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SILENCING CHRISTIANS
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MEDIA MATTERS Gays crush Christian speech ,TV stations cave to homosexual lobby, refuse to reveal LGBT agenda February 13, 2009 11:35 pm Eastern By Chelsea Schilling 2009 WorldNetDaily

Several television stations are caving to pressure from the homosexual community and refusing to run Speechless: Silencing Christians, a one-hour paid program sponsored by the American Family Association. WOOD-TV 8, a television station in Grand Rapids, Mich., has decided against airing the special about the agenda of homosexual activists and their impact on families and freedom of religion. According to the Grand Rapids Press, In a letter promoting the program, the American Family Association asserts that most Americans get their information about the homosexual movement from the secular news media and Hollywood, which not only support but promote the gay agenda. What people know is tainted by pro-homosexual propaganda.

WSYX in Columbus, Ohio, has also refused the air the program. WSPA in Greenville, S.C., reportedly ran the special, but then it issued an apology from the station manager. Speechless features stories about Christians who have been arrested and charged with felonies for preaching the gospel. According to the film, many are living in situations where they have been intimidated into silence.

A former lesbian speaks about her conversion to Christianity.

The gay community wants tolerance,she said. They can't tolerate a story like mine that says, you know, I used to be gay, but with the help of Jesus, I've been able to overcome that.According to one man in the film, Christians are often portrayed as mean and hateful.It creates a context where violence is being perpetrated against Christians,he said. The special, hosted by talk show host Janet Parshall, emphasizes the media's role in promotion of homosexuals' radical agenda, and includes examples of how television shows and movies such as Friends,Will & Grace,The L-Word,The War at Home,ER and Entourage attempt to persuade viewers that aversions to homosexuality stem from bigotry and ignorance. Speechless explores the homosexual lobby's impact on school curriculums. Videos promoted as anti-bullying actually endorsed gay lifestyles, and students were forced to view them during school hours. It claims homosexual lobbyists also push for gay literature in schools. According to the program, the homosexual activist agenda demands same-sex marriage, teaches children that homosexuality is normal, promotes homosexual service in the armed forces, pushes for hate crime laws that threaten freedom of speech, calls for laws forcing Christian business to hire homosexuals and insists upon reserving minority status and preferential treatment for them. If you think that agenda is bad for America, you must do something,a female voiceover states.

While WOOD-TV 8 moved the original airing from a Monday slot before President Barack Obama's 8 p.m. news conference to a Saturday afternoon spot, it finally decided against running it altogether. We made a gesture of the 2-3 p.m. Saturday time period. It's been 24 hours and we had no response, station General Manager Diane Kniowski told the Grand Rapids Press in a statement Wednesday. Our station is being bombarded with calls and messages, and we find ourselves in the middle of someone else's fight. Ours was a fair offer and we are removing ourselves from this matter, Kniowski said. The Human Rights Campaign, a pro-homosexual organization, issued a national alert against the film and urged people to call for its cancellation. I am so proud of our members who answered the lies and distortions of the AFA and stopped this campaign of hate and deception, said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. Our community stood up and would not let those lies stand.This should be our wake up call. We are poised to make real progress, for the first time, for millions of LGBT Americans. We know it and so do our opponents, added Solmonese.We must stand guard and not allow them to stop these overdue, basic protections by rolling out the same, tired script albeit in new packaging.He continued, Today's action proves we have the voices and the power to demand a fair fight and a fair debate.

Saudi king shakes up religious establishment By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer – Sat Feb 14, 3:18 pm ET

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The Saudi king on Saturday dismissed the chief of the religious police and a cleric who condoned killing the owners of TV networks that broadcast immoral content, signaling an effort to weaken the country's hard-line Sunni establishment.The shake-up — King Abdullah's first since coming to power in August 2005 — included the appointment of a female deputy minister, the highest government position a Saudi woman has attained.The king also changed the makeup of an influential body of religious scholars, for the first time giving more moderate Sunnis representation to the group whose duties include issuing the religious edicts known as fatwas.Saudi Arabia's king does not have unlimited power. He has to take into account the sentiments of the sprawling ruling family as well as that of the powerful religious establishment, which helped found the state nearly a century ago.

Abdullah's changes indicate that he has built the necessary support and consensus in the religious elite and in the ruling family.The religious establishment has come under persistent criticism, in particular because of the actions of the judiciary and the religious police. Agents of the moral police are responsible for ensuring women are covered and men go to mosques for prayer, among other things, but many Saudis say they exploit their broad mandate to interfere in people's lives.The changes help to dilute the influence that hard-liners have had for decades. The king, who has promoted moderation and interfaith dialogue, has brought in a group of relatively young officials and scholars.This is the true start of the promises of reform, said Jamal Khashoggi, editor of Al-Watan newspaper and an experienced observer of the kingdom's politics. They bring not only new blood, but also new ideas,They are more moderate and many are also close to the reform agenda of the king, having worked closely with him.The delay in making these changes could also be in part because the necessary officials and scholars had to be trained for the job.

The people now in charge are not being ordered to implement reform, Khashoggi added. They believe in reform.New judges were also named and the Consultative Council — the closest thing the kingdom has to a parliament — was reshuffled.The king changed the makeup of an influential body of religious scholars known as the Grand Ulama Commission. Its 21 members will now represent all branches of Sunni Islam, instead of the single strict Hanbali sect that has always governed it.Abdul-Aziz bin Humain will replace Sheik Ibrahim al-Ghaith as head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, which runs the religious police, according to the agency.Bin Humain, who is believed to be more moderate than his predecessor, will head a body whose agents have been criticized by Saudis for their harsh behavior.

