EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD)

I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

MARKETS TUMBLE ON US STIMULUS PKG

Greenspan backs bank nationalisation By Krishna Guha and Edward Luce in Washington February 18 2009 00:06

The US government may have to nationalise some banks on a temporary basis to fix the financial system and restore the flow of credit, Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has told the Financial Times.In an interview, Mr Greenspan, who for decades was regarded as the high priest of laisser-faire capitalism, said nationalisation could be the least bad option left for policymakers.

EDITOR’S CHOICE
In depth: US banks - Feb-10 Bank nationalisation gains ground with Republicans - Feb-18 Greenspan says Tarp needs boost - Feb-18 It may be necessary to temporarily nationalise some banks in order to facilitate a swift and orderly restructuring, he said.I understand that once in a hundred years this is what you do.

Mr Greenspan’s comments capped a frenetic day in which policymakers across the political spectrum appeared to be moving towards accepting some form of bank nationalisation.We should be focusing on what works, Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, told the FT. We cannot keep pouring good money after bad. He added, If nationalisation is what works, then we should do it.Speaking to the FT ahead of a speech to the Economic Club of New York on Tuesday, Mr Greenspan said that in some cases, the least bad solution is for the government to take temporary control of troubled banks either through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or some other mechanism.The former Fed chairman said temporary government ownership would allow the government to transfer toxic assets to a bad bank without the problem of how to price them.But he cautioned that holders of senior debt – bonds that would be paid off before other claims – might have to be protected even in the event of nationalisation. You would have to be very careful about imposing any loss on senior creditors of any bank taken under government control because it could impact the senior debt of all other banks, he said. This is a credit crisis and it is essential to preserve an anchor for the financing of the system. That anchor is the senior debt.Mr Greenspan’s comments came as President Barack Obama signed into law the $787bn fiscal stimulus in Denver, Colorado. Mr Obama will announce on Wednesday a $50bn programme for home foreclosure relief in Phoenix, Arizona. Meanwhile, the White House was working last night on the latest phase of the bailout for two of the big three US carmakers. In his speech after signing the stimulus, which he called the most sweeping recovery package in our history, Mr Obama set out a vertiginous timetable of federal decisions in the coming weeks that included fixing the US banking system, submission next week of the 2009 budget and a bipartisan White House meeting to address longer-term fiscal discipline.

We need to end a culture where we ignore problems until they become full-blown crises, said Mr Obama. Today does not mark the end of our economic troubles… but it does mark the beginning of the end.The Financial Times Limited 2009.

HIDDEN CAMERA VIDEO STORY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ4iIM8Eljc&eurl=http://www.infowars.com/hidden-spy-camera-mic-found-inside-digital-tv-box/&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TiKjjyQqbA&eurl=http://www.infowars.com/hidden-spy-camera-mic-found-inside-digital-tv-box/&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uEfRaUhpv0&eurl=http://www.infowars.com/hidden-spy-camera-mic-found-inside-digital-tv-box/&feature=player_embedded

Hidden Spy Camera & Mic Found Inside Digital TV Box
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Wednesday, February 18, 2009

A popular video circulating on You Tube shows the discovery of a spy camera and a microphone hidden inside a digital TV converter box. Such devices are part of a government and industry surveillance program that is undoubtedly connected to the forced digital TV switchover being rolled out in the UK and US.I could not believe my eyes, states the blurb accompanying the video clip, I have a friend who is kind of a conspiracy theorist. He was trying to convince me that many of the digital TV convert boxes that are coming out have microphones and cameras built into them. Knowing a bit about electronics I bought one of these devices opened it up fully intending on proving him wrong. To my surprise he was right. This device has both a miniature camera lens and what looks like a microphone. I was so shocked I took pictures and video. Please send this out to everyone you know who is using one of these devices.The camera and microphone were hidden inside a MAGNAVOX TB110MW9 Digital to Analog Converter box. We are not suggesting that every digital cable box has a spy camera and microphone inside, so ripping open your cable box is not a good way to prove this one way or another - but the fact remains that companies like Google and Comcast have openly announced that they plan to use hidden cameras and microphones inside their products to spy on consumers.The need to mandate a mass roll out of such hidden surveillance devices is undoubtedly one of the reasons that governments in both the UK and the US, as well as eventually the entire planet, are overseeing a forced switchover to digital TV and killing traditional analogue broadcasts. The vast majority of TV’s require a digital decoder box to receive digital TV transmissions.

By installing covert spy devices and hidden microphones inside our all but mandatory digital boxes, the government and whatever corporate entities get a slice of the pie, have direct access to our living rooms. This is the ultimate Big Brother scenario whereby the majority of Americans and Europeans will have Orwellian telescreens watching their every move.Many will dismiss such claims as conspiracy fodder, but the fact is that Americans have been spied on for decades, previously under the Echelon program and more recently as part of the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program.As former National Security Agency analyst Russell Tice recently revealed, The National Security Agency had access to all Americans’ communications — faxes, phone calls, and their computer communications, Tice claimed. It didn’t matter whether you were in Kansas, in the middle of the country, and you never made foreign communications at all. They monitored all communications.

As we highlighted three years ago, private industry and eventually government is planning to use microphones in the computers of an estimated 150 million-plus Internet active Americans, as well as similar devices installed inside digital TV boxes, to spy on their lifestyle choices and build psychological profiles which will be used for surveillance and minority report style invasive advertising and data mining.Digital cable TV boxes, such as Scientific Atlanta, have had secret in-built microphones inside them since their inception in the late 1990’s and these originally dormant devices were planned to be activated when the invasive advertising revolution was being rolled out, a watershed that is quickly becoming a reality.The advent of digital video recording devices such as TiVo (Sky Plus in the UK) introduced the creation of psychological algorithm profiles - databases on what programs you watched, how long you watched them for, and which adverts you liked or didn’t like. This information was retained by TiVo and sold to the highest bidders - an example being Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction during the 2003 Super Bowl half-time show; TiVo were able to compile lists of how many people had rewound the clip and how many times they had replayed it.In 2006, Google announced that they would use in-built computer microphones to listen in on user’s background noise, be it television, music or radio - and then direct advertising at them based on their preferences.In March last year, Comcast announced that they were experimenting with different camera technologies built into devices so it can know who’s in your living room.The cameras would use body-form recognition to confirm who was in the room and then tailor program recommendations, as well as commercials, to target that member of the family.The video below covers the issue of secret cameras installed inside digital TV boxes and their relation to the forced digital switchover. A further video explores other motives behind the digital switchover.

Los Angeles nears water rationing By Steve Gorman FEB 17,09

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – With a recent flurry of winter storms doing little to dampen California's latest drought, the nation's biggest public utility voted on Tuesday to impose water rationing in Los Angeles for the first time in nearly two decades.Under the plan adopted in principle by the governing board of the L.A. Department of Water and Power, homes and businesses would pay a penalty rate -- nearly double normal prices -- for any water they use in excess of a reduced monthly allowance.The five-member board plans to formally vote on details of the measure next month.The rationing scheme is expected to take effect in May unless the City Council acts before then to reject it -- a move seen as unlikely since Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called for the measure under a water-shortage plan last week.The only other time such penalty pricing was imposed to force conservation in the nation's second biggest city was a rationing system put into effect for a year starting in March 1991, at the height of California's last statewide drought.That measure cut citywide water use by about 25 percent, DWP spokesman Joseph Ramallo said.

The DWP board also voted unanimously to restrict lawn sprinkler use to two days a week, as urged by the mayor. Outdoor irrigation accounts for 40 percent of residential water use in the city, DWP officials say.The agency is the largest municipal utility in the United States, supplying water and electricity to some 3.8 million households and businesses in Los Angeles.San Diego and other cities throughout California are weighing similar measures to cope with a water shortage that is adding to the woes of a state beset with rising unemployment, high mortgage foreclosure rates and a budget crisis.

DROP IN THE BUCKET

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, one of the state's chief sources of fresh surface water, is far below normal, and reservoirs fed by Sierra runoff are badly depleted as well, due to a statewide drought now in its third year.State water managers have said the current dry spell could prove to be the worst ever in California, owing to rising demands from steady population growth.Recent heavy rains, and mountain snowfall, have provided a welcome respite from California's driest January on record, but this latest set of storms did not get us out of the woods by any means,water manager James McDaniel told the DWP board.Complicating matters are federal court restrictions on water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in northern California, which furnishes much of the state's irrigation and drinking supplies, in order to protect endangered fish species.As a result, state water managers have cut the amount of delta water they provide to irrigation districts and cities around the state to 15 percent of their usual contracted allotment for the year and may curb those deliveries further.

Another major source of imported water to Southern California, the Colorado River basin, is emerging from an eight-year drought, but its reservoirs remain low.(Editing by Mary Milliken)

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Obama promises Palestinians he'll protect biblical heartland Palestinian officials enthusiastic about new tone in White House
February 16, 2009 8:50 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein 2009 WorldNetDaily

JERUSALEM – The Obama administration has pledged to the Palestinian Authority it will closely monitor Jewish construction in the West Bank and will protest any new housing developments in the biblical territory, a top PA negotiator told WND. They told us the White House will watch for any Jewish construction, said the PA negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity. Obama knows that if [Likud Chairman Benjamin] Netanyahu is the next prime minister, he will try to expand the settlements. They pledged to us this will be strongly protested, the negotiator said. Although Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's Kadima party captured one more seat than Likud in last week's elections, Netanyahu is considered most likely to form the next government, since he is reportedly able to forge the most stable coalition with other parties in the 120-seat Knesset.

Earlier this month, WND quoted top PA officials stating they received a guarantee from Obama's administration that understandings reached with Israel during U.S.-backed negotiations while President Bush was in office would be utilized as starting points for current and future talks with the Jewish state. The PA officials said they were enthusiastic about the new tone of the White House and about recent meetings with Obama's Mideast envoy, former Democratic Sen. George Mitchell. They said they believe that under Obama the Palestinians can extract from Israel concessions reaching much further than during talks held under the previous administration. Regarding all understandings achieved between the parties, the Obama administration told us they will give guarantees to carry them out,said a top PA official.With Obama, the number of settlers to be removed from the West Bank will much be more important than 60,000,said the PA official, referring to previous negotiations in which Israel expressed a willingness to withdraw from up to 94 percent of the West Bank and move about 60,000 settlers into central settlement blocks closer to Jerusalem. WND reported exclusively in November that then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice collected notes and documents from Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams to ensure the incoming U.S. administration would not need to start negotiations from scratch. PA sources said Rice's notes are being used by Obama's team as the starting points for new Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Documents noting agreements during previous Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been used in subsequent talks, sometimes as starting points. According to both Israeli and PA sources, American officials took detailed notes of talks at U.S.-brokered negotiations at Camp David in 2000 and then used points of agreement on key issues, such as borders, during recent rounds of intense Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Israeli and PA sources said Rice's notes document agreements that would seek an eventual major West Bank withdrawal and would grant the PA permission to open official institutions in Jerusalem. A top source said the PA requested that the Obama administration threaten sanctions against Israel for any new Jewish construction in the West Bank. The source told WND that Obama is said to favor Israel withdrawing from nearly the entire West Bank. Israel recaptured the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War. The territory, in which about 200,000 Jews live, is tied to Judaism throughout the Torah and is often referred to as the biblical heartland of Israel.The book of Genesis says Abraham entered Israel at the West Bank city of Shechem (Nablus) and received God's promise of land for his offspring. He was later buried with the rest of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs, except for Rachel, in Hebron's Tomb of the Patriarchs. The West Bank's Hebron was site of the first Jewish capital.The nearby West Bank town of Beit El – anciently called Bethel, meaning house of God – is where Scripture says the patriarch Jacob slept on a stone pillow and dreamed of angels ascending and descending a stairway to heaven. In the dream, God spoke directly to Jacob and reaffirmed the promise of territory. Earlier, God had promised the land of Israel to Abraham at Beit El. In Exodus, the holy tabernacle rested just north of Beit El in Shiloh, believed to be the first area the ancient Israelites settled after fleeing Egypt.

