Watchman Newsletter

The end of the great deception

Telegraph UK (Link) - Christopher Booker (November 7, 2009)

So the trap has snapped shut. It was somehow apt that the politician who finally let the EU get the constitution it has craved so long should have been President Vaclav Klaus, the veteran anti-Communist who predicted, just before the Czech Republic joined the EU in 2004, that it would mean the end of his country as "an independent sovereign state." And what a delightful irony that Pravda, of all newspapers, greeted the news last week with the headline: "Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the EU is now a reincarnation of the Soviet Union."

Tomorrow, as the EU's leaders gather in Berlin to celebrate the end of that wall, they will also celebrate the rise of a new one – a wall they have built around themselves, that separates Europe's politicians from all their subject peoples. From December 1, the Lisbon Treaty comes into force. (How long before they give it back its original name, "A Constitution for Europe"?) The EU will at last have the supreme government it has wanted so long – unelected, unaccountable and, as even its own polls show, less popular with those it rules over than ever before. But what do the politicians care? They have the power, and we now have a government we can never dismiss.

The Modest Superpower

Newsweek (Link) - Stefan Theil (November 7, 2009)

It's become all fashionable in Washington, Moscow, and Beijing these days to dismiss Europe as an aging continent in terminal decline. A June report from a Moscow think tank close to the Kremlin described Europe as weak in the face of Russian might, and last year's U.S. National Intelligence Council assessment of global power shifts called the EU "a hobbled giant" plagued by "internal bickering."

Such broadsides are easy to understand. The EU today is divided on all kinds of issues, from how to deal with Russia to the future of NATO. Europe's banks still have more toxic assets on their books than America's. With Britain, France, and Germany often pursuing separate foreign--policy goals, the idea of an EU able to translate its size and wealth into hard power and common purpose seems as remote as ever.

Yet all these critiques miss a stark reality. Even as America and Russia have been humbled by the economic crisis and China and India remain preoccupied with internal problems, Europe is thriving. Exactly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the continent has been transformed: it is more united, prosperous, and secure than at any time in history. This year, Europe surpassed the United States in wealth, according to the Boston Consulting Group. Next year, Europe's population is expected to hit half a billion and its GDP to nearly match that of the U.S. and China combined. The financial crisis has turned Europe's softer, more regulated brand of capitalism into the preferred model for much of the world—even the United States—and a half-dozen countries are now seeking EU membership in order to gain economic shelter from the ongoing storm. The crisis itself, for all its terrible effects on the EU economy, has unexpectedly strengthened the continent's cohesion, as has the just-ratified Lisbon Treaty, which streamlines the way Europe runs its affairs. Overseas, the EU is now responsible for much of the world's development aid and has 71,000 troops stationed beyond its shores, a global footprint second only to America. This is not to say there aren't many areas where Europe is still divided and punches below its weight. But by most measures, the EU looks better and better by the day.

US Senators Act to Force Recognition of Jerusalem as Capital

Israel National News (Link) - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (November 7, 2009)

Seven United States senators have sponsored a bill that would abolish the “security” waiver that American presidents have used to prevent implementing a 1995 law declaring that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback, a long-time supporter of Israel, introduced the bill and said, "It is long overdue for America to recognize the sovereign right of Israel to choose Jerusalem as its capital city.”

The proposed Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act law, number S. 2737, is "a bill to relocate to Jerusalem the United States Embassy in Israel" and has six co-sponsors--five Republicans, from Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana and Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

It would remove the current waiver, which gives the president authority to delay recognition of Jerusalem as the capital on the premise that doing so would endanger the security of the United States. Previous presidents, including George W. Bush, vowed during their election campaigns they would recognize Jerusalem as the Jewish State’s capital but they have failed out to carry out their election promise.

The senators introduced the bill following last week’s visit to the United States by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who said, “I believe moving the American embassy to Jerusalem will the first step towards other embassies moving to the capital, as in every other country in the world.”

G20 Vows to Spur Fragile Growth

BBC News (Link) (November 7, 2009)

Finance ministers from developing and rich countries meeting in Scotland have pledged to keep stimulus measures in place until global recovery is assured.

A statement issued after the G20 meeting says the recovery is "uneven" and remains dependent on support, while unemployment is a "major" concern.

Earlier, British PM Gordon Brown called for a fund for bank bailouts, possibly paid for by a tax on transactions.

But the proposal received a lukewarm response from other G20 countries.

After the meeting in St Andrews, US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said there was a "very broad consensus that growth remains the dominant policy imperative across our economies".

