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.
WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.
DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
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.
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.
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.
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.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
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:
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.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
MICROCHIP IMPLANTS DISCUSSED AT BILDERBERG MEETING
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AckRQRofS1M&feature=related
MICROCHIPING TROOPS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaLq0yhFgPI&feature=related
REAL ID
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH2WGhwoFFY&feature=related
REAL ID MICROCHIP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCI95vCauz8&feature=related
THE AIRFORCE WANTS YOUR LOV IMPLANTS FOOD,WATER,AIR
http://www.whale.to/b/palit.html
MICROCHIP MIND CONTROL
http://www.rense.com/general17/imp.htm
NA UNION AND RFID
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo&feature=related
CLUB OF ROME
http://www.clubofrome.org/eng/home/
BILDERBERGS
http://www.4rie.com/rie%203.html
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS (US)
http://www.cfr.org/
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS (EUROPE)
http://www.ecfr.eu/
TRILATERAL COMMISSION
http://www.trilateral.org/
IMF
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
IMF PRESS BRIEFING MAR 12,09
http://www.imf.org/external/mmedia/view.asp?eventID=1408
WORLD BANK
http://www.worldbank.org/
BILDERBERG SEEKS BANK CENTRALIZATION AGENDA JUNE 10,2008
http://nationalexpositor.com/News/1255.html
Intel Strike - Fresh off of the 2008 Bilderberg Meeting, it looks as if New York Federal Reserve president Timothy Geithner is set to push a new agenda in the world of central banking that was likely decided upon at Bilderberg. Geithner yesterday, wrote an article in the Financial Times calling for a global regulatory banking framework. In addition, Geithner called for the Federal Reserve to have an instrumental role in this new framework. Geithner cites all of the problems that were actually created by the central bankers in the first place as the rationale for having greater centralized power. It is interesting Geithner decides to write this piece right after the Bilderberg Meeting where some of the most powerful figures in the world of central banking attended. Not only did Geithner attend, but the attendee list included Ben Bernanke the Federal Reserve Chairman, Henry Paulson the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Jean-Claude Trichet the president of the European Central Bank, Robert Zoellick the president of the World Bank and other high profile bankers. With the who’s who of central banking attending the Bilderberg Meeting, it is highly unlikely that what Geithner is proposing in his Financial Times article was not discussed at the Bilderberg Meeting. It is no secret that the true objective of the Bilderberg Meeting is to steer the world into accepting a global government. By establishing a new global regulatory banking framework, this will inch the planet ever closer to a one world currency operating in a cashless society where microchips are used to facilitate transactions. Make no mistake about it, this system will not be good, because it will be controlled by a bunch of criminal psychopaths like the one’s who attended the 2008 Bilderberg Meeting.In his Financial Times article, Geithner wrote the following:
The institutions that play a central role in money and funding markets – including the main globally active banks and investment banks – need to operate under a unified framework that provides a stronger form of consolidated supervision, with appropriate requirements for capital and liquidity. To complement this, we need to put in place a stronger framework of oversight authority over the critical parts of the payments system – not just the established payments, clearing and settlements systems, but the infrastructure that underpins the decentralised over-the-counter markets.Because of its primary responsibility for the stability of the overall financial system, the Federal Reserve should play a central role in such a framework, working closely with supervisors in the US and in other countries. At present the Fed has broad responsibility for financial stability not matched by direct authority and the consequences of the actions we have taken in this crisis make it more important that we close that gap.Finally, we need a stronger capacity to respond to crises. The Fed has put in place a number of innovative new facilities that have helped ease liquidity strains. We plan to leave these in place until conditions in money and credit markets have improved substantially.
What Geithner is proposing is entirely insane but this is the same tactic that the financial elites used to establish the Federal Reserve back in 1913. They created a crisis and said that the crisis happened because they didn’t have enough power to prevent it. The Panic of 1907 which was used to justify the passage of the Federal Reserve Act was actually caused by JP Morgan and assorted elite financial interests. They did this so they could use the crisis as an excuse to centralize their control and power over the banking system. Through the Federal Reserve, banks were finally consolidated under its umbrella through the Great Depression which was deliberately caused by the tight monetary policies implemented by the central bank. Throughout the 1920s money was made plentiful, but following the stock market crash of 1929, the Federal Reserve tightened the money supply which put hundreds of community banks out of business and allowed the central bankers to consolidate control over the nation’s banking system.Geithner is using the excuse of the current financial crisis that was caused by the Federal Reserve and the world’s assorted central banks in order to again consolidate more power for the banking cartel. It is simply history repeating itself, only this time it is on a much larger scale. Below is another blurb taken from Geithner’s Financial Times piece:Since last summer, we have lived through a severe and complex financial crisis. Why was the financial system so fragile? What can be done to make the system more resilient in the future? The world experienced a financial boom. The boom fed demand for risk. Products were created to meet that demand, including risky, complicated mortgages. Many assets were financed with significant leverage and liquidity risk and many of the world’s largest financial institutions got themselves too exposed to the risk of a global downturn. The amount of long-term illiquid assets financed with short-term liabilities made the system vulnerable to a classic type of run. As concern about risk increased, investors pulled back, triggering a self-reinforcing cycle of forced liquidation of assets, higher margin requirements, increased volatility. What Geithner doesn’t say in his article is that the current global financial crisis was caused by the Federal Reserve and the world’s various central banks. Alan Greenspan intentionally set interest rates at incredibly low levels after the 9/11 attacks. This encouraged lenders to lend out money using all sorts of creative financing packages. It also encouraged borrowers to borrow money from the lenders because of the cheaper money. These policies lead to the continued devaluation of the U.S. Dollar and the U.S. housing crisis which have been the main drivers behind most of the economic problems we are currently seeing.