PHOTONETDAILY CAIR feted Muslim who beheaded wife TV network founder previously honored by controversial group February 17, 2009 8:42 pm Eastern By Chelsea Schilling 2009 WorldNetDaily

A Muslim TV network founder who has been charged with beheading his wife was the recipient of an award from the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations, the self-described Muslim civil rights group that boasts of its influence on U.S. government policy.Muzzammil Hassan receives award from CAIR-PA Chairman Iftekhar Hussain and CAIR National Chairman Parvez Ahmed. (photo: CAIR-PA)Muzzammil Hassan, 44, and his wife, Aasiya Hassan, 37, founded Bridges TV in November 2004. They described it as a satellite news and opinion channel aimed at portraying Muslims in a positive light following the Sept. 11 attacks. Hassan is accused of cutting off his wife's head at his Buffalo, N.Y., station Feb. 12. He received an award April 7, 2007, from CAIR-Pennsylvania at its first annual banquet, a fundraiser at the Hilton Philadelphia. CAIR-PA Chairman Iftekhar Hussain and CAIR National Chairman Parvez Ahmed presented the award to Hassan. The organization website does not specify a reason for the honor. Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and Rep. Joseph Sestak of Pennsylvania's 7th District were special guests at the event. Sestak was the keynote speaker. The American-Muslim community is a wonderful community and they have my strong support, Sestak said in a statement. They are among our District's leaders, and among other things, have contributed to the success of businesses, educational institutions, interfaith circles and the health sector. Their participation in civic life is indicative of the great diversity and tolerance of this nation.

According to its core principles, CAIR Pennsylvania's website states, CAIR PA condemns all acts of violence against civilians by any individual, group or state.A message before the event from CAIR-PA's chairman, Iftekhar Hussain, revealed the banquet would give members an opportunity to meet with community, interfaith and civil rights leaders whom the organization would honor for their work in promoting justice, mutual understanding and democratic empowerment.Authorities found Aasiya Hassan's decapitated body lying in a studio hallway. Her lawyer said Aasiya, a Pakistani national, filed for divorce after numerous incidents of domestic violence. She cited cruel and inhuman treatment as reason for the dissolution. The Hassans were married for eight years and had two children together, ages 4 and 6. Aasiya was her husband's third wife, and the couple reportedly met on the Internet. Aasiya had a restraining order against her husband as of Feb. 6 and had kicked him out of their home in Orchard Park, a Buffalo suburb. Her older sister, Asma Firfirey, told the Cape Argus in South Africa that Aasiya often called to talk about marital troubles and said she believes her sister suffered several hours of torture before being murdered. In a statement on its website, Bridges TV said it was deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Aasiya (Zubair) Hassan and subsequent arrest of Muzzammil Hassan.In 2005, Hassan told the Buffalo News he decided to form the television station after he heard disparaging comments about U.S. Muslims on a radio talk show. It operates under the slogan connecting people through understanding.Every day on television we are barraged by stories of a Muslim extremist, militant, terrorist, or insurgent, Hassan said in a 2004 press release. But the stories that are missing are the countless stories of Muslim tolerance, progress, diversity, service and excellence that Bridges TV hopes to tell.According to a Council on Foreign Relations report, David Powers, a professor of Islamic law and history at Cornell University, explained that the Quran permits men to use physical force against disobedient wives in some circumstances. A woman may ask for divorce, but only a man can grant her request.Classical Shariah lays out very limited conditions under which a woman can divorce a man – he must be infertile at the time of marriage; insane; or have leprosy or another contagious skin disease, the CFR report states. Most Islamic nations, including Egypt and Iran, now allow women to sue for divorce for many other reasons, including the failure to provide financial support.On Feb. 12, Hassan informed police his wife was dead and told them exactly where to find her body. According to CNN reports, Hassan confessed to killing Aasiya. He has been charged with second-degree murder. Authorities are still looking for a murder weapon.

Hassan is incarcerated at the Erie County Holding Center. A court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Beheadings are more common in Hassan's former homeland of Pakistan and throughout the Islamic world: Just a week ago, Taliban terrorists in that country beheaded a Polish geologist abducted in an effort to arrange a prisoner swap. An American U.N. worker, John Solecki, is currently facing a similar fate at the hands of Islamic terrorists in that country. Terrorists in Pakistan video recorded the beheading of American reporter Daniel Pearl. Terrorists in Iraq video recorded the beheading of American Nicholas Berg. Beheading is a common form of execution in Saudi Arabia. Beheading is a common way to conduct a so-called honor killing – the murder of a wife – throughout the Islamic world.
Some of the individuals behind Bridges TV include: Nihad Awad, executive director of the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations Iman W. Deen Muhammad, president of the American Society of Muslims Muhammad Ali NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon
CAIR's communications director, Ibrahim Hooper, said Bridges TV is just an example of the growing maturity and sophistication of the American Muslim community that people are even at this stage where we can contemplate this kind of network.

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 WED FEB 18,2009

09:30 AM +16.65
10:00 AM -15.69
10:30 AM -32.25
11:00 AM -18.67
11:30 AM +20.08
12:00 PM +37.84
12:30 PM +52.17
01:00 PM +21.99
01:30 PM -2.23
02:00 PM -23.89
02:30 PM -26.52
03:00 PM -30.26
03:30 PM -2.23
04:00 PM +3.03 7555.63

S&P 500 788.42 -0.75

NASDAQ 1467.97 -2.69

GOLD 985.80 +18.30

OIL 34.60 -0.33

TSE 300 8184.32 -194.38

CDNX 915.82 -3.34

S&P/TSX/60 490.00 -11.36

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -13.95%
S&P -12.63%
Nasdaq -6.74%
TSX Advances 511,declines 1,090,unchanged 254,Volume 2,313,725,886.
TSX Venture Exchange Advances 336,Declines 472,Unchanged 346,Volume 231,693,642.

ITS GETTING UGLY HOARD GOLD
http://www.infowars.com/it%e2%80%99s-getting-ugly-economist-says-hoard-gold-scotch/
OBAMAS BROKEN PROMISES
1. Make Government Open and Transparent
2. Make it Impossible for Congressmen to slip in Pork Barrel Projects
3. Meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public
4. No more secrecy
5. Public will have 5 days to look at a Bill
7. We will put every pork barrel project online
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5t8GdxFYBU&eurl=http://www.infowars.com/obamas-broken-promises/&feature=player_embedded

Dow +13 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -67 points at low today.
Dow +52 points at high today so far.
Last time the Dow closed below 7552.29 was on MARCH 12,2003.
Last time the S&P closed below 752.44 was on APRIL 14,1997.
Last time the NAS closed below 1316.12 was on MARCH 12,2003.
NOVEMBER intra-day lows:DOW 7449.38,S&P 741.02,NAS 1295.48.
Deere -3% today at start of trading.
Goodyear -8% at start of trading.
Gold at $970.40 at start of trading today.
Oil at $35.42 at start of trading today.

MBIA SPLITS IN 2
MBIA establishes separate public financial bond Insurance Company.
MBIA other Company to focus on Public Finance,such as Muni BONDS.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -67 points at low today so far.
Dow +71 points at high today so far.
WHILE MOUTH PIECE OBAMA HAD A SPEECH 12:30PM TODAY FOR 15 MINUTES, THE MARKET DROPPED FROM 52 to 12 POINTS,KEEP TALKIN OBAMANATION.

DAY TODAY PERFORMANCE - 12:30PM STATS
NYSE Advances 1,425,declines 2,206,unchanged 120,New Highs 13,New Lows 332.
Volume 3,041,813,790.
NASDAQ Advances 1,294,declines 1,271,unchanged 130,New highs 7,New Lows 205.
Volume 914,225,227.
TSX Advances 347,declines 968,unchanged 244,Volume 1,295,928,818.
TSX Venture Exchange Advances 237,Declines 350,Unchanged 290,Volume 94,256,147.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -67 points at low today.
Dow +71 points at high today.
Dow +0.05% today Volume 267,383,200
Nasdaq -0.18% today Volume 1,890,327,127
S&P 500 -0.10% today Volume N/A

MARTIAL LAW ETC COMING ON EARTH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJpLZt1QfVg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvZt2kZkwZM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgGDYJMLDG0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YFZSd4F-mw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXVW-rNZ1HA (JEROME CORSI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0s5GuKULt0 (JEROME CORSI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSvBAw8yYVk (JEROME CORSI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDZO-IZGN30 (JEROME CORSI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpsh2CC53zs (JEROME CORSI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrbs0tbufl4 (JEROME CORSI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXwYYksV1c4 (JEROME CORSI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmkHU9lGii0 (JEROME CORSI)

Fears of deeper recession hits TSX By Jennifer Kwan – Tue Feb 17, 6:02 pm ET

TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto's main stock index sank on Tuesday to its lowest level in seven weeks as resource issues slumped on falling oil and base metal prices, and as concerns grew over the global financial crisis.The financial services sector led the TSX lower, closing down 6.4 percent, its steepest one-day percentage loss since the beginning of December.Heavily weighted stocks on the downside included insurer Manulife Financial, down 10.6 percent to $15.67, and Royal Bank of Canada, which fell 5.5 percent to $28.15.Further concerns about the financial sector were sparked after two leading agencies, including a report from Moody's Investors Service, warned about growing risks to European banks as the recession deepens.That added to an already gloomy tone in the sector, said Francis Campeau, broker at MF Global Canada, in Montreal, adding that there appear to be no buying catalysts.Going forward, we expect banks' income to decrease, he said. Forward earnings per share are getting repriced and current dividends are unsustainable.The energy group also pressured the TSX lower, falling 5 percent as the price of oil dropped 7 percent to below $35 a barrel on demand concerns.EnCana Corp fell 5.2 percent to $51.30, while Suncor Energy dropped 7 percent to $22.82.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed down 299.40 points, or 3.45 percent, at 8,378.70, with nine of its 10 main sectors lower. At one point, the resource-laden index touched its lowest level since December 29. On Monday, the market was closed for a public holiday.The lone sector in positive territory was the resource-laden materials group, up 0.5 percent, as gold prices got a boost as investors sought refuge from economic gloom.Goldcorp climbed 3.4 percent to C$40.45, while Barrick Gold rose 1.1 percent to $47.19. Kinross shot up 4.6 percent to C$24.39.Grim U.S. housing and factory data helped to dampen the mood in North American equity markets, while market sentiment was also hit by data that showed Japan's economy sank deeper into recession in the fourth quarter.The market was also under pressure ahead of the Tuesday deadline for two of Detroit's Big Three automakers to submit restructuring plans.They were historically considered a bellwether for the health of the U.S. economy and the fact that they are repeatedly back to U.S. regulators for a lifeline ... is tremendously disconcerting, said Paul Taylor, chief investment officer at BMO Harris Investment Management Inc.A UBS analyst said Air Canada could be forced to file for bankruptcy protection if it does not secure additional financing and succeed in renegotiating covenants in credit card agreements. Air Canada fell 12.8 percent to $1.29.Elsewhere, copper and zinc producer Teck Cominco fell 9.8 percent to $4.44 after it reporter a quarterly loss and as investors worried about the outlook for the company's coal sales.The blue chip S&P/TSX 60 index closed 19.77 points lower, or 3.79 percent, at 501.36.(Reporting by Jennifer Kwan; editing by Rob Wilson.

