Benedict XVI's "Jesus of Nazareth" is one of the best-selling books in France.
Looked at from a clinical psychoanalytic standpoint, a majority of the political class and Establishment in Germany is behaving irresponsibly, in a frankly disconcerting way, whether, or even because, they are doing "their duty." It is also clear that, in the Federal Republic as an occupied country in the postwar period, it was "normal" to adapt to the existing power structures, or to submit to these structures; that is, the external determination was practically built into the political system. It has not simplified the problem that Germany, although we have won reunification and national sovereignty through the peaceful revolution of 1989, has betrayed the fruit of this battle. The peaceful revolution, which really occurred, was quickly degraded into a mere "change," and reunited Germany was subjugated under the yoke of the Maastricht Treaty, thanks to Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand.
A German journalist and at least one Afghan have been kidnapped in Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar, local officials have said. The men were said to be trying to reach a village where civilians were killed in a NATO air strike. Two other Germans were kidnapped in central Afghanistan last week. The body of one was later found by a road.
Gordon Brown is guilty of a "flagrant breach" of Labour's 2005 election manifesto for failing to grant a referendum on the new EU treaty, William Hague has insisted. Setting the stage for months of bruising argument over Europe, the shadow foreign secretary accused the Prime Minister of "extraordinary cynicism" for claiming the replacement to the defunct constitutional treaty was less far reaching than its predecessor - and therefore did not merit a national vote.
(LT op-ed: We want a referendum)
President Putin took the war of words with London to new heights Tuesday, angrily dismissing British demands for the extradition of the sole suspect in the murder of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko as a relic of British "colonial thinking." "They are making proposals to change our Constitution, which are insulting for our nation and our people. It's their brains, not our Constitution, which need to be changed. What they are offering to us is a clear remnant of colonial thinking."
Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn has hailed President Vladimir Putin for rebuilding Russia and accused West of trying to ignore and sideline the country. The 88-year old author, who documented the murderous Soviet prison camp system based on his own seven-year experience as a prisoner of the gulag, said the Western criticism of Russia was often unfair.
The first delegation from the Arab League has begun a visit to Israel, to promote its Middle East peace plan. Foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab countries that recognise Israel, are meeting PM Olmert.
Forget about Hamas, the wall, Gaza and the occupied territories. There can be no peace in the Middle East until Israel and the Palestinians deal with one key issue: the Palestinian demand that Israel recognize their right of return. That demand is based on the Arab charge that the Zionist state created the refugee problem in the war of 1948-49 by a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing. It's an accusation that Israel's leaders have consistently rejected. It has become increasingly evident, however, that the Israeli position is, in fact, a self-serving myth created when the Jewish state was born, perpetuated ever since by the country's leaders and still blandly accepted by Washington.
(Ha'aretz: Olmert, king of Israel?)
Pakistan has made clear it will not tolerate a US military operation against Osama bin Laden or other al-Qa'ida targets inside its territory, as Washington continues to push President Musharraf to do more to confront militants. "Any attack inside our territory would be unacceptable. Any such action would be irresponsible and dangerous. We are combating terrorism in our own interest. We do not want our efforts to be undermined by any ill-conceived action from any quarter that is inconsistent with the principles of international law."
Iran and Germany have signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct feasibility studies for launching Tehran-Mashhad high-speed train.
Germany's Ambassador to Iran has highlighted Iran's special status in the Middle East, saying Germany seeks expansion of Tehran-Bonn relations. He pointed to Iran's position in the Persian Gulf and Middle East, saying the Islamic Republic enjoys a rich and influential culture. He also said enhancement of cultural relations with Iran is of high importance for Germany.
US charges that Iran was fueling sectarian strife in Iraq and terrorism in the Middle East led to tense and heated debate in rare talks Tuesday between the two arch enemies, US officials said. "There were several heated exchanges in the course of the day," said the US ambassador to Iraq. He said arguments erupted when he accused Iran of providing direct support to extremist militias and that Washington had "the proof." [And "the check is in the mail."]
The Guns of August '07...
EIR's sources confirmed that President Bush had, indeed, tilted back towards supporting Cheney's position that Iran's alleged nuclear weapons sites must be hit preemptively, and that one of the most persuasive arguments mounted by Cheney and his neo-con allies, is that unless the US strikes against Tehran, Israel will launch an attack, and this will create an even bigger mess for Washington. As Cheney was making his power play inside Administration circles, he was receiving back-up from "the two Liebermans."
