THE VIRTUE OF NATIONALISM

January 25, 2024

One of the best written books you will ever read is The Virtue of Nationalism by Yoram Hazony. There is too much in it to quote here. But note this:

“The European Union does, despite the propaganda, have a powerful central government whose directives are legally binding on European nations and on their individual members . . .  It lacks a strong executive – an emperor – capable of conducting foreign affairs and waging war . . .”

“The European nations are, as everyone understands, dominated by Germany. The European Union is a German imperial state in all but name. However, as long as Germany seeks to avoid building up its military and taking responsibility for the security of the continent, the EU will apparently remain an American protectorate – a protectorate that is also an empire in its own right. Should the United States ever withdraw its protection, all the talk of Europeans pioneering a new form of political order will quickly evaporate. At that time, a strong European executive will be appointed by Germany and empowered to maintain the security of the continent. Then the reconstitution of the medieval German empire in Europe will be complete, and the English-inspired experiment with an order of independent national states in Europe will have reached its end.” (pp, 152, 153, 154)

—————————————–

ISRAEL AND US DISAGREE ON FUTURE OF GAZA

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been opposed to Palestinian statehood. And he has reiterated this view, saying Israel must have security control over all land west of the River Jordan, which would include the territory of any future Palestinian state. “I tell this truth to our American friends, and I also stopped the attempt to impose a reality on us that would harm Israel’s security,” he said. While not surprising, the very public nature of this latest dismissal of the US diplomatic push for a two-state solution is likely to cause frustration among Israel’s allies, writes correspondent Mark Lowen. Asked about Mr. Netanyahu’s comments, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby recognized that the US and Israel “obviously” see things differently. Mr. Netanyahu’s focus on destroying Hamas may also be at odds with a majority of Israelis who, according to recent polls, would rather  prioritize bringing home hostages. More than 100 remain in Gaza after being kidnapped during the 7 October attacks in which about 1,300 people were killed.   (1/19/2024)

ENDING PALESTINIAN SUFFERING

Palestinians in Lebanon are “prevented from employment in 39 professions such as medicine, law and engineering . . . are socially marginalized, have very limited civil, social, political and economic rights, including restricted access to the Government of Lebanon’s public health, educational and social services and face significant restrictions on their right to work…” — United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees, updated September 2020.

Arab citizens of Israel…. can own, buy and sell property, can vote and run in national and local elections, have equal access to free public healthcare, education and other services . . . Many Arab Israelis serve in senior positions in hospitals, universities and colleges, courts, the civil service, and even in the Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces.

Neither Syria nor Lebanon grants citizenship to the Palestinians living there . . .

[W]hat is happening inside the Syrian detention centers against the Palestinians is “a war crime by all standards.” – Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, alquds.co.uk, November 29, 2023.

By ignoring the profound suffering of the Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon, these self-proclaimed “pro-Palestinian” activists and groups are once again proving that their goal is not to help Palestinians, but only to make Israel into a pariah state.

If these activists and groups want to end the suffering of the Palestinians, they should be demanding that the Arab countries end their discriminatory and repressive measures against their Palestinian brethren. The activists and groups should also be raising the plight of the Palestinians at every available international platform instead of blaming Israel.   (Bassam Tawil, Gatestone, 1/16/2024)

———————————————

TIMES SQUARE MACHETE ATTACKER PLEADS GUILTY

When Trevor Bickford was 19 years old, on Dec. 31, 2022, he ventured to Times Square along with multitudes of New Year’s Eve revelers, but he was not interested in joining the festivities. Instead, he attacked three NYPD officers with a machete. On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to three charges of attempted murder, and while his motive is abundantly clear, authorities appear to be completely indifferent about what its implications are for the future.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that Bickford, who came down to Times Square from his home in Wells, Maine, said this as he entered his guilty plea: “On Dec. 31, 2022, I attempted to kill three NYPD officers with a knife while they were working in Manhattan. I know what I did was wrong and I’m sorry.” That’s swell, but it would have been more helpful if young Bickford had explained why exactly he was sorry now for an act that he carried out in accord with his newfound beliefs and ideology.

AP added that Bickford “shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ — the Arabic phrase for God is great — before striking the officers in the head with the machete and trying to grab an officer’s gun, authorities said. One officer suffered a fractured skull.”

AP’s explanation was inaccurate: While most media outlets routinely translate “Allahu akbar” as “God is great,” it actually means “Allah is greater.” That is, the god of Islam is superior to anything that non-Muslims worship or hold dear. This declaration of superiority frequently accompanies acts that are designed to enforce the subjugation and submission of the non-believer or “infidel,” amounting to a kind of explanation of why a particular act of violence is being perpetrated.

It was unusually forthright of this far-left news service to bother to mention the politically incorrect fact that Bickford shouted this at all. AP even went so far as to add that “authorities say he had studied radical Islamic ideology and decided to wage jihad against U.S. officials.

Yet while AP was unusually forthright about Bickford’s motive, Bickford himself may have been trying to obscure it:  “At the outset of the hearing,” AP tells us, “Bickford said he was taking three medications for treatment of schizoaffective disorder.” In Europe, it is extremely common for clear cases of jihad violence to be dismissed as mental illness, with the perpetrators hospitalized rather than imprisoned.

There was no doubt, however, when Bickford was arrested. He had a handwritten note in his backpack, asking his family to “please repent to Allah and accept Islam.”   (Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch, 1/15/2024)

————————————————————-

TURKISH PARLIAMENT SAYS “YES” TO SWEDEN

The Turkish Parliament has officially approved Sweden’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership bid after months of deliberation.

On Tuesday, the Parliament plenary in Ankara voted 287-55 in accepting Sweden’s application to NATO. 

Before the document is filed with the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., the papers will be returned to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey for his signature and final approval.

Erdogan, who recently endorsed Sweden’s admission, is anticipated to sign.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May of that same year. NATO’s border with Russia was doubled when Finland joined the alliance in April 2023, however, Sweden’s accession process has been plagued with setbacks.

Analysts maintain that NATO would benefit from Sweden’s entry by expanding its northern reach and strengthening its defense of the east. 

Prior to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military actions, Sweden and Finland had avoided membership in military alliances.

Hungary is the only member state that has not yet ratified Sweden’s accession.

In order to negotiate the conditions of Sweden’s membership bid, Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, announced on Tuesday that he had extended an invitation to Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, requesting that he visit Hungary to negotiate and discuss his terms.

“Today I sent an invitation letter to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for a visit to Hungary to negotiate on Sweden’s NATO accession,” Orbán said on X (Twitter). (OAN, 1/24/2024)

—————————————–

BANNING A POLITICAL PARTY – NOT SO EASY

More than 800,000 people took to the streets of Germany’s major cities over the weekend to protest against Alternative for Germany (AfD), following reports that members of the right-wing party have been discussing a radical plan to expel millions of migrants.

Independent investigative news site Correctiv reported on a meeting of right-wing groups including the AfD and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). They were planning “for the so-called remigration, or expulsion, of millions of people who have immigrated to Germany,” said Deutsche Welle.

The story “jolted the nation awake from its winter slumber,” said The Guardian, “triggering sackings and resignations” and “mass rallies across German cities.”

It also prompted “a politically risky debate over an outright ban of the country’s second-strongest party,” the paper added.   (The Week, 1/23/2024)

——————————————–

BRIEFLY

Britain’s shrinking army is “not what it used to be,” a top US general has warned, as the UK’s armed forces face a funding, procurement and personnel crisis just when they are most needed.

The UK has taken the lead – along with the US – in conducting military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen, with Rishi Sunak authorizing RAF air strikes last night for the second time in two weeks. This fits with Britain’s vision of itself as a “tier one” military power, loosely defined as having a full spectrum of capabilities, including a nuclear deterrent and a navy, army and air force capable of being deployed anywhere in the world.

But even the UK’s closest allies see this as fantasy, with a senior US general telling the then defense secretary Ben Wallace in 2022 that Britain was “barely tier two.”  (The Week, 1/23/2024)

The race for the Republican nomination is “all but over,” said the BBC, after Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary. It is a highly significant victory for the former president and puts him in pole position to become the party’s candidate in November’s White House election. Joe Biden said it was “clear” Donald Trump would be the 2024 Republican nominee and warned that “the stakes could not be higher.”  (The Week, 1/24/2024)

A Tory MP said the party must replace Rishi Sunak as prime minister or be “massacred” in the general election. Writing for The Telegraph, former cabinet secretary Sir Simon Clarke said the Conservatives have “lost key voters” and need a leader who “shares the instincts of the majority.” But Priti Patel accused Clarke of “facile and divisive self indulgence” and backbench Tories “used WhatsApp groups to attack the former levelling-up secretary,” said The Times. (The Week, 1/24/2024)

The head of the Army is to “warn that the British public will be called up to fight if the UK goes to war,” claimed The Telegraph. In a speech later, General Sir Patrick Sanders will say the government will need to “mobilise the nation” if there is a war with Russia. Gen. Sir Patrick has been “openly critical of troop cuts” and believes there should be a “shift” in the mindset of regular British people, where they “think more like troops.” But the paper understands he does not support conscription.  (The Week, 1/24/2024)

———————————————

GET A HEARING AID

Some seven million people in the UK could benefit from wearing a hearing aid, according to RNID, but five million of them don’t regularly wear one. And they may be risking early mortality as a result, a study has found. For the research in the US, 10,000 adults with an average age of 49 had their hearing tested. Almost one in five of them were found to have hearing loss and were asked about how often they used a hearing aid. All of the participants were then tracked for ten years. Analysis of the results revealed those who had poor hearing were more likely to die during the period of the study – but those who wore a hearing aid regularly had a 24% lower risk of early death than those who did not. This was the case even after adjusting for age, sex, education, socioeconomic status and the severity of the hearing loss. The study didn’t look at why it might be the case, but previous research has found links between hearing loss and increased rates of depression, dementia and social isolation. Lead author Dr. Janet Choi suggested that improved hearing leads to better mental health and healthier, more active lives.   (The Week, 1/19/2024)

———————————————-

Now and Forever

by Bob Arbogast — Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Scripture Reading — Matthew 19:16-26

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” - Matthew 19:24

The kingdom of God is eternal. It’s the ultimate reality, when everything will be good at last. Surprisingly, though, the kingdom is also right here, right now—wherever Jesus is present in the flesh or by the Spirit. We can see that in Matthew 19. A rich man who comes to talk with Jesus is very interested in having eternal life—that is, life in the kingdom of God. But does he really want that kind of life? When Jesus tells the man, “Sell everything, give to the poor, and follow me,” the man can’t do it. He can’t take those three steps. It’s really hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. That’s what Jesus says. And he means more than entering the eternal kingdom in the future. He also means living the way of the kingdom right here, right now. Among other things, the way of the kingdom is selfless and generous. And the way of the kingdom includes deeply trusting in God to meet every need. Sadly, the rich man in this story wasn’t ready to live that way. Not here, not now. How about you? Are you ready to live the way of the kingdom here and now? If not, will you want to live that way in eternity? (Our Daily Bread, 1/24/2024)

THE CHILDREN OF GAZA

We hear a lot about the children of Gaza on the news.   Whenever a bomb or missile hits, there are always plenty of children to be carried into the hospital.   50% of all the people in Gaza are children.   With all the TV news footage showing the suffering in Gaza, it’s very difficult to stay focused and to think straight.  The latest war between Israel and Hamas began with a gruesome attack on Israeli civilians.   Over 40 days later, the world’s sympathy is increasingly with the people of Gaza.  Not one Gazan has condemned the terror attack by Hamas.  Hanan Hashwari, a leading spokesperson for the Palestinians, showed absolutely no sympathy for the Jewish children who died on October 7^th.  The fact remains that, if Hamas would release the hostages and lay down their arms, Gaza would return to peace.

