruction and to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime… Iraq dealt a fatal blow to Blair’s popularity in Britain, but the prime minister remained adamant that he had no regrets over backing Bush in the bitterly controversial enterprise… all roads led back to Iraq, with Blair insisting that he would take the same course of action all over again.”

Reuters added on May 17:

“Blair’s final visit to Washington as prime minister underscored the political price he has paid for embracing Bush and enlisting in the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, for which critics at home derided him as ‘Bush’s poodle.’ Blair will leave office in mid-term, under pressure from within his own Labour Party to step aside before the next general election expected in 2009… Bush was also apparently looking for further assurances that Blair’s successor, finance minister Gordon Brown, will not lessen Britain’s resolve in Iraq… Brown has accepted that mistakes were made in Iraq but has ruled out an immediate pullout… Brown is considered unlikely to form the kind of close personal bond Blair has with Bush. The two have seemed an odd couple — Bush the rich Texas Republican with strong conservative views and Blair the head of a center-left party with socialist origins… But Blair was quick to join the war on terrorism that Bush declared after the September 11 attacks, and he later stood by the U.S. leader when many other European leaders distanced themselves from the Iraq war or openly criticized it.”

More Conflicts and Problems Worldwide

Just prior to the return of Christ, we are to expect the increase of wars and rumors of wars, national and international conflicts and tensions, troubles and problems between governments and individuals on a worldwide scale (Luke 21:9-10; Matthew 24:6-8). And so, events of this past week are no surprise…

NATO, EU and the USA Don’t See Eye to Eye

AFP reported on May 14:

“German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said Monday that he had complained to NATO about the increased number of civilian casualties during US-led military operations in Afghanistan. ‘I have told the NATO Secretary General … that we have to make sure that such operations are not carried out in the future,’ said Jung, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency until the end of next month. ‘We must ensure that operations do not develop this way. It would not be a victory to set the (Afghan) people against us,’ he said, after talks between EU defence ministers in Brussels. Some 20 Afghan villagers were killed last week in an operation by US-led coalition forces in southern Afghanistan, according to Afghan officials…

“NATO is leading a force of some 37,000 troops from 37 nations in Afghanistan which is trying to extend the political reach of President Hamid Karzai’s weak central government to more lawless outlying regions. The US-led coalition is a separate force around 10,000-strong which, while it does coordinate with the NATO-led contingent, is mainly involved in ‘anti-terror’ operations.”

US and EU Bicker Over Privacy Issues… And EU Air Travelers Are About to Suffer

 On May 17, Der Spiegel Online published an article, titled: “US Shuns European Privacy Concerns.”

The magazine wrote:

“The post-Sept. 11 flight data sharing agreement between the US and EU expires in July. But a new agreement is nowhere in sight. The Americans want to know even more, and the Europeans want to tell them even less… If no new agreement is reached by July 2007, the simplified process through which millions of EU citizens enter the US could become a thing of the past. The unpleasant task of finding a compromise falls on the Germans, since they currently hold the rotating EU presidency…

“Even the existing agreement is seen with some skepticism in the European Parliament. And the myriad concerns and questions raised… showed just how deep that skepticism runs… For the moment, no one in Berlin is expecting to come to a quick agreement…  If no new agreement is reached by the end of July, the procedure for EU citizens entering the United States will be completely unclear.”

Germany Slams Wolfowitz… While USA Fails

The Associated Press reported on May 17 that “World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz will resign at the end of June, he and the bank said late Thursday, ending his long fight to survive pressure for his ouster.” For all practical purposes, the EU and especially Germany won this battle for power and influence, while the USA clearly lost.

Here is what transpired this week, leading to Wolfowitz’s resignation:

Reuters reported on May 16:

“Paul Wolfowitz made an emotional appeal to stay on as World Bank president, but Germany stepped up pressure on him to resign, saying he would not be welcome at a forum the bank is holding next week in Berlin… a bank panel found that he violated ethics rules in pushing through a promotion and pay rise for his bank-employee companion Shaha Riza.

“‘He would do the bank and himself a great service if he resigned,’ German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, one of Wolfowitz’s strongest critics, told reporters. ‘It would be the best thing for all concerned.’ Should he fail to give up his post, she advised him not to take part in a two-day World Bank forum on development aid for Africa which starts Monday in the German capital…

“Wolfowitz has been a controversial figure at the World Bank since his nomination by President George W. Bush in 2005 and has fought misgivings by European member countries over his role in the Iraq war while U.S. deputy defense secretary.

“The U.S. government has failed to rally support among its key allies for a strategy aimed at saving Wolfowitz his job. The Bush administration found support only from Japan in a conference call of officials from Group of Seven industrial nations for a plan to separate consideration of Wolfowitz’s ethics violations from credibility issues. A G7 source said it was clear that most participants on the call wanted a quick resolution to a protracted and messy battle over whether Wolfowitz should stay on, step down or be fired. The G7 countries — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, the United States and Japan — are the bank’s biggest funders and dominate its decision making.”

AFP added on May 17:

“A fresh call [for Wolfowitz’s resignation] came Thursday in the Slovenian capital of Bled, where an annual World Bank conference on development economics opened. Wolfowitz, who had planned to deliver the keynote address Thursday night, cancelled his appearance. ‘Now this scandal has been dragging on for too long, which is undermining the credibility of the institution,’ Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk told journalists on the sidelines of the meeting. It would be best if ‘the gentleman should withdraw,’ he was quoted as saying by the STA news agency…

“The Bush administration had been resolutely backing Wolfowitz — one of the key architects of the Iraq war — despite mounting calls for him to resign during the month-old scandal. But that support began to crumble this week after the internal report found he had breached the bank’s ethics rules.”

The article added that “White House support waned in recent days as the controversy has deepened.”

Friday’s Russia-EU Summit–Don’t Expect Much, If Anything

The EUObserver wrote on May 16:

“German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s trip to Moscow failed to produce any result on EU-Russia trade disputes but saw some friendly words, foreshadowing what is set to be an equally substance-free summit in Samara, Russia on Friday (18 May)… The German minister spent one hour talking with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, foreign minister Lavrov and farm minister Gordeyev as well as one hour alone with Mr Putin, but the talks ended with Moscow upholding its ban on Polish food imports.

“Russia’s 18-month old import ban has been called groundless by the European Commission and has seen Poland veto starting talks on a new EU-Russia treaty in a position backed this week by Lithuania and Estonia, which have political gripes of their own with Moscow.

“Russian diplomats on Tuesday (15 May) also called into question a recent EU deal on ending $300 million a year worth of Siberian overflight fees for European airlines. The deal was due to be one of the few things the pair could claim success on at the unlucky summit…

“The mood was made slightly darker by Russian complaints about EU handling of the Russia-Estonia dispute over Tallinn’s removal of a Soviet-era statue. Senior Putin aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky accused the EU of ‘hypocrisy’ in supporting Tallinn…

“The Samara meeting will also try and tackle big international issues such as Kosovo and Iran, but Russian and EU officials warned not to expect much from the summit in terms of results on specific EU-Russia issues.

“Another Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told the Moscow Times that ‘the summit is unlikely to bring about any breakthroughs…’ An EU official told the paper ‘there will be less and less substance’ at the Samara gathering. The Russian press was less circumspect, with the Vedomosti daily writing ‘The EU-Russian summit will either be a relative failure or a scandalous failure…The participants may not even be able to agree on a joint declaration.'”

And Now–Cyberwarfare Between Russia and Estonia?

Der Spiegel Online reported on May 17:

“A massive denial-of-service attack on Estonian servers has brought down Web sites belonging to government ministries, banks and news outlets. Russia denies waging cyberwar, but the assaults look connected to a real-world spat between Moscow and its former satellite state.”

The article continued:

“A bickering match between Russia and one of its Soviet-era allies, Estonia, may have spilled over into cyberspace. NATO, at least, has been worried enough to send cyber-terrorism experts to the capital of Tallinn to investigate a major three-week “denial of service” assault on both official and private Estonian Web sites as well as the country’s cell phone networks.

“Estonia says the attacks — which involve massive volleys of data fired at the servers of government ministries, newspapers, banks, and other corporations with the intention of crashing their sites — originated in Russia…

“The cyberattacks… came in waves, peaking around significant dates like May 8 and 9 (V-E Day, a major holiday in Russia). Hackers… need a vast host of machines to send the volumes of data needed to overwhelm server and bandwidth capacities for the targeted sites. Estonian officials claim that some attackers were traceable to Kremlin institutions.

“‘When there are attacks coming from official IP addresses of Russian authorities and they are attacking not only our Web sites but our mobile phone network and our rescue service network, then it is already very dangerous,’ said Estonia’s foreign minister, Urmas Paet, to The Times of London. ‘It can cost lives. I hope they will stop it but the attacks are continuing.’

“Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC that the allegations were ‘completely untrue.’ An unnamed NATO official said to the Guardian, ‘I won’t point fingers. But these were not things done by a few individuals. …This clearly bore the hallmarks of something concerted.'”

“Breakthrough” in U.S. Illegal Immigration–But Is It Really?

The Associated Press reported on May 17 about a proposed compromise which–by all standards and no matter where one might stand on the “political spectrum”–is far from achieving Godly justice and fairness. It is highly disappointing and can hardly be viewed as a positive breakthrough.

The article explained:

“Key senators in both parties and the White House announced agreement Thursday on an immigration overhaul that would grant quick legal status to millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. and fortify the border.

“The plan would create a temporary worker program to bring new arrivals to the U.S and a separate program to cover agricultural workers. Skills and education-level would for the first time be weighted over family connections in deciding whether future immigrants should get permanent legal status. New high-tech employment verification measures also would be instituted to ensure that workers are here legally…

“The accord sets the stage for what promises to be a bruising battle next week in the Senate on one of Bush’s top non-war priorities… The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a ‘Z visa’ and–after paying fees and a $5,000 fine–ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. Heads of household would have to return to their home countries first. They could come forward right away to claim a probationary card that would let them live and work legally in the U.S., but could not begin the path to permanent residency or citizenship until border security improvements and the high-tech worker identification program were completed…

“In perhaps the most hotly debated change, the proposed plan would shift from an immigration system primarily weighted toward family ties toward one with preferences for people with advanced degrees and sophisticated skills. Republicans have long sought such revisions, which they say are needed to end ‘chain migration’ that harms the economy, while some Democrats and liberal groups say it’s an unfair system that rips families apart. Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card–except for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. New limits would apply to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.”

Another Round of Fighting Has Begun…

The Associated Press reported on May 17:

“Israel targeted Hamas with airstrikes Thursday, destroying a compound and a car carrying senior commanders of the Islamic group and killing six people in a new layer of violence added to Palestinian infighting that has paralyzed the Gaza Strip. In all, 45 Palestinians have been killed in the infighting between Hamas and the rival Fatah since Sunday, including three on Thursday, in the worst round in more than a year… The raging street battles have turned the densely populated seaside city into a war zone and endangered the Palestinian unity government.

“Israel unleashed the air campaign — a hit on a Hamas command center, on a trailer housing bodyguards and two vehicles — after Gaza militants fired more than 50 rockets on the Israeli border town of Sderot in three days… Jordan’s King Abdullah II told a gathering of Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian peace activists he was ‘very concerned’ by the wave of inter-Palestinian fighting in Gaza and warned that more will follow unless progress is made in the peace process.”

Do Politics and Christian Religion Mix?

According to Scripture, they should not mix at all. As Christians, we are not to be part of this world and its evil politics. Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we await the return of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20), to end man’s misrule and to set up the Kingdom and Government of God here on earth (Revelation 11:17-18). We are commanded to come out of the Babylon of this world and its political and religious alliances (Revelation 18:4). Modern Babylon is described as “that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18), and with which “the kings of the earth have committed [spiritual] fornication” (Revelation 18:3). But God will judge that great city–including those who have political or religious affiliations with it–“who corrupted the earth with her [spiritual] fornication” (Revelation 19:2).

For more information on the identity of “that great city” and its influence on the entire world, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Falwell Dies–How Religion Makes Politics…

The Associated Press reported on May 15:

“Jerry Falwell, the television evangelist who founded the Moral Majority and used it to mold the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University. He was 73… Falwell credited his Moral Majority with getting millions of conservative voters registered, electing Ronald Reagan and giving Republicans Senate control in 1980…

“Falwell had once opposed mixing preaching with politics, but he changed his view and in 1979, founded the Moral Majority. The political lobbying organization grew to 6.5 million members and raised $69 million as it supported conservative politicians and campaigned against abortion, homosexuality, pornography and bans on school prayer…

“With Falwell’s high profile came frequent criticism, even from fellow ministers… Billy Graham once rebuked him for political sermonizing on ‘non-moral issues.’… Days after Sept. 11, 2001, Falwell essentially blamed feminists, gays, lesbians and liberal groups for bringing on the terrorist attacks. He later apologized. In 1999, he told an evangelical conference that the Antichrist was a male Jew who was probably already alive. Falwell later apologized for the remark but not for holding the belief. A month later, his National Liberty Journal warned parents that Tinky Winky, a purple, purse-toting character on television’s ‘Teletubbies’ show, was a gay role model and morally damaging to children.

“Falwell was re-energized… in the 2004 presidential election. He formed the Faith and Values Coalition as the ’21st Century resurrection of the Moral Majority,’ to seek anti-abortion judges, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and more conservative elected officials.”

EU Plans Won’t Make the Pope Very Happy

The EUObserver reported on May 15:

“German chancellor and Christian Democrat Angela Merkel has voiced regret there will be no reference to Christian roots in the revised EU treaty…

“‘You know what my personal view is. I would have liked the constitution to deliver such a reference. But as president of the European Council, I see there is not much of a chance,’ she said on the prospects of God appearing in a preamble to the EU text.  ‘I can’t hold out any hope,’ she added.

“Her statement comes in the context of Germany’s push to fix the broad outlines of a new EU treaty – still called a ‘constitution’ by some – in late June, following months of bilateral consultations with EU states after the rejection of the original EU constitution in 2005.

“The God debate is at least as old as the 2002 EU convention that wrote the original constitution, with Roman Catholic states like Poland and the Vatican pushing for the reference, but with France and the UK worried over national secularist traditions or damaging relations with Islamic EU candidate Turkey. The EU’s 50th birthday declaration in March rejuvenated the discussion. But in the end the birthday text made no reference to Christianity, while praising ‘identities and diverse traditions of member states’ and how the EU is ‘enriched’ by a ‘variety of languages, cultures.’

“When the German chancellor, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering met Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders at the EU capital on Tuesday (15 May), they stuck to safe ground on ‘universal’ EU values such as ‘human dignity.’ … But the meeting was not entirely free of controversy, with Ms Merkel at the final press conference saying the EU ‘can’t close its eyes’ to violations of ‘human dignity’ in ‘particular terms’ such as ‘the fact religious property is being damaged [by Turkey] in Northern Cyprus.'”

Peace in Northern Ireland … But There Is No Peace

The Associated Press reported on May 8:

“Protestant firebrand Ian Paisley and IRA veteran Martin McGuinness formed a long-unthinkable alliance Tuesday as Northern Ireland power-sharing went from dream to reality–and all sides expressed hope that bloodshed over this British territory would never return. “Paisley, who spent decades refusing to cooperate with Northern Ireland’s Catholic minority, conceded he had often refused to budge in years past but was ready now. He lauded the Irish Republican Army’s moves to renounce violence and disarm, and Sinn Fein’s decision to cooperate with the province’s mostly Protestant police as genuine. ‘From the depths of my heart, I believe Northern Ireland has come to a time of peace, a time when hate will no longer rule. How good it will be to be part of a wonderful healing in this province,’ Paisley said.

“Tuesday’s speedy, trouble-free formation of a 12-member administration jointly led by Paisley and McGuinness heralded an astonishing new era for Northern Ireland following decades of violence and political stalemate that left 3,700 dead. Paisley, 81, affirmed an oath pledging to cooperate with Catholics and the government of the neighboring Republic of Ireland–moves that the fire-and-brimstone evangelist had long denounced as surrender.”

Sadly, the Bible clearly predicts that there will be no lasting peace–neither in Northern Ireland, nor anywhere else on this globe.  The only hope for worldwide peace is the return of Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says: “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

Elections in France — and More Talk of Peace

The Herald Tribune wrote on May 7:

“Leaders across Europe welcomed the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as France’s next president but enthusiasm Monday was tempered with caution, particularly in Germany. While leaders hoped that Sarkozy would reform the French economy, they questioned his protectionist policies and voiced concern that his strong opposition to Turkey joining the European Union could divide the 27-member bloc.

“Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was quick to congratulate Sarkozy on Sunday night. ‘The German-French friendship will continue to be the basis to secure lasting peace, democracy and prosperity in Europe,’ said Merkel, who like Sarkozy, belongs to the new generation of leaders born after World War II. The European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, said he was confident that Sarkozy would play the role of ‘motor’ in helping to overhaul EU institutions…

“Russia’s reaction was muted. Sergey Karaganov, dean of international studies at the Higher School of Economics, said in a telephone interview: ‘The only change I see will be the loss of a personal relationship with Chirac. With changes in Germany, France, Italy and the United States, there is an element of unpredictability’ for Russia, he added.

“Analysts said Sarkozy’s foreign policy agenda could ultimately depend on two things: whether the Franco-German alliance can again become the driving force inside the EU; and whether Gordon Brown, who is expected to succeed Tony Blair as Britain’s prime minister, will re-engage with Europe.”

France’s Next President for EU Constitution

Der Spiegel Online reported on May 7:

“Germany, as current EU president, will [breathe] a collective sigh of relief that Sarkozy has prevailed. Unlike his rival Ségolène Royal, Sarkozy does not want to let the French vote again on the constitutional treaty. Instead he wants a slimmed-down version, with only institutional reforms for the 27-member bloc, to be ratified as soon as possible — and not by the people, but by parliament. The discussions about a more comprehensive EU constitution would then be postponed to a later date.

“This pragmatism reflects that of German Chancellor Angela Merkel who, as EU president, has already been working on a roadmap that would save the ‘substance of the constitutional treaty’ by 2009. A further indication of Sarkozy’s new pro-European stance is the fact that in March he was the only candidate in the French election to publicly support the Berlin Declaration, which marked the EU’s 50th anniversary, and which called for the revival of the constitution. It is also in Sarkozy’s own interest to clear the hurdles as soon as possible since France is due to take over the EU presidency in the second half of 2008. If everything goes according to Merkel’s roadmap, Sarkozy could end up being celebrated as the savior of the constitutional treaty…

“Other issues, however, could well lead to clashes. Sarkozy is a genuine opponent of further EU expansion. Even before the entry of Bulgaria and Romania he had called for an end to the accession of any more countries. And unlike his predecessor Jacques Chirac, he categorically rejects EU membership for Turkey. The Turkish newspaper Vatan has called him the ‘greatest opponent of Turkey in Europe.’ Sarkozy has repeatedly explained that as far as he is concerned geographically, Turkey doesn’t belong in Europe, but rather in Asia.”

France Over All

On May 7, Der Spiegel Online quoted the business daily Handelsblatt, as follows: “The new president has a dream: he wants to help France, which has lost its economic and political significance, to achieve new greatness… Sarkozy looks at Europe through a purely French lens…”

US-French Friendship?

The French News Agency AFP reported on May 7:

“World leaders were quick to congratulate Sarkozy on his victory, with US President George W. Bush telephoning him within an hour of polls closing. Sarkozy’s presidency carries hopes of a new era in US-France relations after the frostiness caused by Chirac’s opposition to the Iraq war. In his victory speech, Sarkozy said Washington can count on France’s friendship but urged it to show leadership in the struggle against global warming.”

Tony Blair Announces His Resignation

The Associated Press reported on May 10, 2007:

“Tony Blair said Thursday he would step down as prime minister on June 27, closing a decade of power in which he fostered peace in Northern Ireland and followed the United States to a war in Iraq that cost him much of his popularity. In a somber farewell, Blair made way for Treasury chief Gordon Brown to take the top post.

“Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, it was right, Blair said, to ‘stand shoulder to shoulder with our oldest ally, and I did so out of belief… I may have been wrong, but that’s your call. But believe one thing if nothing else. I did what I thought was right for our country.’

“Brown, Blair’s dour partner in reforming the Labour Party and a sometimes impatient rival in government, was expected to easily win election as the party’s new leader and become the next prime minister. Brown has never criticized Blair’s decision to go to war in Iraq and has given no indication on how he will steer Britain’s role in the conflict…

“Under the stewardship of Blair and Brown, the British economy has thrived. London rivals New York as the world’s pre-eminent financial center, GDP is up, unemployment is down and interest rates are low, though rising. However, Blair’s promised health and education reforms remain incomplete, and soaring house prices and increasing personal debt threaten to widen the divide between haves and have-nots…

“His decision to stand [shoulder]-to-shoulder with President Bush by committing troops for the invasion divided his party and the country. Blair said he was content for history to judge him, but four years on and with almost 150 British troops dead in Iraq, the war is more unpopular than ever. In Iraq, those critical of the 2003 invasion welcomed Blair’s impending departure… But in southern Basra, where British soldiers have been based since 2003, some worried the city will fall into chaos when Britain reduces its troop presence…

“Blair’s last months in office also have been overshadowed by a police investigation into claims that his party and the opposition traded political honors for cash…”

King Herod’s Tomb Found

CNN.com reported on May 7:

“An Israeli archaeologist has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Hebrew University said late Monday. The tomb is at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem. Herod built a palace on the hill, and researchers discovered his burial site there, the university said…

“Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 37 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem still stands, and he also ordered big construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other sites… Herod died in 4 B.C. in Jericho. Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman troops in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.”

