Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Prophecy Watch: EU, Jerusalem and the Middle East Conflict

EU foreign ministers to meet on Gaza crisis

PARIS (AFP) — European Union foreign ministers were set to hold an urgent meeting on Tuesday in Paris on the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip, the French foreign ministry announced.

"The ministers will look into how the European Union can help ease the current crisis, along with the efforts of the international community, especially the secretary general of the United Nations," the ministry's statement said.

The meeting was set to take place at 1730 GMT Tuesday and be chaired by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner...

Romain Nadal, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry, said Monday that France and other EU countries were ready to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza , although reestablishing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remained a top priority.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy held conversations Monday with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak to look for solutions to end the violence in Gaza, a statement from the French EU presidency said.

Diplomats told AFP that EU members are considering a number of options to resolve the crisis, including renewing its observation mission in Rafah, a town that lies on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The mission, if accepted by both sides, could potentially allow for the easing of restrictions on checkpoints across the Palestinian territories...
Read full article: EU foreign ministers to meet on Gaza crisis, Gulf leaders tell Israel to end

What the Bible Says: The Middle East in Prophecy

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Palestinian Leader, Islamist Chief Discuss Temple Mount Takeover

Aaron Klein
Posted Oct 08 2008

Press - New York,NY,USA

In recent years, Jordan quietly has been purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in hopes of gaining more control over the area ...

Meeting with an Islamist leader here, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator last weekend discussed ways to solidify Islamic control over the Temple Mount and block Jews from purchasing real estate in areas surrounding the holy site, according to a source involved in the talks...

In recent years, Jordan quietly has been purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in hopes of gaining more control over the area accessing the holy site, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials.


The officials disclosed that the Jordanian kingdom in 2006 and 2007 used shell companies to purchase several apartments and shops located at key peripheral sections of the Temple Mount. The shell companies at times presented themselves as acting on behalf of the Wakf custodians of the Temple Mount, according to information obtained...


The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The First Jewish Temple was built there by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C.E. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C.E. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 C.E. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.


The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's shechina or "presence" dwelt.


All Jewish holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Jewish Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for the Jewish people.


The site is believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.


The Kotel, or Western Wall, is the one part of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and stands today in Jerusalem.


The Al Aksa Mosque was constructed around 709 C.E. to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph.


About 100 years ago, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem became associated with the place Muslims to believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jerusalem, however, is not mentioned in the Koran.


Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" - believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia - to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah that became part of the Koran.


Palestinians today claim exclusivity over the Temple Mount, and Palestinian leaders routinely deny Jewish historical connection to the site, but historically, Muslims did not claim the Al Aksa Mosque as their third holiest site and admitted the Jewish Temples existed.


As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula, and that "in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron."


It wasn't until the late 19th century - incidentally when Jews started immigrating to Palestine - that some Muslim scholars began claiming Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associated Muhammad's purported night journey with the Temple Mount.


A guide to the Temple Mount by the Supreme Muslim Council in Jerusalem published in 1925 listed the Mount as the site of Solomon's Temple. The Temple Institute acquired a copy of the official 1925 Guide Book to Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which states on page 4, "Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute....


Jewish Press: Palestinian Leader, Islamist Chief Discuss Temple Mount Takeover
See all stories on this topic

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

STEPPING TO PERDITION

By Sheriff Jim R. Schwiesow, Ret.
October 4, 2008NewsWithViews.com

The past couple of weeks we have watched the economy of the nation unravel in a series of consistent and unrelenting economic catastrophes of unprecedented gravity...

The whole of this nation lives hand to mouth, take away the money that flows through our collective hands from Peter to Paul and the system will default and collapse. In point of fact that is exactly what is going to happen...

As I write this message the House has caved in to the enormous pressures of the money-grubbers, the lap dogs of the fourth estate, and the venal politicians who have sold themselves into slavery to the finance felons to pass the monumental and rationally indiscernible pork laden bailout of the mega bucks barons of Wall Street...


There will be no recovery of the economy through natural selection and healing market adjustments, which are entirely necessary as painful as they might be.

The passing of this bill will create another small credit bubble and when that bubble collapses, as it inevitably will, it will virtually assure a complete economic meltdown, the political manipulators of the administration and the congress, who have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, have now set it in stone.

Crank up the printing machines boys we’re going to need a lot of those bogus bucks...

It is an undeniable fact that this nation is in the hands of delusional secularists with no God-given discernment. Such are leading a pseudo Christian nation that is in total rebellion against the Eternal God and in absolute defiance of His Word. They mock Him and deny His Son, the purchaser of our salvation, and then have the audacity to invoke His blessings upon this satanic nation. Their words fall to the ground dead upon utterance. It is most certain that our sovereign God does not hear or countenance their empty pleadings as their very works identify them as being in service to the evil one.

The United States, now imminently on the cusp of total disintegration as a world power, is entering into the final throes of expiration and classically treading the dark descent to the dank den of the tombs of failed nations, where it will lie under the debris of a once great commonwealth as its marker. There will be no lament; there will be no dirge, there will be no requiem, only a stinking, smoldering stench will testify to its former existence and its pitiful end.

Read entire item: There will be no recovery of the economy

Monday, October 6, 2008

Olmert to urge Moscow: Don't arm Israel's enemies

JERUSALEM (AP) —

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, traveling to Russia this week on one of his last diplomatic missions, said Sunday he would urge Moscow not to sell sophisticated weapons to Israel's enemies.


Iran is interested in buying anti-aircraft missiles that could cripple any military strike against its nuclear program. Israel is also afraid Moscow would sell Syria the same missile defense system


In an overture before the trip, Israel's Cabinet voted Sunday to recognize Russia's claim to property in downtown Jerusalem. Russia laid claim to the site, named for the son of a Russian czar, on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Read more: Olmert to urge Moscow: Don't
Read also:
Israel to IAEA: N. Korea gave North Korea provided nuclear know-how or weapons hardware to six countries in the Middle East, Israel told a nuclear watchdog

Friday, October 3, 2008

Era of US financial dominance over: Medvedev

SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) -
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday the era of US financial dominance was over, and he won the backing of Germany's visiting chancellor in calling for a "more just" system.

