No More Alliance between Pakistan and USA
Breitbart wrote on January 5:
“Pakistan’s foreign ministry claimed to annul its alliance with the United States after the Trump administration reportedly suspended an estimated $1 billion in security aid for refusing to take decisive action against jihadists who are fighting American troops and their allies in Afghanistan…
“Pakistan has long rejected accusations from the United States, Afghanistan, and India that it supports terrorist groups in South Asia. The Afghanistan-Pakistan region is home to the ‘highest regional concentration’ of terrorist groups in the world, according to the U.S. military.
“In response to the Trump administration’s aid cuts, Pakistan’s opposition leader Imran Khan has urged Islamabad to expel some American diplomatic personnel and cut off supply routes for the U.S./NATO-led coalition forces as well as close its airspace to American troops.”
The Bible prophesies that Far Eastern nations, including Pakistan and India, will form an alliance in opposition to the West… especially Europe. Before and while this is happening, any collaboration with the USA will diminish and disappear. This is not only true for Far Eastern countries, but also for “allies” such as Europe. Please note our articles below on the coming United States of Europe under German leadership.
“Fire and Fury”
Deutsche Welle wrote on January 5:
“‘Fire and Fury,’ the new tell-all book from journalist Michael Wolff about the chaotic, unhappy inner workings of the Donald Trump White House is full of juicy stories – betrayal, accusations of treason, infighting, and name-calling… Wolff… spent months conducting interviews and watching the routine inside the White House…
“The White House has dismissed Wolff’s book as ‘lies,’ and sent a letter to publisher Henry Holt & Co. to stop the book’s release. In response, the company brought forward the publication to Friday instead of next week. Wolff… has presented records of his interviews with both President Trump and several staffers, including former adviser Steve Bannon, as evidence that the stories presented in the book are true.
“On Friday, Wolff also jokingly thanked the president for increasing his book sales by trying to suppress it.”
Wollf has been accused of fabricating stories, changing names and dates and even resorting to lies to get access to the White House, but the most substantial accusations in his book, especially pertaining to Steve Bannon, have so far not been repudiated, except that Bannon apologized for his comments of treason by Donald Trump Jr., according to a report of Deutsche Welle on January 8:
“After accusing Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, of committing treason by meeting a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer, Bannon reversed his comments by reaffirming his support for the administration and praising Trump Jr as ‘both a patriot and a good man’… He [was also quoted in the book as saying] that a prosecutors’ probe into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and the Kremlin would ‘crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.’ Despite backtracking, Bannon stopped short of denying the comments.”
Trump’s Twitter War Diminishes US Credibility
Star Tribune wrote on January 7:
“Countries are unsure whether to take his words as policy pronouncements or believe they can be safely ignored. If Trump’s threats are seen as hollow, what does that do to American credibility? In a series of Twitter posts on Saturday, Trump reacted to questions about his mental fitness by calling himself a ‘very stable genius.’ Even if there is a recognition that Trump’s tweets may be largely intended to let off steam or reassure his domestic base, there is an increasing sense that the credibility of the administration, and the presidency itself, is being eroded.
“While allies do not necessarily take his Twitter posts as policy pronouncements, they still create significant confusion, said Pierre Vimont, former French ambassador to Washington and former top aide to the European Union foreign policy chief. Even in areas where allies agree… ‘we have a hard time understanding the real policy line from Washington,’ Vimont said.”
President Trump’s posts on Twitter are most certainly unpresidential… but then, his followers don’t care a bit about that. But Trump’s tweets DO backfire… note our article below, titled, “Trump vs. Trump.”
Does Donald Trump Suffer from Dementia and/or Lack of Capability?
Daily Mail, January 9, 2018:
“United States President Donald Trump is being dragged on Twitter after he appeared to not know the words to the National Anthem during his appearance at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia. He appears to do pretty well in the beginning, but later his mouth appears to go awry. Twitter was quick to take Trump – who has been a vocal critic of football players who do not stand for the National Anthem – to task for appearing to mumble his way through it.