Geithner wants us to believe that giving the Federal Reserve and the rest of this private banking system more power is what’s needed to resolve all of the economic problems that were caused by the central bankers themselves. How stupid does Geithner and the rest of the global elite think we are? We have a historical track record of central bankers creating economic problems and bringing in phony solutions to expand their control. We need decentralization and free markets to resolve the economic problems that have been created by these people, not more centralized power.If all of this wasn’t bad enough, Jim Tucker from the American Free Press speaking on the Alex Jones show today stated that one of his Bilderberg sources revealed to him that the global elite are planning to push forward their cashless society grid agenda with the use of implantable microchips. The implantable microchips would be sold as a way for people to easily move through the militarized control grid that they’ve setup via the bogus terror war. Tucker also mentioned that we would see the media hyping the phony terror war and specifically the phony white Al-Qaeda terror threat as a way for them to continue the justification of the enslavement grid. Assuming Tucker’s Bilderberg source is providing accurate information, this agenda that Geithner is pushing in his Financial Times article is right in line with their well documented plans to get rid of cash. The central bankers would need a global regulatory framework for the banking system so they can move closer to a global currency operating in a cashless society.
This is some incredibly scary stuff. Of course there was not one word of the 2008 Bilderberg Meeting in any major U.S. media outlets. The corporate controlled media maintained a blackout on any coverage of this incredibly important yearly meeting of the global elite. It is pathetic when citizen journalists like the ones at InfoWars, PrisonPlanet and RogueGovernment provide the best coverage of what is one of the most important geopolitical meetings of the year. Either way, the commentary from Geithner as well as the information from Tucker’s Bilderberg source seems to indicate that the global elite are getting ready to further centralize the banking system in order to establish their one world cashless society grid. These criminals must be exposed and their system of global corruption and tyranny must be defeated. Let’s tell these bastards that they can take their cashless society grid and their implantable microchips where the sun don’t shine.
BERNANKE WAS ALSO AT OTTAWA LAST YEAR SO WAS CLINTON AND OBAMA SO WE SEE WHY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS SMOOTHERED WITH BILDERBERG MEMBERS TO BRING ABOUT THE EU WORLD DOMINATION. NOW WE KNOW WHY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL BE HAND IN GLOVE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION,THE VATICAN MUST BE SECRETLY BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE BILDERBERGS ALSO SINCE THEY WILL BE HAND IN GLOVE WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION WHEN THIS GLOBAL GOVERNMENT FINALLY COMES INTO BEING FOR A BRIEF TIME 7 YEARS OR LESS AT THE MOST.
Reducing risk in the financial system By Timothy Geithner
Published: June 8 2008 23:30 | Last updated: June 8 2008 23:30
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/807c8a64-355a-11dd-998d-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
Since last summer, we have lived through a severe and complex financial crisis. Why was the financial system so fragile? What can be done to make the system more resilient in the future? The world experienced a financial boom. The boom fed demand for risk. Products were created to meet that demand, including risky, complicated mortgages. Many assets were financed with significant leverage and liquidity risk and many of the world’s largest financial institutions got themselves too exposed to the risk of a global downturn. The amount of long-term illiquid assets financed with short-term liabilities made the system vulnerable to a classic type of run. As concern about risk increased, investors pulled back, triggering a self-reinforcing cycle of forced liquidation of assets, higher margin requirements, increased volatility. What should be done to strengthen the system in the future? First, when we get through this crisis we have to increase the shock absorbers held in normal times against bad macroeconomic and financial outcomes. This will require more exacting expectations on capital, liquidity and risk management for the largest institutions that play a central role in intermediation and market functioning. They should be set high enough to offset the benefits that come from access to central bank liquidity, but not so high that they succeed only in pushing more capital to the unregulated part of the financial system. Second, we have to improve the capacity of the financial infrastructure to withstand default by a big institution. This will require taking some of the risk out of secured funding markets, increasing resources held against default in the centralised clearing house, and encouraging more standardisation, automation and central clearing in the derivatives markets. Third, the regulatory framework cannot be indifferent to the scale of leverage and risk outside the supervised institutions. I do not believe it would be desirable or feasible to extend capital requirements to leveraged institutiions such as hedge funds. But supervision has to ensure that counterparty credit risk management in the supervised institutions limits the risk of a rise in overall leverage outside the regulated institutions that could threaten the stability of the financial system. And regulatory policy has to induce higher levels of margin and collateral in normal times against derivatives and secured borrowing to cover better the risk of market illiquidity.Fourth, we need to streamline and simplify the US regulatory framework. Our system has evolved into a confusing mix of diffused accountability, regulatory competition and a complex web of rules that create perverse incentives and leave huge opportunities for arbitrage and evasion. The blueprint by Hank Paulson, Treasury secretary, outlines a sweeping consolidation and realignment of responsibilities.