Both Medvedev and German leader Angela Merkel called for new measures to respond to a credit crunch that has raised fears of a deep worldwide recession since it spread from the United States into international markets...
Read more: Era of US financial dominance over: Medvedev

Senate package would bail out major foreign investors, including China

During a time when most pundits and analysts had come to favor the financial bailout package, Rep. Brad Sherman of California was on Larry Kudlow’s CNBC show on Sept. 30 to cite evidence that the legislation potentially “provides hundreds of billions of dollars of bailouts to foreign investors,” including those in Communist China.

The foreign bank bailout provision alarmed Sen. Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, who said, “The plan permits taxpayer dollars to be used to buy assets of foreign financial institutions that have a presence in the United States. If U.S. taxpayer dollars are going to be put at risk, those dollars should be used to shore up U.S. based companies.”

Read more:
Senate package would bail out major foreign investors, including China

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Record temperatures destroy Victorian wheat crops

Record temperatures across Victoria's north last weekend laid waste to the state's wheat crops, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says.

Temperatures as high as 34 celsius at Swan Hill, in the state's north, and strong winds destroyed cropping areas across the Mallee, Wimmera and northeast, ending hopes that farmers could recover from the drought this year.
"The long hoped for recovery has not arrived and farmers are looking for direction on the support that will enable them to plan for the survival of their farms and businesses over the difficult summer ahead," he said.

"A combination of high temperatures and close to no rainfall has meant that hundreds of farmers have now reached the point of no return.

"Low irrigation allocations will make it increasingly difficult for the Victorian horticulture and dairy industries to continue production over the summer months.



"The chips are down; it is time for the government to reinstate the support measures that ended on July 1 this year."

Mr Ramsay said state government support had helped farmers maintain production by keeping skills in rural areas, reducing costs, allowing access to counselling and ensuring proper management of environmental impacts.

"Failed crop, after failed crop has meant that continuation of this support is now as critical as ever before," he said.
Record temperatures destroy wheat crops
NSW temps to hit 35C in summer prelude

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Official ShariaCourts: Bell Tolls For Britain

It's official, Shariah courts official in the UK .... Alexis de Tocqueville "well-informed citizen" is relegated to the infidel dustbin of British history. Her majesty's court, indeed. This is a sad sad day. America, take note.

Read more: Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts Times Online

ISLAMIC law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases.

The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence.
Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

'Big Bang Machine' Successfully Completes First Test

The Large Hadron Collider, the world's new and largest particle collider, passed its first major tests by firing two beams of protons in opposite directions around a 17-mile underground ring Wednesday...
The project organized by the 20 European member nations of CERN has attracted researchers from 80 nations. Some 1,200 are from the United States, an observer country that contributed $531 million. Japan, another observer, also is a major contributor.

Some scientists have been waiting for 20 years to use the LHC.
The complexity of manufacturing it required groundbreaking advances in the use of supercooled, superconducting equipment...
Read more:
'Big Bang Machine' Successfully Completes First Test
• Click here to find out how the Large Hadron Collider works.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

ESG Supports the EU with Planning and Executing Overseas Operations

08 September 2008

Thanks to ESG Elektroniksystem und Logistik, the European Union will be able to carry out operations in areas of conflict more effectively in the future.

On behalf of the general secretariat of the European Union, the company is currently analysing the entire flow of information, which is required for such missions to be carried out. It is hoped that important information for developing future mission concepts and designing new control systems can be obtained from the results.


By February 2009, ESG will prepare an analysis of the actual situation of the total exchange of information for military and civilian EU operations...

Read more: ESG Supports the EU with Planning and Executing Overseas Operations

America’s Esther


by Lab,Guest Contributor


“Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”


Over the past several days, I, along with many of you, have watched in fascination at the unlikely emergence of Sarah Palin, from seemingly out of nowhere and onto America’s grand political stage. We all watched on Wednesday night as this tiny figure, with an old-fashioned hairstyle and wearing glasses, stood alone in front of an audience of thousands and millions more at home (40 million to be exact!). What fascinated us most was her bold resolve in fulfilling the immediate task at hand: proving her worth and her value as McCain’s VP choice. She did all that and so much more!


For all of us who have watched in horror these past 19 months, as Barack Hussein Obama has made a serious play for the leadership of our great country……despite his thin resume and an even thinner love and devotion to America, of never putting “country first” and instead only interested in furthering his personal ambitions, I’m sure you’ve asked as I have….”What is it going to take to wake people up to this fraud before we lose everything we hold dear?” As someone said the other day, the way you can tell if something is fake is when you put the real thing next to it. Barack Obama has strolled all over this world claiming he is the one “we’ve been waiting for”.



Well, Barack, the one we’ve been waiting for to finally expose you for what you really are has just made her grand entrance last Wednesday night, warts and all, and America has enthusiastically embraced her……. because in her, they see the real thing.



But back to Esther for a moment. If you’re wondering who Esther is,...

Read more: America’s Esther
http://savagepolitics.com/?p=1754

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

A Rather Curious Item: Is Temple Mount God's time bomb?

Posted: August 14, 20087:00 pm
Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Was the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem more than a place of worship?

Was it, indeed, a roadmap to future events – a kind of prophetic landmark whose significance is only now revealed through the development of satellite imagery?

That is the contention of an explosive new book, "Temple at the Center of Time: Newton's Bible Codex Deciphered and the Year 2012," by David Flynn, a book that has risen dramatically to No. 1 among unexplained mysteries, No. 1 in world history and 73 overall on Amazon.com.
The book asserts it has "deciphered Isaac Newton’s greatest paradox: None other than 'the unified field theory' of Bible prophecy."

Read more: Is Temple Mount God's time bomb?

Pope invited to Damascus

Pope invited to Damascus
Catholic Leader - Brisbane,Queensland,AustraliaVATICAN CITY (CNS): The grand mufti of Syria Ahmad Bader Hassoun has invited Pope Benedict XVI to Damascus to celebrate the year of St Paul, ...See all stories on this topic

Unique biblical discovery at City of David excavation site

18 Aug 2008

Head archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar: "It is not very often that such a discovery happens in which real figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly revive the stories of the Bible."

