I wrote my blog yesterday and titled it. The Economist arrived last night — its cover (above) was also titled “Israel Alone.” – Editor
Israel is taking quite a battering lately, mostly from its friends, including the US. Israel is decidedly alone. — Editor
In my article last week, I wrote that America was abandoning Israel. Today, the Biden administration wrote its name in the annals of infamy by openly joining the axis of evil against those defending civilization.
The UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the remainder of Ramadan, and the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages.
Breaking with its historic policy by vetoing hostile resolutions at the UNSC to protect Israel against those working for its destruction and the defeat of the West, the US abstained today and so the resolution was passed.
And of course, the UK, the Biden administration’s poodle whose Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, has been threatening Israel with an end to arms sales unless it does what he and the US State Department are demanding, abstained alongside the US.
So both the US and UK are now aligned with the West’s foes Russia and China against Israel, the sole defender of the West in the Middle East. What a disgrace.
The resolution is obnoxious because it fails to condition a ceasefire on the release of the hostages, thus destroying the chances of the latter actually occurring. (Israel Alone, Melanie Phillips, 3/25/2024)
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THERE GOES LATIN AMERICA
This news from South America illustrates a weakness on the part of the US. It’s largely self-inflicted. – Editor
A threatening development has been brewing largely under the radar of the Biden administration and the mainstream media attention: Iran’s calculated expansion into Latin America, from Argentina to Mexico.
With alarming nonchalance, the Biden administration appears to have turned a blind eye to the Iranian regime’s concerted efforts to establish a military foothold right in America’s backyard. The ramifications of this complacency are profound. The Iranian regime, which, since it began in 1979, has been calling for “Death to America,” now has ballistic missiles which it says can reach the US, and claims to have a hypersonic missile that, according to one report, “Can Destroy US In 40 sec.” (“There goes Latin America,” Majid Rafizadeh, Gatestone, 3/16/2024)
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25 YEARS LATER, IS PUTIN WINNING?
Surprising zero people, Vladimir Putin on Sunday “won” his fifth term as Russia’s president.
The result was not close: Russia’s electoral authorities say Putin took 87% of the vote with 77% turnout. A landslide was never in question, as Putin has systematically eliminated any opposition to his rule.
Putin has now ruled Russia for 25 years. When he first became president, no one had ever heard of “YouTube,” Italy’s economy was still bigger than China’s, and Britney Spears ruled the Billboard with “One More Time.” But now, a quarter of a century later, is Putin more powerful than ever?
Consider:
His economy has largely weathered sanctions and is humming again — on a war footing.
He faced down an insurrection from his own warlord protege last year.
He dispatched his most eloquent and charismatic critic to the grave.
The war in Ukraine wasn’t the four-day cakewalk to Kyiv he imagined, but Russia again has the upper hand in a grinding war of attrition as Ukraine scrambles to find more military aid.
The Putin-curious Donald Trump leads the polls ahead of this fall’s US presidential election.
To be clear, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Russia is a long-term loser as a result of Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. (Gzero Signal, 3/18/2024)
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Niger wants US troops out. – A SET BACK FOR US
In another setback for the US, America is going to withdraw from Niger (not to be confused with Nigeria). – Editor
Niger’s military junta announced Saturday that it would end the agreement that allows US troops to operate in the country. Niamey said the pact was “profoundly unfair,” and cited a “condescending attitude” and alleged violations of diplomatic protocol during a high-level visit last week.
Washington has been trying to find ways to work with the military governments that have seized power in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali to combat extremist militants in the region. But at the same time, the Biden administration has pressured Niamey to set a timeline to restore democratic control and reportedly raised alarm at a possible deal to sell uranium to Iran, which seems to have led to the rupture.
What happens now? The US has about 1,000 troops in Niger and operates a drone base monitoring suspected militants in the north of the country. The State Department is aware of the demand but has not commented on next steps.
If US troops do pull out of their base in Niger, it would remove a major obstacle for Niger to expand its relationship with Russia, as juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso have. The former Wagner Group mercenaries have been absorbed into Moscow’s Defense Ministry and rebranded the Africa Corps, which is expected to deploy on the continent this summer. (Gzero Signal, 3/18/2024)
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CHINESE THREAT BECOMES MORE REAL
This is a dire warning for the US, not taken very seriously. – Editor
China-linked hackers appear to be looking to attack U.S. infrastructure, especially key components such as the electrical grid, water reservoirs and treatment plants, pipelines, and transportation and communications systems, among other targets.
The goal is seemingly to disrupt the U.S. everything critical to life – if you have no electricity, your cellphone will not work; no water will come out of the tap; gas pumps will not pump gas; flights and trains will stop, and disease from disabled sewage treatment plants will spread. There will be havoc and panic. The government and military will be unable to protect the nation. That is what is meant by “unrestricted warfare.” Not a bullet was fired. It did not have to be. According to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, it is perfect.
What are some of the steps that should be taken? The West has correctly identified the CCP as the malign threat that it is; now we have a responsibility to put into place the measures and deterrents to prevent it from attacking us through cyberspace or any other way. Let us not wait until we experience a 9/11-scale cyberattack that could be far more damaging to the U.S. than what took place on that dark day more than 20 years ago. (Pete Hoekstra, Gatestone, 3/26/2024)
SCRIPTURE CORNER
Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Most of the conquerors in history have been egotistical thugs. They established kingdoms by their own power and for their own glory, often killing many thousands of people to do so. But what we learn from Scripture is that Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, has conquered all things by laying down his own life as a ransom for us. By doing that, he broke the power of sin’s hold on us. And that means no other power in all creation or even in the spiritual realms can separate us from God. Nothing can separate us “from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Sometimes the challenges we face are from circumstances and other people, but the root of all challenges to our faith comes from spiritual forces that are at war with God. Those spiritual powers would love to destroy us, but they cannot touch us because of God’s protection in Christ. Jesus has already won the battle. And because he won, we win! When Jesus rose from the dead, he overcame the ultimate weapon of the forces of evil—death. Never again can Satan and the powers of evil have a hold on us, because Jesus has brought us into everlasting life. With him, we are more than conquerors. (Kent van Til, Our Daily Bread, 3/26/2024)
In 1965 our father considered moving to Australia. With six sons, he certainly would have been accepted and become a “ten-pounder.” That was what the new immigrants from Britain were called back then. All they had to do was come up with ten pounds and they could settle in Australia. A few did go back, but most stayed. A cousin of mine has never looked back.
Vietnam got in the way. The thought of six sons fighting and dying for the capitalist / imperialist / corrupt South Vietnamese government, was too much for my dad to bear. We stayed in the UK instead.
Out of all the countries I’ve been to, Australia is the one I love the most. Australia Day is the equivalent of the 4th of July. It’s the day after my birthday (January 26th; my birthday is the 25th). Because Australia is 16 hours ahead of us, this effectively means that they celebrate Australia Day the same day as my birthday. So pubs benefit in both spheres! (Though not as much as this year as I have been fighting a head cold for over a month!)
Wikipedia says this about Australia Day: “Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a small bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour.”
Like so many similar days in various countries it has become a bone of contention in more recent times, with the indigenous population and the growing new immigrant population wanting to address all wrongs, real or imagined.
Australia has an interesting history. Founded by British convicts (they held a wild party on the beach when they arrived), they have remained loyal to the Crown since that first day in 1788, while the religious pilgrims that founded America rebelled. Who would have thought it?
For 200 years, they supported Britain in her imperial wars (notably the two world wars), and latterly have been a constant support to the US.
Australia is a happy country. It used to be called “the Lucky Country.” I don’t think I ever laugh so much as when I’m there! It’s like America but at a much slower pace.