The institutions that play a central role in money and funding markets – including the main globally active banks and investment banks – need to operate under a unified framework that provides a stronger form of consolidated supervision, with appropriate requirements for capital and liquidity. To complement this, we need to put in place a stronger framework of oversight authority over the critical parts of the payments system – not just the established payments, clearing and settlements systems, but the infrastructure that underpins the decentralised over-the-counter markets. Because of its primary responsibility for the stability of the overall financial system, the Federal Reserve should play a central role in such a framework, working closely with supervisors in the US and in other countries. At present the Fed has broad responsibility for financial stability not matched by direct authority and the consequences of the actions we have taken in this crisis make it more important that we close that gap. Finally, we need a stronger capacity to respond to crises. The Fed has put in place a number of innovative new facilities that have helped ease liquidity strains. We plan to leave these in place until conditions in money and credit markets have improved substantially. We are examining what framework of facilities will be appropriate in the future, with what conditions for access and what oversight requirements to mitigate moral hazard risk. Some of these could become a permanent part of our instruments. Some might be best reserved for the type of acute market illiquidity experienced in this crisis. Authority to pay interest on reserves would give the Fed the ability to respond to acute liquidity pressure in markets without undermining its capacity to manage the federal funds rates in line with the federal open market committee’s target. The big central banks should put in place a standing network of currency swaps, collateral policies and account arrangements that would make it easier to mobilise liquidity across borders quickly in a crisis.As we reshape the incentives and constraints for risk-taking in the financial system, we have to recognise that regulation has the potential to make things worse. Regulation can distort incentives in ways that may make the system less safe. One of the strengths of our system is the speed with which we adapt to challenge. It is important that we move quickly to adapt the regulatory system to address the vulnerabilities exposed by this financial crisis. We are beginning the process of building the necessary consensus here and with the other main financial centres.The writer is president and chief executive, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
The Financial Times Limited 2009.
OTTAWA 2008 BILDERBERG LIST OF PEOPLE.
CAN Adams, John Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the Communications Security Establishment Canada
CAN Brodie, Ian Chief of Staff, Prime Minister’s Office
CAN Clark, Edmund President and CEO, TD Bank Financial Group
CAN Desmarais, Jr., Paul Chairman and co-CEO, Power Corporation of Canada
CAN Edwards, N. Murray Vice Chairman, Candian Natural Resources Limited
CAN Martin, Roger Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
CAN McKenna, Frank Deputy Chair, TD Bank Financial Group
CAN Prichard, J. Robert S. President and CEO, Torstar Corporation
CAN Reisman, Heather M.Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc
Full List of Participants
DEU Ackermann, Josef Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive Committee, Deutsche Bank AG
CAN Adams, John Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the Communications Security Establishment Canada
USA Ajami, Fouad Director, Middle East Studies Program, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University
USA Alexander, Keith B.Director, National Security Agency
INT Almunia, Joaquín Commissioner, European Commission
GRC Alogoskoufis, George Minister of Economy and Finance
USA Altman, Roger C.Chairman, Evercore Partners Inc.
TUR Babacan, Ali Minister of Foreign Affairs
NLD Balkenende, Jan Peter Prime Minister
PRT Balsemão, Francisco Pinto Chairman and CEO, IMPRESA, S.G.P.S.; Former Prime Minister
FRA Baverez, Nicolas Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
ITA Bernabè, Franco CEO, Telecom Italia Spa
USA Bernanke, Ben S. Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System
SWE Bildt, Carl Minister of Foreign Affairs
FIN Blåfield, Antti Senior Editorial Writer, Helsingin Sanomat
DNK Bosse, Stine CEO, TrygVesta
CAN Brodie, Ian Chief of Staff, Prime Minister’s Office
AUT Bronner, Oscar Publisher and Editor, Der Standard
FRA Castries, Henri de Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, AXA
ESP Cebrián, Juan Luis CEO, PRISA
CAN Clark, Edmund President and CEO, TD Bank Financial Group
GBR Clarke, Kenneth Member of Parliament
NOR Clemet, Kristin Managing Director, Civita
USA Collins, Timothy C. Senior Managing Director and CEO, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC
FRA Collomb, Bertrand Honorary Chairman, Lafarge
PRT Costa, António Mayor of Lisbon
USA Crocker, Chester A. James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies
USA Daschle, Thomas A. Former US Senator and Senate Majority Leader
CAN Desmarais, Jr., Paul Chairman and co-CEO, Power Corporation of Canada
GRC Diamantopoulou, Anna Member of Parliament
USA Donilon, Thomas E. Partner, O’Melveny & Myers
ITA Draghi, Mario Governor, Banca d’Italia
AUT Ederer, Brigitte CEO, Siemens AG Österreich
CAN Edwards, N. Murray Vice Chairman, Candian Natural Resources Limited
DNK Eldrup, Anders President, DONG A/S
ITA Elkann, John Vice Chairman, Fiat S.p.A.
USA Farah, Martha J. Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience; Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
USA Feldstein, Martin S.President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research
DEU Fischer, Joschka Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Ford, Jr., Harold E. Vice Chairman, Merill Lynch & Co., Inc.
CHE Forstmoser, Peter Professor for Civil, Corporation and Capital Markets Law, University of Zürich
IRL Gallagher, Paul Attorney General
USA Geithner, Timothy F. President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
USA Gigot, Paul Editorial Page Editor, The Wall Street Journal
IRL Gleeson, Dermot Chairman, AIB Group
NLD Goddijn, Harold CEO, TomTom
TUR Gögüs, Zeynep Journalist; Founder, EurActiv.com.tr
USA Graham, Donald E.Chairman and CEO, The Washington Post Company
NLD Halberstadt, Victor Professor of Economics, Leiden University; Former Honorary Secretary General of Bilderberg Meetings
USA Holbrooke, Richard C. Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC
FIN Honkapohja, Seppo Member of the Board, Bank of Finland
INT Hoop Scheffer, Jaap G. de Secretary General, NATO
USA Hubbard, Allan B. Chairman, E & A Industries, Inc.
