England is going through never-ending problems with its Muslims.
When I say England, I mean England. The same thing does not apply yet in Wales and Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Many of us have seen it coming for decades. It took the Hamas-Israel conflict to bring it to a head. Almost immediately after the brutal attack by Hamas on October 7th, hundreds of thousands of Muslims started demonstrating for Palestine on the streets of London. They totally ignored the atrocities committed by Hamas. They also ignored laws that already existed, against calls for genocide and against disorderly conduct in the demonstration itself. Statues of famous Londoners were damaged. It was as if a hostile army had entered the capital, ready to kill and destroy.
Every Saturday since the Hamas attack these demonstrations have gone on, making life very inconvenient for Londoners. This has particularly affected Jews who no longer feel safe in London. It’s not just because of physical abuse. There are also the illegal chants that overwhelm other voices. “From the river to the sea” is an illegal chant because it calls for the genocide of the Jews in the Holy Land. But these people are lawless.
How did Britain get here?
Before 1945 the United Kingdom was made up of Anglo-Saxons and Celts, with a little smattering of Jews and others. This was to change dramatically in the postwar years. The British people were never consulted about this. The change was simply imposed on them. It wasn’t until the Blair and Brown governments elected in 1997 and the early 2000’s that the alarm went off as millions of new arrivals arrived from just about everywhere. This has totally changed the character of Britain. Social cohesion is now sadly lacking. Levels of crime have increased alarmingly. Much of this can be blamed on Blair and Brown, but not all. Every government since World War II contributed to this. It has even been suggested that these two men be put on trial, as what they did with their open borders destroyed the country!
Now, British people are starting to think that this social ‘experiment’ is costing them a fortune.
There has never been an attempt to determine how cost effective this has all been. But the fact is that the majority of people who enter the UK from other countries are largely poor and uneducated. The government covers all medical costs and the cost of their children’s education immediately. They are also entitled to welfare. It’s not surprising that tens of thousands by-pass France and head straight for Britain.
Most people do not assimilate. They don’t even try. They retain their own customs. This includes millions of Muslims.
Hosea 7:9-10 King James Version (KJV) “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.” This verse aptly describes modern Israel.
An additional problem with Muslims is their intolerance. On Monday night of this week Douglas Murray, an anti-Muslim speaker, was to address a crowd of people at the Apollo Theater in London. This was to be a mainly Jewish crowd. Muslims turned up and stopped the meeting from ever taking place. Censorship and threats of violence are the main contributions of “the religion of peace.”
London has become inhospitable to non-Muslims. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is a Muslim of Pakistani descent who, some have said, is in league with “militants”. There is not much hope of replacing him at the next election, demographics being what they are.
Finally, it needs to be said that most of Britain’s leaders are cowards when it comes to dealing with these problems. Faced with the rising influence of Islam, the government is going to build a memorial in London to all the Muslims who fought with Britain in World War II. This will honor the men of the British Indian Army. The government is also donating 117 million pounds (approximately 150 million dollars) to help strengthen security at the country’s mosques. Christian churches need it more, but they were not offered a penny. Another illustration of cowardice is that dozens of MPs (members of parliament) are not going to seek re-election this year. Following the murders of two MPs by “extremists,” one white and one Muslim, the appeal of parliament is waning.
The Muslim problem will not go away and is likely to get worse particularly as nobody wants to tackle the problem of immigration. An election this year will likely see Labor (the socialists) back in power who will just ignore it. If something is not done quickly this could be the death of England. Seriously.
Prophesying of Israel in the last days, God warns: “The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker. They will lend money to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail!” (Deut 28:43-44)
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GAMBIA CONTEMPLATES GIANT LEAP BACKWARDS
Gambia’s National Assembly voted Monday to advance a bill repealing the country’s ban on female genital cutting. The vote sent the bill to committee, buying opponents three months before repealing the ban is up for a final vote. If it passes, Gambia will become the first nation to roll back protections against cutting, potentially setting a dangerous precedent for other countries.
Over 75% of women in Gambia experience cutting, which usually involves removing the clitoris and labia minora of girls between the ages of 10 and 15 and often leads to infection and life-threatening complications during childbirth.
The practice was banned in 2015 but only enforced for the first-time last year. After three practitioners were fined, influential imams in the Muslim-majority country called to repeal the ban, claiming that cutting is religiously and culturally important.
Anti-cutting campaigners protested outside Parliament during the vote, but only religious leaders and their supporters advocating for the repeal were granted entrance. Out of the 47 lawmakers present, 42 voted to advance the repeal in a parliament with only five women.
Opponents of the bill fear that if the ban is repealed, other laws protecting women and girls, like the ban on child marriage, will be next. (Gzero Signal, 3/19/2024)
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TURMOIL IN CUBA AS FOOD SHORTAGES BITE
Extended blackouts and food scarcity drove Cubans into the streets of Santiago, the Caribbean country’s second-largest city, on Monday, in rare and risky protests. President Miguel Díaz-Canelblamed the US trade embargo for shortages and warned that American “terrorists” were fomenting dissent.
Cuba depends heavily on its allies, Russia and Venezuela, for food and fuel, but the island’s rumbling economic crisis means each peso fails to go as far as it once did. The government raised prices on fuel by over 400% at the start of March as part of an effort to stabilize the economy and control spiraling inflation, which officially topped 30% (though the real rate is likely higher).
Havana is now receiving aid from the World Food Bank for the first time, after requesting help in a rare acknowledgment that the country can’t feed itself. Now, blackouts of up to 18 hours a day mean that ordinary folks can’t refrigerate what food they do have, and instead watch it spoil in tropical weather. Over 400,000 people have fled to the US in the two and a half years since the last major economic protests.
We’re watching for signs of unrest spreading to other cities, and for how hard Havana cracks down on dissent. (Gzero Signal, 3/19/2024)
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BRITISH ISLES BRIEFS
Leo Varadkar is to step down as Taoiseach and as leader of his party, Fine Gael. In an announcement this lunchtime in Dublin, Varadkar said he would quit as party leader with immediate effect but stay in the role of Taoiseach until his successor is appointed. Explaining his decision, Varadkar cited ‘personal and political reasons’ as to why ‘after careful consideration and soul searching, I don’t feel I’m the best person for the job anymore.’ (The Spectator, 3/20/2024)
Bristol, England – has seen more than its share of knife crime. The police are now giving young boys a survival kit, to help them help others who have been stabbed. They will be able to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrives.
All three of the kingdoms that comprise Great Britain are now led by immigrants. It may be four in a week or two when Ireland replaces Leo Varadkar. Great Britain is the first European entity to experience this. It’s too much of a coincidence!
On Monday March 11th, Lee Anderson, a Conservative Member of Parliament, defected to the new Reform Party, becoming the Reform Party’s first sitting MP. As Mr. Anderson said, “I just want my country back.”
China strikes: Industrial action is surging in China, The Observer said, with workers around the country “going on strike at a remarkable rate.” This year there have already been at least 130 factory strikes, more than three times as many as occurred throughout the whole of 2022, according to data compiled by the China Labour Bulletin (CLB), a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization. For most of the strikes “the root cause is money,” The Observer said. “Strikes sometimes get small wins,” Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a professor of Chinese history at the University of California, Irvine, told the paper “but sometimes small concessions are made and the organizers are punished.” (The Week, 5/22/2023)
[Catholic] ‘Christian Brothers’ accused of engaging in ‘slave trade.’
A 74-year-old County Limerick victim of child sex abuse by Christian Brothers has accused the congregation of having been engaged in the “slave trade.”
Tom Wall was just three when he was sent by court order to an industrial school in the village of Glin after his unmarried mother left a mother-and-baby home in nearby Newcastle West. Industrial schools were established in the mid-19th Century and often run by religious orders to care for neglected, orphaned or abandoned children. The Christian Brothers opened their first school in 1802 to provide education and help the poor. In 2009, they issued an apology, following a damning public inquiry into child abuse in Catholic-run institutions in the Republic of Ireland. The congregation said it accepted the findings of the Ryan Commission “with shame” and was “deeply sorry for the hurt” it had caused through abuse and its failure to respond to abuse allegations.
Indentured or unpaid labour was more common in the past than it is now.
“They are not allowed to marry; they are not allowed to go to the cinema; they must not divulge their master’s secrets; they cannot absent themselves from their masters,” he continued, quoting from a 1902 contract which the BBC has seen. “Their wages for the first three years have to go to the Christian Brothers in Glin.
“The Taliban are offering money for Afghans to turn in any Christians they know. And Afghans are desperate, further heightening the security risk [to] Christians.” — mnnonline, April 3, 2023, Afghanistan.