2,600 year old clay seal impression bearing the name Gedaliah ben Pashur (Photo: Gabi Laron, Institute of Archeology, Hebrew University. Courtesy of Dr. Eilat Mazar)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Olmert will hand over 93% of West Bank

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has presented Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with a proposal for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank to take place after Abbas' forces have retaken Gaza as part of an agreement in principle on borders, refugees and security arrangements between Israel and a future Palestinian state.
The Prime Minister hands Mahmoud Abbas detailed plan for Israeli pullout from 93% of West Bank.
Olmert, who met with Abbas this week, feels there is time to reach an agreement during his remaining time in office. A senior Israeli official said the Palestinians were given preliminary maps of the proposed borders. He is now awaiting a decision from the Palestinians. More

Monday, August 11, 2008

FORUM: Defiant Iran

Are the mullahs overplaying their hand?

Frank RichterSaturday, August 9, 2008

Middle East nuclear renaissance?


Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel. That´s the conventional wisdom. But what if Iran´s belligerent behavior is just a big bluff designed to push petroleum prices higher?

Read more: FORUM: Defiant Iran

Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA If Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem were believed to be destroyed by Iranian Muslims, Israeli Jewish leaders might call for rebuilding a new Jewish temple on ...See all stories on this topic

Additional Reading: Iran: The Reality http://www.bibijon.org/iranimage/

The Temple Mount Is In Our Hands

Today (10th August 2008) is Tisha b'Av (the 9th Day of the Hebrew Month of Av), a day of mourning and fasting during which we commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temple, which happened not once but twice on this day in history.

Other destructive events which occured on 9 Av include: the fall of Betar, the last fortress to hold out against the Romans during the Bar Kochba revolt in 132 CE, killing 100,000 Jews. In 1492, Spain ordered the expulsion of all Jews by the Ninth of Av. In 1914, Germany declared war on Russia on the Ninth of Av (August 1) which was the beginning of World War I, the event that led to WWII and the Holocaust.

Read more: Tisha b'Av on Har HaBayet - The Temple Mount IS In Our Hands!

Friday, August 8, 2008

EU keeps ticking without Lisbon treaty

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Europe continues to work without the Lisbon treaty and the demise of the document would not be a catastrophe for the bloc, an influential think tank has said.

In an assessment of Ireland's referendum rejection of the EU treaty published on Thursday (7 August), the London-based Centre for European Reform concludes that "Europe works fairly well in many areas with the current treaties."

But the paper suggests that the EU would be "much better off" with the Lisbon Treaty ...

His assessment concludes that there are three possible options ahead, with the treaty needing ratification by all member states if it is to go into place.

Under the first scenario, Ireland would hold a second referendum...

The second scenario envisages Dublin refusing to have a second referendum ...

Under the third "most poisonous" scenario, Ireland would hold a second referendum and vote No, leading to "internal divisions," with countries such as Britain and central European states likely to block any attempt to kick the country out of the EU.

The paper predicts that whatever eventually happens with the Lisbon Treaty, it is likely to be the last attempt by the EU to adopt a "big, comprehensive" treaty. Instead the bloc will probably opt for sectoral treaties in areas such as...

Read more:EU keeps ticking without

Thursday, July 24, 2008

EU threatens to make U.S. diplomats get visas

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -
The European Commission will propose forcing U.S. diplomats to get visas to travel to the European Union from January 2009 unless Washington moves toward granting citizens of all EU states visa-free entry.
"Citizens of 12 EU member states continue to require a visa when traveling to the United States," a statement said.

"Therefore, the Commission will propose retaliatory measures e.g. temporary restoration of the visa requirement for U.S. nationals holding diplomatic and service/official passports as from January 1, 2009 if no progress is achieved."

Read more: EU threatens to make US

Friday, July 18, 2008

Brown has no authority to ratify the EU Constitution : William Hague

"Gordon Brown has no democratic or moral authority to sign Britain up to the renamed EU Constitution. This move is a total breach of trust with the British people and a flagrant breach of his solemn election promise to the British people. It is a sign of how arrogant and out of touch this Labour Government has become that they are totally uninterested in what the British people want on Europe. "
It also means that the Government are joining in the ugly bullying of the Irish people, who have clearly rejected this Treaty. Trying to push ahead with the EU Treaty shows an utter lack of respect for the Irish voters' democratic decision."
As long as the Irish decision is not reversed the EU Treaty will not be in force at the next general election. A new Conservative Government would then take back the instruments of ratification and put the Treaty to a referendum, recommending a 'no' vote. That is the honourable and democratic thing to do."
Read more: William Hague: Brown has no
Rt Hon William Hague MP17/07/2008

Britain ratifies beleaguered EU

LONDON (AFP) — Britain has formally ratified the European Union's beleaguered new reform treaty, whose future was plunged into doubt when Irish voters rejected it last month, a spokesman said Thursday.

The final stage in approving the Lisbon Treaty was completed when the "instruments of ratification" were filed in Rome, some four weeks after it was passed by parliament in London.

"The documents were lodged in Rome yesterday," said a Foreign Office spokesman, referring to the official papers, sealed and bound in blue leather, which were handed to the Italian foreign ministry...
Read more:
Britain ratifies beleaguered EU
EU Lisbon treaty officially ratified by UK

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

It’s worse than we feared and there’s more pain to come, but it will pass

Gerard Baker

The spectacle of customers queueing outside a small California bank on Monday to withdraw their deposits was unsettling enough for an American public already traumatised by a year-long financial crisis.

But there were two things about the collapse of IndyMac, a lender based in Pasadena, just outside Los Angeles, that were especially troubling.

The first was that, as the federal authorities moved in to rescue the failed lender, they revealed that they had for some time been compiling a lengthy list of banks around the country that, because of their mounting difficulties, had been placed on a kind of death watch.

The scarier thing was that IndyMac was not even on the list.
Read more: It’s worse than we feared and

Global stocks dive on scepticism over US mortgage rescues

LONDON (AFP) - World equity markets and the dollar fell heavily on Tuesday on scepticism that a dramatic weekend US government rescue of two mortgage giants would contain crisis in American finance.