BEL Huyghebaert, Jan Chairman of the Board of Directors, KBC Group
DEU Ischinger, Wolfgang Former Ambassador to the UK and US
USA Jacobs, Kenneth Deputy Chairman, Head of Lazard U.S., Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
USA Johnson, James A. Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC (Obama’s man tasked with selecting his running mate)
SWE Johnstone, Tom President and CEO, AB SKF
USA Jordan, Jr., Vernon E. Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
FRA Jouyet, Jean-Pierre Minister of European Affairs
GBR Kerr, John Member, House of Lords; Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc.
USA Kissinger, Henry A. Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.
DEU Klaeden, Eckart von Foreign Policy Spokesman, CDU/CSU
USA Kleinfeld, Klaus President and COO, Alcoa
TUR Koç, Mustafa Chairman, Koç Holding A.S.
FRA Kodmani, Bassma Director, Arab Reform Initiative
USA Kravis, Henry R. Founding Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
USA Kravis, Marie-Josée Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc.
INT Kroes, Neelie Commissioner, European Commission
POL Kwasniewski, Aleksander Former President
AUT Leitner, Wolfgang CEO, Andritz AG
ESP León Gross, Bernardino Secretary General, Office of the Prime Minister
INT Mandelson, Peter Commissioner, European Commission
FRA Margerie, Christophe de CEO, Total
CAN Martin, Roger Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
HUN Martonyi, János Professor of International Trade Law; Partner, Baker & McKenzie; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Mathews, Jessica T. President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
INT McCreevy, Charlie Commissioner, European Commission
USA McDonough, William J. Vice Chairman and Special Advisor to the Chairman, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
CAN McKenna, Frank Deputy Chair, TD Bank Financial Group
GBR McKillop, Tom Chairman, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
FRA Montbrial, Thierry de President, French Institute for International Relations
ITA Monti, Mario President, Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi
USA Mundie, Craig J. Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft Corporation
NOR Myklebust, Egil Former Chairman of the Board of Directors SAS, Norsk Hydro ASA
DEU Nass, Matthias Deputy Editor, Die Zeit
NLD Netherlands, H.M. the Queen of the
FRA Ockrent, Christine CEO, French television and radio world service
FIN Ollila, Jorma Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
SWE Olofsson, Maud Minister of Enterprise and Energy; Deputy Prime Minister
NLD Orange, H.R.H. the Prince of
GBR Osborne, George Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
TUR Öztrak, Faik Member of Parliament
ITA Padoa-Schioppa, Tommaso Former Minister of Finance; President of Notre Europe
GRC Papahelas, Alexis Journar., Henry M.Secretary of the Treasury
USA Pearl, Frank H. Chairman and CEO, Perseus, LLC
USA Perle, Richard N.Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
FRA Pérol, François Deputy General Secretary in charge of Economic Affairs
DEU Perthes, Volker Director, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
BEL Philippe, H.R.H. Prince
CAN Prichard, J. Robert S. President and CEO, Torstar Corporation
CAN Reisman, Heather M.Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc.
USA Rice, Condoleezza Secretary of State
PRT Rio, Rui Mayor of Porto
USA Rockefeller, David Former Chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank
ESP Rodriguez Inciarte, Matias Executive Vice Chairman, Grupo Santander
USA Rose, Charlie Producer, Rose Communications
DNK Rose, Flemming Editor, Jyllands Posten
USA Ross, Dennis B. Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
USA Rubin, Barnett R.Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center for International Cooperation, New York University
TUR Sahenk, Ferit Chairman, Dogus Holding A.S.
USA Sanford, Mark Governor of South Carolina
USA Schmidt, Eric Chairman of the Executive Committee and CEO, Google
AUT Scholten, Rudolf Member of the Board of Executive Directors, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG
DNK Schur, Fritz H. Fritz Schur Gruppen
CZE Schwarzenberg, Karel Minister of Fsan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
ESP Spain, H.M. the Queen of
CHE Spillmann, Markus Editor-in-Chief and Head Managing Board, Neue Zürcher Zeitung AG
USA Summers, Lawrence H.Charles W. Eliot Professor, Harvard University
GBR Taylor, J. Martin Chairman, Syngenta International AG
USA Thiel, Peter A. President, Clarium Capital Management, LLC
NLD Timmermans, Frans Minister of European Affairs
RUS Trenin, Dmitri V. Deputy Director and Senior Associate, Carnegie Moscow Center
INT Trichet, Jean-Claude President, European Central Bank
USA Vakil, Sanam Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
FRA Valls, Manuel Member of Parliament
GRC Varvitsiotis, Thomas Co-Founder and President, V + O Communication
CHE Vasella, Daniel L.Chairman and CEO, Novartis AG
FIN Väyrynen, Raimo Director, The Finnish Institute of International Affairs
FRA Védrine, Hubert Hubert Védrine Conseil
NOR Vollebaek, Knut High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE
SWE Wallenberg, Jacob Chairman, Investor AB
USA Weber, J. Vin CEO, Clark & Weinstock
USA Wolfensohn, James D. Chairman, Wolfensohn & Company, LLC
USA Wolfowitz, Paul Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
INT Zoellick, Robert B. President, The World Bank Group
Rapporteurs
GBR Bredow, Vendeline von Business Correspondent, The Economist
GBR Wooldridge, Adrian D. Foreign Correspondent, The Economist
AUT Austria HUN Hungary
BEL Belgium INT International
CHE Switzerland IRL Ireland
CAN Canada ITA Italy
CZE Czech Republic NOR Norway
DEU Germany NLD Netherlands
DNK Denmark PRT Portugal
ESP Spain POL Poland
FRA France RUS Russia
FIN Finland SWE Sweden
GBR Great Britain TUR Turkey
GRC Greece USA United States of America
WE CAN ADD HILARY CLINTON AND BARACK OBAMA ALSO THEY WERE THERE FOR AT LEAST 1 MEETING EACH.