[P]olice raided a large group of Christians, mostly college students, as they “gathered to sing and record video clips for social media.” One-hundred-and three of them, “mainly students,” were arrested and sent to prison. “This latest arrest puts the number of Christian prisoners detained indefinitely without trial in Eritrea to more than 500…. Mai Serwa [prison]…is … known for its use of torture and other forms of mistreatment, including beatings, starvation, and denial of medical care. The Eritrean government detains individuals without charge or trial and has held many in detention for years without access to legal representation or the due process of law.” — International Christian Concern, persecution.org, April 24, 2023, Eritrea.
[I]n one night of unfathomable horror … men, women, and children were slaughtered like chickens . . .” — persecution.org, April 28, 2023 — Democratic Republic of Congo.
The “pure genocide” of Christians, as it has been characterized by several international observers, reached new levels, according to an Apr. 10 report, which found that since 2009, 52,250 Christians in Nigeria “have been butchered or hacked to death.” – Nigeria.
“Political Islam replaces the laws or interprets them differently so that they restrict the practice of other religions. It also works to change the culture of society — which puts it under great pressure — so that it becomes more radical and extreme, not only toward other religions but also toward other Islamic sects.” — catholicnewsagency.com, 2023, Libya.
[Raymond Ibrahim, Gatestone, 5/21/2023)
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WHITES TO BECOME A MINORITY IN THE UK
In the UK, Dr Paul Morland warns that white British children are likely to become a minority in primary schools by the year 2060.
“In terms of the speed of the decline, there was work done by demographers at Oxford and other work more recently that looks at 2060, where we’ll have perhaps 50-60 per cent of people defining themselves as white British,” said Morland.
“But of course at that point, if you look at the primary school or the school age folk or the people in the large cities, it would be a minority and a declining minority,” he added.
“Where’s the accountability?” asks Gov Ron Desantis about Fauci for basically lying to the American public and the world.
Gov Desantis announced that the State of Florida is the first US state to formally ban gain of function research, even though it was once officially banned. In so doing, Desantis blasted Fauci for lying to the American public and the world in covering up the fact that he directly funded gain of function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology that developed the coronavirus that then spread around the world.
Yet, Fauci is still yet to be held accountable for being responsible for funding the illegal gain of function research. (Israel Unwired, 5/16/2023)
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TALKING POINTS
A new study has found that voters overwhelmingly support the imposition of tougher curbs on junk food to tackle obesity. Some 80% of adults would back legislation to prevent the advertising of unhealthy food to children on television and online, according to the YouGov poll for the Obesity Health Alliance. Two thirds of adults in England are overweight or obese, noted The Times, a trend that is “driving record levels of long-term sickness in the UK,” with 2.6m people off work. (The Week, 5/23/2023)
London is falling behind rival financial centres because of over-regulation, claimed the chief executive of Britain’s biggest investment company. Nigel Wilson, the head of Legal & General, said that although entrepreneurship in universities is “off the scale” the UK’s financial centre doesn’t have “a capital system that is set up for these people to become successful in the way that the US has.” He is backing “urgent reforms to help the economy thrive,” said The Telegraph. (The Week, 5/23/2023)
ALL of Labor’s truly great leaders were constitutional monarchists, while today’s leaders usually claim they’re “life-long republicans.” That’s because they tend to be life-long politicians without any prior real job! (Politicom, Australia, 5/232023)
Germany seeks to bolster cooperation with South Korea and is thus engaged in enhancing the formation of an East Asian bloc against China. This is the result of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s short visit to Seoul yesterday. Prior to his visit, Scholz had already welcomed the recent rapprochement between Japan and South Korea. The USA has exerted massive pressure on Seoul and Tokyo to tighten ranks against Beijing. The groundwork had recently been laid, when South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol practically obliged South Korean companies to assume the Japanese companies’ obligation to pay compensation to their former South Korean forced laborers. While a clear majority of South Korea’s population is rejecting this plan, as well as Yoon’s pro-Japanese policy, Scholz is backing the South Korean president. Berlin seeks to intensify cooperation with Seoul in the fields of semiconductor production, of armament and military. Plans are being discussed to involve the Bundeswehr on an ongoing basis in the US-led monitoring of UN sanctions against North Korea. (German Foreign Policy, 5/22/2023)
SAVE THE BEES. “The goal of No Mow May is to pause mowing during the month of May, allowing flowers to bloom in your lawn to help early season pollinators. Late winter and early spring is a time when floral resources are often limited.” Last year, I reported that a walk through my neighborhood revealed one immaculate lawn after another. It’s the same this year. Clearly, nobody cares about bees. Or, indeed, our future food supply! Lansing City Council is not helping. It continues to fine people if their grass is above eight inches.
COMMENTARY
China and Russia are about to ditch the US dollar for trade between the two nations. Others are expected to follow. This could be the start of something big.
When I googled this verse, the following came up.
“God controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars . . . ” (Daniel 2:21)
One way he “removes kings” is through their finances. Before the world wars of the last century, Great Britain was the world’s leader. In 1916, halfway through the Great War, the UK had to ask JP Morgan for a loan. This was the beginning of the end for British leadership. Great Britain was gradually replaced by the US.
But now we see the US in big financial trouble. It’s not just the dollar. The debt ceiling crisis, a problem that keeps coming back, shows America to be heavily in debt. In fact, there’s more debt that any nation in history.
Every child born this year already has debts amounting to $94,000 around his neck. Additionally, there’s a mountain of private debt, totaling $13 trillion. And it’s getting worse by the day.
Although other things can bring us down, it seems likely that our financial problems will be a major factor.
Finances and war – the two biggest reasons for a superpower’s fall (see “The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers,” by Paul Kennedy). It’s only a matter of time.
Interestingly, the war in Ukraine which is a major drain on our finances, has also driven Europe closer. A USE will be ready to replace the USA as the global superpower when the time comes.
The home secretary, Suella Braverman, in parliament on 31 October, where she spoke of an ‘invasion’ on the south coast. (Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AFP/Getty Images)
For hundreds of years, Great Britain had the biggest navy in the world. It kept all invaders out of the British Isles and kept them away from Britain’s vast colonial empire as well. Chief amongst its enemies were Spain and France, two Catholic powers that wanted to restore Britain to the church. More recently, there was Germany. In two world wars Britain kept the German invader out and maintained the country’s independence.
But everything is different now. The Royal Navy was the great protector of Great Britain, keeping out the Germans, before them, the French and Spanish. But now they are being defeated by an irregular force of Albanians, who, apparently want to expand their criminal activities to England (human trafficking, gambling and drugs). At least one thousand people a week arrive in dinghies, claiming asylum. It should be noted here that there is absolutely no reason for them to seek asylum, as Albania is a democracy. It’s been a member of NATO since 2009. And since most arrivals are young men (and not women and children), these new arrivals are clearly economic migrants, simply out to better themselves.
The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) rescues them, gives them a hot cup of tea, and brings them safely to shore where they are then housed in 3- or 4-star hotels at tax-payer expense. They are given three meals a day and 38 pounds spending money a week. This, at a time when many people in Britain do not have enough to eat.
Suella Braverman, Home Secretary (Interior Minister) in the UK, described what is happening as an “invasion.” She was criticized in parliament for using that word, but what word should she use? The waves of immigrants in recent years are changing Great Britain out of recognition; making it worse is that people have been silenced through repressive laws that limit their freedom to speak on this issue.
Once again, Britain is asking the French to help stop the flow. They are to pay France 72.2 million euros (the dollar and the euro are on a par right now), up from 63 million last year. One question: If it didn’t work then, why should it work now?
A solution might be to bring some royal naval commanders out of retirement. They will know what to do and take great pleasure in doing it!
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PS: It’s just been announced that only 46% of the British people, in a recent survey, consider themselves Christian. In the US it’s 71% Coincidentally, my electronic Bible opened up at the following verse this morning: “The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. ” (Deut 28)
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US MIDTERMS
The Republicans had a disappointing electoral result in the Midterms. Inflation did not turn people against the Democrats. Many commentators said it was the female vote that did it. More specifically women who support abortion.
For the GOP, it’s an opportunity to launch investigations on stuff like the origins of COVID, the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Republicans’ favorite target: Biden’s own son, Hunter. It might even lead to impeaching the president. On foreign policy, expect the GOP to penny-pinch US aid to Ukraine and make Congress get even tougher on China — perhaps not the best idea after Biden and Xi Jinping decided to cool things down at the G-20 in Bali. (Gzero Signal, 11/17/2022)
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UN Mideast envoy warns West Bank ‘reaching a boiling point’The UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland,warns the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “reaching a boiling point.” (Times of Israel, by Luke Tress, 28 Nov 2022)
“The high level of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel in recent months including attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians,” Wennesland says, “have caused grave human suffering.”