“But tweeters also wondered whether Trump’s botched Anthem singalong was more a sign of forgetfulness and early dementia. The public debate about Trump’s mental health has intensified in the face of author Michael Wolff’s assertion that he is increasingly forgetful.”
In an apparent attempt to counter allegations pertaining to Mr. Trump‘s mental instability, forgetfulness and dementia, USA Today reported on January 9 that “Trump and his top advisers sat down Tuesday with 25 members of Congress — 16 senators and nine representatives, 15 Republicans and 10 Democrats. And in an unusual move, the White House opened nearly an hour of the meeting to the press.” The meeting dealt with immigration issues and the passing of the spending bill by January 19 to prevent a government shutdown. The publically broadcast meeting was designed to show that Mr. Trump is in control.
The Washington Post wrote on January 9:
“He acted the part, listening intently and guiding the conversation with the control of a firm but open-minded executive… President Trump on Tuesday tried to show that he could do his job… Trump sought to definitively answer the question that has been nagging at him for the past week: Is the 71-year-old mentally fit to be commander in chief? And for the 55 minutes that the scene unfolded on television, the president demonstrated stability, although not necessarily capability. In trying to erase one set of queries (is he up for the job and a ‘very stable genius,’ as he claimed on Twitter?), he inadvertently opened another: What, exactly, is going to be in that immigration bill? On that, Trump left a cliffhanger.
“The former reality television star… offered captivating television drama, [but] he also muddled through the policy by seeming to endorse divergent positions… [Trump’s conduct] so alarmed House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that he interjected himself… ‘Mr. President, you need to be clear, though,’ McCarthy said… Later, again attempting to nudge the president back on track to a more conservative plan, Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) made a similar pitch for precision. ‘We have to be very clear, though,’ Perdue urged…”
For the Time Being… Dreamers Protected from Deportation
The Associated Press and Newsmax reported on January 10:
“A federal judge [of the 9th Circuit] on Tuesday night temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation. U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted a request by California and other plaintiffs to prevent President Donald Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while their lawsuits play out in court.
“Alsup said lawyers in favor of DACA clearly demonstrated that the young immigrants ‘were likely to suffer serious, irreparable harm’ without court action. The judge also said the lawyers have a strong chance of succeeding at trial. DACA has protected about 800,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas. The program includes hundreds of thousands of college-age students.
“U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in September that the program would be phased out, saying former President Barack Obama had exceeded his authority when he implemented it in 2012. On Tuesday, the Department of Justice said the judge’s decision doesn’t change the fact that the program was an illegal circumvention of Congress, and it is within the agency’s power to end it… ‘DACA covers a class of immigrants whose presence, seemingly all agree, pose the least, if any, threat and allows them to sign up for honest labor on the condition of continued good behavior,’ Alsup wrote in his decision… DACA recipients are commonly referred to as ‘dreamers,’ based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act…”
More Confusion as to Trump’s Position
The Week wrote on January 10:
“President Trump is being criticized by immigration hard-liners after signaling his flexibility Tuesday to work with Democrats on an immigration deal, including a solution for the 800,000 ‘DREAMers’ brought to the United States illegally as children. A frustrated Tucker Carlson wondered ‘what was the point of running for president’ on Fox News while Ann Coulter, the author of In Trump We Trust, called it the ‘lowest day of his presidency.’ Trump praised his own ‘performance’ at the bipartisan meeting, saying he ‘got great reviews’ and ‘I’m sure their [TV] ratings were fantastic.’ The president, however, called the court system ‘broken and unfair’ after a federal judge ruled the administration must continue accepting and processing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewal applications while lawsuits are pending.”
One should not forget that previously, repeated promises were made by the Trump Administration and also by Paul Ryan NOT to deport Dreamers. God hates those who give their word and don’t keep it. This does not exclude politicians in high places. Note the next article. On the other hand, conservatives pointed out that Trump had promised during his presidential campaign that Dreamers would never obtain amnesty or American citizenship.