Financial crisis tests European Commission authority,The headquarters of the European Commission - the guardian of the EU rulebook (Photo: EUobserver.com)
ANDREW WILLIS 17.02.2009 @ 09:43 CET

EU economy commissioner Joaquin Almunia will this week name the first group of states to receive disciplinary action by Brussels for breaching the rules underpinning the euro. Ahead of Wednesday's (18 January) move, the commissioner insisted that member states adhere to the Stability and Growth Pact, which requires that countries keep their budget deficits below three percent of GDP.The rules were established for everybody and must be respected,he said before a debate in the European Parliament on Monday.What they say as far as budget discipline is concerned is clear: In the case where countries have recorded or plan deficits above the three percent barrier, we must launch procedures established in the [EU] treaty,he added.

Of the countries up for review on Wednesday, France, Spain and Greece are expected to attract excessive deficit action from the commission, according to draft documents seen by Reuters. The Irish deficit for 2009 is also predicted to exceed the three percent ceiling, according to the commission's interim forecast published last month.But the biggest question is whether the commission's actions will have any bite as member states grapple with the effects of the economic crisis at home.

Karel Lannoo, head of the Centre for European Studies, a Brussels-based think-tank, thinks the pact is already on its last legs.Today, it is almost entirely dead, he said of the pact, noting that it went into decline after 2005 when it was reformed to accommodate France's deficit.Speaking about Europe's reaction to the global economic downturn, Mr Lannoo said that the bloc made mistakes from the very start.

The fault was already made in October when there was no willingness to consider this as a European problem but rather as national problems, he said, adding that the European Economic Recovery Plan signed by EU leaders in December seemed more of an afterthought than a genuine attempt at co-ordination. Since then, the EU has witnessed a barrage of unilateral actions to save national banks and prop-up structurally flawed industries, with scant regard paid to potential negative consequences for other member states. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has attracted the most attention by calling on French car companies to relocate back to France, but he is by no means alone is seeking national solutions for his constituents. The same has been happening in the financial sector for four months and who is shouting about it? Almost nobody. But it's enormously distorting,says Mr Lannoo. I'm surprised by the degree to which there is almost no willingness to challenge this.

With new initiatives being announced on an almost daily basis, the commission is struggling to deal with the rising number of protectionist attacks to the internal market.Writing in the Financial Times last week, former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato and former EU commissioner Emma Bonino outlined a credible alternative to the current approach. Both the financial and car sectors should be declared in a state of crisis, they argue. Then, two task forces of national officials should be set up and chaired by the commission. Their mandate would be to co-ordinate state aid, making sure that national measures re-inforce each other to the greater benefit of the sectors concerned and avoid bending competition rules, they said. It is doubtful whether member state governments would agree to such a project, however.

Eurozone problems

The single market is not the only EU pillar currently under threat. While the euro celebrated its 10th anniversary last month and welcomed Slovakia as its newest member, the eurozone itself has been put under great pressure by the unfolding crisis.One of the biggest issues is spread in rates offered on government bonds. Markets have grown increasingly uneasy over ballooning government deficits in recent weeks, prompting investors to demand higher yields when buying sovereign debt from EU states whose finances are perceived as vulnerable. The subsequent rise in borrowing costs increases the threat of a national default, prompting the question of whether such an event could cause a current member to leave the eurozone. The probability of this split is zero. The list of members to join the euro is very long, Mr Almunia told MEPs on Monday in an apparent attempt to quash such speculation. Mr Lannoo has a more nuanced approach. Every country will ask itself: Is it better that I stay inside [the eurozone] or is it better that I go outside? he said, referring to the cheaper financing of public debt enjoyed by euro members versus the option of currency devaluation enjoyed by non-members.

Euro-bond idea

In the meantime, calls for a euro-bond, first suggested by Italian finance minister Giulio Tremonti, are likely to go unanswered, with Germany baulking at the idea of picking up the bill. Yields on a common euro-bond used by all eurozone states would be significantly lower than those currently paid by a number of peripheral countries, as the risk of a eurozone default is highly unlikely. However euro-bond yields would probably exceed those currently paid by Germany. Instead, member states could start by co-ordinating their bond issuance calendars to reduce competition between countries attempting to raise capital. To some, greater co-ordination at the EU level would seem to be a solution for much of the EU's current woes but it is hard to see where this would come from.

Prague courts Obama for April visit
VALENTINA POP 17.02.2009 @ 09:29 CET

With less than two months to go until the new US president's first visit to Europe, Czech officials are pushing for an EU-US meeting to be held in Prague.It's our impression that the new administration doesn't just care about the fat cats - Germany, France and Britain - but they care about the small countries, too, Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, told the International Herald Tribune newspaper.It's important that the United States also do this in a country that 20 years ago belonged to the Soviet pact, he added. Mr Schwarzenberg noted that an Obama visit to Prague would be an important message to Moscow, which continues to view the Czech Republic and Poland as part of an eastern zone.During his trip to Europe, Mr Obama will first go to London on 2 April, where he will attend the Group of 20 large industrialized countries (G20) meeting scheduled to discuss overhauling the global financial system.On 3 to 4 April, he will be in Strasbourg (France) and two towns in Germany - Kehl and Baden-Baden - for a NATO summit marking the alliance's 60th anniversary and France's full re-integration into its military structures.With UK, France and Germany ticked off, the Czechs are hoping that Mr Obama will also head to their country for an informal top-level meeting with EU leaders.After cheering Mr Obama's November victory, European leaders soon found out that the new administration in Washington had other priorities than the old continent. In his first hours in office, Mr Obama telephoned Middle Eastern leaders, breaking the tradition of calling Europe first. It was only three days later that the US president picked up the phone to London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow.Mr Obama's foreign policy choices are also reflected in his secretary of state's visit to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China this week, again, ahead of the traditional European visit.US vice-president Joseph Biden, however, did visit Europe on 7 and 8 February, to take part in the annual Munich security conference, where he met German chancellor Merkel, French president Sarkozy and EU commission president Barroso. Mr Schwarzenberg was also present.

World markets tumble on fears about US stimulus package Global markets retreated yesterday on concerns that President Barack Obama's $787bn (£551bn) fiscal stimulus plan will not be as effective as first thought. By James Quinn in New York and Yvette Essen in London 11:10PM GMT 17 Feb 2009

The fears sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging to bear-market lows not seen since last November.The Dow tumbled by 3.79pc to close within half of one point of its November 20 low of 7552.29, which marked the bottom of the current bear-market – closing down 297.81 points at 7552.60. The benchmark index – which was closed on Monday for the Presidents' Day holiday – was pushed lower by General Motors, down 12.8pc on fears about its future viability ahead of filing an interim restructuring report with the US Treasury. Major banks also helped drag the Dow lower, with Citigroup off 12.3pc and Bank of America down 12pc on renewed nationalisation fears and higher-than-expected delinquency rates at credit card providers Capital One and American Express. The broader S&P 500 index closed down 37.67 points to 789.17 – below the 800-point level for the first time since November, as a survey said that manufacturing had contracted at the fastest pace on record.Thomas Lee, a JP Morgan analyst, reflected the markets' fears about the $787bn stimulus plan: The concern that's really emerging now is if it's going to be a large enough programme to jolt the economy back into expansion. We don't think the recession's over until at least the middle of the year, and that's starting to seem very early.

In London, the benchmark FTSE 100 index spent the entire trading session in the red –falling to 3995.4 at one stage – before managing to recoup some of its losses to close down 100.62 points at 4034.13. The FTSE 250, which is seen as more representative of the British economy, retreated 196.16 points to 6265.71. While the FTSE 100 closed above 4,000, Jimmy Yates, a trader at CMC Markets, said failure to hold this level would be critical. If we close below these levels it's going to raise questions about just how much lower the markets can go. Investors instead sought refuge in gold, which hit a seven-month high.

Worst Is Yet to Come:Americans' Standard of Living Permanently Changed Feb 17, 2009 12:53pm EST by Aaron Task in Investing, Recession
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/176478/%22Worst-Is-Yet-to-Come%3A%22-Americans-Standard-of-Living-Permanently-Changed

There's no question the American consumer is hurting in the face of a burst housing bubble, financial market meltdown and rising unemployment. But the worst is yet to come,according to Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, who believes American's standard of living is undergoing a permanent change - and not for the better as a result of:

An $8 trillion negative wealth effect from declining home values.
A $10 trillion negative wealth effect from weakened capital markets.
A $14 trillion consumer debt load amid exploding unemployment, leading to exploding bankruptcies.The average American used to be able to borrow to buy a home, send their kids to a good school [and] buy a car, Davidowitz says. A lot of that is gone.

Going forward, the veteran retail industry consultant foresees higher savings rate and people trading down in both the goods and services they buy - as well as their aspirations.The end of rampant consumerism is ultimately a good thing, he says, but the unraveling of an economy built on debt-fueled spending will be painful for years to come.

Eastern European currencies crumble as fears of debt crisis grow Currencies have crumbled across Eastern Europe on mounting fears of a debt crisis as foreign creditors withdraw from the region. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 7:23AM GMT 17 Feb 2009

Hungary’s forint fell to an all-time low on Monday, and Poland’s zloty slumped to the lowest in five years on plunging industrial output. Half of all loans to the private sector in Poland are in foreign currencies so borrowers face a severe debt shock after the 40pc fall of the zloty against the euro since August. We’re nearing the level were things could get out of hand, said Hans Redeker, currency chief strategist at BNP Paribas. The mushrooming crisis has already started to spill over into Germany's debt markets, lifting credit default swaps on German five-year bonds to a record 70 basis points. The gap between French and German CDS spreads has narrowed abruptly for the first time since the credit crisis began. Investors are beginning to ask whether Germany is going to have to pay for the rescue of Eastern and Central Europe, he said. A report by Moody’s released on Tuesday said the region’s banks were coming under severe stress as the property bust combines with a rising debt burden. Local currency depreciation is a major risk to East Europe banks,it said. There are contagion worries for Western banks that have lent $1.74 trillion (£1.22bn) to the ex-Soviet bloc -- split between $1 trillion in foreign loans and $700bn in local currency debt through subsidiaries. Austria’s banks are the most exposed with the share of risk-weighted assets tied to the region reaching 54pc for Raffeisen and 38pc for Erste Bank. The exposure of Germany’s Bayern Bank is 48pc, Italy’s UniCredit is 45pc, and Swedbank is 29pc.