“The targeting of civilians can never be justified and the violence must stop,” Wennesland says at a Security Council briefing, calling for a return to a political process for a resolution to the conflict. He condemns the recent terror attacks in Jerusalem and Ariel, as well as settler violence against Palestinians in Hebron. He warns that “demography is moving faster than politics,” and that the rapid population growth in Gaza and the West Bank will make it “increasingly difficult” to manage the conflict. The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, condemns the terror attacks against Israelis and settler violence. The US “is deeply concerned about the sharp escalation,” Thomas-Greenfield says. “This has been the deadliest year in the West Bank since 2004.” She condemns the Palestinian Authority’s payments to terrorists and the “disruption to the historic status quo of holy sites.” Thomas-Greenfield blasts the UN for its “lopsided focus” on Israel, including the open-ended Commission of Inquiry and the request for the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the conflict. “The UN system is replete with anti-Israel actions and bodies,” she says. “Instead of grandstanding and pursuing unproductive measures, we hope the UN will start focusing on concrete steps that improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians.”
The German Bundestag wants to declare the 1932/33 famine in Ukraine a genocide and is thus adopting a politically motivated classification from the milieu of the former Ukrainian Nazi collaboration. As research by historians shows, the claim that the famine was a deliberately planned “Ukrainian Holocaust” originated within the Ukrainian exile community in Canada, where former Nazi-collaborators set the tone. In the late 1980s, this claim was subsumed under the newly coined term “Holdomor.” Historians overwhelmingly reject this claim, particularly because the famine affected the populations of agrarian regions throughout the Soviet Union. The Bundestag plans to pass its resolution on the “Holdomor” already on Wednesday. This also threatens to have serious domestic consequences. Last Friday the Bundesrat had approved the recent tightening of §130 of the German penal code, according to which “the public condoning, denying, or grossly trivializing” of war crimes and genocide will be punishable by law. (German Foreign Policy, 11/28/2022)
August 15th was the date Japan’s Emperor Hirohito admitted defeat. Japan’s formal surrender took place more than two weeks later.
August 15th was also the date of America’s defeat at the hands of the Taliban, a group of medieval terrorists who didn’t even have an air force.
In the 76 years between those two dates, America has been the world’s greatest military power. But those days may be over. This century has not seen any American victory. Only failure – in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. China is already making hostile noises over Taiwan. A further defeat there could finish off the United States.
“Joe Biden ordered the US retreat from Afghanistan knowing what that might mean for women. Getting out of Afghanistan has been the President’s settled wish for a long time, not something forced on him as a result of the deal done by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
“The rapid collapse of the Afghan government forces was still a nasty shock. Biden and his officials were not completely foolish to hope the security forces would hold out for longer than they did. There were 300,000 troops and police officers with modern weapons, artillery and armored vehicles against — perhaps — 75,000 Taliban fighters with Kalashnikovs, motorcycles and flip-flops. But in the past, big changes in Afghanistan have happened not because of victories on the battlefield but because people changed sides. ” (“America abandoned this fight before the Afghans did,” Paul Wood, The Spectator, 8/21/2021)
AN UNRELIABLE ALLY
“Globally, there is not a friend or foe who doesn’t see that America’s reliability as an ally has been demolished. Great Britain, which has troops in Afghanistan, was not even consulted.
“Thousands of Americans awaiting instructions and with no way to get to an airport whose access is now controlled by the Taliban are still trapped inside Afghanistan. Pathetically, they are being told to “shelter in place.” Interpreters and their families, who were promised that in the event of crisis they would be rescued, are not just trapped; reports are that members of the Taliban with “lists of names” are going door to door looking for allies of the U.S. military. ” (Lawrence Kadish, Gatestone, 8/18/2021)
In the eleven days it took for the collapse of the Afghan government, America fell victim to an ancient Afghan tradition. That is their propensity to change sides when they sense a victory by another party. There is no commitment to ideology, no understanding of democracy, no appreciation of how their decision might affect the wider world. They just want to be on the winning side. The Taliban’s rapid advance was a great recruiting tool.
“The West flees as Kabul falls to Taliban,” says The Daily Telegraph this morning. It adds that the militant group completed a “lightning takeover” of Afghanistan after the US withdrawal. The Guardian says the 20-year Western mission to Afghanistan collapsed in a “single dramatic day.”
The Daily Mirror takes a domestic angle on the story, reporting that a 600-strong force is helping 6,000 Britons to flee. It adds that Boris Johnson has blamed the US pullout for the Taliban’s advance.
“What the hell did they all die for?” asks The Daily Mail, as it notes that 457 British lives were lost during the West’s 20-year occupation of Afghanistan. It splashes with a photograph from a funeral of a British soldier. (The Week, UK, 8/16/2021)
Mark Stone, one of Sky News’ top correspondents, had this to say in the midst of the turmoil at the weekend. “This is a key moment for America’s position in the world,” (Sky News, 8/15/2021).
NBC correspondent Richard Engels added on the same day that “this is an inglorious end to a 20-year war.”
“It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history,” added former President Donald Trump.
We needed strategic patience of the sort that has kept US forces on the Korean peninsula, or British forces in Cyprus, for a lifetime of decades. Our leaders, and mainly one, lacked the vision to have that patience and we shall pay a heavy price. (Gatestone, 8/19/2021)
A British Member of Parliament said that this was the biggest military disaster since Suez.
The 1956 Suez crisis ended the British Empire. It’s no exaggeration to say that this could well be the end of the American Empire, if allies choose to realign themselves with others.
At the very least the fall of Afghanistan will mean more heroin, more refugees and more terrorism. “Men, women and large numbers of children” (Sky News) are fleeing the country, adding to the financial burden on other countries.
As the world witnesses the carnage in Afghanistan, one fact is clear: that the decision to withdraw was made for US domestic reasons, not for reasons of security. This is a great American weakness: there’s always an election just weeks away, and always a need to blame the previous president when things go wrong.
Finally, there’s a scripture that we should think about as we learn the lessons from the defeat of the United States, often lauded as the greatest military power in history. Leviticus 29:16 says:
“I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.”
We have certainly been a proud nation, pride that has been seriously diminished by recent events. At the same time, the sky above has been like iron and the ground beneath us like bronze. The fires and the ecological disasters that we are constantly going through seem at times like a punishment from God. Military disasters can also be a punishment from God. What are we being punished for? At every level we break the laws of God and expect our historical blessings to continue. That’s arrogance in itself.
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CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
In the midst of all this came the news that the last census showed a major drop in the white population of the US, now down to less than 58%. Ten years ago, it was 75%. Half of the people under 18 are non-white.
As President Biden seems set to allow in thousands of refugees across the southern border (and thousands arriving by air from Afghanistan and elsewhere), we seem to be headed for more major changes in the United States in the near future.
After a mass operation to withdraw the whip from Tory Brexit rebels, Boris Johnson is far short of a working majority.’ Photograph: WPA Pool/Getty Images
In 1642, King Charles I closed down parliament. It was the trigger for a civil war that ended when Charles was beheaded in 1649.
It also effectively ended royal power.
Today, if the current divisions in Britain result in another civil war, it will be parliament vs the people.
Ridiculous, some may say. Parliament represents the people.
Not any more.
Not since 2016, when a referendum in the UK showed the majority of people wanted to leave the European Union. However, the majority in parliament (about 70%), don’t want to leave the EU and they have been fighting to keep Britain in at every opportunity.
Britain’s new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is committed to delivering on Brexit, to giving the people want they want. The deadline is October 31st. He got the Queen’s permission to close parliament from September 9th, an act that enraged members of parliament.
Now parliament has voted to tie his hands behind his back. He now cannot leave without a deal. The Europeans may not give him more time, which means he would have to accept the deal they have already offered, a deal which keeps Britain bound to Europe indefinitely.
Normally, an election would have to be held to resolve the issue. All Mr. Johnson needs is a simple majority. But the opposition Labor Party (and others) do not support an election, knowing they would lose.
Mr. Johnson’s hands are tied.
Sensing that this could mean Britain will NEVER leave the EU, financial markets and the British currency were up, a clear indication of where they stand.
A successful Brexit will be a blow to globalization. Mike Pence, US Vice President, has just visited and expressed his support, including that of President Trump.
A writer for the London Times this morning predicted that in just two weeks Jeremy Corbyn will be PM and then the economy will crash!
This is a dreadful time for the British people. “But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matt 12:25).