Over thirty years ago, the late Professor Samuel Huntington, wrote about a coming clash of civilizations.   At the time, there were more Christians in the world than Muslims.   Those numbers have leveled out and the ratio is only set to get worse with a much higher birth rate for Muslims.  Birth control and abortion have dramatically reduced our birth rate.  It may take a while for attitudes to change and for us to realize that having lots of children is really a blessing.  Boys especially are needed for defense.

The Clash of Civilizations is a thesis that people’s cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post–Cold War world. The American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argued that future wars would be fought not between countries, but between cultures.   (Wikipedia).  I think we’ve arrived there now.   We are in the midst of a major cultural clash between Islam and the West.   (We cannot really talk about Islam and Christianity as the West is now very secular.)

The Old Testament Book of Daniel, written over 2,500 years ago, predicts a clash of civilizations between the King of the North and the King of the South.  What is happening now could be the start of this clash.  “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.”  (Daniel 11:40)

We know from the Bible that Israel will still be around at the time of the end.  Zech 14:1-4 prophecies about the return of Jesus Christ.   A clash between Israel and its enemies will be taking place at the same time.

Douglas Murray, an Englishman, speaks regularly on Israel.  He said a few days ago, “There is one Jewish state in the world and it was set up so that Jews could defend themselves.”  Mr. Murray has repeatedly shown a double standard throughout the Muslim world when it comes to saving fellow Muslims.   For example, when Afghans were kicked out of Pakistan, there were no demonstrations in the West.   It was the same with Syria – Muslims were suffering and there were no demos.  But when there is an opportunity to bash Israel, everybody seems to come out to demonstrate.   Clearly, there is a “Rent-A-Mob” mentality.  Individual thought is not expected.

Murray has also pointed out that, after the Holocaust, anti-semitism was dead.   Now it’s back.

Immigration has brought millions of anti-semites to Europe’s shores.   A number of countries in Europe are deporting those who are likely to cause trouble.   But the same should not be expected from England, where a huge demonstration for Palestine and against Jews, took place over the weekend of November 10-11 (Armistice Day).   English politicians are fearful of confronting 300,000 people on the streets of London.  Besides, they still think in terms of multiculturalism.

————————————————————–

GERMANY SEEKS CLOSER ASIAN TIES

In the power struggle against China, the German government is seeking to strengthen its relations with several Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand. According to the new German ambassador to Bangkok, Ernst Reichel, diplomatic relations between the two countries are not close enough and need to be strengthened. Last week, Petra Sigmund, head of the Asia-Pacific Department at the German Foreign Ministry, visited Bangkok to intensify bilateral relations based on “close economic and political ties”. Berlin sees Thailand as an alternative location for German industry now based in China. Relations between Germany and Thailand date back more than one and a half centuries. They were intensified during the German Empire, gained in strength during the second half of the 1920s, when the government in Bangkok turned against the influence of the Chinese minority, and especially flourished during the Nazi era. Already in the 1950s, the Federal Republic of Germany managed to restore its old contacts with Thailand – now on the side of the United States, in the context of the confrontation of the systems.   (German Foreign Policy, 11/8/2023)

————————————————————–

BATTLE OF THE INDIANS

Suella Braverman was dismissed as Britain’s Home Secretary November 13^th.   Prime Minister Rishi Sunak clashed with her over her plans to solve the immigration problem caused by the “boat people”.   Both Sunak and Braverman are Indian immigrants (Sunak was born in England to Indian immigrants from Uganda); Braverman is an immigrant from Mauritius, with Indian ancestry.   Braverman is taking a hard line on immigration.  Sunak is wishy-washy like most members of parliament.   Brits just “want my country back” as one demonstrator shouted at the weekend.    Keep watching – Braverman could be the next PM.

———————————————-

Prof. Alireza Panahian, Head of Khamenei’s Academic Think Tank: A War of Attrition in The Region Will Eventually Destroy Western Civilization (MEMRI 11/15/2023)

MONEY IS THE PROBLEM

Suddenly, money is the big issue.   In just about every country.

After accumulating debt ($31.4 trillion in the US, in addition to the billions of private debt) — there’s nothing left to spend.  The Biden administration will have to cut spending.

In the UK striking public sector workers are unlikely to get a pay rise, as this would be inflationary at a time of high inflation.

A US general commented last week that the UK is not capable of defending itself due to many cuts over the years.   So the UK must find more money.  This will not be popular.

In France, French strikers are protesting changes to the pension system.  Until now, the French could retire on full benefits at the age of 62.  Faced with serious labor shortages, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, aims to raise the age to 64.   This is still lower than most competitor countries but the French people do not like it.   

So, money is the problem.  Or, rather, the lack of it.   This could be solved by a massive increase in taxes, but this would be deeply unpopular.   

————————————————————-

Row Growing Over Shell’s £32bn Profits (UK)

Pressure is growing on the government to impose a bigger windfall tax on energy companies after Shell reported the largest profits in its history. Thanks to the surge in energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the oil company’s annual takings have risen to $40bn (£32bn). The vast profits — “equivalent to just over £1,000 a second,” said the London Evening Standard — were among the biggest ever made by a British company. Opposition parties accused Rishi Sunak of letting fossil fuel companies “off the hook” and unions described the profits as “obscene”. The UK-headquartered company paid $134m in British windfall taxes last year.  (The Week, 2/3/2023)

——————————————————————-

From German Foreign Policy, 2/2/2023

In open defiance of Germany and the other Western powers, Brazil rejects all arms deliveries to Ukraine and pushes, instead, for a mediation initiative to end the Ukraine war. Brazil sees itself as a “land of peace” and rejects any involvement in this war, was President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s response Monday to Berlin’s demand during German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit, that ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank be provided to Kiev. Rather than constantly fueling the war with ever more weapons, a mediation initiative must be launched, with the possible contribution from China, in particular, but also from India and Indonesia, according to Lula. Scholz does not support such an initiative from the Global South to end the fighting and raised his objections on Monday. However, more and more governments, particularly in the Global South, such as, most recently Columbia and Egypt, but also Israel are promoting a negotiated solution. Thus, a counterpoint is becoming apparent to the West’s efforts to continue to assert its global dominance in and with the Ukraine war.

——————————————————————-

In an anti-Islam demonstration, a Swedish man burned a copy of the Quran.   This has enraged Muslims around the world.   Many are now threatening suicide bombings in Europe.  The demonstration also resulted in Sweden’s application to join NATO being rejected because of Turkey’s refusal to support it.

“Afghan Taliban Officials Threaten Suicide Bombings In Europe To Avenge Quran Desecrations:  ‘We . . . Are Ready To Conduct Istishhadi [Martyrdom-Seeking] Attacks To Defend Our Islamic Values;’ ‘The Lions Of Islam Should Respond To This Evil Act In Such A Way That The Heart Of Stockholm, Sweden, Can Be Shaken Several Times.’ “(MEMRI, 2/1/2023)

In its Freedom in the World 2022 report, Freedom House, a U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., put Turkey in its “not free” category of countries, along with Afghanistan, Angola, Belarus, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nicaragua, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and several other third world rogue regimes. Could one, by the criteria of democracy, imagine any of those countries as a NATO member state? But Turkey is.  (Gatestone, 2/3/2023)

——————————————–

(Sorry, folks, my computer is still giving me problems. I think it is about to give up the ghost.  It’s one of the older ones, about 2008 — large screen and keyboard for my ham fists to pound on.  I tried to have it fixed but it’s just too old.  So I am having a bit of difficulty producing my blog right now.)

UK IN TURMOIL

The United Kingdom has been in a state of turmoil for almost two weeks now.  Firstly, the ruling Conservative Party turned increasingly against Prime Minister Boris Johnson, forcing him to resign a week ago.  Now, the Conservatives are going through a lengthy process to choose a new leader.

One thing stands out – and that is the number of “minorities” in the running.   The left-of-center Labor Party should hang its head in shame, as they always have a white male leading them.

Boris was involved in so many scandals, they eventually brought him down.   It has also been suggested that this is revenge for Brexit.  If that’s the case, he is the fourth Conservative Leader in rapid succession to fall victim to Europe.

———————————-

An investigation endorsed by top human rights lawyer Helena Kennedy has concluded that Turkey should face charges in front of the international court of justice for being complicit in acts of genocide against the Yazidi people. The report has also found that Syria and Iraq failed in their duty to prevent the killings. The Guardian said it is “widely accepted” that genocide was attempted against the Yazidis, a religious minority group, from 2013 in Iraq and Syria. Geoffrey Nice QC, chair of the Yazidi Justice Committee, described the genocide of the Yazidi people as “madness heaped on evil.” (The Week, 7/6/2022)

Freedom of religion is a right that must be “embedded” in all areas of life including “government education, business, the media, and social media, and right across our communities,” said Prince Charles. In his opening remarks at the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the Prince of Wales said the world stands “at a crossroads” and “there is a choice to be made between totalitarian and liberal societies.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Rabbi and the foreign secretary also addressed the conference.  (The Week,7/6/2022)

UK:  The boss of Lloyds Bank said 80% of customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts. Charlie Nunn said the lender saw customers with persistent debt problems increase by a third in the first six months of this year. However, he added, many customers have increased their balances in the last few years and are in a healthier position than they were before the pandemic. Nunn told the BBC that credit card spending was up significantly, driven by the return of the travel industry.  (The Week, 7/6/2022)

EU

Germany and the EU depend on Chinese companies for access to Lithium, one of the most important raw materials for the energy transition. Chinese companies dominate the global lithium sector – not only in mining, but also in processing and battery production. For the US to catch up to China in the lithium sector, it could take decades and at least US $175 billion in investments, according to estimates. The required investment would be no less for Germany and the EU. This is all the more significant, because experts are predicting a serious shortage of lithium in the years to come. Chinese producers would be at an advantage over their European competitors in the production of electric cars, whose batteries consume the bulk of the lithium being mined globally. Experts already expect that, in the foreseeable future, Chinese electric car manufacturers will conquer the cheaper segment of the European market, which European car manufacturers neglect. One of Germany’s flagship sectors would thus come under pressure on the domestic market.  (German Foreign Policy, 7/6/2022)

RUSSIA WARNS ISRAEL TO LEAVE SYRIA ALONE

In a stunning escalation between Russia and Israel, the Russian government has issued a serious condemnation and warning to Israel, that it must stop its airstrikes against Iranian positions in Syria.