European equities sank after more steep losses on Wall Street and in Asia, despite an exceptional US rescue on Sunday to increase...

"Asian equities slumped following disclosures by many banks of bond holdings in US agencies, with financials leading the move lower.


"Concerns in the US as to whether more banks are going to collapse has added to the market malaise which...

The dollar, meanwhile, plummeted to a fresh historic low against the European single currency. A strong euro, which hit a record high 1.6038 dollars, makes eurozone exports more expensive for importers paying in dollars.


Major banks were hit by worries about their exposure to debt securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...
Read more:
Global stocks dive on scepticism over US mortgage rescues (AFP)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

U.S. bank shares plummet amid stability fears

The shares of major U.S. banks plunged on Monday amid fears about the sector's stability following Friday's seizure by regulators of IndyMac Bancorp Inc as withdrawals by panicked depositors led to the third- largest U.S. banking failure.

"It's the cockroach theory. You don't just have one bank failure -- when you have a big bank go under, there's always more than one," said James Ellman, president of hedge fund Seacliff Capital



Read all: US bank shares plummet amid

Related items:

Regional bank shares under pressure as worries mount

Bank Stocks Are Battered as Unease Grows



95% SAY QUIT THE EU

NINETY-FIVE per cent of Express.co.uk readers would vote to leave the European Union if a referendum was held on Britain’s membership.

The staggering figure comes in the wake of Gordon Brown’s refusal to hold a referendum on the hated Lisbon Treaty - despite promising to at the last general election.

UK Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage said...“Over the last few years we have seen how the EU are prepared to bypass the democratic will of the people by ignoring the results of referendums.


“Our own government was so scared of the result here that they refused to allow us to have a say on our future."It's clear that if we want to remain a sovereign nation then the only way is out: It's time we governed ourselves again."

One MyExpress member said:
In 1973 we joined the EEC to TRADE only
Read more: 95% SAY QUIT THE EU

Friday, July 11, 2008

Israel hints at pre-emptive attack on Iran

By Rupert Cornwell in WashingtonFriday, 11 July 2008

The sabre-rattling over Iran's nuclear progamme has grown louder as a defiant Tehran claimed to have conducted missile tests for a second day running, the US warned that it would defend its interests and its allies in the region, and Israel hinted it was ready to stage a preventive attack to destroy Iranian nuclear installations...


Read more:


Israel hints at pre-emptive
Iran fires more test missiles
Iranians test-fire missile capable of hitting Israel

Opinions:

Iran and Israel build up their bluffing game

All fired up Iranian missiles not a hit with Israel

Real or not, Iranian missile fire must stop: US

Missiles with a message

Petrol hits $1.75, recession tipped

The latest surge in petrol prices have also boosted fears the Australian economy could be sliding towards recession...
Read more: Petrol hits $1.75, recession tipped

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

EU needs stronger defense capabilities

PARIS (AP) —
France says Europe needs stronger defense capabilities, with more helicopters, transport aircraft and space-based surveillance.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says that over the next decade, the EU must become strong enough to run two long-term peacekeeping missions at the same time along with other, smaller missions.
Kouchner says Europe also needs to build its abilities to safeguard its sea lanes.
Kouchner was speaking Monday at a conference on strengthening ties between the 27-nation EU and NATO.
Read more:
France: EU needs stronger defense capabilities
France urges Europe to strengthen Nato
France determined to build European defence: Kouchner

European Union Told They Are Subject To Sharia Law

In a brazen attempt to stifle free speech in the West, a Jordanian court recently summoned twelve European citizens to answer criminal charges of blasphemy and inciting hatred.

Among those sought by the court is Geert Wilders, the Dutch liberal politician who made the anti-Islamist film, Fitna. Released last March, the Dutch MP’s production caused an uproar in Islamic countries, since it equated Islam with violence. Now a Middle Eastern court would like to prosecute Wilders for the “crime.” (Ironically, a Dutch court dropped charges against him for inciting hatred against Muslims with his film the day before the Jordanian court issued its subpoena.)

The Jordanian court’s move is only the most ambitious attempt to silence debate about Islam. Until now, the preferred strategy has been to file civil lawsuits in western courts to intimidate critics. The latest version of what may be called the legal jihad is even more disturbing.

This new campaign of intimidation against the West is being mounted by a Jordanian organization calling itself “Messenger of Allah Unite Us”, which is made up of “… media outlets, professional associations, parliamentarians and thousands of volunteers...
Read more: European Union Told They Are Subject To Sharia Law

Monday, July 7, 2008

Gloomy times ahead for world economy

GLOBAL TRENDS BY MARTIN KHOR

In recent weeks inflation has worsened, complicating the already difficult problems caused by financial turmoil, the onset of recession and the decline in stock markets. The world economy and developing countries are in f...

THOSE who had harboured some hope that the global financial crisis is over and that the world economy would suffer a mere hiccup saw these hopes dashed last week.
The news is bad. The financial problems besetting banks and investment institutions are still expressing themselves with no end in sight.
Read full article: Gloomy times ahead for world

Sunday, July 6, 2008

New war brewing: U.S., Israel take dangerous steps

GENEVA -- The U.S., Israel and Iran are playing a very dangerous game of chicken that soon could result in a new Mideast war.
Read more: New war brewing
Related articles:
Iran Will Close Strait of Hormuz If Attacked, Fars Reports
By Ladane Nasseri
July 6 (Bloomberg) -- Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz, through which the bulk of Middle East oil is shipped, if the country is attacked, state-run Fars news agency reported, citing a military commander.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Another protocol for Ireland or opening up the Lisbon Treaty for ...

Written by Daniela Schwarzer
Friday, 04 July 2008
The European Council on June 19/20, 2008 did not indicate a way out of the EU crisis which resurfaced with the Irish „No“ to the Lisbon Treaty on June 12, 2008. Nevertheless, one or two likely options are being sketched on the horizon...
The process of EU reform, which had started with the European Convention, led to the Constitutional Treaty adopted by the EU governments, which failed in referenda in France and the Netherlands but got renegotiated and slimmed down to be re-baptized Lisbon Treaty, has lost dynamic and credibility. So it would be wrong to expect overwhelming external dynamics to get Ireland moving on the Lisbon Treaty.