The region needs to roll over $400bn in foreign debts this year, equivalent to a third of total GDP, raising concerns that it may need a massive rescue programme from the International Monetary Fund and the European institutions. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF’s chief, said he expected a second wave of countries to come knocking after earlier bail-outs of Latvia, Hungary, Ukraine, and Belarus -- as well as Iceland and Pakistan. The fund is scrambing to raise more money to cover the possible eruption of major crises in several countries simultaneously. The Japanese have already agreed to supply an extra $200bn. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says East Europe may need as much as €400bn (£358bn) in help this year to refinance loans and inject fresh capital into the banking system. Austrian-led efforts to create to a pan-EU fighting fund to tackle the crisis early have garnered little support so far.

GM, Chrysler seek more govt aid, to cut more jobs By TOM KRISHER and KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writers FEB 17,09

DETROIT – General Motors and Chrysler said Tuesday their request for federal aid ballooned to a staggering $39 billion — only months after receiving billions in loans — in new plans that envision massive job losses and intense restructuring to survive a deepening recession.General Motors Corp. presented a survival plan that calls for cutting a total of 47,000 jobs globally and closing five more U.S. factories, a move that represents the largest work force reduction announced by a U.S. company in the economic meltdown. Chrysler LLC said it will cut 3,000 more jobs and stop producing three vehicle models.The grim reports came as the United Auto Workers union said it had reached a tentative agreement with GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. on contract changes. Concessions with the union and debt-holders were a condition of the government bailout.GM said it could need up to $30 billion from the Treasury Department, up from a previous estimate of $18 billion. That includes $13.4 billion the company has already received. The world's largest automaker said it could run out of money by March without new funds and needs $2 billion next month and another $2.6 billion in April.We have a lot of work to do, GM Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said. We're still going at this with a great sense of urgency.

GM's request includes a credit line of $7.5 billion to be used if the downturn is more pronounced than expected. But the automaker claimed it could be profitable in two years and repay its loans by 2017.The requests pale in comparison to what it might cost taxpayers if GM or Chrysler go bankrupt, said Aaron Bragman, auto industry analyst for the consulting firm IHS Global Insight in Troy, Mich.These are not small, insignificant organizations, he said. These are the lifeblood of American manufacturing.The company looked into three bankruptcy scenarios, all of which would cost the government more than $30 billion, GM Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson said. The worst scenario would cost $100 billion because GM's revenue would severely drop, he said.Although little is known about whether people would buy cars from a bankrupt automaker, some research suggests that sales fall off a cliff, Henderson said.Chrysler LLC requested $5 billion in new loans on top of the $4 billion it received in December. That's $2 billion more than expected.Both requests were part of restructuring plans the two automakers owed the government in exchange for earlier loans.Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who will lead an Obama administration task force reviewing the plans, said his team would meet later this week to analyze the companies' plans and to solicit the full range of input from across the administration.Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford, which borrowed billions from private sources before credit markets tightened, has said it can make it through 2009without government help.GM and Chrysler plan to reduce the number of models they offer. GM raised the possibility its Saturn brand could be phased out and said its Swedish-based Saab unit could file bankruptcy this month.The restructuring plans must be vetted by the Obama administration's new autos team. President Barack Obama's top spokesman told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday that he wouldn't rule out bankruptcy for the Detroit automakers.The GM job cuts include 10,000 salaried and 37,000 blue-collar positions, amounting to 19 percent of its current global work force of 244,500. Jobs outside the U.S. account for 26,000 of the reductions.

The cuts would take place by the end of this year, and more would follow: The new plan has the U.S. work force declining from about 92,000 hourly and salaried employees at year-end 2008 to 72,000 by 2012. Wagoner said the new plan was significantly more aggressive than the one presented to the government on Dec. 2 because the global economy and auto sales had deteriorated swiftly. Chrysler had 54,007 employees at the end of 2008, so Tuesday's cuts would equal about 6 percent of its work force. Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler said it now projects that automakers will sell 10.1 million vehicles in the U.S. this year, the lowest level in four decades.We have continued to see an unprecedented decline in the automotive sector, Chrysler Chief Executive Bob Nardelli said. Chrysler will eliminate the Dodge Aspen, Durango and Chrysler PT Cruiser, company president Jim Press said. The Aspen and Durango, both large sport utility vehicles, have sold poorly while the PT Cruiser, released to much fanfare in 2000 due to its retro look, has also slumped in sales.Detroit-based GM said it plans to sell or spin-off its Saturn brand. If those attempts are unsuccessful, GM will phase it out by 2011. GM is discussing the sale of its Hummer division and could complete the talks by March. The automaker has also sought buyers for its Saab unit. Selling or eliminating those brands would leave GM to focus on Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick, with Pontiac reduced to one or two models.GM would also reduce the number of vehicle models, dropping the nameplates from 48 in 2008 to 36 by 2012, four fewer models than in the December plan. All of GM's major U.S. vehicle launches from 2009 to 2014 would be high-mileage cars and crossovers.Details were unveiled the same day President Barack Obama signed into law a massive economic recovery plan. Signs that the recession was deepening were more immediate for investors, however, and they dumped stocks and pushed oil prices sharply lower.The UAW said discussions were continuing regarding the union-run trust fund that will take on retiree health care expenses starting next year. Terms of the union deal were not announced, but they were expected to eliminate the jobs bank in which laid-off workers get most of their pay, as well as changes that make the companies' labor costs competitive with their Japanese counterparts that have U.S. factories.The changes will help these companies face the extraordinarily difficult economic climate in which they operate, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement.

GM Chief Financial Officer Ray Young said the company hopes to exchange two-thirds of its roughly $28 billion in unsecured bond debt by the end of March. Bondholders, he said, signed a letter saying that they were making progress with the company.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she was hopeful the plans would help lead to the transformation of our domestic automobile industry into a viable, technologically advanced, and globally competitive manufacturing force.AP Auto Writers Dan Strumpf in New York and Kimberly S. Johnson in Detroit contributed to this story. Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas reported from Washington.

Obama wants to reopen NAFTA but keep trade flowing By Randall Palmer FEB 17,09

OTTAWA (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he still wants to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement, despite a warning from Canada that this would be a mistake, but he said he did not want to end up curbing trade.In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, shortly before his visit to Ottawa on Thursday, Obama also declined to characterize oil from Canada's vast oil sands region as dirty oil which should somehow be curtailed.Obama had alarmed Canada during the Democratic primaries last year when he advocated renegotiating NAFTA, and he reiterated this goal on Tuesday while recognizing these were sensitive economic times.As I've said before, NAFTA, the basic framework of the agreement, has environmental and labor protections as side agreements. My argument has always been that we might as well incorporate them into the full agreement so that they're fully enforceable, he said in the interview with CBC television.However, he also said: I think there are a lot of sensitivities right now because of the huge decline in world trade.Obama noted there was $1.5 billion in trade between Canada and the United States every day, adding: It is not in anybody's interest to see that trade diminish.When Obama raised the issue of toughening up NAFTA on the campaign trail a year ago, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said if Washington made the mistake of opening the agreement, Ottawa would bring other issues to the table for renegotiation.Later in the year Harper said Canada's energy exports to the United States would enable it to negotiate from a position of strength.The energy industry and environmentalists are watching Obama carefully for any moves that might damage Canada's oil sands sector, which offers huge reserves of secure crude but produces high emissions of greenhouse gases.

Obama acknowledged that oil sands create a big carbon footprint but he said the United States and Canada should collaborate on ways to sequester carbon, preventing it from being emitted into the atmosphere.Ultimately, I think this can be solved by technology. I think that it is possible for us to create a set of clean energy mechanisms that allow us to use things not just like oil sands, but also coal, he said.The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal, but we have our own home-grown problems in terms of dealing with a cheap energy source that creates a big carbon footprint.A Canadian official indicated to Reuters that it was possible that an agreement between Harper and Obama to present a common front on pursuing clean energy could emerge from Thursday's meeting.A U.S. environmentalist, reacting on Tuesday to Obama's comparison of coal and the oil sands, said a key difference was that development of the oil sands was growing.It's really that expansion that's of great concern, said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz of Natural Resources Defense Council.

Any kind of special exemption or protection that would be given under greenhouse gas regulations for especially the expanding tar sands industry just seems to be totally at odds with the commitment that both of our countries have made to fight global warming.In his interview, Obama also praised Canada's management of its financial system in contrast to the United States.I think that's important for us to take note of, that it's possible for us to have a vibrant banking sector, for example, without taking some of the wild risks that have resulted in so much trouble on Wall Street, he said. And he said Canadians should not be too concerned by the buy American clause in the stimulus bill he just signed. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Jones in Calgary; editing by Rob Wilson)

Tuesday, February 17. 2009 Symposium Planned To Discuss Implementation of Nationwide Mileage-Based Taxing System By Harold Gray

LINKS TO STORY
http://tti.tamu.edu/conferences/mbuf09/program.htm
http://tti.tamu.edu/
http://justgetthere.us/blog/archives/States-Consider-Mileage-Tax.html
http://justgetthere.us/blog/archives/Statewide-Poll-NC-Mileage-Tax-Is-Unpopular-Idea.html
http://justgetthere.us/blog/archives/Nevada-Looking-To-Replace-Gas-Tax
-With-Mileage-Tax.html
http://justgetthere.us/blog/archives/Obama-Transition-Team-Examines-Congestion-Tax.html

JustGetThere | Public officials from several states are gathering in Austin, Texas this April for a symposium to discuss the implementation of a nationwide, mileage-based taxing system to replace the gas tax.Spearheaded by the Texas Transportation Institute, this symposium will feature representatives from several state transportation departments such as, Oregon, Minnesota and Texas. Over the course of this two day event, several panel sessions are planned to discuss past, current and upcoming pilot studies for the mileage tax, legislative and policy issues, public acceptance challenges, potential technology applications, and institutional issues.

Several states across the nation, are seeking to implement a mileage tax for drivers to generate more tax revenue, some states are even talking about having gas and mileage taxes. The idea of a tax by the mile GPS system, being monitored and maintained by state or federal governments is about as Orwellian as you can get, and is extremely unpopular according to several polls.The proponents reasoning behind the mileage tax, is that states have lost tax revenue from the transition to higher fuel efficient cars by the public. We have been pushed towards green cars by government and man-made global warming alarmist, in order to reduce our carbon footprint, as well as our dependence on foreign oil. The drivers who have switched to higher fuel efficient cars will be rewarded by a new nationwide taxing and tracking grid that will give birth to another government bureaucracy. This will create the potential for more of the same corruption, privacy concerns and overbearing tax system that Americans are becoming all to familiar with. The technology that will be used is a RFID embedded sticker and GPS satellite boxes installed in all vehicles and gas stations. This type of system will require a total revamp of all fuel stations, along with the auto industry in order to make this happen. The hefty price tag for such a massive change in our transportation system will of course be somewhat funded by the federal government, but with strings attached. The government always has stipulations attached to the funds they relinquish to the states. So, the possibility exists that states who are not actively participating in the move for a nationwide system, will have transportation funding dropped. The Obama administration is seeking to transform the nations transportation system to this tax by mile model and has even sought advice from officials in the UK that are currently using it. The newly appointed Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood is also a big supporter of this idea as, stated on his blog.