Gone are the days when Israel was able to freely attack Iranian positions in Syria, while making sure to stay away from Russian interests in the Levant.

As the Bennett-Abbas government has now slipped into the Lapid-Abbas government, Putin’s demands appear to be rising on the Jewish State. Whether this is a product of Lapid’s own strong stance against Russian aggression in Ukraine or its just a matter of changing needs for the Russian ruler, Russia is coming hard against Israel.

“We strongly condemn such irresponsible actions that violate the sovereignty of Syria and the basic norms of international law, and we demand their unconditional cessation,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

This statement was made after Israel undertook a rare daytime mission to strike at an Iranian shipment of advanced arms in the Syrian port of Tartus. Tartus also houses many Russian military personnel and equipment. (David Mark, American Liberty, 7/6/2022)

Experts are skeptical concerning the widely praised results of the western summits (EU, G7, NATO) that took place over the past ten days. The EU summit has produced an astounding result – granting Ukraine and Moldova candidate status, they note. However, how real the prospects may be for Ukraine, should be cast in serious doubts, given the fact that the EU continues to renege on its accession promises to the non-EU countries of Southeastern Europe. Concerning NATO’s announcement to massively militarize its eastern flank, they wonder where the resources should come from. Arming Ukraine, as the sole focus, should be abandoned in favor of negotiations with Moscow. Observers also note that, with its 600 Billon Dollar infrastructure initiative, the G7 summit has produced a “pipedream” with questionable substance. According to experts, the BRICS states are currently more successful:  More countries seek to join their alliance. The West may well “lose” the current power struggle. (German Foreign Policy, 7/4/2022)

JAPANESE LEADER ASSASSINATED

Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot while campaigning in the southern city of Nara. He was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition but died soon afterwards from his injuries.

Prime minister Fumio Kishida described the attack on the 67-year-old Abe – who was Japan’s longest-serving PM – as “barbaric and malicious”, a sentiment that has been echoed by world leaders who have expressed their shock at the incident. Abe’s brother, the current defence minister Nobuo Kishi, described the shooting as a sacrilege against democracy.

A 41-year-old male suspect was arrested at the scene and is now in police custody. He is thought to be Tetsuya Yamagami and a resident of the city, with no known occupation. Images from the scene suggest that the assailant used an improvised or homemade weapon.

(https://dennis.slgnt.eu/optiext/optiextension.dll?ID=v32v2sp83Lu_uuyzTr0BVfErJrcJBK2vWx9u3f4zBlXcEq7fDbdzZ_iLhx2KEXtZHoL5G0lCHx7VMJMdqQ9wXiHAZY_

PROGRESSIVE ISLAMIZATION IN BRUSSELS

“[I]n the Brussels region as a whole only a quarter of Belgians are of Belgian origin…. Molenbeek is in fact only the tip of the iceberg of the progressive Islamization in all the major Belgian cities. Islam is increasingly visible in the public space of Molenbeek, and in the month of Ramadan almost all the shops and restaurants in the city are closed during the day. In many neighborhoods, women are no longer able to dress however they want or go out at night, and homosexuals have no right of citizenship. There are, however, hardly any voices to worry about this development, as if French-speaking Belgium, anesthetized in unison by the multicultural media, had resigned itself.” — Alain Destexhe, Le Figaro, May 3, 2022   (Gatestone, 7/10/2022)

Germany building LARGEST army in Europe as Scholz vows Kyiv support ‘as long as necessary’ – Germany is in the process of building the largest military in Europe, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a pledge that marked a 360-degree turn in the country’s historic stance on defence (by Teresa Gottein Martinez, Express, 29 June 2022)

Post-Cold War Germany steadily reduced the size of its army from around 500,000 troops at the time of reunification in 1990 to just 200,000. Its military spending has for decades been notoriously cautious – until Berlin’s approach abruptly changed in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. Days after the start of the full-scale war, Mr. Scholz announced a €100billion ($105-billion) fund to beef up Germany’s military defences and offset decades of chronic underfunding – none of which is directly linked to the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. He also promised to meet NATO’s target of spending two percent of GDP on defence as well as boosting its high-readiness forces from the current 40,000 to more than 300,000 troops. This followed years of criticism from close allies that the Bundeswehr was falling short of contributing enough to the Alliance. In an interview on public television ARD after the G7 group of the world’s richest nations met in Bavaria, the Chancellor said Germany, alongside the United Stared, made “certainly the largest contribution” to the North Atlantic Alliance.

(https://ewn.co.za/2022/06/30/stage-8-power-cuts-or-higher-a-real-risk-for-south-africa-energy-experts-warn — Olaf Scholz has vowed to build Europe’s biggest army) 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. … for great is your reward in Heaven…” (Mat 5:9-12).

WATCH:  Abbas’ Fatah party gives 7-year-olds military training to fight Israel | World Israel News. (July 10, 2022)

“When they love their children more than they hate us, there will be peace” – Golda Meir

India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, said a report from the UN. As the pace of mortality slows, the world’s population, estimated to reach eight billion by 15 November this year, could grow to 8.5 billion in 2030 and 10.4 billion in 2100, found the report, which was released on World Population Day. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said a growing population was a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for the planet and that we should “reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another.”  (This Week, 7/12/2022)

(I and the family are all sick this week (and last in most cases), so my blog is shorter than usual.)

NUCLEAR WAR A BIG ISSUE – AGAIN

Today, the Chinese nuclear arsenal could destroy most of the United States. The North Koreans have a stockpile of bombs. And the Russian Federation, which inherited the Soviet nuclear arsenal, has launched a major war against Ukraine. As the war began, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his nation’s nuclear forces to go on heightened alert and warned the West that any interference with the invasion would have “consequences that you have never experienced in your history.” Suddenly, the unthinkable seems possible again.

There was a time when citizens of the United States cared about nuclear weapons. The reality of nuclear war was constantly present in their lives; nuclear conflict took on apocalyptic meaning and entered the American consciousness not only through the news and politics, but through popular culture as well. Movie audiences in 1964 laughed while watching Peter Sellers play a president and his sinister adviser in Dr. Strangelove, bumbling their way to nuclear war; a few months later, they were horrified as Henry Fonda’s fictional president ordered the sacrificial immolation of New York City in Fail-Safe. Nuclear war and its terminology—overkill, first strike, fallout—were soon constant themes in every form of entertainment. We not only knew about nuclear war; we expected one.

But during the Cold War there was also thoughtful engagement with the nuclear threat. Academics, politicians, and activists argued on television and in op-ed pages about whether we were safer with more or fewer nuclear weapons. The media presented analyses of complicated issues relating to nuclear weapons. CBS, for example, broadcast an unprecedented five-part documentary series on national defense in 1981. When ABC, in 1983, aired the movie The Day After—about the consequences of a global nuclear war for a small town in Kansas—it did so as much to perform a public service as to achieve a ratings bonanza. Even President Ronald Reagan watched the movie. (In his diary, he noted that The Day After was “very effective” and had left him “greatly depressed.”   (The Atlantic, 6/1/2022)

“The nuclear danger was growing before the invasion (of Ukraine).  North Korea has dozens of warheads.  Iran, the UN said this week, has enough enriched uranium for its first bomb.  Although the new START treaty will limit Russia’s and America’s intercontinental ballistic missiles until 2016, it does not cover weapons such as nuclear torpedoes.  Pakistan is rapidly adding to its arsenal. China is modernizing its nuclear forces and, the Pentagon says, expanding them.”  (The Economist, 6/4/2022)

UK TARGETED BY RUSSIANS:   “…tune into the state owned Russian television channel Russia-1.  ”Just one launch, Boris,” warned Dmitry Kiselev, the station’s main news presenter on May 1^st, “and England is gone.”  In case this message proved too subtle for the British prime minister, or the audience at home, Mr. Kiselev laid out the launch options he had in mind.  One was a Sarmat intercontinental missile (ICBM) shown streaking towards Britain. Another was a Poseidon thermonuclear torpedo, designed to whip up an isotope-laced tsunami. “Having passed over the British Isles, it will turn whatever might be left of them into a radioactive desert,” enthused Mr. Kiselev, “Unfit for anything for a long time . . .”  Every few days, some Russian official is making explicit nuclear threats.”   (“Thinking the Unthinkable,” /2022, 6/4)

———————————————————-

IS THE PENTAGON LOSING TAIWAN?

“We have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years. Right now, it’s already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion.” — Nicolas Chaillan, former first Chief Software Officer for the Air Force, who resigned in protest over the Pentagon’s slow pace of technological development, citing China’s fast advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and general capabilities in cybersecurity,  (Financial Times, October 10, 2021)

“By the time the Government manages to produce something, it’s too often obsolete.” — Preston Dunlap, the Pentagon’s first Chief Architect Officer, responsible for promoting technological innovation at the Pentagon, who also resigned, labelling the Pentagon “the world’s largest bureaucracy;” The Japan Times, April 19, 2022.  (Judith Bergman, 6/6/2022)

MONKEY POX LINKED TO SEX

A leading adviser to the World Health Organization described the unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease monkeypox in developed countries as “a random event” that might be explained by risky sexual behavior at two recent mass events in Europe.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. David Heymann, who formerly headed WHO’s emergencies department, said the leading theory to explain the spread of the disease was sexual transmission among gay and bisexual men at two raves held in Spain and Belgium. Monkeypox has not previously triggered widespread outbreaks beyond Africa, where it is endemic in animals.

“We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission,” said Heymann.

