Austria’s Migrant Problem
AFP wrote on May 6:
“An Austrian man has been arrested for allegedly placing two pig heads on an Islamic center and mosque being built in the southern city of Graz…
“Last month the interior ministry [of Austria] said there was a 54 percent rise in extremist and racist incidents in 2015, ranging from vandalism and assaults to fanning hatred against foreigners. Austria took in 90,000 asylum-seekers in 2015, making it the European Union’s second-largest recipient per capita, while around 10 times that number passed through.
“The influx, as well as a number of highly publicized sexual assaults by migrants, has prompted the government to take a harder line on immigration and has boosted the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe). On April 24 FPOe candidate Norbert Hofer came a clear first in the first round of elections for the… post of president with 35 percent of the vote. Bookmakers expect him to win a runoff on May 22.”
Heads Begin to Roll in Austria
The Local wrote on May 9:
“Austria’s Chancellor Werner Faymann is stepping down and will also resign as head of the Social Democrats. He told a press conference on Monday that Austria needed a chancellor whose party stood behind him and that the government needed a new start.
“Faymann’s future looked highly uncertain after his party’s candidate was knocked out of the presidential race and there were disagreements within the party over the migrant crisis, and whether to cooperate with the right-wing Freedom Party…
“Hofer, 45, who presents himself as the friendly and reasonable face of the FPOe, will now face Alexander van der Bellen, a former head of the Greens who came second, in a runoff on May 22. The two hapless candidates from the ruling coalition parties were relegated into distant fourth and fifth places, failing to make it through to the runoff with just 11 percent of the vote each.This historic failure means that for the first time since 1945, there will not be a president from within these two parties in Vienna’s Hofburg palace. This in turn could mean that the new president might make use of some of the considerable powers afforded to the head of state under Austria’s constitution that until now have been not been used.”
Deutsche Welle added on May 9:
“Austrian Werner Faymann has stepped down as chancellor and leader of the Social Democrats… his resignation throws the future of… Austria’s government into question.
“Next to Germany’s Angela Merkel, Faymann was one of the longest ruling leaders in Europe. But his inability to tackle systemic problems caused his downfall. While Social Democratic leaders say his departure will help them rebuild the party, their government coalition partner, the conservative Austrian People’s Party, could decide to change allegiances and side with the far-right Freedom Party and call for a new election. Should that happen, Austria could be the first western European country to elect the first far right government since World War Two. ‘Austria could be the beginning of the return of the right,’ said Alexandra Foederl-Schmid, editor-in-chief of Der Standard. ‘This is a very real possibility.’…
“Austria has been deeply divided over many issues, but perhaps the toughest issue has been how to solve the refugee crisis. Last year, when the wave of migrants turned into a rush, Faymann stood beside Merkel in welcoming those fleeing war. When the country was overwhelmed with 90,000 asylum requests, Faymann, who prided himself on a ‘stable’ governing style, was at a loss for what to do. The party seemed ruderless; he left the policy to governing partner, the People’s Party, which has erected fences, resurrected border controls and announced an upper limit on the number of asylum seekers the country will accept this year…”
A Fence between Austria and Italy?
The Washington Post wrote on May 8:
“Since the days of ancient Rome, conquering armies have traversed the Brenner Pass, a scenic gorge in the Alps connecting the boot of Italy to the heart of Europe. Now, nations to the north fear that this vital passage will become the funnel for a new ‘invasion’ of migrants. A thousand miles away in Greece, the main migrant route into Europe is shutting down amid stricter border controls in the Balkans and a deal with Turkey to stop new arrivals from the Middle East, Africa and beyond. Yet as one door closes, concern is mounting in a host of countries that the poor and desperate may find another way in.