Herod was one of the most brutal and cruel leaders this world has ever known. Among other terrible crimes, his bad reputation results from his evil murder of innocent children in an attempt to kill Jesus (compare Matthew 2:16-18).

Turkey in Big Trouble

Der Spiegel Online wrote on May 7:

“Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül withdrew from the country’s presidential race on Sunday in disgust after secularists in parliament handed his Islamic-rooted party another humiliating defeat. Gül said the rift in Turkey between secularist and Islamic politicians has ‘damaged the parliament’s honor’ and may force a popular presidential vote… A defeat for Gül — who belongs to Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party, the AKP — is, perhaps ironically, bad news for the West…

“European politicians are now more concerned about the Turkish military, which looks unwilling to keep its fingers out of politics, than any Islamic agenda. Is it possible that Turkey still hasn’t transcended its violent past, typified in previous decades by coups and rolling tanks?… An open conflict between AKP supporters and the military would be fatal for the country…

“The founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal, later known as Atatürk… made Sunday the country’s official day of rest (instead of Friday, the Muslim day of prayer). He introduced Latin writing instead of Arabic and replaced Sharia with a code composed of Swiss and Italian law. ‘Progress means taking part in this civilization,’ Atatürk preached to his people, ‘the Turks have constantly moved in one direction — we have always gone from East to West.’…”

Russian Nuclear Weapons Missing?

The Washington Times reported on May 2:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Bush he could not account for all of Moscow’s nuclear weapons at the same time al Qaeda was seeking to purchase three Russian nuclear devices on the black market, former CIA Director George J. Tenet said… The comments contradict Russian government claims for the past 16 years that no nuclear arms were missing. Alexander Lebed, a former Russian national security adviser, stated in 1997 that Russia could not account for about 80 portable nuclear weapons, a claim later denied by Moscow.”

The Pope Warns Catholic Politicians

Reuters reported on May 9:

“Pope Benedict on Wednesday warned Catholic politicians they risked excommunication from the [Catholic] Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion.

“It was the first time that the Pope, speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him on a trip to Brazil, dealt in depth with a controversial topic that has come up in many countries, including the United States, Mexico, and Italy… Under [Catholic] Church law, someone who knowingly does or backs something which the [Catholic] Church considers a grave sin, such as abortion, inflicts what is known as ‘automatic excommunication’ on themselves…

“The Pope’s comments appear to raise the stakes in the debate over whether Catholic politicians can support abortion or gay marriage and still consider themselves proper Catholics. In recent months, the Vatican has been accused of interference in Italy for telling Catholic lawmakers to oppose a draft law that would grant some rights to unwed and gay couples…

“Some Catholics say they personally would not have an abortion but feel obliged to support a woman’s right to choose. But the [Catholic] Church, which teaches that life begins at the moment of conception and that abortion is murder, says Catholics cannot have it both ways.”

Terrible Weather Conditions in the USA

The Associated Press wrote on May 9:

“Nature’s fury made life miserable Wednesday from one end of the nation to the other… And although the calendar still said spring, the first named storm of the year was whipping up surf on the beaches of the Southeast.

“… a three-week-old fire in southern Georgia had become that state’s biggest on record after charring 167 square miles of forest and swamp. Smoke and a dusting of ashes filled the air through much of Florida and southeastern Georgia. The haze over most of Florida even closed several highways and sent people with breathing problems indoors.

“… In addition to 11 tornado deaths, two drowning deaths were blamed on the storms, one each in Oklahoma and Kansas. High water had poured over the tops of at least 20 levees along the Missouri River and other streams in the state…

“On the West Coast, in view of many Los Angeles residents, a blaze had covered more than 800 acres in the city’s sprawling Griffith Park behind the iconic Griffith Observatory… In the Southeast, a wildfire in northern Florida’s Bradford County had forced the evacuation of about 250 homes… That fire had blackened 16,000 to 18,000 acres and was 20 percent contained…

“Elsewhere, a wildfire near the Canadian border in northeastern Minnesota had covered more than 34 square miles Wednesday, adding more than 8 square miles in one day, authorities said. It had destroyed 45 buildings, including multimillion-dollar homes, and firefighters said it was just 5 percent contained. More than 100 people had been removed from their homes in the path of the fire.”

State Orders Gas Prices to Be Raised

From the highly objectionable to the totally ridiculous–and because of laws, which make no sense, there is no end in sight of the rise of manipulated unreasonable gas prices.

The Associated Press reported on May 9:

“A service station that offered discounted gas to senior citizens and people supporting youth sports has been ordered by the state to raise its prices. Center City BP owner Raj Bhandari has been offering senior citizens a 2 cent per gallon price break and discount cards that let sports boosters pay 3 cents less per gallon.

“But the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says those deals violate Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act, which requires stations to sell gas for about 9.2 percent more than the wholesale price. Bhandari said he received a letter from the state auditor last month saying the state would sue him if he did not raise his prices. The state could penalize him for each discounted gallon he sold, with the fine determined by a judge.

“Bhandari, who bought the station a year ago, said he worries customers will think he stopped the discounts because he wants to make more money. About 10 percent of his customers had used the discount cards.”

“Ethiopia Is Now Trapped”

BBC News reported on April 28:

“The Somali capital Mogadishu has this week seen some of its worst fighting for 16 years. A fragile transitional government there has been trying to destroy groups of fighters left over from the so-called Islamic Courts group which was in control of much of the country last year… The capital has been devastated in the past two weeks by intense fighting.

“Ethiopian forces in support of the transitional government, rooted out militia loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts at the turn of the year. In the past fortnight they have unleashed a devastating artillery and rocket barrage on obdurate remnants of Islamic Court fighters in the capital. The Islamists are fighting alongside members of a powerful Somali clan, the Hawiye, who are enemies of those controlling the transitional government…

“It is a complicated and bloody struggle. In the past few days more than 300 have been killed and since the turn of the year 2,000 have died, most of them civilians caught in crossfire. Many thousands have been injured. The appalling violence has led to one of the largest mass migrations in recent times. Hundreds of thousands of people who were living in Mogadishu have grabbed what few possessions they could carry and headed for places of safety.

“Some have moved to the outskirts of the capital away from the fighting. Others have gone out into the Somali hinterland. They have travelled into an environment that cannot sustain them, into villages dotted along dusty roads in the scrubby, scruffy bush of southern and central Somalia, into communities which were hit in the past year, first by drought and then by flooding. There is little stored food, goat and cattle herds are only just recovering and the capacity to feed and care for thousands of displaced people does not exist. And in the past few days the annual rains have started.

“At the best of times Somalia poses huge problems for aid agencies. Now it is, as one aid worker put it to me, ‘a total nightmare’… Cholera is now seeping through the displaced thousands, picking off the young and the weak. In the rain and misery, hundreds have died… Just a few months ago, Mogadishu and much of Somalia were enjoying their most stable period for 16 years. Under the brief control of the Islamic Courts Union, the grip of the warlords was loosened and some of the basic expectations of an organised life were being restored. Schools were opening, police were being trained, roadblocks were removed and litter was even collected from the streets. Many Somalis were unhappy with the more extreme rules of the Islamic Courts: closing down the cinemas, banning music and insisting women [wear] veils.

“But the Islamists were able to spread their power steadily through more of Somalia and this alarmed the government in neighbouring Ethiopia who have long feared a radical Islamic group in control of the country. It worried the Americans too, who feared the Islamic Courts were harbouring al-Qaeda elements. So with tacit American approval and with other international governments looking on, Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia to support the weak transitional government.

“Ethiopia is now trapped. It wants to get out of Somalia, but cannot go until what it calls the ‘Islamist threat’ is eliminated. But every moment Ethiopian troops spend in Somalia stirs up more resentment and their presence acts as a compelling recruiting sergeant for insurgents, who say they will die trying to rid their country of the Ethiopian invaders. “

Pandemic Influenza Overdue

The Coloradoan reported on April 30:

“Larimer County officials are turning their efforts to community involvement and awareness as they try to prepare residents for a potential pandemic flu… Officials believe a pandemic flu, or an outbreak of severe disease that affects a large amount of people worldwide, could occur if H5N1, the virus that causes avian flu, mutates into a human transmissible virus. Although H5N1 isn’t the only virus that could cause a pandemic, it is highly pathogenic and has caused the largest number of detected cases of severe disease and death in humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“‘Pandemic influenza usually occurs about three times a century,’ said Jane Viste, spokeswoman for the health department. ‘We are overdue.’

“The flu partnership met last week to brainstorm ways to get Larimer County citizens on board with the emergency plan, believing most people would be unprepared for a pandemic. ‘I would be surprised if 5 percent of the population of Larimer County would be prepared for a severe pandemic if it were to happen,’ said Dr. Adrienne LeBailly, director of the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.”

Virus Might Cause Disaster for American Freshwater Fish

USA Today wrote on April 29:

“A deadly Ebola-like virus is killing fish of all types in the Great Lakes, a development some scientists fear could trigger disaster for the USA’s freshwater fish.

“Because of a lack of genetic resistance to viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish populations could be damaged in the same way the smallpox virus struck Native Americans and Dutch elm disease decimated elm trees, says Jim Winton, chief of fish health at the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle.

“The disease has been found in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Niagara River and an inland lake in New York. The aggressive virus, which causes fish to hemorrhage, was unexpectedly found in the Great Lakes in 2005. Last year, it resulted in large fish kills that struck at least 20 species. Scientists are watching to see whether the disease returns in mid-May when water in the lakes warms to temperatures at which the virus attacks.

“‘VHS is the most important and dangerous fish virus known worldwide,’ Winton says. ‘Its discovery in our fresh water is disturbing and potentially catastrophic.’ ‘What’s so disturbing is that it’s killing fish from so many species and with amazingly high mortality levels,’ says Paul Bowser, professor of aquatic animal medicine at Cornell University. The virus does not threaten humans, Bowser says. ‘If you cook the fish, heat will kill the virus,’ he says.

“How VHS got into the Great Lakes is unclear. The dumping of ocean water from an international cargo ship is a suspected cause. Also not ruled out: spawning fish swimming upstream or a bird carrying a diseased fish. Genetic tests show that the strain of VHS found in the Great Lakes probably originated in the Atlantic Ocean, near New Brunswick, Canada…

“VHS thrives in water of 40 to 59 degrees. Most water in the Great Lakes, which contain about 20% of the world’s fresh water, has not hit that temperature yet this year. ‘The best-case scenario is that the virus becomes something that lurks in the background and attacks only when conditions are ripe,’  [Gary] Whelan says [who runs the state’s hatcheries]. ‘I’m not expecting that, but I am hoping.'”

EU-Russian Relations Continue to Deteriorate

The EUObserver reported on April 30:

“German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned of a risk of a new east-west conflict following a sharp deterioration in relations between Moscow and western states in recent months.

“Reacting to the news that Russia wants to suspend a key arms treaty, Mr Steinmeier said this was a ’cause for concern’ and ‘goes in the wrong direction. We must prevent this. It cannot be allowed to come to a new spiral in mistrust between the west and Russia,’ he told Germany’s Bild newspaper on Sunday… ‘It is in the urgent interest of Europe to avoid an escalation,’ he said.

“His words come after Russian president Vladimir Putin during his state of the nation address last week said Moscow would suspend compliance with a treaty on conventional arms in Europe. In place since the end of the Cold War, the treaty puts limits on the number of conventional weapons and foreign troops that can be deployed in the signatory countries.

“The catalyst for the sharp rhetoric coming out of Moscow is Washington’s decision to build a new missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic, which it says will block threats from countries such as Iran and North Korea… Although the tone has sharpened up in the last few days, the rift in east-west relations comes in the context of more long-term problems including EU worries over energy dependency on Russia, Russian trade relations with some eastern European EU states and western criticism of Russia’s democratic standards.

“The EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, last week even remarked that relations had sunk to levels not seen since the Cold War.”

Turkey Just A Few Steps Away From Chaos

The EUObserver stated on April 30:

“The European Union has warned Turkey’s military to stay out of politics and show respect for democracy, after the army indicated it could step into a political row over the country’s next president to defend secular values… The turmoil came after foreign minister Abdullah Gul announced he would continue running for president, despite having failed to win sufficient support in the first parliamentary ballot on Friday (27 April)… Hundreds of thousands of people took to the [streets] of Istanbul on Sunday (29 April) – also in support of secularism, waving pictures of the father of the Turkish Republic, Kemal Ataturk, and shouting ‘Turkey is secular and will remain secular.'”

Der Spiegel Online added on April 30:

“Turkey has plunged into a political crisis over a presidential election that has pitted the Islamist-rooted government against secular protesters… The Europe Union and the United States have called for a democratic resolution and the Council of Europe, a group of 46 countries aimed at promoting democratic values, said it was shocked at the army’s behavior and said the armed forces ‘should stay in their barracks and keep out of politics.’

“German media commentators blame the army for plunging Turkey into a crisis that has lessened the country’s chances of joining the EU. The military, commentators write, is trying to preserve its own power…

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘It seems to be a special Turkish art form to plunge itself into political crises. The country has to choose between returning to the dark ages of the distant past or moving towards a democratic future. This is about nothing less than that, and about whether Turkey will at some point be able to find its place in the EU or simply doesn’t fit into Europe.’…

“Conservative Die Welt writes:

“‘The fifth coup [of the Turkish army] is now happening. The army wants to stop the governing AKP party from making one of its leaders state president. In one way or another the army will take action if the government defies it. It may be that this course of events is the Turkish way of doing things. But it’s clear that we’re seeing a political culture here that is light years away from being brought into harmony with the European mindset in any respect. Ankara’s EU dream is over.’…

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes:

“‘Turkey is just a few steps away from violence and chaos … With the generals’ threat of a coup and mass demonstrations on the one hand and the government’s uncompromising insistence on making its candidate the president on the other, the final stage of escalation has been reached before the outbreak of violence. Anyone with political responsibility, be it the government, the opposition or the military, who does not now seek a compromise wants to see blood spilled.'”

War Report Blasts Israeli PM Ehud Olmert for “Serious Failure”

AFP reported on April 30:

“An Israeli government commission on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of ‘serious failure’ in the Lebanon war but he refused to step down despite the blow to his flagging leadership.

“Retired judge Eliyahu Winograd, reading from partial findings of an investigation, held Olmert, Defence Minister Amir Peretz and former army chief Dan Halutz principally responsible for the failings of last summer’s conflict. ‘If each or anyone of those would have acted better, the decisions and the results of the war would have been different or better,’ Winograd said of the war that began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12. ‘The prime minister made up his mind hastily, despite the fact that no detailed military plan was submitted to him and without asking for one,’ despite his lack of experience in foreign policy and military affairs. ‘He made a personal contribution to the fact that the declared goals were over-ambitious and not feasible,’ the report said, accusing Olmert of not properly considering political and professional reservations presented to him. ‘All of these add up to a serious failure in exercising judgement, responsibility and prudence,’ said the report.

“The devastating conflict, called the Second Lebanon War in Israel, lasted 34 days and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers, according to government figures. It failed to retrieve the two Israeli soldiers or stop Hezbollah rocket fire that sent a million Israelis fleeing from the north…

“The United States moved swiftly to bolster its closest regional ally, as a White House spokesman told reporters that US President George W. Bush views Olmert as ‘essential’ to Middle East peace efforts. But his numerous critics immediately mounted calls for his government to resign, with a mass demonstration planned in Tel Aviv on Thursday… In Lebanon, meanwhile, a senior Hezbollah official said the damning report amounted to ‘an admission of Israel’s historic defeat’.

“Weakened by the war and a string of corruption scandals implicating him and senior members of his government, Olmert’s ratings have sunk to an historic low with just two percent of Israelis trusting him, according to opinion polls.”

Further Victory of Homosexuals in Europe

Roman Catholic News Agency, Zenit, reported on April 30:

“[Roman Catholic] Church officials criticized a European Parliament resolution that condemns ‘discriminatory comments’ made by political and religious leaders against homosexuals.

“The resolution, which passed 325-124, with 150 abstentions, condemns the ‘discriminatory comments formulated by politicians and religious leaders about homosexuals, as fermenting hatred and violence — even if they were later withdrawn — and it asks that the hierarchies of the respective organizations condemn them as well.’…

“The approved resolution invites member states to propose laws ‘that overcome discriminations suffered by same sex couples’ and ‘reminds all member states that the prohibition of the Gay Pride Parade and the lack of protection offered to its participants are against the principles of the European Convention of human rights.’ The resolution also proposes that an annual ‘International Day Against Homophobia’ be held on May 17.

“Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice and Cardinal Peter Erdo and Monsignor Aldo Giordano, president and secretary-general of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, respectively, defended the Church against accusations that it doesn’t respect homosexual persons. ‘There is no homophobia in the Catholic Church and it is time that all this ended,’ Cardinal Scola said… Referring to the European Parliament, he said: ‘There needs to be more respect for the orientation of our people. There is no need to tell lies.’

“Paolo Bustaffa, director of the Italian bishops’ SIR news agency, told Vatican Radio last Thursday: ‘It is clear that they are suspicious of the Church’s thinking in regard to these situations, these people, for whom — the Catechism of the Catholic Church says — the Church has a great respect. Respect for people, however, cannot nullify a problematic aspect,’ he added. ‘There must be understanding but in many cases there cannot be justification.'”

President Bush Supports World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz

USA Today wrote on April 30:

 “President Bush said Monday that Paul Wolfowitz should remain as World Bank president even as the embattled official denounced a ‘smear campaign’ over his handling of a promotion and pay raise for his girlfriend. Wolfowitz, a former Pentagon official and architect of the Iraq war, appeared Monday before a special bank panel investigating the case involving his companion, Shaha Riza, a fellow bank employee…
 
“Bush, at a news conference in Washington with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, was asked whether the Wolfowitz controversy and calls for his resignation were raised in his talks with the two world leaders… Bush said the topic did not come up but added, ‘my position is that he ought to stay.’… Wolfowitz vowed to fight for his job: ‘I will not resign in the face of a plainly bogus charge of conflict of interest.'”

Special Report on Russia

Why Russian Brutality

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 23:

“Andrei Illarionov, 45, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Cato Institute and former chief economic advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, discusses the reasons for the Kremlin’s brutal treatment of the political opposition.”

In his interview with Der Spiegel, Illarionov pointed out:

“Those in power deliberately use violence to intimidate. They want to break the people’s will to resist and act independently, and to do so they are constantly raising the level of aggression. Unlike the mass terror under Hitler, Stalin and Mao, we in Russia are currently experiencing a campaign of terror against individuals and groups…

“Employees of the intelligence agencies… now occupy more than 70 percent of all top positions in the state machinery. The destruction of Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Yukos oil company, the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the polonium poisoning of former agent Alexander Litvinenko — the goal in each of these cases is to keep society in a state of constant fear. That makes it easier to control the people. This is the only reason the state-controlled media are allowed to report at length on these cases. It contributes to the climate of fear…

“Russia is certainly no longer a free country. We are moving in the direction of Zimbabwe… All our democratic institutions are also being dismantled… This is why Russia is becoming more isolated diplomatically, and why economic growth is slowing. In a comparison with the 15 former Soviet republics, Russia is now third to last when it comes to economic growth.”

“Russia Cannot Be A Strategic Partner for Europe”

In a related article, Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 23:

“Russian authorities cracked down heavily on opposition protests over the weekend, arresting the anti-Putin camp’s leader, Garry Kasparov, and hundreds of other demonstrators in violent clashes. German commentators voice their concern about the oppressive path Russia is taking and ask: What is it that has Putin so scared?…

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘It’s only explicable in terms of fear, namely the fear that those in power in Moscow have themselves, and the fear that they want to spread. Russia is led by former and current intelligence agents, with the natural consequence that suspicion and the hunger for power hold sway over the state… But the reaction in the West is little more than a brief shudder. Putin’s Russia is needed as an energy supplier and is much in demand as a partner, particularly by Germany. … The demonstrators in Moscow and St. Petersburg are therefore not only a nuisance for Putin, but also for his Western friends. The puzzle is not so hard to solve after all.’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

“‘[Russia] cannot be a strategic partner for Europe … Europe should keep its dependence (on Russia), particularly in regard to energy security, as low as possible — and not, as is currently the case, keep increasing it.’

“The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes:

“‘The events (of this weekend) make it clear that people and their rights get — literally — beaten down in Russia. A regime that takes recourse in such repressive measures and persists in discrediting itself is clearly afraid… The opposition needn’t hope for support from outside. “Tell your heads of government that we live in a police state,” Kasparov shouted to foreign journalists. This call too may well trail off, unheard.’