That marks a significant departure from the disease’s typical pattern of spread in central and western Africa, where people are mainly infected by animals like wild rodents and primates and outbreaks have not spilled across borders.   (CBS news, 5/24/2022)

British health officials reported 77 more cases of monkeypox Monday, raising the total to more than 300 across the country.  To date, the UK has the biggest identified outbreak of the disease beyond Africa, with the vast majority of infections in gay and bisexual men.  (Lansing State Journal, 6/7/2022)

———————————————–

ATTEMPTS TO FREE UP GRAIN

The EU is obstructing UN efforts to avert global hunger being caused by war and sanctions. The plan provides for the transit of Ukraine’s huge grain reserves over Belarus for shipping via ports at the Baltic Sea. The plan endorsed by UN Secretary General António Guterres is considered to be the only viable alternative to the recently blocked grain-transport via the Black Sea. Of course, the EU is not ready to allow the prerequisites for the plan’s successful implementation and to lift its sanctions against Belarusian fertilizer exports. UN Secretary General António Guterres is in favor of lifting these sanctions to secure the global supply of fertilizers. In a highly symbolic step, Brussels toughened its sanctions against Belarusian fertilizer producers last Friday. On the other hand, UN efforts to jump-start the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea are gaining momentum. Russia and Turkey are paving the way for initial shipments from Odessa.  (German Foreign Policy, 6/7/2022)

—————————————————————-

TO THE POINT

• Experts have warned that a “storm” of bankruptcies is on the horizon, The Telegraph reported. During the first three months of the year, around 137,000 businesses closed their doors for good in the UK, a jump of nearly a quarter on the same period in 2021, and there were also nearly 5,000 voluntary insolvencies in England and Wales – the highest level since the Insolvency Service launched its survey in 1960. “There is a storm coming,” said Simon Bonney, managing director of Quantuma, a restructuring firm based in the Square Mile.  (The Week, 6/6/2022)

• Gunmen killed more than 50 people in an assault on a Catholic church in Ondo state in Nigeria during mass on Sunday. The attackers targeted the St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in the town of Owo as the worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday, gunning down parishioners and detonating an explosive device, local media reported. President Muhammadu Buhari said “only fiends from the nether region” could have performed this “dastardly act.”  (The Week, 6/6/2022)

• Pope Francis will attend a ceremony founded by one of the few Pontiffs who stepped down from the role during their reign, fuelling speculation he is set to retire. Following rumours in the Italian and Catholic media, the Vatican announced that the Pope will visit the city of L’Aquila in August for a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V. The Telegraph notes that although traditionally popes are expected to hold their post until death, there have been some exceptions, including Celestine V.  (The Week, 6/6/2022)

• Fish and chip shops are looking to Norway as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens their business, The Times reported. Bosses have warned that a third of chip shops may have to close if tariffs on fish from Russia add to the pressure they are under from shortages of sunflower oil, flour and potato fertiliser. The National Federation of Fish Friers and the Frozen at Sea Fillets Association will speak to the Norwegian Seafood Council at a conference this week at the port of Alesund.   (The Week, 6/6/2022)

• British Pro-ISIS Preacher Urges Queen Elizabeth II On Her Platinum Jubilee To Embrace Islam To Save Herself From Hellfire/2022  (MEMRI  6/7/2022)

——————————————————————–

FINAL THOUGHT

For the first time (and probably the last) Britain and some Commonwealth countries celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.  That’s seventy years on the throne.  February 6^th was the actual day that she became Queen, but it’s too cold to celebrate anything in February.  So the four-day celebration took place in June, around the annual Trooping the Color, the queen’s official birthday.

Her long reign is a first for Britain.  Only Louis XIV of France reigned longer (1643-1715), but he was only five when he became King.   Until he turned 18 the country was ruled by a Regency, so the first 13 years don’t count.   Anyway, the queen could live another couple of years, which would make her the longest serving monarch ever.

You would think by now people would want a change.   But that is not the case.  She is consistently the most popular royal, with an approval rating way above that of any politician.   The lowest figure I’ve seen is 69%, with her heir, Prince Charles, coming in at a mere 19%.   Prince William, Charles’ heir, is somewhere in between.

What makes her so popular?   During the Jubilee, there was an interesting article in The Australian, by Australian Angela Shanahan.

“Young people, especially in Britain, who in general have discarded most of the intrinsic values of family, religion, even democracy, sometimes become very defensive of “our Queen.”  Criticize her at your peril!   Perhaps for many young people she is a sort of granny figure.  She represents something that is often missing in the lives of the young today:  stability and continuity.”   (“In a world of crumbling values Queen carries on,” Angela Shanahan, The Australian, 6/4/2022)  

It isn’t just the fact that she has lived so long – it’s more that she upholds the traditional values that society long ago discarded.

Proverbs 14:34 reminds us that there is a choice for all global leaders.  “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”   They can choose righteousness or sin.   The Queen represents righteousness, while her children, unfortunately, have all clearly sinned.  So the respect isn’t there.

Charles is trying to live a more righteous life.    William is, too.   So there is hope for the future.   The Queen has set a very good example, which the next generation (and the one after that) will do well to follow.

_________________________________________________

GROWING MUSLIM THREAT ON EUROPEAN STREETS

“When the accused arrives at Hyttegata, he no longer has a bow and arrow. In Hyttegata, five people are killed with stabbing weapons,” Norwegian police said in a statement on Monday. Braathen is a Muslim convert who had previously been flagged for signs of radicalization. (https://rss24.news/norway-attack-victims-were-not-killed-with-a-bow-and-arrow-say-police/)

^“You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.”   (Deut. 28:19)

The suspect in a bow-and-arrow attack, which turned out to be knife attacks, that left five people dead in Norway was a recent convert to Islam who had been contacted by police over fears he was being radicalized.  A 37-year-old Danish man has been charged after admitting to carrying out the deadly attack, which also left two others seriously injured in the town of Kongsberg, according to prosecutor Ann Iren Svane Mathiassen. Norwegian security services said that it appears to have been an “act of terror.”

Police were alerted to the incident just after 6pm local time on Wednesday. The attacker then “managed to escape an initial confrontation” with police before being detained “35 minutes after the attack began,” during which time the victims “were most likely killed,” the BBC said.  (The Week, 10/14/2021)

LEIGH-ON-SEA, England, Oct 15 (Reuters) – British lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death in an Essex church on Friday by an assailant who lunged at him as he met voters, in what police said was a terrorist attack.

Amess, 69, from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party, was knifed repeatedly in the attack at about midday in the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London.

The Metropolitan Police, whose counter-terrorism unit are leading the investigation of the incident, said in a statement early on Saturday that they declared the fatal stabbing as a terrorist incident.

The early investigation has revealed a “potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism,” the police added.   (Reuters, 10/15/2021)

Amess’ Qatar links examined
Police investigating the murder of David Amess are examining his ties to the Gulf state of Qatar. The Conservative MP was chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on the country. The man being questioned over the stabbing is the son of a former prime ministerial adviser in Somalia, where the current leadership is backed by Qatar. The MP’s family have called on the public to “set aside hatred and work towards togetherness.”  (10/18/2021)

——————————————————————–

ISLAMIZATION OF GERMANY

The city of Cologne, once a stronghold of Christendom in Germany, has authorized mosques in the city to begin sounding Muslim calls to prayer over outdoor loudspeakers. The move, ostensibly aimed at promoting multicultural diversity and inclusion, represents a significant step toward the cultural normalization of Islam in Germany. It is taking German multiculturalism into uncharted territory.

Critics say that comparing Islamic prayer calls to church bells is a false equivalence because the muezzin proclaims religious slogans such as “there is no god but Allah” and “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah is the Greatest”).  (Gatestone, 10/14/2021)

How Germany’s far-right gained, even as it lost         

On the face of it, Germany’s main far-right party should be licking its wounds. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, dropped about 2 percentage points in last month’s elections from its showing in 2017, when it entered the country’s parliament for the first time and won the status of being the largest opposition party in the German Bundestag. With just about 10 percent of the vote, it has lost seats and will almost certainly no longer occupy the role of main opposition party as other more mainstream parties wrangle over the shape of the next government.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Both of Germany’s two traditional political mainstays — the center-left Social Democrats and center-right Christian Democrats — won less than 30 percent of the vote. The AfD can gain a stronger foothold in a context of deepening fragmentation in German politics. In the states that once comprised Communist-ruled East Germany, the AfD is solidifying its position as a major regional force. It is particularly popular among younger cohorts of voters, and the party could be in a position to dominate in future state elections in Saxony and Thuringia.

“I’m confident that sooner or later there is no way without the AfD,” Tino Chrupalla, one of the AfD’s co-leaders, told reporters last month. “It will certainly start on the state level.”

“The AfD is here to stay,” Matthias Quent, professor of sociology at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, told the New York Times. “There was the widespread and naive hope that this was a short-lived protest phenomenon. The reality is that the far right has become entrenched in the German political landscape.”  (Ishaan Tharoor, Columnist, Washington Post, 19 Oct 2021)

In case of further escalation of the power struggle between the USA and China, German business circles go so far as to consider breaking up companies into different regional units or taking even more drastic steps, according to a comprehensive analysis elaborated by the Bertelsmann Foundation in cooperation with the Federation of German Industries (BDI). The analysis outlines five scenarios for the development of this US American-Chinese conflict, two of which – more cooperative ones – are deemed unlikely. A third scenario envisions the continuation of the status quo, while another two anticipate a further escalation of tensions. This would lead to clearly delineated blocs, a dramatic military buildup and an eventual erosion of the EU between the USA and China, its disintegration and possibly even its economic collapse. Some companies could feel compelled to completely decouple from the Chinese market and not ruling out withdrawal from the US, or even from the “European home market.” Initial signs of a new orientation can already be discerned in current corporate decisions.   (German Foreign Policy, 10/18/2021)

——————————————————————————

IRAN NOW FULL MEMBER OF SCO

• In another blow to the US, after many years of Iran trying to be a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), SCO members finally agreed in September to elevate Iran’s status from “observer” to “full member,” even though the global financial watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, had placed the Islamic Republic on its terrorism financing blacklist.
• The SCO is a political, military, economic and security alliance that currently includes China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. This alliance will likely… assist the mullahs of Iran to defy the West.
• In the face of these critical developments, the Biden administration has remained silent. (Gatestone, 10/16/2021)

Danish Islamic Scholar Criticizes The Taliban:  Your Goal Should Be To Liberate Humanity From The Filth Of Liberalism, The Injustice Of Capitalism.  (MEMRI, 10/19/2021)

———————————————————————-

US

To be clear, the spending bill is actually the creation of a national debt so massive that it has the means to destabilize a democracy dependent on a functioning economy.

For the Chinese Communist Party, seeking to master the 21st Century as the one global superpower, it represents a strategic victory without so much as firing a single bullet. They know that an economically weakened America cannot possibly sustain its military leadership when it is burdened with paying down a massive debt. Our allies and unaligned nations recognize this threat, as well, and will reinvent their relationship with China if they believe America’s best days are in the past.

This recipe for an economic apocalypse comes at a time when new job creation has stagnated and the specter of a serious inflation has begun to emerge….  As historians will tell you if we have the wisdom to listen, no one escapes the devastation of a debtor nation. No one.   (Gatestone, Lawrence Kadish, 10/21/2021)

JOURNAL‘S COMMENT ON BIDEN

What a change of political fortune. In July President Biden was still on a honeymoon with voters, but now his job approval rating is underwater. His disastrous handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal undermined his campaign pledge of governing competence, and now inflation and shortages of workers and goods are weighing on public confidence in his economic policies. The Labor Department reported that prices kept rising in September, and Americans are noticing that they’re paying more for gasoline, food, houses, cars and more. (Wall Street Journal, 10/18/2021)

———————————————————–

TO THE POINT

• China linked to English schools — The Times has revealed that top private schools in England are making tens of millions of pounds from close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The board of Harrow International School Hong Kong includes four senior Communist Party members, while the website of one of Dulwich College’s nine associated Chinese campuses lists policies and procedures for turning children into party members. Tom Tugendhat, Tory chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said: “Education is one of Britain’s great exports but these reports are concerning.”  (The Week, 10/18/2021)

• “The journey towards addiction is often multi-layered and complex. But, by recognising what lies beneath addiction, we can help remove the taboo and shame that sadly surrounds it.”  The Duchess of Cambridge warns that addiction can happen to anyone in a landmark speech as part of the Forward Trust’s Taking Action on Addiction campaign. (The Week, 10/19/2021)

• Prince William has suggested that tech billionaires should focus on saving Earth from the impact of climate change rather than directing their resources into space tourism.  Speaking to the BBC’s Newscast podcast, the Duke of Cambridge told presenter Adam Fleming that “we need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.” (The Week, 10/14/2021)

• The meteoric rise of a controversial television pundit has put him in prime position to replace Marine Le Pen as the biggest threat to Emmanuel Macron in next year’s French presidential election.  Dubbed the “French Trump” by Politico, Eric Zemmour is racking up “far more prime-time TV slots and front-page stories than many of his rivals.”  And while critics claim his “inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and Islam” is “degrading the public debate ahead of April’s election,” Zemmour is “on the rise in the polls,” said the news site.  (The week, 10/14/2021)

• “The numbers are staggering,” said Gino Hoel on Slate.fr. A landmark report published last week estimates that about 330,000 children were abused by clergymen and officials of the Catholic Church in France between 1950 and 2020. At least 3,000 priests and officials performed criminal acts, according to the 2,500-page review by Jean-Marc Sauvé, a former senior civil servant; about 90% of their victims were boys.   (The Week, 10/15/2021)

NORWAY FIRST COUNTRY TO ABOLISH COVID RESTRICTIONS

Solberg solemnly stated that, from 4pm from Saturday, (September 25), Norway will “remove most of the infection control measures,” giving “a big thank you” to citizens for complying.