Asked about the complaints, bin Humain sidestepped the question, telling Al-Arabiya TV: We will seek to achieve the aspirations of the rulers.The changes came on Valentine's Day, a busy time for the religious police, who are entrusted with ensuring that no one marks the banned holiday. Agents target shops selling gifts for the occasion, and items that are red or suggest the holiday are removed from the shelves. Some salesmen have been detained for days for infractions.Valentine's Day is banned because of its origins as a celebration of the 3rd century Christian martyr. The day is also targeted because unmarried men and women cannot be alone together. Abdullah also removed Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan, chief of the kingdom's highest tribunal, the Supreme Council of Justice. Al-Lihedan issued an edict in September saying it was permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show content deemed to be immoral. It was denounced across the Arab world. He was replaced by Saleh bin Humaid, who until Saturday served as the head of the Consultative Council. Abdullah has said that reforming the judiciary, a bastion of hard-line clerics implementing Islamic law, is one of his top priorities. Judges currently have complete discretion in issuing sentences, except in cases where Islamic law outlines a punishment, such as capital crimes. That discretion has led to cases that have drawn widespread condemnation. In one, a woman from the eastern city of Qatif was raped but received more lashes than one of her seven assailants. The judge ordered the punishment because she was in a car with a man who is not a relative when the two were intercepted by their attackers. Another major change targets education. The king appointed Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, his son-in-law, as education minister.

Khashoggi said Faisal has been working behind the scenes on plans to reform education. After the Sept. 11 attacks, carried out by 19 Arabs, including 15 Saudis, many in the U.S. blamed the Saudi educational system for helping create an atmosphere that justifies extremism. At the time, some religious textbooks used in schools contained harsh views of non-Muslims. In the past few years, officials have said they are editing the textbooks. Khashoggi did not say what kinds of changes Faisal is planning. Noura al-Fayez has been appointed Faisal's deputy for girls' education — the first time a woman has been appointed a deputy minister. The former Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Abdul-Aziz al-Khoja, will become information minister, according to SPA. Abdullah al-Rabia, a surgeon who has carried out about a dozen operations separating conjoined twins, has been appointed health minister. Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Abdullah al-Shihri in Riyadh contributed to this report.

ARE WE READY FOR THE ONE WORLD ORDER? By Attorney Constance Cumbey
February 15, 2009 NewsWithViews.com

In April, 1981, in one evening, I was to write these words which later were to become much maligned in certain Christian circles -- ones I was to eventually learn had deeply compromised with New Age/Apostate interests such as Paul N. Temple and his Institute of Noetic Sciences as well as Rev. Moon and his Unification Church. They were to become part of a chapter in my 1983 released book, THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE RAINBOW. They were part of a chapter entitled THE AGE OF AQUARIUS? OR THE AGE OF THE ANTICHRIST. If you have my book which has been out of print since Huntington House went out of business in 2003, you will find this chapter from pages 36 to 43. These words were brought to mind by learning that today Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Russian Prime Minister and open devotee (per Wayne Peterson) of Maitreya the Christ, introduced a resolution into the European Parliament for a World Water Authority.

Here was what I wrote then in a book which frankly seems more current today:

GOALS OF THE MOVEMENT

The goals of the Movement include a mandatory New World Religion [happening rapidly with the establishment of the UN based Alliance of Civilizations with cooperation from United Religions and similar groups], establishment of a universal credit card system, establishment of a World Water Authority, World Health Authority, WORLD WATER AUTHORITY [emphasis added]; establishment of a universal tax and a universal draft which is truly universal -- everybody is eligible worldwide.The Movement is not new. Neither is it a passing fad. Sadly, most of its participants are innocently involved. Many are under the influence of sophisticated forms of mind control [such as those promoted by claimed Christian Paul N. Temple who is also the co-founder and chief bankroller of the Institute of Noetic Sciences as well as bankroller for the National Prayer Breakfast/International Foundation/Fellowship Foundation of Doug Coe and company]The Mein Kampfs of the Movement are numerous and becoming daily less subtle. Disciples of the Movement speak proudly of having received a vision of light. Many speak openly of their planned welcome for the antichrist or Maitreya the Christ.[Gorbachev himself, per Wayne Peterson]As was indicated earlier the Movement was even bold enough to run full-page newspaper ads proclaiming THE CHRIST IS NOW HERE.[Now they are running similar ads and stories again appearing in such places as THE NATION Magazine, WALL STREET JOURNAL press releases, MOTHER JONES MAGAZINE, etc.] They openly deny that Jesus is the Christ and instead proclaim the deity of a Maitreya the Christ and that Jesus is his disciple! They openly worship a God of Force and forces. [as Daniel 11:38 clearly prophesied would happen, at least to the final end time dictator]. Characterized by common mystical experiences , many of their number possess a plethora of psychic powers enabling them to indeed show great signs and wonders' ranging from astral travel to psychic predictions.