Big California bank fails, has China branches

Reuters (Link) - Charles Abbott and  Alan Wheatley (November 7, 2009)

United Commercial Bank, a big San Francisco bank with branches in China, was closed by state regulators on Friday and its banking operations were acquired by East West Bancorp Inc, also active in both nations.

East West said the transaction made it the second-largest independent bank in California. Based in Pasadena, East West has 137 U.S. branches, including offices in New York, Atlanta, Boston and Seattle, and four in China.

United Commercial Bank, with assets of $11.2 billion, was the 120th U.S. bank to fail this year. Regulators closed four other banks on Friday, in Georgia, Michigan, Missouri and Minnesota. Failures already were the highest since 1992.

Banks are struggling to clean up their balance sheets as loans made during the credit boom continue to deteriorate. The FDIC has said the pace of failures will remain elevated through next year.

Last year 25 institutions were closed by regulators, compared to three in all of 2007.

All for One?

Foreign Policy (Link) - Annie Lowrey (November 6, 2009)

The Lisbon Treaty creates an EU president, sure. But it's the new foreign policy czar who might really change the world.

Something that might augur a truly titanic shift in foreign affairs happened this week. It involves possibly sweeping foreign-policy changes in two of the world's five official nuclear states. It promises to alter the Middle East peace process, negotiations with Iran, and policies regarding Russian missile defense. It will likely necessitate scores of new embassies. It directly affects 500 million people and indirectly affects the rest of the world.

On Tuesday, Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, grumblingly signed the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. His was the last signature needed to ratify the agreement, which streamlines Brussels's byzantine and slow-moving policymaking process and creates two leadership roles, an elected president with a 30-month term and a high representative for foreign policy.

Most focus has centered on the former position, whose precise responsibilities and powers EU leaders plan to hash out at a Nov. 11 summit. (The treaty comes into formal effect in December, and the new president is expected to take office on New Year's Day.) The somewhat sexy idea of a European president has led to wild speculation as to who might fill it, with dozens of potential candidates mentioned, most often the silver-tongued and internationally renowned Tony Blair and the barely known center-right Dutch leader Jan Peter Balkenende.

But it's actually the latter gig that has the most potential to transform how Brussels works and how Europe relates to the world. The president is likely to be just a figurehead rather than any kind of revolutionary leader. Just this week, a joint statement from the leaders of Denmark, Finland, and Ireland stressed that the president should be a "chairman," not a "chief." The characteristic most often cited as necessary is "consensus-building." For the eight years that the Lisbon Treaty and its prior incarnations have wended their way through various EU and European institutions, the concern has always been that the president might have too much authority, not too little.

Syria's statement at UN General Assembly debate on goldstone report

Syrian Arab News Agency (Link) - Mazen Eyon (November 6, 2009)

Syria's permanent representative to the United Nations Bashar al-Ja'afari said that the Syrian delegation has voted in favor of the decision adopted by the UN General Assembly today on holding the Israeli occupation authorities responsible for the crimes they perpetrated during the latest aggression on Gaza.

"Syria sees the member countries voting for that decision as a criterion of their credibility towards one of the important aspects in the work of the international organization," al-Ja'afari said in Syria's statement at the UN General Assembly debate on Goldstone report Thursday evening.

"There is no justification for any country not to vote in favor of that modest decision because the human duty and responsibility of the international organization, in the face of the Israeli crimes, impose this attitude," al-Ja'afari said, adding that allowing Israel to continue its violation of the human international law and the human rights law means that these countries have abandoned their responsibilities and gone far away in practicing double standard policy.

The statement said that conversing facts is a denying of peoples' right, living under occupation, to resist their occupiers, adding that Syria, along with a number of countries that share this certainty, will not accept to convert right to injustice or let oppression and killing defeat justice and law.

It urged the UN member countries to support that decision and bring the Israelis who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity to international justice.

Army: Suspect said 'Allahu Akbar!' before shooting

The Washington Times (Link) - Joseph Weber (November 6, 2009)

Soldiers at Fort Hood who witnessed the shooting that killed 13 and wounded 30 reported Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire inside the Soldier Readiness Center, the commanding officer at the Texas base said Friday.

Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone told NBC's "Today" show that soldiers heard the suspect shout "Allahu Akbar!" — which translates in Arabic to "God is great!" — before the rampage began at about 1:30 p.m. central time.

However, military officials later Friday morning would not confirm that report, saying only that investigators continue to interview witnesses.