AND SINCE ITS THE CLUB OF ROME THAT PUTS THE WORLD INTO 10 REGIONAL BLOCS HERES THE MEMBERSHIP TO WATCH FOR THEIR SPEECHES SO WE KNOW HOW IT WILL BE COMING ABOUT.
MEMBERSHIP OF CLUB OF ROME MEMBERS.THESE ARE THE BOYS TO WATCH FOR IN SPEECHES AS THERE ARE MEMBERS FROM THE GENEVA TREATY,PEACE ORGANIZATIONS AND AN ISRAELI IN THIS BUNCH.
Mr. Sadikou Ayo Alao, Benin President, Gerrdes Bank
Prof. Assia Bensalah Alaoui, Morocco Public Law University Mohammed V, Rabat-Agdal
Ms. Eda Coutinho Barbosa Machado de Souza, Brazil Director General of the Institute of Superior Education of Brazil
Ms. Estela de Magelhaes Barbot, Portugal Vice-President of AGA
Ambassador Benjamin Bassin, Finland Former Ambassador of Finland to China
The Hon. Shlomo Ben-Ami, Israel Vice-President, Toledo International Centre for Peace
Ms. Janine Benyus, USA Author and Biologist at the Design Table Biomimicry Guild
Mr. Jérôme Bindé, France Director, UNESCO Division of Foresight, Philosophy and Human Sciences
Mr. Juan Luis Cebrian, Spain Council Delegate of the Group PRISA
Dr. Derrick de Kerckhove, Canada Director, McLuham Program in Culture and Technology at the University of Toronto
Ambassador Mauricio de Maria y Campos, Mexico Former Mexican Ambassador to South Africa
Dr. Ricardo Diez-Hochleitner, Spain Board Member of International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and Honorary President of the Club of Rome
Mr. Isidro Faine Casas, Spain Chairman, Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona (La Caixa)
The Hon. José María Figueres Olsen, Costa Rica CEO, Grupo Felipe IV and former President of Costa Rica
Prof. Arnoldo José Gabaldon, Venezuela Honorary Professor of the Simón Bolívar University
Prof. Alberto Gasparini, Italy Professor of Urban and Rural Sociology, University of Trieste
Mr. Gerardo Gil-Valdivia, Mexico President, Mexican National Association of the Club of Rome
Prof. Paulo Alcantara Gomes, Brazil Rector, University Castelo Branco
Prof. Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, Brazil Secretary-General of the International Association of University Presidents and Vice-President of the Club of Rome
Prof. Orhan Güvenen, Turkey Chair of Accounting Information Systems, Bilkent University and Member of the Club of Rome Executive Committee
Prof. Talat S. Halman, Turkey Chairman of the Department of Turkish Literature, Bilkent University
Dr. Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, Ukraine Chairman International Centre of Political Studies, International Management Institute, Geneva
Mr. Rafael Hernandez Colon, Puerto Rico Former Governor of Puerto Rico
Mr. Diego Hidalgo Schnur, Spain Founder and President of FRIDE
Prof. Kuniko Inoguchi, Japan Member of the National DIET, Tokyo
The Hon. Mugur Constantin Isarescu, Romania Governor, National Bank of Romania
Mr. Peter Johnston, UK Head of Unit, New Methods of Work, Directorate-General Information Society, European Commission
Prof. Esko Kalimo, Finland Chair of the European Support Centre, Club of Rome
Mr. Tapio O. Kanninen, Finland Policy Planning Unit, Department of Political Affairs, United Nations
Dr. Sergey P. Kapitza, Russia Institute for Physical Problems, Academy of Sciences
Dr. Laszlo Kapolyi, Hungary Founder of System Consulting Rt. and former Hungarian Secretary of State for Energy
Dr. Ashok Khosla, India President of Development Alternatives and Co-President, The Club of Rome
Dr. David C. Korten, U.S.A. Co-Founder and Board Chair of People-Centred Development Forum
Mr. Martin Lees, United Kingdom Secretary-General of the Club of Rome
Mr. Patrick Liedtke, Germany Secretary-General and Managing Director of The Geneva Association and Executive Committee Member of the Club of Rome
Mrs. Wendy Luhabe, South Africa Chairman, Alliance Capital
Prof. Mona Makram-Ebeid, Egypt Head of the Association for the Advancement of Education and Executive Committee Member of the Club of Rome
Mr. Wolfgang Meyer, Germany Honorary President, UITP - International Association of Public Transport
Mrs. Liz Mohn, Germany Vice Chairwoman of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Mr. Uwe Möller, Germany Former Secretary-General and Executive Committee Member of the Club of Rome
Mr. Jesus Moneo, Spain Member of the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid
Mr. Kikujiro Namba, Japan President, Promotech Inc.