Trump vs. Trump
The Washington Post wrote on January 10:
“Trump himself had expressed support for DACA on Twitter in September, just days after Department of Homeland Security officials rescinded it. ‘Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!’ the president wrote in a Sept. 14 tweet. Another read: ‘Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!…
“Those lines seemed to capture the program’s benefits in a nutshell, Alsup wrote in a 49-page order. ‘We seem to be in the unusual position wherein the ultimate authority over the agency, the Chief Executive, publicly favors the very program the agency has ended,’ the judge wrote. ‘For the reasons DACA was instituted and for the reasons tweeted by President Trump, this order finds that the public interest will be served by DACA’s continuation… The main, if not exclusive, rationale for ending DACA was its supposed illegality. But determining illegality is a quintessential role of the courts,’ Alsup wrote…
“[Alsup] noted that the plaintiffs had suggested the administration had terminated the program so it could be used as a bargaining chip to demand funding for a border wall. And again, he cited the president’s Twitter feed as evidence… The tweet in question, posted by Trump on Dec. 29, read: ‘The Democrats have been told, and fully understand, that there can be no DACA without the desperately needed WALL at the Southern Border and an END to the horrible Chain Migration & ridiculous Lottery System of Immigration etc.’ Alsup granted a request by the plaintiffs to take ‘judicial notice’ of the tweet. Alsup’s order notwithstanding, Trump appeared to double down on the proposal Tuesday night, stubborn as ever. ‘Our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border,’ he tweeted, ‘which must be part of any DACA approval.’”
Trump To Bring About Extinction of Human Race?
Breitbart wrote on January 8:
“Yale professor and clinical psychiatrist Dr. Bandy X. Lee has warned that President Donald Trump may bring about the ‘extinction of the human species’ because of his mental instability. Lee, who has briefed members of congress on the president’s psychological state, insisted that her extreme prediction was ‘not hyperbole’ but ‘reality.’ Dr. Lee [told] Newsweek that the situation is so grave that ‘a public health emergency’ should be declared that would need to be ‘responded to as quickly as possible.’
“After a series of tweets from Trump that appeared to threaten North Korea with nuclear war, Lee was one of the hundreds of self-described mental health experts who issued a statement calling the President’s mental health into question after he responded to a challenge from North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un…
“Following on Trump’s assertions on social media of his mental stability and intelligence, Lee said that deflecting or projecting ‘are often concerning signs,’ and seemed to suggest that Trump could even be a candidate for forcible commitment…”
What a circus… It is remarkable that Breitbart under Executive Chairman Steve Bannon would publish a report like this. Subsequently, Bannon stepped down from Breitbart.
Newsmax reported on January 9:
“Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen Bannon is resigning — unable to quell a firestorm over his remarks in a new book disparaging President Donald Trump and his eldest son. The [news site] announced the exit on its website Tuesday afternoon. The New York Times reported the departure was forced by his former financial patron, Rebekah Mercer.”
Further Outrage Caused by Trump’s Vulgar Comments
The Week wrote on January 11, 2018:
“During a meeting with both Democratic and Republican senators on Thursday, President Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations as ‘s… countries’… Trump asked why they would want people from ‘all these s… countries’ coming to the United States. Trump… said the U.S. should try to instead attract people from Norway and similar countries. In a statement, the White House did not dispute the remarks, merely saying Trump ‘will always fight for the American people’…
“Paul Altidor, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, [said] that he and the Haitian government ‘vehemently condemn’ President Trump’s comments on Haiti and other countries being s…’
“The Haitian government has formally summoned a U.S. official to explain the comments, Altidor said, and Haiti’s embassy in Washington, D.C., has heard from outraged Haitian-Americans demanding Trump apologize for what he said. ‘Haitians fought along U.S. soldiers in the Revolutionary War and we continue to be great contributors to American society,’ Altidor said.”
Deutsche Welle added on January 11:
“Previously, the Trump administration announced it would end a temporary residency program that allows nearly 60,000 Haitians to live in the US.”