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CORBYN’S NEW ECONOMY by Jim Pickard and Robert Shrimsley”
“A Corbyn government promises a genuine revolution in the British economy. Labour’s leadership intends to pursue not only a fundamental change in ownership and tax but a systemic effort to embed reform in a way that future parties will struggle to unpick. “We have to do what Thatcher did in reverse,” says Jon Lansman, founder of the Corbyn support group Momentum. “We have to take decisive steps to both achieve a significant redistribution and create a constituency of an awful lot of people with an obvious stake in a continuing Labour government.” Labour has announced plans to nationalize rail, water, mail and electricity distribution companies, in addition to higher taxes on the rich. At the heart of everything is one word: redistribution. Redistribution of income, assets, ownership and power. The mission is to shift power from capital to labour, wresting control from shareholders, landlords and other vested interests and putting it in the hands of workers, consumers and tenants. “We have to rewrite the rules of our economy,” says Mr. McDonnell. “Change is coming.” (“Jeremy Corbyn’s plan to rewrite the rules of the UK economy,” Financial Times, 9/5)
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US ECONOMY — SIGNS OF IMPENDING RECESSION
It can be hard to know when isolated announcements become something more. Since last November General Motors has cut several thousand factory jobs at plants across the Midwest. In early August US Steel said it would lay off 200 workers in Michigan. Sales of camper vans dropped by 23% in the 12 months ending in July, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of workers in Indiana, where many are made. Factory workers are not the only ones on edge. Lowes, a retailer, recently said it would slash thousands of jobs. Halliburton, an oil-services firm, is cutting, too.
In any given month, even at the height of a boom, more than 5m Americans leave a job; nearly 2m are laid off. Most of the time, however, overall employment grows. But not all the time. America may or may not be lurching towards a recession now. For the time being employment and output continue to grow. But in the corners of the economy where trouble often rears its head earliest, there are disconcerting portents. (The Economist)
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ISLAMIC VIEW ON TRUMP, JOHNSON AND ISRAEL
Fatah Revolutionary Council member Dr. Hazem Abu Shanab, the former Palestinian ambassador to Pakistan, said in an August 18, 2019 interview on Alhadath Alyoum TV that U.S. President Donald Trump will be re-elected in 2020 because American society has turned to extremism the same way that Israeli society has favored extremist parties for the past 18 years. He added that the situation is similar with Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom, and the TV host, Sayyed Ali, said: “We are creating a Hitler worse than Hitler.” (MEMRI #7431, 8/25)
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FIGHTING FOR GERMANY
“Recently a party represented in the German parliament (Bundestag) published its program for the military. The program is no secret. The voters going to the polls in 2 German states on September 1 could know this program. Up to 28 percent of the voters have chosen the party with this program. It wants to further militarize Germany.
“The 28 percent party is calling for a radical “restoration of the German Bundeswehr (the German armed forces).” The military draft should be reinstated and the number of troops “be raised to 23,000 soldiers” – as a “first step.” An additional 50,000 man reserve would be necessary. The German military, it literally states, “would be authorized to intervene domestically.”
“The “foreign duties” of the Bundeswehr should be exercised “in every corner of the earth.” In Europe: it lays “claim to a military commanding role” – because of “Germany’s geographic situation and economic prominence.” The highest command level will be a German “General Staff.”
“Germany should also be in command of the European NATO.
“And finally, being the commanding nation, Germany must insist on “participation” in NATO’s “nuclear capabilities.” In other words, Berlin should have a finger on the trigger of France’s, and eventually also the USA’s nuclear weapons and be in a position to wage also NATO’s nuclear wars.” (German Foreign Policy, 9/3)
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GERMAN ELECTIONS: AFD SURGE IN SAXONY AND BRANDENBURG – BBC * 2 Sep 2019
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party surged in elections in two eastern states, but not enough to oust the ruling coalitions there. The centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) of Chancellor Angela Merkel lost votes in Saxony but still came top with 32%, ahead of AfD’s 27.5%. In Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) won with 26.2%, while AfD got 23.5%. AfD is shunned by the other parties. In both states the other parties will now discuss forming new coalitions – perhaps including the Greens – which will exclude AfD.
The SPD – nationally in government with the CDU – plunged dramatically to 7.7% in Saxony. Support for AfD grew when it campaigned against Mrs. Merkel’s admission of nearly a million non-EU migrants in 2015. AfD also drew on discontent in the former communist east over Germany’s closure of loss-making businesses, including coal mines.
AfD’s slogan “let’s complete the change” harked back to the 1989 “Wende” (change), which many eastern Germans see as unfinished business. Despite huge investment from the richer west, for many people the economic restructuring did not transform their lives as they had hoped.
“We’re satisfied in Brandenburg as well as in Saxony,” AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland said, adding that his party had “punished” Mrs. Merkel’s conservatives. But despite the gains, the result may disappoint AfD as the party had hoped to come top in Brandenburg, the BBC’s Damien McGuinness reports from Berlin.
The CDU state premier of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, said, “I’m very happy with the result,” but added that opposition messages had made an impact on social media. “The filter bubble on the internet is so powerful, and in 20 months you cannot reach everyone,” he told broadcaster ARD. The CDU-SPD national coalition is due to last until federal elections in 2021, and a collapse could trigger a snap election or result in a minority government.
Israel and Iran are at war. Israeli strikes this week in southern Syria, western Iraq and eastern Lebanon – and possibly even Beirut – confirm it.
This war is a very 21st-century affair. For now it involves only small circles among the Israeli and Iranian populations. Parts of the air force, intelligence services and probably special forces are active on the Israeli side. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its expeditionary Quds Force and proxy politico-military organizations in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are engaged on behalf of Iran.
The war marks a hinge point in Middle Eastern geopolitics. For the past decade and a half, the region has been engaged mainly with internal strife: civil wars, insurgencies and mass protests. These are now largely spent, leaving a broken landscape along the northern route from Iran to Israel. (Jonathan Spyer, Middle East Forum, 8/28)
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ISRAEL FACES SERIOUS ESCALATION IN WAR WITH IRAN
The fact that Israel has found it necessary to attack targets so far from its traditional area of military operations close to its immediate borders is indicative of the alarming escalation that has taken place in recent months in the threat Iran poses to Israeli security.
Earlier this week, in Lebanon, an Israeli drone was reported to have bombed a Palestinian base that is said to be funded by Iran. Israeli warplanes were also reported to have bombed Iranian military bases on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus.
The very idea of Washington sitting down with the Iranians at a time when it is continuing to threaten the security of its closest Middle Eastern ally would be unconscionable.
The reality is that there can be no meaningful dialogue between Washington and Tehran on a future deal so long as Iran remains committed to its long-standing policy of seeking the wholesale destruction of the Jewish state. (Con Coughlin, Gatestone, 8/29)
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CALL FOR AMERICAN THEOCRACY
The Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA) held its 2019 annual convention on July 5-7 in Philadelphia. Just as with last year’s conference – also held in the nation’s birthplace — there was no shortage of extremist speakers sharing the podium. But in contrast to 2018, this time the focus was squarely on the Islamist charge into the political sphere. Speakers claimed that Islam required believers to gain political power, impose an Islamic doctrine on America, and fundamentally reshape American society.
Ayman Hammous, executive director of the Muslim American Society (MAS, the American affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood), stated that “Islam is needed at the spiritual level, at the social level, at the political level.” Movita Johnson-Harrell, a state representative from Pennsylvania, called on Muslims to “occupy every space of this world.” (Martha Lee and Benjamin Baird, Middle East Forum, 8/2)
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GERMANY AND FRANCE TO BOOST MILITARY PRESENCE IN SAHEL
(Own report) – Berlin and Paris have announced an initiative to increase the militarization of the Sahel. The initiative is called the “Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel explained last Sunday at the G7 summit in Biarritz. According to Merkel, within this framework “troops and police forces” from five regional countries should be “reinforced nationally.” For this purpose new financial means will be made available, French President Emmanuel Macron explained. This project is the EU’s third attempt to control tensions and conflicts in the Sahel with increased militarization. With much fanfare, the EU had launched the EUTM Mali training mission in 2013 and strengthened the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali MINUSMA with soldiers from Europe. In 2017, Germany and France had promoted the establishment of the “G5 Sahel” intervention force. The conflicts had increased each time and have already spread beyond Mali to other countries, some even involving ethnic massacres. (German Foreign Policy, 8/28)
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NON-RELIGIOUS MAJOR FORCE IN DNC
The Democratic National Committee passed a resolution Saturday claiming nonreligious people are “the largest religious group” within the party, noting these people “overwhelmingly share the Democratic Party’s values.”
The resolution came forward at the DNC’s summer meeting in San Francisco, and it was pushed through with unanimous consent. The lobbying group Secular Coalition of America praised its passage as the first time a major American political party has “embraced nonbelievers,” according to Fox News.
