Obama and Benedict Meet
The Associated Press reported on July 10:
Reuters reported on July 10:
“President Barack Obama promised Pope Benedict on Friday that he would do everything possible to reduce the number of abortions in the United States, the Vatican said… In a surprise move, the pontiff gave Obama a booklet explaining Vatican opposition to practices such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research, which Obama supports… The White House said Obama wanted to work together on a range of issues with the Vatican… the pope was ‘very impressed’ by Obama and… ‘extremely satisfied’ with the talks.
“Obama told the pope during a picture-taking session after the private part of the audience: ‘We look forward to a very strong relationship between our two countries.’ The pope also gave the president a copy of his latest encyclical, ‘Charity in Truth,’ which called for a ‘world political authority’ to manage the global economy and for more government regulation of national economies…”
Abortions to Cleanse Unwanted Populations?
LifeSiteNews reported on July 9:
“U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seems to have made a stunning admission in favor of cleansing America of unwanted populations by aborting them. In an interview with the New York Times, the judge said that Medicaid should cover abortions, and that she had originally expected that Roe v. Wade would facilitate such coverage in order to control the population of groups ‘that we don’t want to have too many of’…
“Justice Ginsburg’s remarks appear to align her expectations for abortion with those of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, and other prominent members of the 20th century’s eugenics movement. Sanger and her eugenicist peers advocated the systematic use of contraception, sterilization, and abortion to reduce the numbers of poor, black, immigrant and disabled populations…
“When the Supreme Court upheld the partial-birth abortion ban in 2007, Ginsburg wrote a scathing dissent, saying the court’s reasoning ‘reflects ancient notions about women’s place in the family and under the Constitution – ideas that have long since been discredited.'”
Abortion Can Never Be Right
Zenit reported on July 13:
“In an article published in March in the Vatican newspaper, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, spoke about the case of a young Brazilian girl who was repeatedly raped by her stepfather, and was expecting twins. In early March, an abortion was performed on the girl, who is just over 52 inches tall and weighs 79 pounds. The case drew even more controversy when Archbishop José Cardoso Sobrinho of Olinda and Recife excommunicated the mother and all the members of the medical team, generating criticisms against the Church in Brazil.
“Archbishop Fisichella lamented the precipitous condemnation in such a morally delicate case. Referring to the excommunication ‘latae sententiae’ [automatically incurred at the moment of the act], he said that ‘such urgency and publicity was not necessary’… He stated that Archbishop Sobrinho’s ‘hasty’ reaction has caused resentment and has undermined the credibility of the Church’s teaching, ‘which in the eyes of many seems insensitive, incomprehensible and lacking in mercy’…
“[The clarification] affirms ‘that the Church’s teaching on procured abortion has not changed, nor can it change… In regard to ‘procured abortion in certain difficult and complex situations,’ the text [of the clarification] continued, ‘the clear and precise teaching of Pope John Paul II is valid:
“”It is true that the decision to have an abortion is often tragic and painful for the mother, insofar as the decision to rid herself of the fruit of conception is not made for purely selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Sometimes it is feared that the child to be born would live in such conditions that it would be better if the birth did not take place. Nevertheless, these reasons and others like them, however serious and tragic, can never justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.”‘”
Gore for Global Governance
Climate Depot reported on July 10:
“Former Vice President Al Gore declared that the Congressional climate bill will help bring about ‘global governance.’
“‘I bring you good news from the U.S.,’ Gore said on July 7, 2009 in Oxford at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment, sponsored by UK Times… ‘it is the awareness itself that will drive the change and one of the ways it will drive the change is through global governance and global agreements’…
“Gore’s call for ‘global governance’ echoes former French President Jacques Chirac’s call in 2000. On November 20, 2000, then French President Chirac said during a speech at The Hague that the UN’s Kyoto Protocol represented ‘the first component of an authentic global governance’…
“In addition, calls for a global carbon tax have been urged at recent UN global warming conferences. In December 2007, the UN climate conference in Bali, urged the adoption of a global carbon tax that would represent ‘a global burden sharing system, fair, with solidarity, and legally binding to all nations.'”
“John Bolton: Strike on Iran Is Israel’s Only Option”
Newsmax reported on July 13:
“Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton asserts that with Iran’s hard-line regime still in control, Israel’s decision on whether to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities is ‘more urgent than ever.’