Many among their number encourage the internal undermining of nations and they proudly proclaim the 'subversiveness' of their Movement as if such a designation were a badge of honor. WHILE THEY CALL FOR THE DIVISION OF LARGE NATION STATES SUCH AS CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES [partitioning part of the country off as Ecotopia, etc.], at the same time they call for the institution of a Planetary Guidance System or other form of world government [These days they often refer to it as global governance -- same difference!] While they promote simple life-styles, at the same time they call for the interconnecting of the entire world by incredibly sophisticated computers with snooping capabilities that are Orwellian in scope [res ipsa loquitur -- they have achieved that via the internet for sure!]Thankfully, some New Agers repented and came forward to warn the rest of us. Others such as Donald Keys who were bold and brash figures in the 1980s appear to have disappeared from the scene -- perhaps STILL working underground.The New Agers shifted their focus from 1982 to a 25 year campaign for the Earth that opened in 1987 and they hoped would culminate in 2012. They shifted their expectations for having their messiah in the Holy Land for his staged fake second coming from the 1980s to the conclusion of a 42 year period that they claim opened with the end of the Six Day War in 1967 until 2009.[1]Curiously enough, 2009 was also the year that the greatly focused on the Middle East, Javier Solana, the only constant figure in all the various Mitchell Commission and Quartet for Peace in the Middle East configurations, said was IMPERATIVE that the new machinery be in place.Are we there? I don't know, but I know for sure that we are now much closer than we have ever been. We were scripturally warned that great delusion would come upon the earth and those who had not the love of the truth would be caused to believe a lie. The ever increasing chorus of the New Age is that we must learn to love and reverence the Earth itself, sometimes characterized as the Goddess Gaia.

Thursday, February 12, 2009, a rebellious world celebrated Darwin Day. They New Agers speak often of needing to cure digital divides. I will point to a sharp digital divide that they forgot -- or perhaps never knew. We were clearly warned that the Holy Spirit would not always strive with man. The day was coming when God would say: Let he who is righteous be righteous still -- let he who is filthy be filthy still. On that day those who had not the love of the truth would be caused to believe a lie. We were to fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come. Worship God who created the heaven, the earth, the seas and the fountains of waters.Incredible pressures are upon us to worship everything and everybody but our Creator. There was a stern prophesied penalty for that: If anybody worshipped the beast and his image, they would suffer the everlasting wrath of God. Further, those accepting the prophesied mark of the beast which sounds so very similar to computer and RFID chips now being urged upon us, would have hideous sores on their body -- ones which would make them want to die but death would not come. In short, no reward either in the here or the hereafter for disregarding God's clear warnings on this one! All ten virgins were sleeping. All ten eventually woke up. Five had enough oil in their lamps to go meet their maker -- five did not. Five were able to go into the wedding feast, five were not. The latter remained out with gnashing of teeth.Jesus warned that no man knoweth the day nor the hour. However, he did expect us to heed the signs of the times and the seasons. It appears abundantly clear that such a season may be well upon us. If God is ready, are we? Maybe it is time we foolish virgins went oil shopping.

Footnotes:

1 - Peter LeMesurier wrote THE ARMAGEDDON SCRIPT calling for the 1980s scenario completion in 1981, before the New Agers dreamed they had a serious backlash. In 2004 another New Age book was released: WORLD'S END: 2009 – PROPHECIES FOR THE COMING MESSIAH AND ARMAGEDDON by one Peter Lorie. It called for having their new Messiah in place in the Middle East by 2009. The book might have been laughable but for its publishers: Jeremy Tarcher, the publisher of Marilyn Ferguson's landmark 1980 book, THE AQUARIAN CONSPIRACY and Penguin books. Obviously, there was very serious intent involved!2009 - Constance Cumbey

Constance Cumbey is an active Michigan lawyer. Constance practices her profession primarily in, Southeastern Michigan, USA. Sometimes she also works in what she calls her old stomping grounds of Michigan's State Capital, Lansing, Michigan where she practices administrative, state law related matters. She's enjoyed active and stimulating careers in government, politics, law and as a published and translated author. In the past she served as a national officer of the National Association of Women Lawyers and chaired the Family Law subcommittee of the General Practice Section of the American Bar Association.Before beginning her legal career, she worked as a legislative analyst for the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and while in law school as a consultant to the Appropriations Committee of the Michigan State Senate. She also served as the first charter position Executive Assistant to the May or of the Detroit enclave City of Highland Park, Michigan. Seven years into her legal career, she went on to become the author of the first major critical book about the New Age Movement, THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE RAINBOW: The New Age Movement and our Coming Age of Barbarism (1983); A PLANNED DECEPTION: The Staging of a New Age Messiah (1986). Currently, she's completing a volume about Javier Solana, the Barcelona Process, Israel and the European Union.
E-mail: cumbey@gmail.com Blog Spot: www.cumbey.blogspot.com.

Israel mulls Gaza truce From correspondents in Jerusalem
Agence France-Presse February 16, 2009 05:39am

ISRAELI prime minister Ehud Olmert consulted domestic political leaders on Egyptian-brokered Gaza truce talks overnight, a day after ruling out any deal without the release of a captured soldier. The Hamas deputy leader meanwhile hinted that the soldier may have been killed during Israel's war on the Islamist movement's besieged Gaza enclave last month, along with about 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. Mr Olmert will today hold consultation with the main political leaders over a truce with Hamas, government spokesman Mark Regev said.Asked whether the outgoing prime minister would meet the right-wing Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu - who is widely expected to form the next government - Mr Regev said Mr Olmert would take into account the new circumstances created by (last week's) elections. The prime minister has had some consultations and he will have others later today (local time), Mr Regev said without elaborating. Egypt has been struggling to broker a lasting truce between the two sides since the devastating three-week war in Gaza was halted by separate ceasefires on January 18 that have since been strained by tit-for-tat exchanges of fire. Adelaide Now, 19 Jan 2009 Mr Olmert said yesterday Israel would not agree to any truce without the release of Sergeant Gilad Shalit, a conscript seized in a deadly cross-border raid by Hamas and two other militant groups in June 2006.There is no reason to delay his release even if the truce has to unfold in two phases, Israeli interior minister Meir Sheetrit said. I am ready to pay the price but it is out of the question to open the border crossings without Shalit being freed.Hamas has demanded that any truce deal include the full reopening of all Gaza's border crossings, bringing an end to the blockade Israel imposed when the Islamist group seized Gaza in 2007.