In a documentary a year or two ago, an American female asked about the dangerous creatures that inhabit the land. The response made her cringe, that so many could dwell in one place. When she asked: “Is nowhere safe?” the Australian replied, “Yes. Our schools. We’ve never had a school shooting yet.” Perhaps we should be looking at Australia and asking why. Over 25 million people and no school shooting.
It should also be noted that American universities send students there to study their system of government, arguably the best in the world. It maintains an effective link with the Crown, but also encompasses an elected upper chamber, unlike the UK and Canada.
Australia isn’t perfect. Nowhere is. But I think that any changes that may be introduced (like the recent referendum on the Voice!) would only make things worse.
As the National Anthem puts it: “Advance Australia Fair”. If you have never been there, you should go!
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LETTER IN AUSTRALIAN DIGITAL PAPER
Hang on a minute, Kevin. My parents were WWII migrants and loved this country, worked hard paid taxes and raised a family, built a nation. My children love this land and so do my grandchildren. You really need to start to tell the truth about this mess. It is only one type of migrant that hates our country and want to see it destroyed and, they are Muslim migrants. And who should we blame? It’s you and your political ilk that opened the floodgates without any regard to what would happen to our beloved nation. Tell the truth. (Politi.com Australia. 1/29/2024)
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RUSSIA TRIES TO PLAY ROMMEL
Moscow has reportedly begun recruiting 20,000 soldiers to be deployed to at least five Russia-aligned African countries to replace Wagner Group mercenaries previously stationed there as Russia deepens its influence on the continent.
Just how many recruits “Africa Corps” can drum up is not clear (nor is why they named themselves after a Nazi unit, Afrika Korps, that got its butt kicked up and down Libya before surrendering en masse). Many Wagner fighters took contracts with the Ministry of Defense after an aborted revolt by former leader Yevgeny Prigozhin resulted in his death and the company’s disbandment, and those with experience in Africa may be rolled into the new unit. Then again, with Moscow trying to find 250,000 more men to throw into Ukraine, some recruits may figure that sweating it out in the Sahel beats getting shelled in a rat-infested trench.
The troops will provide security for coup leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, as well as the House of Representatives government in Libya (not recognized by the United Nations) and the Central African Republic, which has drifted toward Moscow since 2016. In exchange, Russia will help themselves to Wagner’s former commercial fiefdom on the continent, including potentially lucrative mining operations producing gold, diamonds, and valuable industrial minerals.
But it’s a gamble: Wagner’s force in Africa was only ever a fraction of the size of this putative Africa Corps, and as a nominally private company, Moscow could shrug its shoulders when Wagner fighters committed atrocities. Now, the Russian flag would be undeniably flying over the murder, torture, and rape of civilians – but color us skeptical that the potential international opprobrium will hold them back one bit. (Gzero Signal, 1/31/2024)
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STEADFAST DEFENDER
In the run-up to NATO’s large-scale manoeuvre “Steadfast Defender” media coverage has been increasingly warning the Western public of a Russian attack within the next twenty or even five years. Germany’s Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, has declared that he envisages a widening of the war in Ukraine, even if he does not expect an attack by Russia at present. A leading NATO admiral does not rule out an uncontrolled escalation. 90,000 soldiers are currently deployed for Steadfast Defender exercises as close as possible to Russia’s western border. This is the latest step in almost a decade-long arms build-up in preparation for a great power war on European soil. The threat from the east is being evoked by Pistorius and NATO to scare the population into joining in war preparations as the “home front.” The public needs to realise, explains Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, that in a war it is not just the army that has to fight, but society as a whole. A change in mentality across the population is also being urged by German foreign relations experts who see this as a prerequisite for successful militarization of the Federal Republic. (German Foreign Policy, 1/26/2024)
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THE ROCKY ROAD TO A CEASEFIRE
The US and Middle Eastern countries have been involved in Gaza cease-fire talks in recent days, and there have been some signs that another temporary truce – involving the release of hostages – could be on the horizon.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threw cold water on two of Hamas’s biggest demands: an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. “We will not compromise on anything less than total victory,” Netanyahu said Tuesday, signaling that he’s determined to pursue the destruction of Hamas – however unattainable that goal may be.
As long as the fighting in Gaza continues, it seems probable that Iran and its proxies will continue efforts to punish Israel and the US.
Along these lines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said the Middle East faces an “incredibly volatile time” and the most “dangerous” situation it’s seen in roughly 50 years.
These comments came as the Biden administration weighs how to respond to an attack by an Iran-backed militia in Jordan that killed three US service members. The US has retaliated against Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen multiple times over dozens of attacks since Oct. 7, but none of its actions have served as an effective deterrent so far.
The US is likely to turn things up a notch in how it responds to the Jordan attack but will aim to avoid taking steps that would risk starting a regional conflict. Instead of just retaliating against Tehran’s proxies, the US might target Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders in Iraq and Syria.
“We will respond and that response could be multi-leveled, come in stages, and be sustained over time,” says Blinken. (Gzero Signal, 1/31/2024)
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UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
SHOULD BRITAIN RE-NATIONALIZE THE RAILWAYS? The railways in England were brought under state control in 1948. It was not an efficient move. Trains were usually late, service was terrible and complaining achieved nothing. Britain also lost thousands of miles of track. So eventually they returned into private hands, starting in 1994. But fares just kept going up and service wasn’t that much better. So now, once again, there is talk of renationalization. Here we go again. (One thing to ask is where is the money going to come from?)
SHOULD BRITAIN REJOIN THE EU? “It’s not working.” It works fine in Norway. They are one of the richest (if not THE richest) countries in Europe. If they can make it work, why can’t the UK?
IMMIGRATION STATS MISLEADING – whenever immigration figures are announced, it’s always, say, one million in and half a million out, leaving a net gain of half a million. What’s never mentioned is that the one million entering the UK for permanent residence are (almost) all non-white and those leaving are white. This fact alone is a major reason for the massive cultural exchange which has taken place in the last five decades.
Northern Ireland –THANKS TO THE EU for letting the UK stay together! In sorting out the mess in Northern Ireland, the EU is allowing Northern Ireland to stay within the United Kingdom. Trade between the two may continue. It appears that it will also be a member of the European Union. But for now at least NI can stay in the UK.
INDIANS dominate BBC & Sky News. I have the greatest admiration for India and Indians. When they settle in western countries, they tend to succeed. I’ve noticed recently that more and more presenters of the news on the BBC and Sky News are Indians. One reason may be the fact that the new Director General of the BBC is an Indian. Naturally, their perspective is going to be somewhat different. And it still bothers me that the Indian government keeps on asking for more work visas, but still won’t allow Brits or Americans to settle in India. Why?
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COMMENTARY
“The kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28)
When Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “Your kingdom come.” In the long run, we’re asking for Jesus to come again and make everything new: heaven and earth, peoples and nations, each one of us. We’re asking God to put right everything that is wrong.
The Bible paints some lovely pictures of the kingdom of God in this ultimate sense: the wolf living with the lamb, weapons of war remade into tools of peace, no more death or mourning or crying or pain, justice at last.
But the kingdom of God is not just an ultimate reality in the future. The kingdom of God is also a present reality. It comes near through Jesus Christ, who announces the kingdom of God and makes it real. And it remains near through the Holy Spirit.
So when Christians pray, “Your kingdom come,” we’re not just asking God to change the world for good. We’re asking God to change us too—and to change us now. Because we want to see the kingdom that’s already here through Jesus. And we want to participate in that kingdom by the Holy Spirit.
Otherwise we remain captive to kingdoms of this world with their pride and their greed and their hatred and their violence. “Your kingdom come” is our plea that God will free us from all of that—so that we can begin to be new. (Our Daily Bread.)