“Claiming that as many as 1 million more migrants are massing in Libya with the aim of crossing into Europe through Italy, the Austrians, for instance, are laying the groundwork for an emergency fence between the jagged Alpine peaks at its Italian border. To stop the feared hordes, the Swiss are threatening to call out the army (yes, Switzerland has an army). The Germans and the French, meanwhile, are joining an effort to extend ‘crisis’ checks already in place at various European Union borders… Some Austrian politicians are backing a possible fence at the Brenner Pass…
“‘We can’t be the social security for Africa,’ said Rudi Federspiel, a regional leader in the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria from the bordering province of Tirol. ‘Most of these people are Muslims, not Roman Catholics.’ Those migrants already in Austria, he insisted, are causing serious social problems: ‘We have rapes. Rapes in the city. Rapes all over the place. Because [Muslim] men don’t accept women. . . . They are not on the same level’ as Europeans…
“Austria has now adopted a hard line on new migrants. But [Norbert] Hofer has called for even tougher measures, including stricter border controls. He mocked the barrier — a chain-link fence with no barbed wire – that Austria has erected at its border with Slovenia as a ‘garden fence’ with holes in it…”
Most Germans Growing Tired of Merkel and the Two Main Parties
The Local wrote on May 10:
“A poll published on Tuesday shows that just under two-thirds of Germans do not want Chancellor Angela Merkel to run for office again in elections next year… 64 percent responded that she should not. Other polling figures show that if an election were held now, Germany’s two main political parties would barely scrape together 50 percent of the vote between them. In the separate survey conducted by INSA for Bild, the Union – a combination of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) – only polled at 30.5 percent…
“With the Social Democratic Party (SPD) polling at 19.5 percent, that meant that the two parties which make up the ‘grand coalition’ which governs Germany would only win 50 percent of the vote. This figure is a drop of 17 percent on the last national election and would have been unthinkable up until recently… Things have become so bad for the SPD that rumours have been swirling in the media that their leader Sigmar Gabriel plans to stand down. Gabriel has denied the reports… In the poll, the AfD [“Alternative for Germany”] gained support to move up to 15 percent, the Green party stayed at 13 percent, with the Left party at 10 percent…”
Islam No Part of Europe
Breitbart wrote on May 6:
“A new poll has revealed that a large majority of Germans don’t believe Islam is a part of Germany, and many fear Islamisation…
“The poll was conducted to shed light on what many in the public think of the recent debate between the mainstream politicians and the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD)… A few mainstream politicians have conceded to the view of the AfD like Christian Democratic Union parliamentary leader Volker Kauder who said that Muslims belong in Germany but like the AfD he believe[s] that public displays of Islam like minarets should not dominate German skylines and that the calls to prayer should not be heard across all German cities.
“Eastern Germany, the home of the PEGIDA movement and the region in which the AfD have had their greatest electoral success voted the most consistently against Islam. 65.7 per cent of Eastern Germans polled rejected the idea of a German Islam and among supporters of the AfD the number rose to over 90 per cent.
“The poll also asked Germans their views and fear of a potential Islamisation of their country. Almost half of those polled (46 per cent) think Germany is undergoing, or is at risk of becoming, Islamised…
“A similar poll was conducted in France earlier this week which saw French from the left and right end of the political spectrum reject the idea of Islam in general, following the Paris and Brussels terror attacks. The poll showed a huge change of attitudes in France compared to the past. In 1989 when a similar poll was conducted around 33 per cent of those surveyed were favourable to new mosques being built compared to now when the number has shrunk to only 13 per cent.
“In Eastern Europe Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban rejected the idea of Islamisation in his country entirely. He said that the constitution of Hungary forbid Islamisation saying it protects Hungary’s culture and language and added, ‘we have the right to choose whom we want and don’t want to live with.’”
Turkey’s Dictatorship with EU Support
On May 11, 2016, Breitbart published an editorial by Geert Wilders, controversial member of the Dutch Parliament and leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV), which is currently by far the biggest party in the Dutch polls.
“Look at every country where Islam is dominant and you will see a total lack of freedom and democracy. Islam and freedom are absolutely incompatible. And yet, we are importing it into our western societies… Take Turkey, for example. Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has never made a secret of his aim to strengthen the powers of Islam…
“Last month, the Turkish President demanded criminal prosecution of German comedian Jan Böhmermann. The latter had ridiculed Erdogan with a critical poem on German television. German Turks began to threaten Böhmermann to such degree that he had to request police protection and go into hiding. At the same time, the German authorities started criminal proceedings against the comedian, based on a 19th century German penal law which forbids insulting the representatives of foreign states.
“The criminal proceedings were started with the explicit consent of German Chancellor Angela Merkel… This week, Erdogan demanded [of] a German court to stop Mathias Döpfner, the CEO of the Springer publishing company, from defending the comedian.
“Fear of violent Turkish immigrants also forced a hamburger restaurant in Cologne to shut down. Its owner, Jörg Tiemann, had put a burger with goat cheese on the menu, calling it ‘the Erdogan burger.’ Erdogan supporters immediately responded with threats against owner and staff, forcing the restaurant to close its doors.
