Friday

The Daily WAR (08-07)

Reading between the lines, and thinking outside the box . . .
 
    [WAR: Well, it finally happened!! Thanks to the generous efforts of JNR Networks, The Daily WAR can now be accessed via www.thedailywar.com!
    Right now, I'm not sure if I'll turn it into a fully-functioning website or just keep it forwarding to the blogspot domain. But at least it will be a whole lot easier telling people the website address.
    I've also tossed around the idea of having some shirts and hats with some kind of neat logo (circular?) that incorporates "The Daily WAR" on them. If anyone has any creative ideas, let me know.
    And if you are in need of any computer/network help for your business, be sure to check out JNR Networks.]
 
 
 
    Thursday morning in the Vatican, the Pope received the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Holy See.
 
    Catholics and Muslims must show the common belief that we are members of one family loved by God our Creator, and uphold the dignity of every human person, says Benedict XVI.
 
 
 
    The fate of the Wittelsbach diamond, worn by at least 3 of Europe's royal families, has been shrouded in mystery for almost a century.
    Now the 35.56 carat stone, the 2nd largest blue diamond in the world, has turned up again, offered for sale at Christie's by an anonymous seller.
    Its history is traced back to the 17th century, when King Philip IV of Spain chose it as part of the dowry for his 15-year-old daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa who married Leopold I of Austria, later to become the Holy Roman Emperor.
    Through the centuries the stone passed into the Austrian and then the Bavarian Crown Jewels, and formed the central piece in the Bavarian crown.
    The Bavarian authorities are now considering whether to put in a bid to bring the blue stone home. Horst Seehofer, Bavaria's Prime Minister, says that he is determined to restore Bavarian pride by buying the gem.
 
    Chancellor Merkel's coalition agreed to ease the inheritance tax burden on family-run firms which form the backbone of Europe's biggest economy, ending a long-running row.
    The compromise marks something of a victory for the Christian Social Union, whose leadership had insisted on more generous exemptions on property.
 
    With hopes of more cooperation among allies, a more ambitious attitude toward climate protection and less aggressive rhetoric, Chancellor Merkel and her administration have great expectations for Barack Obama. But no one should expect a new era of permanent harmony.
 
German press
    German commentators served up a mixture of glee and caution on Thursday as newspapers published their first editorials reacting to Barack Obama's historic victory.
 
 
 
    Thomas Ferenzi in Le Monde cites the historian Jacques-Pierre Gougeon who argues that the recent tensions between France and Germany are not a sporadic phenomenon but reflecting a long run tendency of both countries of developing apart, a process that started with the German reunification.
    Since then the mistrust and lack of understanding between them is on the rise. The 2 current leaders, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, only accentuate the rising divide and led to a level of disagreement rarely seen before.
 
    Newly available accounts by independent military observers of the beginning of the war between Georgia and Russia this summer call into question the longstanding Georgian assertion that it was acting defensively against separatist and Russian aggression.
    Instead, the accounts suggest that Georgia's inexperienced military attacked the isolated separatist capital of Tskhinvali with indiscriminate artillery and rocket fire, exposing civilians, Russian peacekeepers and unarmed monitors to harm.
 
 
 
    Enthusiastic about Obama's election, President Ahmadinejad congratulated the president-elect. Tehran "welcomes basic and fair changes in US policies and conducts," he said, and encouraged Obama to pursue a policy of "non-interference" toward Iran.
 
    Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attacked Barack Obama for declaring a willingness to talk with Iran about its nuclear program.
    "We live in a neighbourhood in which sometimes dialogue . . . is liable to be interpreted as weakness."
 
    Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said today that the Jewish state is not ruling out any option when it comes to dealing with Iran's nuclear program.
    When meeting visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Barak was quoted as saying that Israel is "not taking any option off the table, and we don't recommend that others take any option off the table."
 
    A senior Iranian official called on Barack Obama to show goodwill and remove sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
    "Through the lifting of the past government's cruel sanctions against Iran, Barack Obama can demonstrate his goodwill to the Iranian people."
 
    The US Treasury has moved to further restrict Iran's access to the US financial system, by banning certain money transfers.
    The Treasury Department announced on Thursday that it will revoke Iran's so-called "U-Turn" license, which currently allows transfers to briefly enter the US before being sent to offshore banks.
 
 
 
    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the United States is vulnerable to attack or other incidents during the presidential transition period and that the military is ready to respond.
 
    America faces a heightened terror threat in the 75 days until Barack Obama takes office, US spy chiefs warned yesterday.
    The CIA and other intelligence agencies gave him his first security briefing - and told him fanatics may try to exploit the period before he enters the White House to attack America.
    Their concern was echoed by George Bush: "We are facing a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us. They would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people."
 
