FRENCH TEACHER BEHEADED IN STREET

Flowers outside the Collège du Bois d’Aulne middle school as part of a memorial to the teacher who was killed in Eragny, a suburb of Paris, on Friday.Credit…Siegfried Modola/Getty Images

In an attack that sent France reeling, on Friday afternoon, October 16, in broad daylight, a French schoolteacher was beheaded on a suburban street for teaching his students a required lesson about free speech. Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered close to the school where he taught by an 18-year-old Chechen immigrant (identified only as Abdoulakh A.) who had come to France as a child refugee.

Abdoulakh then posted images of Paty’s severed head on his Twitter account along with insults aimed at French President Emmanuel Macron and French “infidels” and “dogs.” 

Witnesses reported hearing Abdoulakh shout “Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)!” during the attack. Abdoulakh had been waiting for Paty before attacking him with a knife and inflicting him with multiple head wounds.

The attacker was killed by police after firing at them with an air gun.

Paty was a history and geography teacher, who had been threatened many times after educating his students in light of the ongoing Charlie Hebdo trial and showing them cartoons from the satirical magazine depicting Islam’s prophet Mohammed (he advised Muslim students to look away if they were offended).  (Clarion Project, 10/18/2020)

An entire community of immigrants, who enjoyed all the freedoms we had granted them, ambushed him . . . It is a racism condoned by imams who had called [the beheaded teacher] Paty “delinquent.”

“[T]here is the continuity of our submission. I am convinced that if we had known how to say no, we would not be here. They all bowed their heads out of fear of appearing racist or out of patronage.” — Élisabeth Badinter, author, Le Point, October 16, 2020.

If the French authorities do not take the many warnings to heart, even after a schoolteacher was beheaded in broad daylight by a terrorist shouting “Allahu Akbar,” it means that the fight is over and they might as well raise a white flag over the Eiffel Tower.   (Giulio Meotti, Gatestone, 10/20/2020)

Sheikh Ali Al-Yousuf Of The International Union Of Muslim Scholars: Killing Of French Teacher Paty Was In Keeping With The Ruling Of The Shari’a But It Should Have Been Done By The Islamic State, Not By Just Any Individual  (MEMRI, 10/20/2020)

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GERMANY

[BREXIT]:  In the Interest of German Industry

The German government breaks ranks with the EU consensus on the negotiations of a Brexit free trade agreement and demands that concessions be made to Great Britain. On Thursday, the EU heads of states and governments – with Germany’s endorsement – had unanimously increased pressure on the British government to unilaterally concede in the dispute over the agreement, however, Chancellor Merkel is now strongly pleading for “a compromise.” This change of course was triggered by London’s reiteration that it would rather settle for a no-deal Brexit, if the EU insists on its maximalist positions. A hard Brexit would bring serious disadvantages particularly for German industry, because, well ahead of China, the UK is its second largest investment site and its business on the British Isles has already been seriously affected by Brexit uncertainties. Confronted with the impact of the Corona crisis and economic risks due to the power struggle between the USA and China, Germany seeks to avoid further slumps. 19 Oct 2020, German-Foreign-Policy newsletter. (https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/8415/)

Secret NATO Drills: German Air Force trains in the event of nuclear war?
The German air force is currently working with NATO partners to work out the defense of the alliance’s territory using nuclear weapons
19 October 2020 (From German newspaper) Bild.de

If the situation would follow the most appalling scenario, and it comes to a nuclear war, we must be ready for this. 

The German air force is currently working with NATO partners to work out the defense of the alliance’s territory using nuclear weapons.

According to the DPA news agency, a secret Alliance exercise called Steadfast Noon began this week. At the same time, the operations of fighter-bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons are being practiced. The venue for the maneuvers this year was the Nørvenich airbase in North Rhine-Westphalia. Presumably, it is there that the American tactical atomic bombs B61 will be placed, according to unofficial data, stored at the base in Büchel (Rhineland-Palatinate)

At the same time, the Resilient Guard exercise continues in Büchel, where the Air Force is practicing defense of the airbase there. According to the Bundeswehr, operations with the use of Patriot missile systems are also being practiced there.

The B61 hydrogen bombs located in Büchel, if necessary, can take on board, in particular, the German Tornado aircraft, in order to take hostile forces out of the game. American nuclear weapons are also stored in Belgium, Turkey, and the Netherlands. Combat aircraft of the Air Forces of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy are also participating in the current exercises.