While Israel has linked the opening of the crossings to Shalit's release, Hamas has said the captured soldier is a separate matter to be resolved through a prisoner exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. There is no relationship between the two files, Hamas government spokesman Taher al-Nunu said yesterday.Hamas number two Mussa Abu Marzuq meanwhile hinted that Shalit may have died during the Gaza war. I don't have enough information, but Shalit may have been among the children who died. But really, I don't know, the Damascus-based official told the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat.Then a 19-year-old corporal, Shalit was captured on June 25, 2006 by Hamas and other militants who tunnelled under Gaza's border with Israel and attacked an army post. Relatives said the now 22-year-old conscript has a passion for basketball. Egyptian security chief Omar Suleiman has been leading separate negotiations with Israel and Hamas, and has said efforts were underway to draw up a list of Palestinian prisoners who might be released in exchange for Shalit. Yesterday, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum accused Israel of backtracking on the talks by demanding an open-ended agreement instead of an 18-month truce and of stepping up attacks on the group's Gaza enclave.Both sides have repeatedly tested the separate ceasefires that ended the war.Last week, Israel held a general election in which right-wing parties - which have vowed tough action against Hamas in Gaza - made major gains, casting further doubt on the truce talks.

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS MON FEB 16,2009
HOLIDAY TODAY NO TRADING

As for Israeli sovereignty, Dennis Ross last week said, accurately that Israel has no foreign politics, only domestic politics which means, correctly, that the heads of its parties are controlled by EU and NATO powers. So melanie is sort of awake, for a neo-con.Prof E. N.

Failure to save East Europe will lead to worldwide meltdown,The unfolding debt drama in Russia, Ukraine, and the EU states of Eastern Europe has reached acute danger point. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 2:05AM GMT 15 Feb 2009

If mishandled by the world policy establishment, this debacle is big enough to shatter the fragile banking systems of Western Europe and set off round two of our financial Götterdämmerung. Austria's finance minister Josef Pröll made frantic efforts last week to put together a €150bn rescue for the ex-Soviet bloc. Well he might. His banks have lent €230bn to the region, equal to 70pc of Austria's GDP. A failure rate of 10pc would lead to the collapse of the Austrian financial sector, reported Der Standard in Vienna. Unfortunately, that is about to happen. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says bad debts will top 10pc and may reach 20pc. The Vienna press said Bank Austria and its Italian owner Unicredit face a monetary Stalingrad in the East. Mr Pröll tried to drum up support for his rescue package from EU finance ministers in Brussels last week. The idea was scotched by Germany's Peer Steinbrück. Not our problem, he said. We'll see about that. Stephen Jen, currency chief at Morgan Stanley, said Eastern Europe has borrowed $1.7 trillion abroad, much on short-term maturities. It must repay – or roll over – $400bn this year, equal to a third of the region's GDP. Good luck. The credit window has slammed shut. Not even Russia can easily cover the $500bn dollar debts of its oligarchs while oil remains near $33 a barrel. The budget is based on Urals crude at $95. Russia has bled 36pc of its foreign reserves since August defending the rouble.

This is the largest run on a currency in history, said Mr Jen.

In Poland, 60pc of mortgages are in Swiss francs. The zloty has just halved against the franc. Hungary, the Balkans, the Baltics, and Ukraine are all suffering variants of this story. As an act of collective folly – by lenders and borrowers – it matches America's sub-prime debacle. There is a crucial difference, however. European banks are on the hook for both. US banks are not. Almost all East bloc debts are owed to West Europe, especially Austrian, Swedish, Greek, Italian, and Belgian banks. En plus, Europeans account for an astonishing 74pc of the entire $4.9 trillion portfolio of loans to emerging markets. They are five times more exposed to this latest bust than American or Japanese banks, and they are 50pc more leveraged (IMF data). Spain is up to its neck in Latin America, which has belatedly joined the slump (Mexico's car output fell 51pc in January, and Brazil lost 650,000 jobs in one month). Britain and Switzerland are up to their necks in Asia. Whether it takes months, or just weeks, the world is going to discover that Europe's financial system is sunk, and that there is no EU Federal Reserve yet ready to act as a lender of last resort or to flood the markets with emergency stimulus. Under a Taylor Rule analysis, the European Central Bank already needs to cut rates to zero and then purchase bonds and Pfandbriefe on a huge scale. It is constrained by geopolitics – a German-Dutch veto – and the Maastricht Treaty. But I digress. It is East Europe that is blowing up right now. Erik Berglof, EBRD's chief economist, told me the region may need €400bn in help to cover loans and prop up the credit system. Europe's governments are making matters worse. Some are pressuring their banks to pull back, undercutting subsidiaries in East Europe. Athens has ordered Greek banks to pull out of the Balkans. The sums needed are beyond the limits of the IMF, which has already bailed out Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus, Iceland, and Pakistan – and Turkey next – and is fast exhausting its own $200bn (€155bn) reserve. We are nearing the point where the IMF may have to print money for the world, using arcane powers to issue Special Drawing Rights.