The Norwegian government has declared that Covid is just like the flu, with no higher death toll due to 70% of the population being vaccinated.   So most restrictions were abolished.  Not everybody was happy with the decision.   To my knowledge, this has not been announced on American TV.

————————————————–

LA COUNTY ISSUES NEW COVID DIRECTIVES

The Los Angeles City Council on Oct. 6 approved one of the strictest COVID-19 vaccination mandates in the country, requiring proof of vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, movie theaters, salons, shopping centers, and many more indoor venues.

People will have to provide vaccination proof at gyms, sports arenas, museums, spas, indoor government facilities, malls, restaurants, and bars. For people with religious or medical exemptions, negative COVID-19 tests within 72 hours of entry will be required, according to the ordinance, which doesn’t make mention of “natural immunity” afforded by a previous COVID-19 infection.

Unvaccinated individuals attempting to use government services will be provided with “alternative arrangements for access to government services,” including online or outdoor services, or providing proof of a negative test to enter, according to the ordinance.   (Jack Phillips, Epoch Times, 10/6/2021)

—————————————————————-

NATURAL GAS PRICE SURGING

Global gas markets are preparing for a volatile winter, says Seb Kennedy. The world is fighting for gas – and China is determined to win.  Xi Jinping raised the stakes by ordering China’s state-owned energy companies to secure supplies ‘at all costs.’ Britain, along with the rest of Europe, will face the full force of this crisis. So will this winter feel like the apocalypse? Hopefully not. But a gas shortage will cause huge disruption to the economy, widespread shortages and a political crisis from which even the Johnson administration, with its formidable ability to bounce back, may not recover.   (The Spectator, 10/7/2021)

—————————————————————–

ISLAM

Senior Official Of Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Ibrahim Al-Qosi, Threatens U.S. With Attacks More Painful, Powerful Than 9/11  (MEMRI, 10/7/2021)

Swedish artist Lars Vilks, 75, who was best known (some would say infamous) for drawing a cartoon of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, with a dog’s body, has been killed in a highly suspicious automobile accident in Sweden. He had previously survived two attempts on his life. It is possible that he was killed in a third.   According to the UK’s Daily Mail, Vilks was traveling in a police car along with two police officers around three o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday in Markaryd, Sweden. The officers were supposed to be protecting him in light of the previous attempts to kill him and the ongoing threat under which he was living. The identities of the officers have not been revealed.   The car Vilks was in was speeding. Suddenly, it veered into the lane of oncoming traffic, right into the path of a truck.   (Jihad Watch, 10/5/2021)

Jihadi Clerics Rejoice In Death Of Swedish Cartoonist Lars Vilks In Car Accident: May He Burn In Hell Like He Burned Our Hearts With His Mockery Of Our Prophet (MEMRI, 10/5/2021)

MIDDLE EAST MIGRANTS – STAY IN YOUR CULTURE ZONE

As the prospect of great numbers of Afghans fleeing their country – five million have been mentioned – comes into focus, a near-universal assumption exists that the West – meaning here Western and Central Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – should be their ultimate destination. But does this make sense?

From the Afghan perspective, living in Christian-heritage, secular societies offend many of their mores and creates severe stresses. Their general lack of skills appropriate to modern economies holds them back. Finding host populations prejudiced against them, they complain tearfully about structural racism, xenophobia, and “Islamophobia.” They point to hate incidents and even murderous attacks, such as those in New York City, North Carolina, Quebec, New Zealand, and beyond.

From the Western perspective, the open invitation of 2015-16 by the leaders of Germany and Sweden, allowing into their countries an estimated 1 million and 100,000 unvetted migrants, respectively, from Syria and elsewhere, turned out badly. Westerners watched helplessly as Middle Easterners arrived by plane, boat, train, bus, car, and foot through the beaches, fields, and railroad stations of Europe. They then witnessed those large numbers bring disease, resist assimilation, impose Islamic laws, engage in crime wave, perpetrate the Cologne taharrush (mass sexual assault), and execute jihadi attacks in Paris and Brussels. They uneasily accepted that their societies turned into quasi-surveillance states.

These problems point to the need radically to rethink what is best for both migrants in distress and Westerners. I shall argue that the former generally should remain within their own cultural zone. That is where they most readily fit in, where they can stay truest to their traditions, best find economic roles, most easily can return home, and least disrupt the host society. Thus, East Asian refugees, asylum seekers, and illegals should be directed to resettle in East Asia, South Asians in South Asia, Middle Easterners in the Middle East, Africans in Africa, Latin Americans in Latin America, and Westerners in the West. This can mean internal migration, as in Syria, or moving to nearby countries.  (Daniel Pipes, American Spectator,10/3/2021)

————————————————————

WHY GERMANY IS THE WEST’S SANEST COUNTRY

Thank G-d for Germany. That is not a sentiment that you heard much during the 20th century. As the second world war drew to a close, Henry Morgenthau, the US Treasury secretary, argued that the only answer to the German question was the destruction of the country’s industrial capacity. François Mauriac, the French writer, welcomed the division of the country, joking “I love Germany so much, I’m glad there are two of them.”

When reunification loomed in 1990, a meeting of chiefly British intellectuals, convened by Margaret Thatcher, discussed the German national character. Her chief foreign policy adviser wrote minutes suggesting these were “in alphabetical order, angst, aggressiveness, assertiveness, bullying, egotism, inferiority complex, sentimentality.”

Thirty years on and these stereotypes about national character have been completely reversed. It is the US and the UK where politics seem increasingly prone to “angst, aggressiveness” and all those other unattractive, supposedly Teutonic, qualities. These days, it is German public life that is characterised by the virtues the British often attribute to themselves — calm, restraint, rationality and compromise.

The recent German election and its aftermath underline the point. It was a close contest, but the losers accepted the results gracefully. Nobody tried to claim that the voting was rigged or that their opponents were “scum” — or represented a mortal danger to the country.

The Social Democrats now look set to lead a German government for the first time since 2005. But a transition of power will not bring about an abrupt rupture in policies or an attempt by the political opposition to paralyse the government, as is happening in the US.

The SPD’s Olaf Scholz, who may become chancellor, ran as a continuity candidate. As my FT colleagues reported, voters saw Scholz “with his quiet demeanour, long experience in government and pragmatic politics, as Merkel’s natural successor.” How very different from the leadership profiles of Donald Trump or Boris Johnson.   (part of an article by Gideon Rachman, Financial Times, 10/4/2021)

The German Bundeswehr has commissioned the “fabrication and delivery” of high-resolution maps of Russia – vector maps in military format, according to a report. Germany is part of a cooperation network, wherein 32 countries – grouped around a NATO core – “share photos and maps with one another.” This procurement of militarily applicable maps comes at a time when tensions between the West and Russia continue to escalate. Most recently, the EU threatened new sanctions. According to the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), new investments must be made, not only “in the defense capacities within the NATO and the EU frameworks.” “Change in Russia” must also be promoted through Intensive contacts within the Russian society. At the same time, the US company, Google, and its video platform YouTube has deleted RT DE – the German language edition of the Russian international broadcaster “Russia Today.” This move is akin to measures the DGAP had proposed to accompany a more aggressive German foreign policy.  (German Foreign Policy, 10/3/2021)

———————————————————————

DEBT CEILING

There’s a lot of talk about the debt ceiling deadline on October 18^th.   Interestingly, no other country has a debt ceiling.  Why do we?

The debt ceiling standoff is starting to be taken more seriously by markets with only 17 days left (now ten days) to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s deadline for a deal to avoid default.  Speaking to the House Financial Services Committee yesterday she said there may be a few extra day’s grace on the deadline, but reiterated a default would be “catastrophic” for the country.  The Washington-based Institute of International Finance said in a report that U.S. debt appears to already be losing favor as a haven, while Germany and Japan remain popular. Investors are demanding a premium to hold bills that come due in October and November, with those instruments having noticeably higher yields.   (Bloomberg, 10/1/2021)

——————————————————————-

TO THE POINT

• Norway Cathedral photo Exhibition:  “The Palestinians are Jesus.   The Jews are criminals who crucify him again.  Daily.”  (Jihad Watch, 10/1/2021)

• Russia holds lavish royal wedding – Russia will celebrate its first royal wedding in a century today when Nicholas II’s purported heir is married in the former Imperial capital of St Petersburg. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov, a hereditary pretender to the Russian throne, will marry Victoria Romanovna Bettarini amid a “lavish two days of imperial pomp and ceremony” complete with Faberge wedding rings, royal guests and a banquet provided by the catering tycoon known as “Putin’s chef,” reported The Telegraph.   (The Week, 10/1/2021)

• China is driving a wedge between America and Israel – In the last two decades, there have been more than 460 Chinese investments and mergers and acquisitions in Israel (30 Aug 2021, by Jake Wallis Simons, Spectator magazine).

• Remember “let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)

BUILDING UP OUR OWN FUNERAL PYRE

In the summer of 1683, 300,000 warriors of the Ottoman Empire began the siege of Vienna. The fall of the city would have opened the way to conquer Europe.  On September 11 was the main battle between the Polish cavalry and the Turks.  The lifting of the siege ended the threat from the Ottoman Turks of taking over Europe.

Just as September 11 stopped the Ottoman advance, so 9/11 in 2001 meant the Moslems are back.  The invasion of the West would now continue.

Twenty years later, the defeat of the United States in Afghanistan will embolden Muslims worldwide to attack the West.   They have seen how weak and divided the West is and will take advantage.

Every conflict we have fought in the Middle East and with Islamists has been lost.   The US has had no victories this century.  

A contributory cause of our defeats is that we still fail to understand Islam.

It is true that not every Muslim is a terrorist, but I haven’t heard one Muslim voice in the West condemn the killings of thirteen Americans in Kabul in August.

The author Salman Rushdie who was raised a Muslim but is now an atheist, told a New York audience some years ago that when a Muslim moves to Detroit from the Middle East, he is not seeking to better himself by taking advantage of America’s economic system, but rather he is there to advance the cause of Islam in the US.