The downgrade is the first by a major ratings firm in 12 years, evidence that frequent political skirmishes over the federal government’s finances are clouding the outlook for the $25 trillion global market for Treasurys. They are a safe-haven security offering nearly risk-free returns and a critical benchmark for returns on stocks and other bonds. Few investors think that the drop to “AA+”—one notch below “AAA”—will immediately challenge Treasurys’ market roles. The Biden administration criticized Fitch’s decision, blaming problems on the previous White House and arguing that the U.S. wasn’t at risk of missing its debt payments. The downgrade sparked a selloff in stocks and bonds. (Wall Street Journal, 8/2/2023)
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TRUMP IN LEAD AS COURT APPEARANCE TAKES PLACE
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted for a third time, this time on four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US with charges related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. But this isn’t hurting Trump’s chances of securing the Republican nomination. His primary contenders, including former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, are struggling to gain traction against Trump, who is miles ahead of them. A new poll also has Trump neck and neck with President Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump enjoys a five-point advantage among Republicans who support him over Democrats who support Biden – 88% to 83%. But Biden makes up the gap with independents, with 42% of them favoring him compared to 37% for Trump.
Canadians are watching with unease. The Trump years were difficult for Canada. The Trump administration forced a long and difficult negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement – now the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement – and encouraged the flow of toxic extremist politics across the border.
PM Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, is facing his own election before the end of 2025. On Wednesday, news broke that he and his wife of 18 years, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, were separating. It’s unlikely the separation will be over-politicized or have an effect on the election. To its credit, Canada has a history of leaving such private matters alone (with certain exceptions). (Gzero Signal, 8/3/2023)
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ANTI-SEMITISM BEHIND ATTACK ON SYNAGOGUE
The social media platform Gab is a breeding ground and a gateway for radicalization and violence. Law enforcement and those who study online hate are well aware of the content posted on Gab. Yet nothing has been done about it – not even after Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh with multiple firearms on October 27, 2018, shouting “All Jews must die” and killing 11 worshipers.
Bowers was an active consumer and disseminator of hate on Gab; minutes before his murder spree, he posted on it: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” His words are now a rallying cry for hatemongers on the platform, where he is canonized as a neo-Nazi “saint” whom others aspire to emulate.
Gab prides itself on being “the home of free speech online.” But this really means that its users are free to openly call for murder, with impunity. A meme recently posted there claimed, “Jewish power hates free speech because when people are free to speak the truth, the most obvious truth is that Jews are a threat to our societies.” As one woman posted on her account, “I joined Gab last year and first learned about the Jews… Now we name the Jew and hang swastikas and fight every day.”
Most first heard of Gab after the Tree of Life synagogue attack, which became a rallying cry on the platform and fueled its use by neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and anti-government types as a safe haven online. Every October 27, users celebrate the attack’s anniversary with messages supporting Bowers and his actions, and with more calls to murder such as “Take a moment to reflect on his sacrifice today” and “[synagogues are] a justified military target in which Jews of all branches conspire to deprive our people of their birthright.” Also, there are annual birthday celebrations for Bowers on the platform, which underline his “courage to take the fight to 11 kikes on his day of action” and his “inspiration to 1,000 more saints.” (Steven Stalinsky, MEMRI, 8/4/2030)
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NEW ZEALAND MAY JOIN AUKUS
New Zealand may be on its way to joining AUKUS – the 2021 security pact between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. On a visit to the country as part of a three-day Pacific tour, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says “the door is very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage as they see appropriate going forward.” New Zealand has said it wants no part of the nuclear submarines attached to the security partnership, but it may be keen on the second phase of AUKUS, which focuses on advanced military technology sharing.
Canadian politicians and observers are wondering what he meant by “other partners.” A May report suggested Canada was keen to cooperate with the trilateral group in its second phase. This suggestion came after the Liberal government had previously said it had no interest in taking part and neither wanted nor needed nuclear submarines. The White House has said there are no plans to invite Canada to join the pact. But that may not preclude cooperation in the second phase, like New Zealand.
Last week, US Senator Dan Sullivan criticized Canada for its low military spending. While questioning Lt.-Gen. Gregory Guillot during his confirmation process to head the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Sullivan quizzed Guillot on whether the US could count on him to have “tough conversations” with Canada on the matter.
Canada has long been pressured by allies to spend more on defense. In April, a report suggested that PM Justin Trudeau told allies he has no intention of hitting the 2% of GDP military spending target set by NATO. In response to Sullivan’s criticism, Trudeau defended Canada’s military spending, including a pledge of roughly CA$40 billion to modernize NATO and the recent purchase of a fleet of F-35 fighter jets. But whether that’s enough depends on whether allies believe it’s enough – and Canada’s participation in AUKUS, or its absence, may indicate how the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom really feel about that. (Gzero Signal, 8/3/2030)
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ECOWAS RALLIES AGAINST NIGER PUTSCH
Western states, including Germany, are backing the Western alliance ECOWAS in its campaign against putschists in Niger. On Sunday, ECOWAS imposed comprehensive sanctions on Niger and threatened military intervention in the country if the putschists do not back down by the end of the week. This threat of violence is being made despite the fact that Niger has been terrorized by Jihadis for years and would ultimately be at risk of descending into bloody chaos if ECOWAS troops were to engage in a war against the Nigerien armed forces. Observers speculate that Paris could allow ECOWAS to use its air base in Niamey. The population in Niger, rallying in the largest demonstrations seen in a long time, is protesting against a possible ECOWAS military intervention. The German government sees the putsch as a threat to the Bundeswehr’s last Sahel deployment location and, by supporting ECOWAS, accepts that a military intervention will plunge the Sahel into an unprecedented conflagration. (German Foreign Policy, 8/2/2023)
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STAFF AT A HOTEL FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS OBSTRUCTED A POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO A REPORT THAT A MAN (COMMITTED A SEXUAL ACT) IN FRONT OF A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD, THE BBC HAS BEEN TOLD.
Officers were blocked from entering the east London hotel and staff delayed providing CCTV – which was later automatically deleted, it is claimed. The provider – Clearsprings – says it has robust safeguarding processes.
The BBC has also learned of a reported unrelated sex assault in another hotel.
Families of asylum seekers are frequently housed in the same buildings as single men who are also waiting for their applications to be processed.
The BBC has been told that on 30 June 2023 a seven-year-old girl and her mother were reported to have witnessed a 34-year-old man intentionally (committing a sexual act) in their presence.
It is claimed that staff and security obstructed the police investigation when officers visited the hotel around three weeks after the incident.
The hotel is run by Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has a 10-year contract to manage asylum seeker accommodation in England and Wales.
The BBC has been told that staff refused to provide their own names and told officers they had no rights to enter the hotel without a warrant. (BBC News, 8/3/2023)
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POINTS TO PONDER
For many years, I have thought the Commonwealth would be in trouble after the death of the Queen. But I never expected one of the most prestigious and popular programs would be first. The Commonwealth Games were held once every four years like the Olympics. The Commonwealth Games were held in the even numbered year in between the Olympics. Now, the two cities chosen for the next two games have pulled out for financial reasons. Both Melbourne, Australia and Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, have withdrawn from the 2026 and 2030 games. I doubt that any other countries have sufficient money, so this could be the end.
The artificial sweetener aspartame is safe to consume in moderation, experts at the World Health Organisation (WHO) have concluded. The sugar substitute is found in everything from diet drinks to toothpaste, and so there was concern last month when it emerged that a WHO committee was poised to declare it a possible carcinogen, something it has since done. However, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, a separate body charged with assessing the actual risk to people, has concluded that the possible link with cancer is not convincing, and that it’s safe to consume up to 40mg of aspartame per kilo of body weight a day. That equates to more than nine cans of diet cola per day for most people. (The Week, 8/1/2023)
The love story of the glamorous duo, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire, est fini. News of their separation broke Wednesday, leaving onlookers worldwide stunned. Grégoire has been at Trudeau’s side for the past 18 years and been a prominent partner throughout his political career. Grégoire is reportedly moving out of Rideau Cottage, where Trudeau will stay with their three children. (Gzero, 8/3/2023)
Interest rates are expected to rise for the 14th successive time today. Most economists have predicted the Bank of England will increase its base rate to 5.25% from its current 5%. Several Tory MPs told the i news site that they were increasingly concerned about the impact of high interest rates on the party at the ballot box. “The reality is to get inflation under control, people do have to be poor,” said one backbencher. “You have to have less money. But that is not a particularly politically sellable strapline.” (The Week, 8/3/2023)
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COMMENTARY
I feel sick.