Read more: Another protocol for Ireland or opening up the Lisbon Treaty for ...

Friday, July 4, 2008

The options for a Europe without a script

Can a country be excluded from membership of the European Union? The answer is no. Does a non-ratification of a treaty by a single member state prevent a treaty from entering into force?...
My own hunch is that they will try to find a way to enforce the Lisbon treaty without the non-ratifiers....
As a first step, they will try to offer the No-sayers a quit-and-rejoin deal. It would be the least divisive option of all, but unfortunately, it may also be one of the least realistic. It would obviously require their consent, which is far from assured. In Ireland's case it may require a referendum to get out and another one to get back in.

If this is not possible, there are several other options involving varying degrees of involuntary separation.
Read more: The options for a Europe without a script

US extends job losses, more pain ahead and Related Business News

US employers cut workers for a sixth straight month in June for the longest such streak since 2002 and the vast service sector unexpectedly contracted, underscoring the economy's frailty.

The Labour Department said that 62,000 non-farm jobs were lost last month, bringing jobs shed for the year to 438,000 as a housing market crash chilled growth.

The unemployment rate, which shot up sharply in May, held steady at 5.5 per cent.
Read more:
US extends job losses, more pain ahead
Oil prices blaze past record $US146
Australia mired in 'mortgage recession'
General Motors 'may face bankruptcy'

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Third Temple preparations begin with priestly garb

On Monday, the Temple Institute started preparing to build a Third Temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah, the site of the Dome of the Rock and the Aksa mosque, by inaugurating a workshop that manufactures priestly garments...

On Monday, the Temple Institute started preparing to build a Third Temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah, the site of the Dome of the Rock and the Aksa mosque, by inaugurating a workshop that manufactures priestly garments.


Read more:
Third Temple preparations begin with priestly garb
Jews inch towards their Temple

EU opens bidding for Galileo satnav network

The 30-satellite network is meant to challenge the dominance of the US-built Global Positioning System (GPS), which is widely used in navigation devices in vehicles and ships.
The EU aims to have it up in space by 2013.
Galileo’s 3.4-billion euro (5.4-billion dollar) budget has been divided into six segments with contracts for satellites, launchers, computer programmes, ground stations, control stations and the system’s operation.
Read more: EU opens bidding for Galileo satnav network

Sarkozy: ‘Irish will vote again, there will be no EU Treaty Mk III'

Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, held a strictly off-the-record lunch briefing for international Brussels-based correspondents on Tuesday at the Elysée...
The French strategy during their six month EU Presidency, which began on July 1, is to isolate Ireland after last month's referendum rejection of the Lisbon European Union Treaty...
"There will be no Treaty Part III," he said.
The Irish do not count...
The Irish either will be asked to vote again, in a rerun of Ireland's second referendum on the Nice Treaty in 2002 - or Ireland's people will be bypassed...
Any means necessary to get an Irish Yes, is what the French President is getting at here. There is no other answer.
The gloves are off.
Read full article: Sarkozy: ‘Irish will vote again, there will be no EU Treaty Mk III'

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Polish president deals blow to EU treaty

WARSAW, Poland—Ratifying the European Union's reform treaty after Irish voters rejected it last month would be "pointless," Poland's president was quoted as saying Tuesday.
Poland's parliament overwhelmingly approved the treaty—which lays out how to run the expanded European Union more efficiently—in April but it needs the president's signature. All 27 EU nations must ratify the treaty for it to take effect; so far, 18 have approved it.
Asked whether he will sign the treaty to give it Poland's approval, President Lech Kaczynski was quoted by the Dziennik daily newspaper as saying: "Right now, it's pointless."

Read more: Polish president deals blow to EU treaty


Tuesday, July 1, 2008

World economy near tipping point: BIS

THE global economy may be close to a "tipping point" that could see it enter a slowdown so severe that it transforms the current period of rising inflation into a period of falling prices, the Bank for International Settlements said today.
In its annual report, the central bank for central banks said the impact of rising food and energy prices on real disposable incomes, combined with the reduced ability of financial institutions to make loans and high household debt levels may lead to a slowdown in global growth that "could prove to be much greater and longer-lasting than would be required to keep inflation under control."
"Over time, this could potentially even lead to deflation," it said.
"The risk is that headline inflation will rise significantly more in the coming months as food and energy prices remain elevated, some second-round effects on wages materialise and unsustainable subsidies in emerging market countries are reduced," Mr Knight said.
The BIS said the US economy is most at risk from problems in the financial system. But it added that there are "suspicions that a number of other countries with low household savings rates might be similarly, if less significantly, affected."
And it warned that while the US dollar's depreciation against other major currencies has so far been "remarkably orderly," that might not continue to be the case. "Foreign investors in US dollar assets have seen big losses," it said. "While unlikely...a sudden rush for the exits cannot be ruled out completely."
Read more: World economy near tipping
Related items:
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Bank of Korea Forecasts Fastest Inflation in a Decade (Update2)
BIS: Financial experts say slowdown will be worse than expected
Global Economy Heading Into Crisis
World Economy on Brink of Slowdown
Central bankers warn of prolonged global economic slump.
‘Worsening outlook in rich economies to hit emerging markets’
Deflationary Hurricane To Hit US
Bank for International Settlements Paints Bleak Picture
Expect a 'Deep Slowdown' in the Global Economy

Sunday, June 29, 2008

RBS issues global stock and credit crash alert

The Royal Bank of Scotland has advised clients to brace for a full-fledged crash in global stock and credit markets over the next three months as inflation paralyses the major central banks.
"A very nasty period is soon to be upon us - be prepared," said Bob Janjuah, the bank's credit strategist.