The revelation is part of a profile emerging of the military psychiatrist as investigators also learned more details about his 10-minute shooting rampage, the victims and the heroes.

Army officials said gunman Maj. Hasan, 39, was not known to be a threat or risk, but his military career and personal life show signs of potential underlying problems and concerns.

While working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for six years before coming to Fort Hood, Maj. Hasan required counseling and extra supervision, Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time, told the Associated Press.

Maj. Hasan, who helped soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder, also reportedly was harassed about being a Muslim following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Modern Day Signs of the Times: A review of signs unique to our day and time

Lamb & Lion Ministries (Link) - Dr. David R. Reagan (November 6, 2009)

Whenever I present an overview of the signs of the times that point to the soon return of Jesus, I am often confronted by someone — often a professing Christian — who will say, “Come on David, these signs you are talking about have always existed in one degree or another, so what else is new?” They will then proceed to point out that there have always been wars and rumors of war, there have always been natural calamities, and throughout history Christians have always been persecuted. Then comes the inevitable challenge: “Show me something really new and unique that clearly points to our day and time as the season of the Lord’s return.”

The challenge is understandable, but it is not entirely legitimate. That’s because Jesus said the end time signs would be like “birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8). In other words, the signs would increase in frequency and intensity as the time draws near for Jesus to return. There would be more earthquakes, and more intense ones. Wars would be more frequent and more horrible in their degree of devastation. And that, of course, is exactly what happened in the 20th Century. The signs began to increase exponentially in both frequency and intensity, and they continue to do so to this day.

But still, it is legitimate to ask if there are any signs that are truly unique to our day and time — signs that have never existed before. Are there new signs that clearly point to this period of history as the time of the Lord’s return? The answer is yes.

Syria allows Russia use of port in missile deal

World Tribune (Link) (November 5, 2009)

Syria has reportedly agreed to purchase an advanced missile from Russia. Diplomatic sources said Russia would begin deliveries of the Yakhont missile as part of expanded naval cooperation with Syria, Middle East Newsline reported.

They said Syria has agreed to allow the Russian Navy use of the port of Tartous as well as the expansion of logistic services to Moscow's military.

The sources said the Yakhont would be deployed on Syria's small navy as part of expanded cooperation with the Kremlin.

"The deal is that Russia will supply and train the Syrians to use this new missile," a diplomat said.

The Kremlin was also said to have been working on a plant to expand the Tartous port to enable the docking of large Russian Navy ships. The sources said Tartous would become a regional maintenance center for the Russian Navy.

Yakhont, with a 200-kilogram conventional warhead, was described as a sea-to-sea missile with land-attack capabilities. The ramjet-powered missile was said to have a range of 300 kilometers and could threaten Israeli shipping throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Yakhont could also be fired from aircraft.

The sources said Israel has discussed the Yakhont deal with the Kremlin. They said Israel expressed concerns that Syria would transfer Yakhont to the Iranian-based Hizbullah in neighboring Lebanon.

"The Israelis now see every Syrian military deal as one that could help Hizbullah as well," the diplomat said. "This is because Iran pays for most of the military contracts signed by Damascus."

Stronger EU?

Riz Khan Show (November 5, 2009) (Video)

Now that the Lisbon Treaty has finally been ratified, the European Union can begin to flex a stronger muscle in global affairs.

But will it sacrifice the power of individual member states in the process?

This week, the Czech Republic became the 27th and final EU nation to sign the treaty, bringing to a close a reform process that began eight years ago when the union consisted of only 15 members.

The agreement is designed to streamline the European Union and create more decision-making efficiency, a greater role for European and national parliaments, and increased European clarity on foreign affairs.

A new EU president will soon be appointed to a two-and-a-half year term - a big change from the current six-month revolving presidency - and the foreign affairs portfolio will also be expanded and strengthened to increase the EU's ability to act quickly and effectively in world affairs.

Today we ask: How will the newly-approved Lisbon Treaty shape Europe's future relationships with the rest of the world, and will it affect internal relationships between member states?

Joining the show is Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief.

Who Owns the Land of Israel Today?

Bible Prophecy Today (Link) - Arno Froese (November 5, 2009)

The answer to this question is fiercely debated between the Jews and Arabs who live in Israel and their surrounding neighbor states. It seems as though the entire world gets involved when it comes to the ownership of the land of Israel. It is rather significant that not a single country sides with the territorial boundaries God ordained and preserved in His Word. The deed to the land of Israel clearly states that the Jews are the original and only legitimate owners defined by geographical references. Genesis 15:18 says:

“In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Notice that this resolution is written in the past tense,

“...have I given this land....”