“The unrest that followed Iran’s disputed presidential election suggested that regime change could possibly be in the offing. But that prospect seems lost for the near future, or at least for as long as it will take Iran to produce a deliverable nuclear weapon, Bolton argues. ‘Accordingly, with no other timely option, the already compelling logic for an Israeli strike is nearly inexorable,’ he declared in an article published in The Washington Post…
“Bolton insists Iran won’t negotiate in good faith, and further sanctions won’t prevent Iran from producing weapons when it chooses. ‘Time is too short, and sanctions failed long ago,’ he points out… ‘Those who oppose Iran acquiring nuclear weapons are left in the near term with only the option of targeted military force against its weapons facilities… Otherwise, be prepared for an Iran with nuclear weapons, which some, including Obama advisers, believe could be contained and deterred. That is not a hypothesis we should seek to test in the real world. The cost of error could be fatal.'”
USA and EU Give Iran Deadline of a Few Months
The Jerusalem Post reported on July 15:
“Just hours after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the US expected Iran to respond to diplomatic overtures regarding its nuclear program ‘now,’ the European Union issued a similar call, saying that the Islamic republic had but a few months to resolve the issue.
“Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the EU presidency, said the international community faces ‘difficult choices in the next … weeks or months, but not very much longer than that’ to force Iran to improve relations by backing off its nuclear program.”
German Denials Raise Doubts
Reuters reported on July 15:
“Germany’s foreign intelligence agency BND denied a report in a magazine on Wednesday that its experts believe Iran is capable of producing and testing an atomic bomb within six months. The report, in German weekly Stern [which is known for its ACCURATE factual reporting], cited BND experts as saying Iran had mastered the enrichment technology necessary to make a bomb and had enough centrifuges to make weaponised uranium. It quoted one expert at the agency as saying: ‘If they wanted to, they could detonate an atomic bomb in half a year’s time.’
“But a BND spokesman said the article did not reflect the view of the agency, which is that Iran would not be able to produce an atomic bomb for years. ‘We are talking about several years not several months,’ the spokesman said.”
These self-serving denials are contradicted by many authorities and experts who claim that Iran has already reached–or is very close to reaching–capability to produce an atomic bomb.
No End to Bloody Afghan War
Reuters reported on July 15:
“The death toll for foreign troops in Afghanistan halfway through July equaled the highest for any month of the eight-year-old war… The soaring death toll was an outcome of U.S. President Barack Obama’s escalation strategy… More fighting lies ahead.”
Swine Flu Resembles 1918 Flu Pandemic
Reuters wrote on July 13:
“The new H1N1 influenza virus bears a disturbing resemblance to the virus strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic, with a greater ability to infect the lungs than common seasonal flu viruses, researchers reported on Monday. Tests in several animals confirmed other studies that have shown the new swine flu strain can spread beyond the upper respiratory tract to go deep into the lungs — making it more likely to cause pneumonia…
“The new swine flu virus has caused the first pandemic of the 21st century, infecting more than a million people, according to estimates, and killing at least 500…”
AFP added on July 13: “All countries will need access to vaccines against swine flu as the pandemic is ‘unstoppable,’ a senior World Health Organisation official said Monday.”
US Budget Deficit Highest EVER
BBC News reported on July 13:
“The US budget deficit has moved above $1 trillion (£616bn) for the first time… The government stepped up spending to counter the recession, and the bailout of financial institutions has taken a huge chunk out of government finances. Falling tax revenues and unemployment benefit spending have also contributed. The figure compares with $455bn for the whole 2007/8 financial year…
“And the situation has led to increasing anxiety among the foreign buyers of US debt, including China… ‘These are mind boggling numbers,’ said Sung Won Sohn, an economist at the Smith School of Business at California State University. ‘Our foreign investors from China and elsewhere are starting to have concerns about not only the value of the dollar but how safe their investments will be in the long run.'”
How Democrats Want to Enforce Health Care!
The Associated Press reported on July 15:
“House Democratic leaders, pledging to meet the president’s goal of health care legislation before their August break, are offering a $1.5 trillion plan that for the first time would make health care a right and a responsibility for all Americans. Left to pick up most of the tab were medical providers, employers and the wealthy…
“Under the House Democrats’ plan, the federal government would be responsible for ensuring that every person, regardless of income or the state of their health, has access to an affordable insurance plan. Individuals and employers would have new obligations to get coverage, or face hefty penalties.