“Then, there is the case of Ebru Umar, a Dutch journalist of Turkish descent. Four weeks ago, she wrote a column criticizing the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam. Following the Böhmermann incident, the Consulate had called on Dutch Turks to report incidents of ‘insults’ against Erdogan in The Netherlands. One week later, while on holiday in the Turkish seaside resort Kusadasi, Umar was arrested and only released on condition that she not leave Turkey…
“Next June, the European Union wants to allow visa free travel for Turks. [Our comment: Actually, the plan was to allow it in July, but according to recent news reports, it may be delayed until at least October.] For decades, the EU elites have been promoting Turkish EU membership, eagerly backed by President Barack Obama and by Hillary Clinton…”
Pope Francis Receives EU’s Charlemagne Prize for “His Contribution to European Unification”
AFP wrote on May 6:
“Pope Francis… urged EU leaders to ‘tear down the walls’ and build a fairer society… ‘Today more than ever, their vision inspires us to build bridges and tear down walls,’ he told a Vatican audience including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been at the centre of the EU’s attempts to resolve its biggest refugee crisis since the war ended in 1945…
“Francis’s comments came in a speech as the 79-year-old pontiff was presented with the EU’s Charlemagne Prize for his contribution to European unification… European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament President Martin Schulz explained the decision to give the award to such a regular and prominent critic of the EU in a column for France’s Le Monde.
“‘Some will joke that the European Union must be in a bad way if it is in need of papal assistance,’ they wrote. ‘We are convinced that Pope Francis deserves this prize, however, simply because he has sent Europe a message of hope… After all, at times when the words ‘Europe’ and ‘crisis’ are often uttered in the same breath it is easy to forget what Europe has achieved and what it is capable of.’”
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 6:
“Since 1950, the Charlemagne Prize (‘Karlspreis’ in German) has been awarded to personalities and institutions that have rendered outstanding services to the unification of Europe. The first winners included former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and longtime German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. On Friday, Pope Francis became the 58th recipient of the award.
“Friday marked only the second time that the prestigious prize was awarded outside of Aachen town hall in western German. In 2004, the accolade was awarded to [severely ill] Pope John Paul II, again in the Vatican, where he received the ‘extraordinary Charlemagne prize’ [for his role in the collapse of Eastern Europe’s communist regimes]…”
On May 5, Deutsche Welle explained the following about the “Karlspreis”:
“The prize is named for Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, the Franconian king – and later Holy Roman Emperor – revered as the ‘Father of Europe.’ Charlemagne created an empire with an efficient administration across what is today western Europe – by means of brutal force and bloody wars like that waged against the pagan Saxons. He built the foundation for a European identity. Aachen was his imperial capital; through the 16th century, this was where German kings were crowned…
“While the pope is happy to receive the prize, he isn’t coming to Aachen for the ceremony, so the committee and a throng of European politicians are headed to the Vatican instead. Another novelty: The Prize is traditionally awarded on Ascension Day, but since Pope Francis is busy on this Catholic holiday, the award ceremony is now scheduled to take place in the Sala Regia at the Apostolic Palace a day later, on Friday…
“Charlemagne had close, mutually beneficial ties to the Holy See. In Rome on Christmas Day in the year 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Franconian king as the first western European emperor. Just a year earlier, Charles had saved the pope from being toppled by political adversaries. The interdependence between the empire and the papacy was to influence European politics for centuries to come…”
This shows how desperate the European political powers have become that they are willing to seek the help of the pope. Biblical prophecy predicts once again (as had occurred under Charlemagne and subsequent “holy emperors”) a collaboration between the political European powers and the Roman Catholic Church—the fallen woman riding the seven-headed beast (Revelation 17), and a future “beast” working hand in hand with a future “false prophet.”
“The [Catholic] Church Must Play Her Part in the Rebirth of Europe”
On May 6, Zenit published the pope’s address at being awarded the Charlemagne Prize. We are quoting the following excepts:
“In the last century, Europe bore witness to humanity that a new beginning was indeed possible. After years of tragic conflicts, culminating in the most horrific war ever known, there emerged, by God’s grace, something completely new in human history. The ashes of the ruins could not extinguish the ardent hope and the quest of solidarity that inspired the founders of the European project… Europe, so long divided, finally found its true self and began to build its house…
“To the rebirth of a Europe weary, yet still rich in energies and possibilities, the Church can and must play her part. Her task is one with her mission: the proclamation of the Gospel… Only a Church rich in witnesses will be able to bring back the pure water of the Gospel to the roots of Europe…”
Cruxnow.com added on May 6:
“This witness, he said, must also include efforts towards full Christian unity.”
“Brexit Could Trigger World War Three
The Mirror wrote on May 9:
“David Cameron has pleaded for Britain to stay in the EU to help prevent the Continent being ripped apart by another conflict.
