Vaccination is now the hot topic for decision-making. The argument for widespread vaccination is powerful, but a few million Australians quietly disagree. They carry concerns, often unspoken. Having suffered financially from the lockdowns, they see no sign of comparable financial sacrifices being offered by leading politicians and high-ranking officials, who mainly decide which citizens, industries and occupations should suffer.
Hosts of civil servants are receiving higher salaries and working safely at home while the losers in the private sector are suffering financially and even dipping into their superannuation.
Women, especially those in hospitality and tourism, are losers. The young more than the middle-aged suffer from unemployment, a burden that is more widespread than is measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The government’s job subsidies tend to support full-time employees, whereas so many young workers, especially students, are casuals.
Outer regions tend to suffer more than the big cities, while in the heart of those cities the hairdressers, coffee shops, laneway bars and other small businesses suffer more than banks and big mining companies.
Some businesses, of course, have gained more than they merited because the Morrison-Frydenberg formula of subsidies necessarily had to be devised with speed and generosity.
The loss of daily freedom has perhaps surpassed financial losses from the pandemic, though the two forms of damage cannot be compared easily. School-age children, deprived of their friends by the onset of online learning, have suffered emotionally. Mental health is impaired in all age groups. The assault on freedom of religion – inflicted promptly during lockdowns – has probably no parallel in the past 185 years.
This assault is more punitive than that organized by governments during the mask-wearing months of the Spanish flu, when Christians were often allowed to worship in the open air near their chosen church. (“Compared with Spanish flu, we’re doing ok,” Geoffrey Blainey, The Australian, 8/4/2021)
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MUSLIM ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Muslim Association Of Canada (MAC), After Participating In Summit With Prime Minister Trudeau, Canadian Officials, Schedules Muslim Student Leadership Conference Featuring Muslim Brotherhood Leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan, Who Has Said Gays Should Be Killed, Called For Jihad Against Israel, And Spoke At December 2020 MAC Conference Alongside Islamist Figures Muhammad Al-Dido, Muhammad Al-Nabulsi (MEMRI, 8/6/2021)
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DIEGO GARCIA OCCUPIED ILLEGALLY
The frigate Bayern, which set sail for East Asia yesterday, will soon make a port call at Diego Garcia, an island under occupation, in violation of international law, and serving military purposes. It is the main island of the Chagos Archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean and the site of a strategically important US military base. The Chagos Archipelago is an old British colonial possession that had once belonged to Mauritius. It was detached, in violation of international law, during the decolonization of Mauritius, to allow the United States to construct a military base. The population was deported to impoverished regions on Mauritius. In the meantime, several international court rulings have been handed down and a UN General Assembly resolution has been passed on this issue – all concluding that Mauritius has sovereignty over Diego Garcia and calling on the United Kingdom to hand back the illegally occupied Chagos Archipelago. To this day, London and Washington refuse to comply. This does not bother Berlin. (German Foreign Policy, 8/3/2021)
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IRANIAN PROTESTS
Protests began on July 15 in the southwestern Khuzestan Province. The initial focus was a scarcity of water in recent months, which has led to deaths among livestock and consequent impoverishment among farmers in the ethnically diverse province. The lack of water is also leading to a breakdown in electricity provision and frequent blackouts.
But while scarcity of water was the initial trigger, the protests soon began to include more generalized slogans against the ruling Islamist regime. Khuzestan Province, in which Arab-Iranians form the largest community, is a place of high unemployment, poorly served by the central government in terms of services. In the course of a week, the protests spread, with additional, though smaller, demonstrations taking place in the cities of Isfahan, Karaj, Kermanshah and Tabriz. (“Unrest grows in Iran,” Jonathan Spyer, MEF, 7/30/2021)
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WILL LEBANON FALL TO IRAN?
If Lebanon falls to Iran, the Iranians will control an arc of territory from Iran, through Iraq and Syria. This territory is basically the old King of the North, which the Bible says will be restored prior to Christ’s return.
- There is growing concern among the Lebanese and other Arabs that Iran is planning to exploit the severe political, economic and financial crisis in Lebanon to complete its takeover of the country.
- Iran already has a political and military presence in Lebanon through its terrorist proxy, Hezbollah. The current crisis, however, is likely to facilitate Iran’s mission of adding Lebanon to the list of countries it already occupies: Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
- “Iran is already very dangerous without a nuclear bomb. The region is witnessing a state of chaos and agitation by fundamentalist forces, which threaten all Arab countries without exception.” — Mishary Dhayidi, Saudi writer, Al-Arabiya, July 21, 2021
- The Arabs appear clearly worried about the perceived apathy of the US and other Western powers towards Iran’s scheme to extend its control to Lebanon. They seem particularly alarmed that Lebanon will meet the same fate as Iraq, Syria and Yemen…. thanks to Iran’s continuous efforts to export terrorism and the “Islamic Revolution” to the Arab countries.