Of course, the world disregards what the Bible says about this land and its people, so let's look at it from a political perspective. Israel fought five major wars against its Arab neighbors and was victorious each time. But something strange happened; Israel was not allowed to keep the territory it had conquered. Why not? The nations of the world, particularly the United States, have pressured Israel into surrendering areas of the Promised Land to the Arabs, from whom the Jews conquered the land. This is unusual because every country was established by the force of weapons.

EU military chiefs nervous about Lisbon Treaty implications

EU Observer (Link) - Valentina Pop (November 5, 2009)

EU military chiefs are nervous that their advice will not carry the same weight once the new Lisbon Treaty is in place and that the planned diplomatic service will not contain enough experienced military personnel.

Europe's chiefs of defence gathered in Brussels on Wednesday (4 November) to review all military operations under the EU flag and to witness the handover of power from outgoing EU military committee chair, Frenchman Henri Bentegeat, to Sweden's Hakan Syren.

But the hotter topic - dealt with in "informal talks" - was the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the current EU military set up, the two generals told journalists after the meeting.

Once in force on 1 December, the Lisbon Treaty will merge the current military planning unit with a civilian one and fold all operational and planning divisions into the diplomatic service, due to be fully up and running by 2012.

The military chiefs will no longer report to the rotating EU presidency, but directly to the new EU foreign minister, who will also be a vice-president of the European Commission.

Medvedev: Russia to use troops abroad only in "extreme emergency"

China View (Link) (November 5, 2009)

Russia may decide to use military forces abroad only in exceptional circumstances to protect its citizens, said President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday.

"Such decisions are absolutely extraordinary and will be made only in case of extreme emergency," Medvedev was quoted by news agencies as telling the board of the Federation Council, the upper house of the parliament.

"Our citizens should be protected in any part of the globe and feel the state's protection," he said.

Such decisions should have a legal basis, he added.

Russia's State Duma, the lower house, in late October voted unanimously to pass a bill which the Kremlin said would lay the legal foundation for using troops abroad to prevent aggression by other states and to protect Russian citizens on foreign soil.

The bill is expected to be approved soon by the Federation Council, before it's signed by Medvedev and then becomes law.

Russia's existing law only allows the president to send armed forces to fight terrorism on foreign territories.

Spain, Israel, and the Fight over UNIFIL

Pajamas Media (Link) -  Soeren Kern (November 5, 2009)

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has canceled a November 4 and 5 visit to Spain amid a dispute over the command of the European-led United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The visit was called off after reports surfaced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had secretly asked Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to keep Italy in command of the 13,000-strong UNIFIL force for six months longer than planned, instead of allowing Spain to take over.

Italian General Claudio Graziano is scheduled to turn the command over to a Spanish general in February 2010. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz says Israeli officials want Graziano to stay on because they believe that replacing the UNIFIL commander now might further destabilize the already precarious security situation in southern Lebanon. The Spanish newspaper El País adds that Italian officials want to retain the command because it would be beneficial to Graziano’s career.

In any case, considering that Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero leads what is arguably the most anti-Israel government in Europe, Netanyahu is probably justified in having some misgivings about a Spanish-led UNIFIL.

Indeed, the unabashedly pro-Arab, pro-Hamas, pro-Hezbollah, and pro-Iranian Zapatero says the Middle East will be a top  priority when Spain takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union in January 2010. Spanish officials now worry that a six-month delay in taking over the UNIFIL command will deprive Zapatero of a bully pulpit he believes will help him raise his profile in the region.

'Ship shows Iran-Lebanon arms route'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (November 5, 2009)

Following the seizure of a massive shipment of Iranian arms bound for Hizbullah, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Thursday that the successful Israel Navy operation proved the arms flow to Syria and south Lebanon from Iran.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry stepped up diplomatic efforts, inviting foreign ambassadors stationed in Israel to inspect the container-loads of weapons.

The ministry told its staffers to present the weapons that are displayed at the Ashdod port, and detail their capabilities and intended use.

Furthermore, in an apparent effort to increase international pressure on Teheran at the UN, the Foreign Ministry has also instructed Israel's envoys abroad to bring up an the arms capture in discussions with foreign diplomats and media outlets.