Sessions’ Foolish Hypocritical Witch-Hunt
The Associated Press wrote on January 5:
“The Trump administration announced Thursday that it was ending an Obama-era policy to tread lightly on enforcing U.S. marijuana laws. The declaration renewed anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that has long shadowed the bright green leafy drug still forbidden under federal law but now legal in a majority of states as medicine and in a handful of those for recreational purposes…
“In 2013, President Barack Obama’s attorney general advised prosecutors not to waste money targeting pot growers and sellers that were abiding by state laws, but to go after flagrant violations such as trafficking across state lines or selling to minors…
“Advocates for the drug that is classified in federal law in the same category as heroin have argued that it has medicinal qualities and causes less harm than alcohol…
“Pot proponents along with some members of Congress, including Sessions’ fellow Republicans, roundly condemned the change in direction Thursday and said it was an intrusion upon the rights of states whose voters had approved use of the drug. ‘If … Congress allows the Department (of Justice) to crack down on individuals and state governments, it will be one of the biggest derelictions of duty I will have witnessed,’ said U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska…
“It was not clear how Thursday’s announcement might affect states where marijuana is legal for medical purposes. A congressional amendment blocks the Justice Department from interfering with medical marijuana programs in states where it is allowed. Justice officials said they would follow the law, but would not preclude the possibility of medical-marijuana related prosecutions…”
Such incredible hypocrisy by ALL involved parties supporting or at least not opposing Sessions on this issue.
AG Sessions’ Unconscionable “Guidance”… Congress MUST Act Now!
Newsmax and The Associated Press reported on January 7, 2018:
“Forty-six states — including Sessions’ home state of Alabama — have legalized some form of medical marijuana in recent years… Eight of those states also allow recreational marijuana… Among the guidance that Sessions rescinded was the so-called Ogden Memorandum of 2009 that instructed federal prosecutors not to pursue cases against medical marijuana patients and distributors who complied with state laws…
“Georgia state Rep. Allen Peake, a Republican who sponsored a bill in his state’s legislature that legalized possession of medical marijuana in 2015, denounced the move. ‘I’m very disappointed in Jeff Session’s actions,’ Peake said Friday in a telephone interview. ‘He will be hurting the grandfather with Alzheimer’s, the soccer mom with breast cancer, the college student with Crohn’s disease, the young child with seizures — these are the people that will be impacted by this action by the attorney general.’
“[Some] legal protection… for medical marijuana growers, processors, sellers and users is a temporary measure sponsored by Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and Democratic Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer prohibiting the U.S. Department of Justice from using government funds to target them. Rohrabacher, in a conference call with reporters and four other members of Congress, said Sessions’ move should galvanize national support for marijuana legalization…
“Many politicians, including Republicans, have cast Session’s move as an infringement on states’ rights. Only Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas do not allow any access to marijuana…
“Georgia’s General Assembly passed that state’s medical marijuana law in 2015. Called Haleigh’s Hope Act, it was named for a girl who was suffering from hundreds of seizures a day… ‘This is as bipartisan an issue as you can get,’ [Peake] said. ‘Cancer doesn’t ask if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. There are people of all races and creeds who benefit from medical cannabis, so that’s why it’s so crucial that Congress get together and take action.’
“The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment that restricts U.S. attorneys from taking legal action against people who use medical marijuana or produce it was maintained in a last short-term funding bill passed by Congress. But that funding bill expires on Jan. 19… Rohrabacher said a better, more permanent solution is a bill he submitted last year that amends the Controlled Substances Act so it doesn’t apply to people who produce, possess or deliver marijuana in compliance with state marijuana laws… New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker has also introduced a bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level.”
The amendments and repeal of the ridiculous federal restrictions of medical marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act are long overdue, but because of the incredible influence of the money-grabbing pharmaceutical industry, Congress has so far refused, in a cowardly political fashion, to do what is right. But ironically, Sessions’ foolish action and the uproar it created, coupled with the double-talk of the White House, might cause a desired change.