After two days, I still feel sick.
Ever since I heard the name of Jacob Crouch. Jacob was an adorable ten-month-old baby boy who was murdered by his step father, with help from his mother, in December 2020. At the time of his death he was suffering from 39 injuries to his ribs, plus 19 to the rest of his body. He died of a broken bowel, with complications from his other injuries, which led to peritonitis. As was pointed out in court, he did not have one month without serious injury.
His step-father was sentenced today to 28 years in prison; his mother to ten years for assisting her boyfriend in his murder.
This is a case that demands the death penalty. But the UK has not had a death penalty since it was abolished in the 1960’s. If there is not enough support for the death penalty in all cases, then surely the murders of children demand it.
Of course, it’s not just England that has gruesome murders. Idaho Mom Lori Vallow earlier this week was found guilty of murdering her two children, seemingly because they got in the way of her remarrying. Her two children were a 7-year-old boy nicknamed J.J. and his sister, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. There was talk of zombies and heaven, claiming that they were much happier where they are now.
Again, this case warranted the death penalty.
In the Ten Commandments we are told to “Do No Murder.” (Ex 20:13). At the same time, Psalm 127:3 reminds us that “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him.”
For thousands of years, children were considered precious. Apart from the loving relationship they can be a part of, they were security in old age. Without children, many would die in old age simply because they couldn’t take care of themselves.
We’ve largely destroyed the family unit, clearing the way for the most gruesome of murders. And we call it progress!
The Biden administration faced its first China test this week and flunked it. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began the meeting by lecturing China that its action in Xinjiang and Hong Kong were “threatening the rules-based order that maintains global stability.” China responded by immediately breaking the rules of the very meeting – in which opening remarks were supposed to be limited to two minutes – to launch into a lengthy harangue about America’s “human rights violations” and racism. Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi engaged in an 18-minute tirade against the US moral standing in the world.
“China has made steady progress in human rights, and the fact is that there are many problems within the United States regarding human rights, which is admitted by the U.S. itself as well,” Yang said.
All this would be humiliating enough, but team Biden made it even worse by not standing up for the United States against China’s outrageous accusations. In fact, Blinken’s people agreed to the premise that America is a deeply flawed country that needs to be made “more perfect” through progressive policy. As it turns out, when your administration preaches critical race theory and spends its energy deploring white privilege, it’s hard to turn around and defend yourself against foreign tyrants who accuse your country of being racist.
It was always going to be a struggle to build the multilateral coalition to put pressure on China that Biden promised on the campaign trail. But what happened in Alaska has probably assured that the plan will fail. Who is going to look to U.S. leadership after watching our diplomats get bullied by China on our home turf? (Breitbart Business Digest, 3/19/2021)
“Beijing is not apologetically but proudly Communist. It believes its system has been proven superior in this century. It does not believe in an equality of ideologies, religions or peoples. It openly rejects American democracy as a failed and failing system . . .” (Patrick Buchanan, 3/12/2021)
More fundamentally, Beijing is . . . trying to divide the world along racial lines and form a global anti-white coalition . . .
Deng Xiaoping, Mao’s mostly pragmatic successor, counseled China to “hide capabilities, bide time.” Xi, however, believes China’s time has come in part because, he feels, America is in terminal decline.
Xi is serious. In January, he told his fast-expanding military it must be ready to fight “at any second.” That month, the Party’s Central Military Commission took from the civilian State Council the power to mobilize all of society for war. Militant states rarely prepare for conflict and then back down. (Gordon Chang, Gatestone, 3/22/2021)
CHINA’S ROLE IN MYANMAR
Over the weekend, protesters demanding the return of democracy in Myanmar burned down and looted Chinese-owned businesses in Yangon, the country’s main city. China’s embassy then asked the junta to restore order. In a few hours, the generals obliged: soldiers killed scores of demonstrators, and martial law was declared.
The anti-China riots add a fresh international dimension to Myanmar’s political crisis. The protesters are angry not only at the military rulers, but increasingly at China’s thinly veiled support for the junta. This backlash is a big test for Beijing. As a rising global power and regional heavyweight, is China going to simply look the other way as its interests in Myanmar literally go up in flames?
China’s stakes in Myanmar. China has always been upfront on what it wants from its southern neighbor: a piece of its natural resources and waterways. Beijing wants the generals to restart long-shelved plans for a controversial hydropower dam to generate electricity for China, which locals fear will damage the environment and force thousands to relocate. Beijing is likewise hungry for Myanmar’s rare earth metals (production has dropped significantly since the coup, which probably influenced Beijing’s recent threat to stop exporting rare earths to the US.)
China also needs Myanmar to continue building a natural gas pipeline linking China’s Yunnan province to the Kyaukpyu deepwater port in Myanmar’s Rakhine state to gain access to the Indian Ocean, where China is competing for maritime supremacy with India. (Gzero Signal, 3/16/2021)
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EU & CHINA
The EU is joining the United States’ sanctions policy against China, thus imposing – for the first time since 1989 – coercive measures on the People’s Republic. Yesterday’s decision includes entry bans and freezing the assets of four Chinese government officials and an institution and is expected to be formally adopted by the EU foreign ministers next Monday. At the same time, new US sanctions are coming into effect, imposed by the Biden administration yesterday on 24 high ranking Chinese officials. If, and how Beijing will react remains unclear. With its last counter-sanctions it had made it more difficult for some top politicians of the Trump administration to assume lucrative posts in the private sector. The new wave of transatlantic sanctions is part of an offensive à la Trump, pursued by the USA, not only to include new economic sanctions but also to increase political and military pressure. The German government participates by deploying a frigate in the South China Sea. (German Foreign Policy, 3/18/2021)
EU & RUSSIA
In the run-up to next week’s EU summit, Berlin is calling on the EU to modify its policy toward Russia. This was indicated in a report on an internal meeting in Brussels and a “non-paper” from Germany circulating within the EU. According to the report, at a meeting last week with several top officials of the EU External Action Service, the German EU Ambassador to Russia, Markus Ederer, advocated enhanced cooperation with Moscow in selected areas. Already earlier, a German non-paper circulating within the EU promoted closer cooperation on climate change, particularly on the use of hydrogen power, despite continued EU sanctions. Whereas the German need to import hydrogen will grow considerably in the coming years, Russia possesses great potential for producing hydrogen from natural gas and from wind power. Work on initial projects has already begun, with Berlin’s support. It has been noted that, in the future, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could be converted for importing hydrogen. (German Foreign Policy, 3/16/2021)
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GEORGIA MASSAGE PARLOR SHOOTINGS
The Biden Administration is blaming the shootings at Georgian massage parlors a “hate crime” in spite of the fact that the police have found no evidence to suggest that. Additionally, the 21-year-old perpetrator is himself saying that the murders were not racially motivated, that they were the result of a sex addiction.
Another factor that suggests no hate crime is that two of those murdered were white; six were of Asian origin.
So, why do they want to escalate the shootings into a hate crime? This, on the same day that China accused the US of hate filled policies toward minorities, to take the spotlight off their own human rights failings.
Naturally, hate crimes fit the narrative, that everything that’s bad in our society is the result of “white supremacy.” Again, the perpetrator has said nothing of a racial nature.
Biden’s proposed solution? To open the borders, allowing in more foreign nationals, thereby exacerbating racial tensions. Smart!
