Wednesday

The Daily WAR (11-15)

Reading between the lines, and thinking outside the box . . .
 
 
 
    Two months after his trip to Africa, Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit the Middle East where he will see the place of Jesus' baptism, a mosque in Jordan, the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, as well as Bethlehem and Nazareth.
    Though the trip has not yet officially been announced, an article in the Italian daily, Il Giornale, reports that Pope Benedict's May 8-15 travels are scheduled to begin in Amman, Jordan where he visit a mosque as well as Mt. Nebo.
    [WAR: So he'll be there during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.]
 
    The rift in Vatican-Jewish relations that followed the Vatican's move to lift the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop may be coming to an end, according to the World Jewish Congress.
 
    At a time when the world is looking forward to a new spirit of reconciliation, the Roman Catholic Church has been caught looking backward.
    Pope Benedict XVI gave a wink and a nod to a renegade sect that, in stubborn defiance of the church's own teachings, is stuck in the Dark Ages -- when popes had armies, Christians blamed Jews for the death of Jesus and suggestions that the earth orbited the sun constituted heresy.
 
    The superior of an ultra-conservative Society of St. Pius X called on Bishop Williamson to "correct" his denial of the Holocaust. The move comes as Argentina, where Williamson resides, filed suit against him.
 
    Bishop Williamson triggered a scandal with his comments denying the Holocaust. Now it has emerged that the German branch of the ultra-conservative SSPX has also made a number of anti-Semitic statements in its publications.
 
    Must One Believe in the Holocaust To Be a Good Catholic?
 
Whore ignoranti!...
    The Vatican has admitted that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution should not have been dismissed and claimed it is compatible with the Christian view of Creation.
    Archbishop Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said while the Church had been hostile to Darwin's theory in the past, the idea of evolution could be traced to Augustine and Aquinas.
    Ahead of a papal-backed conference next month marking the 150th anniversary of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, the Vatican is also set to play down the idea of Intelligent Design, which argues a "higher power" must be responsible for the complexities of life.
 
 
 
    The resignation of conservative Michael Glos as economy minister over the weekend surprised Germany. Now it seems he quit because he was upset at the direction Germany's conservative chancellor was taking.
    "She always believed I didn't have a clue about a lot of things. She hangs on the words of Finance Minister Steinbrueck, who needs to write out every sentence he says."
 
    Chancellor Merkel's authority within her conservative ranks is slipping away just as Germany is experiencing its worst economic crisis since WW2.
    The center-left Social Democrats are already preparing their campaign against a chancellor increasingly seen as weak.
 
    Chancellor Merkel's efforts to maintain cabinet unity were in disarray after Germany's new economy minister was attacked by fellow conservatives for being too inexperienced.
    The attacks reflected simmering tensions within the CDU and also between it and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union.
    Central to the differences is the electoral struggles of the CSU, which last year failed for the first time to win an outright majority in Bavaria. This has prompted them to become more focused on their own state and more combative towards Berlin.
 
No!!...
    There are those in Germany who think the Lisbon Treaty transfers too much responsibility to Brussels. The Constitutional Court is hearing the case this week. Should it agree, then the treaty is dead.
 
    Opponents say the treaty is part of a federalist EU agenda that threatens national sovereignty.
    The case against the treaty was brought by Peter Gauweiler, a conservative Christian Social Union member of the Bundestag, and backed by some Left Party MPs.
    A court ruling could be further delayed by a separate anti-Lisbon complaint brought by Franz Ludwig Graf von Stauffenberg, a lawyer and former CSU deputy.
 
    Several of the 8 judges in charge of examining whether the EU's Lisbon Treaty is compatible with the German constitution have expressed scepticism about the constitutional effects of further EU integration.
    According to reports in the German media, the debate during the crucial 2-day hearing on the treaty centred on criminal law and the extent to which it should be the preserve of member states rather than the EU.
    Judge Landau said new EU powers in criminal justice affected "core issues" of German legislative authority. "These are issues affecting the shared values of a people."
    In all, 4 of the 8 judges questioned the Lisbon Treaty.
    The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung noted that the judges were united on one issue: that the treaty is not a work of high literature. Less-than-clear passages from the treaty were read out aloud, guaranteeing a laugh, noted the paper.
    Today, the court is to examine article 146 of Germany's constitution, which says that a referendum may be called if the constitutional order in the country is changed to the detriment of Germany's current constitution.
 