Read more: RBS issues global crash alert

Related items:
Barclays warns of a financial storm as Federal Reserve's credibility crumbles
House prices won't recover until 2015, ex-MPC expert warns

Morgan Stanley warns of catastrophe

Israel has a year to stop Iran bomb

By Carolynne Wheeler in Tel Aviv and Tim Shipman in Washington
Last Updated: 10:42PM BST 28/06/2008

A former head of Mossad has warned that Israel has 12 months in which to destroy Iran's nuclear programme or risk coming under nuclear attack itself. He also hinted that Israel might have to act sooner if Barack Obama wins the US presidential election...
The time that is left to be ready is getting shorter all the time," he said in an interview.
Read more: Israel has a year to stop Iran
Related items:
Iran threatens to cut off Gulf oil exports if nuclear facilities are attacked
Oil rises above $77 on BP shutdown
The West can't let Iran have the bomb
Oil prices fall as Iran tensions diffuse
Nuclear dancing partners

Pope names canon law expert new Rome vicar

VATICAN CITY (AFP) —
Pope Benedict XVI on Friday named a specialist in canon law, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, as vicar of the Rome diocese, replacing retiring conservative Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Vatican announced.

Vallini, 68, is nine years younger than his predecessor and described as much less interested in political issues.

By tradition, the pope is the bishop of Rome, so he names a vicar to assist him.
Vallini, whom Pope Benedict made a cardinal in March 2006, has served the past four years at the head of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest judicial authority.
Read more: Pope names canon law expert new Rome vicar

Saturday, June 28, 2008

'Perfect storm' hits shares

Wave after wave of bad news is propelling the Australian share-market towards its worst performance in more than 25 years.
Read more: 'Perfect storm' hits shares

Temple in Waiting Prepared in Jerusalem

"The Temple Institute is actively engaged in the research and preparation of the resumption of service in the holy temple to the extent of actually preparing operational blueprints for the construction of the temple according to the most modern standards..
Piece by piece, the third temple is taking shape, with priest's garments, vessels of copper, gold, and silver, and a new generation of levite priests specially trained for temple service.

"We have enough in place now to resume divine service and to build the temple," Richman said. "But obviously, a lot of things have to happen in order for this to happen."
The Temple Mounth Faithful group commissioned these cornerstones for the third temple. The six-ton stones were consecrated with water from the biblical pool of Siloam and cut with diamonds.

For several years, Solomon and his followers tried to place the stones on the Temple Mount, and every year they were stopped by Israeli police.

"Unfortunately, weakness of the Israeli leadership did not allow us to bring the cornerstones to the right place," Solomon said.
Read all: Temple in Waiting Prepared in Jerusalem

Friday, June 27, 2008

Spanish Congress Ratifies the Lisbon treaty

Spanish Congress approves Lisbon Treaty

Ireland under Franco-German pressure to hold new EU vote


The Irish government is expected to bow to Franco-German pressure and hold a second referendum to try to rescue the Lisbon treaty that voters rejected this month.
The original source: Nicola Smith "Ireland under Franco-German pressure to hold new EU vote"

Related items: EU Constitution author says referendums can be ignored

Mr Giscard d'Estaing told the Irish Times that Ireland's referendum rejection would not kill the Treaty, despite a legal requirement of unanimity from all the EU's 27 member states.


"We are evolving towards majority voting because if we stay with unanimity, we will do nothing," he said.

Mr Giscard d'Estaing also admitted that, unlike his original Constitutional Treaty, the Lisbon EU Treaty had been carefully crafted to confuse the public.

"What was done in the [Lisbon] Treaty, and deliberately, was to mix everything up. If you look for the passages on institutions, they're in different places, on different pages," he said. "Someone who wanted to understand how the thing worked could with the Constitutional Treaty, but not with this one."

Mr Giscard d'Estaing believes "there is no alternative" to a second Irish vote, a view shared by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President.

Economy Updates

Echoes of Great Depression as Dow takes another dive

Tom Bawden in New York

The Dow Jones dived a further 350 points yesterday, giving America’s key economic benchmark its worst June performance since the Great Depression, as oil hit a record and analysts said that the fallout from the credit crunch was far from over.
US Fed caught in global
GM shares drop to 53-year low
Oil, profit jitters pulls down US market
Oil hits record over $US140
Boeing shares plummet after Goldman cut
London stocks slump as oil reaches new record
Oil crosses $141 to new record
Asian shares sink on Wall Street plunge
Food price spike: Is ethanol to blame?
Dollar near all-time low against euro

MARKET SNAPSHOT: US Stocks Sharply Off; Dow Poised For Worst Close ...
European shares at lowest since Nov 2005, driven by banks

Thursday, June 26, 2008

World Economy Would Collapse If Oil Hit $200,

By Shigeru Sato and Yuji Okada

June 25 (Bloomberg) --
The global economy would collapse if oil hit $200 a barrel, said the top energy analyst at Germany's largest bank.

``Two-hundred dollar oil would break the back of the global economy,'' Deutsche Bank AG's Chief Energy Economist Adam Sieminski said in an interview today in Tokyo. ``Next step after $200 would be global recession and bad news for everybody.''
Read more: World Economy Would Collapse

EU Treaty Update

A. Court rejects bid to force EU
LONDON (AFP) — London's High Court on Wednesday rejected a legal bid to force Britain to hold a referendum on the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, clearing the way for British ratification despite Ireland's "no" vote.



B. Lisbon Treaty must not be revived: Czech president
(MADRID) 25 June 2008, 14:40 CET

- The European Union's Lisbon Treaty is now obsolete and any attempt to revive it will be "disastrous" for the bloc, Czech President Vaclav Klaus said in an interview published in Spain Wednesday.

"The EU cannot ignore its own rules. The Lisbon Treaty has been roundly and democratically rejected by Ireland, and it therefore cannot come into force," he told the newspaper El Pais.

"Any attempt to ignore this fact and recourse to pressure and political manipulation to move the treaty forward would have disastrous consequences for Europe," said the fiercely eurosceptic president, whose country takes over the EU's rotating presidency in 2009

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

British legal ruling expected on EU treaty

LONDON (AFP) —
London's High Court is due to rule Wednesday on a legal challenge that threatens to delay the country's ratification of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, officials said.