“The legislation calls for a 5.4 percent tax increase on individuals making more than $1 million a year, with a gradual tax beginning at $280,000 for individuals. Employers who don’t provide coverage would be hit with a penalty equal to 8 percent of workers’ wages, with an exemption for small businesses. Individuals who decline an offer of affordable coverage would pay 2.5 percent of their incomes as a penalty, up to the average cost of a health insurance plan…
“The 1,000-page bill is unlikely to attract any Republican backing, and business groups and the insurance industry immediately assailed it as a job-killer… The House bill seemed unlikely to win broad backing in the Senate…”
Ahmadinejad Accuses Germany of Racism!
Deutsche Welle reported on July 13:
“The German government has rejected accusations from Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the murder of an Egyptian Muslim woman in a Dresden courtroom was evidence of the German government’s brutality. Ahmadinejad on Sunday demanded the United Nations impose sanctions against Germany and accused the West of applying double standards when it comes to human rights. The incident was proof for… the ‘brutality of the German government and clear evidence for corruption in the German justice system,’ said Ahmadinejad.
“Ahmadinejad added that while Berlin and Washington had plenty to say regarding events in Tehran following Iran’s presidential elections, no reaction had been registered regarding al-Sherbini’s murder. ‘We want condemnation from the United Nations Security Council and the imposition of sanctions,’ said the Iranian president.”
Questions About Murder of Muslim Woman in German Courtroom
The Netzeitung wrote on July 13:
“The tragic events in Dresden last week have left several unanswered questions: How can a defendant stab a witness 18 times in a courtroom without anyone stopping him? How can the only person apparently able to intervene – her husband – end up seriously injured? And how is it that the police officer coming to the scene ends up shoot[ing] directly at the Egyptian husband and not the attacker?… Why does the death of a woman wearing a headscarf – who wasn’t the victim of a so-called ‘honour killing’ – spark so little interest in Germany?
“And why did the country’s politicians merely… shrug their shoulders for an entire week after the heinous deed?… A young woman Muslim, an educated and employed pharmacist, refuses to accept outrageous insult[s] such as ‘slut,’ ‘Islamist,’ and ‘terrorist’ from a xenophobic man and decides to defend herself in a court of law. After suing her tormentor he is convicted, but at a retrial he kills her… In this case, a well-educated young woman, married to [a] man working at the esteemed Max Planck Institute, died…
“Chancellor Angela Merkel has remained silent and Geert Mackenroth, Saxony’s justice minister, apparently only wants to use the incident to push for closed courtrooms in the state – even though public access to trials is one of the most important pillars of a modern legal system. Mackenroth, the former head of the German Association of Judges, once tried to justify police torture in Frankfurt…”
EU Condemns Murder of Russian Human Rights Activist
Deutsche Welle reported on July 16:
“Officials from the European Union have issued a series of strong condemnations of the murder of Russian human rights activist Natalya Estemirova of the group Memorial, whose body was found Wednesday… Estemirova’s murder ‘draws attention to the necessity of protecting human rights defenders in Russia,’ the Council’s statement added.
“The Council’s statement follows a similar condemnation from the EU Presidency, currently held by Sweden, which took over the rotating six-month presidency of the 27-nation bloc on July 1… The newly elected president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, also called on Moscow to investigate the murder…
“Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed Estemirova’s murder at a press conference following bilateral talks in Munich on Thursday. ‘The murder of our human rights activist is of course a very sad event,’ Medvedev said. ‘In contrast to earlier incidences, it is clear in this case: the murder was connected to her activity (as an activist).’
“‘She spoke the truth and openly, sometimes toughly described some processes that happen in this country,’ Medvedev added. ‘That is the value of a rights activist – even if these things are not pleasant and uncomfortable for the authorities.’…
“Estemirova, who was thought to have been abducted hours earlier in the Chechen capital Grozny, worked for the leading Russian rights group Memorial which has exposed a string of abuses in the conflict-torn region and has accused the current Russian government of complicity.”
Split Coming Between Angela Merkel (CDU) and Bavaria’s CSU?
On July 12, Die Welt On Line wrote:
“The Bavarian allies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel are set to defy her on tax policy and ratification of the EU’s Lisbon treaty, opening up cracks in the conservative camp ahead of a September election. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) have vowed to fight together to ensure her re-election.