The resolution states that nonreligious people make up 25 percent of the national population and 35 percent of people under the age of 30. Of these, 70 percent voted for Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections, the document notes. It continues that these people “have often been subjected to unfair bias and exclusion in American society,” asserting that many religious Americans have sought to infringe on their rights.” (American Truth Today, 8/30)
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US MILITARY’S MOST OVERWEIGHT MEMBERS ARE IN THE NAVY
Sailors need remedial physical training
That could be one just one of many conclusions drawn by a recent Department of Defense study that found the Navy earned the dubious honor of surpassing all other branches in its rate of obese personnel. The overall rate of fat service members is also up from recent years, with the percentage of personnel weighing in at obese standards climbing to over 17 percent, according to a Health of the DoD Force study. That number spiked to over a quarter of service members over the age of 35. For the Navy, the overall number of obese personnel was a shocking 22 percent. The other branches reported the following frequency of obesity: Air Force: 18 percent; Army: 17 percent; Marine Corps: 8.3 percent.
While the Marine Corps was the least overweight of the bunch — a characteristic partially attributable to the Corps having the youngest average age of personnel — the Marines reported the highest rate of knee and back injuries.
“The Department of Defense, our nation’s largest employer, spends about $1.5 billion annually in obesity-related health care costs for current and former service members and their families, as well as costs to replace unfit personnel,” a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed. Overweight and obese active duty military also cost DoD $103 million per year in the form of 658,000 lost workdays, the study found.
A 2018 RAND Report that analyzed rates of both obese and overweight troops painted a grim picture of the military’s physical fitness standards. The study, featuring roughly 18,000 randomly selected participants across each of the service branches, reported that almost 66 percent of service members are considered to be either overweight or obese, based on the same BMI measurement standard used in the DoD study. Broken down by service, the 2018 report lists the Army as the branch accounting for the highest percentage of overweight troops, with 69.4 percent of soldiers falling under this category. The Army was followed by the Coast Guard (67.8 percent), Navy (64.6 percent), Air Force (63.1 percent) and Marine Corps (60.9 percent).
Over thirty years ago, Jeremy Paxman presented an above average in-depth news program on BBC2 called Newsnight. I used to watch it when I got home late from visiting or giving an evening Bible Study. Mr. Paxman, of Jewish descent, lives in England, but has the insightfulness of an outsider.
I’ve recently spent time reading two of his books: “On Royalty” (2006) and “The English” (1998). I was surprised to see the following in the latter, on page 94. I reproduce it for your interest.
“Nineteenth century missionaries sent out to convert the colonized peoples of the world sincerely believed they were spreading the word from a New Jerusalem in England. It was only a short step to the crackpot belief propounded by Edward Hine in a lecture in Chelsea in 1879 that Great Britain was Israel, the Americans the lost tribe of Manasseh, the Irish the Canaanites, and that Jacob’s Stone was really in Westminster Abbey. It was, his followers claimed, the only explanation for the extraordinary success of the English people. According to this theory, the Jews of ancient Israel had been captured by Assyrians led by King Sargon, had migrated across Europe and eventually emerged as the Anglo-Saxons. As late as the 1960s, an American, Herbert W Armstrong was repeating the “chosen people” theory:
‘Certainly there can be no mistaking the identity! Take a map of Europe, lay a line due northwest of Jerusalem across the continent of Europe until you come to the sea, and then to the islands in the sea. This line takes you direct to the British Isles! Proof that our white, English speaking people today – British and American – are actually and truly the Birthright tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh of the ‘lost’ House of Israel.’
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QUOTE
“Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade the sphere of private life,” Lord Melbourne, British prime minister, friend and mentor to Queen Victoria.
The November 2, 1917 declaration by then British foreign minister Arthur Balfour said his government viewed “with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”. Photograph: (AFP)
We’re back from Indianapolis after delivering one of our cats to our daughter and family. We stayed three nights, to see the family and for the cat to get adjusted to her new situation.
I offered to go get some cat food, but our daughter and granddaughters would not allow me near the pet food aisle after my last blog!
I don’t know what it is but whenever I visit them I go into “vacation mode” – I don’t feel like doing anything. I just want to relax. This is not fair to them. We help take care of three (sometimes, five) grandchildren in Lansing; then have four when we visit Indy.
Our family Sunday ended up being a day in front of the television with our granddaughters who introduced us to the British series “Father Brown,” available on Netflix. It was actually quite good, though some things did irritate me. For example, whenever the priest prayed in Latin, the closed-caption subtitles simply said: “Prays in a foreign language.” Don’t most people know that Latin has been the lingua franca of the Catholic church for almost 2,000 years?
Family members are all trying to be healthier, which meant no junk in the house. If I had remembered that, I would have taken some goodies to nibble between meals. I was so hungry, at one point I called our daughter in Lansing and said: “Can you come down immediately and bring some food?” I was just being humorous – it’s a 4+ hour drive; and I could have gone to a local grocery store if I thought I might expire.
Mike, our son-in-law, is a very good cook and the food was excellent. I decided to join the healthy eating and then continue it at home, which is what I’m now doing. I feel better already. I’ve had no indigestion for a week and feel more energetic. The dog food last week probably helped.
It was really nice to have a break from everything, including world news.
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BACK TO MORE REALITY
The terror attack in New York on Tuesday is a reminder of the constant threat to our lives that emanates from radical Islam. It’s also a constant reminder of how hopeless our governments are – they keep letting in Muslims en masse, trying to claim that “Islam is a peaceful religion that has been hijacked by extremists.”
Trump called immediately for Congress to abolish the Diversity Visa Waiver program. This is a lottery that enables 50,000 people a year from usually poor and backward countries to enter the United States. They may then sponsor their relatives and friends to enter the US. Tuesday’s murderer brought in 23 over 15 years. Most of these people go straight to the bottom of our economic ladder, competing for jobs with low income Americans.
(Do the math. If one man brought in 23, multiply 50,000 x 23 = 1, 150,000 people per year. That’s in addition to the one million plus who get a visa the normal way.)
President Trump immediately called on Congress to change the law. That’s commendable. The law needs to be changed. But, then, why didn’t he react the same after the Las Vegas mass shooting? Changes to the law are desperately needed.
It’s been over twenty years since the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, Australia. 35 people were killed in a little over half an hour. The conservative prime minister, John Howard, immediately called on parliament to pass tough controls on assault weapons.
“Twelve days after the Port Arthur massacre, the Australian prime minister, John Howard, announced a sweeping package of gun reforms in a country where firearms had long been considered an essential prop in the national mythology of life in the bush.
“At that stage the gun lobby was the ruling lobby in Australia,” says Philip Alpers, associate professor at the University of Sydney. “What happened at Port Arthur is that they were outpaced, outflanked and outwitted by a man who had the power to move in 12 remarkable days.”
“Tim Fischer was leader of the National party and Howard’s deputy prime minister in the Coalition government, charged with persuading skeptical country voters to support, or at least accept, reforms. “Port Arthur was our Sandy Hook,” he says. “Port Arthur we acted on. The USA is not prepared to act on their tragedies.” (The Guardian 14th March 2016).
The Sandy Hook massacre of kindergarten children took place on December 14th, 2012. Congress did not pass any laws following the deaths of 26 people, including 19 children. If the country could not make any changes after the deaths of so many young children, it’s doubtful they will ever come.
President Trump and others reacted to the Las Vegas shootings by saying, “Now is not the time to discuss gun control.”
Then, when will it be the time? Immigration policies make the situation worse – the killer at Virginia Tech ten years ago was from South Korea. The Boston Marathon killings were also the work of new arrivals.
Changes can be made without encroaching on the Second Amendment, which says:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Today, the US definitely has a “well regulated militia,” so America’s needs have changed. At the same time, people do have a right to defend themselves. There’s a balance. It’s time for a national debate.
On the highly successful Australian TV show, “Janet King,” Janet, a senior employee of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS; sometimes referred to as “Crownies”), is appointed by the country’s Governor-General to head a royal commission into gun violence. It’s time the United States had a presidential commission to look into mass casualty gun violence, with the remit that it report back to the president and the public within twelve months, making recommendations to effectively reduce gun violence.
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NEW ZEALAND MAKES THE NEWS
Before we leave the Antipodes, New Zealand has a new, radical prime minister.
Jacinda Ardern is only 37 and the third female leader of the country. She wants to restrict immigration into New Zealand – one of her first acts was to ban the sale of homes to people living outside of the country. She is a left-wing republican, meaning she would like to end NZ’s relationship with the Crown thereby giving greater power to the politicians, of which she is the chief! Interestingly, she is also a former Mormon who has strong views on churches that encourage families to shun former believers like herself; she left the church over its anti-homosexual stance.