Dr. Konrad Osterwalder, Switzerland Rector of UNU
Mr. Gunter Pauli, Belgium President, ZERI Organisation
Dr. Roberto Peccei, USA Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of California Los Angeles and Executive Committee Member of the Club of Rome
Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti, Brazil Head of Department, Sao Paulo University Medical School
Dr. Franz Josef Radermacher, Germany Founder of the Global Marshall Plan
Ms. Maria Ramirez Ribes, Venezuela Author and President of the Venezuelan Chapter of the Club of Rome
Dr. Harold Robles, The Netherlands Founder of the Medical Knowledge Institute
Dr. Wolfgang Sachs, Germany Head of the Globalization and Sustainability Project, Wuppertal Institute
Rector Victor A. Sadovnichy, Russia Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University
The Hon. Noemí Sanín Posada, United Kingdom Ambassador of Columbia to the United Kingdom
Dr. Siegfried Sellitsch, Austria President of the Vienna Technical University
Mr. Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui, Pakistan Chairman of SAIBAN
Dr. Ivo Slaus, Croatia Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, President of the Croatian National Association of the Club of Rome
Dr. Mihaela Y. Smith, United Kingdom CEO, Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management (CPTM)
Mr. Klaus Steilmann, Germany Founder of the Klaus Steilmann GmbH & Co KG
Dr. Keith D. Suter, Australia President of the United Nations Association of Australia
Prof. Ramon Tamames Gomez, Spain Professor of Economic Structures, Autonomous University of Madrid
Prof. Anitra Thorhaug, U.S.A US National Association for the Club of Rome; Research Faculty,Yale University; Chair International Outreach and Physiological Section American Botanical Society; Project Director The Future of the Western Hemisphere UsaCoR; author, researcher on pollution in the coastlines and oceans of the world.
Mr. Wouter van Dieren, The Netherlands President, IMSA Institute for Environment and Systems Analysis Amsterdam Ltd.
Dr. Agni Vlavianos-Arvanitis, Greece President and Founder of the Biopolitics International Organisation
Dr. Klaus von Dohnanyi, Germany German Politician and Member of the German Social Democrat Party
Dr. Eberhard von Koerber, Germany Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eberhard von Koerber AG and Co-President of the Club of Rome
Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Germany Dean of Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California
Prof. Raoul Weiler, Belgium Prof. Emeritus, Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, University of Leuven and Chairman of the Belgian Chapter and Executive Committee member of the Club of Rome
Dr. Anders Wijkman, Sweden Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Club of Rome
Dr. Markku Wilenius, Germany Senior Vice-President, Group Development, Allianz Group and Executive Committee Member of the Club of Rome
Microchips Everywhere: a Future Vision
By TODD LEWAN AP National Writer JAN 29,2008
Here's a vision of the not-so-distant future:Microchips with antennas will be embedded in virtually everything you buy, wear, drive and read, allowing retailers and law enforcement to track consumer items and, by extension, consumers wherever they go, from a distance.
A seamless, global network of electronic sniffers will scan radio tags in myriad public settings, identifying people and their tastes instantly so that customized ads, live spam,may be beamed at them.In Smart Homes, sensors built into walls, floors and appliances will inventory possessions, record eating habits, monitor medicine cabinets _ all the while, silently reporting data to marketers eager for a peek into the occupants' private lives.
Science fiction?
In truth, much of the radio frequency identification technology that enables objects and people to be tagged and tracked wirelessly already exists and new and potentially intrusive uses of it are being patented, perfected and deployed.Some of the world's largest corporations are vested in the success of RFID technology, which couples highly miniaturized computers with radio antennas to broadcast information about sales and buyers to company databases.Already, microchips are turning up in some computer printers, car keys and tires, on shampoo bottles and department store clothing tags. They're also in library books and contactless payment cards (such as American Express' Blue and ExxonMobil's Speedpass.)Companies say the RFID tags improve supply-chain efficiency, cut theft, and guarantee that brand-name products are authentic, not counterfeit. At a store, RFID doorways could scan your purchases automatically as you leave, eliminating tedious checkouts.At home, convenience is a selling point: RFID-enabled refrigerators could warn about expired milk, generate weekly shopping lists, even send signals to your interactive TV, so that you see personalized commercials for foods you have a history of buying. Sniffers in your microwave might read a chip-equipped TV dinner and cook it without instruction.We've seen so many different uses of the technology, says Dan Mullen, president of AIM Global, a national association of data collection businesses, including RFID, and we're probably still just scratching the surface in terms of places RFID can be used.
The problem, critics say, is that microchipped products might very well do a whole lot more.With tags in so many objects, relaying information to databases that can be linked to credit and bank cards, almost no aspect of life may soon be safe from the prying eyes of corporations and governments, says Mark Rasch, former head of the computer-crime unit of the U.S. Justice Department.By placing sniffers in strategic areas, companies can invisibly rifle through people's pockets, purses, suitcases, briefcases, luggage and possibly their kitchens and bedrooms anytime of the day or night,says Rasch, now managing director of technology at FTI Consulting Inc., a Baltimore-based company.In an RFID world, You've got the possibility of unauthorized people learning stuff about who you are, what you've bought, how and where you've bought it ... It's like saying, Well, who wants to look through my medicine cabinet?
He imagines a time when anyone from police to identity thieves to stalkers might scan locked car trunks, garages or home offices from a distance. Think of it as a high-tech form of Dumpster diving,says Rasch, who's also concerned about data gathered by spy appliances in the home.It's going to be used in unintended ways by third parties not just the government, but private investigators, marketers, lawyers building a case against you ...Presently, the radio tag most commercialized in America is the so-called passive emitter, meaning it has no internal power supply. Only when a reader powers these tags with a squirt of electrons do they broadcast their signal, indiscriminately, within a range of a few inches to 20 feet.Not as common, but increasing in use, are active tags, which have internal batteries and can transmit signals, continuously, as far as low-orbiting satellites. Active tags pay tolls as motorists to zip through tollgates; they also track wildlife, such as sea lions.