Trials of this system began in Oregon in 2006 and were deemed a success by their Governor, Ted Kulongoski, who is pushing hard for state legislation in the upcoming session. In the 2007 test which lasted 10 months with 300 motorists at two service stations, drivers were taxed 1.2 cents per mile and were refunded the 24 cents a gallon state gas tax. When the motorists got to the pump, their vehicles connected to government computers informing them of the mileage (calculated via GPS tracking) and issuing tax. With the global financial crisis now affecting several states, lawmakers nationwide are promoting new bills to start the transition to a mileage tax. Although the move for a mileage tax has been in process for many years, now they can use the financial crisis as the excuse to push it onto the people. The biggest problem that lies before them is the publics reaction to the idea of being taxed by the mile. Creating an effective PR campaign, paid for by our taxes, will be crucial in order to sell this as a necessary and good move for the people. A tough sell, considering the publics confidence level of government, big brother aspects of the plan, a possibility of increased taxes on a already cash-strapped public and the potential for more mismanagement of funds and corruption by public officials.

Several examples I foresee include an initial increase of tax for every driver just to pay for this system, and a perceived penalty on those who chose to buy gas efficient cars. There could also be instances where an older person on a fixed income, who cannot afford a new car, will be taxed more using their older vehicle. The potential will also arise, with this per mile tax system, that some loopholes could be built in that could be exploited. Thus, enabling public officials to pay lower taxes or none at all, which has already occurred with the EZ Pass toll tag system. What about the potential lost revenue from other equipment that use gas such as, lawn mowers, weed eaters, dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, snowmobiles, generators, power washers, air compressors, forklifts, wood chippers, chain saws, leaf blowers, snow throwers, ice fishing drills, and boat motors to name a few. Although this would be hard to estimate, I'm sure this revenue will also be tacked onto the per mile tax.

The mileage tax will also have the ability to control your movements by creating peak and off peak hours which will yield different tax rates. Even driving on different days and areas within the state will yield different rates. I can also visualize scenarios in which the city or state will designate high congestion days, such as Thanksgiving and July 4th, or even hours of increased celebration such as New Years Eve to reduce the potential for drunk drivers on the road. Remember, it will all be pitched for your safety and the possibilities for continuous changes to the tax rate on a whim will be endless. Raising the gas tax is a common sense answer to the problem, but would eliminate the need for increased federal entanglement with the states, in turn limiting the growth of big government. This would also prevent the emergence of a centralized big brother system with the ability to tax, trace and track all movements by the people. Government always seeks to expand their power through crisis, and cement their control through legislation. Once they gain control, it is never relinquished and when their plan fails, the solution is always more money and control. We cannot afford to take another leap of faith and trust this regressive shift in the way we live our daily lives. If it's all about lost revenue from higher fuel efficient vehicles, why not just raise the gas tax.

Israel engaged in covert war inside Iran: report By Luke Baker Luke Baker – Tue Feb 17, 7:07 pm ET

LONDON (Reuters) – Israel is involved in a covert war of sabotage inside Iran to try to delay Tehran's alleged attempts to develop a nuclear weapon, a British newspaper said on Tuesday, quoting a former CIA agent and intelligence experts.An intelligence source in the Middle East told Reuters last year Israel planned to target Iranian nuclear scientists with letter bombs and poisoned packages and had set off explosions in Iran. Analysts offered similar accounts and said such tactics would be credible, but no confirmation has been available.Some analysts caution that reports of such a dirty war may form part of a psychological warfare campaign to unsettle Iran.The intelligence source told Reuters that Israeli agents were working with Western governments and firms doing business with Tehran, whose Islamist leadership is a sworn enemy of Israel but denies accusations its nuclear program has a military purpose.Israel's government, widely assumed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, declines all comment on such reports.Israel has launched a covert war against Iran as an alternative to direct military strikes against Tehran's nuclear program,Britain's Daily Telegraph said on Tuesday. It is using hitmen, sabotage, front companies and double agents to disrupt the regime's illicit weapons project, the experts say.Quoting intelligence experts and an unnamed former CIA agent, the newspaper said Israel's decapitation strategy had targeted members of Iran's atomic program, hoping to set back the country's nuclear ambitions without resorting to war.

SABOTAGE GOING ON

Meir Javendafar, an Iran expert at Meepas, a Middle East analysis group, told Reuters there were also reports Iran was being sold faulty equipment for its nuclear program, and that there were attempts to disrupt the electricity supply to Natanz, a uranium enrichment facility in central Iran.I think there is sabotage going on. It's a logical move and it makes sense in the game that is part of the overall struggle to disrupt Iran's nuclear ambitions, he said.As evidence of Israel's reported strategy, Iran watchers have pointed to events such as the death of Ardeshire Hassanpour, a nuclear scientist at the Isfahan uranium plant who died at home from apparent gas poisoning in 2007.The former CIA agent told the Telegraph: Disruption is designed to slow progress on the program, done in such a way they don't realize what's happening. The goal is delay, delay, delay until you can come up with some other solution.It's a good policy, short of taking them out militarily, which probably carries unacceptable risks.Asked about the newspaper report, Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, told Reuters: It is not our practice to comment publicly about these sorts of allegations, not in this situation, not in any situation.New U.S. President Barack Obama has taken a more diplomatic line with Tehran, quietening former Bush administration talk of a possible military strike against Iranian nuclear assets.Israeli leaders have been careful not to rule out their military options, though analysts question how far a new Israeli government, still to be formed after last week's parliamentary election, will be prepared to act without Washington's backing.Javendafar said there were indications several states were attempting to infiltrate Iran to disrupt nuclear development but also suggested much of the reported clandestine activity was more part of a psychological war than an actual one of sabotage.Numerous intelligence agencies are trying their best to do this. Not just Israel, but the Americans and many European spy agencies, he said. If it's true, then it's putting pressure on the Iranian program technically. Even if there's no truth to it, it's part of what is a massive psychological war against Iran's nuclear program ... It's ... much more affordable than sabotaging equipment.(Editing by Janet McBride)

EU citizenship concept to be fleshed out
VALENTINA POP 17.02.2009 @ 09:12 CET

EUOBSERVER/BRUSSELS – EU citizenship should mean freedom of movement, consular protection abroad and trans-national voting, but its enforcement depends on member states, European justice commissioner Jacques Barrot told a parliamentary committee on Monday (16 February).Although enshrined in the current treaties, EU citizenship still looks more like an imaginary concept, Mr Barrot said during a hearing in the parliament's civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee. He said the concept of EU citizenship would be fleshed out in the upcoming review of justice and home affairs policies nicknamed the 'Stockholm programme' in the second half of this year.Polish conservative MEP Urszula Gacek, the parliament's rapporteur on EU citizenship, highlighted that during the recent Mumbai bombings, several MEPs were literally standing in their pyjamas out on the streets, but were not able to receive help from the closest embassy of an EU country. If a European member of parliament does not manage to get consular protection, what about ordinary citizens? she asked.

But Ms Gacek admitted that some member countries with large diplomatic services, such as France, might feel reluctant to offer aid to EU nationals from smaller countries, fearing such provision could be abused.Additionally, consular protection differs from member state to member state, Ernesto Bianchi, a commission official for citizenship and fundamental rights, explained.Consular protection is mandatory for instance in Denmark, but it is provided only by courtesy in the United Kingdom, he pointed out.

Danger of reverse discrimination

Problems appeared also in the effects of freedom of movement for EU nationals, Mr Bianchi added.Sometimes it is difficult for national politicians to explain to their public why other nationals who travelled to a different EU country had more rights than the rest - a situation he called reverse discrimination.A Dane, for instance, when living and working in his home country, must follow Danish immigration law if he wants to marry a non-EU national and possibly face restrictions if the spouse has a suspicious record or has previously stayed in Denmark illegally.But if the Dane is living in Italy and marries the same non-EU national under Italian law, he is entitled to return to Denmark together with his spouse, due to the principle of freedom of movement, Mr Bianchi explained.Ms Gacek's draft report also criticises discrimination against EU citizens from other countries and urges the commission to take appropriate actions when inter-EU migrants are not able to enjoy their full rights as EU citizens.Member states and local authorities should facilitate transfer of vehicle registrations, recognition of insurance policies issued in another EU country, the transfer of medical records and maintain clear rules on the re-imbursement of medical expenses, the document reads.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

IS TONY BLAIR INTO NEW AGE OCCULT

EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)

REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

THE EU DICTATOR

REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS. 10 HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES ON THE SCENE BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR, COMES FROM 1 OF THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3 COUNTRIES RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT STARTED THE EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE 7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM SATAN,HE COMES FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION. JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE EARTH.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

THE EU DICTATOR AND FALSE POPE WILL BE WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER IN THE FUTURE.
NEW AGE WORLD RELIGION PARTS 1 TO 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZLEKZi14_Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm1iaUXh5Ic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtWczMGSt7E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUcyg4ggDoQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mZhBqog90U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOKu-Sfzqh4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLZVueqoF1E
ONE WORLD RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho0oYW4FvNM&feature=related

WORLD PROPHECY PREDICTION HAPPENINGS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISTRU_Ab6rM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93L3ku8yj_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDbZDXxIsEA
http://2012-comet.com/phpbb/2012/

DANIEL CHAPTER 2 WORLD EMPIRES AND (EU)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947HkrZsqW8
DANIEL CHAPTER 7 WORLD EMPIRES AND (EU)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCyug_YiZ3A
DANIEL CHAPTERS 8 (THE EU DICTATOR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i_G1ZroBqw
DANIEL CHAPTER 9 (ISRAELS HISTORY AND DICTATORS RULE)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxQ7NAF-B2E
DANIEL CHAPTER 11 (WARS THE DICTATOR WINS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vse4yuUUCRY

2 THESSALONIANS 2 (THE DICTATOR REVEALED TO EARTH AND WHAT HE DOES)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvRZ5M-AnIg

REV 6:1-2 (EU DICTATOR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqa7VslCiLI
REV 13:1-10 (EU DICTATOR) 11-18 (EU FALSE PROPHET)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7D4DPx8YYk
REV 17:1-18 (VATICAN FALSE CHURCH AND POPE)
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/64820/931222
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=revelation%20chapter%2017&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

WOW THE OTHER DAY WHEN I HAD THE FIRST STORY ON MY SITE ABOUT SARKOZY WANTING BLAIR TO BE 1ST EU PRESIDENT I NEVER KNEW THAT BLAIR WAS INTO THE NEW AGE OCCULT (IF THESE ALLIGATIONS) ARE TRUE TONY BLAIR IS A LEGITAMITE PERSON THAT COULD BE THE FUTURE DICTATOR AS THE FUTURE DICTATOR WILL BE A NEW AGE OCCULTIST SECRETLY.

TONY BLAIR JOINED THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE FUTURE EU WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE VATICAN DURING THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD OF DANIEL 9:27. AND TONY BLAIR IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE ISRAEL - ARAB PEACE PROCESS.