In the wider world, we have tried to turn Islamic failed states into a version of the United States.   This “nation building” doesn’t work.   As Holger Hoock of the University of Pittsburgh showed in his book “ Scars of Independence,” the US keeps making the same mistake in foreign policy.  Misreading its own history, the US thinks it can successfully introduce democracy into other nations, just as the US introduced it into its own.

The United States ignores the cultural factors that make democracy impossible in many parts of the world.   It forgets that the thirteen colonies that formed the US were democracies before independence.   The Anglo-American culture was a major contributory factor in the success of the US.   It cannot be exported to most countries.

After the Afghan mess, voices have been raised that the United States should no longer practice nation building and that invading other countries should only be done to protect the American homeland.   We shall see what happens.   Americans have very short memories.

After 9/11 many people thought the United States would stop immigration from Muslim countries, but that was not to be.   The prevailing opinion from the 1960’s was that all peoples, regardless of race, tribe or religion, would be transformed into Americans once they got here. The BBC some years ago interviewed Somali immigrants in Minneapolis and found that all Somalis wanted to live under Sharia law.  They felt no loyalty to the US.  

In this context, it’s also interesting to note that Muslim countries do not allow people from the West to move there and become citizens.    They know that the two eventually will not get along!

Western thinking changed dramatically in the post-World War II period to encourage peoples from all countries to move to the West, primarily the Anglo-Saxon countries (the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), but also western Europe.    Terrorist attacks have become commonplace and will likely increase after the loss of Afghanistan.

There were bound to be problems. Islam means “submission.”   The West is built on individualism.   These two are in contrast with each other.

Our ancestors were mostly Christians.    The Bible teaches us that salvation can only come from a belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and through obedience to Him.

‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).   Obedience must follow conversion (Acts 2:38).

Not all religions preach peace and tolerance.  Islam is different.

Tucker Carlson made it clear.   “We invade other countries, then they invade us!”   Tens of thousands of Muslim Afghans are moving into western countries.   Many have been fighting for decades.  It was reported in England that the average Afghan family is seven people.  

A famous politician in England over 50 years ago warned of the consequences of our liberal immigration policies.   ‘We are a nation building up our own funeral pyre,” were his words, referring to the Indian custom of wives being burned to death on their husband’s funeral pyre.  He had lived in India and was familiar with the practice.  

In various countries, we are truly building up our own funeral pyre.

————————————————–

TWENTY YEARS ON

Millions dead, rampant poverty, dozens of millions of refugees and several devastated countries:  This is the result of western wars throughout the broader Middle East since September 11, 2001. Launched in the name of a war on jihadi terrorism, waged under the banner of “freedom and democracy,” the wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia have above all caused human suffering and misery of historic dimensions. The actual or purported objectives have not been achieved. Thriving societies have emerged nowhere, neither at the Hindu Kush nor at the Euphrates and Tigris. Jihadi terror is today “stronger” and more widespread on a global scale than in 2001, according to experts. Western armed forces and intelligence services have also committed the most egregious war crimes and human rights violations – from targeted assassinations of unarmed civilians to abductions of thousands to torture chambers. Germany has been involved in all of this. (German Foreign Policy, 9/10/2021)

For the west, there are no “forever wars.”  For the Islamists, war is indeed forever. (Melanie Phillips, 9/10/2021)

———————————————————–

KORAN ON UNBELIEVERS

Qur’an 16:125 tells Muslims: “Call them to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching.” In a hadith, Muhammad has been depicted as telling Muslims to follow up the “invitation,” if refused, with a second invitation asking non-Muslims to enter the Islamic social order as dhimmis, with institutionalized second-class status; or if they refuse both, to go to war with them:  “Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war . . .   When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them . . .  If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah’s help and fight them.” (Sahih Muslim 4294)

Germany:  Afghan Muslim migrant who stabbed two tried to convert his neighbors to Islam

This fellow invited his neighbors to accept Islam. He might have felt it incumbent upon him to begin to be violent in light of their apparent refusal to become Muslim.

“He wanted to convert his neighbors to Islam – then he stabbed a woman in the neck,” translated from “Wollte Nachbarn zum Islam bekehren – dann stach er einer Frau in den Hals,” by Rene Rabeder, Exxpress, September 6, 2021. 

He tried to convince his neighbors to follow Islam. Again and again he talked on the balcony or proselytised on the street. Always friendly, they say. Then he stabbed a woman several times in the neck with a knife. Because she was a woman practicing a profession. More and more details about the insane crime from Berlin are becoming known.

The woman is pruning bushes in a small green area. She’s been doing this for eight years. Voluntarily and with pleasure. Her son lives here. According to eyewitnesses, she is suddenly approached by the Afghan. Then he rams a knife into her throat several times. A 66-year-old man rushes to her aid, and he is also stabbed in the neck several times with the knife.  (Jihad Watch, 9/7/2021)

—————————————————–

QUOTE FROM THE LONDON TIMES

As the US prepared to mark the anniversary tomorrow of the 9/11 attacks, Gerard Barker said in The Times that “it is not too bleak a view to say that, 20 years on, in the war on terror, the terrorists won.”  After all, he continued, the “fanatical ideology” that gave rise to the attacks “has been rebuffed but not defeated,” and “some of its most extreme advocates, and the enablers of the 9/11 terrorists, have just triumphed in Afghanistan.”  (The Week, 9/10/2021)

On August 27, 2021, the pro-Al-Qaeda Thabat News Agency published a report praising recent “bloody attacks” by the mujahideen of Al-Qaeda affiliates in three African countries, Mali, Somalia, and Kenya, which resulted in the death of more than 150 “Crusaders and apostates,” the seizure of over 30 vehicles, and the “liberation” of nine towns. The report concluded by noting that “the Crusaders and apostates” are afraid of more attacks ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, especially “after the blessed conquest in Afghanistan.”  (MEMRI, 9/9/2021)

Pro-Al-Qaeda Magazine Celebrates Taliban Takeover Of Afghanistan; Taliban Spokesman Justifies 2001 Taliban Refusal To Hand Bin Laden Over:  The US Refused To Present Evidence That He Was Responsible For 9/11 Attacks (MEMRI 9/8/2021)

———————————————————

Berlin and Brussels seek to use the West’s defeat in Afghanistan to push for the establishment of a new EU intervention force.  “Nearly nothing” was done “to counter” the US’ decision to withdraw from the Hindu Kush, because of the lack of our military “capabilities” complained Germany’s Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. We can only “win,” if the EU gets “on a par with the USA.” Just prior, in a guest essay, EU Foreign Policy Commissioner Josep Borrell made a plea, above all, for the Union to create a particularly powerful “Initial entry force,” alongside its increasing “pivotal military capabilities.” Currently, there is talk within the EU of a unit of 5,000 soldiers, modeled on NATO’s “Spearhead” unit, with an augmentation of up to 20,000 also being in discussion. A decision should be made in November. Resistance is coming particularly from the Eastern and Southeastern European pro-US members of the EU. (German Foreign Policy, 9/6/2021)

————————————————–

Revealed:  The secret report that shows how the Nazis planned a Fourth Reich … in the EU by Adam Lebor, updated May 2009

Link for the report:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1179902/Revealed-The-secret-report-shows-Nazis-planned-Fourth-Reich–EU.html

The paper is aged and fragile, the typewritten letters slowly fading. But US Military Intelligence report EW-Pa 128 is as chilling now as the day it was written in November 1944.

The document, also known as the Red House Report, is a detailed account of a secret meeting at the Maison Rouge Hotel in Strasbourg on August 10, 1944. There, Nazi officials ordered an elite group of German industrialists to plan for Germany’s post-war recovery, prepare for the Nazis’ return to power and work for a ‘strong German empire.’ In other words: the Fourth Reich.   Daily Mail (5/9/2021)

——————————————–

TO THE POINT

• The Queen and the Royal Family are supporters of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a senior royal representative has said.  Ken Olisa, the first black lord-lieutenant of London, told Channel 4 that he has “discussed with the royal household this whole issue of race, particularly in the last 12 months since the George Floyd incident.”  (The Week, 9/10/2021)
  
• 2,000-year-old quarry found to supply stones for ancient Jerusalem Archaeologists uncover the site in the hi-tech hub of Har Hotzvim, the Hebrew name for ‘Quarrymen’s Hill.’  By Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post, 5 Sept 2021 — Har Hotzvim, one of Jerusalem’s main hi-tech hubs, owes its name, which in Hebrew means “Quarrymen’s Hill,” to a much more ancient industrial activity:  It is where archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority have uncovered a quarry dating back some 2,000 years, the IAA revealed Sunday. The quarry was discovered during a salvage excavation before a new building project was set to begin.  According to law, a salvage excavation must accompany all construction projects. “The large-scale building projects in ancient Jerusalem, such as the Temple Mount, required a vast amount of building materials and the ability to organize and coordinate the quarrying and transportation of thousands of building blocks to the ancient city,” IAA excavation director Moran Hagbi said. During the Second Temple period, magnificent construction projects were carried out in Jerusalem. In the first century BCE and up to the destruction of the city at the hands of the Romans, Jerusalem underwent great changes.

(https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/2000-year-old-quarry-of-stones-used-to-build-ancient-jerusalem-found-678768)

BIDEN TO BETRAY BRITAIN

REJECTED, ISOLATED, CUT OFF AND PLAGUED BY THE VIRUS, BIDEN THRUSTS IN THE DAGGER

President-elect Joe Biden has dashed hopes of a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and US when he succeeds Donald Trump in January. As he outlined his vision for his first few days in the White House, the former vice-president confirmed it does not involve a trade deal with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Instead, Mr. Biden has said he will adopt a similar “America First” policy as US President Donald Trump, fighting “like hell” to invest in US firms and employees.  (Daily Express, 12/18/2020)

CHRISTMAS ABOLISHED IN UK

For the first time since 1643 England has basically banned Christmas.   Then, it was the Puritan influence that banned it because of the wild parties and sensuality that surrounded it.  The ban remained until the Restoration of the monarchy that followed Cromwell’s death, in 1660.  Now, it’s because of a new strain of the coronavirus, which is spreading alarmingly.   The government has told people they must stay in place, in their own homes, isolated from others.   Travel has ceased between the UK and many European countries as well as nations further away.  

On the website “Historic England” is the following:

“On 19 December 1643, an ordinance was passed encouraging subjects to treat the mid-winter period ‘with the more solemn humiliation because it may call to remembrance our sins, and the sins of our forefathers, who have turned this feast, pretending the memory of Christ, into an extreme forgetfulness of him, by giving liberty to carnal and sensual delights’. The rejection of Christmas as a joyful period was reiterated when a 1644 ordinance confirmed the abolition of the feasts of Christmas, Easter and Whitsun. From this point until the Restoration in 1660, Christmas was officially illegal. Although Cromwell himself did not initiate the banning of Christmas, his rise to power certainly resulted in the promotion of measures that severely curtailed such celebrations. Nevertheless, the Puritans’ prohibition of Christmas proved very unpopular, and pro-Christmas riots broke out.”  