In an unexpected turn of events, a judge last week asked the government to delay its almost-complete ratification until he has ruled on a bid by a businessman, Stuart Wheeler, to force the government to hold a referendum...

Read more: British legal ruling expected

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

What's Next For Israel?

French President Nicolas Sarkozy told the Israeli parliament Monday that there could be no Middle East peace unless Israel drops its refusal to cede sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians, challenging one of Israel's most emotionally held positions.
Putting himself forward as a possible peace broker, he also offered to mobilize French troops if necessary. He said peace with the Palestinians was possible if Israel stopped all settlement activity, lifted the checkpoints in the West Bank, ended a blockade of the Gaza Strip and accepted Jerusalem as the capital of two states.
Read more: Israel Must Share Jerusalem,
Sarkozy offers French troops to aid Mideast peace

Israel 'will attack Iran' before new US president sworn in, John Bolton predicts

By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last Updated: 9:50AM BST 24/06/2008

John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, has predicted that Israel could attack Iran after the November presidential election but before George W Bush's successor is sworn in.

Read more: Israel 'will attack Iran' within a year

Read also: The World: Israel in the Season of Dread
...the front page headline in Maariv newspaper that day? “Fury and Fear.”
That says a great deal about the mood in
Israel
, a widely shared gloom that this nation is facing alarming threats both from without and within.
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7191350.stmHardliners leave Israel coalition
An Israeli right-wing party has pulled out of the coalition government in protest at the starting of peace talks on core issues with the Palestinians...

"Negotiations on the basis of land for peace are a critical mistake... and will destroy us"
Avigdor Lieberman, the outgoing strategic affairs minister and deputy prime minister

INTERESTING NEWS (and Economy Update) ARCHIVE

Sydney Morning Herald
Australia
June 24, 2008 - 3:03PM
The global economy has entered stagflation as surging consumer prices coincide with slowing economic expansion, Fidelity International says.
Read more:
World economy in stagflation: Fidelity
Dollar shows rare weakness

Most US Stocks Retreat, Led
By Eric Martin
June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Most U.S.
stocks retreated, sending financial shares to their lowest level in five years, on a deteriorating outlook for bank earnings.

Germany sees continued Jewish settlements obstacle to Mideast peaceGermany sees continued Jewish settlements obstacle to Mideast peace
Debt is not the only problem
Does gold, commodities surge signal war?
Christian Preachers Face Arrest For Hate Crimes
Tissue of dead humans to be cloned

Doubts emerging over Poland's Lisbon ratification

PHILIPPA RUNNER
23.06.2008 @ 09:23 CET

Poland is emerging as another potential problem for Lisbon Treaty ratification, with the office of the president - who has yet to sign off on the document - beginning to publicly argue that the EU pact is dead following the Irish No.

"There are a lot of indications that...the Lisbon Treaty today doesn't exist in a legal sense because one of the [EU] countries rejected its ratification," presidential aide Michal Kaminski told Poland's Radio ZET on Sunday (22 June)...

The EU constitution "ended its life" after the French and Dutch referendums in 2005, he explained by way of comparison. Conservative MP Przemyslaw Gosiewski - from the president's Law and Justice party - took the same line on the radio talk-show.


"In my opinion - as a lawyer - we have the same situation as after Holland and France...the rules on ratification of the [Lisbon] treaty unequivocally state that after the Irish rejection, it has not been ratified," he said.

UK ratification was called into question late last week after London's High Court warned the treaty cannot become law until it rules on a legal challenge by eurosceptic millionaire Stuart Wheeler, despite the British queen having given her "Royal Assent."

Read more: Doubts emerging over Poland's Lisbon ratification

Christians: No One Path to Salvation

Americans of every religious stripe are considerably more tolerant of the beliefs of others than most of us might have assumed, according to a new poll released Monday. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me." Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity's path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals' fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews...
An acceptance of the notion of other paths to salvation dilutes the impact of the doctrine that Christ died to remove sin and thus opened the pathway to eternal life for those who accept him as their personal savior. It could also reduce the impulse to evangelize, which is based on the premise that those who are not Christian are denied salvation. The problem, says Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is that "the cultural context and the reality of pluralism has pulled many away from historic Christianity." ...
The survey's biggest challenge is to the theologians and pastors who will have to reconcile their flocks' acceptance of a new, polyglot heaven with the strict admission criteria to the gated community that preceded it.
Read entire article: Christians: No One Path to Salvation

Monday, June 23, 2008

Sharemarket's Renewed Fear

ASX: Shares tumble

Shares opened lower this morning after the Dow Jones Index closed down on Friday, spurring renewed fears the sharemarket will close in the red for the first time in five years...
Looking abroad, investors can find little solace in the US market as the world's No. 1 economy grapples with a slowdown that has been exacerbated by the credit crunch.
...the US Federal Reserve is expected to keep its fed funds rate steady at 2%, although inflation is showing strength.The choppiness of the US market highlights the negative impact of the credit crunch, which has diminished the earnings outlook at banks and increased the cost of business for the sector both in the US and domestically in Australia.
Macquarie strategist Rory Robertson said the markets were edging closer to their 16-month March low of 5086.1.The question now is whether or not the market will drop further. The credit crunch and high fuel costs are damaging to growth everywhere, he said, and its creating bearishness in the market.
The Reserve Bank's engineered slowdown also coincides with increased skittishness among investors for risky holdings."Now we have momentum-type worries," Mr Robertson said."Investors can't own enough stuff when prices are going up. Now we're getting a reversal of those trends, where the downturn in prices is killing investor confidence

Will The EU Treaty Change Your Life?

Sunday 22nd June 2008
As the fallout from the recent Irish rejection of the EU treaty continues to build many people are actually wondering what the EU treaty is all about and whether it will actually make a difference to their lives.
If the Irish no vote has done one thing, it has actually made people sit up and ask what the treaty actually does for them and more importantly who will pay for it.In essence the treaty brings the EU members together under one single banner, the EU, allowing a vast array of new EU offices to be created.
There is even talk the EU will in due course have its own fulltime army, something which is being resisted by many countries such as the UK, but seems inevitable if the treaty is finally ratified.
The problem for many is the fact that the new look EU will be funded by tax payers around Europe, with countries such as the UK expected to inject more than most.
Read more: Will The EU Treaty Change

Sunday, June 22, 2008

EU Presses Ahead With Treaty Ratification Despite Irish “No”

European Union decides Irish vote doesn’t really matter
German calls for removal of Irish commissioner

On Wednesday, Schulz called for Irish EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy to be removed from his post, accusing him of contributing to Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.