“Conservative Die Welt writes:

“‘In Putin’s worldview, political opponents do not have any right to exist. In Russian politics, it’s not about a competition of ideas — with the possibility of a change of government — but rather about holding on to power. Any means of doing so is correct and justified — the baton, the judicial sentence, or the brochures of the Putin youth movement Nashi, in which the opposition is condemned as enemies of the people and agents of the West — just like in the time of Joseph Stalin. That doesn’t mean that we are about to witness the return of the Great Terror, like in 1937. It does mean that Russia is on a course which is miles away from Western values. …

“‘The West would do well to call a spade a spade. False considerateness — out of fear that the energy supplier might turn off the tap — is out of place. The West owes the dissidents in Putin’s empire open and honest words.'”

These developments are likely to continue. It appears that Russia will become more and more autocratic and dictatorial–so much so that Europe will finally intervene–with disastrous consequences for the entire world. Daniel 11:44 predicts that a future European leader will be greatly troubled by rumors or “news from the east and the north”–Russia and its Far Eastern allies–and he shall go out “with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.”

Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin Dies

The Associated Press reported on April 23:

“Former President Boris Yeltsin, who engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, died Monday. He was 76… Yeltsin steadfastly defended freedom of the press, but was a master at manipulating the media. His hand-picked successor, Vladimir Putin, has proven far more popular even as he has tightened Kremlin control over both Russia’s industry and its press…

“Yeltsin… stood atop a tank to resist an attempted coup in August 1991, and spearheaded the peaceful end of the Soviet state on Dec. 25 of that year… But Yeltsin… damaged his democratic credentials by using force to solve political disputes, though he claimed his actions were necessary to keep the country together.

“He sent tanks and troops in October 1993 to flush armed, hard-line supporters out of a hostile Russian parliament after they had sparked violence in the streets of Moscow. And in December 1994, Yeltsin launched a war against separatists in the southern republic of Chechnya. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the Chechnya conflict, and a defeated and humiliated Russian army withdrew at the end of 1996. The war solved nothing–and Russian troops resumed fighting in the breakaway region in fall 1999…

“Yet Yeltsin had made a stunning debut as Russian president. He introduced many basics of democracy, guaranteeing the rights to free speech, private property and multiparty elections, and opening the borders to trade and travel… Yeltsin pushed through free-market reforms, creating a private sector and allowing foreign investment. In foreign policy, he assured independence for Russia’s Soviet-era satellites, oversaw troop and arms reductions, and developed warm relations with Western leaders… Throughout his nearly decade-long leadership, he remained Russia’s strongest bulwark against Communism…

“In the course of the Yeltsin era, per capita income fell about 75 percent, and the nation’s population fell by more than 2 million, due largely to the steep decline in public health… The economy sank into a deep recession in summer 1998, but Yeltsin rarely commented on the troubles and never offered a plan to combat them…

“Yeltsin met about once a month with Putin… He felt certain that the reforms he championed would continue under Putin…’If I had doubts that the reforms might be reversed, I would not have resigned,’ Yeltsin said.”

However, Putin’s power trip has brought Russia back to the times of much-dreaded dictatorship.

Worsening EU-Russia Relations

EUObserver wrote on April 23:

“The European Commission failed to persuade Russia to lift its 16-month old ban on Polish meat imports during high-level talks this weekend, amid worsening EU-Russia relations four weeks before the EU-Russia summit in Samara… ‘Everything remains as before,’ Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in Warsaw on Sunday night… ‘We do not agree to opening discussions with Russia on a new agreement as long as this issue is not settled.’

“Poland last year vetoed launching negotiations on a new EU-Russia treaty, saying the Russian meat ban is a political ploy to sow disunity between old and new EU states and to punish Warsaw for supporting the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine… The deadlock could see Samara turn into the same embarrassing flop as the EU-Russia summit in Helsinki last November, as well as derail EU efforts to conclude the new bilateral treaty before Russian presidential elections in 2008.

“If the Russian-Polish row is solved in time, EU member Lithuania is threatening to veto treaty talks unless Russia resumes oil pipeline supplies to its petrol refinery in Mazeikiu. Vilnius also accuses Moscow of political punishment for not selling the refinery to a Russian bidder…

“On top of this, UK-Russia relations have become strained over London’s refusal to extradite anti-Putin oligarch Boris Berezovsky and an ongoing probe into the notorious murder in England of anti-Kremlin activist Alexander Litvinenko last year…

“From Moscow’s point of view, the EU’s talk of democratic and market economy values is an attempt to weaken Vladimir Putin’s administration and to get its hands on Russian oil and gas assets, in the context of an ever-expanding NATO. EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson last week spoke of ‘a level of misunderstanding or even mistrust we have not seen since the end of the Cold War…each suspects the other of double standards. Both believe the other is using the energy weapon as an instrument of politics.'”

“Most Important” Election in France

The Wall Street Journal wrote on April 23:

“In the first round of French presidential elections, goes an old saw, voters choose with their hearts. Yesterday’s favorites, of 12 candidates on the ballot, were center-right Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Ségolène Royal. In the runoff, held on the second Sunday after the first, the French are said to vote with their heads, coldly eliminating one.

“The two-week campaign that formally started last night between Sarko and Ségo will show which of the candidates the French dislike least. Mr. Sarkozy, an energetic and divisive former minister, must build a majority off his 30% score yesterday. Though the candidate himself has shunned personal attacks on opponents, the Sarkozy camp is bound to portray the first woman to get this far in a French election as an ingenue unfit for the Élysée Palace. The Socialists will seek to seize the momentum from their candidate’s strong 25% showing to make Mr. Sarkozy out to be an authoritarian maverick with a bad temper and dangerous ideas.

“This election is the most important in decades, bringing in a new generation to tackle the country’s deep economic and social problems. So, after flirting with alternatives in centrist François Bayrou and the far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen, voters put aside doubts about both the main contenders and went for a straight left-right fight in an election that saw record turnouts…

“In a change with previous elections, this one saw little discussion of the world beyond France. The country’s domestic problems are challenging enough. But a newly confident French leader will likely seek to reclaim the country’s role at the heart of Europe… Mr. Chirac leaves behind a presidential office weakened by corruption scandals, his own inefficacy and the Fifth Republic’s inherent flaws… The presidency, as Mr. Chirac also says, will be decided in the next 15 days. One can’t envy the winner’s task.”

The French Elections–from Russia’s Point of View

The Russian Pravda wrote on April 24:

“The result of new presidential elections in France will definitely change the political atmosphere in the country. Relations with Russia may radically change as well. Both candidates… have already criticized the Kremlin’s line… The relations with Russia were certainly not a priority issue for the French electorate; however the basic candidates for presidency touched upon it. ‘The evolution of Russia makes me uneasy,’ says Sarkozy. He says that the Russian policy in Chechnya makes him prefer the USA to Russia. Royal in her turn states that France must speak the language of truth with Russia… Judging by the above statements of the candidates who have entered the second round of the presidential election, the relations between Russia and France will grow worse at least at first.

“Let us suppose that Segolene Royal wins the elections, and left-wing forces will be the ruling power. It was always a more serious problem for Moscow to establish relations with France’s leftists than with the right-wing forces. However, the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy may bring even more problems. Unlike Royal who openly criticizes US’s policy, the former interior minister of France [Sarkozy] is open for closer cooperation with Washington… Sarkozy did not support the US campaign in Iraq openly, but he said that democracy united France and the USA, and so he rather preferred Washington to Moscow. The Hungarian origin of Nicolas Sarkozy seems to be a real obstacle to the development of relations between Russia and France as East-European problems may interfere here.

“No matter who of the two candidates wins the presidential election, the personality of any of them is going to be a historical figure. Sarkozy is not a genuine Frenchman. His father came to France from Hungary and got the French citizenship in 1980. The father of Sarkozy’s mother was a Greek. As for Segolene Royal, she may be the first-ever woman president of France if [she] wins the race. So, in any case a new president of France is going to be a type of president not typical of France… Neither Sarkozy nor Royal witnessed the alliance formed between France and Moscow for fighting Nazism. But the political views of both were formed under the influence of the cold war which implies that their attitude to Moscow may be negative.

“A new president who is to come will have rather serious problems to solve during a presidential term. Hundreds of thousands of the French have to work abroad in Switzerland, Belgium and Canada because of the high taxes at home. Much is to be done for regulation of the labor legislation. Arab and African immigrants that are flooding France are getting a more burning problem every year. The problem of the Corsican separatists is not settled yet. Aboriginal minorities – Alsatians, Basques and Bretons – demand official recognition of their national and linguistic rights. They say that Paris must stop converting them into Frenchmen.

“As for France’s foreign policy the country is to take a really crucial decision: either to establish closer relations with the USA or resist ‘the Anglo-Saxon world order’. France is to decide either to keep teaching Russia some good sense and build more visa barriers for Russians, or to see Russia as a partner equal in rights and ease the visa regime for Russian tourists.”

U.S. World Bank President vs. Europe

AFP wrote on April 22:

“The furor surrounding World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz exposes the need for overdue reform of the six-decade-old development lender itself, according to experts… Questions about the World Bank’s relevance are being raised, including whether the post-war settlement under which the bank is led by an American and the IMF by a European is past its sell-by date…

“European governments have been pressing hardest for Wolfowitz to bow out over the controversy surrounding his Libyan-born girlfriend, Shaha Riza, who on his direction was given a generous pay deal and guaranteed promotions when she was reassigned from the bank to the US State Department in 2005…

“But for one expert close to the bank, the Europeans have only themselves to blame, after they swallowed their doubts over the US government’s nomination of the former Pentagon deputy chief to take over the bank two years ago. ‘They stood aside when he was nominated as if somehow he had completely changed,’ the expert said on condition of anonymity. ‘And over the past year all the people I knew (at the bank) were deeply unhappy — they saw the things that were happening, but they didn’t say anything.'”

“Scandal Season in Washington”

Der Spiegel Online published an article on April 24 with the headline, “Scandal Season in Washington.” The magazine pointed out:

“The seats are getting hotter for World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Both still enjoy the support of the US president, but dismissals may be just around the corner…

“Gonzales is in a fix because of false statements on eight fired federal prosecutors. There is much to suggest the prosecutors were handed pink slips for political reasons, and that the White House was involved. Gonzales then went on to lie about his involvement in the matter. On Thursday of last week, he had a last chance to dig himself out of the hole he finds himself in. But his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee — which he had weeks to prepare for — was a disaster. Not even the Republicans on the panel were in the mood to defend the embattled prosecutor, and Gonzales likewise did himself no favors. Not only did he try to avoid almost every question, but he also claimed memory loss no less than 64 times. This astonishing lack of recall went so far that Gonzales couldn’t even remember a decisive meeting in his office that had taken place just a few months earlier.

“The country’s top law-enforcement officer sounded ‘like the sort of person who forgets where he parked his car,’ the Washington Post scoffed. Republican Senator Tom Coburn snarled at Gonzales: ‘The best way to put this behind us is your resignation.’ The Attorney General of the United States has become a laughing stock for both friend and foe…

“The situation Paul Wolfowitz finds himself in is hardly much better… A veritable ‘civil war’ is raging within the World Bank, the Financial Times wrote recently. And Wolfowitz’s opponents in this conflict comprise the overwhelming majority of the World Bank’s 13,000 employees. A regime change seems to be in the offing, and this time it won’t be happening in Baghdad.”

Mere War Propaganda?

AFP reported on April 25:

“A pair of high-profile US army figures accused the military of spreading outright lies and manipulating their stories for a hero-starved public, during testimony before Congress Tuesday.

“One was Kevin Tillman, the brother of a US football star killed by ‘friendly fire’ in Afghanistan three years ago, who said the military lied about the circumstances of his death to avoid a public relations fiasco and to draw attention from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

“The other was Jessica Lynch, a female soldier who decried her inaccurate portrayal as a ‘little girl Rambo,’ firing her weapon down to the last bullet before being captured by Iraqis in early 2003, and then daringly saved by US forces nine days later. ‘It was not true … I’m still confused as to why they choose to lie and try to make me a legend,’ she told the House Government Reform Committee hearing on ‘Misleading Information from the Battlefield.'”

The article continued to quote Kevin Tillman, as follows:

“‘A terrible tragedy that might have further undermined support for the war in Iraq was transformed into an inspirational message that served instead to support the nation’s foreign policy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan… It was utter fiction,’ he said, accusing the military of ‘deliberate and careful misrepresentations.’ In the hours immediately after his brother’s death, ‘crucial evidence was destroyed — including Pat’s uniform, equipment and notebook,’ he said.”

More Terrible Weather Conditions Across the USA

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, April 25:

“Search teams worked their way through wreckage-strewn neighborhoods in this border town [i.e., Texas-Mexican border] Wednesday after a tornado killed at least 10 people and destroyed two schools and more than 20 homes… Wednesday morning, several mobile homes from the community of about 26,000 residents were missing, officials said. More than 70 people were reported injured in Eagle Pass…

“Severe thunderstorms also battered other parts of Texas with high wind, flooding rain and hail. Streets were flooded and roofs peeled off homes in North Texas as the first thunderstorms moved through Tuesday afternoon, followed by another line of severe storms about six hours later. Television footage showed drivers and residents being rescued from flooded cars and suburban neighborhoods.

“American Airlines canceled about 200 flights in Dallas… The airline also diverted about 80 flights bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to other airports, including San Antonio.

“Elsewhere, as much as 3.5 inches of rain fell Tuesday on western and central Iowa, washing out roads, flooding basements and causing at least one landslide that buried part of Interstate 29 in Sioux City in trees and mud… More than 5 inches of rain fell at Holdrege and Kearney, Neb…

“In Colorado, six buses carrying at least 60 children were stranded when the storm dropped more than a foot of snow in about two hours… Crews used Sno-Cats to rescue dozens of motorists from snow-covered roads on the plains east of Colorado Springs… Evergreen, Colo., in the foothills west of Denver, reported 16 inches of snow… A tornado damaged several buildings near the small town of Wild Horse about 110 miles southeast of Denver… Another twister touched down in north-central Oklahoma…”

WHY Doesn’t God Fight Our Battles?

Have you wondered WHY God is not giving victory to our “Christian” armies? There are certainly many reasons for this phenomenon, one of which is without doubt our indifference toward pagan religions and demonic worship. God told ancient Israel that He would not fight for them, if they were to turn their back on Him and follow other gods instead. God has not changed. In this context, notice the following article, describing the state of affairs of our armed forces:

The Washington Times wrote on April 24:

“The Bush administration has agreed to allow Wiccan pentacles in military cemeteries in a court settlement announced yesterday by Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
   
“The settlement was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin to settle a suit filed in November against the Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of several families of Wiccan soldiers and Circle Sanctuary, a 200-acre Wiccan nature center 30 miles west of Madison, Wis. The sanctuary holds the remains of two soldiers, one who fought in Vietnam and the other in Korea.

“Until now, the U.S. government had refused to issue grave markers, headstones or memorial plaques with the Wiccan symbol to join those of 38 other religions — or those with none. In addition to the Christian cross, the Jewish six-pointed star and the Islamic crescent, atheists, Hindus, humanists, Sikhs and members of the Eckankar, Serbian Orthodox and United Moravian faiths also have symbols.
   
“The star in Wicca, a nature-based religion, symbolizes earth, wind, fire, spirit and water. Although its followers say it is not related to the occult, they meet in small groups called ‘covens’ that are usually headed by a woman called a ‘high priestess.'”

Although Wiccan followers might disagree and try to put their spin on the facts, it is generally understood and believed that Wiccan worship is connected with witchcraft in one way or another. God has expressly forbidden us to worship other gods and to engage in witchcraft, sorcery and other magical practices, including consulting mediums or horoscopes, or conducting and participating in séances, as it may open us up to contact and fellowship with the demonic world. NO WONDER that God is not fighting our battles for us these days.

“Large-Scale” Terrorist Attacks on Britain?

Times on Line wrote on April 22:

“Al Qaeda leaders in Iraq are planning the first ‘large-scale’ terrorist attacks on Britain and other western targets with the help of supporters in Iran, according to a leaked intelligence report. Spy chiefs warn that one operative had said he was planning an attack on ‘a par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki’ in an attempt to ‘shake the Roman throne’, a reference to the West…

“The report, produced earlier this month and seen by The Sunday Times, appears to provide evidence that Al-Qaeda is active in Iran and has ambitions far beyond the improvised attacks it has been waging against British and American soldiers in Iraq… It follows revelations last year that up to 150 Britons had travelled to Iraq to fight as part of Al-Qaeda’s ‘foreign legion’. A number are thought to have returned to the UK, after receiving terrorist training, to form sleeper cells.”

German Wirtschaftswunder 2007

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 24:

“Experts in the government and academia are astonished over the strength of Germany’s economic recovery. Unemployment is declining more rapidly and the government coffers are filling more quickly than during any other economic recovery in postwar German history… stories of vibrant success can be heard all over Germany, which is experiencing the kind of surge in economic energy it hasn’t seen in a long time…

“The labor market isn’t the only area where improvement is on the horizon. Germans… can find themselves witnessing something akin to a miracle recovery. Tax revenues are growing from month to month… According to the economic research institutes, the federal budget will be balanced by next year. To put that figure into perspective, only two years ago Germany was bumping up against the 3-percent limit for new debt stipulated under the European Union pact that ensures the stability of its common currency, the euro.

“The new German dynamism under Chancellor Angela Merkel is attracting attention abroad, too. The London-based Financial Times, notoriously critical of Germany, writes admiringly of a ‘new economic miracle’ — and even suggests that less dynamic economies, such as France or Italy, might be well-advised to look to Germany as a model.”

Germany and USA at Odds Over Climate Protection

Deutsche Welle reported on April 23:

“In an interview published Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she did not expect Washington to adopt European goals on climate protection at an EU-US summit next week… The EU championed the Kyoto Protocol to reduce harmful emissions after it was abandoned by the United States in March 2001. But the treaty has been almost crippled by the absence of the United States, which alone accounts for about a quarter of all this pollution… Germany helped broker an agreement last month under which the 27 EU member states will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels over the next 13 years.”

Toyota Soon “the World’s Largest Automaker”?

Bloomberg wrote on April 24:

“Toyota Motor Corp. sold more cars and trucks than General Motors Corp. for the first time, helped by demand for fuel-efficient models. Toyota’s global sales rose 9.2 percent to 2.35 million vehicles in the Jan.-March quarter, the company said today. GM’s sales gained 3 percent to 2.26 million vehicles during the same period. The addition of its sixth North American factory in San Antonio last year helped spur Toyota’s sales in the U.S., GM’s home market. Demand for Toyota’s Corolla and Camry sedans has surged as sales of GM’s light trucks and sport-utility vehicles have slumped on higher fuel prices… Toyota, which probably earned more than any other company in Japan last fiscal year, is forecast by some industry analysts to overtake GM to become the world’s largest automaker on an annual basis this year…”

Deadly Shooting Rampage in Virginia, USA

The Associated Press reported on April 16:

“A gunman massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history Monday, cutting down his victims in two attacks two hours and a half-mile apart before the university could figure out what was going on and get the warning out to students. The bloodbath ended with the gunman committing suicide, bringing the death toll to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with tragedy, perhaps forever.”

The New York Times added on April 17:

“This morning, the gunman was identified as Seung-Hui Cho [from South Korea]… It was the deadliest shooting rampage in American history and came nearly eight years to the day after 13 people died at Columbine High School in Colorado at the hands of two disaffected students who then killed themselves.”

ABC News added on April 17:

“Seung-Hui Cho bought his first gun, a Glock 9 mm handgun, on March 13 and his second weapon, a .22 caliber handgun, within the last week, law enforcement officials tell ABCNews.com. ‘This was no spur of the moment crime. He’s been thinking about this since at least the time he bought the first gun,’ said former FBI agent Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant. Both guns were bought in Virginia, according to the officials.
 
“Under Virginia law, state residents can only buy one handgun in any 30 day period, suggesting Cho bought his second weapon after April 13, or sometime over the weekend. ‘He clearly spent some time figuring out how he was going to take care of business once classes began on Monday morning,’ said Garrett.”

As Rootsweb.com pointed out on April 17, there was actually a worse mass murder in recent American history, involving the killing of school children: “On May 18, 1927, 45 people, mostly children, were killed and 58 were injured when disgruntled and demented school board member Andrew Kehoe dynamited the new school building in Bath, Michigan out of revenge over his foreclosed farm due in part to the taxes required to pay for the new school.”

On April 19, AFP reported that  “South Korean mass-killer Cho Seung-Hui cast himself as a martyr in a hate-filled manifesto that included photos of him brandishing the guns used to mow down at least 30 classmates and teachers on a US campus… Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum said Cho was committed to a mental health facility through a court-ordered ‘temporary detention order’ in December 2005, following a stalking incident…  Cho was released for outpatient treatment after a physician certified that while he was ‘mentally ill’ he ‘does not present an imminent danger to himself or others.’ The revelation of Cho’s hospitalization for mental illness raised additional questions as to how he was able to legally purchase the guns used in Monday’s shootings.”

It is obvious to us that the mass murderer was not only “mentally ill”–he was, in our opinion, CLEARLY DEMONICALLY INFLUENCED–IF NOT POSSESSED–when he committed his horrific crimes. The additional fact that apparently, a “personality change” occurred in him a short time prior to his murders, provides additional evidence for this conclusion.