According to military experts, during the Persistent Noon maneuvers, which traditionally take place in October, the safe delivery of American nuclear weapons from underground storage facilities to aircraft and their placement there is being worked out. However, during the exercise, flights will be carried out without bombs. Information on a specific exercise scenario has not yet been released.

Today, the danger of war, during which nuclear weapons may be used, has grown significantly in comparison with the past 30 years. The reason is the termination of the INF Treaty. The United States, with the approval of NATO partners, withdrew from it in the summer of 2019, arguing that Russia has been developing medium-range missiles called 9M729 (NATO classification: SSC-8) for several years, thereby violating the agreement.

Will a new arms race start?

Military experts do not rule out that the world is on the verge of a new arms race. The United States is already working on a new mobile ground-based missile system, which was illegal during the INF Treaty. According to current plans, they should be equipped exclusively with conventional (that is, non-nuclear) warheads. But it is possible that the plans will be further adjusted.

In addition, the last major nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, the START III Treaty, expires on February 5, 2021. The parties are now negotiating its extension, but Moscow has recently made it clear that it will hardly be possible to reach an agreement with Washington under President Donald Trump.(https://112.international/politics/secret-nato-drills-german-air-force-trains-in-the-event-of-nuclear-war-55714.html)

A GERMAN PERSPECTIVE

What If Trump Won’t Go?

Europe Preparing for the Worst in Washington; Concern is growing in the European Union that Donald Trump might refuse to recognize the election results if he loses.  Preparations are underway for the worst-case scenario.  by Markus Becker, Christiane Hoffmann und Peter Müller 16.Oct.2020, Der Spiegel, Germany

A horror scenario is making the rounds these days in both Berlin and Brussels:  Should the outcome of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3 be close, incumbent Donald Trump could declare himself the winner when polls close, even if he is behind in the vote count. He could prematurely and unlawfully claim the presidency. (DS)

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USA

AFGHANISTAN DILEMMA

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, US President George W. Bush demanded that Afghanistan’s Taliban government surrender Osama bin Laden and end support for al-Qaeda. The Taliban refused.

On October 7, US bombs began falling on Taliban forces. NATO allies quickly pledged support for the US, and US boots hit the ground in Afghanistan two weeks later.

Thus began a war, now the longest in US history, that has killed more than 3,500 coalition soldiers and 110,000 Afghans. It has cost the American taxpayer nearly $3 trillion. US allies have also made human and material sacrifices.

Though the Taliban government quickly crumbled, its fighters kept fighting. A Taliban insurgency continues, and its forces are now believed to control nearly 20 percent of Afghan territory. Almost half of Afghan land is “contested.”

The Taliban is militarily stronger today than at any time since the start of the war, and there are now US soldiers serving in Afghanistan who were not yet born on September 11, 2001.

The dilemma remains

A large-scale US effort to defeat the Taliban everywhere in Afghanistan would prove costlier than the American public, and therefore any US president, is willing to bear.   (Gzero Signal, 10/22/2020)

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THREAT FROM AMERICAN EXTREME RIGHT — On October 19, 2020, the National Socialist Order (NSO), which was created by members of the international neo-Nazi network, AtomWaffen Division, released a one-minute video on its Telegram channel urging supporters to take action such as running-over protesters, or murdering politicians, to bring about a “new world.” The video, titled “National Socialist Order – A Step by Step Guide to Victory,” is a slick production in a retro television style, with black and white animated sequences and titles, and is narrated in a male voice.  (MEMRI 10/21/2020)

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FRANKLIN GRAHAM ON POLITICS 

Regarding the recent Democratic and Republican national conventions, Graham asserted that the Democratic Party is “opposed to faith.”

“The Democrats are really, if anything, they are opposed to faith.” Graham asserted.

Graham acknowledged that while his father, the late evangelist Billy Graham, was a lifelong democrat, even he saw the significant transformation within the Democratic Party as it became “a party of the left.”

“It’s a socialist party. They want socialism for this country,” Graham argued, according to CBN News.   (CBN, 9/3/2020)

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New Data Analysis Finds 353 Counties With 1.8 Million More Registered Voters Than Eligible Citizens by Mark Tapscott (Epoch Times, 10/18/2020)

Nope, no chance of voter fraud here, folks.