Rather, the US should learn from Asian countries: most countries in Asia do not allow ethnically different people to enter their countries and become citizens. India, a pro-western democracy, only grants citizenship to people of ethnic Indian descent. Pakistan takes in only Muslims. Even Singapore and Japan are strict, keeping most people out. But when the US or any western nation has restrictions, we are called “racists.” Go figure.
One western nation is waking up. Denmark, one of the most liberal countries in the world, is not allowing people from non-western nations to live in certain areas of the country. This is to keep Muslims, Africans and Asians from forming ghettoes. There is recognition that ethnic groups do not want to assimilate. Instead, they keep to themselves and form ghettoes which become “no go” areas, where the police are kept out.
Other nations seem to understand the truth and wisdom revealed in Acts 17:26: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”
We need a national discussion on this, where everybody should be totally free to express themselves.
Another mass shooting took place in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday. Once again, President Biden responded by calling for a ban on guns. Not addressed was the issue of immigration – the shooter was from Syria. Once again, it shows the need for a discussion on the subject. Also interesting was Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece who tweeted that the shooter was captured by the police because he was white. When she found out he was a Muslim, she withdrew the comment! Only the victims were white.
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SHOULD ANYTHING BE OFF LIMITS FOR DISCUSSION?
The fact that we even have to ask these questions demonstrates the precarious state of freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas in the cancel culture….
Professors are being fired for private discussions of grades and race. Students are terrified of expressing politically incorrect views, especially about race, sex, sexual orientation and even politics. Even silence is not always an option.
There are several exceptions to this cancel culture rule. You can say almost anything negative about Jews, as evidenced by the recent Grammy awards, during which three overt anti-Semites were honored. These bigots did not even try to disguise their anti-Semitism behind the facade of anti-Zionism.
There has never been a time when respectful and nuanced debate has been more needed, especially about race and other taboo subjects – taboo unless you toe the line of political correctness. (Gatestone, 3/20/2021)
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CULTURAL FACTORS
“Sex workers have a 45 to 75 percent chance of being assaulted on the job, with transgender and migrant sex workers and sex workers of color having a higher chance of harm. At the same time, we can’t turn to the police in distress when the very fabric of our labor is illegal. We are everyday people: your teachers, nurses, makeup artists, mothers.” (Victoria Gagliardo-Silver, The Independent, 3/19/2021)
Sweden: Crime Prevention Council blames Swedish women for the fact that Muslim migrants commit the most rapes (Jihadi Watch, 3/13/2021)
Australia: Two women arrested for planning female genital mutilation of two-week-old baby (Robert Spencer, Jihadi Watch, 3/12/2021)
“In a statement, WA Police said they believed the genital mutilation was planned as part of cultural beliefs.” Which culture, exactly, WA Police? Why don’t you dare specify? We are constantly told the opposite by propagandists in the West, but the reality is that female genital mutilation (FGM) is justified in Islamic law. (JW, 3/12/2021)
BRAINWASHING AMERICAN CHILDREN
Whistleblower Editor David Kupelian explains the underlying power-play aimed at America’s children: “The Marxist poison that has long plagued America’s colleges and universities is now spilling out and – under cover of “anti-racism training” – revolutionizing public schools across the country. Millions of children are being taught to hate their own country, to feel guilty over crimes they didn’t commit, and to abandon the values that made America the greatest, most prosperous, and least racist nation on earth.” (Brainwashing America’s next generation 3/16/2021)
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COMMENTS ON HARRY AND MEGHAN
“You know, I disagree with you on constitutional monarchy … I think it’s one of the least worst systems you can live under and one of its advantages is that it diminishes the importance of politicians, which I think actually is very helpful in today’s society,” Mark Steyn explained. (3/10/2021) Steyn is a Canadian who grew up under Canada’s constitutional monarchy. He now lives in New Hampshire and is a regular contributor to Fox News.
An Australian MP (Member of parliament) has suggested that Meghan married the wrong prince. Finding that she will never be Queen, she left the royal family. Maybe her ambitions do not end there. There has been speculation that she may run for President. She has been in conversation with leading Democrats. If she succeeds, she will have the opportunity to wreck the two most important institutions in the western world – the British monarchy and the US presidency.
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QUESTIONABLE COVID BAILOUT
Hundreds of billions of dollars, for example, are earmarked to bail out bankrupt states, i.e. the ones who chased away their most valuable taxpayers with nonstop vitriol and exorbitant tax rates… and who imposed the most severe lockdowns and business closures.
This is particularly interesting because those lockdowns have now been proven to be completely ineffective.
Even the New York Times gets it; the paper published an article over the weekend acknowledging that Covid rates in the state of Florida, which has been ‘open’ for several months and never imposed a statewide mask mandate, are lower than many states which have severe lockdown orders.
So, basically, the Covid bill is nothing more than a bailout for the states which torpedoed their economies with ineffective and unconstitutional public health policies.
The next ‘infrastructure’ bill will likely be just as wasteful . . . and dishonest in its intentions. (Sovereign Man, 3/16/2021)
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FACTS ABOUT GEORGE FLOYD
George Floyd was not choked to death. He was not asphyxiated. He was not killed by Chauvin’s knee on the side of his neck. An autopsy showed Floyd’s neck muscles were not even bruised. Floyd died when his heart stopped. Yet, he was already suffering from an enlarged heart with constricted arteries, one of five of which was 90% blocked and two others were 75% blocked. An autopsy found heavy concentrations of fentanyl in Floyd’s system and traces of methamphetamines. If Floyd had collapsed and died in the street while being wrested into the squad car, his death would have been attributed to a drug overdose and a bad heart.
Also, a videotape of the minutes prior to Floyd’s being put on the pavement, his neck under Chauvin’s knee, shows Floyd crying, repeatedly, “I can’t breathe,” while resisting the two rookie cops trying to put him in the patrol car. (PB 3/16/2021)
George Floyd’s family was awarded $27 million as compensation. The family of a white male killed by police in my area was awarded $2.9 million. This man had no history of criminality, unlike George Floyd. We could conclude from this that white lives don’t matter!
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The controversy between the EU and Great Britain over access to Covid-19 vaccines is escalating. The persistent EU campaign against the vaccine by AstraZeneca (headquartered in Cambridge) has already provoked considerable anger in the UK. Brussels’ threat to withhold future vaccine supplies from Great Britain is further exacerbating tensions. Recently, the EU ambassador to the UK was summoned to the Foreign Office by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Brussels, on the other hand, has launched legal proceedings against London over a breach of the Brexit deal’s Northern Ireland Protocol. While political tensions are rising, economic ties are diminishing – apparently a long-term trend. Experts forecast that overall UK trade with the EU could fall by about a third by 2030. At the same time, the UK is rapidly expanding its economic ties to Asia – and plans to shift the focus of its foreign policy to the “Indo-Pacific.” (The Week, 3/22/2021)
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TO THE POINT
118 women were murdered in the UK last year. This month, the murder of a 33-year-old woman by a policeman has stunned people in London. A big and peaceful demonstration was held which was handled badly by police trying to enforce Covid restrictions. It has been suggested that the increasing numbers of woman getting murdered may be linked to pornography, which often depicts violence against women. Advertising sells products – might not porn sell people on violence against women?