“Mr Cameron today highlighted the UK’s role in bringing peace to Europe as he hit the referendum campaign trail… He referred to Britain’s role in ‘pivotal moments in European history: Blenheim, Trafalgar, Waterloo, our country’s heroism in the Great War and, most of all, our lone stand in 1940’. He added: ‘What happens in our neighbourhood matters to Britain. That was true in 1914, 1940, 1989…. and it is true in 2016.’
“And he recalled how Winston Churchill ‘argued passionately for Western Europe to come together, to promote free trade and build institutions which would endure so our continent would never again see such bloodshed’.”
Even though Mr. Cameron’s comments might be viewed as just some more concocted “arguments” to justify staying in the EU, it is undoubtedly true, based on biblical prophecy, that a Brexit would set the stage for World War III—but in ways other than those apparently considered by Mr. Cameron.
“Londonistan”—Give Glory to Allah on London Buses
Breitbart wrote on May 8:
“Britain’s largest Islamic charity says it wants to ‘break down barriers’ and portray Islam positively by launching a new advertising campaign which will slap the phrase ‘glory to Allah’ on the side of London buses. The new campaign by Islamic Relief is, ostensibly, targeted at raising donations for their Ramadan aid to Syria, but is attracting attention for the ‘hundreds’ of buses which will be decorated with the phrase ‘Subhan’Allah’, or ‘Glory to Allah’.
“Muslims reading the advert are told that to “gather the rewards of Ramadan”, they must to donate to Islamic Relief, an organisation which had its accounts with banking giant HSBC closed after ‘concerns that cash for aid could end up with terrorist groups abroad’.
“Public transport has been chosen for the Islamic re-branding in London, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham, and Bradford – all UK locations with high and growing Muslim populations, reports the Sunday Times.
“That the announcement of the new campaign came the day after London crowned its first Muslim leader, Mayor Sadiq Khan. Islamic Relief called it a ‘nice irony’ that the two events coincided…
“And while the Times omits the background of Islamic Relief in their reporting, they do admit the posters may ‘raise eyebrows’ among Christians in Britain.”
Shocking Statistics about Hunger in the UK
The Guardian wrote on May 7:
“More than 8 million people in Britain live in households that struggle to put enough food on the table, with over half regularly going a whole day without eating, according to estimates of hunger in the UK. One in 10 adults suffered moderate levels of food insecurity in 2014, placing the UK in the bottom half of European countries on hunger measures, below Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia and Malta… hunger in the UK is far more widespread than rising charity food use indicates, according to the analysis of UN data by the Food Foundation thinktank…
“The foundation estimates that 4.7 million people aged over 15 were severely food-insecure, meaning they were [too] poor [to] afford enough food and sometimes went without. A further 3.7 million were classed as moderately food-insecure.
“… a series of other studies have shown that poverty and rising food prices are key drivers not just of food insufficiency but inability to buy healthy food such as fruit and vegetables…
“The European countries with the lowest levels of food insecurity were Sweden (3.1%), Germany (4.3%) and Denmark (4.9%). The highest rates were measured in Lithuania (19.6%), Romania (18.9%) and Greece (17.2%).”
The Bible prophesied that the UK and the USA will be plagued by hunger and famine in these end times.
Trump Considering Defaulting on the National Debt
The Huffington Post wrote on May 6:
“The presumptive GOP nominee has an idea for dealing with American debt and infrastructure… Trump laid out his plan during a CNBC appearance… Interest rates on U.S. debt are very low right now, and have been for years. This makes it a great time for the government to borrow money and spend it on public needs… The economy would grow, boosting tax receipts for the federal government which would make the new debt easy to manage… ‘I would borrow, knowing that if the economy crashed, you could make a deal,’ Trump told CNBC… Another way to describe this plan: ‘I would default on the national debt.’…
“The U.S. government owes $12.8 trillion to the public. The majority of this money is owed to American citizens and businesses…”
Newsmax added on May 8:
“Donald Trump has proposed that he will slash the $19 trillion national debt by persuading creditors to accept less than full payment… ‘What do we do with all of the money that we owe everybody when rates go up and now all of a sudden we have to borrow at two points more. One point more even is devastating. But two, three, four, five points more. It’s a real dilemma,’ he told CNBC. ‘I would borrow, knowing that if the economy crashed, you could make a deal,’ Trump said…
“Experts… told the Times that Trump’s proposal was ‘fanciful,’ saying there was no reason to think America’s creditors would accept anything less than 100 cents on the dollar, regardless of Trump’s deal-making prowess…
“Meanwhile, other prominent financial voices think Trump just may be onto something concerning his debt strategy…”
Several months ago, we considered the possibility that Trump might want to default on the national debt, as one American President did in the past, and as Hitler did as well. The comments in some news outlets that the US NEVER defaulted on their debt is manifestly wrong. Subsequently, Trump reportedly said that one cannot default on the US national debt, as the USA could always print more money. Neither of these inconsistent statements helps in having great confidence in the soundness of Trump’s financial plans regarding the national debt.