Note especially the words” “Pretending the memory of Christ.”

THERE REALLY WAS A WAR ON CHRISTMAS, MR. PRESIDENT.  IT WAS WAGED BY CHRISTIANS.
The Washington Post, 23 Dec 2020, by Gillian Brockell 

It’s that time of year again. No, not Christmas. The War on Christmas. And the war on the claim that the War on Christmas even exists.

President Donald Trump invoked the alleged war yet again this week after signing an executive order giving federal employees the day off for Christmas Eve. “This is a HUGE victory in the Democrats’ pathetic WAR ON CHRISTMAS, and I want YOU to be a part of it,” Trump announced in a fundraising letter.

One 16th-century Anglican bishop complained that “men dishonor Christ more in the twelve days of Christmas than in all the 12 months besides,” Christmas misrule was largely tolerated.  After all, the birth of Jesus had been tacked onto pagan traditions that had existed for centuries. 

(https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/There-really-was-a-war-on-Christmas-Mr-15824044.php)

———————————————-

Buckle up for the ugliest election Israel has ever known – analysis
Two big differences from the previous elections will set the tone for the rhetoric we are going to hear over the next few months. Jerusalem Post, 22 Dec 2020

The first difference is that Benjamin Netanyahu is facing for the first time two strong adversaries to his right.  While Benny Gantz put up a formidable fight over the last three elections, it was mostly from the Center-Left. He had very few right-wing voters, and it was fairly easy for Netanyahu to depict him as weak and as a “leftist,” messages that played well with his own Likud voter base.  This time, though, not only has Naftali Bennett built up a strong following – mostly due to his championing of small businesses during the coronavirus crisis – but there is now a party led by former longtime Likudnik Gideon Sa’ar that is looking more and more like a newer and cleaner version of Likud. 

According to polls, the two parties could bring in as many as 33 seats in a future Knesset, more than the Likud’s 28. Matched with partners from the Center, that could be enough to deny Netanyahu a return to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The second difference is Netanyahu’s trial, which is set to shift into high gear in February when the Jerusalem District Court begins to hear testimony in the three cases against the prime minister for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.  Netanyahu will likely try to use the election to get the court to delay proceedings. But if he fails and the court insists on starting, the public will see its prime minister in court on almost a daily basis, not exactly the images Netanyahu will want circulating just weeks before an election.  Because of this, Netanyahu will go as negative as possible. He will, of course, play up his success in bringing vaccines to Israel (he does deserve a lot of credit for that), and he will want those vaccines to be what people remember when they vote. More>>  https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/buckle-up-for-the-ugliest-election-israel-has-ever-known-analysis-652926)

—————————————————-

Swedish king says nation has ‘failed’

Sweden’s king has added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism of the country’s Covid response, telling his people that “I think we have failed.”

Addressing the nation as part of an annual TV review of the year, King Carl XVI Gustaf said that the Swedish people had “suffered tremendously in difficult conditions.”  (The Week, 12/18/2020)

——————————————–

CHINA “WINNER IN CORONA CRISIS”

German government advisors see China as the “winner in the Corona crisis” and call for a “strong and consolidated stance by the EU” in relationship to the People’s Republic. With “effective crisis management,” Beijing has enhanced its global economic and political influence, according to a recent analysis published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). Having long been accustomed to dominating international politics, the West must now expect China to play a more “assertive” role, the SWP writes. The People’s Republic has, in fact, been successful in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic at home, thus laying the groundwork for the economic recovery that is now enhancing its clout vis à vis the EU and the USA. With its Covid-19 vaccine supply, it can now also strengthen its position in various Asian, African and Latin American countries, whose plight has widely been ignored by the like-wise pandemic-stricken Western powers. The new free-trade RCEP agreement is also perspectively helping to shift the center of gravity of the global economy toward Asia.   (German Foreign Policy, 12/18/2020)

——————————————-

FRANCE UNDER ATTACK

“If nothing changes, in a few decades, France will have submitted to Islam, and Islamic violence will probably be even greater than today. It is already almost impossible for the country’s leaders to react. They are hostages of a Muslim population that is less and less integrated and whose anger they do not want to arouse. They are under the gaze of groups that immediately denounce any criticism of Islam and under pressure from many countries in the Muslim world that France does not want to offend.” — Alan Wagner, “L’Europe face à l’islam,” interview on Tepa, August 2, 2020

“For Muslims, Islamic law has God as its author. Any other legislator is illegitimate.” — Mohammed Hocine Benkheira, historian, Le Point, March 21, 2016 

“France still does not understand the reality it is facing. It believes that it has been struck by terrorists . . . but it is suffering a guerrilla war that is gradually gaining momentum . . .” — Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, lexpress.fr, October 18, 2020.

(“France is still under attack,” Guy Milliere, Gatestone, 12/6/2020)

————————————————

HUNGARIAN BORDERS TO REMAIN INTACT

“Hungary will only be a Hungarian country as long as its borders remain intact. Therefore, not only our thousand-year-old statehood but also the future of our children obliges us to protect our borders.” — Judit Varga, Hungarian Justice Minister, December 17, 2020.   (“Hungary:  “Europe’s borders must be protected,” Soeren Kern, 12/18/2020)

——————————————————————————————

This is a deeply religious message that not all Christians would agree with. I have included it in this blog because it has been neglected by the media. Religious sentiment is not something they would understand. It does help you understand the mind of the outgoing president.

Trump thanks God for sending Jesus to ‘redeem the world’ 
‘At Christmas, we give thanks to God and that God sent his only Son to die for us  and to offer everlasting peace to all humanity’
16 Dec 2020, Lifesite

At a time when some politicians would deem it politically incorrect to say “Merry Christmas” in public and would certainly not dare to speak about Jesus in the public square, Trump not only boldly wished Americans a “very, very Merry Christmas,” he went on to speak about the true meaning of Christmas in eloquent words that many Christians would be hard-pressed to hear from the pulpit.   Here’s what Trump said:

“To every family across our nation, the First Lady and I want to wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas.

“For Christians, this is a joyous time to remember God’s greatest gift to the world. More than two thousand years ago, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. He said, ‘Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God.’ The angel told her that she would give birth to a baby boy, Jesus, who would be called the Son of the Most High. Nine months later, Christ was born in the town of Bethlehem. The Son of God came into the world in a humble stable.

“As Christians everywhere know, the birth of our Lord and Savior changed history forever. At Christmas, we give thanks to God and that God sent his only Son to die for us and to offer everlasting peace to all humanity. More than two millennia after the birth of Jesus Christ, his teachings continue to inspire and uplift billions and billions of people all over the globe. His Divine word still fills our hearts with hope and faith. And, Christians everywhere still strive to live by Jesus’ timeless commandment to his disciples, ‘Love one another.’

“Above all, during the sacred season, our souls are full of thanks and praise for Almighty God for sending us Christ His Son to redeem the world.

“Tonight, we ask that God will continue to bless this nation. And we pray that He will grant every American family a Christmas season full of joy, hope, and peace.

“On behalf of Melania and the entire Trump family, Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for a very, very great and happy new year. Thank you.”

For some reason, Trump’s message is not available at the White House and can only be found with difficulty using Google’s search engine.

(https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-thanks-god-for-sending-jesus-to-redeem-the-world-in-powerful-christmas-message-thats-gone-viral)

—————————————————

TO THE POINT

• A cartoon in our local paper showed a man visiting his public library asking for something by Charles Dickens.  He was directed to “Current Events.” 
• Three hundred and seventy years ago, between 1645 and 1660, Parliamentarians completely outlawed Christmas. The Government imposed a festive vacuum each December which was underpinned by the Puritan belief that the Catholic celebration was a sinful extravagance fueled by immorality.   (Dec 19, 2019)
• Matthew Syed, reviewing the British papers on Sky News on Saturday evening made an interesting comment.  He said that in the western world we each compare ourselves to other western countries; that the number of people in a million who have died of Covid-19 is basically the same in the UK, Germany, France and the US; but we should take a look at Eastern nations like Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam, where the numbers are a lot lower.   Taiwan has only lost seven people.   Why?
• UK INFLATION SINCE 1950:  The pound had an average inflation rate of 5.19% per year between 1950 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 3,349.22%. This means that today’s prices are 34.49 times higher than average prices since 1950, according to the Office for National Statistics composite price index. (Dec 12, 2020)
• “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”  — Benjamin Franklin
• “Whites are at the back of the queue when it comes to vaccinations”  — official policy.
• “In announcing the $900 billion stimulus bill to deal with the pandemic, Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not mention that the gifts for her distressed countrymen and women at Christmas would have been twice as large had she taken President Trump’s offer of $1.8 trillion in October . . .   Rather than let Donald Trump take credit, Pelosi stiffed millions of Americans.”  (Pat Buchanan, 12/22/2020)
• Speaking of the stimulus package, this is just a portion of the “pork” . . .

• A year ago, President Donald J. Trump declared he would name Mexican Cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. He paused his decision, and then tabled it, based on assurances from Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and a reported wave of resistance from his own cabinet.   The incoming Biden administration has the cartels virtually “high-fiving” each other — they know a Biden administration will do nothing to stop cartel dominance and control of the US-Mexico border.  (“Drug Trafficking,” Chris Farrell, Gatestone, 12/23/2020 .

There will be no blog next week. My next blog will be posted on January 7th

ALL I KNOW IS . . .

Michigan is one of those states where the election result is being challenged, with allegations that dead people were voting as well as other irregularities.

I’ve spent quite some time in rural areas lately, taking my grandson to see trains and related sights.   Wherever we have gone, yard signs were overwhelmingly for Trump/Pence.  Occasionally, signs were for Biden/Harris, surprising me when I saw them.   They were at least 75% for Trump and may have been as much as 90% for him.

The only exception was East Lansing, where 52% of residents work for Michigan State University and know who butters their bread.  I didn’t visit Ann Arbor in the weeks before the election, but, as the home of the University of Michigan, I can safely declare that the majority of signs were for Biden/Harris. Some call it the Socialist Republic of Ann Arbor!

Because of this, I expected a landslide for Trump in Michigan (I can’t speak for other states).  Instead, the final result was a victory for Biden.  When we went to bed late on Tuesday, Trump was winning by quite a number; when we turned on the TV on Wednesday it was Biden.   Rumors of ballots arriving at 4am, turning the tide, encouraged speculation that something inappropriate was going on.

I’d like to think that everything was above board.  If not, it was a brilliant coup.

Except for the fact that some saw through it!