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THREAT FROM CCP

We are at risk of losing a war today because too few of us know that we are engaged with an enemy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), that means to destroy us. The forces of globalism that have dominated our government (until recently) and our media for the better part of half a century have blinded too many Americans to the threat we face. If we do not wake up to the danger soon, we will find ourselves helpless.(Imprimis, 9/20/2020)

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VIOLENCE AHEAD?

As Election Day nears, voters are on edge.

In fact, almost three in four voters, 72 per cent, describe themselves as very or quite concerned about post-election violence, according to a poll conducted by JL Partners and The Independent.

Republicans in Washington are concerned far-left groups will stir up trouble after the election should Mr. Trump win – or say he won as a court battle begins. Democrats say it is the president who has been stoking trouble.   (The Independent, 10/22/2020)

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Chris Jackson / Canada Government

CANADA’S NEW OFFICIAL PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN

A new portrait of the Queen has been commissioned by the Canadian government. It will hang in schools, government buildings and embassies.

Even after resuming socially-distanced in-person engagements, and reopening Buckingham Palace for audiences, the royals haven’t had occasion to flaunt their stunning jewelry collection in some time – and may not for a while yet. This makes the reveal of Queen Elizabeth’s new official Canadian portrait, which features the monarch bedecked in precious stones from the King George VI Victorian Suite, all the more special.

Photographer Chris Jackson unveiled the portrait on Instagram, saying, “It was an incredible honor to have the opportunity to photograph HM Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the Canadian Government.”

He then went on to explain the significance of the jewelry and royal honors the Queen wears in the portrait, starting with the two badges affixed to her dress. These are the Canadian insignia as Sovereign of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit (per Canadian Heritage’s Instagram, the Order of Canada is the country’s highest civilian honor, instituted by the Queen herself in 1967). More interesting, perhaps, to those interested in royal history are the jewels: a tiara, necklace, earrings, and bracelet, all from the diamond and sapphire King George VI Victorian Suite.

The suite – then composed only of the necklace and earrings, made circa 1850 – was given to the Queen by her father, King George VI, as a wedding present in 1947. A matching tiara and bracelet were fashioned in 1963, and in 1990, the Queen took the whole suite with her for a royal tour of Canada – making it a particularly meaningful choice for this portrait.

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POPE ENDORSES SAME SEX CIVIL UNIONS

ROME — Pope Francis expressed support for same-sex civil unions in remarks revealed in a documentary film that premiered on Wednesday, a significant break from his predecessors that staked out new ground for the church in its recognition of gay people.

The remarks, coming from the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, had the potential to shift debates about the legal status of same-sex couples in nations around the globe and unsettle bishops worried that the unions threaten what the church considers traditional marriage — between one man and one woman.

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” Francis said in the documentary, “Francesco,” which debuted at the Rome Film Festival, reiterating his view that gay people are children of God. “I stood up for that.”

Many gay Catholics and their allies outside the church welcomed the pope’s remarks, though Francis’ opposition to gay marriage within the church remained absolute.

His conservative critics within the church hierarchy, and especially in the conservative wing of the church in the United States, who have for years accused him of diluting church doctrine, saw the remarks as a reversal of church teaching.

“The pope’s statement clearly contradicts what has been the longstanding teaching of the church about same-sex unions,” said Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., adding that the remarks needed to be clarified.   (NYT, 10/22/2020)

Matthew 23:9 – “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.”

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HOW ISIS RESPONDED TO COVID:  In early March, as coronavirus swept across Europe, Isis issued a surprising message to its members.   Adopting a safety-first approach, the terror group’s al-Naba magazine stopped encouraging attacks on western nations, instead advising its members not to travel to Europe, which it described as “the land of the epidemic.”

The group also told its followers to “put trust in God and seek refuge in Him from illnesses,” but to also “cover the mouth when yawning and sneezing” and to wash their hands frequently, Politico reports. Terror groups traditionally thrive in areas undergoing disruption and chaos. So how has Isis handled the past eight months? (The Week, 10/21/2020)

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The goal of socialism is communism.   Vladimir Lenin

MICHIGAN MILITIA PLOT TO KIDNAP GOVERNOR

The above signs are popping up all over Michigan. “Pure Michigan” is the state’s promotional slogan.

I am not a member of a Michigan militia. Nor do I know anybody who is.

But I think I understand their frustration.