Israeli ambassadors were instructed to stress that the attempt to smuggle arms to Syria and Hizbullah was an Iranian violation of a UN Security Council resolution, diplomatic sources told The Jerusalem Post.

"Iran continues to smuggle arms to terrorists under the guise of legitimate international commerce, turning the Mediterranean Sea into a platform for illegal action," the ministry reportedly wrote in a memo to the envoys.

BOE Officials Throw Money at Economy

Bloomberg (Link) - Svenja O’Donnell (November 5, 2009)

The Bank of England may increase its bond-purchase plan by 50 billion pounds ($83 billion) today as central bankers and politicians scramble to shore up Britain’s banking system and drag the economy out of recession.

Governor Mervyn King’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee will expand the asset-buying program to 225 billion pounds at 12 p.m. in London, the median of 48 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey shows. That follows Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s pledge this week to spend almost 40 billion pounds in a second bailout of two the nation’s biggest banks.

Any increase in the Bank of England’s emergency program would be the third since King unveiled the plan in March. Brown’s first bank bailout, the government’s fiscal stimulus measures and an injection of 175 billion pounds in newly printed central bank money have so far failed to end Britain’s longest recession on record.

“They’ve got to throw money at it,” said Neil Mackinnon, an economist at VTB Capital Plc and a former U.K. Treasury official. “The fact of the matter is that the U.K. economy is lagging behind. As to whether quantitative easing is working, the jury is still out.”

The central bank will keep its benchmark interest rate at a record low of 0.5 percent, according to all 60 economists in a Bloomberg survey. The European Central Bank, which also meets today, will maintain its main rate at 1 percent at 1:45 p.m. in Frankfurt, a separate survey showed.

STIMULUS WATCH: Salary raise counted as saved job

Associated Press (Link) - Brett J. Blackledge and Matt Apuzzo (November 4, 2009)

President Barack Obama's economic recovery program saved 935 jobs at the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, an impressive success story for the stimulus plan. Trouble is, only 508 people work there.

The Georgia nonprofit's inflated job count is among persisting errors in the government's latest effort to measure the effect of the $787 billion stimulus plan despite White House promises last week that the new data would undergo an "extensive review" to root out errors discovered in an earlier report.

About two-thirds of the 14,506 jobs claimed to be saved under one federal office, the Administration for Children and Families at Health and Human Services, actually weren't saved at all, according to a review of the latest data by The Associated Press. Instead, that figure includes more than 9,300 existing employees in hundreds of local agencies who received pay raises and benefits and whose jobs weren't saved.

That type of accounting was found in an earlier AP review of stimulus jobs, which the Obama administration said was misleading because most of the government's job-counting errors were being fixed in the new data.

The administration now acknowledges overcounting in the new numbers for the HHS program. Elizabeth Oxhorn, a spokeswoman for the White House recovery office, said the Obama administration was reviewing the Head Start data "to determine how and if it will be counted."

But officials defended the practice of counting raises as saved jobs.

'Enough weapons for month of war with Israel'

WorldNet Daily (Link) - Aaron Klein (November 4, 2009)

A ship seized by the Israeli navy near Cyprus today had been carrying enough weapons and munitions for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group to fight Israel for at least one month, announced Rani Ben-Yehuda, the deputy commander of Israel's navy.

The cargo ship originated in Iran and was headed for Syria, the Israeli army said. Iran regularly attempts to send weapons to Syria, and from there the shipments are smuggled to Hezbollah bases in Lebanon, Israeli security officials said.

Ben-Yehuda told reporters at a press conference today the ship had been carrying 40 containers filled with 300 tons of weapons each, all meant for Hezbollah to pose a threat to Israel. He said the shipment was much bigger than the famous Karin-A, a Palestinian freighter caught by Israel in 2002 carrying 50 tons of weapons to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Ben-Yehuda said the Antigua-flagged ship was first detected during a routine patrol, although Israeli security sources told WND the ship was flagged earlier. In coordination with NATO ships, the Israeli navy first boarded the ship about 100 nautical miles west of Israel.

The EU's next step after the Lisbon treaty: Choose a president

Christian Science Monitor (Link) - Robert Marquand (November 4, 2009)

Europe has waited since 1992 to agree on a stronger federal identity – a president and a more efficient means to exercise its clout overseas.

Now that Czech President Vaclav Klaus, the final holdout, signed a unity treaty Tuesday, a new European Union may formally be in place by Dec. 1.