European Press Reactions

European press reactions to this recent massacre minced no words, blaming the American fascination with guns and the relative ease to be able to acquire them for the mass murder. Der Spiegel Online pointed out on April 17: “The local authorities are not the only ones who have a lot of explaining to do [why they did not act quicker and with more competence]. The whole country should be looking at why these kinds of horrible crimes happen so often in the United States. No other country in the world experiences massacres in schools and universities so regularly. Out of 46 of these kinds of crimes that have occurred since 1996, more than half have been in the US… Perhaps the most urgent question is: Is it not finally time for tighter weapons laws? Virginia, the setting for yesterday’s catastrophe, is proud of its particularly lax gun laws. A 9 mm pistol, like the one the perpetrator used, shoots as fast as you can pull the trigger. It is as easy to buy at a private gun fair as a six-pack of beer.”

The magazine added the following in a separate article:

“Across the continent on Tuesday, European media rubber-neck at Monday’s massacre in the United States. Most seem to agree about one thing: The shooting at Virginia Tech is the result of America’s woeful lack of serious gun control laws…
“British daily The Independent writes:

”’The passionate feelings of the gun lobby may be traced to the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, enshrining “the right of the people to keep and bear arms”. Although the provision stems from the times when “well regulated militias” were deemed necessary to protect against a British attempt to regain the lost colonies, it is the default position of any argument against greater gun control here. As such, it has trumped every other consideration, not least the fact that on any given day about 80 people are killed by firearms, the vast majority by murder or suicide. Gun violence may cost $2.3 billion each year in medical expenses, but it is a price, gun supporters believe, that is worth paying to protect a fundamental freedom .’…

“French daily Le Monde writes:

“‘This new tragedy presents a new opportunity for American public opinion to interrogate itself about a society which, as one of the students who survived Columbine said at the time, is very much responsible for what has happened.’

“‘French conservative daily Le Figaro writes:

“‘It was all too easy for the elected representatives of the United States, from the White House to the Congress, to express their sadness yesterday; America’s problem with fire-arms represents a political issue for which they share responsibility. Here is a country that represents the vanguard of development and democracy while it is legal to carry a gun in 45 of 50 states, as long as the gun is not loaded’…

“Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera writes:

“‘Shocked psychologists and sociologists ask themselves how gun violence is to be explained. Some speak of the repressed violence of a country that goes back to generations of pioneers habituated to achieve justice on their own and which is forced to face the powerful tensions within a multiracial society. Others criticize the spread of violent video games (which are, however, a phenomenon that has only emerged in recent years). In any case, gun violence is becoming a common phenomenon in the United States… In the poorest neighborhoods, people are getting used to the use of fire-arms — a phenomenon that is linked to the growing tendency among many young people to resort to violence to settle even minor disputes and to the ease with which weapons can be acquired.’

“Italian daily Il Messaggero writes:

“‘America is a nation that has for some years been in danger of becoming more and more unloved in the world, especially in the poorest countries. During the period following World War II, America was seen as the guardian of democracy and was equated with the defense of liberty; today, America is a superpower that begins wars and lives with the constant necessity of having to defend itself against the enemy — whether this enemy be called Islam or whether it bears the face of the neighbor who has done you wrong.’…

“German daily Bild writes:

“‘Now we will probably begin discussing the overly lax gun laws in the United States. There, buying a machine gun is often easier than getting a driver’s license. And a new ban on violent games and killer videos will also be put back on the agenda. But in the end, nothing is likely to happen. And the next killer already lives somewhere among us. But we have little reason to point an accusing finger at the Americans. Despite strict gun legislation, we (in Germany) have experienced the school shootings in Erfurt and Emsdetten. We have to consider the problems in our society. And we have to take care of our fellow humans.'”

German Press Reactions to American Reactions

After the German and European press published several national and international press reactions to the shooting, many responses from angry American readers were received, requesting the press to stop moralizing and lecturing America, and defending the “constitutional right to bear arms.”

This in turn prompted the German press to respond.

On Wednesday, April 18, Der Spiegel Online wrote:

“Two days after the Blacksburg massacre, media commentators in Germany say that however absurd America’s lax gun laws may seem in Europe, they are a fact of life in the US and won’t change… There are all kinds of reasons that drive someone to commit mass murder. Germany, which has strict gun laws, suffered its own school massacre in the eastern city of Erfurt in 2002 in which 18 people died including the 19-year-old shooter, former pupil Robert Steinhäuser, who was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a 9mm semi-automatic Glock similar to the one used by Blacksburg killer Cho Seung- Hui.

“Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘One can’t completely deny the influence of factors such as video games and lax gun laws. Researchers at Iowa State University found that young people who like to play violent video games are more aggressive and have more criminal energy. But what no study has ever been able to prove is the sequence of causes. Do games trigger violence or are they simply poison for souls who already have a propensity to commit violence?’

“‘Of course the constant use of video games can damage a weak psyche. And it’s a perfectly logical conclusion that lax laws like those in Virginia make it far easier to get at an arsenal of weapons. But clinical disorders, the psychological and social development of the shooter and factors like a loss of self-worth or the end of a relationship also play a role in shooting rampages.’… It makes no difference whether it’s the know-it-all attitude of European television presenters or Austrialian Prime Minister John Howard who urged America on the day of the tragedy to change its laws; or the hurried defense of gun ownership rights by President George Bush and his potential successor John McCain. Such contributions are like corn plaster on plague boils. There are no simple explanations for a complex pathology like that of a mass murderer. Only intensive research into suicides can unravel the web of factors that trigger such a tragedy.’

“Conservative Die Welt writes:

“‘Mass murder is possible in seconds… Is that America’s curse? In some American states, guns are largely banned, in others they’re largely permitted. There are urgent and justified calls for legislation to limit gun ownership. In the USA, 80 people die from gun shot wounds each day, in Britain it’s around 200 a year. But the Erfurt school, was that in America? Man is a wolf to other men — the Ancients said.’

“Left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes that the right to bear arms is firmly cemented in the minds of Americans:

“‘It’s part of American postmortem ritual to first mourn what has happened and then in the very next sentence to insist on the right of every American citizen to own his own gun. That is how it is enshrined in the Constitution, says the National Rifle Association, the gun lovers’ lobby. Which means it’s set in stone… But wasn’t the nation ready after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to do all in its power to prevent future attacks?… The Blacksburg shooting is another wake-up call to American society to finally rid itself of outdated paradigms. If it doesn’t it will have to learn to live with such massacres in future. There will always be homicidal maniacs. But one could make it more difficult for them to take action.’

“Center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

“‘Supporters of a right to bear arms like to refer to the Second Amendment of the Constitution and to history. Non-Americans find it hard to understand a mythology believed in by millions of Americans and nurtured by powerful political forces. Especially after an event like Monday’s rampage it seems like immoral absurdity. But could this deed have been prevented if access to guns had been more difficult? After all, Erfurt is not in Virginia.”

“Business daily Financial Times Deutschland writes:

“‘Non-Americans might find it crazy but the fundamental right of citizens to own guns has been enshrined in the Constitution since 1791. It mirrors America’s fundamental mistrust of government but also the need for self-protection in remote areas… Two out of five US households today own a firearm. As long as the gun laws in rural states remain as lax as they are now for plausible reasons, it will be easy to circumvent the bans that have already existed in cities for a long time. Even a Democratic presidential candidate cannot afford to stir up voter opposition in the South and West with a call for new legislation. In any case, he or she wouldn’t have the power to implement such laws.'”

More British Press Reactions

Britain’s The Daily Mail wrote on April 18, 2007:

“The NRA (National Rifle Association) spends millions of dollars every year to protect the sacred rights of American citizens to own guns, quoting as its authority the Second Amendment to the Constitution (1789) which states, in part, ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed’. But there is a vital preamble to this right which is always ignored, asserting that those bearing arms should be within ‘a well-regulated militia’. Not a single court in the U.S. has upheld the NRA’s claim that when the authors of the Second Amendment referred to a ‘militia’ they meant the citizenry, the ordinary people.

“Indeed, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger is on record as saying that the NRA’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is: ‘One of the greatest  pieces of fraud, and I repeat the word fraud, on the American people by special interest groups that I have seen in my lifetime.’

 “This notwithstanding, the gun lobby goes from strength to strength, apparently untroubled by a growing number of admittedly less well-funded pressure groups calling for Congress to take action and control the private ownership of firearms.”

More International Reactions

The Associated Press wrote on April 17:

“The Virginia Tech shootings sparked criticism of U.S. gun control laws around the world Tuesday. Editorials lashed out at the availability of weapons, and the leader of Australia—one of America’s closest allies—declared that America’s gun culture was costing lives. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the government hoped Monday’s shootings, … carried out by a 23-year-old South Korean native, would not ‘stir up racial prejudice or confrontation.’ “While some focused blame only on the gunman, world opinion over U.S. gun laws was almost unanimous: Access to weapons increases the probability of shootings. There was no sympathy for the view that more guns would have saved lives by enabling students to shoot the assailant.

“‘We took action to limit the availability of guns and we showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country,’ said Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who staked his political career on promoting tough gun laws after a gunman went on one of the world’s deadliest killing sprees 11 years ago. The tragedy in a Tasmanian tourist resort left 35 people dead. Afterward, Australia’s gun laws were changed to prohibit automatic weapons and handguns and toughen licensing and storage restrictions.

“Handguns are also banned in Britain—a prohibition that forces even the country’s Olympic pistol shooting team from practicing on its own soil. In Sweden, civilians can acquire firearm permits only if they have a hunting license or are members of a shooting club and have no criminal record. In Italy, people must have a valid reason for wanting one. Firearms are forbidden for private Chinese citizens.

“Still, leaders from Britain, Germany, Mexico, China, Afghanistan and France stopped short of criticizing President Bush or U.S. gun laws when they offered sympathies to the families of Monday’s victims.

“Editorials were less diplomatic.

“‘Only the names change—And the numbers,’ read a headline in the Times of London. ‘Why, we ask, do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at least reduce the number?’…

“The Swedish daily Goteborgs-Posten said without access to weapons, the killings at Virginia Tech may have been prevented… In Mexico, radio commentators criticized the availability of firearms in the U.S. Others renewed Mexico’s complaint that most guns in Mexico are smuggled in from the United States.”

Catholic Church Tries to Re-Write History

The New York Times wrote on April 14:

“The Vatican’s ambassador to Israel has said he will skip the official Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at a national museum here on Sunday to protest the museum’s depiction of Pope Pius XII as a largely passive bystander to the murder of Jews during World War II… [The] ambassador, Archbishop Antonio Franco, said that he would not attend the service because he believed the description of Pope Pius XII offends the Catholic Church.

“The eight-sentence caption next to two photographs of Pius XII in an exhibit says his reaction to the ‘murder of the Jews during the Holocaust is a matter of controversy,’ implying he did not do enough. ‘When Jews were deported from Rome to Auschwitz, the pope did not intervene,’ the caption reads. ‘The pope maintained his neutral position throughout the war, with the exception of appeals to the rulers of Hungary and Slovakia towards its end. His silence and the absence of guidelines obliged churchmen throughout Europe to decide on their own how to react.’… The dispute could threaten already fragile ties between the Roman Catholic Church and Israel, which established a diplomatic relationship in 1994.”

In spite of the recent attempt by some Catholic scholars to re-write history, the caption of the national museum on the Holocaust is absolutely correct. It is a historical and UNDENIABLE FACT that Pius XII did not openly oppose Nazi Germany, in order to “protect” Catholics in Germany. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Anglican Archbishop Tries to Re-Write the Bible

On April 18, Britain’s The Daily Mail wrote the following:

“The spiritual leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans has said conservative Christians who cite the Bible to condemn homosexuality are misreading a key passage written by Saint Paul almost 2,000 years ago.
 
“Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, addressing theology students in Toronto, said an oft-quoted passage in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans meant to warn Christians not to be self-righteous when they see others fall into sin. His comments were an unusually open rebuff to conservative bishops, many of them from Africa, who have been citing the Bible to demand that pro-gay Anglican majorities in the United States and Canada be reined in or forced out of the Communion… The worldwide Anglican Communion is near breaking point over homosexuality, with conservative clerics insisting the Bible forbids gay bishops or blessings for same-sex unions. Its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church, named a gay bishop in 2003… In the passage of Romans that Williams referred to in Monday’s speech, Paul said people who forgot God’s words fell into sin. ‘Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion,’ Paul wrote” [compare Romans 1:27].

Of course, there are many more New Testament passages where the practice of homosexuality is condemned in Scripture (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Russia’s Ongoing Dictatorial Tactics

CNN reported on April 14 that several hundreds of Putin’s outspoken critics and “dissenters,” including world-famous former chess champion Garry Kasparov, were “detained” during a demonstration, questioning Putin’s dictatorial politics. We recently published excerpts from a Spiegel interview with Kasparov  in our Update #286 (“Russia–Don’t Close Your Eyes!”). The fact that Russia tried to put the usual spin on these events cannot deny the fact that Putin’s government is using increasingly autocratic and tyrannical measures to suppress any opposition.

Reuters added on April 16:

“The White House expressed deep concern on Monday over how Russian authorities broke up opposition protests over the weekend, calling it heavy-handed and part of an ’emerging pattern of use of excessive force.’… The sharp U.S. criticism marked a new chapter in already strained relations between Washington and Moscow. The Bush administration over the past year has at times accused Putin of rolling back democratic reforms… The Kremlin on Monday defended police action… Germany, currently holding presidency of the European Union, said earlier on Monday that Russia’s police crackdown on the anti-Kremlin protesters and media was ‘unacceptable’ and demanded Moscow explain its actions.”

The Imus Lynch Party

On April 13, WorldNetDaily published an outspoken editorial by Pat Buchanan pertaining to the remarks by Don Imus and his subsequent firing, titled, “The Imus Lynch Party.” In the article, it was pointed out:

“In the end, it was not about Imus. It was about us. Are we really a better country because, after he was publicly whipped for 10 days as the worst kind of racist, with whom no decent person could associate, he was thrown off the air?… when Imus called the Rutgers women’s basketball team ‘tattooed … nappy-headed hos,’ he went over the top. The women deserved an apology… But Imus did apologize, again and again and again… The hypocrisy here was too thick to cut with a chainsaw. What was the term the I-Man used? It was ‘hos,’ slang for whores, a term employed ad infinitum et ad nauseam by rap and hip-hop ‘artists.’ It is a term out of the African-American community. Yet, if any of a hundred rap singers has lost his contract or been driven from the airwaves for using it, maybe someone can tell me about it. “If the word ‘hos’ is a filthy insult to decent black women, and it is, why are hip-hop artists and rap singers who use it incessantly not pariahs in the black community? Why would black politicians hobnob with them? Why are there no boycotts of the advertisers of the radio stations that play their degrading music?…

“‘We know of no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodic fits of morality,’ said Lord Macaulay… Imus threw himself on the mercy of the court of elite opinion – and that court, pandering to the mob, lynched him.”

Bush Under Fire

The Independent wrote on April 15:

“President George Bush is coming under unprecedented pressure from Tony Blair and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to agree to tough new international measures to stop global warming accelerating out of control. The measures are contained in a strongly worded draft communiqué for June’s G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany… which warns that ‘tackling climate change is an imperative, not a choice’. It adds that if ‘resolute and concerted international action’ is not ‘urgently’ taken, global warming will become ‘largely unmanageable’.

“The United States and Canada are resisting key elements of the draft, but Mrs Merkel is determined not to water it down. She is backed by the Prime Minister, who is ringing Mr Bush weekly to try to persuade him to change his position. The draft warns that ‘global warming caused largely by human activities is accelerating’ and that it ‘will seriously damage our common natural environment and severely weaken [the] global economy, with implications for international security’…

“The United States is at present refusing to agree to any target for limiting global warming, and the issue will come to a head at a crucial preparatory meeting for the summit on 4 May.”

Racism in Germany

The Associated Press wrote on April 15:

“A German army instructor ordered a soldier to envision himself in New York City facing hostile blacks while firing his machine gun, a video that aired Saturday on national television showed… The Defense Ministry said the video was shot in July 2006 at barracks in the northern town of Rendsburg and that the army has been aware of it since January… The clip shows an instructor and a soldier in camouflage uniforms in a forest. The instructor tells the soldier, ‘You are in the Bronx. A black van is stopping in front of you. Three African-Americans are getting out and they are insulting your mother in the worst ways. … Act.’ The soldier fires his machine gun several times and yells an obscenity several times in English. The instructor then tells the soldier to curse even louder.

“According to [Der] Stern, the 90-second clip had been posted on a Web site used by soldiers to exchange private videos. A soldier who used the site alerted his superiors, the magazine reported.

“The video is the latest embarrassment for the German army. Eighteen army instructors are currently on trial for allegedly abusing and humiliating 163 recruits in 2004. Last year, newspapers published photos of German soldiers in Afghanistan posing with skulls — including one who exposed himself while holding a skull. ”

According to an article in Der Stern, dated April 19, the German army instructor has been dismissed. The magazine published an interview with one of the soldiers who obeyed the command, stating that he “disagreed” with the decision to dismiss the instructor, as the video had been “completely misinterpreted.”

Innocent Afghans Killed

According to an article of Der Spiegel Online, of April 15, 2007, American soldiers are accused of killing 10 innocent civilians in Afghanistan in early March, and injuring 33. The magazine quotes the Washington Post to the effect that the accused soldiers misrepresented that they were forced to defend themselves after a suicide attack by responding to “gun fire” from the innocent victims.

Would Jesus Have Looked Like the Pope?

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 15, 2007, that Germany’s Roman Catholic Cardinal, Joachim Meissner from Cologne, wrote that if Jesus Christ had reached the age of 80, He would have looked like Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope turned 80 on Monday, and the circus surrounding his birthday celebrations “is becoming more and more scurrile,” according to the magazine.

Do Cell Phones Kill Bees?

The Independent published a rather fantastic article about the disappearance of bees, speculating that cell phones are responsible. In that seemingly bizarre publication, it was pointed out:

“It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world’s harvests fail. “They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world – the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon – which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe – was beginning to hit Britain as well.

“The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees’ navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives.”

It seems to us that a much more plausible explanation for the disappearance of bees is man’s greedy and uncontrolled desire for wealth, thereby polluting the atmosphere in the process, as we reported in last week’s Update #289 (“Do Millions of Bees Die Because of Pesticides?”)

Iraq’s Ongoing Troubles

The Associated Press reported on April 16:

“Cabinet ministers loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr resigned on Monday to protest the prime minister’s refusal to set a timetable for an American withdrawal, raising the prospect that the Mahdi Army militia could return to the streets of Baghdad. The number of bodies found dumped in Baghdad increased sharply on Sunday to 30 — from as low as five in recent days — in a possible sign of the militia’s resurgence, even ahead of the six resignations. The bodies, most of them tortured before they were shot execution-style, are widely believed to be the victims of Shiite death squads associated with the Mahdi Army. Al-Sadr had ordered his fighters hide their weapons and stay off the streets shortly before the U.S. troop surge and security crackdown began on Feb. 14.

“The departure of the six ministers, while unlikely to topple Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government, deals a significant blow to the U.S.-backed leader, who relied on support from the Sadrists to gain office… Al-Sadr, who has tremendous influence among Iraq’s majority Shiites, has been upset about recent arrests of his Mahdi Army fighters in the U.S.-led Baghdad security crackdown. He and his followers have also criticized al-Maliki for failing to back calls for a timetable for U.S. troops to leave the country.”

On April 18, AFP reported:

“An avalanche of car bomb attacks on Shiite districts of Baghdad slaughtered 190 people on Wednesday and delivered a savage blow to the credibility of a two-month-old US security plan. The series of blasts was the deadliest in the Iraqi capital since the launch of the massive crackdown; the single most devastating blast alone killed 140 people, mainly civilian commuters and shoppers.”

Terrible Weather Conditions in the Northeast of the USA

The Associated Press reported on April 16:

“A menacing spring storm punished the Northeast for a second straight day Monday, dumping more than 8 inches of rain on Central Park and sending refrigerators and pickup trucks floating down rivers in one of the region’s worst storms in recent memory… The nor’easter left a huge swath of devastation, from the beaches of South Carolina to the mountains of Maine. It knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people…

“The storm was especially harsh in the Westchester County suburbs north of New York City and in New Jersey, where the state was placed under a state of emergency and more than 1,400 residents were evacuated—many by boat… Vermont got about 17 inches of snow, with flakes still falling Monday across sections of Pennsylvania, New York and Maine… New Jersey authorities called it the worst storm to hit the state in 15 years. Five homes burned down in one town after fire crews could not reach the buildings because of floodwaters.”

Germany Fails To Act

The Wall Street Journal wrote on April 17:

“Hezbollah arrived in the European Union back in the 1980s, along with refugees from the civil war in Lebanon. Despite its deadly track record and a 2005 European Parliament resolution recommending the banning of the Iranian-funded group, it is still legal on the Continent. France, Spain, Belgium and Sweden prevent the EU from jointly designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

“Holding currently both the E.U. and G-8 presidencies, Berlin would be in a strong position to head the fight against an organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the replacement of Lebanon’s fragile democracy with a Tehran-backed Islamic state. So far, however, Germany has squandered this unique opportunity to push for a Hezbollah ban… German security services believe that about 900 Hezbollah core activists are in the country and regularly meet in 30 cultural community centers and mosques… Berlin is also aware that representatives of Hezbollah’s ‘foreign affairs office’ in Lebanon regularly travel to Germany to give orders to their followers.