“But the CSU also has an eye on its supporters in Bavaria and has shown it will not hesitate to break with Merkel and her CDU if it thinks it can score points closer to home. Tax policy is one area where the two parties diverge. While both have agreed to pursue tax cuts after the vote, Merkel has been adamant that the timing of such cuts should be left open…
“In addition to the tax issue, CSU leaders also agreed at the weekend to take a hard line on ratification of the European Union’s Lisbon treaty, German media reported. Germany is one of four countries, alongside the Czech Republic, Ireland and Poland, not to have ratified the treaty, which would streamline decision-making in the 27-nation bloc.
“Merkel had hoped, following a ruling by Germany’s Constitutional Court earlier this month, to rush legislation through parliament in September and get the treaty formally approved in the weeks before the election. But the CSU, which is traditionally sceptical of ceding powers to Brussels, appears intent on demanding legislative changes that could delay ratification beyond the Sept. 27 vote.
“‘One shouldn’t compromise on democracy by saying it should go fast,’ CSU leader Horst Seehofer told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper when asked about the timing of the treaty. A delay beyond the vote would be an embarrassment for Merkel and could embolden eurosceptic presidents in the Czech Republic and Poland, who have refused to sign off on the treaty until other EU members have approved it.”
Does German Ruling on Lisbon Treaty Undermine European Unity?
The EUObserver wrote on July 15:
“European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has expressed concern at a judgement by Germany’s constitutional court on the Lisbon Treaty, fearing it could undermine the ‘European project.’ The possible implications of the 147-page ruling is slowly becoming clear after the initial relief expressed in Brussels that the EU’s new treaty was given the green light.
“Germany’s judges on 30 June said… that Germany’s highest court should have final say on interpretation of EU law allowing it to overturn judgements by the bloc’s highest court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ)… The ruling has also raised strong debate in Germany.”
Obama in Africa–Change or No Change?
The Financial Times wrote on July 12:
“Barack Obama has tapped into a strong desire for self-determination among Africans in his maiden speech on the continent, evoking the inspiration that Martin Luther King Jr drew from Ghana’s struggle for independence and stressing that history was on the side of Africa’s reformers.
“But public opinion on the continent is divided over whether the first African American US president can bring something new to the table beyond his inspirational personal history, and whether the strong emphasis he has placed on democratic and accountable government will be matched by effective support.
“Amid all the excitement in Ghana in the run-up to Mr Obama’s first state visit to Africa, an undercurrent of scepticism has also been present among African intellectuals with an eye on Washington’s record. This is fuelled by the perception that US interests will ultimately be driven by the same concerns: access to oil, and security and humanitarianism…”
Obama Not a Natural-Born U.S. Citizen?
WorldNetDaily reported on July 14:
“A U.S. Army Reserve major from Florida scheduled to report for deployment to Afghanistan within days has had his military orders revoked after arguing he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his eligibility for office.
“His attorney, Orly Taitz, confirmed to WND the military has rescinded his impending deployment orders. ‘We won! We won before we even arrived,’ she said with excitement. ‘It means that the military has nothing to show for Obama. It means that the military has directly responded by saying Obama is illegitimate — and they cannot fight it. Therefore, they are revoking the order!’ She continued, ‘They just said, “Order revoked.” No explanation. No reasons–just revoked’…
“Obama has maintained he was born in Hawaii…
“Other challenges have focused on Obama’s citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born. Complicating the situation is Obama’s decision to spend sums estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to avoid releasing a state birth certificate that would put to rest all of the questions.”
Obama Visits Slave Monument
Welt on Line wrote on July 12:
“U.S. President Obama got a glimpse on Saturday into one of the darkest chapters of Africa’s past — the transatlantic slave trade. Obama took his family for a poignant tour of Cape Coast Castle, a seaside fortress used by slave traders starting in the 17th century and which is now a monument to millions of Africans cast into slavery… He likened his tour of the slave castle to his visit last month to the site of the former Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald in Germany, saying ‘it reminds us of the capacity of human beings to commit great evil.’
“… the visit to Cape Coast was a look back at a darker era of African history for Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas. His wife Michelle, who accompanied him on the tour along with their two daughters, is the descendant of Africans shipped to America as slaves.”