Middle Eastern Leaders Seek Help from Russian… Not the USA… Why?
Politico wrote on May 8:
“The United States has significantly more military capability in the Middle East today than Russia—America has 35,000 troops and hundreds of aircraft; the Russians roughly 2,000 troops and, perhaps, 50 aircraft—and yet Middle Eastern leaders are making pilgrimages to Moscow to see Vladimir Putin these days, not rushing to Washington. Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to see the Russian president, his second trip to Russia since last fall, and King Salman of Saudi Arabia is planning a trip soon. Egypt’s president and other Middle Eastern leaders have also made the trek to see Putin.
“Why is this happening, and why on my trips to the region am I hearing that Arabs and Israelis have pretty much given up on President Barack Obama? Because perceptions matter more than mere power: The Russians are seen as willing to use power to affect the balance of power in the region, and we are not…
“Putin’s worldview is completely at odds with Obama’s. Obama believes in the use of force only in circumstances where our security and homeland might be directly threatened…
But in the Middle East it is Putin’s views on the uses of coercion, including force to achieve political objectives, that appears to be the norm, not the exception—and that is true for our friends as well as adversaries…
“Middle Eastern leaders… realize they need to be talking to the Russians if they are to safeguard their interests… Obama’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia did not alter the perception of American weakness and our reluctance to affect the balance of power in the region. The Arab Gulf states fear growing Iranian strength more than they fear the Islamic State…
“Arabs and Israelis alike are looking to the next administration. They know the Russians are not a force for stability; they count on the United States to play that role…”
But the irony is that even under a new administration, the USA won’t play a role of stability in the Middle East.
Alabama’s Top Judge Suspended in Gay Marriage Dispute
The Associated Press reported on May 7:
“Alabama’s Supreme Court Chief Justice was suspended on Friday as he faces possible removal from the bench for ordering state probate judges not to grant marriage licenses to gay couples, despite contrary rulings by a federal court and the U.S. Supreme Court. The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission charged Chief Justice Roy Moore, an outspoken opponent of same-sex unions, with violating the state’s judicial ethics laws, an allegation that could potentially remove him from office…
“The legality of gay marriage had been at the center of a national debate for years until the Supreme Court ruled in June that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement. Despite the ruling and a federal court ruling that made gay marriage legal in Alabama, Moore issued in January an administrative order to state probate judges, ordering them not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to court documents…
“Moore said in a statement that the commission has no authority over administrative orders or the court’s ability to prohibit probate judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses… Moore wrote in his order that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling was at odds with a decision in March 2015 by the Alabama Supreme Court that instructed probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
“The conflicting opinions had resulted in ‘confusion and uncertainty,’ Moore said… Until the Alabama Supreme Court decides the matter, probate judges ‘have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license,’ he said… Moore, a Republican, has been a hero of conservative causes before. In 2003, he was removed from office after a federal judge ruled he was placing himself above the law by refusing to take down a Ten Commandments monument. He won the chief justice job back in 2012…”
The problem is, once you are actively participating in the judicial system as a judge, you are forced to violate your conscience even if a particular statute or ruling by a higher or the highest court is clearly violating God’s Supreme Law.
Gay Rights Victory in Italy against Catholic Church
CBS News reported on May 11:
“Italy joined the rest of Europe on Wednesday in giving some legal rights to gay couples after a years-long battle and opposition from the Catholic Church to anything that smacked of authorizing gay marriage… Gay rights activists hailed the vote as historic, given that Italy was the last of the European Union’s 28 nations to grant legal recognition to civil unions. But they voiced disappointment that the government had sacrificed a provision to allow gay adoption to ensure passage…
“The Vatican, which holds sway politically and socially in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy, maintains that marriage is a lifelong bond between man and woman.
“Premier Matteo Renzi praised the vote as ‘writing another important page for the Italy that we love.’… Italy’s leading Catholic bishop, Monsignor Nunzio Galantino, had criticized the government’s decision to put the bill to a confidence vote to ensure passage, saying it was a ‘loss for everyone.’”