The EU is not waiting around for its next move. In less than two weeks – Nov. 12 or 15, depending on scheduling – the Council of Europe is expected to decide on its first president, a "George Washington of Europe," and on a high representative for foreign affairs.

Those who desire a more united and potent Europe on the world stage see these two offices representing over time a stronger corporate face with power states like the US, China, and Russia in ways that current EU leaders can't achieve.

"Phone lines between chancelleries in Europe are pretty hot right now, everyone is looking for the right candidate," says Pascale Joannin, general manager of the Robert Schuman foundation in Paris. "We've never had a president of Europe before, and we need to find the right name for the person in charge of Europe."

'In Next War, All Israel Will Be One Front'

Israel National News (Link) - Gil Ronen (November 4, 2009)

In the next war, missiles will rain down on all of Israel, Major General (ret.) Uzi Dayan, the former Head of Central Command and head of the National Security Council, told Arutz Sheva Wednesday. The discovery of the weapons shipment and the information provided Tuesday by Military Intelligence regarding a long range missile tested by Hamas prove yet again that in the next round of fighting, “all of Israel will be a single front,” he said.

“The IDF can chalk up a great achievement after using precise intelligence to take over a ship 200 km from Israeli territory,” Dayan said. He added sarcastically: “I think Judge Goldstone can write up another report against Israel, on how it dared to flout international law and take over a ship that was floating in international territorial waters, but we do not have to be concerned about that.”

“We need to protect ourselves because it is our basic right to live here. Whoever does not want to help us, let him at least be quiet when we defend ourselves,” he said.

Iran is continuing to beef up its outposts in the Middle East, Dayan explained. “The Iran-Syria axis continues to strengthen its northern outpost outside of Iran, the Hizbullah, and it wants to establish a similar array in Israel's south and we must not let that happen because then we will be in a complicated situation,” he warned.

The continued rearming of Hamas and Hizbullah stem from Israel's failures in the last wars, he added. “If you do not end a war with a military decision, then you need to continue to deal with the unsolved problem again and again. We should have brought Hizbullah to a collapse in the Second Lebanon War and we should have brought Hamas to a collapse in Cast Lead. We did not do that and now we have to deal with their continued rearming.”

Even Europe fears Muslim immigration

WorldNet Daily (Link) - Aaron Klein (November 4, 2009)

A major motivating factor for European countries forging agreements with Arab and Islamic nations is to temper Muslim immigration to Europe, an Egyptian diplomatic source told WND.

Separately, an Israeli foreign ministry official who recently held meetings with European Union diplomats regarding a possible economic deal with Syria reported hearing the same motivating factors.

European diplomats "talked about how part of their drive to forge Mediterranean agreements involves stemming the Muslim immigration by creating better opportunities for Arabs and Muslims in their home countries," said the Israeli official.

The Egyptian diplomatic source said that some EU diplomats admitted their willingness to put aside objections to trade agreements due to some of the Mediterranean countries' humanitarian rights violations.

"With regard to the equilibrium between insisting on respect for human rights and the facts of Muslim immigrants invading Europe, the EU is giving their priority to solving the second question. This is what we were hearing," said the source.

Planned Parenthood's abortion quotas exposed

WorldNet Daily (Link) - Chelsea Schilling (November 4, 2009)

A former director of a Texas Planned Parenthood branch who resigned after she watched an ultrasound-guided abortion told WND the clinic was pushing employees to strive for abortion quotas to boost profits.

"There are definitely client goals," former clinic director Abby Johnson said. "We'd have a goal every month for abortion clients and for family planning clients."

Johnson, 29, said the Bryan, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic performed surgical abortions every other Saturday, but it began expanding access to abortion to increase earnings.

"One of the ways they were able to up the number of patients that they saw was they started doing the RU-486 chemical abortions all throughout the week," she said.

RU-486 chemical abortions kill the lining of the uterus, cutting off oxygen and nutrients, resulting in the death of an unborn baby. Johnson said the chemical abortion costs the same as an early first-trimester abortion: between $505 and $695 for each procedure.

She told WND the clinic was experiencing financial difficulties due to the economic downturn.

"Abortion is the most lucrative part of Planned Parenthood's operations," she said. "Even though they're two separate corporations, all of the money goes into one pot. With the family planning corporation really suffering, they depend on the abortion corporation to balance their budget, help get them out of the hole and help make income for the company."

She continued, "They really wanted to increase the number of abortions so that they could increase their income."