So-called “white supremacists” are mostly people who want to preserve their identity and culture, something people don’t have to be concerned about in most other countries. The Governor seems to spend more time at Hindu Dewali and Muslim festivals than she does at Christian ones. They see their state in economic decline as jobs have moved overseas. Employed in the private sector, from which all wealth comes, they do not have the benefit of pay increases every year, like those in government jobs. They lose a few thousand a year to tax, while billionaires pay next to nothing; while their standard of living keeps falling. The Governor taking extraordinary and unconstitutional powers to impose restrictions on them for Covid-19 was the last straw. They simply broke and wanted to hit back. Not a wise choice, admittedly.

Perhaps a reading of I Samuel 8 is wise here. When Israel wanted a king, God warned the people that government would take more and more from them, until they would cry out in pain. That’s exactly what is happening today in America and other western nations.

“And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. ¹⁶ And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest [a]young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. ¹⁸ And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” (I Samuel 8:14-18)

If the Democrats gain power next month, taxes are set to rise by an estimated 15%. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is fond of reminding people of her oath of office taken on the Bible. I suggest she reads I Samuel 8 (and beyond) and learns from the history of the kings of Israel the dire consequences of high taxation. These included the division of the kingdom. It’s not beyond the realm of probability that this “kingdom” could be divided between those fiscally responsible states and those that don’t pay their way.

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THE WEST’S DEMOGRAPHIC SUICIDE

First, “the demographic weight of the West in the world” has been declining. The percentage of the global population comprised by the U.S. and Canada has shrunk from 6.8% to 4.7% since 1950. Europe has declined from close to 22% of the global population to less than 10% today.

This will adversely affect the economic power of the West relative to the rest of the world. Although higher productivity has enabled the West to maintain its economic dominance in years past, the rest of the world is developing rapidly and narrowing the productivity gap. In a quarter of a century, China is expected to have approximately four times the GDP of the U.S. India will likely surpass China, due to its much higher fertility rate. The geopolitical ramifications of this shift will be far-reaching.

First, “the demographic weight of the West in the world” has been declining. The percentage of the global population comprised by the U.S. and Canada has shrunk from 6.8% to 4.7% since 1950. Europe has declined from close to 22% of the global population to less than 10% today.

Second, Western countries are experiencing a steadily aging population and workforce. GDP and tax revenue growth won’t keep pace with spending on pensions and healthcare. If there is too much transfer of wealth via taxes from the rest of society to pay for the needs of an aging population, the imbalance will drain the economy. Democracy will become “gerontocracy” because older voters dominate at the polls, advancing their interests.

Finally, low fertility rates will continue to create pressure for mass immigration into Western countries to meet the demands of labor markets, which can have deleterious cultural and political consequences. Immigration into the U.S., with its large number of Hispanics, is more assimilable to its prevailing culture than immigration into Europe, which has experienced in recent years a large influx of Muslims, who often choose not to integrate culturally. Europe’s native population, which has traditionally been more homogeneous than that of the U.S., has undergone a very sudden change with the immigrants. Macarrón estimates that 25% of babies born in France are from first-or second-generation Muslim immigrants; in Germany 15%, in Austria 14%, and in Spain, approximately 10%. If these increasingly “varied and complex” societies do not manage foreign immigration carefully, there could be severe “social clashes” in the future. (“The West’s demographic suicide,” Marilyn Stern, MEF, 9/29/2020).

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WHITE PRIVILEGE THEORY ‘HURTS WORKING-CLASS BOYS’

Pressure to apologise for “white privilege” is pushing white working-class boys even further “behind everyone else,” MPs have been warned.

Professor Matthew Goodwin, a politics professor at the University of Kent, told the Commons Education Select Committee yesterday that “over the last ten years our national conversation has become more consumed about other groups in society.”

White working-class boys, who are among the worst educational performers, are landed with “a status deficit” and made “to feel as though they are not being given as much recognition and esteem as others,” Goodwin said.

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TOWARDS SOCIALISM IN THE US

One party is effectively saying it will pack the courts, including the Supreme Court, with politically friendly judges, so that the judiciary will be an extension of one political party rather than part of a system of checks and balances, the separation of powers or a co-equal branch of government. One party is openly saying it will remove the electoral college, so that sparsely populated, rural states would be totally outvoted by cities. One party is openly saying that it would add more states, such as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, to provide it with more Senators to create a permanent one-party rule. And one party is openly saying it would reverse core parts of our Bill of Rights so we could be jailed for free speech, or for owning a gun to defend ourselves, as the minutemen did, against “enemies foreign and domestic.” (“Slouching towards the Socialist States of America,” Chris Farrell, Gatestone, 10/13/2020)

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CHRISTIANS AGAINST TRUMP

A group of prominent Christians from both sides of the aisle, including a past faith adviser to former President Barack Obama, is forming a political action committee designed to chip away at Christian support for President Donald Trump in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign.