- [T]he mullahs in Tehran are doubly dangerous: they aspire not only to develop nuclear weapons, but also to occupy Arab states. (“Will Lebanon fall into the hands of Iran?,” Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone, 7/26/2021)
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HUNGARY’S ORBAN FACES ELECTION
Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s far-right populist prime minister, likes to shock people. It’s part of his political appeal. Orbán has proudly proclaimed that he is an “illiberal” leader,” creating a frenzy in Brussels because Hungary is a member of the European Union.
It’s been over a decade since the 58-year-old, whom some have dubbed the “Trump before Trump,” became prime minister. In that time he has, critics say, hollowed out Hungary’s governing institutions and eroded the state’s democratic characteristics.
But now for the first time since then, Orbán faces a real challenge to his power. Six ideologically-diverse opposition parties have joined forces to unseat him. But even if the opposition bloc wins elections next spring, a hard feat given Orbán’s popular appeal, what would it even mean to “liberalize” Hungary again? (Gzero Signal, 7/29/2021)
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FAMILY FIRST, NZ
George Orwell is traditionally credited with saying this great quote: “The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” Let me adjust that slightly to my version. “The further a society drifts from biblical truth, the more it will hate those who quote it.” (Family First, NZ, August)
The proposed ‘conversion therapy’ ban will be yet another attack on parents’ rights. A ban would criminalize parents who wish to protect their child from the physical, emotional, and psychological harm caused by gender dysphoria. Shockingly, parents would be criminalized and potentially liable up to five years in jail simply for affirming that their sons are boys and their daughters are girls. The government want to criminalize the discussion and practice of alternatives to hormones, surgery and confusion.
And if a person wanted to align their sexuality with the teachings and values of their particular faith – be it Muslim or Christian, Jewish or Sikh – and sought help to do so from a minister, imam or other faith leader, a ban would make it virtually impossible to access the support they wanted. Furthermore, if they were able to find someone prepared to provide counselling of that kind, they could well cause that person (such as you!) to become implicated in a criminal offence. According to the government bill, consent is not relevant. But the right of self-determination is a founding principle of the mental health profession, and for children, the wider whanau / family is part of this important value and support base. (Family First NZ, August)
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CRITICAL RACE THEORY
Despite widespread acceptance of bi-culturalism and the increasing use of Te Reo Māori, terms like “systemic racism”, “White guilt” and “White privilege” are being enthusiastically embraced by organizations and governments – and now being pushed in our education system. It’s all part of critical theory – a radical and dangerous new way of thinking about human identity and value. But critical theory is divisive. It’s reduces human interaction to the notion of us versus them. This then feeds the very thing it claims to be fighting: racism, prejudice, resentment and self interest. And the traditional values of reconciliation, love, treating others the way you want to be treated, forgiveness and colour-blindness have no place in a world gripped by critical theory. But it’s wrong to teach children to be defined by their race rather than as individuals, as though they are only the color of their skin and that’s all they will ever be. This is confusing to children and creates resentment, tribalism and division in schools. Fighting racism with racism is a double standard. Parents need to check whether this agenda is in their local schools. (Family First NZ, August)
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President Biden’s Middle East policy
The Biden team has attempted to base its Middle East policy on the noble values of human rights and democracy, which are inconsistent with the Arab Middle East.
by Yoram Ettinger: a former ambassador & head of Second Thought: A U.S.-Israel Initiative. (August 8, 2021 / JNS)
The Middle East does not intend to disengage from the United States. America is perceived by rogue Middle East entities as “The Great Satan,” and the main obstacle on their way to achieving their overarching goal: bringing the West into submission. This goal has deep roots, going back to the seventh century C.E.
Isolation is not a realistic option in the increasingly globalized village, where rogue Middle East regimes are engaged in the proliferation of terrorism, non-conventional military technologies and drug trafficking around the globe. Their reach extends all the way to the American continent, impacting U.S. homeland security. . . . Biden and his team assume that Islamic terrorism (e.g., Iran’s ayatollahs, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Hamas, PLO, Houthis) is driven by despair. They ignore the fact that Islamic terrorism has been driven – since the 7th century C.E. – not by despair, but by deeply-rooted, intolerant, fanatic and megalomaniacal anti-Western ideology, irrespective of Western and Israeli policies. (https://www.jns.org/opinion/president-bidens-middle-east-policy/)
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Germany’s Left Party candidate for chancellor supports NATO and European army by Peter Schwarz (9 August 2021, © 1998-2021 World Socialist Web Site. All rights reserved)
A world without an army was “a wonderful utopia,” Dietmar Bartsch, the lead candidate for Germany’s Left Party told an ARD television interviewer recently.
A utopia, however, he also made clear, that for him and his party existed only as fiction. Bartsch made unmistakably clear that despite verbal declarations about peace, the Left Party supports foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces), the creation of a European army and NATO. (https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/08/09/left-a09.html)
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Why did so many world leaders attend the inauguration of Iran’s murderous president?