“… too many Germany policymakers uncritically accept the idea that there is supposedly a political Hezbollah — an Islamist but legitimate movement independent of those Hezbollah terrorists who have murdered hundreds of people around the world. To believe that fairy tale, they even ignore Hezbollah’s own words. As Mohammed Fannish, member of the ‘political bureau’ of Hezbollah and former Lebanese energy minister put it in 2002: ‘I can state that there is no separating between Hezbollah’s military and political arms.’… In ignoring the threat from Hezbollah, the German government puts hope above experience. While it tries to spare German citizens from the wrath of Hezbollah, it plays down the danger… In the end, this approach… compromises the safety of German citizens.”

“The Conscience of the Colonel”– How the U.S. Government Damaged Its Own Case

On March 31, 2007, The Wall Street Journal wrote an amazing and eye-opening lengthy article, which falls into the category of must-read publications, explaining the unusual decision of a veteran prosecutor to refuse to proceed with the prosecution of a case, based on legal and moral grounds. The paper titled the article, “The Conscience of the Colonel.”

We are quoting the following excerpts from the article:

“When the Pentagon needed someone to prosecute a Guantanamo Bay prisoner linked to 9/11, it turned to Lt. Col. V. Stuart Couch. A Marine Corps pilot and veteran prosecutor, Col. Couch brought a personal connection to the job: His old Marine buddy, Michael ‘Rocks’ Horrocks, was co-pilot on United 175, the second plane to strike the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The prisoner in question, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, had already been suspected of terrorist activity…

“But, nine months later, in what he calls the toughest decision of his military career, Col. Couch refused to proceed with the Slahi prosecution. The reason: He concluded that Mr. Slahi’s incriminating statements — the core of the government’s case — had been taken through torture, rendering them inadmissible under U.S. and international law…

“Guantanamo prosecutors estimate that at least 90% of cases depend on statements taken from prisoners, making the credibility of such evidence critical to any convictions. In Mr. Slahi’s case, Col. Couch would uncover evidence the prisoner had been beaten and exposed to psychological torture, including death threats and intimations that his mother would be raped in custody unless he cooperated…

“Col. Couch had his own misgivings. On his first visit to Guantanamo in October 2003, he recalls preparing to watch an interrogation of a detainee when he was distracted by heavy-metal music. Accompanied by an escort, he saw a prisoner shackled to a cell floor, rocking back and forth, mumbling as strobe lights flashed. Two men in civilian dress shut the cell door and told Col. Couch to move along. ‘Did you see that?’ he asked his escort. The escort replied: ‘Yeah, it’s approved,’ Col. Couch says. The treatment resembled the abuse he had been trained to resist if captured; he never expected Americans would be the ones employing it…

“By May 2004, Col. Couch had most of the picture relating to Mr. Slahi’s treatment, and faced a painful dilemma: Could he seek a conviction based on statements he thought were taken through torture, as permitted by President Bush’s November 2001 military commission order citing a ‘state of emergency?’ Or was he nonetheless bound by the Torture Convention, which bars using statements taken ‘as a result of torture…as evidence in any proceedings.’…

“In May 2004, at a meeting with the then-chief prosecutor, Army Col. Bob Swann, Col. Couch dropped his bombshell. He told Col. Swann that in addition to legal reasons, he was ‘morally opposed’ to the interrogation techniques ‘and for that reason alone refused to participate in [the Slahi] prosecution in any manner.’ An impassioned debate followed, the prosecutor recalls. Col. Swann said the Torture Convention didn’t apply to military commissions. Col. Couch asked his superior to cite legal precedent that would allow the president to disregard a treaty. The meeting ended when Col. Swann asked the prosecutor to turn over the Slahi files so the case could be reassigned, Col. Couch recalls…

“With the Slahi prosecution on ice, Col. Couch continued work on other cases — including another ‘varsity program’ prisoner, Mohammmed al-Qahtani, who, according to army report overseen by Gens. Schmidt and Furlow, had been made to wear women’s underwear, leashed, forced to perform dog tricks and berated as a homosexual. Col. Couch refused to use statements obtained during these interrogations. But he determined the prosecution could continue based on a separate source of evidence compiled by the FBI before Mr. Qahtani’s Guantanamo interrogation…

“In August 2006, [Col. Couch] took on a new assignment as a judge on the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. Col. Couch says he’s still frustrated that the actions of the U.S. government helped ruin the case against Mr. Slahi. ‘I’m hoping there’s some non-tainted evidence out there that can put the guy in the hole,’ he says.”

Iraq “Celebrates” Four-Year U.S. Liberation

The Associated Press reported on April 9:

“Tens of thousands of Shiites – a sea of women in black abayas and men waving Iraqi flags – rallied Monday to demand that U.S. forces leave their country. Some ripped apart American flags and tromped across a Stars and Stripes rug. The protesters marched about three miles between the holy cities of Kufa and Najaf to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. In the capital, streets were silent and empty under a hastily imposed 24-hour driving ban. Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered up the march as a show of strength not only to Washington but to Iraq’s establishment Shiite ayatollahs as well…

“The fiery cleric owes much of his large following to the high esteem in which Shiites hold his father, Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, who was assassinated in 1999 by suspected agents of Saddam Hussein… Iraqi soldiers in uniform joined the crowd of marchers which stretched for at least three miles and was led by a dozen turbaned clerics, a Sunni Muslim among them.”

Der Spiegel Online added on April 10:

“German commentators are pessimistic about the future of the country… Monday marked the fourth anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein. But instead of celebrations, the tone in Iraq was set by angry anti-American protests. The powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called protests in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, on Monday. April 9 was the fourth anniversary of the tearing down of a giant statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, which symbolized the end of the dictator’s regime… German commentators Tuesday felt that the demonstrations were a sign of increasing pessimism in Iraq over the country’s future…

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘Four years after the end of the Baath regime, most Iraqis are in no mood to celebrate. If one believes the latest surveys, more than three quarters of the population want the Americans and their allies to withdraw, and they have never been so pessimistic about the future…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: ‘There is not the slightest chance that the Shiites will convert to the ideal which is wanted by the United States, namely that of a multi-denominational, multi-national Iraq…

“Conservative daily Die Welt writes: ‘(Iraq is) a country in civil war — four years after its liberation.'”

The EU and Britain

The Wall Street Journal wrote on April 4:

“On March 30, the EU’s foreign affairs ministers gathered in Bremen, Germany, to discuss Iran’s kidnapping of 15 British soldiers. The ministers refused to support the U.K. proposal to pressure the mullahs with the threat of revoking government export guarantees. Their joint declaration of course ‘deplores the continued arrest of 15 British citizens by Iran’ and ‘underlines the European Union’s unconditional support for the government of the United Kingdom.’ But that’s as far as their ‘unconditional support’ went. There was no diplomatic or economic boycott, not even the hint of one, let alone a military threat.

“The EU couldn’t muster the strength to support one of its most important member states. The lack of substance in the declaration stands in sharp contrast to the gravity of the incident. The British soldiers were in Iraqi waters and their presence was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council.

“The Iranian leaders created this incident to test the will of the West and demonstrate their own power… The EU reacted as the mullahs expected: it did nothing. It wouldn’t even threaten ending export guarantees, although Europe could easily bear the possible loss of these sales that make up only 1.5% of its total exports. Europe chose instead to handle Iran with kid gloves, just as it has for years.”

In Townhall.com, Charles Krauthammer wrote on April 6:

“Iran has pulled off a tidy little success with its seizure and subsequent release of those 15 British sailors and marines: a pointed humiliation of Britain, with a bonus demonstration of Iran’s intention to push back against coalition challenges to its assets in Iraq. All with total impunity… The quid pro quos were not terribly subtle. An Iranian ‘diplomat’ who had been held for two months in Iraq is suddenly released. Equally suddenly, Iran is granted access to the five Iranian ‘consular officials’ — Revolutionary Guards who had been training Shiite militias to kill Americans and others — whom the U.S. had arrested in Irbil in January. There may have been other concessions we will never hear about… Where then was the EU? These 15 hostages, after all, are not just British citizens, but under the laws of Europe, citizens of Europe. Yet the EU lifted not a finger on their behalf…

“Iran’s shaky economy is highly dependent on European credits, trade and technology. Britain asked the EU to threaten to freeze exports, $18 billion a year of commerce. Iran would have lost its No. 1 trading partner. The EU refused.”

The article goes on to lament, as did the previous article of the Wall Street Journal, that Europe could not have acted as they are too diversified and politically incompetent to do so. However, that is NOT the real reason. The cause for EU’s inactivity and Britain’s isolation is to be seen in BIBLICAL PROPHECY. For more information, read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.” Also, please view our latest StandingWatch program on this issue, titled, “Why Britain’s Humiliation?” 

Not Much Sympathy for Britain

The Daily Mail wrote on April 6 about the lack of sympathy for Britain, after the release of the sailors from Iran. And the subsequent inappropriate conduct of some of the British sailors, offering their story to the press for money, did not help to change the world’s view. Due to the national and international outcry, the British government reportedly prohibited its sailors to “sell” their story–a forced reaction… “too little too late.”

The Daily Mail wrote:

“Sympathy for Britain was in short supply around the world yesterday…

“IN IRAN, newspapers reported the release of the 15 British hostages with glee. The conservative Resalat daily called the affair ‘a slap in the face’ for ‘those countries that think they can violate Iran’s territory’. The hardline Jam-e Jam declared: ‘Britain gave guarantees, soldiers were released. Iran could skillfully humiliate the West in this incident.’…

“IN SAUDI ARABIA, which has troubled relations with Iran, newspapers voiced the widespread suspicion that a deal had been struck over the 15 Britons. ‘Whatever spin the British may be putting on the release of their 15 naval personnel… the whole incident has become a triumph for the Iranians,’ said Arab News, an influential English language daily.

“IN THE U.S.,… The Wall Street Journal said the Iranian objective had been to humiliate Tony Blair…

“IN ISRAEL, a headline in the Jerusalem Post declared: ‘Iran Shows Up Britain’s Weakness.’…

“IN ITALY, the leading daily Corriere della Sera said in an editorial: ‘… it seems that Great Britain [has] negotiated a deal with Tehran.’

“IN HOLLAND, De Volkskrant agreed.

“IN FRANCE, influential broadsheet Le Figaro gloatingly told its readers of Britain’s sense of shame at the outcome of the hostage crisis. The paper showed front covers of… daily papers under the headline ‘Britain has been humiliated!’

“IN AUSTRALIA, the Sydney Morning Herald said the hostage saga had been ‘too horribly familiar’ and that Tony Blair’s protests seemed ‘hollow’ because he has supported the U.S. over Guantanamo and CIA renditions. In the case of the sailors there had been ‘release after coerced confessions and guilty pleas’.”

Iran Defies the World

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 10:

“The international community has sharply condemned Iran for announcing on Monday, its ‘National Day of Nuclear Technology’, that it had begun industrial-scale nuclear fuel production. The move is a fresh snub to the UN Security Council.

“Iran’s ‘National Day of Nuclear Technology’ didn’t give the international community much to celebrate this year. Russia called Iran’s announcement that it had begun industrial-scale nuclear fuel production a ‘provocation,’ the United States said it was a further sign of Iran’s defiance of the international community, and the United Nations urged Iran to engage in dialogue.

“Tehran on Monday announced it had achieved a major expansion of uranium enrichment and begun operating 3,000 centrifuges — nearly 10 times the previously known number — in defiance of UN demands it halt its nuclear program or face increased sanctions…

“Iran’s announcement marks a shift from experimental atomic fuel work involving a few hundred centrifuges used for enriching uranium to a process that will involve thousands of machines. Western nations fear enrichment will bring Tehran closer to building atomic bombs. Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, says it only wants the fuel to produce electricity so it can export more of its oil and gas. US analysts say 3,000 centrifuges are in theory enough to produce sufficient fissile material for a nuclear weapon, perhaps even within a year…

“The move showed Iran was ‘definitively going in the wrong direction,’ said the Foreign Ministry in Germany, which currently holds the European Union presidency. A foreign policy spokesman for Germany’s ruling conservative Christian Democrats, Eckart von Klaeden, said Iran posed the biggest threat to international security… Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, warned that if the UN imposes further sanctions, Iran may reconsider how much it cooperates with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The IAEA has been conducting inspections at a number of Iran’s nuclear sites. Larijani… added that the West must accept that its nuclear program is a fact and rejected halting enrichment as a precondition for talks.”

More Bad News for the U.S. Dollar

WorldNetDaily wrote on April 11:

“While the world press has focused on Iran’s plans to move ahead with enriching uranium, Tehran continues to wage economic war against the U.S. dollar behind the scenes.

“Tehran has reached a decision to end all oil sales in dollars, according to statements by Iran’s central bank governor… in Kuala Lumpur at the end of last month. Zhuhai Zhenrong Trading, a Chinese state-run company that buys 240,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran, approximately 10 percent of Iran’s 2.2 million barrels per day total output, has confirmed a shift to the euro for its Iranian oil purchases…

“Meanwhile, China which now holds $1 trillion in foreign reserve holdings, announced March 20 it will no longer accumulate foreign exchange reserves. This is more bad news for the dollar, since approximately 70 percent of China’s $1 trillion in foreign reserve holdings are held in U.S. dollar assets… The dollar has lost 9 percent of its value against the euro in the last year and is down 35 percent against the euro in the last five years.”

China and Japan Want Reconciliation

AsiaNews.It wrote on April 11:

“Starting today through to April 13th the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is in Japan on a state visit which observers describe as a milestone in the journey towards reconciliation between East Asia’s two super powers… There are three events which give particular meaning to Wen’s trip to Japan: talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; his speech to the Diet, the first ever made by a Chinese leader; his audience with the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the imperial palace… The event is of great importance on a geopolitical level, both in an East Asian and world context.”

China and Japan will ultimately work closely together. In fact, according to Biblical prophecy, they will become part of a power bloc which will also be joined by Russia and India, among other Asian nations.

France, UK and Germany’s Increased Powers

The EUObserver wrote on April 5:

“Despite recent enlargement, the biggest EU states – France, the UK and Germany – have increased their power over EU decision-making, a Swedish study suggests. But Italy is punching below its weight, while sheer charisma helps some small EU countries boost their influence.

“The overcrowded negotiating table in the European Council – EU leaders’ meetings which normally take place four times a year – has made the bloc’s big players more eager to pool their powers in coalitions and bilateral agreements where size really matters, the report ‘Bargaining power in the European Council’ says… Despite the two recent enlargement rounds, France, Great Britain and Germany have grabbed more influence over EU decision-making, although formally, all member states have equal say, the report concludes.

“‘The European Council is a rather inhospitable environment for small and medium sized member states,’ the study’s author [Mr. Tallberg] stated in Brussels, explaining that the nature of the European Council, with negotiations carried out behind locked doors, offers greater leeway for power politics than any other EU institution. ‘The presidency gets together with the large member states and settles the matter among them, and then they ask the other states if they are in or not,’ Mr Tallberg explained.

“The report quotes Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker as saying that ‘greater member states have a greater say. We never admit it, of course, but one has to acknowledge that geography and demography are playing a role.’…

“Finally, an important factor for gaining bargaining power in the council is the personal qualities of EU leaders and their ability to generate authority, respect and trust among their European colleagues.”

The article also pointed out that presently, “Germany has relatively little say in matters of defence, due to its limited military capacity despite its position as the largest EU member state.” However, when a charismatic German or Austrian leader will arise on the world scene, that situation will dramatically change. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Do Millions of Bees Die Because of Pesticides?

AFP reported on April 6:

“US beekeepers have been stung in recent months by the mysterious disappearance of millions of bees threatening honey supplies as well as crops which depend on the insects for pollination. Bee numbers on parts of the east coast and in Texas have fallen by more than 70 percent, while California has seen colonies drop by 30 to 60 percent. According to estimates from the US Department of Agriculture, bees are vanishing across a total of 22 states, and for the time being no one really knows why…

“The situation is so bad, that beekeepers are now calling for some kind of government intervention, warning the flight of the bees could be catastrophic for crop growers. Domestic bees are essential for pollinating some 90 varieties of vegetables and fruits, such as apples, avocados, and blueberries and cherries…

“Scientists… believe… [that] a new kind of chemical product… could be weakening the insects’ immune systems. The finger of suspicion is being pointed at agriculture pesticides such as the widely-used neonicotinoides, which are already known to be poisonous to bees. France saw a huge fall in its bee population in the 1990s, blamed on the insecticide Gaucho which has now been banned in the country.”

If true, this would be another example of the incredible foolishness of man.

Politicians Influence and Respond to Second Part of UN Report on Global Warming

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 6:

“Climate change in the coming century may lead to disasters ranging from famine in Africa to the thinning of Himalayan glaciers, according to the long-awaited second part of an extensive United Nations report on global warming. More than 100 countries represented in the UN’s panel on climate change spent a tense Thursday night in Brussels trying to agree unanimously on the language of a final draft.

“The report, prepared by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), provides the first confirmation from the entire international scientific community that the burning of fossil fuels by humans is one of the main culprits of global warming…

“The report claims that global warming will lead to desertification, droughts and rising seas and that those living in the tropics will be the worst hit — from sub-Saharan Africa to the Pacific islands. Billions could face water shortages, and ocean levels might rise for centuries to come. It could lead to a sharp drop in crop yields in Africa and bring heatwaves to Europe and North America. Europe’s Alpine glaciers will disappear and much of the coral that comprises Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will die from bleaching.

“The scientific conclusions — based on 29,000 sets of data — also said that up to 30 percent of the Earth’s species faced a higher risk of vanishing if global temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average in the 1980s and ’90s…

“The contents of the report, most of which had already been leaked to the media in recent weeks, prompted political leaders to call for action, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ‘The report confirms that climate change is a fact,’ Merkel told the Munich daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. ‘That’s why we need quick and determined action to limit the rise in temperatures worldwide and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. I will also address the issue at the G-8 summit. My aim is, insofar as possible, to involve all states in taking responsibility for climate protection.’

“Merkel said she hoped recent European Union actions might help to push China and the United States — the world’s two largest sources of greenhouse gases — to do more to reduce emissions. In March the EU’s 27 member states agreed [to] cut greenhouse gas emission by at least 20 percent from 1990 levels over the next 13 years. In addition, it agreed that at least one-fifth of all of the EU’s energy would come from renewable sources by 2020…

“Originally, the report was to be released on Friday morning at 10 a.m., but the presentation was delayed for hours as heated discussions continued as countries like China, Russia and the US continued to lobby for the removal of parts of the report. US delegates also opposed a passage warning of the prospects of ‘severe economic damage’ to parts of North America. But the main tension in Brussels between some authors of the report and some political representatives was not over the scientific findings, but over a 21-page summary that would be shown to policymakers.

“Earlier this week, the summary said scientists had ‘very high confidence’ that natural systems around the world ‘are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases.’ ‘Very high confidence,’ in the language used by the report, translates to a 90 percent certainty. Delegates from China and Saudi Arabia lobbied for ‘high confidence’ instead, or 80 percent certainty — and after a dramatic hours-long protest by three scientists on Thursday night, the milder language went in. ‘The authors lost,’ said one of the scientists. ‘A lot of authors are not going to engage in the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) process anymore. I have had it with them,’ he told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

“Though Washington and Beijing ultimately succeeded in changing very little of the text, the political tug o’ war drew sharp criticism in Germany. ‘We are happy that we were able to prevent this kind of scientific vandalism in the end,’ Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel told Reuters TV. ‘The people have a right to find out about the consequences that threaten them if we are unable to stop climate change.'”

Historic Cold Weather in Charlotte, N.C.

Charlotte.com reported on April 9:

“A historic cold weather outbreak shattered records this morning in Charlotte and elsewhere in the Carolinas, producing bone-chilling conditions for Easter sunrise services… The polar air outbreak that began Thursday reached the bottom this morning, when temperatures dropped to 21 degrees at 7 a.m. at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. That not only broke the low-temperature record for the date, but it was the coldest for any April day in Charlotte history… Sleet fell Saturday afternoon in parts of Texas, including the Dallas and Austin metropolitan areas. It was the first time in 70 years that frozen precipitation fell in April in those areas.”

Quake Lifts Island Out of the Sea

AFP reported on April 7:

“The seismic jolt that unleashed the deadly Solomons tsunami this week lifted an entire island metres out of the sea, destroying some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs. In an instant, the grinding of the Earth’s tectonic plates in the 8.0 magnitude earthquake Monday forced the island of Ranongga up three metres (10 foot).

“Submerged reefs that once attracted scuba divers from around the globe lie exposed and dying after the quake raised the mountainous landmass, which is 32-kilometres (20-miles) long and 8-kilometres (5-miles) wide.”

This occurrence reminds us–as a very tiny and small forerunner–of prophesied powerful earthquakes in the future, when “every mountain and island” will be “moved out of its place” (Revelation 6:14; compare, too, Revelation 16:20).

A Spooky Apparition in Rome

The Daily Mail reported on March 30:

“When retired policeman Andy Key went on a trip to Rome, he was struck by the beauty of sunlight streaming through a window in the Vatican. As the Pope made an address nearby, he decided to capture the stunning image on his camera. But it was only when Mr Key, 48, and his wife Susan, 44, returned home and downloaded their photographs that they noticed a strange apparition in the picture.”