Its $16bn rescue of Ukraine has unravelled. The country – facing a 12pc contraction in GDP after the collapse of steel prices – is hurtling towards default, leaving Unicredit, Raffeisen and ING in the lurch. Pakistan wants another $7.6bn. Latvia's central bank governor has declared his economy clinically dead after it shrank 10.5pc in the fourth quarter. Protesters have smashed the treasury and stormed parliament. This is much worse than the East Asia crisis in the 1990s, said Lars Christensen, at Danske Bank. There are accidents waiting to happen across the region, but the EU institutions don't have any framework for dealing with this. The day they decide not to save one of these one countries will be the trigger for a massive crisis with contagion spreading into the EU.Europe is already in deeper trouble than the ECB or EU leaders ever expected. Germany contracted at an annual rate of 8.4pc in the fourth quarter. If Deutsche Bank is correct, the economy will have shrunk by nearly 9pc before the end of this year. This is the sort of level that stokes popular revolt. The implications are obvious. Berlin is not going to rescue Ireland, Spain, Greece and Portugal as the collapse of their credit bubbles leads to rising defaults, or rescue Italy by accepting plans for EU union bonds should the debt markets take fright at the rocketing trajectory of Italy's public debt (hitting 112pc of GDP next year, just revised up from 101pc – big change), or rescue Austria from its Habsburg adventurism. So we watch and wait as the lethal brush fires move closer. If one spark jumps across the eurozone line, we will have global systemic crisis within days. Are the firemen ready?

G7 sets sights on new world order From correspondents in Rome
Agence France-Presse February 15, 2009 06:03am

THE world's richest nations have called for urgent reform of global finance to save the world from the economic devastation that is dragging more and more countries into recession. Italy's finance minister called for a new world economic order as he wrapped up the crisis meeting of finance leaders from the Group of Seven leading economies over which he presided here. In a joint declaration, the G7 called for urgent reforms of the international financial system. Mr Tremonti said a so-called set of legal standards discussed in Rome would be presented at a meeting of 20 key advanced and emerging economies (G20) in London in April and a summit of the Group of Eight (G8) world powers in July. A new world economic order might seem rhetorical, he said. But it is a true goal we should be aiming towards... today right here in Rome we've embarked on a very significant journey, both technical and ethical.The G7 delegates in a joint statement vowed to avoid protectionism as they seek to stabilise the tottering world economy and financial markets and said stabilisation of the world economy was their highest priority. Courier Mail, 23 Dec 2008 The global crisis has highlighted fundamental weaknesses in the international financial system and that urgent reforms are needed, the statement said. US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner vowed that his country, the biggest economy in the world and the source of much of the financial drama in recent months, would work with other nations for a consensus on reforms.

We need to begin the process of comprehensive reform of our financial system and the international financial system, so the world never again faces a crisis this severe, Mr Geithner said after the talks. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - the body coming to the rescue of some crisis-hit countries - said restructuring banks damaged by the credit crunch was the main problem facing governments. The Italian G7 presidency also said before the talks that it favoured measures that would target hedge funds and tax havens which have come under criticism in the crisis. The G7 reiterated the view of several top delegates that protectionism - when countries take measures that favour their economies at the expense of others - was a threat to stability. The G7 remains committed to avoiding protectionist measures, which would only exacerbate the downturn, to refraining from raising new barriers to business across borders, the statement said. The document hailed stimulus actions taken by other countries, singling out China which it also praised for its continued commitment to move to a more flexible exchange rate. The financial leaders met amid mounting warnings of the talks' grave economic stakes. Mr Strauss-Kahn said advanced economies were in a deep recession ahead of the crisis talks.Delegates came from the G7 grouping of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus Russia.

PREVIEW OF G-7 MEETING IN ROME
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/preview-g7-meeting/4142387070
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=98734&videoChannel=1

G7 finance ministers reject protectionist measures FEB 14,09 By COLLEEN BARRY and ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writers – Sat Feb 14, 1:10 pm ET

ROME – The Group of Seven finance ministers pledged Saturday to avoid resorting to protectionism as they try to stimulate their own economies in the face of the world's worst economic crisis since the 1930s.The meeting marked the international debut of U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who assured his counterparts that President Barack Obama's $787 billion plan to resuscitate the economy, approved Friday, would not violate in any way the United States' commitment to free trade.