 
 
    EU politicians and businesses are sounding the alarm about the descent towards protectionism in Europe, as member states attempt to ride out the economic downturn with measures designed to help domestic workers and companies.
    With national governments coming under mounting pressure to help citizens in fear of losing their jobs, the European Commission is fighting a rearguard action to stop the EU's huge internal market being undermined.
 
 
 
    Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and hard-line rival Benjamin Netanyahu both claimed victory in Israel's parliamentary election but official results suggested the race was too close to call.
    Right-wing parties - including Netanyahu's Likud Party - appear to have won a clear majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament, which would give Netanyahu the upper hand in forming the next government.
    However, Livni's centrist Kadima Party had 29 seats, while Likud had 28. Those results could change by a seat or two when soldiers' votes are tallied Thursday evening.
 
    There are hundreds of Muslim "fighters" from around the world receiving military training in the Egyptian Sinai desert where they are waiting to enter the bordering Gaza Strip, according to a senior terrorist interviewed by WND.
    He also warned his "fighters" in the Sinai may act not only against Israel but also against Egypt.
 
    It appears that Obama is committed to continuing Bush's ill-conceived policy of bombing both Afghanistan and Pakistan, supporting a puppet regime and expecting the starving shell-shocked natives to be thankful.
    The latest problem for Obama is the loss of the US airbase in Kyrgyzstan.
    Ending the US military presence in Kyrgyzstan puts the last piece into place in the Russian control of supply routes to Afghanistan through its "near abroad."
    This is a serious blow to Obama's plan to up the ante in Afghanistan.
    Despite all the sympathy Obama has received from around the world, it is hard to translate any of it into support for US policies, either on the part of allies or foes.
    Nothing much has changed, except that existing problems have worsened, both on the military and economic fronts.
 
    A female FBI officer tortured a suspect in the Mumbai terrorist attacks by performing a sex act on him during interrogation, it has been claimed.
 
    A provocative threat against North Korea by the top US general in South Korea is a clear indication that Obama intends to continue the Bush administration's belligerent stance toward Pyongyang.
 
    As goods pile up in wharves from Bangkok to Shanghai, and workers are laid off in record numbers, people in East Asia are beginning to realize they aren't only experiencing an economic downturn but living through the end of an era.
 
 
 
    The UN-based Islamic Republic News Agency, the official news organization of President Ahmadinejad, has told CBS News that it has officially asked for an interview with Obama as a direct response to Obama's call for opportunities to engage.
 
 
 
    A lawsuit that accuses Congress of failing to investigate Obama's birthplace before approving the Electoral College vote giving him the presidency has been amended to include additional claims of rights violations, including unequal treatment, because Congress did such an investigation into GOP candidate John McCain.
 
    It's another shot across the bow of the Constitution: the White House has announced it will micromanage the census.
    It is said Obama and crew — you can almost hear Rahm Emanuel cracking his knuckles in Obama's ear — decided to lord over the census.
 
    Does Obama intend to follow these rules himself? Probably not.
    Obama's entire facade momentarily crumbled under a single withering question – "Do you know of any country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons?"
    The evasion inherent in Obama's reply coupled with actions already taken may reveal the new administration's true framework for Middle East policy: deception, wastefulness, and lawlessness.
 
    On 9/11, the FBI believed that bombs were involved in the attacks.
 
    A jihadist group responsible for nearly 50 attacks on American soil is operating 35 training camps across the nation, but its name cannot be found on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.
    "We are fighting to destroy the enemy. We are dealing with evil at its roots and its roots are America."
 
    Firefighters and homeowners aren't the only ones keenly watching Australia's massive wildfires, responsible for killing at least 173 people in the southern part of the continent.
    Terrorism experts suspect Muslim extremists are watching closely, too — and taking note of the devastation.
    While Australian authorities have revealed no evidence linking the wildfires to extremists, terrorism experts say the large death toll, the huge swath of destruction and the massive financial blow to the country are proving to Islamic terrorists that arson can be a highly effective — and simple — tool of holy war.
 
    Texas officials say contingency plans are in place for collapse of Mexico, policy only covers "law enforcement" needs, does not address humanitarian issues.
    The news that Texas officials are working on contingency plans to deal with a sudden influx of illegal aliens following a collapse of the Mexican government has sparked fears that FEMA detention camps, the expansion of which is the subject of current legislation in Congress, are being readied to detain thousands of illegals as well as American citizens.
    According to an El Paso Times report, "Texas officials are working on a plan to respond to a potential collapse of the Mexican government and the specter of thousands fleeing north in fear for their lives after recent reports indicated the country could be on the verge of chaos."
 