The article added: “Professional photographers have studied Mr Key’s photo and are at a loss to explain what may have caused the image.”

The article speculated that this “apparition” might have been the picture of an “guardian angel.” However, Key was also quoted as saying: “I snapped the picture and didn’t notice anything until I got home. It looks almost like a hologram. I thought it was really spooky.”

The article published several pictures of that “apparition.” We would agree that “spooky” would be the operative word. The Bible has much to say about “apparitions,” but they are not in any way connected with God’s holy angels. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”

Two Highly Controversial US Supreme Court Decisions

— Bush Administration Loses on Global Warming…

In one controversial decision, the US Supreme Court disagreed with the Bush Administration on issues related to global warming.

Reuters reported on April 2:

“In a defeat for the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a U.S. government agency has the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that spur global warming. By a 5-4 vote, the nation’s highest court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] ‘has offered no reasoned explanation’ for its refusal to regulate carbon dioxide and other emissions from new cars and trucks that contribute to climate change. The ruling in one of the most important environmental cases to reach the Supreme Court marked the first high court decision in a case involving global warming. President George W. Bush has opposed mandatory controls on greenhouse gases as harmful to the U.S. economy, and the administration has called for voluntary programs instead of regulation. The states and environmental groups that brought the lawsuit hailed the ruling…

“Writing for the court majority, Justice John Paul Stevens… said the EPA can avoid regulation only if it determined that the gases do not contribute to climate change or if it provided a reasonable explanation. ‘If the scientific uncertainty is so profound that it precludes EPA from making a reasoned judgment as to whether greenhouse cases contribute to global warming, EPA must say so,’ he said…

“The court’s four most conservative members — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, both Bush appointees, and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas — dissented. They said the environmental groups and the states lacked the legal right to bring the lawsuit in the first place. ‘No matter how important the underlying policy issues at stake, this court has no business substituting its own desired outcome for the reasoned judgment of the responsible agency,’ Scalia wrote.”

— But Wins on “Enemy Combatants”…

In another highly controversial decision, which appears to be inconsistent with prior renderings of the same court, the US Supreme Court sided with the Bush Administration on issues related to the retention of alleged “enemy combatants” without indictment, due process or trial.

AFP reported on April 2:

‘The US Supreme Court Monday decided dozens of Guantanamo Bay prisoners had no right to challenge their detention in federal court, handing the Bush administration a major victory for its ‘war on terror’ legal strategy. Only three of the nine judges on the court said they would be prepared to examine the… petition [which] was filed on behalf of inmates of the Guantanamo camp in Cuba, who have little prospect of facing formal charges, a tribunal or a return to their home countries… Monday’s decision was the latest dramatic legal chapter in a fiery debate over the treatment of Guantanamo inmates that brought the ‘war on terror’ into conflict with civil liberties provisions of the US constitution.”

The Associated Press added on April 2:

“… none of the roughly 385 detainees has yet had a hearing in a civilian court challenging his detention because the administration has moved aggressively to limit the legal rights of prisoners it has labeled as enemy combatants… ‘This is a perfect example of justice delayed is justice denied,’ said Washington lawyer Tom Wilner, who has represented Guantanamo detainees since May 2002. ‘All these people ever wanted was a fair hearing.’… ‘We’re disappointed and for us this is a delay that is unconscionable,’ said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which has led the fight to gain court access for the detainees…

“In 2004, the justices ruled that the courts can hear the detainees’ cases, saying that prisoners under U.S. control have access to civilian courts, no matter where they are being held…

“In 2006, the justices ruled that President Bush’s plan for military war crimes trials, envisioned for a small number of Guantanamo Bay detainees, is illegal under U.S. and international law… After the justices’ ruling in 2006, CONGRESS… enacted the law which blocked detainees from coming into U.S. courts and established new rules for the military trials.”

Tsunami Devastates Solomon Islands

The Associated Press reported on April 2:

“Tsunamis triggered by an undersea earthquake crashed ashore in the Solomon Islands on Monday, wiping away entire villages and setting off alerts from Australia to Hawaii, officials said. At least 13 people were killed, and the prime minister warned that the toll would likely grow. In the South Pacific nation’s west, where the devastation appeared the most dense, there were reports of people being swept away as waves plowed up to a half-mile inland. The magnitude-8 quake — the strongest to hit the archipelago in more than three decades — was followed by more than two dozen aftershocks, including at least four of magnitude-6 or stronger…

“The magnitude-8 quake struck shortly after 7:39 a.m. six miles beneath the sea floor, about 215 miles northwest of the Solomons capital, Honiara, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Within five minutes, waves 10-16 feet tall roared ashore and went up to half a mile inland, inundating buildings and sending thousands fleeing for higher ground, witnesses said… The Solomon Islands is an impoverished archipelago of more than 200 islands northeast of Australia, with a population of about 552,000 people, that lies on the Pacific Basin’s so-called ‘Ring of Fire,’ an arc of volcanos and fault lines where quakes frequently happen. The last time a quake this strong struck the Solomon Islands was in 1971, when it was struck by a pair of magnitudes 8 and 8.1 temblors.

“Monday’s earthquake occurred when the Australian tectonic plate suddenly dived beneath the Pacific plate, said David Wald of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado… In 2004, a magnitude-9 quake sent tsunami waves slamming into the coastlines of a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean’s rim, killing about 230,000 people.”

Europe Angry at USA and Australia

AFP reported on April 2:

“European anger at the United States and Australia, the only two major countries to reject the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases, spilled over here on Monday as UN scientists prepared to deliver a damning report on climate change… As the four-day meeting got underway, European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas spelt out the latest plans for cutting European Union (EU) greenhouse-gas emissions through ever-tighter, legally binding curbs. He compared that with the voluntary approach of the United States, which he bluntly named ‘the number one emitter in the world.’ ‘(The US) approach doesn’t help in reaching international agreement and doesn’t reduce (US) emissions, because they are right now 60 percent above the 1990 level,’ Dimas observed tartly… ‘We expect the US to come closer and NOT TO CONTINUE WITH A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE in international negotiations… it’s absolutely necessary that they move.’…

“The EU championed the Kyoto Protocol after it was abandoned by the United States in March 2001. It sets the only specific global target for reducing carbon emissions… the treaty has been almost crippled by the absence of the United States, which alone accounts for about a quarter of all this pollution. President George W. Bush, in one of his first acts in office, said he would not put the draft to the US Senate for ratification. Bush said US commitments under Kyoto were too costly and the accord was unfair, as only industrialised countries — and not fast-growing large developing ones such as China and India — are bound to make targeted cuts. Australia has followed the United States in refusing to ratify Kyoto… EU leaders last month vowed to unilaterally cut the 27-nation bloc’s emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared with 1990 and deepen this to 30 percent if other partners follow suit. But, to EUROPEAN FRUSTRATION, that offer has so far found no echo — and the US-Australian pitch for a voluntary approach is seen in some quarters as a spoiling tactic.”

The Iran Crisis–Iran “Pardons” British Sailors

On April 4, The Associated Press reported about an announcement by the Iranian government to release 15 British sailors. The article explained:

“President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defused a growing confrontation with Britain, announcing the surprise release of 15 captive British sailors Wednesday and then gleefully accepting the crew’s thanks and handshakes… The announcement in Tehran was a breakthrough in a crisis that had escalated over nearly two weeks, raising oil prices and fears of military conflict in the volatile region. The move to release the sailors suggested that Iran’s hard-line leadership decided it had shown its strength but did not want to push the standoff too far… Syria, Iran’s close ally, said it played a role in winning the release… Ahmadinejad… declared that even though Iran had the right to put the Britons on trial, he had ‘pardoned’ them to mark the March 30 birthday of the Prophet Muhammad and the coming Easter holidays… During Ahmadinejad’s news conference, the hardline president said Britain had sent a letter to the Iranian Foreign Ministry pledging that entering Iranian waters ‘will not happen again.’ … the standoff showed that Tehran has ways to push back after the U.S. and Britain beefed up their military presence in the Persian Gulf this year.”

In spite of the announcement of the release, the recent crisis has revealed remarkable frightening and embarrassing developments for Great Britain, Europe, as well as the United States, as the following articles show.

The Iran Crisis–Britain Left Without Real Support

On April 2, Der Spiegel Online discussed the controversy between Iran and Britain in its article, titled, “A Dangerous Game of Power and Propaganda.”

The magazine wrote:

“In the drama surrounding the 15 captured British sailors, Tehran is resorting to propaganda while London is relying on the West for support… British Prime Minister Tony Blair was quick to register his ‘disgust’ with the Iranians’ parading of his country’s sailors on television. He had frozen his government’s relations with Tehran the day before. On Sunday about 200 Iranian students threw firecrackers and bricks into the British embassy compound. On Monday Iranian television showed fresh footage of the naval personnel, saying they had all admitted to entering Iran illegally…

“Ali Larijani, the Iranian national security advisor, criticized London’s alarmism and called it ‘stupid and misplaced’ — as if hostage taking hasn’t already been a hallmark of Tehran’s foreign policy for decades. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanded an ‘apology.’ London, for its part, threatened Iran with more than just diplomatic action if it did not promptly release the British hostages. The markets, the most important seismograph when it comes to earthquakes on the international political front, reacted immediately, and the oil price began creeping back up to the $70 level.

“In the past this would have been enough to start a war, with one power provoking and another being forced to take action — if only to avoid losing face. In the last century, the game the Iranians were playing with the British at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab would have been a classic maneuver designed to produce one outcome: war…

“British Prime Minister Tony Blair OUGHT TO HAVE NO TROUBLE GAINING ALLIES against a country under as much international pressure as Iran and securing the prompt release of the prisoners. BUT THIS ISN’T THE CASE, because the simple question the British face from enemies and, indirectly, from friends is this: Why exactly are you in the Gulf region in the first place? LIKE AN EVIL CURSE, the war George W. Bush and Blair launched against Iraq is heightening tensions throughout the region with each month that passes. Knowing that most countries question the legitimacy of the Western presence, Ahmadinejad can take full advantage of the crisis. That starts with no longer having to pay serious attention to threats from Bush or Blair, leaders generally regarded as too weak to engage in another showdown.

“Under these circumstances, it was to be expected that Blair and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett believed, in the first days after the kidnapping incident, that bilateral contacts would be the best way to gain the prisoners’ release… But by Tuesday, the fifth day of the hostage crisis, the climate at home in Britain had changed. The London Times clamored over the ‘pusillanimous timidity of British officials and politicians, who have failed disgracefully to confront Iran with the ultimatum this flagrant aggression demands.’… Blair was in a tight spot. He had warned the Iranians against parading their hostages on TV, as they had done in a comparable case in 2004, but his warning merely encouraged the Iranians to do just that…

“By then the time to err on the side of caution had ended, at least for the British. London asked its European friends for their support, asked its Middle Eastern partners to mediate and even appealed to pro-Iranian groups Hezbollah and Hamas for their help. When the British asked the UN Security Council to condemn the kidnappings they were dealt their FIRST PAINFUL DEFEAT in the current crisis. Instead of complying with the British request, the Security Council merely voiced its ‘deep concern’ over the affair. Russia, a veto power, suggested that the two parties to the conflict return to bilateral negotiations. Nevertheless, at a meeting last Friday in Bremen, which had actually been convened to discuss tentative signs of improvement in the Middle East conflict, the EU foreign ministers lent their support to London and asked their chief diplomat Javier Solana to appeal to the Iranian president. However, NO ONE IN BREMEN MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT OTHER EU COUNTRIES FOLLOWING IN BRITAIN’S FOOTSTEPS AND PUTTING THEIR RELATIONS WITH IRAN ON ICE until the prisoners are released.”

The Iran Crisis–Prompted by USA?

Britain’s The Independent wrote on April 3, 2007:

“The botched US raid… led to the hostage crisis,” continuing: “How a bid to kidnap Iranian security officials sparked a diplomatic crisis.”

The newspaper pointed out:

“A failed American attempt to abduct two senior Iranian security officers on an OFFICIAL visit to northern Iraq was the starting pistol for a crisis that 10 weeks later led to Iranians seizing 15 British sailors and Marines… The aim of the raid, launched without informing the Kurdish authorities, was to seize two men at the very heart of the Iranian security establishment. Better understanding of the seriousness of the US action in Arbil – and the angry Iranian response to it – should have led Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence to realise that Iran was likely to retaliate against American or British forces such as highly vulnerable Navy search parties in the Gulf… The two men were in Kurdistan on an official visit during which they met the Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, and later saw Massoud Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), at his mountain headquarters overlooking Arbil… The attempt by the US to seize the two high-ranking Iranian security officers openly meeting with Iraqi leaders is somewhat as if Iran had tried to kidnap the heads of the CIA and MI6 while they were on an official visit to a country neighbouring Iran, such as Pakistan or Afghanistan…

“US officials in Washington subsequently claimed that the five Iranian officials they did seize, who have not been seen since, were ‘suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraq and coalition forces’. This explanation never made much sense. No member of the US-led coalition has been killed in Arbil and there were no Sunni-Arab insurgents or Shia militiamen there.

“The raid on Arbil took place within hours of President George Bush making an address to the nation on 10 January in which he claimed: ‘Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops.’ He identified Iran and Syria as America’s main enemies in Iraq though the four-year-old guerrilla war against US-led forces is being conducted by the strongly anti-Iranian Sunni-Arab community…

“The raid in Arbil was a FAR MORE SERIOUS AND AGGRESSIVE ACT. It was not carried out by proxies but by US forces directly. The abortive Arbil raid PROVOKED A DANGEROUS ESCALATION in the confrontation between the US and Iran which ultimately led to the capture of the 15 British sailors and Marines – apparently considered a more vulnerable coalition target than their American comrades.”

Is the USA Losing Another Ally?

The Australian News reported on April 2:

“One of the most enduring strategic relationships in the Middle East is showing signs of serious strain, after a series of public accusations and diplomatic snubs by Saudi Arabia against its erstwhile allies in Washington. The row came to a head last week when King Abdullah, the Saudi monarch, used his opening speech at the Arab League summit to CONDEMN THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ AS ILLEGAL, and went on to declare that the ARAB WORLD WOULD NOT ALLOW FOREIGN FORCES TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF THE REGION… The Bush administration was put out by the comments from a ruler regarded as a close friend by George W. Bush and the President’s father, George Sr.

“… the clash over Iraq follows a spate of recent incidents suggesting the damage to the relationship extends beyond this issue. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi national security adviser, flew to Washington last week to offer King Abdullah’s apologies that he would not be able to attend a state dinner in his honour at the White House this month. No reason was offered for the snub, but observers suggest the Saudis may be DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM WASHINGTON in a bid to improve their standing in the region.”

Why do the USA and Great Britain find themselves–more and more–isolated and alone on the political world scene? You will find the surprising answers in our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Germany Sends Fighter Jets to Afghanistan

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 3:

“Germany on Monday increased its contribution to the NATO force in Afghanistan by deploying six Tornado jets. The planes will be used for reconnaissance in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency threatens international peacekeepers and Afghan citizens alike… Germany has refused to send Bundeswehr troops into southern Afghanistan — a stance that has at times drawn criticism from its international ISAF partners. A recent TNS poll taken for SPIEGEL showed that 57 percent of Germans believe the country should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible.

“With public support waning, [German Minister of Defense, Franz Josef ] Jung took pains Monday to express the restricted role the Tornados will play. The Tornados, he said, would aid in the fight against the Taliban, but he cautioned that efforts would be taken to ensure that the civilian population was not harmed in operations that benefited from the reconnaissance. And while the Tornados will be equipped with weapons, they will only be used in cases of self-defense.”

As in every war, such a “noble” position is simply impossible to maintain. There WILL be casualties, to be sure, and the big question is, how will the Germans react when that happens?

Crisis in Ukraine

Der Spiegel Online reported on April 3:

“Ukraine has plunged into its most serious political crisis since the 2004 Orange Revolution. A shaky truce between pro-Western and pro-Russian camps has broken after President Yushchenko ordered parliament to be dissolved… Ukraine’s simmering internal power struggle has escalated into a dangerous stand-off after PRO-WESTERN President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree to dissolve parliament and called new elections, a decision the assembly said was akin to a coup.

“The United States called on both sides to remain calm as PRO-RUSSIAN Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, supported by the parliament, urged Yushchenko to withdraw the decree or risk plunging the country into an uncertain future. Parliament says it will withhold government funding for the election, scheduled for May 27… ‘I have signed a decree today to disband parliament. I have taken this decision in line with the constitution,’ Yushchenko announced on Monday. ‘My actions were prompted by a crucial need to preserve the state, its sovereignty and territorial integrity.’ Parliament said the decree ‘bears all the signs of a step towards a coup d’etat’ and said the chamber would defy it…”

Very Active Hurricane Season Predicted

The Associated Press reported on April 3:

“The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season should be ‘very active,’ with nine hurricanes and a good chance that at least one major hurricane will hit the U.S. coast, a top researcher said Tuesday. Forecaster William Gray said he expects 17 named storms in all this year, five of them major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. The probability of a major hurricane making landfall on the U.S. coast this year: 74 percent, compared with the average of 52 percent over the past century, he said.

“Last year, Gray’s forecast and government forecasts were higher than what the Atlantic hurricane season produced. There were 10 named Atlantic storms in 2006 and five hurricanes, two of them major, in what was considered a ‘near normal’ season. None of those hurricanes hit the U.S. Atlantic coast — only the 11th time that has occurred since 1945. The National Hurricane Center in Miami originally reported nine storms, but upgraded one storm after a post-season review.

“Gray’s research team at Colorado State University said an UNEXPECTED LATE EL NINO contributed to the calmer season last year. El Nino — a warming in the Pacific Ocean — has far-reaching effects that include changing wind patterns in the eastern Atlantic, which can disrupt the formation of hurricanes there.

“A weak to moderate El Nino occurred in December and January but dissipated rapidly, said Phil Klotzbach, a member of Gray’s team. ‘We do not think that’s going to be an inhibiting factor this year,’ Klotzbach said.

“The team’s forecasts are based on global oceanic and atmospheric conditions. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, averages 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year. The devastating 2005 season set a record with 28 named storms, 15 of them hurricanes. Four of those hurricanes hit the U.S. coast, the worst among them Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and leveled parts of the Gulf Coast region. Gray has spent more than 40 years in tropical weather research. He heads the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State.”

Strange Beliefs of Orthodox Christianity

The Associated Press reported on April 2 about some rather strange comments by Pope Benedict XVI–leaving the reader wondering whether the pope was speaking “in jest”–or whether he was actually serious. In commenting on the anticipated declaration of sainthood of late Pope John Paul II, the news report stated:

“Pope Benedict XVI said Monday he can already hear the voice of John Paul II among the saints, indicating on the second anniversary of his predecessor’s death that he too was fully in favor of canonization… In the communion of saints, it seems we can hear the living voice of our beloved John Paul II, who from the house of his father, we are sure, continues to accompany the Church,’ Benedict said.”

The article continued pointing out additional rather strange-sounding requirements for becoming a Roman Catholic saint:

“On Monday, the congregation also received documentation concerning the purported miraculous recovery of a French nun, Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, who says she was cured of Parkinson’s disease after she prayed to John Paul. The Vatican’s complicated saint-making procedures require that a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession be confirmed before beatification. A second miracle after beatification is necessary for canonization. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints will appoint medical experts to determine if there are medical explanations for the nun’s recovery. Theologians will then determine if the cure came as a result of prayer to John Paul. If panels of bishops and cardinals agree John Paul led a virtuous life and that the nun was indeed miraculously cured, they will forward the case to Benedict. He will then decide if his predecessor deserves to be beatified.”

All of this sounds rather incredible to a Christian believing in the literal teachings of the Bible. According to Scripture, a converted Christian is called a saint–while still alive (Psalm 16:3; Colossians 1:2). When he dies, he does not ascend to heaven (John 3:13; Acts 2:34), but he sleeps the sleep of death until his resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2). For more information, please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”

EUROPE IS DESTINED TO UNITE!!!

This past weekend, Europe celebrated its 50th anniversary in Germany’s capital, Berlin. Whether people hate or love it–ridicule or admire it–the world has never seen anything like it in recent history. Bible prophecy predicted thousands of years ago that we will experience in these last days a powerful European Union, ultimately consisting of 10 nations or GROUPS of nations.

All critics notwithstanding, this is PREDESTINED to happen. In fact, the Bible predicted that it would be the last or final revival of the ancient ROMAN Empire! We are seeing the BEGINNINGS of a modern unified continental Europe developing RIGHT NOW in front of our very eyes. The Bible also says that when these things occur, the RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST is fast approaching!

Incredible Achievements

On March 23, The Wall Street Journal published an article by Mr. Trichet, president of the European Central Bank:

“Is there today a better symbol of peaceful European unity than the single currency, the euro, shared by 13 countries, 317 million fellow citizens and a single market across the whole continent?… the most important milestone for European integration was the Treaty of Rome, signed 50 years ago this Sunday. The choice of Rome was symbolic. For a long time, the ‘Eternal City’ symbolized a united Europe… The Treaty of Rome was an unlikely achievement… Europe has achieved even more than the founding fathers of the Treaty of Rome could have hoped for… The Union has also moved into new areas, such as foreign policy, and police and judicial affairs.