Everything seemingly is spinning out of control

By ALAN FRAM and EILEEN PUTMAN, Associated Press Writers Sun Jun 22, 4:13 AM ET
WASHINGTON -
Is everything spinning out of control?

The sense of helplessness is even reflected in this year's presidential election.

"It is pretty scary," said Charles Truxal, 64, a retired corporate manager in Rochester, Minn."... If you think about things, you have very little power to make it change."
And maybe this is what the 21st century will be about — a great unraveling of some things long taken for granted.
Read all: Everything seemingly is spinning out of control

European Union and Israel Ties

Diplomatic relations


• The Israeli Foreign Ministry has begun a strategic overhaul of relations with the EU and its member nations, increasingly "plugging into" EU institutions and, in turn, allowing Europe to play a greater role in Israeli diplomatic and economic processes. Jerusalem's strategy is to enhance cooperation with Europe in a variety of fields and to demonstrate that Israel can help with some of the EU's many interests in the region. To that end, Israel has in the past few weeks sent a detailed proposal to the European Union for negotiations on "significant" Israeli involvement with Europe in nine fields, including finance, education, environment, youth development, law enforcement, security cooperation and scientific research collaboration. [2]


• Part of Israel's strategy to strengthen relations with Europe involves de-linking those ties from the vicissitudes of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Israeli-European ties have tended to fluctuate parallel to progress, or the lack thereof, in negotiations with the Palestinians.
[3]

The EU: A trade partner for Israel


• The EU is the main trade partner of Israel. According to an economic analysis prepared by the Commercial Department at the Israeli Mission to the EU,

Read more: European Union and Israel Ties

Jordanian Priest New Latin Patriarch of Occupied Jerusalem

Pope appoints new Occupied Jerusalem Latin Patriarch



June 21, 2008, 17:37
Vatican City:
Pope Benedict on Saturday appointed Archbishop Fouad Twal as Latin Patriarch of Occupied Jerusalem. The appointment makes 67-year-old Twal the Roman Catholic church's top Latin rite cleric for Palestinian territories and Israel. Twal replaces 75-year-old Archbishop Michel Sabbah, who resigned after holding the post since 1987. The Jordanian-born Twal served as deputy parish priest in Ramallah in the 1960s before landing a diplomatic career for the Vatican.

Europe’s calamity

It has happened. After France and the Netherlands rejected the European Constitutional Treaty, Ireland's "No" vote is the second and probably decisive blow against a united and strong Europe.

Read more: Europe’s calamity

There is still a minuscule chance to avert the debacle if Ireland with its "No" vote remains isolated within the EU. Beyond that, however, we should seriously consider whether, within the framework of the Treaty of Nice and on the basis of the Common Market, all parties involved and Europe would be better off parting ways: members favoring political integration should move on, while those satisfied with the Common Market should stay behind.

This formula worked with the Monetary Union. So why not with political integration? At any rate, comprehensive opt-outs are better than long-lasting blockades and disintegration of the European project.

Responses to EU Muddle


1. Brace yourself for bullying and threats

Fact-massaging and guilt will be the tools employed to sort out the treaty crisis, writes Gene Kerrigan

By Gene Kerrigan
Sunday June 22 2008

Up to 10 days ago, there was a pretence that voting mattered. Now, the gloves are off, the teeth are bared. We didn't do as we were told -- and our betters are really pissed off at us.

It's so refreshing, this admission that democracy isn't all it's cracked up to be. Frankly, some of us think democracy is worth more than the hurt feelings of a bunch of inept politicians...
Ms McKenna, according to a Government minister, is a liar. What's the record?
(She said)...Ms McKenna had stated that ratification of the proposed EU Constitution had stopped in 2005 after referendums in France and the Netherlands voted it down. In theory, if even one of the 27 EU nations fails to agree on such a major change, the matter has to be dropped.
Despite Ireland's vote, Ms McKenna pointed out, the big countries continue to urge ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
Here's Dick Roche on Morning Ireland on Thursday: "Not for the first time in this campaign, Ms McKenna has been completely and absolutely untruthful."
"It is simply not the truth for her to say that ratification stopped in other countries [in 2005]," said Dick. "She knows that. She knows, for example, that Luxembourg had a referendum after France and the Netherlands."
Ms McKenna, according to a Government minister, is a liar. What's the record?


MUST Read entire article: Brace yourself for bullying and threats



Irish Independent, Ireland - 3 hours agoBy Gene Kerrigan It was rude and unseemly when Government Minister Dick Roche called Patricia McKenna a liar. Otherwise, the fallout from the defeat of the ...



2. A RATIFIED RESPONSE: What part of “no” do Barroso and his Euroclan in Brussels not understand? He claims that 18 countries have ratified this muddled treaty, but that was the politicians, not the inhabitants.

John JamesMilford on Sea, Hampshire



GIVE EVERYONE THE VOTE: You quote Daniel Cohn-Bendit as saying that “it is not truly democratic that less than a million people can decide the fate of almost half a billion Europeans”. He’s absolutely right. The half a billion should have a vote as well, not just their largely self-appointed “leaders”.


Philip CakebreadBanstead, Surrey



THE ‘WRONG’ ANSWER: The rules say that every country has to ratify it, but the only country democratic enough to allow its population to decide said no. The European response to this, just as when the treaty’s previous incarnation was rejected, is to continue regardless. Apparently, in Europe, one is not allowed to give the “wrong” answer. Is there a parallel with the situation in Zimbabwe?


David HelliwellSilecroft, Cumbria



Read more:
Ireland a thorn in the European






Sunday Business Post, Ireland - 8 hours ago

A second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty looks like the best option for the EU and, if we vote No again, then we could be invited to leave the union. ...