    A military-style operation to keep Barack Obama alive was under way yesterday within hours of his victory.
    Such are the concerns for Mr Obama's safety that many are already voicing their fears he may not even reach the White House.
    "Nothing is out of the question. Until January when he is inaugurated, we just don't know if we will see a black man in charge."
 
    The tremendous amount of power and symbolism of the office makes US presidents prime targets for assassination. Obama will be no exception.
    But in addition to bearing the title of president, Obama also will be the first black president — something that introduces a whole new and more serious threat matrix.
    Obama uniquely faces a threat from white supremacist groups, some of which believe a black president should be killed.
    Broadly, there are 3 schools of thought among white supremacist groups on how to view Obama's election.
    The lone wolf, in the end, poses the most likely threat to Obama, and to any target for that matter.
    The lone wolf's ability to act alone, keeping his intentions, activities and whereabouts to himself, makes it very difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify a threat before it is too late.
 
For rights, or riots?...
    Sales of handguns, rifles and ammunition have surged in the past week, according to gun store owners around the US who describe a wave of buyers concerned that an Obama administration will curtail their right to bear arms.
    [WAR: Just because Obama was elected, doesn't mean he'll be inaugurated. There are a number of possibilities that can happen between now and then -- as the above article indicates.
    And when Obama is taken out (physically or legally), then the rioting will begin...]
 
    With Obama's appointment of Rahm Emanuel, the once Israeli army soldier, Israel has little reason to worry that the man who promised "change" will lift a finger to change Israeli manipulation of American foreign policy.
    Indeed, when Emanuel's appointment was confirmed, top Israeli newspaper the Maariv Daily hailed the news with the headline, "Our man in the White House."
    Another Israeli news outlet, YNet, reports: "Emanuel is pro-Israeli, and would not be willing to consider accepting the job unless he was convinced that President-elect Obama is pro-Israel."
 
    Obama has already started in on us, and he hasn't even taken the oath of office yet. I'm talking about his appointments, starting with Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.
    He's mean, he's ultra-partisan, and he's a fully-paid up member in good standing of the War Party.
    Combined with the foreign policy views of Dennis Ross, Obama's senior advisor for Middle East affairs – who is reportedly up for the National Security Advisor slot – what seems to be shaping up is a perfect trifecta of trouble on the horizon.
    The old adage that presidents rarely govern in synch with the way they campaign applies here, and in spades. Change? Not in the foreign policy realm, buster. Indeed, if any change is involved, it may well be for the worse.
    By the time Obama is through making his appointments, all those Hollywood liberals over at the HuffPuffPost will be huffing and puffing with outrage: and, in true Hollywood style, they'll be screaming: "Forget the honeymoon – I want a divorce!"
 
    The arrival of Obama as the new imperial figurehead of the Anglo-American empire is not a victory of, or for, the people.
    It will not signify a dramatic upheaval, in any way, and by no means is any sort of revolution at hand.
    Nor is Obama's ascendancy about "you." It is about "them." This election was a necessary rotation of management, scripted at the highest levels of the Anglo-American elite.
    The empire — bloated, sickened, and on the verge of systemic collapse from 8 years of sucking on its own Bush-Cheney poisons — is retrenching for its own survival.
    Obama is no savior, but the momentary pause offered by the imperial shift at the top has some value.
    It buys humanity some time. Time to prepare to face the worsening decline that Obama himself will oversee.
 
    Three days after Barack Obama's election victory, the initial moves by the president-elect to prepare his administration already show that his policies will be determined not by popular expectations, but by the domestic and foreign policy interests of the American financial and corporate elite.
 
    Barack Obama's transition team is a collection of Washington insiders, former Clinton administration officials, corporate and banking executives, and individuals with roots in the Chicago Democratic Party political machine.
 
    With Barack Obama's election to the presidency, the evangelical moment in US foreign policy has come to an end.
    The US remains a nation of believers, with Christianity the tradition to which most Americans adhere.
    Yet the religious sensibility informing American statecraft will no longer find expression in an urge to launch crusades against evil-doers.
 
    Barack Obama sought out controversial gay bishop Gene Robinson not just once but 3 times during his campaign.
 
    "We are faith-based, really the most conservative of people. But we feel very ignored right now. We feel that our interests are not represented in Washington."
 
    Is opposition to political secession a biblical mandate, or even the path most obviously in accordance with biblical patterns?
    If neither the house of Abraham nor the ancient kingdom of Israel were too sacred to experience secession, is it not hubris, or worse, to declare these United States indivisible?
    There is no biblical reason to oppose secession, and there are valid biblical reasons to endorse it.
    There now are 2 radically different Americas, and with Barack Hussein Obama having promised to endorse the Freedom of Choice Act if elected president, the divide between the 2 Americas will only grow and fester.
 
    Sarah Palin's future was the subject of intense speculation yesterday after damaging revelations emerged from the Republican camp and as the party was braced for a potentially catastrophic result in Alaska.
 