Time for Sessions to Resign
The Week wrote on January 7:
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has come under broad criticism for his performance at the Justice Department in general and specifically his decision, reported Thursday, to do away with an Obama-era policy permitting states to legalize marijuana without federal meddling.
“Among Sessions’ critics are Republican lawmakers including Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.), who slammed Sessions’ pot policy on the Senate floor, and Reps. Mark Meadows (N.C.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio), who published an op-ed Friday calling for him to resign because ‘he has no control at all of the premier law enforcement agency in the world.’ Sessions is ‘really on borrowed time,’ Republican strategist Brian Darling told The Hill.”
United States of Europe a Worthwhile Goal
Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 8:
“European Commissioner Günther Oettinger, 64, says in an interview with DER SPIEGEL that a United States of Europe is a worthwhile goal…
“Oettinger [said:] ‘… Konrad Adenauer also spoke of the United States of Europe as did, much earlier, Victor Hugo. What they meant is more relevant than ever: There are challenges that we Europeans can only meet together — controlling migration, for example, and making research more effective, and our militaries… As bad as Brexit is, it has brought Europeans together to a certain degree…
“Austria’s new government has earned a chance. There is nothing in their coalition agreement that is inconsistent with European law and the rule of law… The completion of the economic and currency union is an urgent task that we should complete before European elections in spring 2019…'”
The establishment of the United States of Europe is just a matter of time. The comment that nothing in the Austrian coalition agreement violates European law is a startling and at the same time frightening admission. Note our articles below on Austria.
“The American Void—Time for Germany to Learn to Lead”
Der Spiegel wrote on January 5:
“The liberal world order that the United States spent seven decades building is disintegrating. The U.S…. is withdrawing from the global stage on three different fronts: militarily, morally and a key leader of the international community…
“In recent years, Germany has shown a greater willingness to take on the responsibility commensurate with a country that is the most economically powerful and populous in Europe… Looking ahead… Germany will have to lead. But where to?…
“The new global situation will… mean a departure from the good Germany. When principles collide with pragmatism, when values clash with interests, Berlin will be forced to make difficult decisions…
“German foreign policy experts are still debating how radically the estrangement between the U.S. and Europe has become. Atlanticists are calling for optimism, even though Trump, so far, has served to affirm the worries of the pessimists. They continue to cling to the illusion that, Trump aside, trans-Atlantic relations are actually still entirely intact. They see the U.S. president as a painful, but temporary illness. They believe that once America returns to health, the status quo will return to trans-Atlantic relations.
“The problem with that view, however, is that America’s retreat from its role as a shaper of global politics began before Trump — and it won’t end with his departure, either…”
France to Counter Trump in China
The New York Times wrote on January 9:
“President Emmanuel Macron of France, during a three-day visit to China this week, has worked at every turn to win over China’s leaders, hoping to reinvigorate ties between the two countries as they grapple with the strident nationalism of President Trump. Mr. Macron and President Xi Jinping, during meetings this week, articulated a vision sharply at odds with Mr. Trump’s worldview. They spoke of a need for free trade and rallied against protectionism.
“They embraced multilateralism and praised institutions like the United Nations. And they emphasized the importance of working together to combat climate change, as the United States backs away from global efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Mr. Macron… repeated one of his favorite jabs at Mr. Trump, saying it was time to ‘make our planet great again.’… Analysts said Mr. Macron was positioning himself as a reliable ally of China at a time when… [t]he United States, under Mr. Trump, is withdrawing from the world stage…”
The “Liberal” EU and the Right-Wing Visegrad Group
The Guardian wrote on January 6:
“… the EU’s biggest challenge in 2018… comes from within. It has been slowly emerging along the bloc’s central and eastern flanks since the so-called Visegrád Group of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic acceded in 2004…
“Front and centre in this fight is Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, who… has called for the defence of Europe’s ‘Christian culture’ against ‘Muslim invasion’…
“Orbán now claims a new friend in the almost but not quite neo-fascist coalition that won power in Austria at the close of 2017. But it is Poland, under the ugly tutelage of the authoritarian Law and Justice party, that has emerged as his closest ally…
“Speaking alongside Orbán in Budapest last week, Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s prime minister, predicted a ‘year of great battles’ against western Europe’s multicultural and integrationist values…”
The strong far-right position of the Visegrad Group and Austria will not lead to a disintegration of an united Europe, but rather, it will influence the entirety of Europe and especially core European nations to move further towards the right.