I JUST BELIEVE THE EU WORLD DICTATOR HAS TO BE A JEW, SO IF IT SOMEHOW COMES OUT THAT TONY BLAIRS PARENTS WERE SECRETLY JEWS AND TONY BLAIR IS JEWISH,HES RIGHT IN THEIR FOR THE FUTURE DICTATOR. ONLY TIME WILL TELL.THE RAPTURE OCCURS BEFORE THE DICTATOR IS REVEALED TO THE EARTH BUT IF THESE STORIES ARE NOT JUST LIES I GOT HERE THEN TONY BLAIR IS A CANDIDATE FOR THE CHARISMATIC EU WORLD DICTATOR.

Nicolas Sarkozy battling to get Tony Blair EU presidency February 10, 2009 — Stefan Fobes. President Blair: Former PM set to become EU chief as Sarkozy battles to win him the post 2.8.09 / Simon Walters & Peter Allen / Daily Mail

Tony Blair is poised to become the first President of Europe after it was confirmed that French leader Nicolas Sarkozy is determined to help him win the post.A senior aide to President Sarkozy told a private gathering of senior British and French politicians that he is to tell fellow EU leaders that Mr Blair is the only man who can help Europe stand up to the rest of the world.The remark by Alain Minc, a key member of Mr Sarkozy’s inner circle, is the second French blow to Gordon Brown’s standing in two days, coming after Mr Sarkozy said Mr Brown’s decision to combat the recession by cutting VAT was a mistake.Helpful friend: Nicolas Sarkozy wants Tony Blair to become the first EU President.Mr Minc, a political wheeler-dealer, entrepreneur and TV show host, was attending a meeting last month of the Franco British Colloque, a high-powered discussion group of British and French politicians, civil servants and opinion-formers.Members are under orders not to reveal the confidential discussions, but The Mail on Sunday has established that Mr Minc used the meeting to win support for Mr Sarkozy’s campaign to ensure Mr Blair becomes the President of Europe.The role is due to be created next year – but only if the EU’s controversial Lisbon Treaty is ratified in the autumn by Ireland and the Czech Republic, the two EU countries which have so far refused to do so.Mr Minc told the gathering, which was also attended by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon: When the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, Europe will move into a new phase. Europe will need a strong leader and Nicolas Sarkozy will nominate Tony Blair for the position.Mr Minc explained why Mr Sarkozy was determined to overcome opposition to Mr Blair from a handful of EU leaders, notably German chancellor Angela Merkel.

He said: We have to unite and say to Mrs Merkel that we cannot afford not to have Tony Blair, who will be a strong figurehead, is entirely respected around the world and will be a commanding leader at the helm of Europe.Mr Minc has been described by one commentator as France’s Peter Mandelson. Indeed, his AM Conseil consultancy has employed Lord Mandelson as an adviser in the past and the two are members of the Policy Network think-tank.Respected: Barack Obama watches Mr Blair speak in Washington last week.The conference took place in Versailles, days after Mr Blair visited Paris to chair a conference for Mr Sarkozy on the economic crisis, in what was seen as the latest part of a charm offensive to boost his chances of winning the EU presidency.Mr Blair paid glowing tribute to Mr Sarkozy’s recent performance in the rotating EU presidency, saying: ‘Under his leadership, Europe looked as if it were acting in concert.Mr Blair was referred to as Prime Minister Blair throughout – Mr Brown was not even invited.The post of President of the EU’s Council of Ministers will replace the current system under which the EU nations on a six-monthly basis. Supporters say it is the only way to give the presidency rotates among EU a strong voice.Critics claim it is another step on the road to a European superstate.

Publicly, Mr Blair says he is not campaigning for a job which does not even exist.
Privately, friends say he would relish it.Likewise, in public Mr Brown’s advisers say he is relaxed about the prospect.Privately, they admit it is a nightmare which would further diminish his status.Overshadowed: Mr Brown’s aides say Mr Blair’s appointment would be a nightmare.Mr Minc was not the only person at the conference to make provocative remarks about President Blair.Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, tipped to succeed Mr Brown as Labour leader, is in hot water after apparently backing the idea.Asked if Mr Blair was the right man for the job, Mr Purnell said: We need someone who is a world-respected statesman, has experience of being involved in intractable international issues like the Irish peace process, and, while being on the Centre Left, understands how the markets work and sparkles with charisma…As Mr Purnell, a close ally of Mr Blair, paused for effect, there were gasps from some in the audience who realised they were meant to think he was referring to Mr Brown’s predecessor.He then added: which is why I nominate Bill Clinton.The joke was not lost on fellow guests, who knew that, as an American, Mr Clinton is not eligible.A spokesman for Mr Purnell said: It was an after-dinner gag. He did not endorse Mr Blair.

Tony Blair turns Catholic in private ceremony By Patrick Hennessy and Jonathan Wynne-Jones Last Updated: 1:55AM GMT 24 Dec 2007

Tony Blair had declined to discuss his faith while he was prime minister
Tony Blair has caused fresh controversy by converting to Roman Catholicism less than six months after leaving office.The former prime minister ended years of speculation by being received into the Church in a private ceremony celebrated by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor at Westminster.His wife Cherie, who, like the couple's four children, is already a Catholic, was her husband's sponsor on Friday night.The timing and manner of Mr Blair's conversion attracted criticism. Anti-abortion campaigners said they would contact Mr Blair, now the West's Middle East peace envoy, to demand whether he had repented of his anti-life position. Mr Blair has voted in the Commons in favour of allowing abortion - contrary to the declared position of the Catholic Church. He has also backed Sunday trading - again in opposition to the Church.Mr Blair approached Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor in the spring with a view to joining the Church, The Sunday Telegraph has learned. Catholic sources said Mr Blair would have had to attend confession in the days leading up to his reception into the Church, in order to seek pardon for his sins. That may have involved decisions in his 10 years in power, such as leading Britain into war with Iraq in 2003.Ann Widdecombe, the Tory MP who converted to Catholicism in 1993, spoke out about Mr Blair's delay in following the same path. Commentators claim he would have converted years earlier were it not for his position as prime minister.

LINKS TO THE STORIES IN THIS STORY
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2002/dec/29/politicalcolumnists
http://www.prisonplanet.com/030804thelight.html
http://www.prisonplanet.com/Pages/Sept05/210905Blair_revelations.htm
http://warofillusions.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/nicolas-sarkozy-battling-
to-get-tony-blair-eu-presidency/
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/8558
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1573453/Tony-Blair-turns-
Catholic-in-private-ceremony.html
VIDEOS
http://reuters.viewdle.com/video?pid=84ce50397d0356682d7147841dfcface&vid=210-MIDEAST-BLAIR_PERESSTATMENT-1185274386.mpg

Blair revelations reiterate elite occult obsession Remember the Aztec Re-birthing rituals and channeling the light? Steve Watson | September 21 2005

This week's revelations in the London Independent about the obsessive new age activities of the Blairs reveal nothing new but serve to reiterate how our leaders are fascinated by bizarre practices, odd ceremonies and rituals that any right minded person would find eerily occultist, certainly beyond the level an elected so called Christian leader should be engaging in.Witchcraft and nail clippings: the weird world of Cherie Blair? Read the Independent article here.Such was the eyebrow-raising nature of the claims made in Tony And Cherie, A Special Relationship that Downing Street issued a forthright denial. Writes the Independent.So the Blairs are contending that all these claims are simply false, which is surprising given that in the past many mainstream media outlets have reported on their engagement in strange practices, were those all made up too? Among the milder activities Cherie Blair is said to have taken jars of her own and her husband's hair and nail clippings to health guru who dowsed the jars by waving a pendulum over them to detect poisons and blockages that could affect the Blairs.Supposedly the guru told Cherie Blair that his pendulum could tell her when it was a good time or bad time to make major decisions.According to encyclopedia site Everything2.com, the pendulum ...has been used for centuries in fortune-telling and as an occult device for communicating with spirits and ghosts. The seemingly spontaneous swings or rotations of the pendulum are seen as coded signals from the World Beyond.

Of course, this is not the first time we have heard of the Blairs' penchant for making major decisions via bizarre practices. In 2004 the London Times reported on the fact that Tony Blair had made political decisions based on new age readings of a hidden force called The Light.Whether the term The Light does or does not represent Lucifer, as it is commonly known, is an afterthought. The fact that The Prime Minister of Britain, who has made the call to partake in multiple armed conflicts around the world since 1997, makes political decisions by channeling anything is beyond the pale.The new Book also reveals how Cherie Blair has borrowed a practice from white witchcraft and on a regular basis casts a circle, a deeply symbolic act in magic, to create sacred space.Another revelation details how Blair himself always keeps a gray velvet pouch in his breast pocket. It contains a small piece of red ribbon and a piece of rolled up paper. Even his closest advisors do not know its significance, but he cannot operate without it. In 2001 The London Observer (5th Paragraph), the London Times (2nd story) and the Edmonton Journal among others reported on the Blair family holiday on the Mexican Riviera, during which the Prime Minister and his wife went through a hybrid New Age/Mayan rebirthing ritual.The Blairs stood outside a brick pyramid on the hotel's grounds and bowed toward each point of the compass while chanting to each of the four winds. The Pyramid and the compass are of course both ancient elite symbols that have been adopted by secret societies such as the Freemasons in more recent times.They then moved around the outside of the pyramid, one façade at a time, praying first to the Mayan symbols of the sun and baby lizards, signifying spring and childhood. They then prayed to another wall, on which a bird was painted, representing adolescence, summer and freedom. One a third was a crab for maturity and autumn, and finally a serpent for winter and transformation. Before emerging from the pyramid, the Blairs were instructed to give voice to their hopes and fears and then undergo a rebirth. This involved smearing each other with Mayan fruits and mud and exiting a womb in the pyramid whilst violently screaming.

This all sounds bizarre and incredible, you couldn't make it up. Yet we have seen again and again how elite figures are obsessed with these kinds of activities. We have a full archive and Alex has infiltrated and made a full length feature film on the occult rituals that take place on an annual basis at the elite hideaway at the Bohemian Grove. The Grove is a private 2,700 acre redwood retreat on the Russian River in Sonoma County, California. Described as the Greatest Men's Party on Earth, the members of the Bohemian Club and international elites have been gathering in their redwoods for over 100 years. Regular visitors include the Bushes, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Newt Gingrich, whilst past luminaries have included Former Presidents Regan and Nixon, together BEFORE they had even taken office.Nixon is even on record questioning the activities at the Grove, making reference to the debase, decadent attitude as well as the homosexual activity there.The most famous ritual that occurs at the Grove every year is the Symbolic Pagan Worship of Molech–the god of Child Sacrifice. A bound effigy is burned in a Cremation of Care ceremony under a 40ft Stone Owl. Remember that political figureheads from around the world attend this sacrifice ceremony. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder wrote of his fondness for the Grove ceremonies in his Biography Men and Power. If your neighbours were doing this in their back yard wouldn't you be slightly concerned? These people are making decisions that have global repercussions.A copy of a Bohemian Grove Play we obtained reiterates the obsession of the place with worship of mystical entities and rebirth, as well as hate and death.Those in the play who have renounced goodness and love worship The Great Hate Chief who rules with iron fist and without conscience. The Great Hate Chief becomes embroiled in a struggle with forces of goodness and conscience that reside beyond the Grove.On the reverse of the 1914 publication appears the ancient Swastika symbol, which was later adopted by the German National Socialist Party under Hitler.