    The nation's economic meltdown is taking state budgets down with it, with several states confronting billion-dollar deficits.
    Some have ordered broad and deep cuts in spending, while others have only begun to consider how to compensate for their revenue wells drying up.
 
    Along the Ohio River, at the nexus of the borders of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, a huge object said to be "about the size of a large shopping mall and parking lot" was reportedly sighted in the early morning hours of Friday, Oct. 24.
 
 
 
    The European Central Bank has cut interest rates by a half point to 3.25% as policy-makers across Europe hit the stimulus button, but the actions have so far failed to reassure markets that authorities are moving fast enough to catch up with the crisis.
    The ECB's president acknowledged that the financial crunch has proved much more serious than expected, spreading to the real economy and to almost every area of the world.
    Morgan Stanley issued a report this week entitled "Euro Wreck" saying that although there is a lingering risk that a German-led block of strong countries might break away from EMU, the danger was receeding because the credit crisis had reminded everybody that it was safest to stick together.
 
    The ECB cut by .5% yesterday, and will probably cut again by .5% in December.
    The Bank of England cut by 1.5% to 3%, the lowest level since the days of Churchill, and lower than euro area UK interest rates for the first time.
    UK economic commentators, including Martin Wolf and Samuel Brittan welcome the decision, while Frankfurter Allgemeine believes that complacency has given way to panic at the Bank of England.
 
    Europe's leaders say they want the world's big powers to create a new brand of capitalism, but at a Friday meeting ahead of a summit in Washington, they have to agree on how far they should try to go now.
 
    EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today to have lunch, with an overhaul of the international finance system the sole item on the menu.
    France - currently sitting at the EU's helm - has tabled a 3-page document consisting of 5 key priorities that "should be agreed no later than on 15 November," when global economic players meet to discuss the same topic in Washington.
    The priority list, seen by EUobserver, suggests that no market segment, territory and financial institution, including hedge funds, should escape regulation or supervision.
 
    The Obama administration will play a big role in "reinventing" the international system, especially on the financial side, in strong partnership with the EU, US foreign policy expert David J. Rothkopf said on Wednesday.
 
    Ford Motor reported a $3 billion quarterly operating loss today and said it would reduce staff and capital spending in order to preserve its dwindling cash.
 
    The US jobless rate rose to 6.5% in October, official figures have shown, the highest rate since March 1994.
    Figures from the US Labor Department showed US employers cut 240,000 jobs in October, the 10th month in a row that the economy has lost jobs.
    The increase means that in the first 10 months of this year, 1.2 million people in the US have lost their jobs.
 
 
 
 
    Internationally renowned Jewish inspirational speaker Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis warns that we are feeling the "birth pangs of the Mashiach," with limited time to save ourselves from dark prophecies surrounding his arrival.
 
    Something may be out there. Way out there.
    On the outskirts of creation, unknown, unseen "structures" are tugging on our universe like cosmic magnets, a controversial new study says.
    Everything in the known universe is said to be racing toward the massive clumps of matter at more than 2 million miles an hour—a movement the researchers have dubbed dark flow.
    The presence of the extra-universal matter suggests that our universe is part of something bigger—a multiverse—and that whatever is out there is very different from the universe we know.
 
    In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze that mirrors our fear of the dark and resembles the urban glow of dystopian science fiction.
    And yet above the city's pale ceiling lies the rest of the universe, utterly undiminished by the light we waste — a bright shoal of stars and planets and galaxies, shining in seemingly infinite darkness.
    In a very real sense, light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way — the edge of our galaxy — arching overhead.
    [WAR: "(The Sun) rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other..." (Psa 19:6).
    Back in David's time, they didn't use the term "Milky Way," so he just described what it was -- the "qatseh (edge) of the heavens/galaxy."
    So in this verse, he's describing the Sun's circuit (tuqufah) from the winter Milky Way to the summer Milky Way.]
 
No it doesn't!...
    With horror we read that Scripture is not clear about when life begins. To that misguided premise we vigorously disagree.
    [WAR: Scripture is quite clear: Life begins with breath -- the breath of life!
    "YAHWEH ELOWAH formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Gen 2:7)
    "This is what the Sovereign YAHWEH says to these bones: 'I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life...'
    "So I prophesied as I was commanded...I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
    "Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it,"This is what the Sovereign YAHWEH says: Come from the 4 winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live."'
    "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life..." (Eze 37:5-10)
    There's more Scripture on this, so do a study and believe the Word of ELOHIM, and not the Confused Christians.]
 
    * "In the 11th year, in the 8th month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications." (1Kings 6:38)
    * "In the 8th month of the 2nd year of Darius, the word of YAHWEH came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo..." (Zech 1:1-6)
    [WAR: Even though these verses don't indicate the specific day of the month, I just thought I'd pick the 8th day -- 08-08)
 
 
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