UK Army numbers to be cut — The British Army is expected to shrink by about 10,000 soldiers as the military continues to modernise, with robots, drones, and cyber warfare taking their place. Some tanks and aircraft will also be retired but the government said there would be “more ships, submarines and sailors”. Numbers in the regular Army will be reduced to about 70,000 soldiers. (The Week, 3/22/2021)
Jong-un’s sister warns US — The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has warned the US not to “cause a stink” if it wants peace. Kim Yo-jong also criticised the US and South Korea for conducting joint military exercises. Pyongyang has yet to acknowledge Joe Biden’s arrival in the Oval Office, however, the US president is nonetheless preparing to set out his Korean policy. Relations between the two nations remain tense due to North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. (The Week, 3/16/2021)
Dozens shot in Niger — At least 58 people have been killed in Niger after attacks near the border with Mali. Armed men opened fire on four vehicles that were bringing people back from a market. Although no group has claimed responsibility, the BBC says two jihadist campaigns are under way in Niger – one in the west near Mali and Burkina Faso, and another in the south-east on the border with Nigeria. (The Week, 3/17/2021)
More Dead Sea scrolls found — Archaeologists in Israel have discovered two dozen Dead Sea scroll fragments from a remote cave in the Judean Desert. In the first such find in nearly 60 years, more than 20 bits of parchment were found. Researchers also discovered a six-millennia-old skeleton of a child and a basket thought to be the oldest in the world, dating from more than 10,000 years ago. (The Week, 3/17/2021)
Meat linked to dementia — Eating processed meat could increase your risk of dementia, according to scientists at the University of Leeds. They studied data from 500,000 people and found that a 25g serving of processed meat a day, equivalent to one rasher of bacon, is associated with a 44% increased risk of developing the disease. The report said “lower intakes of unprocessed red meat could be beneficial for health.” (The Week, 3/22/2021)
Mohamed Allal bases his case on the claim that the iron for the Eiffel Tower came from Algeria, but this isn’t true, it came from Lorraine. But the pursuit of victimhood status, and the favors that come with it, pushes all inconvenient facts aside. (Jihadi Watch, 3/16/2021)
My latest in PJ Media: All the Boston Marathon jihad murderer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did was murder three people; why is everyone being so mean to him? Young Tsarnaev is suffering, and he wants you to feel his pain: CBS Boston reported Wednesday that he has filed a hand-written lawsuit claiming that he has been mistreated in prison . . . (Robert Spencer, 03/15/2021)
Syria says convoy of 45 US trucks loaded with military equipment just entered the country from Iraq –- The claim comes from a hostile source, the Assad government, but it isn’t at all farfetched. In December, I wrote an article entitled: “Here We Go: Swamp Rats Start Laying the Groundwork for Sending U.S. Troops Into Syria.” And in January, I wrote an article entitled: “Back to the Endless Wars: US Military Convoy Enters Northeast Syria.” Then . . . (Robert Spencer, 03/15/2021), https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0xNjQyNTU1ODE2MzcwMjQ3MTQwJmM9ZTduNCZlPTE5MjgmYj01NDkzMjkzMjkmZD1hMnkzczJh.7_sIyUjCDbJNz5wZVUG81i7fivKBMDyN7-pEVQFrt74)
Pakistan: Christian serving life for blasphemy gets death sentence as life sentence was ‘repugnant’ to Islam –A new illustration of the contradiction between what many Muslim leaders say and the grim reality. “Pakistani Christian serving life for blasphemy gets death sentence,” by Kamran Chaudhry, UCA News, March 12, 2021: A Pakistani court has given the death sentence to a Christian previously jailed for life after being convicted of sending text messages . . . https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0xNjQyNTU1ODE2MzcwMjQ3MTQwJmM9ZTduNCZlPTE5MjgmYj01NDkzMjkzMzgmZD11MW40ejBj.44pN0FXKuvtiP-NEuKqB_W2Bg04asAiNfLeskzTdZeA
Algerian journalist demands that France return the Eiffel Tower to Algeria — Mohamed Allal bases his case on the claim that the iron for the Eiffel Tower came from Algeria, but this isn’t true, it came from Lorraine. But the pursuit of victimhood status, and the favors that come with it, pushes all inconvenient facts aside.
Uganda: Imam sends men to rape three female relatives of church pastor because imam’s wife became Christian –Imagine the outcry if the roles were reversed, which would never happen and should never happen. But the international media will take no particular notice of this, as it doesn’t fit the narrative that Muslims are always and everywhere victims, and Christians are white racists and colonialist oppressors. “Pastor’s Relatives Raped after Imam’s Wife Turns . . . (JW, 3/16/2021)
The election dominates US news. There are many conflicting reports.
In Michigan, polls show Trump losing to every prominent Democratic candidate. Yet, at the same time, his rallies (and those for VP Mike Pence) attract audiences too big to be accommodated.
And note the following report from the Munich Security Conference (read article “Munich Security Conference,” further down). “Europeans widely expect Trump to be re-elected this fall.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic debate held last night in South Carolina, shows the party tearing itself apart. Amy Klobuchar said it best: “If we continue to tear each other apart over the next four months, we will see Trump continue to tear the country apart for the next four years.” Another House Democrat described the seven Democrats on stage as a “circular firing squad.” They should remember the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 12:25 — “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” words quoted by Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the Civil War. With Trump so universally “hated,” it’s incredible the Democrats can’t come up with a winning candidate!
The second issue that dominates the news is the coronavirus. Hopefully, this will not have the death toll of the various plagues that hit the world during the Middle Ages. Justinian’s “flea” (probably bubonic plague) killed a manageable 5,000 a day in the first month; then 10,000 a day. The population was greatly diminished. As with the coronavirus, it was spread through trade and international travel. It was the same in the 14th century, 800 years later, when the plague hit Europe again. The death toll was a staggering 50% of the people. Just over a century ago, the Spanish flu infected 500 million people worldwide, about one third of the world’s population. It killed an estimated 20-50 million, including some 675,000 Americans.
We will get through it, but it may kill millions before it’s over.
One final thought on the election: At least two of the candidates for the Democratic party claim to be Christians. Voters, however, should be careful here. All seven of the people appearing last night support a woman’s right to murder her baby! (To be fair, so do some Republicans.)
Have a great week.
Melvin
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Very early this morning, I came across a show on PBS World called “Gzero World”, with Ian Bremmer. Today they were reporting from the Munich Security Conference on world security issues. The first four items come from their website.
US-EU RIFT GETS WORSE
The risk of a major technology blow-up between the US and Europe is growing. A few weeks ago, we wrote about how the European Union wanted to boost its “technological sovereignty” by tightening its oversight of Big Tech and promoting its own alternatives to big US and Chinese firms in areas like cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her top digital officials unveiled their first concrete proposals for regulating AI, and pledged to invest billions of euros to turn Europe into a data superpower. (Gzero World, 2/25/2020)
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Communal violence in Delhi: Over the past few days, India’s capital city has seen its deadliest communal violence in decades. This week’s surge in mob violence began as a standoff between protesters against a new citizenship law that critics say discriminates against India’s Muslims and the law’s Hindu nationalist defenders. Clashes between Hindu and Muslim mobs in majority-Muslim neighborhoods in northeast Delhi have killed at least 11 people, both Muslim and Hindu, since Sunday. We’re watching to see how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government responds – Delhi’s police force reports to federal, rather than local, officials.(Gzero World, 2/25/2020)
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Unlikely jihadist bedfellows: For years, the jihadists of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have been at odds over territory and ideology. Bloody clashes between offshoots of the two groups have become commonplace in Yemen and Syria, further destabilizing those war-torn countries. But now, strangely, ISIS and al-Qaeda linked groups appear to have joined forces in West Africa, recruiting locals and divvying up vast swathes of territory in the Sahel – a semi-arid area stretching across the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. Motivated by mutual practical interests and common foes – Western forces and local governments – they’ve set aside their doctrinal differences and are gaining ground in states with weak central governments like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the US military recently said. This all comes as the Trump administration is weighing a sizable drawdown of US troops in West Africa. (Gzero World, 2/25/2020)
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US-China tit-for-tat retaliations: The Trump administration is weighing up retribution against Chinese journalists and state-owned media – as well as Chinese intelligence agencies – after Beijing expelled three Wall StreetJournal reporters last week over an opinion column that criticized Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, incensed by the “China is the Real Sick Man of Asia” headline, demanded an apology from the Journal before booting three of its reporters, none of whom had anything to do with the column. If the US responds in kind, it could lead to a cycle of tit-for-tat retribution and animosity between Washington and Beijing just as a preliminary trade agreement appears to have eased mounting tensions between the world’s two largest economies. We’re watching to see if the Trump administration follows through on its threat – or if it’s just bluster. (Gzero World, 2/25/2020)
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MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE
The annual gathering of the Munich Security Conference provides a useful barometer for the health of the transatlantic relationship. Two years ago, Europeans were reeling from the first year of the Trump administration. Last year, they were resigned to that reality and determined to press ahead. This past weekend, everyone was searching for a savior to address critical challenges amid a lack of global leadership.