The Real Significance of Angela Merkel’s Speech to U.S. Congress

The Trumpet (Link) - Ron Fraser (November 3, 2009)

For only the second time since World War II, a German chancellor has addressed the U.S. Congress. Amazingly, the childish commentators from the popular press ignored the most momentous of Angela Merkel’s statements and zeroed in on a topic that the most astute of climate scientists are increasingly rejecting—the global warming hoax!

Manipulators of public opinion have had a field day using the global warming fear as a smokescreen behind which to hide their true globalist political agenda. This is a reality to which the press and mass media, with few exceptions, remain largely blinded.

It’s time to face up to reality. The real meat was in the main body of Merkel’s speech, not in the global warming smokescreen tagged on the end, though this got the most applause from the Democrat side of the House.

Chancellor Merkel’s address comes at a crucial time in transatlantic relations. The U.S. is in decline politically, economically and financially. The European Union stands on the brink of overnight becoming a giant imperial power, a global power in its own right. In fact, it is becoming the very power that will fill the increasing economic, political and military vacuum being created in the world through America’s decline.

The nation that stands in the lead of the European empire is Germany. As the day approaches for ratification of the treaty that will launch the EU, overnight, as a global player, it is perhaps both a fitting and most historic—let alone prophetic—occasion of huge importance that Washington witnessed today with the German chancellor’s address. Few in that audience would have garnered the truth of the reality America faces, reading between the lines of the chancellor’s speech.

Israel Official Says Hamas Rockets Can Reach Tel Aviv

Bloomberg (Link) - Gwen Ackerman and Calev Ben-David (November 3, 2009)

The Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip can now launch rockets capable of reaching the Israeli metropolitan area of Tel Aviv, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said at a Jerusalem briefing.

“We know they have tried to, and have obtained missiles that reach 60 kilometers (37 miles),” Ayalon said today. “Tel Aviv and its vicinity are now under the range of Hamas.”

During Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza, which ended in January, the farthest rocket strike was some 40 kilometers into Israel, endangering southern cities such as Ashdod and Beersheba.

Since the three-week operation, Hamas has been able to replenish its stock of military equipment and explosives as well as upgrade its rocket capability, Ayalon said. Hamas is receiving support from Iran, which is using the Islamic movement to increase its influence in the region, he said.

Hamas recently successfully tested a rocket with a 60- kilometer range, Major General Amos Yadlin, chief of military intelligence, told a parliamentary committee in Jerusalem today, according to the YNet news Web site.

Klaus signature completes EU treaty ratification

EU Observer (Link) - Andrew Willis (November 3, 2009)

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has finally signed the Lisbon Treaty, ending a highly drawn out ratification process that left many wondering whether the document's provisions would ever see the light of day.

"I signed the Lisbon Treaty today at 15.00 (CET)," Klaus told reporters on Tuesday (3 November).

His signature, the last of EU leaders, follows on from a Czech constitutional court decision early on Tuesday morning that ruled in favour of the Lisbon Treaty's compatibility with the Czech constitution.

"It's now absolutely clear that the Lisbon Treaty will enter into force soon," said European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso upon hearing the news.

Swedish prime minister and current EU president Fredrik Reinfeldt also sought to draw a line under the process.

"His signature ends a far too long period of institutional focus within the EU. It opens up for a more democratic, transparent and efficient Union," he said.

Central banks lead subtle shift away from dollar

Reuters (Link) - Steven C. Johnson (November 3, 2009)

Central banks with trillions of dollars in reserves that are already stepping up euro and yen purchases will likely continue doing so in coming years, driven by worries over the stability of the greenback.

A record U.S. budget gap and the rise of dynamic developing economies like China suggest the dollar, down over 20 percent since 2002 on a trade-weighted basis, has further to fall.

Of course, the dollar comprises some two-thirds of global reserves and will remain dominant in most holdings, as attempts to dump it would destroy the value of central bank portfolios.

But with the speed of reserve accumulation increasing after a crisis-induced lull late last year, policy makers can choose to park more new cash in euros and yen without having to sell existing dollar assets.

"I think 2009 will be remembered as a watershed moment for currencies," said Neil Mellor, strategist at BNY Mellon, which has some $20 trillion in assets under custody. "I don't think there will be an imminent move, but it is quite clear there's a plan to shift reserves to a more balanced portfolio."

Barclays Capital research showed that central banks that report reserve breakdown put 63 percent of new cash coming into their coffers between April and July into non-U.S. currencies.

"There's an incipient desire to reduce the dollar share of reserves, and central banks will use any opportunity to do it, provided it doesn't cause the dollar to fall out of bed," said Steven Englander, chief U.S. currency strategist at Barclays.