Geithner, who was among friends and colleagues he had worked with from his days at the Federal Bank, appealed to the common imperative to sustain open trade.These are global challenges and it is imperative that we work together to address them, Geithner told reporters afterward. Effective global response will require sustained action by governments working with the international financial institutions.The meeting's host, Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti, affirmed strong agreement among the ministers on rejecting protectionism.It is a concrete danger, not only for economies that depend heavily on exports, he said.Even as gloomy economic news piled up — with Europe sinking deeper into recession and the G-7 itself saying the crisis will continue at least through the end of the year — the ministers touted in their final statement the exceptional measures that had been collectively taken.The meeting was largely an affirmation of actions already being taken — from the importance of stimulus packages to the need to isolate bad assets — but the final statement didn't indicate how that would happen.I do think a huge volume of effort has been taken and the markets are reacting in a better way than before, said Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who attended the meeting as president of the group representing the 16 countries that use the euro currency. This is an ongoing process. Maybe this sounds like a repetition ... but you have to put it in perspective.German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said concrete progress on such measures as drafting regulations on hedge funds must be made at the Group of 20 summit in London on April 2, bringing together leaders of the industrialized nations with rising economic stars like China and Brazil.Germany and Japan — net exporters — were especially keen to see the group endorse efforts to fight protectionism, Steinbrueck said, noting that 40 percent of German output was export-driven.This is the reason why we are the most affected by this worldwide recession, Steinbrueck told a news conference.French Finance Minister Christine Lagard said the group recognized that protectionism can take many forms in the banking, financial and economic domain.

The important thing is to coordinate very closely our respective national actions within our relaunch plans, but there were no accusations or criticism against this or that plan, this or that country, so we are all on the same line, she said.Looking ahead, the ministers hoped to make progress on drafting common principals of transparency within four months, in time for the Group of Eight summit in Sardinia in July.The recommendations from Saturday's G-7 meeting — attended by ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — are expected to influence that gathering.AP Economics Writer Marty Crutsinger contributed to this report.

G-7 NEWS CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1032314379

Full Draft Text of Rome G7 Communique By: Reuters | 13 Feb 2009 | 05:05 PM ET

We, the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors met today amid an ongoing and severe global economic downturn and financial turmoil. The stabilization of the global economy and financial markets remains our highest priority. We have collectively taken exceptional measures to address these challenges and we reaffirm our commitment to act using the full range of policy tools to support growth and employment and strengthen the financial sector.The financial measures taken by each of us are helping to stabilize extremely volatile financial markets.These actions aimed at restoring normal credit flows to the economy follow three approaches as needed 1) enhanced liquidity and funding through additional and newly created instruments and facilities 2) strengthen the capital base of financial institutions and 3) facilitate the orderly resolution of impaired assets. The G7 commit to take any further action that may prove necessary to re-establish full confidence in the global financial system.We will continue to work together and to cooperate to avoid undesirable spillovers and distortions.What started as financial turmoil has now gripped the real economy and spread throughout the world. The severe downturn has already resulted in significant job losses and is expected to persist through most of 2009.

The policy response by the G7 has been prompt and vigorous, its full effects will build over time. Policy interest rates have been reduced to very low levels and unconventional monetary policy actions are being taken as appropriate. Budgetary action has been resolute. In addition to full functioning of automatic stabilizers, substantial further fiscal stimulus packages are being implemented.By taking action together the effects of our individual actions will be boosted.Our fiscal policy measures adhere to principles that will increase their effectiveness.

be frontloaded and quickly executed
include the appropriate mix of spending and tax measures to stimulate domestic demand and job creation and support the most vulnerable.increase long term growth prospects, addressing structural weakness through targeted investments.be consistent with medium-term fiscal sustainability and mostly rely on temporary measures.
We also welcome and appreciate the prompt macro-economic response from others throughout the world. In particular, we welcome China's fiscal measures and continued commitment to move to a more flexible exchange rate, which should lead to continued appreciation of the Renminbi in effective terms and help promote more balanced growth in China and in the world economy.We reaffirm our shared interest in a strong and stable international financial system. Excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates have adverse implications for economic and financial stability. We continue to monitor exchange markets closely, and cooperate as appropriate.An open system of global trade and investment is indispensable for global prosperity. The G7 remains committed to avoiding protectionist measures, which would only exacerbate the downturn, to refraining from raising new barriers and to working towards a quick and ambitious conclusion of the Doha round. The G7 also stresses the need to support emerging and developing countries' access to credit and trade financing, resume private capital flows and is committed to explore urgently ways, including through multilateral development banks, to enhance this support.

This crisis has highlighted fundamental weaknesses in the international financial system and that urgent reforms are needed. We agree that a reformed IMF, endowed with additional resources, is crucial to respond effectively and flexibly to the current crisis. In this respect, we welcome the Japanese government's lending agreement with the IMF. Increased collaboration between the IMF and the expanding Financial Stability Forum (FSF) will be particularly important to develop a timely and reliable assessment of macro-financial risks. Complementing this work the G7 finance ministers have asked their deputies to prepare, in consultation with other partners, a progress report in four months on developing an agreed set of common principles and standards on propriety, integrity and transparency of international economic and financial activity.The G7 is committed to continue working with partners in international fora to accelerate reforms of the regulatory framework including scope of regulation, procyclicality, compensation practices, market integrity and risk management.

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MONEYNETDAILY Federal obligations exceed world GDP Does $65.5 trillion terrify anyone yet? February 13, 2009 11:35 pm Eastern By Jerome R. Corsi 2009 WorldNetDaily

As the Obama administration pushes through Congress its $800 billion deficit-spending economic stimulus plan, the American public is largely unaware that the true deficit of the federal government already is measured in trillions of dollars, and in fact its $65.5 trillion in total obligations exceeds the gross domestic product of the world. The total U.S. obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits to be paid in the future, effectively have placed the U.S. government in bankruptcy, even before new continuing social welfare obligation embedded in the massive spending plan are taken into account. The real 2008 federal budget deficit was $5.1 trillion, not the $455 billion previously reported by the Congressional Budget Office, according to the 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government as released by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The difference between the $455 billion official budget deficit numbers and the $5.1 trillion budget deficit cited by 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government is that the official budget deficit is calculated on a cash basis, where all tax receipts, including Social Security tax receipts, are used to pay government liabilities as they occur.