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QUOTE: “President Xi (of China) believes that America is in steep decline and China rising in a power game that will define our century” (Carrie Gracie, China Editor, BBC News, 11/2). President Trump is about to visit China.
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CENTENARIES
Today, November 2nd, is the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in London to commemorate the celebration, boycotted by the anti-semitic socialist Labour Party of Jeremy Corbyn.
The famous Balfour Declaration was announced in the middle of World War I by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, at a time when Great Britain was the dominant power in the world. It committed His Majesty’s Government to establish in Palestine a home for the Jewish people. It was one of the most important documents of the twentieth century and a major fulfillment of Bible prophecy. It led directly to the establishment of a Jewish nation in the Middle East, the country now called Israel.
An independent Jewish nation had not been in existence since Roman times. The Roman Jewish province of Judea rebelled against Rome in 66 AD. The Romans crushed the Jewish Revolt in 70 AD, destroying much of Jerusalem in the process. The Jews rebelled again from 132 AD-135 AD. Once again, the Romans crushed the revolt. This time, the Jews dispersed to other parts of the Roman Empire and beyond. For almost two millennia, they did not have their own country. But scriptures made it clear that the Jews would be back in their homeland, called Judah in the Bible (the Jews were only one of the twelve tribes of Israel).
Zechariah was a prophet 2,500 years ago. His Old Testament book is a Millennial prophecy about the Second Coming of the Messiah. Judah figures quite prominently in events at the time immediately prior to Christ’s Return.
Note Zechariah 12:2-3 – “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”
And Zechariah 14:2-4 – “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
“Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
The last verse is clearly still in the future. Jerusalem, Judah, revived after almost 2,000 years is once again a central point of geographical contention, with neighboring nations and tribes wanting to destroy the country. As if perpetually drunk, they desperately try to destroy her, so far not succeeding.
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RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Five days after the Balfour Declaration, Russia had a second revolution. Earlier in the year, the Czarist regime had fallen and was replaced by a parliamentary system. Elections were scheduled for later in the year. Two weeks before the election, the Bolsheviks (communists) staged a coup on November 7th that overthrew the interim government of Alexander Kerensky. They proclaimed the world’s first communist state. It brought seven decades of misery to the country, with despotic leaders that made the czars look like Sunday school teachers. Communism has gone, but the country remains a dictatorship, though claiming to be a democracy.
The Bolshevik Revolution was the second revolution of 1917; there was an earlier revolution in 1905, which led to the establishment of the Duma (parliament) but still left the czar with ultimate power and authority. Russia’s parliament today is also called the Duma and is the people’s assembly. However, some would say that Vladimir Putin is a new Czar, with all the power and authority.
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500th ANNIVERSARY OF PROTESTANT REFORMATION
Tuesday was the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany. We should all be thankful to Martin Luther. He had the courage to stand up to the Church of Rome, ending the monopoly the Church had in western Europe. All churches today owe their freedom to Luther.
I watched a two-hour documentary on PBS recently about Martin Luther and the Reformation. He is considered the greatest theologian of all time, due to the fact that he wrote more books and articles on the Bible than anybody else. He also translated the scriptures into German.
Later in life, asked to sum up his writings, he replied: “God forgives.” That was of paramount importance to Luther, who struggled all his life with sin, as we all do. Hearing that, I thought about all the churches that have come out of Luther, directly or indirectly. Many have one thing in common – they can’t forgive. How ironic.
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VISIT TO NOAH’S ARK
Earlier in the month, we were in Cincinnati, Ohio. A group of us, including four of our grandchildren, took the opportunity to visit Noah’s Ark, which is just over the state line in Kentucky. It’s well worth a visit, if only to get a better idea of the size of the original ark. This replica is built according to biblical specifications.
I’m very thankful that the enterprising Australian behind this project was inspired to build the Ark (and the Creation Museum nearby). More and more people are biblically illiterate, so it’s good that somebody has kept the story alive. I found the wall plaques explaining everything interesting, but I do not agree with his theory that the earth is only 6,000 years old.
We had been told to allow three hours for our visit. With two 5-year-old twin boys, we went through quite quickly, in exactly two hours. We left early — because it was raining!!!
The following evening we had a group of Barbadians over for dinner. Wonderful people. They had actually come from Barbados to visit the Ark. They are also Young Earthers, believing in the 6,000 years. We agreed to disagree and still remain friends. That’s the way it should be.
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FINALLY
I’ve been asked why I quote so often from the Daily Express and Daily Mail newspapers, two Conservative British tabloids.
The answer is quite simple: they have the best web sites. Check them out sometime.
The Guardian and Independent, more intellectual papers, are constantly asking for money whenever I check their sites; whereas the Times, the Telegraph and the Financial Times make very little available.
The biggest problem with the two papers I use is that they often sensationalize news items.
I will try to find alternative sources, but, realistically I will have to use them occasionally as I don’t have the funds to pay for subscriptions to the more highbrow papers; and they have to request money as they have smaller circulations.
(This blog is a fully independent blog that has no connection to any church or secular organization. It was started to keep people informed on international affairs in light of the scriptures. Financial support comes from myself and readers who graciously donate to help cover costs.)
Margaret Thatcher defined socialism as “equal shares of misery for all,” the best definition I’ve ever read of the economic theory and subsequent reality.
The following is a more matter-of-fact explanation that I got when I googled “socialism,” looking for the exact definition.
“a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole;……
(in Marxist theory) a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of communism.”
Basically, what it’s saying is that government controls everything and it’s a stepping-stone to communism. Keep in mind that Marxists believe that, when communism is achieved, everybody lives in paradise – although, of course, they don’t actually believe in paradise, heaven or any other nirvana.
The reality, of course, is that people actually live in hell.
The best example of communism today is North Korea, where everything is controlled by the government, even thoughts.
Another example is Cuba, where almost everything is controlled by the government.
China is not a very good example. Not any more. Whereas the government still controls every thought, the economy is more of a free for all. So long as you keep your mouth shut, you can be a millionaire!
Until the latest British election, many people thought socialism was dead. Mrs. Thatcher herself had rolled back socialism in the UK and helped the nations of Eastern Europe send the communists packing. But the latest election in the United Kingdom showed that socialism is alive and kicking – and may even be the next government.
Why the appeal? Because when people feel the inequities of capitalism, they naturally favor the opposite, thinking everything will be put right by the firm hand of government.
Somebody once said that “conservatives believe in the exploitation of man by man; while socialists believe the exact opposite!” Think about it before moving on!
Venezuela has been in the news a great deal over the last few days. There, an incompetent socialist government has destroyed the nation’s economy. An attempt was made by a member of the country’s military to overthrow the government. The sight of the helicopter flying over the capital city of Caracas brought back memories of a similar situation in Ghana almost 40 years ago.
Ghana is a case study in the failings of socialism, well-meant but a disaster.
Ghana got its independence from Great Britain in 1957. It was the first black African country to receive independence, first because it was the most promising, with the greatest number of highly educated citizens and the most money in the bank. Within four years, it was bankrupt and a dictatorship. Eventually, the military had to take over to save the country.
A second attempt was made at democracy, which also failed; the military then took over again. Whereas the politicians were generally well educated, military men were not well-versed in running an economy. Soon, there was a high rate of inflation and serious shortages. These led to a coup on June 4th, 1979, a coup my wife and I experienced first-hand.
The helicopter flying overhead, filmed by somebody on a balcony, reminded me of how Diane watched a similar scene during Ghana’s coup. In Ghana, the helicopter opened fire and she quickly went indoors. At the time, I was trying to get back to the house using side roads to avoid the fighting. At one point, I was held up at gunpoint by rebel soldiers who wanted to take my car.
The coup was successful. A new government came to power led by Flight Lt. J.J. Rawlings, an avowed socialist who was enamored by the way things were done in Eastern Europe. The people said the “J.J.” stood for “Junior Jesus.”
He immediately started setting things right, freezing the price of eggs at 8 cedis a dozen and controlling the price of beer, two priorities! The problem was that farmers could not produce eggs to sell at that price as chicken feed was too expensive; with beer, there was a shortage of hops. I thought that a national shortage of beer would lead to revolution fairly quickly, but I was wrong. Ghana remains the only African nation I know of that did not experience civil unrest when the beer ran out!
Serious shortages became a major problem. Supermarkets had next to nothing on their shelves. Basic commodities could only be obtained through barter – I remember bartering shirts for gasoline and toilet paper for rice!