Europeans widely expect Trump to be re-elected this fall. After their shock at his 2016 victory, they seem to be bracing for the worst, but remain unprepared for the consequences. They inquired about Democratic presidential candidates, asking what Bernie Sanders would mean for Europe and whether Michael Bloomberg was a good compromise for moderates. (Amanda Sloat, Brookings, 2/18/2020)
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TRUMP EMBRACED BY ENTHUSIASTIC INDIANS
“It was the Trumpiest of offers.
“A rally at one of the world’s largest stadiums. A crowd of millions cheering him on. A love fest during an election year.” (Lansing State Journal, 2/24/2020).
The stadium is the world’s biggest cricket stadium. I wonder if President Trump was aware that cricket was the preferred sport of fellow Republican, Abraham Lincoln?
An incredible welcome from the world’s second most populous nation. President Trump is hoping for a trade deal with India.
Sadly, it coincided with massive demonstrations against a new Indian immigration bill, which discriminates against Muslims. At least twenty people have been killed.
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ISRAEL NOW RECOGNIZED BY 161 COUNTRIES
161 countries now have diplomatic relations with Israel, which is the highest number that it has ever been for the Jewish state. Increasingly, the community of nations cares less about Palestinian objections and more about what Israel has to offer. (Israel National News, 2/24/2020)
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NEVER ENDING SYRIAN CONFLICT
At a four-way summit with the leaders of Russia, Turkey and France, Angela Merkel will seek to influence the future of the northern Syrian province Idlib. The summit, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on the weekend is to be held next week. It will explore options for ending the fighting in the province, where, over the past few weeks, Syrian troops have been advancing on militias. Usually referred to as “rebels” in the German media, they are, in fact, dominated by an al Qaeda subsidiary. The combat has deepened dissention between Russia and Turkey on how to go forward in Syria, raising new hopes among western powers for driving a wedge between Ankara and Moscow. Prior to the summit, however, specialists are pointing out that Berlin hardly has any options for exerting influence in Syria. The EU sees the overthrow of the government in Damascus as the precondition for granting desperately needed reconstruction aid. (German Foreign Policy, 2/25/2020)
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MACRON VOWS CRACKDOWN ON POLITICAL ISLAM
“The problem is when, in the name of a religion, some people want to separate themselves from the Republic and therefore not respect its laws.” — French President Emmanuel Macron, February 18, 2020. (Soeren Kern, Gatestone, 2/21/2020)
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SWEDISH MIGRANT CRISIS
“For the first time now, more crimes – in absolute terms – are committed by persons of foreign background than by persons of Swedish origin . . . The most crime-prone population subgroup are people born [in Sweden] to two foreign-born parents.” — Report by Det Goda Samhället (“The Good Society”), summer of 2019. (Judith Bergman, Gatestone, 2/26)
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UK GROOMING GANGS TO REMAIN A SECRET
DAILYKENN.com — It’s a state secret. No one is to know the ethnicity of grooming gang members. The thugs are responsible for trafficking nearly 19,000 British girls in one year.
Who are these people? No one knows because Boris Johnson’s government won’t release statistics that reveal their ethnicity.
The truth is, of course, that the government doesn’t need to release the data because everyone knows the preponderance of the gang members are from non-white Islamic regions of the world. Nearly all are ethnic Pakistanis.
It’s akin to the n-word. No one dares say it, but everyone knows what it means. Authorities said that releasing the data would not be in the public interest.
Survivors accused ministers of making “empty promises,” while a man who prosecuted abusers in Rochdale called for the Home Office to “show some courage and publish” its findings.
It comes after The Independent revealed that almost 19,000 suspected child sexual exploitation victims were identified by local authorities in just one year, sparking renewed calls for prevention efforts. (Daily Kenn, 2/25/2020)
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GAY CONVERSION THERAPY BANNED IN MORE COUNTRIES
Global momentum is growing to ban so-called gay “conversion therapy,” with bills drawn up in nine countries, a rights group said on Wednesday.
The United States, Canada, Chile, Mexico and Germany are among countries seeking to outlaw the treatment, which includes practices from electric shocks to “praying away the gay” and is based on the belief that being gay or transgender is a mental illness that can be “cured,” Ilga, an LGBT+ advocacy group, said.
Worldwide, only Brazil, Ecuador and Malta have national bans on conversion therapy, condemned as ineffective and harmful to mental health by more than 60 associations of doctors, psychologists or counsellors globally, the Ilga study said.
“The main driving force [for reform] is survivors with their testimonies coming forwards,” Lucas Ramon Mendos, author of the Ilga report, which said 2020 could be a turning point in the fight against “therapies” that have ruined many lives.
“A lot of awareness is being created through their testimony,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. (Rachel Savage, Independent, 2/26/2020)
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TO THE POINT
A headline in our local newspaper, the Lansing State Journal, appeared Monday. It read: ‘White supremacy seeps into public, experts warn.” It added: “Incidents show startling jump over the past year.” The article went on to show that violence emanating from “white supremacist groups” is increasing and is expected to grow further in the years ahead. There is no excuse for violence. But surely this is a reaction to the massive immigration of recent years and the constant emphasis on multiculturalism. Until both change, there will be a constant threat from the political “right.” It’s a reaction to the “extreme left.”
There’s a plan in Michigan to expand the options offered on payday loans. These “short term, high cost financial products,” have trapped millions of families into a never ending “costly and potentially catastrophic cycle of debt.” (David Snodgrass, Lansing State Journal, 2/20/2020). The bill “would allow lenders to charge a monthly service fee of 11% on the principal of a loan, equivalent to an APR of around 132%. In practical terms, this means a borrower would end up paying more than $7,000 to pay off a $2,500 two-year loan.” Heed the following biblical advice: “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you.” (Lev. 25:35-36)
I went to a concert on Monday evening. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields played Brahms Symphony Number 4, along with a violin concerto by Paganini and a short piece by Mozart. It was a delightful and relaxing evening with good friends.
Also relaxing (and gripping) is my latest “read:” “The Race to save the Romanovs” by Helen Rappaport was published in 2018. After the Russian revolution in 1917 the Romanov family were under house arrest. When the communists came to power later in the year, their situation deteriorated fast. Many people wanted to save them and their five young children, but no attempt got very far; eventually, they were all brutally murdered. The Bolsheviks were, if nothing else, thorough – killing all their opponents for over seventy years! The deaths of the children were particularly reprehensible. Today’s Russians have tried to make amends by canonizing each member of the Imperial Family. 28% of Russians polled said they would like to see the monarchy restored. But how do you restore it when you killed everybody off? (Interestingly, 28% is roughly the support US presidents get; when you consider that only 54.9% bothered to vote in the last election.) Maurice Paleologue was the French Ambassador to Russia at the time of the revolution. He said the only man who could have saved them was Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. The Russians had been fighting the Germans, along with the British and the French. The Kaiser helped Lenin get to Russia and, when he assumed power, entered into a peace deal with him, so that Russia could leave the war. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of 1918 could have (should have) included a clause freeing the Czar and his family. Wilhelm was related to the Russian Imperial Family. He particularly loved the children. Why didn’t he save them?