But the numbers in the 2008 report are calculated on a GAAP basis (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) that include year-for-year changes in the net present value of unfunded liabilities in social insurance programs such as Social Security and Medicare.Under cash accounting, the government makes no provision for future Social Security and Medicare benefits in the year in which those benefits accrue. As bad as 2008 was, the $455 billion budget deficit on a cash basis and the $5.1 trillion federal budget deficit on a GAAP accounting basis does not reflect any significant money [from] the financial bailout or Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, which was approved after the close of the fiscal year, economist John Williams, who publishes the Internet website Shadow Government Statistics, told WND.

Find out what's behind the chaos at the White House, in the No. 1 best-seller Obama Nation.The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fiscal year 2009 budget deficit as being $1.2 trillion on a cash basis and that was before taking into consideration the full costs of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, before the cost of the Obama nearly $800 billion economic stimulus plan, or the cost of the second $350 billion in TARP funds, as well as all current bailouts being contemplated by the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve, he said. The federal government's deficit is hemorrhaging at a pace which threatens the viability of the financial system, Williams added. The popularly reported 2009 [deficit] will clearly exceed $2 trillion on a cash basis and that full amount has to be funded by Treasury borrowing. It's not likely this will happen without the Federal Reserve acting as lender of last resort for the Treasury by buying Treasury debt and monetizing the debt,he said. Monetizing the debt is a term used to signify that the Federal Reserve will be required simply to print cash to meet the Treasury debt obligations, acting in this capacity only because the Treasury cannot sell the huge of amount debt elsewhere. The Treasury has been largely dependent upon foreign buyers, principally China and Japan and other major holders of U.S. dollar foreign exchange reserves, including OPEC buyers purchasing U.S. debt through London. The appetite of foreign buyers to purchase continued trillions of U.S. debt has become more questionable as the world has witnessed the rapid deterioration of the U.S. fiscal condition in the current financial crisis,Williams noted.

Truthfully,Williams pointed out,there is no Social Security lock-box.There are no funds held in reserve today for Social Security and Medicare obligations that are earned each year. It's only a matter of time until the public realizes that the government is truly bankrupt and no taxes are being held in reserve to pay in the future the Social Security and Medicare benefits taxpayers are earning today.

Calculations from the 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government also show that the GAAP negative net worth of the federal government has increased to $59.3 trillion while the total federal obligations under GAAP accounting now total $65.5 trillion. The $65.5 trillion total federal obligations under GAAP accounting not only now exceed four times the U.S. gross domestic product, or GDP, the $65.5 trillion deficit exceeds total world GDP. In the seven years of GAAP reporting, we have seen an annual average deficit in excess of $4 trillion, which could not be possibly covered by any form of taxation, Williams argued. Shy of the government severely slashing social welfare programs, federal deficits of this magnitude are beyond any hope of containment, government or otherwise,he said. Put simply, there is no way the government can possibly pay for the level of social welfare benefits the federal government has promised unless the government simply prints cash and debases the currency, which the government will increasingly be doing this year, Williams said, explaining in more detail why he feels the government is now in the process of monetizing the federal debt. Social Security and Medicare must be shown as liabilities on the federal balance sheet in the year they accrue according to GAAP accounting, Williams argues. To do otherwise is irresponsible, nothing more than an attempt to hide the painful truth from the American public. The public has a right to know just how bad off the federal government budget deficit situation really is, especially since the situation is rapidly spinning out of control. The federal government is bankrupt,Williams told WND. In a post-Enron world, if the federal government were a corporation such as General Motors, the president and senior Treasury officers would be in federal penitentiary.

Pork Bailout Bill Could Ban Guns for Millions of Americans
Gun Owners of America February 15, 2009

The Obama administration is putting a lot of pressure on Congress to slam through the most recent $800+ billion bailout package before anyone has an opportunity to read it.Once the government has access to computerized psychiatric records, the stage will be set for using that database to take away the gun rights of those with Alzheimer’s, those with ADD, and those with PTSD. The Obama administration intones that the details are unimportant. The only thing that matters is the bigness. And, by shipping a bill of nearly $900 billion (plus interest) to our children and grandchildren, the package is really, really big –- bigger, in fact, than the budget of our entire government for the first 170 years of our country’s existence.But now that some of the details are finally starting to leak out of Washington, Gun Owners -– and a lot of other analysts -– are beginning to look at the fine print. And some of it is particularly scary.Of particular concern to gun owners are sections 13101 through 13434 of HR 1, which would set up the infrastructure to computerize the medical records of ALL AMERICANS in a government-coordinated database.True, the bill doesn’t mandate that the data will be in a giant computer under the Oval Office. But it does mandate that your medical records be reduced to a computerized form which is available to it in a second.This it would do by establishing a National Coordinator for Health Information Technology –- tasked with, among other things, providing information to help guide medical decisions at the time and place of care.It should be scary enough that a government bureaucrat is directed by statute to try to influence your doctor’s decisions with respect to your medical care.