Retailers and manufacturers want to use passive tags to replace the bar code, for tracking inventory. These radio tags transmit Electronic Product Codes, number strings that allow trillons of objects to be uniquely identified. Some transmit specifics about the item, such as price, though not the name of the buyer.
However,once a tagged item is associated with a particular individual, personally identifiable information can be obtained and then aggregated to develop a profile, the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded in a 2005 report on RFID.Federal agencies and law enforcement already buy information about individuals from commercial data brokers, companies that compile computer dossiers on millions of individuals from public records, credit applications and many other sources, then offer summaries for sale. These brokers, unlike credit bureaus, aren't subject to provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, which gives consumers the right to correct errors and block access to their personal records.That, and the ever-increasing volume of data collected on consumers, is worrisome, says Mike Hrabik, chief technology officer at Solutionary, a computer-security firm in Bethesda, Md. Are companies using that information incorrectly, and are they giving it out inappropriately? I'm sure that's happening. Should we be concerned? Yes.Even some industry proponents recognize risks. Elliott Maxwell, a research fellow at Pennsylvania State University who serves as a policy adviser to EPCglobal, the industry's standard-setting group, says data broadcast by microchips can easily be intercepted, and misused, by high-tech thieves.As RFID goes mainstream and the range of readers increases, it will be "difficult to know who is gathering what data, who has access to it, what is being done with it, and who should be held responsible for it,Maxwell wrote in RFID Journal, an industry publication.The recent growth of the RFID industry has been staggering: From 1955 to 2005, cumulative sales of radio tags totaled 2.4 billion; last year alone, 2.24 billion tags were sold worldwide, and analysts project that by 2017 cumulative sales will top 1 trillion generating more than $25 billion in annual revenues for the industry.
Heady forecasts like these energize chip proponents, who insist that RFID will result in enormous savings for businesses. Each year, retailers lose $57 billion from administrative failures, supplier fraud and employee theft, according to a recent survey of 820 retailers by Checkpoint Systems, an RFID manufacturer that specializes in store security devices.Privacy concerns, some RFID supporters say, are overblown. One, Mark Roberti, editor of RFID Journal, says the notion that businesses would conspire to create high-resolution portraits of people is simply silly.Corporations know Americans are sensitive about their privacy, he says, and are careful not to alienate consumers by violating it. Besides, All companies keep their customer data close to the vest ... There's absolutely no value in sharing it. Zero.Industry officials, too, insist that addressing privacy concerns is paramount. As American Express spokeswoman Judy Tenzer says, Security and privacy are a top priority for American Express in everything we do.But industry documents suggest a different line of thinking, privacy experts say.A 2005 patent application by American Express itself describes how RFID-embedded objects carried by shoppers could emit identification signals when queried by electronic consumer trackers. The system could identify people, record their movements, and send them video ads that might offer incentives or even the emission of a scent.RFID readers could be placed in public venues, including a common area of a school, shopping center, bus station or other place of public accommodation, according to the application, which is still pending and which is not alone.In 2006, IBM received patent approval for an invention it called, Identification and tracking of persons using RFID-tagged items. One stated purpose: To collect information about people that could be used to monitor the movement of the person through the store or other areas.Once somebody enters a store, a sniffer scans all identifiable RFID tags carried on the person, and correlates the tag information with sales records to determine the individual's exact identity. A device known as a person tracking unit then assigns a tracking number to the shopper to monitor the movement of the person through the store or other areas.But as the patent makes clear, IBM's invention could work in other public places, such as shopping malls, airports, train stations, bus stations, elevators, trains, airplanes, restrooms, sports arenas, libraries, theaters, museums, etc.(RFID could even help follow a particular crime suspect through public areas.)Another patent, obtained in 2003 by NCR Corp., details how camouflaged sensors and cameras would record customers' wanderings through a store, film their facial expressions at displays, and time to the second how long shoppers hold and study items.Why? Such monitoring allows one to draw valuable inferences about the behavior of large numbers of shoppers,the patent states.
Then there's a 2001 patent application by Procter & Gamble, Systems and methods for tracking consumers in a store environment.This one lays out an idea to use heat sensors to track and record where a consumer is looking, i.e., which way she is facing, whether she is bending over or crouching down to look at a lower shelf.The system could space sensors 8 feet apart, in ceilings, floors, shelving and displays, so they could capture signals transmitted every 1.5 seconds by microchipped shopping carts.The documents raise the hair on the back of your neck, says Liz McIntyre, co-author of Spychips, a book that is critical of the industry. The industry has long promised it would never use this technology to track people. But these patent records clearly suggest otherwise.Corporations take issue with that, saying that patent filings shouldn't be used to predict a company's actions.We file thousands of patents every year, which are designed to protect concepts or ideas, Paul Fox, a spokesman for Procter & Gamble, says. The reality is that many of those ideas and concepts never see the light of day.And what of his company's 2001 patent application? I'm not aware of any plans to use that, Fox says.Sandy Hughes, P&G's global privacy executive, adds that Procter & Gamble has no intention of using any technologies RFID or otherwise to track individuals. The idea of the 2001 filing, she says, is to monitor how groups of people react to store displays, not individual consumers.NCR and American Express echoed those statements. IBM declined to comment for this story.