Fill up with gas – the price of oil has been “surging overnight”!
That’s the likely international outcome of the latest development in the Middle East.
Early Thursday morning (late Wednesday in the US), a coalition of ten countries, led by Saudi Arabia, started bombing Shi’ite rebels in Yemen, aiming to restore the “legitimate” (Sunni) government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is in hiding somewhere.
The conflict widens the Shia-Sunni conflict, which is the root cause of the never-ending conflicts in Iraq and Syria. The latest war pits Saudi Arabia and Iran against each other.
Yemen is not a big oil producer. But it’s strategically located, controlling the 25-mile wide Gulf of Aden, through which a great deal of the world’s oil is shipped. The British controlled the Gulf from 1839 until 1967.
Illustrative of the volatility in the oil market is the fact that, less than 24 hours ago, hopes were high that a deal between Iran and the western coalition would lead to a glut of oil, driving the price down. The deal may still happen, but the benefits will likely be more than offset by the Yemeni conflict and the increasing Sunni-Shia struggle throughout the Middle East.
This is the basis for the ongoing battle over Tikrit in Iraq. Over a week ago, the Iraqi military was claiming victory over ISIS forces controlling the city. But ISIS, the most militant group within Sunni Islam, is holding its own against a combined force of Shi’ite Iraqi troops, Shia militias and Iranians, who are also Shi’ites.
Interestingly, the US supports the Saudi-led action to restore the President of Yemen, at the same time as supporting the Iraqi and Iranian action to defeat ISIS. It’s doubtful this difficult balancing act will last.
Another question is what it will take for western intervention in the region. An article on the widening conflict in the Middle East in the latest issue of Time Magazine ended with the following paragraph.
“It’s impossible to predict when and where the next extremist attack on a Western target may occur. But it seems all to likely that it would require a mass casualty terrorist strike in a Western country to build the public support needed for the sustained military effort that could actually eliminate these growing threats.” (The New Caliphates, TIME Magazine, Volume 185, Issue #11).
Certainly, such an attack cannot be far off. This could certainly fulfill the prophecy in Daniel 11:40, which states: “At the time of the end the King of the South shall attack him.” The King of the North then retaliates.
As this global crisis worsens and spreads, another recent development shows ISIS, al-Qaeda and Boko Haram “troops” training together in Mauretania, a Moslem country not directly affected by terrorism until now. With ISIS now operating in Tunisia and Libya and Boko Haram in alliance with ISIS, operating in Nigeria, Niger and Chad, the whole of West Africa is vulnerable.
At the same time, the Taliban, which operate in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, has pledged support to the new Caliphate.
The spreading Caliphate is well on its way to achieving its avowed goal of an Islamic State stretching from the Atlantic through the Middle East and on to Indonesia. The plan is a five year plan, which means conflicts are set to increase and spread.
Meanwhile, the “mass casualty terrorist strike” Time warned about, may already have happened. It has been disclosed that the pilot was locked out of the cockpit of the “Germanwings” flight that crashed into the Alps two days ago. When the pilot went to the bathroom, his co-pilot locked the door behind him and then immediately set the controls for a rapid descent and the final, fatal crash. The Marseille prosecutor has just declared that the “co-pilot was not known as a wanted terrorist.” The question remains as to why he would deliberately fly the plane into the mountains. Terrorism was quickly denied but terrorist websites constantly inspire “lone wolf” violent attacks as part of their cause.
Spain and Germany lost the most people in the crash. Spain is one of the countries that ISIS wants in its Caliphate, having been ruled by Muslims for over 700 years.
It’s too early to tell if this was a factor in the plane crash but a criminal investigation is now underway. It seems certain the loss of 150 lives was no accident.
When I heard the news over the weekend that Boko Haram had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS), I decided to watch one of the network news programs at 6.30pm to see what they had to say on this development.
As it turns out, nothing was said. The news program I watched led on Selma (again) and Ferguson (again, again) and Hillary Clinton’s emails (surprise! surprise! Corruption from a Clinton! Y.A.W.N.). Following those three stories, there was a brief segment on Jeb Bush running for president.
Arguably, Boko Haram’s signing up to the Islamic State will have greater impact than any of the other news items.
A few weeks ago, IS was confined to Iraq and Syria. Then the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan opted to join the caliphate. Libya was the next addition, not the whole country but the extremists operating there. Now, with Boko Haram in Nigeria, Niger and Chad, they are rapidly becoming a major global force.
It’s not surprising the West is still asleep when our media focus is so myopic.
The media is also manipulative. A great deal of attention is now being given to a young African-American teenager who was shot by police in Madison, Wisconsin.
The death of any young person is a tragedy, no matter what the circumstances. Ten days ago, a 17-year-old male was shot dead by police a few miles from our home. It did not make the national news, likely because he was white. The media sure likes to stir things up, especially when it comes to race.
Perhaps this is why little attention is given to the growing threat from ISIS. As we are constantly being assured that Islam is a religion of peace, little attention will be given to news that brings this into question.
Yet the fact remains, while we obsess about our own internal problems, there is a growing external threat that we ignore at our peril.
President Erdogan of Turkey used the term “clash of civilizations” to describe the growing divide between Islamic nations and the West, following the terror attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish supermarket in Paris.
NBC’s Richard Engel used the same term Monday evening in a news report focused on the ten Muslim countries that witnessed demonstrations and riots over the weekend. They were angry over Charlie Hebdo’s caricature of the prophet Mohammed on its cover this week.
In the West, people are showing their support for freedom of speech and of the press. Muslims, on the other hand, are opposed to any image of their prophet, as this is considered a sin and an insult to Islam. There is no narrowing the gap!
Amongst the countries that witnessed demonstrations over the weekend were Iran, Afghanistan, Chechnya (ruled by Russia), Pakistan and Niger, north of Nigeria. In the latter, churches were set alight with people in them.
It was university professor Samuel P. Huntington who first popularized the term “clash of civilizations” in his book on the subject, published in 1996. Prior to that the term had been used by Huntington in a lecture to the American Enterprise Institute and earlier by Middle East expert Bernard Lewis. In fact, usage goes back as far as 1926, when Basil Matthews wrote “Young Islam on trek: a study in the clash of civilizations.”
When we consider the term goes back almost a century, we can realize that the concept is not a new one. What makes it more urgent and serious is that the number of Muslims in the world is increasing rapidly while the number of Christians isn’t.
There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, roughly 25 % of the total number of people. Of greater significance is that 62% are under the age of 30. This is the recruiting pool for ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and other terrorist factions. The problem of Islamic terrorism is only going to worsen.
The clash of civilizations is partly due to ignorance. People in the West are lacking in knowledge when it comes to Islam but Muslims are ignorant of Western history and culture and do not understand how long it took to gain freedom of speech and how it is a fundamental component of western culture.
Leaders of western countries seem bewildered and do not understand how to tackle this problem. Most leaders are of the 60’s generation that believed religion was something in the past, of little relevance today. They have been proved wrong – but don’t know how to adjust their thinking.
Ordinary citizens seem to have a better grasp on reality, experiencing the clash of civilizations first hand with their neighbors, colleagues at work, people in stores and on the streets. There is a widening gap between the elites and the people, which could presage dramatic changes this year as elections are held in a number of European countries. Populist parties are gaining strength and will likely continue to do so with each terrorist attack.
Although the Bible does not use the term “clash of civilizations,” a coming clash between two major powers is prophesied in Daniel 11:40. These powers are called “the king of the south” and the “king of the north,” two powers who are situated south and north of Jerusalem. Conflict arises when the “king of the south” attacks the “king of the north.” One translation uses the term “pushes”. What we are seeing now with repeated terror attacks by Muslims in Europe could just be the beginning of this clash. The question is: at what point will the European nations hit back?
"Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened." — Sir Winston Churchill
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