For a regime that makes such noise about how many foreign leaders attend an inauguration, it sure is quiet about how many citizens it has murdered.
(August 8, 2021 / The Jewish Journal) What would you do if you were a senior European Union diplomat who was invited to the inauguration of a man affectionately known as “The Butcher of Tehran”? Yes, I’m kidding about the “affectionately” part, but not about “The Butcher of Tehran.” You don’t earn that nickname (as well as “Ayatollah Massacrist”) among Iranian people unless you’ve overseen the arrest, torture and murder of thousands of dissidents and protestors for more than 30 years. If you’re Enrique Mora, a senior E.U. diplomat, you RSVP “yes” to the swearing-in of newly-elected Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which was held on Thursday in Tehran. Mora was joined by representatives from over 70 countries who also said “yes.” Specifically, the ceremony was attended by “10 presidents, 20 speakers of parliament, 11 foreign ministers, 10 other ministers, envoys of presidents, vice presidents and parliamentary delegations,” according to a statement by Iranian Parliament spokesman Seyyed Nezam Al-Din Mousavi. For a regime that makes such noise about how many foreign leaders attend an inauguration, it sure is quiet about how many citizens it has murdered. + Noted: thousands murdered.
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Evidence shows biblical-era earthquake reached Jerusalem
The new findings update what was previously the earliest destruction layer of Jerusalem – from the Babylonian conquest of 586 BCE.
by Brian Blum (8 August 2021, Israel 21c)
Did an ancient earthquake described by the Bible in the Kingdom of Judah some 2,800 years ago reach as far as Jerusalem, the region’s capital? An archeological dig says yes. This could have only one explanation: the eighth century BCE earthquake mentioned in the books of Amos and Zechariah.
https://www.israel21c.org/evidence-shows-biblical-era-earthquake-reached-jerusalem/
Is Iran on the verge of sparking a water war?
Years of mismanagement has left Iran facing “irreversible” water shortages that threaten to trigger conflict across the Middle East and North Africa, an exiled former minister has warned.
Kaveh Madani, a scientist who served as deputy environment minister, told The Times that Iran was “water bankrupt” – when consumption is greater than renewable water availability – as reservoirs, rivers and groundwater begin to run dry.
And the shortages are “being replicated across the region,” says the paper, “with the marshes of southern Iraq starting to dry out again despite restoration efforts, and eastern Syria suffering a significant drought.” (The Week, 7/29/2021)
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TALKING POINTS
- “Biden is failing in his first constitutional duty — to defend the United States from foreign invasion. We Americans no longer decide who comes into our national home and whom we shall adopt as new citizens . . . We defend the borders of scores of nations; we cannot, or Biden will not, defend our own.” (“Is America becoming a failed state?” by Pat Buchanan, 8/10/2021)
- Not once in this century has the U.S. decisively won one of the wars it launched — in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen or Libya. And the sole superpower status we enjoyed as the 21st century began is gone with the wind.” (PB, 8/10/2021)
- Iran ‘working systematically to build serious cyber-attack capabilities’
Revelations about malign plans by Tehran’s leaders serve as the latest confirmation of how seriously the Islamic Republic takes cyber warfare, said Professor Col. (res.) Gabi Siboni, an expert on cyber security. (https://www.jns.org/iran-is-working-systematically-to-build-serious-cyber-attack-capabilities/)
- VIEWPOINT Quote of the day, UK — It’s phenomenal to see first-hand the enthusiasm of the British public for the vaccines.” Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi hails the news that 75% of adults have now been double-vaccinated. (The Week, 8/10/2021)
- Nigel Farage helped lead the British people to Brexit. He now has a program on a new channel called “GB News,” which is far more even-handed than the BBC. Imaginatively, his program is called “Talking Pints.” Nigel sits at a bar interviewing people. Both participants have a glass of brownish liquid in front of them. It’s well worth a view (and can be seen regularly on YouTube). Although I like the concept, we shall continue to call this segment of the blog “Talking Points.”
FINAL THOUGHT
GOD’S WAITING ROOM
My wife had a birthday at the weekend. A lady friend in Australia called her on the day to wish her a happy birthday. I also talked with her for a few minutes. She mentioned how one old lady she knows described the years after 70 as being in God’s waiting room.
Psalm 90:10, written over 3000 years ago, is a reminder that people normally live about 70 years. “The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor …” Some may be given a few more years, but life only gets harder as we all deal with failing health.
It’s as if we are in God’s waiting room. As in any waiting room situation, we have choices. We can do something profitable while we wait such as reading; or we can waste away the time checking our phones for messages!
In our general life, we can spend time with the grandchildren or waste our days watching television.
You get the idea. Redeem the time. Use it profitably.
Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us to “see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
We don’t know how long we will be in the waiting room, but, as we wait patiently, let us use the time well. For we never know when the wait time will be over.
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