Turkey vs. the EU
The Telegraph wrote on January 5:
“[The] EU must end [its] ‘hypocrisy’ of letting Turkey think it can become [a] fully-fledged member says… President Emmanuel Macron of France [said], who added that progress on the application was not possible given human rights concerns. Mr Macron’s remarks came during a tense press conference with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as the French leader warned against flouting the rule of law and freedom of expression while his counterpart accused some writers and journalists of acting as ‘the gardeners’ of terrorism.
“During the exchange, the authoritarian Turkish leader, who ordered the arrest of up to 55,000 security force members, judges, academics, journalists and activists in the wake of the 2016 failed coup, said his country was ‘exhausted’ after 54 years in the ‘antichambre’ of the EU… But Mr Macron said that political developments in Turkey were effectively blocking its EU accession bid…
“Ankara was hoping to warm frosty relations with Europe during Mr Erdogan’s trip, but the talks were overshadowed by concerns over Turkey’s huge post-coup crackdown and the arrest of journalists. Over 140,000 people have been sacked or suspended, accused of links to the movement run by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of orchestrating the attempted coup…
“Mr Macron suggested that the pair should work towards a ‘partnership’ rather than full membership to ensure that ‘Turkey remains anchored in Europe’… [a]fter signing multi-billion euro trade agreements… The talks came as Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called for a fresh start in his country’s rocky relationship with Germany, holding out the prospect of closer economic cooperation if ties improved…”
Muslim Turkey will never become a member of the “Christian” EU, but a partnership, as suggested by Macron, is very likely, due to a mutually developing antagonism toward the state of Israel.
German Military Recruits More and More Minors
Deutsche Welle reported on January 9:
“The German government has admitted that the Bundeswehr is recruiting more minors than ever before as it continues its complex transition from a conscription-based to a volunteer military… the Defense Ministry said that some 2,128 under-18s had been recruited as volunteers into the military in 2017, including 448 young women. Ninety of the 2,128 recruits were still underage at the end of their six-month trial period. That represented a continuing increase, with the number of underage recruits more than tripling since 2011… when Germany ended conscription.
“Left party Bundestag member Evrim Sommer… used the opportunity to condemn the trend… ‘Young people should not be used as cannon fodder in the Bundeswehr as soon as they come of age. As long as Germany recruits minors for military purposes, it cannot credibly criticize other countries. The German government is endangering its own efforts towards an international ban on the use of child soldiers.’
“… in a 2014 report on Germany, the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) noted that, ‘Some advertising campaigns for the armed forces specifically target children, and representatives of the armed forces are sometimes present within the school context, speaking with pupils and organizing activities.’
“… The Bundeswehr is not allowed to advertise recruitment drives directly to minors, though that does not stop military officers giving talks in high schools, something else that is criticized by peace campaigners… ‘The Bundeswehr does all it can to make itself attractive to young people,’ said [Wolf-Christian Ramm, spokesman for the children’s rights group Terre des Hommes International Federation]. ‘They have videos on YouTube and ads that talk about all the fun of joining the military, and compare it to playing an adventure game. That’s a part of the problem too. That hides the fact that military service is dangerous and can be deadly.’”
The same terrible and ungodly praxis of trying to make the military attractive to children and teens is also used in many other “civilized” Western countries, including the USA.