Swastika is a compound of su -- a particle meaning auspicious,blessed,virtuous,beautiful,and rightly; and astika derived from the verb-root as -- to be; hence that which is blessed and excellent.The Swastika is a very archaic and sacred symbol which can be found in the religious relics of every ancient nation, for it depicts the whole story of the cosmos and man, their contrasting dual aspects, the four directions of space, the revolution of worlds, cyclic progression, and the union of spirit and matter at the heart of things. In H. P. Blavatsky's words: Within its mystical precincts lies the master-key which opens the door of every science, physical as well as spiritual. It symbolizes our human existence, for the circle of life circumscribes the four points of the cross, which represent in succession birth, life, death, and IMMORTALITY. -- The Secret Doctrine,II, 556-7 As such it's also the sign of the circular movement, the sign of rebirth. It also signifies those who knew about reincarnation (Samsara), who spread all over the world and where they stayed they exerted their influence.

The Elite seem to be obsessed with the idea of rebirth and everlasting cycles, both ancient Pagan themes.At the beginning of the twentieth century, the swastika was a common symbol of German nationalism and could be found in a multitude of places such as the emblem for the Wandervogel, a German youth movement; on Joerg Lanz von Liebenfels' antisemitic periodical Ostara; on various Freikorps units; and as an emblem of the Thule Society. The Thule society was The German Brotherhood of Death Society. Adolf Hitler joined this society in 1919, becoming an adept under the leadership of Dietrich Eckhart. The US branch of this Brotherhood of Death is known as Skull and Bones, members of which include Both Bushes and recent Democratic nominee John kerry. Skull and Bones itself is an offshoot of the Bohemian Grove.We have covered reports in the mainstream media over the years that have exposed the bizarre occult initiation rituals that Skull and Bones members have to go through. Such rituals include lying naked in coffins, mock throat slitting and screaming THE HANGMAN EQUALS DEATH! THE DEVIL EQUALS DEATH! DEATH EQUALS DEATH!

This obsession with the occult and death is a running theme. Clearly our so called leaders have a taste for this kind of thing that runs much deeper than some sort of new age mumbo jumbo curiosity. Going back to the Blairs, why would they deny all such activities on their part should it just be new age experimentation? It seems that with absolute power comes an urge to tap into the dark side of humanity and any kind of underworld that lies beyond. It is therefore not surprising that our so called leaders and decision makers that have led us into a period of intense conflict and disharmony around the world are the same people who pander to and in many cases engage in such dark occult activities.Blair made political decisions based on new age reading of a hidden force called The Light London Times | March 8 2004.In light of the damaging revelations of Blair's former business partner, Peter Foster, the Times of London today reported on Foster's allegations of the nature of Blair's relationship with his former style guru,Carole Caplin.

The article stated,

Foster also claims Blair phoned Caplin on returning from a visit to George W Bush in April 2002. She told me Tony said that war against Iraq was inevitable.In the article in Vanity Fair, Foster claims that when Blair has had clashes with Gordon Brown he has sought advice from Caplin, who got her mother Sylvia to do a new age reading involving a hidden force called The Light. Foster said: Tony would call and Carole would say, I'll ask mum to channel on this and ring you back. Then she'd call back and say, You must not confront him on this. Now isn't the right time.,The revelation that Blair channelled the light (Lucifer?) and based political decisions on it is unsurprising in light of the past history of world leaders' fascination with the occult.

Popping the questionsLove, lies, war and corruption... do you really know what went on in 2002? Nick Cohen guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 December 2002 01.04 GMT
In the interval between the war against terrorism and the war against Iraq, we've had to find what diversions we can in the collapse of global capitalism and unchecked political corruption and religious mania. The following questions are meant to test your attention levels. A score of fewer than 5 means, I'm afraid, that you are banned from reading The Observer and sentenced to listen to The Moral Maze for the rest of your life. Ten or higher is more than creditable. The only possible way to get full marks is to have your paper marked by an A-Level exam board.
The Age of Miracles

1 Which company chairman bankrolled Republicans, Democrats, Blairites and Tories and then told the San Diego Union-Tribune : I believe in God and I believe in free markets... Jesus was a freedom lover, he wanted people to have the freedom to make choices?

2 Did he really add that he expected to go to heaven because God would see my total life as a businessman, the way I treated people, the opportunities I've created for people and the standards of living that have been impacted for the better?

3 According to Jack Temple, Cherie Blair's homeopathic dowser healer, the leaves of which plant allow the lame to walk, the barren to conceive and the sad to smile if, and only if, they capture the healing energies of the stars by being planted within the boundaries of his allegedly neolithic stone circle at West Byfleet near Woking?

4 With Christmas over many readers will be planning to imitate the Blairs by visiting the fake Aztec pyramid in the grounds of the Mamora Hotel on Mexico's Caribbean coast. After you and your companion have stripped down to your swimming costumes and gazed on the shapes of phantom animals in the steam, what should you smear each other with before emitting a primal scream of psychic rebirth?

5 Which ally of George Bush accepted the mythical Israeli claim to Palestine when he declared I'm content to have Israel grab the entire West Bank?

6 How much space did a senior American politician's endorsement of the creation of Israeli Lebensraum receive in the American press?

7 The state television of which moderate Arab country is educating viewers by presenting them a serialisation of Jewish plans to rule the world, as revealed in the anti-Semitic forgery, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion?

8 According to a poll for the Today programme, what percentage of British Muslims believe that an al-Qaeda attack on Britain would be justified?

9 What did Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Dutch citizen and Muslim adviser to the country's Labour Party, have to do after she said orthodox Islam covered up wife-beating child abuse and other assaults on women?

10 Which pious British politician said Christian fundamentalists produced very good exam results and therefore must be allowed to continue to teach creationism at the state-financed Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead?

Orders of Merit

11 Which British social reformer who died this year invented the concept of 'the meritocracy' in a 1958 dystopian fantasy about the rise of an insufferably smug elite which believes their advancement comes from their own merits' and tolerates no block on the rewards they arrogate to themselves?

12 How did this co-author of the 1945 Labour Manifesto respond to the spectacle of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown declaring themselves meritocrats and accepting grievous inequality without a bleat?

13 The basic salary of a trained fire officer is £21,000. To the nearest year, for how many years would a fire officer have to save the lives of others before he earned: (i) The £754,000 salary and benefits of Paul Dacre, the editor-in-chief of the Mail newspapers which condemned the fat cat pay of Andy Gilchrist, the leader of the Fire Brigades Union?(ii) The £14.7 million in Associated Press shares Dacre will receive in 2008 if the papers maintain their performance? (iii) The £500,000 the Blairs spent on two flats for their son at the very moment they were denouncing fire-fighters as wreckers?(iv) The £157.7m Britain's highest paid executive, Philip Green of BHS, collected in 2002? (Reminder: No calculators allowed in this exam, children.)

14 In 2002 Gavyn Davies, the chairman of the BBC governors, denounced those who criticised the corporation's flight from public-service standards as southern, white and middle-class' elitists. To the nearest £10m or so how much did this ragged-trousered and furnace-scarred tribune of the slum-towns' ethnic yoof make when his partnership in the Goldman Sachs investment bank was sold?

15 Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian businessman, gave £125,000 to New Labour. Tony Blair lobbied to win his steel company a £300m contract in Romania. This appeared to be an open-and-shut case of corruption. Blair maintained, however, that he had done nothing wrong because the company was British. All he had done was work the phones to protect British jobs. (i) In which country is Mittal's LMN steel company registered for tax purposes? (ii) How many of LMN's 125,000 workers are employed in Britain? (iii) What was LMN's American arm lobbying George Bush to do?

16 The Tory peer Lord Wakeham was on the Enron board. His tasks included approving the accounts of a company which was about to go bust in one of the biggest frauds in capitalist history and offering advice on how to handle the media. He was also chairman of the Press Complaints Commission. In addition, Blair made him chairman of the Royal Commission on the future of the House of Lords which told a grateful PM the British didn't deserve an elected second chamber. How many other directorships did His Lordship enjoy before his disgrace?

17 How did Tony Blair respond to George Bush's signing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act earlier this year which required executives and auditors to submit honest accounts?

Liberty For and Against

18 Apologists for al-Qaeda have argued that mass murders were inchoate protests against US-inspired genocide from Vietnam to Chile. American authorisation of Indonesia's invasion of East Timor was mentioned repeatedly. How did al-Qaeda let the comrades down when it gave its reasons for supporting the massacre of Australians in Bali?

19 Which novelist wrote in his account of how Stalin was a very wicked man that the noise of his baby daughter crying had forced him to call for the nanny? (The sounds she was making, I said unsmilingly to my wife on her return, would not have been out of place in the deepest cellars of the Butyrki Prison in Moscow during the Great Terror.)

20 Which left-wing Labour MP denounces sanctions against Iraq now it is Britain's and America's enemy but called for no trade, no aid, no deals with the fascist Saddam in 1988 when Iraq was Britain's and America's friend?

21 Who condemned the Human Rights Act because it encouraged people to take up causes which will make the pursuit of a sane, civilised and ordered existence ever more difficult?

22 Isn't he meant to keep his nose out of politics?

23 Which ferocious journalist responded to the rise of the neo-Nazi British National Party by ignoring all evidence of the party's criminality and contenting himself with the following interrogation? Interviewer: Mr Griffin, let me ask you a simple question: if one of your children fell in love with a Muslim or an Asian, what would you do? Griffin (leader of the BNP): I would be very unhappy about it because I do see two very different lives with their own heritage and their own culture being destroyed. Interviewer (turning into Gwyneth Paltrow): Do you think that's a greater consideration than the fact that they might be in lurv?

24 How many of the 11 Arabs interned after 11 September without trial or charge have managed to confound David Blunkett's assertions that they are terrorists despite their denial of basic legal rights?

The answers

1 Kenneth Lay of Enron 2 Yes 3 The strawberry 4 Melon, papaya and mud 5 Dick Armey, Republican leader in the House of Representatives 6 Scarcely a paragraph 7 Egypt 8 Eight per cent 9 Run for her life 10 Blair 11 (Lord) Michael Young 12 I have been sadly disappointed 13 (i) 36; (ii) 700; (iii) 24; (iv) 7,510 14 Estimates vary between £100m and £170 million so you ought to have got this one 15 (i) The Dutch Antilles; (ii) 100; (iii) Keep British steel out of the US 16 18 17 He lobbied Bush to exempt UK companies 18 Australia was being punished for its despicable effort to liberate East Timor from Indonesian rule 19 Martin Amis 20 Jeremy Corbyn 21 Prince Charles 22 I thought so too 23 Jeremy Paxman 24 Two so far.