Gordon Brown thinks that the Bush Administration is unaffected by his effort to satisfy his party by putting some clear blue water between himself and the President. And diplomatic courtesy will prevent the Bush Administration from disabusing the PM of that idea. Don't misunderstand: Brown is a fan of America - but of its domestic economy. He admires American entrepreneurship; he prays that some day his countrymen will adopt the "everything is possible" attitude of Americans; he is a fan of Bill Gates and Alan Greenspan. But he has been somewhere between non-communicative and evasive when it comes to foreign policy.
With poll numbers indicating that support for both his administration and the Iraq war have fallen to record lows, President Bush Tuesday delivered a militarist rant before a uniformed audience in South Carolina, insisting that the fighting must continue in order to defeat Al Qaeda. Bush's speech was part of an increasingly desperate and hysterical campaign by the administration to counter massive opposition by browbeating the public with the supposed omnipresent threat of terror. The administration is clearly seeking to pit the military's top brass and officer corps against Congress and the Democrats, demanding the subordination of the government's elected civilian representatives to the will of the generals—precisely the opposite of the relationship spelled out in the American Constitution.
George W. Bush's presidential tenure has been marked by one cover-up after another. But the masterful spinning of Karl Rove and a compliant media enabled Bush to get away with it. Now that the Democrat-controlled Congress is investigating administration malfeasance, Bush's cover-ups have come cloaked in the guise of "executive privilege." In the past, when the White House and Congress have clashed over claims of executive privilege, the President generally capitulated before criminal proceedings began. But Bush has consistently defied Congress and the courts with his secret spying program and his signing statements.
On July 17, President Bush issued an executive order that could be interpreted to outlaw anti-war protest. This new executive order empowering the federal government to freeze the assets of people who threaten Iraq's stability and its government is so broad it could be applied to any domestic opponent of the Iraq war who has assets in the US. Constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein charged the order violates the 5th Amendment's requirement that no person shall be deprived of property without due process of law. Fein, associate deputy attorney general under Reagan, asserts it "empowers the president to destroy anyone he says plays a significant risk of undermining the rehabilitation or political reform in Iraq."
A BBC Radio 4 investigation sheds new light on a major subject that has received little historical attention, the conspiracy on behalf of a group of influential powerbrokers, led by Prescott Bush, to overthrow FDR and implement a fascist dictatorship in the US based around the ideology of Mussolini and Hitler.
A new video analysis of the collapse of the World Trade Center's south tower provides unmistakable evidence of implosions that trace a diagonal path across the building and appear well below the collapse point.
The dollar has tumbled to its lowest level ever against the euro and to a 26-year low of $2.06 against the pound as financial turmoil sent US markets tumbling to their worst day's performance in over 4 months. US stocks were left spiralling along with the American currency on fears of broader economic contagion from the sub-prime property slump.
Countrywide Financial Corp. said Tuesday its 2nd-quarter profit shrank by nearly 33% as softening home prices led to rising delinquencies and mortgage defaults among the most creditworthy borrowers. The huge mortgage lender was forced to take impairment charges as it braced for the possibility of more people failing to make their mortgage payments.
Asian shares fell today with exporters hit by the rallying yen and mounting concerns about the health of the US economy, while falling oil prices weighed on energy stocks.
As a matter of fact, the great danger of a financial crash today, is that most people in what they call economics believe actually not in economics: They believe in gambling. It's called a financial system; it's a gambling system.
There's a reason that a man is captivated by a woman. Eve is the crown of creation. If you follow the Genesis narrative carefully, you'll see that each new stage of creation is better than the one before. ... Can you hear the crescendo starting to swell, like a great symphony building and surging higher and higher? Then comes Adam, the triumph of God's handiwork. Adam bears the likeness of God in his fierce, wild, and passionate heart. And yet, there is one more finishing touch. There is Eve. Creation comes to its high point, its climax with her. She is God's finishing touch. And all Adam can say is, "Wow." Eve embodies the beauty and the mystery and the tender vulnerability of God. As the poet William Blake said, "The naked woman's body is a portion of eternity too great for the eye of man." (Wild at Heart , p. 36–37)
Today in Scripture
* "By the 9th day of the 4th month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat." (2 Kings 25:3 / Jer 52:6)
* "And on the 9th day of the 4th month of Zedekiah's 11th year, the city wall was broken through." (Jer 39:2)
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