Dangerous New German Law Leads to Suppression of Opinion
The Local wrote on January 5:
“On January 1st the Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz (network enforcement act) came into force. Germans are furiously debating whether it is a necessary tool against hate speech or a form of censorship…
“The Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz was formulated by the German government last year in response to a rising tide of hate speech on the web. It obligates social media companies to delete offensive posts within 24 hours of them being reported, with the companies facing huge fines if they fail to comply. But days after it came into force, the legislation has had hefty criticism.
“The AfD have labelled it ‘censorship legislation’ after two of their MPs had their accounts on Twitter blocked. Party deputy leader Beatrix von Storch was unable to tweet for twelve hours after she attacked Cologne police for sending a New Year’s greeting in Arabic on Twitter… Her colleague, MP Jens Maier, also fell foul of the law after he described former tennis star Boris Becker’s son Noah as a ‘little half-negro’ on the social media platform. Becker has since indicated that he will take legal action over the tweet, which he describes as racist.
“AfD leader Alexander Gauland responded to the blockades by saying that ‘private individuals, in this case Twitter employees, should not be taking over the work of judges.’
“It is not just the far-right who have been hit by the legislation, though. Satirical magazine Titanic was banned from using Twitter for two days after it parodied von Storch by using the phrase ‘barbarian hordes’ in a tweet. Even after the satirical magazine was allowed back onto the platform on Friday, three tweets remained blocked for readers in Germany.
“Twitter has so far rejected requests from the media to clarify its deletion policy. In the deleted tweets, the company says that the content is unavailable ‘due to local law.’ Dietmar Wolff, head of the Association of German Print Media (BDZV) complained of the law that it was encouraging social media companies ‘to decide when in doubt against freedom of expression.’…
“Justice Minister Heiko Maas, who was largely responsible for bringing the law onto the books, came to its defence on Thursday. Speaking to Bild, he argued that the law would prevent calls to murder, hate speech and Holocaust denial, all of which he claimed were attacks on other people’s freedom of expression. But the law also faced criticism from inside the government. Christian Social Union (CSU) deputy Dorothee Bär said it had ‘led to chaos’ since it came into force. ‘Nobody knows why things are being deleted,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t help anyone if certain views can no longer be expressed because a company decides that they are not acceptable.'”
These are indeed dangerous and frightening developments. If that new censorship law can be used to justify deleting comments at whim, then it is clearly illegal, and the laughable opinion of Germany’s highly controversial Justice Minister is blatantly wrong. After all, Germany is not a dictatorship … so far…
Austria Wants to “Restore Order” by “Locking Away” Migrants
Daily Mail wrote on January 5:
“Migrants in Austria will be held in disused barracks and subjected to curfews in order to restore ‘order’, under proposals announced by the country’s far-right deputy leader. Heinz-Christian Strache said that the plan should be introduced amongst a raft of drastic measures, such as taking money and mobile phones from new arrivals, to combat Europe’s ‘open’ migration policy…
“Mr Strache, who has repeatedly batted away accusations of fascism despite his party being founded by former Nazis, wants the government to usurp charities to take control of asylum issues. Under the plan, he said that asylum seekers in Austria could be sent to live in ‘underutilised’ barracks and told to return to the building at a specified time every evening. ‘Order is needed, as long as there is an open asylum procedure,’ he said, announcing the plan.
“But the call provoked fury from rival politicians who said that the policy amounted to internment whereby migrants are ‘locked away’ and denied the chance to ‘stand on their own two feet’… The FPO has been given control of Austria’s interior, defence and foreign ministries under the coalition agreement with new chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the world’s youngest elected leader…
“Despite raising eyebrows across Europe with the decision to enter an agreement with the FPO, Mr Kurz has vowed to commit to hard-line election promises on migration and asylum. In a 182-page coalition agreement, the two parties said they would take money from new asylum seekers which would be used to cover the initial costs of care. Mobile phones belonging to migrants would also be seized so that that data contained on the devices could be used to determine their identity and route into Europe. The measures also outline how benefits and payments offered to new arrivals will be cut, while they will be barred from accessing many social services during their first five years.”