Aborted fetus cells used in beauty creams

The Washington Times (Link) - Valerie Richardson (November 3, 2009)

A San Francisco cosmetics company has ignited an outcry among pro-lifers for including an unexpected ingredient in its anti-aging creams: skin-cell proteins from an aborted fetus.

Children of God for Life, a watchdog group that monitors the use of fetal material in medical products, called last week for a boycott of all treatments manufactured by Neocutis Inc., which acknowledges that the key ingredient in its product line was developed from an aborted boy.

"There's just no excuse for using aborted babies in skin-care products," said Debi Vinnedge, executive director of Children of God for Life, a 10-year-old organization based in Murfreesboro, Tenn. "The reaction, the shock and anger I've seen is incredible."

In a statement released Friday, in response to a wave of condemnation from pro-life and religious blogs, Neocutis defended the use of its trademarked ingredient, Processed Skin Cell Proteins, or PSP, arguing that the fetal cell line was harvested in a responsible, ethical manner for use in treating severe dermatological injuries.

The company compared its situation to that of researchers who used fetal kidney cells to develop the polio vaccine.

"Our view - which is shared by most medical professionals and patients - is that the limited, prudent and responsible use of donated fetal skin tissue can continue to ease suffering, speed healing, save lives and improve the well-being of many patients around the globe," said the statement.

Iran, Israel, and War

BrittGillette.com (Link) - Britt Gillette (November 2, 2009)

Rumors of Iran, Israel, and war are everywhere you look in today’s news headlines, and for those with knowledge of bible prophecy, this should command immediate attention. Why?

Because, when it comes to the end times, the Bible has a lot to say about Israel and war with her neighbors.  In fact, Iran is specifically mentioned in this context... 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel identified modern day Iran (Persia) as a key player in the last days Gog / Magog invasion:

“This is another message that came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws to lead you out to your destruction. I will mobilize your troops and cavalry and make you a vast and mighty horde, all fully armed. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its hordes will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north and many others.’” Ezekiel 38:1-6 (NLT)

In addition, Psalm 83 identifies Syria as a land that will conspire to destroy the nation of Israel:

“‘O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive! Don’t you hear the tumult of your enemies? Don’t you see what your arrogant enemies are doing? They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you – these Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moabites and Hagrites, Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites, and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot.”  Psalm 83:1-8 (NLT)

All that said, why should it matter that the prophets long ago identified these nations as end times enemies of Israel?

Because through careful study of the scriptures, one can see today’s geopolitical landscape aligning itself for fulfillment of these very end times bible prophecies.  And, of course, in order to fulfill end times bible prophecies we must be in the end times, and the scriptures reveal that Jesus Christ will return as the final fulfillment of all end times prophecy.

So current events in the Middle East should serve as a reminder of Christ’s imminent return. In fact, the Lord Himself expected his disciples to carefully examine the Word of God so as to be prepared for His return:

“So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:42 (NLT)

Jesus went so far as to rebuke the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs of the times, for the religious leaders of His day had full knowledge of the prophecies of the Messiah, yet they still chose not to believe in Him:

“One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus’ claims by asking him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven. He replied, ‘You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You are good at reading the weather signs in the sky, but you can’t read the obvious signs of the times!’” Matthew 16:1-3 (NLT)

This passage reveals the expectation Jesus had for the people of His day.  He expected them to fully recognize and eagerly await the time of His first coming. Should we expect any less in regard to His second coming?  Without a doubt, he holds our generation to the same standard of accountability.

Because the Lord commanded us to be watchful, we need to pay careful attention to today’s headlines. Here’s a few recent ones:

Climate tops Brussels' agenda for EU-US summit

EU Observer (Link) - Valentina Pop (November 2, 2009)

Climate change will feature heavily at an EU-US summit on Tuesday (3 November) as Brussels and Washington each try to find out what the other side is going to bring to the global negotiating table next month.

Top officials from the European Commission and the Swedish EU presidency will meet US president Barack Obama and his team in Washington in a bid to feel out the American position a month ahead of the UN-led climate change conference in Copenhagen aimed at securing a global political agreement on carbon emissions.

The first formal EU-US summit since Mr Obama took office, apart from an informal get together in April this year in Prague, will have one and half hours on Tuesday (3 November) dedicated to four topics: climate change, economic recovery after the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, Afghanistan-Pakistan and Iran.