As the economy went into freefall, so the government was made more oppressive. Foreigners were blamed for just about everything – in August, we were told to leave the country.
Elections had been scheduled before Rawlings took over. Under pressure, he allowed them to go ahead and a new, still socialist, government came to power, led by a nice man who was also an alcoholic. At least beer was now available!
Eventually, he was overthrown and J.J. was back, followed by even greater economic disaster. It wasn’t until Rawlings started to reverse socialism and encourage free enterprise that things started to improve.
Government control of the economy = disaster. Mrs. T got it right!
So why is socialism “in vogue” again? The rising gap between rich and poor is one answer; another is the youth vote – most young people have no memory of when Europe was largely socialist. As Winston Churchill once said: “If you’re not a socialist at 20, you’ve got no heart; if you’re still a socialist at 30, you’ve got no head”.
In I Samuel 8 we read an account of how Israel wanted a human leader like all the other nations around them. God warned the people that it would mean greater financial hardship, as government would constantly expand and the people would have to pay for it. The warning was of 10% taxation. Today, taxes run much higher.
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men,[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”
Don’t just assume that this only applies to kings and kingdoms. In the last century, new nations have come into existence, most of them with a president rather than a king. It turns out the kings were cheaper. Note the following from Ecclesiastes 10:16-17:
“Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning! 17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!”
Elected politicians think they have an automatic right to take everybody else’s money and spend it how they want. Again, Margaret Thatcher put it well when she observed: “the trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money!”
That’s exactly what Jeremy Corbyn of Britain’s Labour (socialist) party is promising the people – more taxes to help government expand.
That’s what Venezuela got with Hugo Chavez, the socialist president who presided over the collapse of the country’s economy. His successor, Nicolas Maduro, has not been able to improve things.
The great lesson here is: there’s a lot of evils in capitalism, but don’t think government will make things better!
Tuesday February 21st marks a special anniversary that will most probably be overlooked.
It happens to be the 70th anniversary of the United States replacing Great Britain as the world’s number one power.
After fighting two world wars, Britain was faced with three major international crises all at once.
The new British Labour government had already announced plans to give independence to India, after two centuries of British rule. This led to turmoil on the sub-continent between Hindus and Muslims. British troops tried to keep the peace.
At the same time Palestine exploded. In 1946 Jewish nationalists blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, British military headquarters in the mandated territory, killing 91 people.
The first two problems occurred on British territories; the third was in Greece, where communists were trying to take over the country.
At the same time, Britain was broke, following the two major global conflicts of the first half of the twentieth century. Early in 1947, economic problems at home meant that Britain could no longer allocate funds to the conflict in Greece. They decided to inform Washington to see if America wanted to take over.
“On Friday, February 21st” the Secretary of State General George C. Marshall, left the State Department early to attend the bicentennial celebrations of Princeton University and receive an honorary degree. Then the British Embassy telephoned to say it had two urgent notes.” As these notes were urgent, Dean Acheson, the Under-Secretary of State, asked the Embassy’s first secretary to deliver them rather than wait until the Monday. “Recalling this episode in later years, Acheson wrote, “They were shockers”.”
“It was not being asked to provide aid to Greece that was shocking. The State Department was already preparing a plan for aid. It was the fact that Britain was pulling out and proposing to hand over responsibility. After all, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff had advised the previous year: ‘The defeat or disintegration of the British Empire would eliminate from Eurasia the last bulwark of resistance between the US and Soviet expansion . . . Our present position as a world power is of necessity closely interwoven with that of Britain , , ,
“This was a momentous change. For two centuries Britain had been the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean. Now it seemed to be surrendering that role in two key countries. It is often said that Americans lack a historical sense that Europeans have, but on this occasion it was the Americans who saw the historical significance of that moment. To British ministers, battling from day to day to keep the country’s head above water, this seemed to be just a temporary retrenchment in one area. None of them appeared to see any larger implications in the decision. The American view was put in grandiloquent terms by Joseph M. Jones, who was in the State Department at the time: ‘Reading the messages, Hickerson realized, as had Henderson before him, that Great Britain had within the hour handed the job of world leadership, with all its burdens and all its glory, to the United States.” (“Picking up the reins,” Norman Moss, 2008, page 64, italics mine).
The whole world did not recognize the change immediately, It was to be another ten years before it became clear to all. At the end of 1956 the Suez Canal crisis showed that London could not do anything without American support. Soon afterward, the US was encouraging Britain to dismantle its empire and then to join the European Union (then the European Economic Community).
US vs EU
It’s ironic then that, over the weekend, at the Munich Security Conference, “leading German foreign policy experts” called “on the EU to reposition itself on the world stage, replacing the United States as the West’s ‘torchbearer.’ Since Washington’s change of government, the United States no longer ‘qualifies as the symbol of the West’s political and moral leadership, according to Wolfgang Ischinger, Chair of the Munich Security Conference. It is therefore up to Europe ‘to make up for this loss.’” (GermanForeignPolicy.com)
That’s easier said than done. But the EU could be the world’s dominant military power for the simple reason that it is the world’s biggest trading power. That’s the main reason why the US took over from Great Britain. Economic power = military power. The US is struggling economically which is one reason why President Trump is demanding the Europeans pay more for NATO. Of course, the Europeans have their own financial problems, but they have an urgent need to protect themselves from both Russia and Islamic terrorism. If they are going to have to pay more for defense, why not go-it-alone? Especially when they no longer have confidence in American leadership.
One of the first superpowers, Babylon, was predicted to last “seventy years” (Jeremiah 25:12 & 29:10), illustrating how seventy is a significant number. In Psalm 90:10, Moses was inspired to write that “our days may come to seventy years,” the lifespan of many human beings. Perhaps more significantly in the rise and fall of nations is the fact that, after seven decades, most people have forgotten everything. Few today remember World War II. Few remember that Baron Ismay, Secretary General of NATO from 1952-55, described the alliance as intended to “keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down.” In the current debate on the future of the alliance, this has been completely forgotten.
Dismantle the alliance and two things will happen: 1) the American president will no longer be “the Leader of the Free World;” and 2) Germany will become the undisputed Leader of Europe (she already is economically). On the 70th anniversary of America’s ascendancy, the Munich conference saw nations actively discussing the end of America’s pre-eminence.
President Trump in Washington and Vice-President Mike Pence, who addressed the conference, may see themselves as being in the lead, calling the shots, insisting on changes within the alliance; but the other member nations have the choice of forming their own military alliance, which will not be led by the United States.
As with the change seventy years ago, it may take a while to fully emerge, but this is the direction we are heading in. On Sunday, Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced she is seeking closer ties with Russia to bring about the defeat of ISIS.
It might be good for Washington’s new leaders to take a lesson from the great nineteenth century German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, who once observed that a great power, to survive, must be “one of three” in a world governed by “five.” Note the following:
“Of the five original great powers recognized at the Congress of Vienna, only France and the United Kingdom have maintained that status continuously to the present day, although France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War and occupied during World War II. After the Congress of Vienna, the British Empire emerged as the pre-eminent power, due to its navy and the extent of its territories, which signaled the beginning of the Pax Britannica and of the Great Game between the UK and Russia. The balance of power between the Great Powers became a major influence in European politics, prompting Otto von Bismarck to say “All politics reduces itself to this formula: try to be one of three, as long as the world is governed by the unstable equilibrium of five great powers.” (“Great Power,” Wikipedia)
In 1914, the German and Austrian empires went to war with the British, French and Russian empires. Germany was one of two in a world governed by five. The Germans lost. They repeated the same mistake in World War II, when Germany and Japan were the two, in a world still governed by five. The three opposing powers were Britain, America and Russia. Again, the Germans lost.
The five major powers right now are the EU, China, the United States, Japan and Russia (a great military power, but not so great economically). The US remains in alliance with the countries of the EU and Japan, making it one of three in a world governed by five. If the EU separates from the US, that will reduce America to being one of two.
This all may seem incredible with almost daily news of set-backs in the EU. France and Holland may leave after elections early this year; Greece and Italy have serious financial problems, which may affect the euro. But the fact remains that Germany dominates the continent and Germany is putting together a European military force to rival America’s. The Munich security conference showed the will is there, boosted considerably by the change of administration in Washington.
Daniel 2:21 says that God is behind the rise and fall of nations. “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings.” It could be, that after seventy years, the American Era is coming to an end. Munich this weekend showed that many want to see that happen.
Something to think about as the US passes its seventieth anniversary!
While US media has been focussed on alleged Russian hacking of the US electoral process, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has strengthened its role in the Middle East.
The morning that America suffered a major setback in the Middle East, American news networks led on two deaths – those of actresses Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds. Tragic though these deaths were, developments in the Middle East put America where Great Britain was exactly six decades ago.