National Post wrote on January 6:
“Strache back-pedalled from his remarks in a press conference with the chancellor yesterday, suggesting Kurz may have exerted pressure behind closed doors. ‘Housing refugees in barracks is currently not an issue,’ a subdued Strache said. ‘There are currently no plans for mass accommodation.’”
However, the other measures mentioned above are still “on the table,” as part of the coalition agreement, which is telling in light of comments quoted earlier herein that nothing in that coalition agreement violates European law.
Facebook Removes Christian Website for Upholding Biblical Teaching
Christian Headlines reported on January 9:
“Facebook has removed the Christian ministry ‘Warriors for Christ’ page, saying the page violated community standards on bullying and hate speech. Warriors for Christ, a West Virginia-based ministry, are a group that opposes any sinful behavior. Its Facebook page had more than 225,000 followers. Its administrators frequently post memes that criticize LGBT rights and abortions, among other topics. Videos from Pastor Rich Penkoski are also posted on the page.
“The page was first taken down on Dec. 29. The page was reinstated after an online petition called for Facebook to reverse its decision. The page was then again removed last Friday.
“Penkoski told The Christian Post that the group’s Christian beliefs are being ‘censored.’ ‘We can’t even use the term “LGBT” in any context whatsoever or else it immediately gets flagged and banned. If we type those four letters out in our page, it gets removed,’ Penkoski said. He said that only 3 percent of their 3,000 posts referred to LGBT issues. The organization’s focus is counseling, he added. ‘Yet, homosexuality is the focus that everyone keeps talking about with us. We talk about abortion. We talk about adultery. We talk about fornication… When Facebook pulled our page [for the first time], we were actually counseling with a young woman who was suicidal.’
“The second time the page was pulled, Penkoski said he did not receive an explanation and was told the decision could not be appealed. ‘Your Page “Warriors for Christ” has been removed for violating our Terms of Use. A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes. Among other things, Pages that are hateful, threatening or obscene are not allowed,’ the email reads. ‘We also take down Pages that attack an individual or group, or that are set up by an unauthorized individual. If your Page was removed for any of the above reasons, it will not be reinstated. Continued misuse of Facebook’s features could result in the permanent loss of your account.’
“Facebook did not comment, but instead pointed to their policies on hate speech and bullying, which says bullying or harassment is not tolerated and pages that ‘attack’ people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender and gender identity will be removed.”
Woe unto those who call evil good and good evil.
J.P. Morgan Regrets Calling Bitcoin a Fraud
CNBC wrote on January 9:
“J.P. Morgan Chase CEO said he regrets calling bitcoin a fraud. ‘The blockchain is real,’ Dimon tells Fox Business. Dimon remains concerned about how ‘governments are going to feel about bitcoin when it gets really big….
“The price of bitcoin declined 1.4 percent to $14,760 Tuesday…The digital currency is up more than 1,500 percent in the past 12 months.”
California Flu Outbreak
The Los Angeles Times wrote on January 9:
“California health officials said Tuesday that the state’s flu season could turn out to be one of the nastiest the state has seen in a long time… Most people in California and nationwide are catching a strain of influenza A known as H3N2, which tends to be deadlier than other strains. H3N2 was the culprit in Australia’s most recent flu season, which led to record numbers of sick people as well as the nickname ‘Aussie flu.’
“… officials are recommending a flu shot for everyone over 6 months old. Experts say the flu shot may only be 30% effective this year, but can reduce the severity of symptoms for people who still get the flu. It takes about two weeks for the flu shot to take effect. Among the 27 Californians under 65 who have died from the flu, 30% had been vaccinated against the flu…”
We must be allowed to ask whether these vaccinations actually CAUSE flu sickness, rather than preventing it. How can 30% of vaccinated persons catch the flu, if such vaccinations are so important and successful and designed to prevent flu sickness? And what about the nonsensical allegation that it takes two weeks for the flu shot to become effective? By then, the flu has passed in most cases, while the poison of the vaccinations remains in the body. Clearly, medical science has it all backwards.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