“Europe has crowned its single market with a single currency… today our 317 million fellow citizens of the euro area walk around with a little piece of Europe in their pockets… We will never know how a Europe without the euro would have weathered events such as 9/11, the bursting of the high-tech bubble or the oil shock. Under the roof of the euro, we had no intra-European turbulence… Europe is both old and new. It has the wisdom of a 2,000-year experience and the energy of a 50-year entity, which is extremely young in historical terms… And I am confident Europe will surmount its present political difficulty as it has done in the past.”

European Unification will not stand still, nor will it be complacent with just economic progress. And as the following articles will show, it becomes more and more obvious–as predicted in the Holy Scriptures–that Germany will be leading the United Europe, and that Britain will NOT be a part of it.

A European Army

The Times wrote on March 24:

“Angela Merkel got Europe’s 50th birthday weekend off to a controversial start yesterday when she said that the creation of a European army should be a key goal in its next 50 years… Mrs Merkel said that peace could not be taken for granted despite Western Europe’s longest period without internal conflict and suggested that a common army could help to bind countries closer together. Her suggestion was shot down immediately by Britain.”

It is VERY unlikely that it will take Europe 50 years to create a European army. The Bible strongly indicates that a European army will be in existence much sooner than that.

Der Spiegel Online added in this regard, on March 23:

“The idea of a European military force is not a new one. Indeed, the EU has been attempting to intensify its cooperation on foreign policy for years. The EU constitution, which was torpedoed by France and the Netherlands in the spring of 2005, had envisioned creating the office of a European Minister for Foreign Affairs, and in autumn of 2006, Europe sent an EU force to help provide security for elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Still, the idea of European countries sending troops abroad as part of an EU force remains a controversial one.”

Was It Foreseeable?

Der Spiegel Online quoted Angela Merkel, as follows:

“Europe should also be proud that it offers ‘freedom, the rule of law, and security for almost 500 million people in Europe. Who would have predicted that, 50 years ago?'”

In fact, the BIBLE did predict this more than 2,000 years ago–and the Church of God, under its late Pastor General, Herbert W. Armstrong, has announced this very initial development for more than the last 50 years. However, the face of a peaceful Europe will change in due course. People did not listen in the past to God’s true ministers–will they listen now?

Britain Strongly Opposed

In spite of Tony Blair’s eggshell dance, opposition of the British people to a united Europe is well-known, and critical voices are increasing. On March 23, The Daily Mail published an article, titled: “50 years of surrender to the EU.” The British tabloid pointed out:

“The leaders of those six countries – Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – who met in Rome 50 years ago were well aware that what they were setting in train was intended eventually to grow into something very much more than a mere ‘common market’. Even then, as we see from the documents of that time, they dreamed that it would be just the first step on the road to an eventual ‘European government’… Today’s European Union now has almost all the attributes of a fully-fledged state – its own flag, anthem and passport, its own ‘citizenship’ and currency, its own vast body of laws, governing almost every area of life. It is even on the way to establishing its own armed forces and police…

“For decades [the EU leaders] had been managing stealthily to take away the powers of national governments, without ever asking the peoples of Europe whether this was what they wanted… in no country, it appears, is the EU more unpopular than Britain… However unpopular the EU may have become, not just in Britain but all across Europe, we are stuck with this weird political construct, which now rules over our lives to a far greater extent than most people are aware of.

“One of the subtlest strategies employed by the EU, as it has gradually taken over more and more power from national governments, has been the way it has left each country’s national institutions in place. Monarchies and presidencies, national parliaments, civil services and legal systems have all been left standing, looking outwardly as if not very much has changed. Yet over the decades they have all been gradually hollowed out from within. Today, over vast areas of each country’s national life, the power to decide policies and make laws no longer lies in national capitals. It has been transferred to our new ‘supranational’ centre of government in Brussels. And the clever thing is how successfully most of this has been kept out of sight…

“Step by step we have seen our politicians handing over to this weird new system of government control over almost every aspect of our national life, from the power to decide who can come to live and work in Britain to the way our judges now have to interpret the law in our courts. What in fact we have witnessed over the past 50 years, has been in effect an immense, slow-motion coup d’etat. Our power to govern ourselves has been stealthily handed over to an entirely new kind of ‘supranational’ government, over which we no longer have any meaningful democratic say… Although half a century later it no longer enjoys the support of even half the 490 million people who must now live under it, it seems there is now nothing we can do to change it.”

Germany New Leader of Europe

In spite of criticism regarding the proposed EU Constitution, and even the “Berlin Declaration,” a two-page document about Europe’s success story, which was issued on Sunday, it has become clear that Angela Merkel and Germany have emerged as Europe’s leaders, expected to bring about further European unification. Bild Online wrote on March 25, “Merkel is now Miss Europe,” adding, “Europe listens to Merkel.”

The Herald Tribune wrote on March 25:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel took center stage of European politics Sunday, putting Germany back in the lead of European integration on a day that two of the bloc’s most controversial leaders probably attended their last EU summit meeting. Britain’s Tony Blair, an Atlanticist, is expected to leave office in May, and President Jacques Chirac of France, a Gaullist, announced last week that he would not be running for re-election when French voters elect a new president in two rounds of voting in April and May. Their exit from EU politics leaves Merkel as one of the few European leaders who might be able to bridge the differences between London and Paris that have divided the entire bloc. Over the past five years, Blair and Chirac have clashed bitterly over the U.S war in Iraq, the structure of the EU budget, particularly its large subsidies for agriculture, and the future shape of Europe. But together, they also advanced Europe’s defense policy…

“Merkel’s personal reminiscences, combined with a steely determination to make the EU more democratic, more efficient and united, confirm Germany’s rediscovery of its original role inside the EU. Fifty years ago, Merkel’s ideological mentor, Konrad Adenauer, was in Rome to sign the treaty. As Germany’s first chancellor after World War II, Adenauer embraced France to end the centuries of distrust that had so often proved destructive. It was no coincidence that throughout the public celebrations over the weekend – on Saturday night during a concert by the Berlin Philharmonic and Sunday during the signing of the Berlin Declaration – Chirac was seated beside Merkel.”

The Associated Press added on March 25:

“European leaders took a small but significant step Sunday toward overhauling the EU — and finally lifting the bloc out of two years of confusion and hand-wringing over its failed draft constitution. Politely but firmly nudged by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the assembled presidents and prime ministers vowed to seek a treaty establishing ‘a renewed common basis’ for the 27-member bloc before the next European Parliament elections in 2009. Merkel, who had made badgering phone calls right up to the end, urged… to quickly organize a conference that would come up with the treaty — whether a constitution or under some other name. She said leaders should agree [and ‘must decide’] on the terms of the conference at a June summit — before her six-month EU presidency ends.”

Europe’s Future Plans

AFP wrote on March 25:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the current EU president, said it was time to plot the way forward after the knock-out blow Dutch and French voters dealt a draft constitution in referendums in 2005. ‘We (Germany) are going to do everything that we can to prepare a roadmap,’ charting the way out of the political impasse over the constitution, Merkel told reporters after signing the declaration. Such a move could allow Portugal, which takes over the EU’s six-month rotating presidency in July, to call a meeting of member states to start drawing up a new treaty by the end of the year, she said. The aim would be to implement it before the 2009 European Parliament elections, she added… in interviews with German television, Merkel warned of the consequences of a second failure for any proposed European constitution… If this hurdle was not crossed, she continued, decision on internal security and the fight against terrorism would have to be approved unanimously. ‘We would not even be able to say how many commissioners the next Commission will have — we would not be able to pursue a dynamic policy.'”

The EUObserver added on March 25:

“The EU has marked its 50th anniversary with the adoption of the Berlin declaration in a ceremony in the German capital which saw EU leaders solemnly rise to hear Europe’s semi-official anthem, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The anthem sounded through the German Historical Museum in Berlin which was packed with EU leaders, their wives and other EU VIPs on Sunday (25 March). The Berlin declaration was read out in a somewhat low-profile fashion by ex-German TV presenter Jo Brauner, while it was being signed by German chancellor Angela Merkel, current EU president, as well as European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering. All three signatories in their speeches used the occasion not only to look back on 50 years of ‘Europe’ since the 1957 Rome treaty – but also to give a clear political touch to the festive event by calling for a new EU treaty…

“Italy’s prime minister Romano Prodi, who spoke as the leader of the country where the Rome treaty was signed, gave the strongest pro-constitution speech. It was also in Rome where the disputed EU constitution was signed in 2004. ‘To continue building, we now need new rules, but not starting from zero,’ he said. ‘The treaty signed in Rome in October 2004 forms a very solid basis… a text signed by the 27 heads of state and ratified by 18 countries.'”

A United Europe–by the People for the People?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on March 26 about the methods which Europe uses to govern. The article pointed out:

“The trouble began with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to draft the [Berlin] declaration in a style akin to classic 19th-century secret diplomacy. The Czech government complained that by Thursday it had seen just 40% of the text. Berlin’s covert operation contradicted the stated goal of producing a ‘people’s document,’ one that would be short and clear and express Europe’s common principles, values and challenges. Ms. Merkel eventually had to show her cards and it led to the usual compromises and obfuscations…

“In a newspaper interview last week, Ms. Merkel diagnosed a certain alienation between the EU and its citizens, the root cause of which she located in the people’s alleged impatience with the slow pace of decision making in Brussels. ‘To change that we need an EU constitutional treaty,’ she said. Come again? The chancellor wants to fight the citizens’ alienation by ignoring democratic votes that expressed that very alienation?

“The Dutch government, for one, didn’t think it was a good idea to defy its voters. And so the declaration was downgraded to say governments agreed to ‘placing the European Union on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in 2009.’ So much for ‘short and clear.’ This is vague enough for both sides to claim victory. The constitution’s supporters will interpret the language as a coded go-ahead to push through the text within the next two years. For the skeptics, it is simply a reference to making institutional changes, such as streamlining voting procedures, that a larger EU requires.

“Absent, too, is any reference to further enlargement. The EU just expanded to 27 members and there is little appetite among some governments to let in more ‘foreigners.’ While Britain and Poland, for instance, would like to proceed, Germany and France are more wary, particularly of Turkey… the Berlin Declaration sounds more like a call for the kind of ‘privileged partnership’ Ms. Merkel is fond of offering to Turkey in lieu of full membership.

“Just like the moribund constitution, the Berlin Declaration remains a godless document, literally. Proposals for an Invocation Dei, most loudly advocated by Poland, were rejected in secular Europe. Not even a reference to Europe’s Judeo-Christian heritage was allowed, even though that wouldn’t have been so much a call for God or religion as a simple statement of fact about the Continent’s cultural roots.

“The topics that made it into the text were less controversial — the euro, the common market, social responsibility, human dignity, equal rights, resolving global conflicts peacefully, fighting poverty and climate change. Also — and unusual for such documents in Europe — ‘the people’ made it into the declaration.

“‘We the citizens of the European Union have united for the better,’ the document pronounced in a rare nod to the voters (and, without acknowledging it, the U.S. Constitution). Even so, the leaders who speak for Europe’s citizens technically weren’t even speaking for themselves. The original plan was for all 27 leaders to sign the declaration. In the end, only the hostess, Ms. Merkel, and the heads of the European Parliament and Commission put their names under the text. It’s not that there wasn’t enough space for all the signatures on the dotted line. It has more to do with plausible deniability. Even after all the haggling and compromising, many governments were still uncomfortable with the text. Without the signatures, the nonbinding birthday card is even more nonbinding.”

Europe’s Confidential Talks

The EUObserver reported on March 25:

“Angela Merkel has said she will continue to apply her strategy of reviving the EU constitution by holding confidential talks with national officials, despite criticism that the strategy impedes democratic debate… The Merkel strategy consists of holding limited consultations with so-called sherpas – member states officials holding behind-closed-doors talks with the German EU presidency… [Merkel said:] ‘What I want to avoid is that every time there is a draft document, and when one of the 27 [member states] makes a small amendment, there has to be a broad debate on every single little change, that it becomes a matter of prestige… The real issue will be implementation. It is not good enough to have 27 signatories on a paper that cannot be implemented,’ the chancellor stated…

“Meanwhile, eurosceptic and pro-democracy groups are gearing up to fight any rapid resurrection of the EU constitution without citizens having a say in it… Law professor Karl Albrecht Schachtschneider, himself a strong opponent of the constitution, in 2005 filed a lawsuit against the charter… before Germany’s national constitutional court in Karlsruhe. The court said last October it would not rule on whether the EU constitution was compatible with the German constitution until after a final decision had been taken on the overall fate of the document. This ruling has impeded German president Horst Koehler from signing the ratification bill which was passed by the German parliament, with the president’s signature necessary for final ratification.”

A Permanent European President

The Daily Express wrote on March 25:

“Tony Blair is secretly backing plans to create a permanent President of Europe, in a move that could see him go head to head for the job with bitter rival Jacques Chirac. Senior Brussels sources revealed that Mr Blair was backing the idea as European leaders gathered in Berlin last night to mark the European Union’s 50th anniversary… Kim Darroch, Mr Blair’s personal envoy to the EU, has been told to use the negotiations to press for a permanent EU president to replace the current system, in which the presidency rotates among the member states every six months.

“The Prime Minister would be one of the favourites for the job, which would go to a former EU leader. His main rival would be the outgoing French president Jacques Chirac, who has clashed with Mr Blair over the future of Europe many times during the past decade.

“Supporters of the idea claim that a permanent president would provide greater continuity than the current system. Critics claim it would create a powerbase for greater EU centralisation on issues like foreign policy and defence. The president would be appointed by other EU leaders, rather than being directly elected. Neil O’Brien, director of the independent think tank Open Europe, warned that the new president would inevitably gain more powers as time went on.

“Mr O’Brien said: ‘It is very hard to see how the president would be accountable to the people.'”

Britain–The Sick Family of Europe

The Daily Mail wrote on March 19:

“Social breakdown has turned Britain into the ‘sick family of Europe’ and promises to be the major battleground for the next election, David Cameron warned yesterday. Creaking public services, irresponsible parents and rampant crime have stretched society to breaking point, the Tory leader said… Recalling the criticisms levelled at Britain in the 1970s before Lady Thatcher took over, Mr Cameron said: ‘It’s not that Britain is the sick man of Europe. We’re becoming the sick family of Europe… We’ve got a tax system that doesn’t recognise marriage. A benefits system that does recognise marriage but penalises it. In fact it penalises any form of commitment between two people. What sort of system is it that pays people to live apart? It’s got to change.'”

The Pope Speaks Out

On March 26, The Vatican Information Service quoted Pope Benedict XVI, as follows:

“If, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the governments of the EU wish to ‘get closer’ to their citizens, how can they exclude such an essential element of European identity as Christianity, in which a vast majority of that people continue to identify themselves?… it is becoming ever more indispensable for Europe to avoid the pragmatic approach, so widespread today, that systematically justifies compromise on essential human values, as if the acceptance of a supposedly lesser evil were inevitable… In such a context protection must be afforded to conscientious objection [in cases where] fundamental human rights are violated… I know how difficult it is for Christians to defend this truth. … But do not tire and do not be discouraged! You know your task is to contribute to building, with God’s help, a new Europe, realistic but not cynical, rich in ideals and free of naive illusions, inspired by the perennial and life-giving truth of the Gospel.”

In addition, The Times reported on March 27:

“Hell is a place where sinners really do burn in an everlasting fire, and not just a religious symbol designed to galvanise the faithful, the Pope has said.  Addressing a parish gathering in a northern suburb of Rome, Benedict XVI said that in the modern world many people, including some believers, had forgotten that if they failed to ‘admit blame and promise to sin no more’, they risked ‘eternal damnation — the Inferno’. Hell ‘really exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much any more’, he said. “

For a true understanding on the existence or non-existence of hell and an “eternal inferno,” please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”

The US War Over Iraq Intensifies

The Associated Press reported on March 29:

“Senate Democrats ignored a veto threat and pushed through a bill Thursday requiring President Bush to start withdrawing troops from ‘the civil war in Iraq,’ dealing a rare, sharp rebuke to a wartime commander in chief. In a mostly party line 51-47 vote, the Senate signed off on a bill providing $122 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also orders Bush to begin withdrawing troops within 120 days of passage while setting a nonbinding goal of ending combat operations by March 31, 2008… The Senate vote marked its boldest challenge yet to the administration’s handling of a war, now in its fifth year, that has cost the lives of more than 3,200 American troops and more than $350 billion. In a show of support for the president, most Republicans opposed the measure, unwilling to back a troop withdrawal schedule despite the conflict’s widespread unpopularity…

“The House, also run by Democrats, narrowly passed similar legislation last week. Party leaders seem determined that the final bill negotiated between the two chambers will demand some sort of timetable for winding down the war — setting them on course for a veto showdown with the president… Democrats acknowledge they do not have enough support in Congress to override Bush’s veto, but say they will continue to ratchet up the pressure until he changes course.”

Ridiculous German Poll–USA More Dangerous Than Iran

On March 29, Der Spiegel Online published a biting and well-considered article, by Claus Christian Malzahn, the magazine’s Berlin bureau chief, about German hypocritical feelings of Anti-Americanism. The magazine advocated an immediate course of re-education of the German mind:

“Forty-eight percent of Germans think the United States is more dangerous than Iran, a new survey shows, with only 31 percent believing the opposite. Germans’ fundamental hypocrisy about the US suggests that it’s high time for a new bout of re-education.

“The Germans have believed in many things in the course of their recent history… they believed that Jews should be placed into ghettos and concentration camps because they were the enemies of the people. Then they believed… that the Third Reich would ultimately be victorious… They believed that the Berlin Wall would be there forever and that their pensions were safe… They even believed in a German victory at the soccer World Cup. Now they believe that the United States is a greater threat to world peace than Iran. This was the by-no-means-surprising result of a Forsa opinion poll commissioned by Stern magazine. Young Germans in particular — 57 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds, to be precise — said they considered the United States more dangerous than the religious regime in Iran.

“The German political establishment, which will no doubt loudly lament the result of the poll, is largely responsible for this wave of anti-Americanism. For years the country’s foreign ministers fed the Germans the fairy tale of what they called a ‘critical dialogue’ between Europe and Iran. It went something like this: If we are nice to the ayatollahs, cuddle up to them a bit and occasionally wag our fingers at them when they’ve been naughty, they’ll stop condemning their women to death for ‘unchaste behavior’ and they’ll stop building the atom bomb. That plan failed at some point — an outcome, incidentally, that Washington had long anticipated. Iran continues to work away unhindered on its nuclear program, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reacts to UN demands with an ostentatious show of ignorance. The UN gets upset and drafts a resolution.

“Another item on the Iranian president’s wish list is the annihilation of Israel. But that will take a bit longer. In the meantime, just to make sure it doesn’t get out of practice, the regime had 15 British soldiers kidnapped a few days ago. But it’s still all the Americans’ fault — that much is obvious…  Anti-Americanism is the wonder drug of German politics… Anti-Americanism is hypocrisy at its finest… Not a day passes in Germany when someone isn’t making the wildest claims, hurling the vilest insults or spreading the most outlandish conspiracy theories about the United States. But there’s no risk involved and it all serves mainly to boost the German feeling of self-righteousness…

“Today, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talks about a world without Israel while dreaming of an atom bomb, it seems obvious that we — as Germans of all people — should be putting two and two together. Why shouldn’t Ahmadinejad mean what he says? But we Germans only know what we believe.”

Russia and China–A New Power Bloc

AFP reported on March 27:

“China and Russia signed four billion dollars’ worth of trade deals on Tuesday during a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao… ‘For Russia, China has always been one of the most important economic partners in the world, and throughout recent years our business ties have steadily grown and strengthened,’ Putin said… The presidents oversaw the signing of 21 contracts, including an agreement by Russian state oil company Rosneft to supply jet fuel to China and long-term export contracts for Russian steel products… China’s chief interest in Russia, meanwhile, is securing more oil and gas to meet its huge energy needs. The Chinese president took a step in that direction on Monday by securing an agreement for increased deliveries of Russian oil by rail… Hu and Putin also talked up diplomatic ties between their countries, which have taken closely aligned positions in talks meant to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and stem Iran’s nuclear ambitions. In a joint declaration on Monday, the two presidents said the standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme ‘should be resolved exclusively in a peaceful way,’ and welcomed the ‘positive dynamic’ in six-party talks aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear programme.”

Crisis With Iran Deepens

Reuters reported on March 29:

“The U.S. navy said on Thursday it had ordered an aircraft carrier to the Gulf to replace one of two patrolling the region, as the United States winds down naval war games on Iran’s doorstep. The Nimitz carrier strike group will sail from San Diego for the Gulf on Monday, a navy spokesman told Reuters, to replace the Dwight D. Eisenhower, as tensions mount between Iran and the West over captured British troops and Iran’s nuclear program… Strike groups typically include four or five frigates and destroyers and a submarine…

“The Eisenhower and fellow carrier John C. Stennis took part in this week’s U.S. war games, the largest in Gulf waters since 2003, when the U.S. led an invasion of Iraq… For the first time since the Iraq invasion four years ago, two U.S. aircraft carriers were deployed in the Gulf… Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the U.S. not to aggravate tensions with Iran with its naval presence in the Gulf… In February Iran said it had tested missiles that could ‘sink big warships’ in the Gulf. Britain, which maintains its 15 sailors were within Iraqi waters when captured by Iranian forces, wants U.N. Security Council members to endorse a statement that would ‘deplore’ their detention.”