Melvin Rhodes

————————————-

“President Donald Trump, given all he has endured for five years from those piously pleading now for a “time of healing,” cannot be faulted for his defiant resolve to unearth any and all high crimes or misdemeanors committed in the counting of ballots in the election of Tuesday last. Trump owes his people this, and he owes the establishment nothing.”   (Pat Buchanan, 11/10/2020)

If the shoe was on the other foot, you can guarantee that the Democrats would be contesting every single vote that went against them; and the expected riots would have taken place.   The media spent three years after Trump’s victory claiming the Russians were behind it, but won’t allow Trump three days to challenge their “victory.”  Prior to the election the Dems also said that Trump would not leave office peacefully.   Could mean they were expecting this.  (Pat Buchanan, 11/10/2020)

“If Democrats can kill the filibuster and pack the Supreme Court, if they can add four new senators from Puerto Rico and D.C., and if they can pack the electorate by turning millions of migrants, legal and illegal, into U.S. citizens and regular voters, then you don’t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.”  (Pat Buchanan, 11/13/2020)

“We’re fixing to overturn the results of the elections in multiple states. President Trump won by not hundreds of thousands of votes but by millions of votes that were shifted by this software that was designed expressly for that purpose. We have sworn witness testimony of why the software was designed — it was designed to rig elections.” — Sidney Powell, a former federal prosecutor and a member of President Trump’s legal team.  (Gatestone, 11/17/2020)

———————————————–

REACTION FROM AMERICA’S ENEMIES

Nobody is enjoying the messy results process more than Washington’s adversaries abroad, with enemies and rivals lining up to mock the delays and claims of election fraud, in barely veiled references to US scrutiny of their own elections:

“What a spectacle!” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. “One says this is the most fraudulent election in US history. Who says that? The president who is currently in office.”

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro – whose overthrow Trump has encouraged – raised an eyebrow at America’s “surprising electoral process” but insisted:  “The United States. I don’t stick my nose in.”  (The Guardian, 11/6/2020)

————————————————

TRUMP WILL PUSH ISRAELI ANNEXATION BEFORE JAN 20 – and Israel Might Grab ‘Once In A Lifetime’ Chance

Trump will push annexation of West Bank and, if Netanyahu sees it as in his political interest to be antagonistic to Biden, he will accede, say two prominent Israel lobbyists.

Michael Koplow of the Israel Policy Forum said he is “very confident” that Trump will push Israeli annexation. 

Aaron Weinberg, government relations director of Israel Policy Forum, echoed the view that the Trump administration would push annexation in the next few weeks. by Philip Weiss, Mondoweis, 11 Nov 2020 (https://mondoweiss.net/2020/11/trump-wi)

———————————————————–

GERMANY

Foreign policy experts consider the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to be a success for Russia and a strategic defeat for the West.  The mediation of a cease-fire was a “spectacular diplomatic move” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Carnegie Moscow Center. “The West” has “once again yielded the floor to Putin,” criticizes the government-financed Deutsche Welle. In fact, Moscow has once again successfully ended an armed conflict in close cooperation with Ankara – like previously, for example, in Syria. The OSCE’s “Minsk Group” (USA, France and Russia), which had dealt with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has failed, just as Berlin and the EU’s attempts failed to end that war. Russian troops will now monitor the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian armed forces are deployed in all three South Caucasian countries – for the first time since the early 1990s.  (German Foreign Policy, 11/12/2020)

The German government plans to send a frigate for patrol in the Indian Ocean and to deploy German naval officers on Australian warships, announced German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on the occasion of her talks with her Australian counterpart. A training expedition of the frigate “Hamburg” to the Indian Ocean was originally planned for this year but had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.  According to Kramp-Karrenbauer, the Indo-Pacific has become an arena of “global challenges” and “Germany needs to mark its position in the region.” At the same time, Kramp-Karrenbauer is quoted saying that Germany wants to maintain business with China, which is currently helping the German industry through the Corona crisis. According to an article in the foreign policy magazine “Internationale Politik,” Germany should rearm Taiwan’s armed forces and conduct joint military exercises with them. This would amount to a profound breach in relations with Beijing.  (German Foreign Policy, 11/10/2020)

Little more can be said about the course of the US presidential elections and Germany’s foreign policy reaction. All that has been said about the incumbent US president, his nightly intention to stop counting the votes, his self-proclamation as winner, and the upcoming battle in US courts because of alleged electoral fraud – all that is innocuous, because it does not correspond to the actual developments. It reduces the extent of abuse inflicted on the ideals of bourgeois democracy in the purported homeland of its reign, as if all this is just a rude interlude, a perilous performance, which can still avert the end of the drama in the next act, with a better kind of protagonist, with another script and a German prompter. However, it is too late for that.  (German Foreign Policy, 11/6/2020)

———————————————————–

ISLAM 

Pakistani Politician And Islamic Scholar Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi Calls On Pakistani Government To Use The Atom Bomb, In The Wake Of The Charlie Hebdo Cartoons Affair  (MEMRI, 11/2/2020)

Canadian Imam Younus Kathrada: Samuel Paty Was A Cursed, Evil-Spirited, Filthy Excuse For A Human-Being  (11/3/2020)

Samuel Paty was the French schoolteacher beheaded in the street for teaching a class on freedom of speech.

“Political Islamic organizations are the reason for perpetuating terrorism and hatred. These organizations are banned in most of the Islamic countries, while Europe, especially Britain, embraces them and allows them to operate freely.  Europeans can only blame themselves.” — Mohammed al-Sheikh, Saudi writer, Twitter, October 29, 2020.  (Gatestone, 11/13/2020)

Australian Preacher Urges Muslims To Boycott France, Stresses Death Is The Only Punishment For Offense To Prophet Muhammad (MEMRI, 11/13/2020)

POST-ATTACK COMMENTS

“I expect an end to the misconceived tolerance, and for all the nations of Europe to finally realize how dangerous the ideology of political Islam is for our freedom and the European way of life.” — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Die Welt, November 3, 2020

“We see very clearly that terrorist actions can actually be led by some people who use migratory flows to threaten our territory.” — French President Emmanuel Macron, Politico, November 5, 2020.

For once, the sudden upsurge in terror attacks appears to have prompted European leaders to acknowledge the glaring deficiencies in their ability to protect Europe against Islamist-inspired acts of terrorism.   (Con Coughlin, Gatestone, 11/16/2020)

Senior Journalist Eggert:  Russian Leaders From The Tsars To Boris Yeltsin Kept The Turks At Bay, Now Under Putin, The Turks Have Entered The Caucasus And The Dreams Of The Turkish Sultans Have Come True

————————————————————

RECONSIDERING ISLAM?

“I expect an end to the misconceived tolerance, and for all the nations of Europe to finally realize how dangerous the ideology of political Islam is for our freedom and the European way of life.” — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Die Welt, November 3, 2020.

“We see very clearly that terrorist actions can actually be led by some people who use migratory flows to threaten our territory.” — French President Emmanuel Macron, Politico, November 5, 2020.

For once, the sudden upsurge in terror attacks appears to have prompted European leaders to acknowledge the glaring deficiencies in their ability to protect Europe against Islamist-inspired acts of terrorism.   (Con Coughlin, Gatestone, 11/16/2020)

——————————————–

DENYING THE PAST

JOHANNESBURG – Government is set to begin a comprehensive national audit of all the statues and monuments in the country to decide which of them are heritage symbols and which should be removed. The process is expected to be completed by March, with a team of over 260 people carrying out the audit. The debate on whether or not to continue displaying symbols related to the apartheid regime has long been a heated issue in the country, with some saying the symbols promote constitutional post-colonial” and “post-apartheid” values. Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has suggested that the statues and other relics of apartheid be relocated to a historical theme park, if there’s public support for such a thing His spokesperson Masechaba Khumalo: “The South African Heritage Resources Agency will be championing this project and the budget allocated is R10 million. The targeted number of employees is 260 and they will be spread across all of the nine provinces.” 

(https://ewn.co.za/2020/11/16/govt-audit-of-nation-s-statues-and-monuments-to-decide-on-removal)

—————————————————————

CRUSADERS REACH ANTIOCH

The Crusaders arrived at the gates of Antioch in 1097.

“The sight of the city, however, daunted them; apart from their brief glimpse of Constantintople, none of them had ever seen a city like Antioch.  It had been founded in 300 BC by one of Alexander’s generals, Seleucus, and named after his father Antiochus. For centuries it had rivaled Alexandria, both cities claiming to be the second city of the Roman world, and in one respect at least it had literally outshone its rival; for Antioch had been the first city in the world to be lit by streetlamps at night.  To Christians it was remarkable as the place where they had first received the name of Christian, and although earthquakes and wars had somewhat diminished its former glory, it was still one of the great cities of the world and immensely strong.” (The Crusades, page 87, Antony Bridge, 1980)

————————————————-

IMPERIAL REDUX
“His descendants will become a multitude of nations.”  (Genesis 48:19)

“Phil Percival had a wonderful farm at Machakos (in colonial Kenya) and I envied him his life.  Off into the bush on safaris with some rich American or titled European to earn money, and in between relaxing in his comfortable house, waited on hand and foot by his native servants, who obviously adored him.  His wife was a sweet woman who was addressed by one and all on the farm as ‘Mama.’  She, too, was adored and was doctor, nurse, and midwife to the hundreds who worked there.  I saw only smiling faces when I visited the little huts with their allotted shambas where they grew corn to make pombe (strong African beer).  I get so tired of hearing form the media, who usually know nothing about Africa, how the African has been exploited and enslaved by the British.  I’m not referring to the Dutch, German, Belgian and French colonists – I’m not an authority on their methods – I can only talk from my own experiences.  The farmers and planters of Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda that I met looked after their workers, saw to their health and comfort and the education of their children.  Are they faring any better now?”   (Sparks Fly Upward, page 174, Stewart Granger, 1981)

————————————————

TO THE POINT

• The psychological illnesses triggered by Covid – Almost 20% of coronavirus patients are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder or mental health issue within three months of testing positive for Covid-19, a new study has found.  The research, outlined in a paper in The Lancet, adds to the growing list of “long Covid” symptoms being reported.  Experts have warned that “action is needed to mitigate the mental health toll” of the global pandemic, says The Guardian.  (The Week, 11/16/2020)
• Obama says Queen ‘didn’t mind’ hand on shoulder – Barack Obama has dismissed the controversy about whether his wife Michelle breached royal protocol by placing a hand on the Queen’s shoulder. The former US president insists in his new memoir, A Promised Land, that Her Majesty “didn’t seem to mind.”  Writing of the incident that took place in 2009, he said the Queen even “slipped her arm around Michelle in return.”  (The Week, 11/17/2020)
• Man behind The Crown defends invented scenes – The lead writer of The Crown has defended creating scenes in which Lord Mountbatten reprimands Prince Charles for his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles. Peter Morgan, creator of the Netflix saga, admitted he “made up in my head” details of the conversations between the men, but believes they accurately “represent [Mountbatten’s] view.”  (The Week, 11/17/2020)
• “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.”  Napoleon Bonaparte
• “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  Winston Churchill
• The modern Left aren’t even clever enough to realise that wealth has to be created before it can be redistributed.  They think the Government just ‘has’ all this wealth that it’s hoarding and refusing to spend on good causes aka free stuff for them.  (Tweet by @TheAliceSmith, retweeted by Matt Maddock, Republican State Representative in Michigan)
• “Biden repudiates an “America First” foreign policy that puts U.S. security, sovereignty, liberty and vital interests above the interests of any other nation. But what is it, then, that Biden puts first? Globalism. A New World Order. A Crusade for Global Democracy.” (Pat Buchanan, 11/17/2020)