Before World War Two, the British Empire was the dominant power in the region. Britain withdrew from Israel in May of 1948. Immediately, the Jewish nation was invaded by five neighboring Arab nations. Miraculously, Israel survived. In those early days, it was not helped by the United States.
In 1952, as a direct consequence of defeat against Israel, Egypt’s King Farouk was overthrown by the military. The new leaders soon seized the Anglo-French Suez Canal. Together with Israel, these countries invaded Egypt but were soon stopped by US President Eisenhower. This single event led directly to the dismantling of the British Empire. In 1958 the pro-British King of Iraq was overthrown. Britain was losing its remaining influence in the area. The country fought a war against rebels in Aden, withdrawing from the protectorate in 1967.
It was a gradual decline, with one setback after another. Now, the UK does not play any major role in the Middle East.
Since Britain, America has been the dominant power in the region. During the time of the Soviet Union, the US and the USSR were rivals in the area, with Moscow backing Egypt and Syria. Later, Egypt switched sides and allied itself with the United States, but Moscow retained its influence in Syria. Iran was in the US sphere of influence until the Shah was overthrown in 1979.
The region has seen never-ending turmoil since the fall of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire after World War One. That turmoil shows no sign of ending.
The recent war in Iraq has left a big mess in the region. At its root is the almost 1,400 year sectarian conflict between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. Until the US invasion of Iraq, the country was dominated by Sunni Muslims, even though the majority of people were Shia Muslims (the reverse is the case in Syria). Following the US backed election in Iraq, the majority Shia now rule the country. This development has altered the religious balance in the region and is causing repercussions everywhere. ISIS was formed to protect Sunni Muslims from the now dominant Shia.
In Syria, Sunnis have been trying to overthrow the Alawite (Shia) minority regime of President Assad for five years. Enter Moscow. Russia’s backing of the Syrian president has enabled Assad to win. The US showed a great deal of weakness, refusing to get involved even when the Syrian government crossed the line and used chemical weapons on its own citizens. Now, after months of fighting in Aleppo, the biggest city of the country, Assad is firmly in power and Russia is sponsoring “peace talks” with the rebel factions in the country. The US is not invited to the peace talks. Russia now controls Syria. To accomplish this, the country needs Turkey’s help. The two are pushing for peace in the country. Turkey, the second most powerful military power in NATO, is now working with the Russians to bring peace to the Middle East.
That’s two set-backs for Washington in just a few days.
A third set-back is in Israel. The outgoing administration in Washington did not veto the latest UN vote against Israel, condemning the country for building new settlements for Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Friction between the US and the only western style democracy in the region is unsettling, to say the least. This set-back may only be temporary as a new President takes over in the US in just three weeks, but that gives a few days for further negative developments. Even the British have criticized America’s condemnation of Israel. The State Department seems set on causing rifts with US allies in the final days of the current Administration.
Keep in mind, too, that Syria borders Israel on the Golan Heights. What happens in Syria may affect Israel. Perhaps that’s why Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to Moscow in June, the fourth time in a year that he sat down with President Putin to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
The tables have been turned once again in the region. Over sixty years ago, the UK was the dominant power in the region; since then, it’s been the US. But now Russia is arguably the dominant power in the area. The Russians are in alliance with the Shi-ite Muslims in Iran and Syria; they are also working with Sunni Turkey, which ruled the whole area prior to 1919. At the same time, it seems that Israel’s prime minister is more comfortable with Putin than with Obama, with whom he’s had a serious exchange of heated words in recent days.
There’s even a fourth development that puts Russia ahead. Following the hacking scandal, President Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the US; President Putin made it clear that he will not expel any Americans. This is a triumph for Putin in the propaganda war with America.
What lies ahead? Remember that the Middle East is the primary focus of Bible prophecy with Jerusalem at the epicenter.
In the nineteenth century, there was no indication that the Jews were about to become an independent nation again. Their period of self-rule ended with the Romans before the time of Christ. Their rebellion against the Romans in the first century AD led to the Diaspora, a dispersion that scattered the Jewish people throughout the Roman Empire and left them scattered until fairly recently. Bible prophecy showed that the Jewish nation would be restored and that happened in 1948.
Exactly a century ago, British and Australian forces entered Jerusalem in the continuing war with the Ottoman Turks. At this point in time, a Jewish nation became possible. The British were given a mandate to administer Palestine by the League of Nations. This was an impossible task as Palestinians and Jews clashed repeatedly. Eventually, the League’s successor, the United Nations, divided the territory up between Jews and Palestinians, the latter never accepting their loss of land.
According to the BBC’s website: “Almost all of Australia’s state and territory leaders have signed a document in support of the country becoming a republic.”
This follows republican Malcolm Turnbull replacing monarchist Tony Abbot as prime minister of Australia. Both men are Liberals. The Liberal Party in Australia is actually the nation’s conservative party. Mr. Turnbull feels that this is not the time for a republic – it would be best to wait until the Queen’s reign ends.
Elizabeth II has been Queen of Australia for more than half the country’s existence as an independent nation. Nobody speaks ill of the Queen, who has been a conscientious monarch, serving the country well. But Australia has changed in the fifty years since the queen’s first Australian prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies, was in charge. Sir Robert was an ardent monarchist who attended the coronation of the monarch in 1953.
At the time, Sir Winston Churchill was the British prime minister. When the nine Commonwealth prime ministers met for their bi-annual conference, they spent a great deal of their time discussing defense matters. The Korean War was ending and there were serious threats to the British Empire in Egypt, where the new radical government of Gamal Abdul Nasser wanted to gain control of the Suez Canal, a move that would later deal a fatal blow to the whole idea of empire.
Today, the Commonwealth has 53 members, almost all of whom are non-white and mostly have different ideals and priorities to the mother country.
Trade ties have declined with Britain’s industrial decline. Australia now has closer ties with Asia than with Britain.
Demographic trends also mean that there are less people of British descent in Australia.
It’s interesting to note that the new Canadian prime minister feels very differently to Mr. Turnbull. In December, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was in Malta for the latest Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The BBC asked him if he had any plans to make Canada a republic, something his father favored when he was PM. Justin Trudeau, thirty years later, replied: “No, we are very happy with our Queen, the Queen of Canada.” Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal Party is a left-wing party, so very different from Mr. Turnbull’s Liberal Party.
Why the difference in attitudes toward the Crown?
I suspect the answer lies in the word “identity.”
Canada was founded by Loyalists who did not want to be a part of the new American Republic after the American Revolution. They asked for independence in 1864 while the US was fighting a Civil War. They did not think much of the American form of government, adopting a system more in line with Great Britain. They wanted to retain the British Head of State, Queen Victoria, as their own monarch. They laid the foundation of the Commonwealth. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa followed their example. These nations were the mainstays of the British Commonwealth until after World War II, when India, Pakistan and Ceylon joined the club.
Canada’s identity, dwarfed by its more powerful southern neighbor, is bound up in the monarchy. It needs to retain the link in order to maintain its sovereignty, separate and distinct from the United States.
The same dynamics do not apply in Australia, though a case can certainly be made for preserving Australia’s distinctly unique way of life, separate from other nations in the region. The link with the Crown is a part of Australia’s cultural heritage, which sets it apart from most other countries in the region.
magazine has been in favor of an Australian republic ever since the issue was first raised, describing the queen as “Elizabeth the Last.” But even The Economist admits that it will lead to ten years of political instability, as the ripple effects will require a number of constitutional changes. Perhaps now is not a good time to change the system.
It should also be pointed out that, approximately half the population remains very loyal to the monarchy, so any change could be divisive.
Interestingly, whereas many Australians who favor a republic would prefer the US system, it’s not likely to happen. Politicians prefer the German or Irish system, replacing the Queen with a figurehead president appointed by parliament. This is not a very good system. While the monarch is above politics, any political appointee inevitably won’t be. It should also be remembered that, when the German president, Paul von Hindenburg, died in office, the new Chancellor did away with the office and had himself proclaimed Fuhrer. The rest, as they say, is history!
It’s also interesting to note that the Toronto based organization “Democracy Watch” recently listed the seven most democratic countries in the world. All were constitutional monarchies, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The United States was not in the top seven. Sadly, America has become less democratic in recent decades, as big business together with lobbyists seem to determine everything in politics. Add to that the influence of the media – elections are increasingly just personality contests. Reality TV has taken over.
An additional factor for Australia to consider is that constitutional monarchy is the cheapest political system.
Christians should also remember I Peter 2:17 – “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
It might be good for everyone to ponder on the old maxim: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
"Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened." — Sir Winston Churchill
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