    Authors of a new book who were sympathetic to Hugo Chavez's 1998 presidential bid to "eradicate poverty" in Venezuela now say he is a greater threat to America's national security than Osama bin Laden and has the means and motive to bring the US to its knees.
 
 
 
    As the global economic crisis deepens, tempers around the world are getting shorter.
    French and British trade unions are organizing strikes, Putin is sending troops into the streets and Beijing is trying to buy itself calm.
 
    The unemployment rate reported in the US media is a fabrication.
    In other words, without all the manipulations of the data, the US unemployment rate is already at depression levels.
 
    In 2009 were going to see the worst economic collapse ever, the Greatest Depression, says Gerald Celente, US trend forecaster. He believes its going to be very violent in the US, including there being a tax revolt.
 
    The Obama Administration laid out plans yesterday to marshal an extraordinary $3 trillion to stabilise America's stricken banking sector and revive its collapsing economy.
 
    The White House plan to rescue the nation's financial system is far bigger than anyone predicted and envisions a far greater government role in markets and banks than at any time since the 1930s.
 
    The Obama administration hopes, in short, to counterbalance some of the fear gripping the financial world with a bit of old-fashioned greed.
    To combat the bust, Washington wants to marshal some of the same financiers who got rich during the boom: hedge fund managers and corporate buyout specialists.
    Distressed investors - "vultures" is the Wall Street term for them - aim to buy investments on the cheap in hopes of reaping big returns.
 
    Oh boy. The Obama administration already looks more incompetent than the Bush on its worst days.
    The really shocking aspect of the plan was not that it was the wrong plan – we had known that before – but that it was no plan at all, only a plan for a plan, something that will take ages to implement.
    In terms of substance, the core is issue is whether to nationalise or not. The Obama administration has decided against nationalisation.
 
    Has Barack Obama's presidency already failed? In normal times, this would be a ludicrous question.
    But these are not normal times. They are times of great danger.
    The costs to the US and the world of another failed presidency do not bear contemplating.
    By asking the wrong question, Obama is taking a huge gamble. He should have resolved to cleanse these Augean banking stables. He needs to rethink, if it is not already too late.
 
    Just when you were beginning to worry that Britain's economy might be tip-toeing towards the edge of a cliff, along comes a calm, economically literate sage to explain that, in actual fact, we're already in the 7th circle of hell.
 
    The cost of bailing out banks in the EU with "toxic" assets may run to as high as £16.3 trillion, according to a confidential Brussels document.
    In line with the risk, and the weak performance of some EU economies compared to others, investors are demanding increasingly higher interest to lend to countries such as Italy instead of Germany.
    Ministers and officials fear that the process could lead to a vicious spiral that threatens to tear both the euro and the EU apart.
 
    The late Milton Friedman was a provocative teacher at the University of Chicago, and he received a Nobel Prize for his contributions to economics.
    But Friedman was more than an academic. He was an advocate for, and popularizer of, a radical right-wing economic ideology.
    His ideology caused enormous damage to the American middle class and to working families here and around the world.
 
    2009 looks to be a humanitarian disaster around much of the world. The countries that make up 66% of the world's agricultural output are experiencing drought conditions.
    Whether you watch a video of the drought in China, Australia, Africa, South America, or the US , the scene will be the same: misery, ruined crop, and dying cattle.
    As there is nothing that breeds social unrest like soaring food prices, nations around the world will sell off their foreign currency reserves to appreciate their currencies and reduce the cost of food imports.
    When faced with competitive currency appreciation, you do not want to be the world's reserve currency. The dollar is likely to do very poorly as central banks liquidate trillions in US holdings to buy food and appreciate their currencies.
 
    Selling bullets may be the most secure job in Florida as long as supplies last. After months of heavy buying, gun dealers across the state are experiencing shortages.
    Whatever the reasons, ammunition has been selling like plywood and bottled water in the days before a hurricane. Demand for bullets is so strong that suppliers are restricting deliveries.
 
 
 
    The Greek god of thunder and lightning had Earthly beginnings, and scientists think they finally know where.
    Ancient Greeks first worshipped the omnipotent Zeus at a remote altar on Mount Lykaion, a team of Greek and American archaeologists now think.
    The discovery challenges the idea that Zeus worship began on the Greek island of Crete, which at least one classical historian names as the god's mythic birthplace.
    The latest finds on Mount Lykaion, in the mainland province of Arcadia, are as old as the idea of Zeus himself.
 
 
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