Dubbed Not Our Faith, the new super PAC plans to roll out six-figure TV and digital ads focused on Christian voters — particularly the evangelical and Catholic voters who helped power Trump to victory in 2016. Its first digital ad, set to run in Michigan and Pennsylvania, takes sharp aim at Trump’s claim to a foothold with Christians.

The ad, shared with The Associated Press in advance of its release, says Trump “has used Christianity for his own purposes,” invoking imagery of the Republican president’s photo op outside a historic Washington church amid this summer’s racial justice demonstrations. Urging Christians to break from Trump, the ad states that they “don’t need Trump to save them. The truth is that Trump needs Christians to save his flailing campaign.”

That sharp critique of Trump’s standing with Christian voters comes as the president looks to evangelicals in particular to help him muscle to reelection over Democratic nominee Joe Biden. While Biden’s campaign is mounting a well-organized faith outreach effort, that work largely focuses on an affirmative case for the former vice president rather than the overtly anti-Trump case that the new PAC is making. (“Bipartisan Christian group forms super PAC to oppose Trump,” Elana Schor, AP, 10/13/2020)

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DOUBLE STANDARDS

President Obama received a Nobel peace prize months after he was sworn in, before he had done anything to deserve it. President Trump has broken through decades of antagonism between Israel and some Arab countries, with a peace deal that alters the balance of power in the Mideast. The Nobel committee gave the prize to an organization fighting hunger. Double standard, anyone?

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HUNTER BIDEN SCANDAL

Another double standard is the following. Why isn’t this in the American papers?

Hunter Biden pursued deals with a major Chinese energy company including one that would be ‘interesting for me and my family’, new secret emails said to be from the presidential candidate’s son claim.

He also struck a deal for $30 million plus bonuses ‘based on introductions alone’ over three years after his father left office, then was offered a ‘much more lasting and lucrative arrangement.’

The son of the Democratic presidential nominee communicated with China’s largest private energy company, CEFC, according to the latest trove of messages unearthed by the New York Post from what is said to be Hunter’s personal laptop. (Daily Mail 10/15/2020)

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BLACK APPRAISALS OF BLACK LIVES MATTER

“I have no objection to the statement ‘black lives matter.’ But the movement that uses that name has a sinister hostility to serious, fact-driven discussion of the problem it purports to care about. Even more sinister is the haste with which academic, media and business leaders abase themselves before it. There will be no resolution of America’s many social problems if free thought and free speech are no longer upheld in our public sphere.” — Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

“All of these corporations… that give a dollar or millions of dollars to the BLM agenda, they are destroying black lives.” — Niger Innis.

“Little Yummy was an eleven-year-old murderer. He got murdered at eleven by a 14-year-old who is doing life in prison now . . . Where was his father? . . . It starts in the home. My three closest friends did 15-25 years in prison… I was the only one who had a father in my life. I had a father who was a gentle man and a good example — they didn’t.” — Denzel Washington.

“Police don’t wake up and think, ‘I’m going to kill a n*gger today or kill a white man.’ They’re just trying to make it back home to their family in one piece.” — Muhammad Ali Jr.

(“Black Appraisals of Black Lives Matter,” Soeren Kern, Gatestone, 10/7/2020)

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HEALTH INEQUITIES

Our youngest daughter is a nurse. In one of her college textbooks, the following appears, a classic example of revisionist history. I hadn’t realized that healthcare was such a major issue in 1619!

“Systematic differences in health that occur between and within countries and are avoidable and unfair. United States has a long history – starting with colonist’s treatment of American Indians and enslavement of people from Africa. “

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German Imperialism & European Ambitions Beyond NATO
by Franziska Kleiner, 12 Oct 2020, News Click.

At a conference, “Contradictions within imperialist countries and the danger of war,” journalist Jörg Kronauer gave a presentation on German imperialism and its military ambitions. This is an excerpt of the presentation.