But of even greater concern to gun owners is the fact that a government-coordinated database (which government can freely access) will now contain all records of government-provided and private psychiatric treatment -– including, in particular, the drugs which were prescribed.Remember last year’s NICS Improvement Act otherwise known as the Veterans Disarmament Act? This law codified ATF’s attempts to make you a prohibited person on the basis of a government psychiatrist’s finding that you are a danger –- without a finding by any court. Well, roughly 150,000 battle-scarred veterans have already been unfairly stripped of their gun rights by the government.

But people who, as kids, were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder… or seniors with Alzheimer’s… or police with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder… or people who are now theoretically covered by the new law… these people have, generally, not suffered the consequences of its sanctions YET. And the chief reason is that their records are not easily available to the government in a central, easily retrievable, computerized form.The bailout bill would change all of that. It would push increasingly hard to force your private psychiatrist or government-sanctioned psychiatrist to turn over your psychiatric records to a massive database. This would be mandated immediately if your doctor does business with the government.This would supposedly save Medicare money in connection with medical treatment. And, the sponsors insist, they would work very hard to protect your privacy.But this turns the concept of privacy on its head. The privacy which is MOST important is privacy from the prying eyes of government –- not privacy of government data against the prying eyes of others. After all, many government data bases have been hacked in recent years, with mountains of information stolen.So, once the government has access to these computerized psychiatric records, the stage will be set for using that database to take away the gun rights of those with Alzheimer’s, those with ADD, and those with PTSD.ACTION: Write your two senators. Urge them to vote against the bailout bill (HR 1) until it is stripped of provisions which would turn your psychiatric records over to a central government-coordinated database against your will without you getting your day in court.You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Senators the pre-written e-mail message below.

- Prewritten Letter -

Dear Senator:

I am particularly concerned about sections 13101 through 13434 of the new bailout bill (HR 1). These sections would set up the infrastructure to computerize the medical records of ALL AMERICANS in a government-coordinated database, including psychiatric records.It is scary enough that a government bureaucrat is directed by statute to try to influence my doctor’s decisions with respect to my medical care.

But of even greater concern to gun owners is the fact that a government-coordinated database will now contain all records of government-provided and private psychiatric treatment.Last year’s NICS Improvement Act codified ATF’s attempts to make a person a prohibited person on the basis of a government psychiatrist’s finding that he is a danger –- without a finding by any court. Well, roughly 150,000 battle-scarred veterans have already been unfairly stripped of their gun rights by the government.Now, this new government-coordinated database threatens the gun rights of people who, as kids, were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder… seniors with Alzheimer’s… police with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder… and many other law-abiding Americans.Please vote against cloture on HR 1 until this provision is removed.
Sincerely.

New law to give police access to online exchanges Canadians will be under surveillance, critics charge BILL CURRY From Thursday's Globe and Mail
February 12, 2009 at 3:39 AM EST

OTTAWA — The Conservative government is preparing sweeping new eavesdropping legislation that will force Internet service providers to let police tap exchanges on their systems - but will likely reignite fear that Big Brother will be monitoring the private conversations of Canadians.The goal of the move, which would require police to obtain court approval, is to close what has been described as digital safe havens for criminals, pedophiles and terrorists because current eavesdropping laws were written in a time before text messages, Facebook and voice-over-Internet phone lines.The change is certain to please the RCMP and other police forces, who have sought it for some time. But it is expected to face resistance from industry players concerned about the cost and civil libertarians who warn the powers will effectively place Canadians under constant surveillance.Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan confirmed the plan yesterday during an appearance before a House of Commons committee and offered further explanation afterward.We have legislation covering wiretap and surveillance that was designed for the era of the rotary phone, Mr. Van Loan said. If somebody's engaging in illegal activities on the Internet, whether it be exploitation of children, distributing illegal child pornography, conducting some kind of fraud, simple things like getting username and address should be fairly standard, simple practice. We need to provide police with tools to be able to get that information so that they can carry out these investigations.Mr. Van Loan said there have been situations where the police want to act quickly to stop a crime, but can't because of the current laws.

In some of these cases, time is of the essence, he said. If you find a situation where a child is being exploited live online at that time - and that situation has arisen before - police services have had good co-operation with a lot of Internet service providers, but there are some that aren't so co-operative.Although police agencies have been calling for such a law since at least the mid-1990s, this would be the first legislative effort in this direction by the Conservatives.The reaction can be predicted, however, because Paul Martin's Liberal government faced stiff resistance when his public safety minister, Anne McLellan, introduced a lawful-access bill in November, 2005, shortly before that government was defeated.The Conservative justice critic at the time, Peter MacKay, who is now in the Conservative cabinet, expressed concern with the bill, and Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart went further, saying there was no justification for such a law.The concern of critics is that unlike a traditional wiretap that cannot commence without judicial approval, lawful-access legislation in other countries has forced Internet providers to routinely gather and store the electronic traffic of their clients. Those stored data can then be obtained by police via search warrant.That means we're under surveillance, in some sense, all the time, said Richard Rosenberg, president of the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association. I think that changes the whole nature of how we view innocence in a democratic society.RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said yesterday the lack of such legislation is causing problems for police.We're speaking generally about the development of technology that is difficult or impossible to wiretap, Mr. Elliott said after appearing alongside Mr. Van Loan at the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee. In the old days, for a wiretap it was pretty simple. You sort of clicked onto the physical wires. So we have some instances where the court authorizes us and other police forces, for example, to intercept communications, but we don't have the technical ability to do that. So certainly the RCMP is supportive of changes of legislation that would allow those kind of intercepts.