Witchcraft and nail clippings: the weird world of Cherie Blair? London Independent/Cahal Milmo | September 20 2005

Even by the standards of the alternative therapies said to be used by Cherie Blair, submitting her husband's toenail clippings to a health guru's pendulum is taking her alleged New Age obsession to a higher level. Mrs Blair, a human rights lawyer, has long been the subject of claims about her fondness for weird and wonderful treatments, ranging from a Mayan rebirthing ceremony to eating strawberry leaves to cure swollen ankles.But a book published yesterday about the Blairs has taken tales of odd practices inside the prime ministerial household to new extremes.Such was the eyebrow-raising nature of the claims made in Tony And Cherie, A Special Relationship that Downing Street issued a forthright denial.The book, written by Paul Scott, a journalist, uses alleged conversations with members of the couple's entourage to paint a picture of Mrs Blair as ambitious and intelligent but in the thrall of a series of bizarre practices. Among the techniques said to be employed by Mrs Blair was to take jars containing hair and nail clippings belonging to herself and her husband to Jack Temple, a retired market gardener turned health guru.Temple, who died in 2004, is claimed to have dowsed the jars by waving a pendulum over them to detect poisons and blockages that could affect the Blairs.

Quoting a number of unnamed Blair court insiders, the book claims: Temple told Cherie that his pendulum could tell her when it was a good time or bad time to make major decisions.The author, who also makes lurid claims about the Blairs' sex life, said he had written the book because of the way the couple had sought to portray themselves in the public eye.Scott, who has written for the Daily Mail, said: The Blairs have sold themselves as a ... sort of celebrity couple. It is important that in the face of this carefully-constructed image we know what goes on behind the scenes.The couple's relationship with Carole Caplin, the former glamour model turned lifestyle adviser, is also revisited in the book, which claims that Ms Caplin personally bathed Mrs Blair as part of her service.Scott also claims that Mrs Blair has been locked in a feud with the Princess Royal since they first met in the wake of Labour's election victory in 1997.The Prime Minister's wife is alleged to have said: Do call me Cherie, to which the Princess is said to have replied: Actually, let's not go that way; let's stick to Mrs Blair.When they met again a few years later, the Princess is claimed to have turned her back on Mrs Blair, prompting her to remark: That bitch completely blanked me.Downing Street has reversed its usual policy of silence on the Blairs' private life to rubbish the claims. A spokeswoman said: This is a mixture of recycled gossip and pure fantasy; in particular the remarks about Mrs Blair and the Royal Family, which are totally untrue.

Tony Blair addresses Obama's first annual National Prayer Breakfast
By staff writers 5 Feb 2009 Array

Tony Blair was invited to deliver the keynote speech to the annual National Prayer Breakfast, President Obams first, in Washington DC this morning. [The full text follows]President Obama also announced the creation of an Advisory Council on Faith, and is naming Joshua DuBois (who ran the faith-based outreach efforts for his candidature) to head a renamed White House Office for Faith Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships. The Associated Press reports that the president will also today ask for a legal review of the White House faith-based office before deciding whether to allow federally funded religious groups to hire only their own.Obama is an active Christian, but also honours his Muslim and atheist family members. His inauguration address affirmed a mixed belief society, but also gave recognition to non-believers for the first time in such a speech. He favours a clear separation of church and state, but also sees a need to engage faith groups on his social agenda and in the area of public service. Ex British PM Tony Blair chose the occasion to speak about his own Foundation, the issue of religion in the world and the Middle East peace process in his address.In a personal talk, he referred to religion as a source of so much inspiration; an excuse for so much evil and said that all faiths should be oriented around the realisation that God's will was love, not conflict.

Tony Blair's speech in full

It is an honour to be here. A particular honour to be with you Mr. President. The world participated in the celebration of your election. Now the hard work begins. And now, also we should be as steadfast for you in the hard work as in the celebration. You don’t need cheerleaders but partners; not spectators but supporters. The truest friends are those still around when the going is toughest. We offer you our friendship today. We will work with you to make your Presidency one that shapes our destiny to the credit of America and of the world. Mr President, we salute you and wish you well.After 10 years as British Prime Minister, I decided to choose something easy. I became involved in the Middle East Peace Process.There are many frustrations – that is evident. There is also one blessing. I spend much of my time in the Holy Land and in the Holy City. The other evening I climbed to the top of Notre Dame in Jerusalem. You look left and see the Garden of Gethsemane. You look right and see where the Last Supper was held. Straight ahead lies Golgotha. In the distance is where King David was crowned and still further where Abraham was laid to rest. And of course in the centre of Jerusalem is the Al Aqsa Mosque, where according to the Qur’an, the Prophet was transported to commune with the prophets of the past.

Rich in conflict, it is also sublime in history. The other month in Jericho, I visited the Mount of Temptation. I think they bring all the political leaders there. My guide – a Palestinian – was bemoaning the travails of his nation. Suddenly he stopped, looked heaven wards and said Moses, Jesus, Mohammed: why did they all have to come here? It is a good place to reflect on religion: a source of so much inspiration; an excuse for so much evil.Today, religion is under attack from without and from within. From within, it is corroded by extremists who use their faith as a means of excluding the other. I am what I am in opposition to you. If you do not believe as I believe, you are a lesser human being.From without, religious faith is assailed by an increasingly aggressive secularism, which derides faith as contrary to reason and defines faith by conflict. Thus do the extreme believers and the aggressive non-believers come together in unholy alliance.And yet, faith will not be so easily cast. For billions of people, faith motivates, galvanises, compels and inspires, not to exclude but to embrace; not to provoke conflict but to try to do good. This is faith in action. You can see it in countless local communities where those from churches, mosques, synagogues and temples, tend the sick, care for the afflicted, work long hours in bad conditions to bring hope to the despairing and salvation to the lost. You can see it in the arousing of the world’s conscience to the plight of Africa.There are a million good deeds done every day by people of faith. These are those for whom, in the parable of the sower, the seed fell on good soil and yielded sixty or a hundredfold.

What inspires such people?

Ritual or doctrine or the finer points of theology? No.I remember my first spiritual awakening. I was ten years old. That day my father – at the young age of 40 – had suffered a serious stroke. His life hung in the balance. My mother, to keep some sense of normality in the crisis, sent me to school. My teacher knelt and prayed with me. Now my father was a militant atheist. Before we prayed, I thought I should confess this. I’m afraid my father doesn’t believe in God. I said. That doesn’t matter my teacher replied God believes in him. He loves him without demanding or needing love in return.That is what inspires: the unconditional nature of God’s love. A promise perpetually kept. A covenant never broken.

And in surrendering to God, we become instruments of that love.

Rabbi Hillel was once challenged by a pagan, who said: if you can recite the whole of the Torah standing on one leg, I will convert to being a Jew. Rabbi Hillel stood on one leg and said That which is hateful to you, do it not unto your neighbour. That is the Torah. Everything else is commentary. Go and study it.As the Qur’an states: if anyone saves a person it will be as if he has saved the whole of humanity.

Faith is not discovered in acting according to ritual but acting according to God’s will and God’s will is love. We might also talk of the Hindu Living beyond the reach of I and mine or the words of the Buddha after practising enlightenment you must go back to practise compassion or the Sikh scripture: God’s bounties are common to all. It is we who have created divisions.Each faith has its beliefs. Each is different. Yet at a certain point each is in communion with the other.Examine the impact of globalisation. Forget for a moment its rights and wrongs. Just look at its effects. Its characteristic is that it pushes the world together. It is not only an economic force. The consequence is social, even cultural. The global community – it takes a village as someone once coined it – is upon us. Into it steps religious faith. If faith becomes the property of extremists, it will originate discord. But if, by contrast, different faiths can reach out to and have knowledge of one another, then instead of being reactionary, religious faith can be a force for progress.The Foundation which bears my name and which I began less than a year ago is dedicated to achieving understanding, action and reconciliation between the different faiths for the common good. It is not about the faith that looks inward; but the faith that resolutely turns us towards each other. Bringing the faith communities together fulfils an objective important to all of us, believers and non-believers. But as someone of faith, this is not enough. I believe restoring religious faith to its rightful place, as the guide to our world and its future, is itself of the essence. The 21st Century will be poorer in spirit, meaner in ambition, less disciplined in conscience, if it is not under the guardianship of faith in God.

I do not mean by this to blur the correct distinction between the realms of religious and political authority. In Britain we are especially mindful of this. I recall giving an address to the country at a time of crisis. I wanted to end my words with God bless the British people. This caused complete consternation. Emergency meetings were convened. The system was aghast. Finally, as I sat trying to defend my words, a senior civil servant said, with utter distain: Really, Prime Minister, this is not America you know.Neither do I decry the work of humanists, who give gladly of themselves for others and who can often shame the avowedly religious. Those who do God’s work are God’s people.I only say that there are limits to humanism and beyond those limits God and only God can work. The phrase fear of God conjures up the vengeful God of parts of the Old Testament. But fear of God means really obedience to God; humility before God; acceptance through God that there is something bigger, better and more important than you. It is that humbling of man’s vanity, that stirring of conscience through God’s prompting, that recognition of our limitations, that faith alone can bestow.We can perform acts of mercy, but only God can lend them dignity. We can forgive, but only God forgives completely in the full knowledge of our sin.And only through God comes grace; and it is God’s grace that is unique.John Newton, who had been that most obnoxious of things, a slave-trader, wrote the hymn Amazing Grace.Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved.It is through faith, by the Grace of God, that we have the courage to live as we should and die as we must.When I was Prime Minister I had cause often to reflect on leadership. Courage in leadership is not simply about having the nerve to take difficult decisions or even in doing the right thing since oftentimes God alone knows what the right thing is.It is to be in our natural state – which is one of nagging doubt, imperfect knowledge, and uncertain prediction – and to be prepared nonetheless to put on the mantle of responsibility and to stand up in full view of the world, to step out when others step back, to assume the loneliness of the final decision-maker, not sure of success but unsure of it.And it is in that not knowing that the courage lies.

And when in that state, our courage fails, our faith can support it, lift it up, keep it from stumbling.As you begin your leadership of this great country, Mr President, you are fortunate, as is your nation, that you have already shown in your life, courage in abundance. But should it ever be tested, I hope your faith can sustain you. And your family. The public eye is not always the most congenial.I was reminded of this, as I waited in London in the snow to fly to America and made the mistake of reading a British newspaper. It was the very conservative Daily Telegraph. A few days ago I gave an interview in which I remarked how much cleverer my wife was than me. The Telegraph has a famous letters page. In it was a letter from a correspondent that read something like: Dear Sir, with reference to your headline Blair admits wife more intelligent than him, I fail to see why this is news. Most of us have known this for a long time. As a PS perhaps: the bar, however, has not been set high.I finish where I began: in the Holy Land, at Mount Nebo in Jordan, where Moses gazed on the Promised Land. There is a chapel there, built by pilgrims in the 4th Century. The sermon was preached by an American, who spent his life as an airline pilot and then, after his wife’s death, took holy orders. His words are the words of a Christian but they speak to all those of faith, who want God’s grace to guide their life.

He said this:

While here on earth, we need to make a vital decision ... whether to be mere spectators, or movers and shakers for the Kingdom of God... whether to stay among the curious, or take up a cross. And this means: no standing on the sidelines ... We’re either in the game or we’re not. I sometimes ask myself the question: If I were to die today, what would my life have stood for... The answer can’t be an impulsive one, and we all need to count the cost before we give an answer. Because to be able to say yes to one thing, means to say no to many others. But we must also remember, that the greatest danger is not impulsiveness, but inaction.It is fitting at this extraordinary moment in your country’s history that we hear that call to action; and we pray that in acting we do God’s work and follow God’s will. And by the way, God bless you all.

EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD)

IMPORTANT LINKS

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

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