In this excerpt, we bring you his views on how German imperialism operates within the NATO alliance and within Europe.

He also talks about PESCO or the Permanent Structured Cooperation.

The ongoing conflict is the fight over who exerts influence in eastern Europe: the Germans or the Russians. This power struggle led to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and it has not been decided unequivocally for the German/European or Western side, which increases the desire to expand the military pressure on Russia. It manifests itself in the leading role the German army is playing in building the NATO spearhead and stationing NATO troops in Eastern Europe. In this conflict with Russia, NATO is the ideal ally for the German establishment, because it gains access to the military weight of the United States.

(https://www.newsclick.in/german-imperialism-european-ambitions-beyond-NATO)

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GERMANS TRAIN TO DROP US NUCLEAR BOMBS

According to reports, the Bundeswehr has started this year’s “Steadfast Noon” nuclear combat exercise. Within the framework of the so-called Nuclear Sharing, the German Air Force is practicing the various stages German pilots need to go through to drop US nuclear bombs. “Steadfast Noon” takes place every fall. This year’s exercise also includes the near Cologne, which is intended to serve as an alternative site for the 20 nuclear bombs stored at the Büchel Air Base (Eifel). At the same time a second maneuver is taking place in Büchel, aimed at “protecting important infrastructure against airborne threats.” The nuclear bombs in Büchel, as well as the fighter jets capable of dropping them, are to be modernized costing billions of euros. The new B61-12 nuclear bombs can also be deployed with low-yield warheads, lowering the threshold to nuclear war. According to reports, NATO documents mention “nuclear first strikes.” (German Foreign Policy, 10/14/2020)

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EU URGES CEASEFIRE IN ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN DISPUTE

With clumsy pleas, the EU is urging Armenia and Azerbaijan to agree to a ceasefire. The hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh must be ended immediately, was the call sent out by the EU foreign ministers at their meeting yesterday, albeit without any mention of concrete measures. According to German experts in foreign policy, Germany’s lack of influence on the parties to the conflict must be compensated for through coordinated EU activities and agreements with Russia. In a similar situation earlier this year, Berlin had been able to make progress in its efforts to reach a ceasefire in Libya with Moscow’s help. This option is nowhere in sight in the current case. On Franco-German insistence, EU foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on Russia yesterday. Experts estimate that now, Moscow will no longer “expect anything from Europe,” and feels “no longer obliged to take its opinion or interests into account.” The EU is unable to exert influence on Turkey, which supports Azerbaijan: Ankara is playing off Berlin and Paris against one another. (German Foreign Policy, 10/13/2020)

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TO THE POINT

• Marx actively rebelled against the divine. He wrote, “I long to take vengeance on the One Who rules from above. The idea of God is the keynote of a perverted civilization. It must be destroyed.” (Epoch Times, 10/14/2020)

• Hard-pressed Brits forced to pay £9 BILLION to fund migrant invasion of Britain (10/9/2020)

• NOT JUST TRUMP: Cover on The Economist, 9/26/2020. “Why are so many governments getting it wrong?” (The subject was Covid.)

• In today’s Daily Telegraph online: Big Tech is hiding the truth about lockdowns – Doctors and the WHO are turning against lockdowns, but you wouldn’t know it from Google and the other tech giants who are trying to keep this news quiet, writes James Morrow. (10/12/2020)

• SAUDI ARABIA AND RUSSIA IN UN HUMAN RIGHTS BODY: A string of countries accused of perpetrating human rights abuses are on course to win election to the United Nations Human Rights Council, despite protests from activists and political dissidents. China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Cuba and Pakistan are expected to secure places on the governing board of the organisation in a vote today – a move described by Geneva-based monitoring group UN Watch as “like making a gang of arsonists into the fire brigade.” Each country must win 97 votes in the UN General Assembly to be appointed as one of the council’s 14 member states, “meaning a concerted campaign among democracies could still stand a chance of blocking their election,” The Times reports. (The Week, 10/13/2020)

• Xi Jinping tells China’s troops to prepare for war – Chinese President Xi Jinping has told troops to “put all their minds and energy on preparing for war.” During a visit to a military base in the southern province of Guangdong, Xi told the soldiers to “maintain a state of high alert” and be “absolutely loyal, absolutely pure and absolutely reliable”. Tensions between China and the US remain high, while it has also seen skirmishes on its Himalayan border with India. (The Week, 10/15/2020)