The USA Is Pressing the Issue

AFP reported on March 23:

“The United States wants to reach an agreement by the end of the year on deploying anti-missile defences in eastern Europe, a senior US official said Friday, amid strenuous Russian objections to the plan… A total of 10 interceptor missiles and their accompanying radar would be deployed by about 2010… Washington says the system is aimed at guarding Europe against potential threats from states like Iran and North Korea.

“But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US plan threatened Russia and would undermine cooperation in the United Nations… In Poland, opposition leader Donald Tusk accused the government of caving in to US demands and ‘following policies without a clear vision of the consequences.’ [Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark] Pekala responded that the threat from Iran was ‘real and quite urgent’ as the Islamic republic ‘could have medium or long-range missile capacity to deliver a significant payload to parts of Europe or much farther by 2010 or 2015.’… Pekala said the Czech Republic and Poland were ‘strongly in favor’ of the system and of holding negotiations on the proposed deployment.”

Ethiopia Back in the News

AFP reported on March 22:

“Somali troops backed by Ethiopian tanks Thursday exchanged heavy mortar and machine-gun fire with insurgents for a second straight day in Mogadishu, leaving a trail of casualties and violence showing no sign of let-up… The latest fighting, in which Ethiopian tanks swung into action, was sparked by a government crackdown on the insurgents, many of whom are believed to be Islamists who have returned to the capital after being driven out with the help of Ethiopian forces late last year…

“Western intelligence agencies believe numerous Al-Qaeda operatives are hiding within the ranks of the Somali Islamists, a charge the Islamists vehemently reject. Early this month an Islamist website released an audio-taped message attributed to Ayro, who called on Somalis to attack and kill Ethiopian troops in Somalia.”

AFP reported on March 29:

“Seven Ethiopian soldiers were killed in heavy fighting on Thursday in the south of Mogadishu, and two of their bodies were dragged through the streets… Dozens of men and women pulled the bodies of two soldiers in the street, shouting ‘We will kill the Ethiopian troops’, while five other bodies in Ethiopian uniforms lay on the ground in the southern district of Shirkole. Nearby an Ethiopian military vehicle burned in the street. Loudspeakers had earlier transmitted calls for residents to come out and fight the Ethiopian troops backing Somalia’s transitional government… Ethiopian helicopters earlier fired missiles on mainly southern Mogadishu as heavy fighting across the Somali capital left 15 people dead in an offensive against insurgent fighters. The Ethiopians spearheaded the offensive, deploying tanks in neighbourhoods that have witnessed the most intense insurgent activity in recent months.”

Ethiopia–Future “King of the South”?

Daniel 11:40 speaks of a “king of the South,” at the time of the end, attacking or “pushing at” the “king of the North–a European power bloc. As we pointed out before, it is possible that this prophecy has ALREADY been fulfilled in its FINAL application. On the other hand, it is also possible that this prophecy is dual and still awaiting an ultimate fulfillment. In that case, based on Biblical and historical evidence, the future “king of the South” would be Ethiopia. The concept, which is taught by some, that it would be a confederation of Arab leaders, or Iraq, or Iran, does not seem to have any biblical or historical support.

In light of this conclusion, the article, as set forth below, contains several interesting pieces of information:

Der Spiegel Online wrote on March 28:

“Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians are among the oldest Christian communities in the world. Their hymns and prayers have been preserved and passed down over the ages. But with its numerous religious holidays, the Christian tradition also worsens the country’s grinding poverty… Some 40 percent of the 68 million Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians… In the middle of the 4th century, King Ezana decided to become baptized. Just a few years later Christianity was proclaimed the state religion. Despite this, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was headed for centuries by a metropolitan who was appointed by the Coptic patriarch of Alexandria. It wasn’t until the middle of the past century that the Ethiopian church became AUTONOMOUS and appointed its own patriarch in Addis Ababa. Alongside the 17 eparchies in Ethiopia, bishoprics in Nubia and in Jerusalem now fall under his aegis…

“The churches in Lalibela were built by a king of the same name – a contemporary of Genghis Khan and Barbarossa. He wanted to create a new Jerusalem, which Saladin reclaimed from the crusaders in 1187; denied access to the Holy Land, pilgrims from Ethiopia and the small Christian states along the Nile would be able to worship there. The stream bubbling past the city was christened the Jordan, and the hill overlooking it Mount Tabor… For centuries, Islamic conquests in neighboring regions isolated Ethiopia from the Christian world. Nevertheless, its Christian heritage – the prayers, the hymns and the liturgical language Ge’ez – was successfully preserved for centuries.

“The full glory of the Orthodox Eucharist is tangible in the churches of Lalibela, above all during the Timkat Festival which commemorates Christ’s baptism in the Jordan. On the eve of the event, underground processions wend their way to and through the churches, accompanied by the sound of bells and horns. Priests and deacons cloaked in beaded, darkhued velvet lead the way. On their heads they bear tabots, wooden tablets symbolizing the Ark of the Covenant. These are then placed in a large tent, outside which the faithful congregate, waiting the entire night to embrace the holy powers they believe invested in the tabots. The ritual is no less solemn or impressive than the anointing of a cardinal in the Vatican…

“The Orthodox calendar lists more than 150 holidays and 180 days of fasting, on which Christians are banned from working and limited to one meal… And the SABBATH is still celebrated in rural areas – a relic of the Salomonic dynasty which ruled Ethiopia from the 13th century and adopted numerous JEWISH CUSTOMS. The clergy in Addis Ababa, the country’s capital since the end of the 19th century, may be slowly losing its authority, but the priests in the highlands ENFORCE THE HOLIDAYS with an iron fist. Punishment inexorably follows any failure to comply. Not to mention the prospect of ending up in hell.

“Moreover, the church still DEFINES THE CALENDAR. The Ethiopian year has 12 months lasting 30 days, each plus five or six additional days. The patriarchy refuses to countenance change. The government has sought to adopt the modern Western calendar on several occasions, only to be stymied by the clergy. In practice, the separation of church and state has yet to be implemented. Christianity is also responsible for another phenomenon in Ethiopia: racial arrogance. Viewing their faith as SUPERIOR to Africa’s natural religions, Orthodox Christians regard themselves as a chosen people. In their minds, the portrayal – in the illustrations of the sacred books – of lighter-skinned people as the rulers of the Promised Land and the blacks as their servants is evidence of God’s will…

“Although the Organization for African Unity maintained its headquarters in Addis Ababa for decades and the African Union is now based there, Ethiopians do not see themselves as Africans…

“The Rastafarians from Shashemene, a small city 150 miles south of the capital, have escaped this discrimination; despite their color, they enjoy the full respect of the Christians. The Rastafarians established their colony in the 1960s, and some members later joined Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christian community. Their name is derived from the birth name of the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie: Ras Tafari Makonnen. They revered him as the REINCARNATION OF JESUS CHRIST.”

Human “Science”–Where Will It End?

The Mail reported on March 24:

“Scientists have created the world’s first human-sheep chimera – which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs. The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells – and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer… The process would involve extracting stem cells from the donor’s bone marrow and injecting them into the peritoneum of a sheep’s foetus. When the lamb is born, two months later, it would have a liver, heart, lungs and brain that are partly human and available for transplant…

“But the development is likely to revive criticisms about scientists playing God, with the possibility of silent viruses, which are harmless in animals, being introduced into the human race… Animal rights activists fear that if the cells get mixed together, they could end up with cellular fusion, creating a hybrid which would have the features and characteristics of both man and sheep.”

What April Fool’s Day Hoaxes May Do to Some

On March 29, AFP wrote about the ten “best” April Fool’s Day hoaxes. The following is a quite interesting one, as it shows how gullible people not only believe the hoax, but also imagine things, based on the hoax, which are simply non-existent:

“Noted British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on the radio in 1976 that at 9:47 am, a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event, in which Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, would cause a gravitational alignment that would reduce the Earth’s gravity. Moore told listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment of the planetary alignment, they would experience a floating sensation. Hundreds of people called in to report feeling the sensation.”

Incredible Interest in UFOs

The Associated Press reported on March 23, that “some 100,000 documents on supposed UFOs and sightings of other unexplained phenomena” are published on the Internet by the “French space agency.”

The article continued:

“France is the first country to put its entire weird sightings archive online… The first batch of archives went up on the agency’s Web site this week, drawing a server-busting wave of traffic… The archive includes police and expert reports, witness sketches (some are childlike doodlings), maps, photos and video and audio recordings. In all, the archive has some 1,650 cases on record and about 6,000 witness accounts… Only 9 percent of France’s strange phenomena have been fully explained… Experts found likely reasons for another 33 percent, and 30 percent could not be identified for lack of information. Other cases were impossible to crack…

“Among the unexplained cases, one of the most perplexing concerned a 1994 Air France flight. While flying over the Paris region, the crew noticed a large brown-red disk hovering on the horizon and constantly changing shape. The case ‘has never been explained to this day, and leaves the door open to all possible hypotheses,’ the agency wrote.”

It is possible that the false and demonically-inspired belief in the existence of intelligent alien life forms will influence the armies of this world to decide to fight the returning Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:11-21)–perhaps believing in the appearance of a hostile invader from outer space.

The Lost Iraq War

The Associated Press reported on March 19:

“The Iraq war lumbered into its fifth year Monday with President Bush pleading for patience to let his revised battle plan work and Congress’ new Democratic leaders retorting that no patience remains… Four years in, the war has claimed the lives of more than 3,200 members of the U.S. military. Predictions about the cost and length of the war have been far surpassed. The public overwhelmingly opposes the war, and Bush’s approval rating stands near his all-time low. Trying to halt spiraling sectarian bloodshed, Bush has ordered nearly 30,000 more combat and support troops to Iraq, mostly to stabilize Baghdad…

“A new poll reflected the stress and hopelessness that are the result of the unrelenting violence and uncertain political situation. The poll, by ABC News, USA Today, the BBC and ARD German TV, found only 18 percent of Iraqis have confidence in U.S. and coalition troops, 86 percent are concerned that someone in their household will be a victim of violence and 51 percent say violence against American forces is acceptable… Iraq missed the Dec. 31 target dates to enact the oil law, as well as laws establishing provincial elections and reversing measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because they belonged to Saddam’s Baath party…”

America Has a Lot to Answer For

Deutsche Welle reported on March 19:

“On the fourth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, European newspapers were gloomy as they took stock of the ongoing conflict. The broad consensus: The US has a lot to answer for.

“‘For Iraqis, every year has been worse than the last since 2003,’ writes Britain’s The Independent on its front page. ‘In November and December last year alone 5,000 civilians were murdered, often tortured to death, according to the UN. This toll compares to 3,000 killed in 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland. Many Iraqis have voted with their feet, some two million fleeing — mostly to Syria and Jordan — since President George Bush and Tony Blair ordered US and British troops across the Iraqi border four years ago today.’

“In Barcelona, El Periodico de Catalunya said… ‘Four years on, the invasion has turned into the worst fiasco the US has faced since Vietnam. President George W. Bush can keep predicting that the Americans will win this fight, but that has little bearing on reality…’

“The liberal Romanian newspaper Gandul was damning in its appraisal of US foreign policy. ‘The result is obvious: this has been an overwhelming disaster for the Bush administration. After Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, the US was estimated to be some 22 years ahead of the EU in terms of technology, most probably because of the billions invested in high-tech US defense. These vast sums have led to a skyrocketing domestic deficit…the lesson Iraq teaches us is that everyone pays for America’s mistakes, regardless of who follows its policies or not.’…

“Conservative French daily Le Figaro was fatalistic. ‘100,000 Iraqis are dead. Over 3,000 Americans have lost their lives and of some 32,000 soldiers sent home injured, most will suffer lasting damage. What next? Washington is beginning to think about the aftermath. The Pentagon is preparing a gradual withdrawal and the secretary of state has approved talks with Syria and Iran. What can Europe and the rest of the world do? It is tempting to just sit back and watch, washing one’s hands of the situation. But that is not an option. Stability in the Middle East is even more important to Europe than it is to the US. We can criticize the US for stumbling into this mess, but we will still have to help it out of it.'”

American Army Becoming Desperate

The Washington Post wrote on March 19:

“Four years after the invasion of Iraq, the high and growing demand for U.S. troops there and in Afghanistan has left ground forces in the United States short of the training, personnel and equipment that would be vital to fight a major ground conflict elsewhere, senior U.S. military and government officials acknowledge. More troubling, the officials say, is that it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover from what some officials privately have called a ‘death spiral,’ in which the ever more rapid pace of war-zone rotations has consumed 40 percent of their total gear, wearied troops and left no time to train to fight anything other than the insurgencies now at hand.

“The risk to the nation is serious and deepening, senior officers warn, because the U.S. military now lacks a large strategic reserve of ground troops ready to respond quickly and decisively to potential foreign crises, whether the internal collapse of Pakistan, a conflict with Iran or an outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula. Air and naval power can only go so far in compensating for infantry, artillery and other land forces, they said. An immediate concern is that critical Army overseas equipment stocks for use in another conflict have been depleted by the recent troop increases in Iraq, they said…

“Under current Army and Marine Corps plans, it will take two to three years after the Iraq war ends and about $17 billion a year to restore their equipment levels. It will take five years and at least $75 billion for the Army to increase its active-duty ranks to 547,000 soldiers, up from the current 509,000, and for the Marine Corps to increase its numbers to 202,000, up from 180,000.”

U.S. Odd Man Out?

Reuters wrote on March 17:

“A consensus on the need to protect the world’s environment is emerging among rich and developing nations, but the United States remains at odds with other countries on key points, Germany said on Saturday. Environment ministers of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations, and officials from leading developing countries, were meeting to prepare for a June G8 summit at which climate change will be a major topic. ‘On two issues, the United States were the only ones who spoke against consensus,’ German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters at the end of the two-day meeting, which he chaired on behalf of Germany’s G8 presidency.

“Gabriel said the U.S. remained opposed to a global carbon emissions trading scheme like the one used in the European Union and rejected the idea that industrialized nations should help achieve a ‘balance of interests’ between developing countries’ need for economic growth and environmental protection. ‘We find this regrettable,’ Gabriel said, adding ‘I would have been disappointed if I’d expected something different.’… Developing countries cite the U.S. position as a reason for their refusal to commit to reduction targets.”

Russia Supports US and Europe? — Don’t Be Fooled

On March 18, The New York Times reported enthusiastically about an estranged relationship between Russia and Iran, implying that Russia was beginning to support the American and European efforts to impose sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt nuclear enrichment. The paper wrote:

“Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold nuclear fuel for Iran’s nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council, European, American and Iranian officials said… Moscow and Tehran have been engaged in a public argument about whether Iran has paid its bills, in a dispute that may explain Russia’s apparent shift… ‘We’re not sure what mix of commercial and political motives are at play here,’ one senior Bush administration official said in Washington. ‘But clearly the Russians and the Iranians are getting on each other’s nerves — and that’s not all bad.’”

The Associated Press agreed with the assessment of The New York Times, stating on March 20:

“Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, U.S. and European government representatives said Tuesday. The move reflected a growing rift between Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment.” However, Bloomberg clarified on March 20 that Russia’s recent conduct is not motivated by concern over Iranian nuclear enrichment, but it’s strictly all about money.

In addition, according to the report, “Russia denied threatening to halt nuclear fuel deliveries to Iran unless the Islamic state freezes uranium enrichment, saying a financial dispute was to blame for any delays… Russia has repeatedly delayed construction of the Bushehr project… The UN Security Council’s permanent members — the U.S., U.K., France, Russia and China — along with Germany are deliberating the imposition of more sanctions on Iran after the Islamic Republic ignored a Feb. 22 UN deadline to halt uranium enrichment. Iran instead is expanding its capacity to make the nuclear fuel, which can be used to power atomic energy or to make nuclear weapons.

“Peskov [a Kremlin spokesman] suggested the sanctions were also complicating the timetable for Bushehr’s completion. ‘Certain sanctions are already effective and some third countries are failing to complete shipments of equipment to Bushehr,’ the Kremlin spokesman said, without specifying the countries involved. ‘This is adding problems.’ Russia started work on the Bushehr reactor in 1995, taking over from Germany’s Siemens AG, which stopped work because of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.”

Russia–Don’t Close Your Eyes!

On March 15, Der Spiegel Online published an interview with Russian opposition politician and former chess world champion, Garry Kasparov, who believes that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is not a democracy. We are bringing you the following excerpts from his interview:

“The people in power have put together a list of 10,000 alleged extremists, which is maintained by the intelligence service’s anti-terrorism committee. Putin’s talk about fighting terrorism and extremism has a purpose: He wants to create the option of using the tools of oppression against the opposition… I think that Putin’s popularity is virtual in many respects. He certainly has legitimacy. He was elected, even though the elections were manipulated. But this legitimacy will end with the presidential election in March 2008.

“The current regime is beneficial to barely 15 percent of the population. Many among the remaining 85 percent — 120 million people — are dissatisfied… Pressure [from the West] is counterproductive. The regime uses it to its advantage. The West should simply be objective. Russia is not a democracy. If you realize this, you should say so. No one refers to the Chinese leaders or the Belarusian dictator Aleksander Lukashenko as democrats. Don’t close your eyes when Russia supports terrorists like Hezbollah and Hamas, or Iran.”

Europe’s Fight Over American Anti-Missile System

Reuters reported on March 17:

“Germany sent a thinly veiled warning to the United States on Saturday not to try to split Europe into ‘old’ and ‘new’ with its plans to deploy parts of an anti-missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

“In some of the strongest German rhetoric to date on the issue, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said it was important not to let the U.S. project spark a new arms race in Europe nearly two decades after the end of the Cold War… ‘Our top priority remains disarmament and not an arms buildup. We don’t want a new arms race in Europe,’ he said…

“Germany is concerned the issue will cloud its presidency of the EU by highlighting divisions in Europe reminiscent of those that emerged in the run-up to the U.S.-led Iraq war in 2003. At that time, Poland, Britain and others backed the U.S.-led invasion while Germany, France and others opposed it. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld famously dismissed European countries opposed to the war as ‘old Europe’ ‘There is no “old” and “new” Europe and nobody should try, based on calculated short-term interests, to create such a split,’ Steinmeier said in remarks that appeared aimed at Washington. ‘NATO is the right forum for this discussion. The goal of the debate must be a common solution that does not provoke anyone.'”

Der Spiegel Online reported on March 20:

“Plans by the United States to build a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe has led to sharp criticism from some quarters in Germany… Kurt Beck, the chairman of the SPD, which is in coalition with Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said he opposed the planned defence system. He told the mass circulation Bild newspaper: ‘We don’t need any new missiles in Europe.’ He added that the SPD didn’t want to see a new arms race between the US and Russia on European soil…

“The Financial Times Deutschland writes: ‘It would be a mistake for the West to allow itself to be split and put under pressure by Russia’s aggressive posturing. Or to let the defense system be demonized as a threat to world peace. Russia’s criticism is not convincing…’

“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘If Kurt Beck, the leader of the SPD, has concerns about re-armament, maybe he should express them in Tehran. That is where a missile system is being worked on, one that could reach the heart of Europe in a few years.’

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘The SPD leader (Kurt Beck) is not a cabinet member and so can say quite simply: We don’t need or want new missiles in Europe. Most Germans think the same way, especially when the missiles are American. Now the Chancellor will have to constantly answer the same simple question: Do we need, and does she want, new missiles in Europe? But she can not give a simple answer, because she has to consider treaties and commitments to the alliance.”

Germany Warns Poland…

AFP reported on March 16:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday warned Poland against blocking the European Union’s stalled constitution, while she also sought to woo Warsaw to Germany’s side in building a stronger Europe. Failure to endorse the EU constitution would be ‘a historic missed opportunity,’ Merkel said in a speech at Warsaw University shortly after arriving here on a visit both ‘as German chancellor and president of the EU.’ ‘The time for reflection is past. It’s time for decisions. I pledge that there will be a roadmap to move forward (with the constitution) by the end of the German presidency,’ in June, Merkel said.

“‘It is not only in Europe’s interest but also in the interest of member states and citizens of Europe that this process is taken to a positive end by the next European elections in 2009… Europe is not a “Christian club,” as some would like to say. But Europe is founded on values that are clearly grounded in the Christian vision of humanity,’ said Merkel… ‘There is only one way forward: don’t act alone but as part of a united Europe, which is also a strong Europe.'”

… And Poland Gives In…

AFP reported on March 17:

“Polish President Lech Kaczynski held out an olive branch to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday saying Warsaw will not block efforts to revive the European Union’s constitution… Kaczynski also told Merkel that Warsaw would sign up to a declaration at an EU summit next week to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which founded the then European Community. ‘Poland has certain reservations about the wording of the declaration of Berlin but in refusing to sign it we would have been the only country not to do so,’ Kaczynski said…

“Relations between Germany and Poland have been tested recently. One touchy issue involves Germans who were expelled from Polish territory as World War II drew to a close. They were among some 14 million German civilians who were displaced, deported or expelled from their homes in eastern Europe from 1944 onwards as the Soviet Red Army advanced and Germany’s Third Reich crumbled.”