Not every element in a patent filing is necessarily something we would pursue...., says Tenzer, the American Express spokeswoman. Under no circumstances would we use this technology without a customer's permission.McIntyre has her doubts.In the marketing world of today, she says, data on individual consumers is gold, and the only thing preventing these companies from abusing technologies like RFID to get at that gold is public scrutiny.RFID dates to World War II, when Britain put transponders in Allied aircraft to help radar crews distinguish them from German fighters. In the 1970s, the U.S. government tagged trucks entering and leaving secure facilities such as the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a decade later, they were used to track livestock and railroad cars.In 2003, the U.S. Department of Defense and Wal-Mart gave RFID a mammoth push, mandating that suppliers radio tag all crates and cartons. To that point, the cost of tags had simply been too high to make tagging pallets let alone individual items viable. In 1999, passive tags cost nearly $2 apiece.Since then, rising demand and production of microchips along with technological advances have driven tag prices down to a range of 7 to 15 cents. At that price, the technology is well-suited at a case and pallet level,says Mullen, of the industry group AIM Global.John Simley, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, says tracking products in real-time helps ensure product freshness and lowers the chances that items will be out of stock. By reducing loss and waste in the supply chain, RFID allows us to keep our prices that much lower.Katherine Albrecht, founder of CASPIAN, an anti-RFID group, says, Nobody cares about radio tags on crates and pallets. But if we don't keep RFID off of individual consumer items, our stores will one day turn into retail zoos where the customer is always on exhibit.So, how long will it be before you find an RFID tag in your underwear? The industry isn't saying, but some analysts speculate that within a decade tag costs may dip below a penny, the threshold at which nearly everything could be chipped.To businesses slammed by counterfeiters pharmaceuticals, for one that's not a bad thing. Sales of fake drugs cost drug makers an estimated $46 billion a year. In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that RFID be incorporated throughout the supply chain as a way of making sure consumers get authentic drugs.
In the United States, Pfizer has already begun chipping all 30- and 100-count bottles of Viagra, one of the most counterfeited drugs.Chips could be embedded in other controlled or potentially dangerous items such as firearms and explosives, to make them easier to track. This was mentioned in IBM's patent documents.Still, the idea that tiny radio chips might be in their socks and shoes doesn't sit well with Americans. At least, that's what Fleishman-Hillard Inc., a public-relations firm in St. Louis, found in 2001 when it surveyed 317 consumers for the industry.Seventy-eight percent of those queried reacted negatively to RFID when privacy was raised. More than half claimed to be extremely or very concerned, the report said, noting that the term Big Brother was used in 15 separate cases to describe the technology.It also found that people bridled at the idea of having Smart Tags in their homes. One surveyed person remarked: Where money is to be made the privacy of the individual will be compromised.In 2002, Fleishman-Hillard produced another report for the industry that counseled RFID makers to convey (the) inevitability of technology, and to develop a plan to neutralize the opposition, by adopting friendlier names for radio tags such as Bar Code II and Green Tag.And in a 2003 report, Helen Duce, the industry's trade group director in Europe, wrote that the lack of clear benefits to consumers could present a problem in the real world,particularly if privacy issues were stirred by negative press coverage.(Though the reports were marked Confidential, they were later found archived on an industry trade group's Web site.)The Duce report's recommendations: Tell consumers that RFID is regulated, that RFID is just a new and improved bar code, and that retailers will announce when an item is radio tagged, and deactivate the tags at check-out upon a customer's request.Actually, in the United States, RFID is not federally regulated. And while bar codes identify product categories, radio tags carry unique serial numbers that when purchased with a credit card, frequent shopper card or contactless card can be linked to specific shoppers.And, unlike bar codes, RFID tags can be read through almost anything except metal and water, without the holder's knowledge.EPCglobal, the industry's standard-setting body, has issued public policy guidelines that call for retailers to put a thumbnail-sized logo EPC, for Electronic Product Code on all radio tagged packaging. The group also suggests that merchants notify shoppers that RFID tags can be removed, discarded or disabled.Critics say the guidelines are voluntary, vague and don't penalize violators. They want federal and state oversight something the industry has vigorously opposed particularly after two RFID manufacturers, Checkpoint Systems and Sensormatic, announced last year that they are marketing tags designed to be embedded in such items as shoes.Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, says, I don't think there's any basis ... for consumers to have to think that their clothing is tracking them.On the Web:http://www.epcglobalinc.org
http://www.spychips.com http://epic.org/ http://www.idtechex.com/ 2008 The Seattle Times Company.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
TORAH PORTION FROM MAR 22 - 28 2009
SINCE WHAT ISRAEL READS WILL BE FULFILLED IN THAT WEEK I WILL BE PUTTING THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION ON FOR ALL OF US TO KEEP TRACK OF ISRAEL HAPPENINGS.
TORAH PORTION FROM MAR 22 2009 6PM - MAR 28 6PM 2009
EXODUS 38:21 - 40:38
21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.
23 And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
24 All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
26 A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.
27 And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.
28 And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.
29 And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
30 And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brasen altar, and the brasen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,
31 And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
EXODUS 39:1-43
1 And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
2 And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
4 They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together.
5 And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.
6 And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
7 And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
8 And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9 It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.
10 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.
11 And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
12 And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
13 And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.
14 And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.
15 And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold.
16 And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate.
17 And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
18 And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it.
19 And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward.
20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
21 And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22 And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
23 And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.
24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
27 And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,
28 And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,
29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
31 And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
33 And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets,
34 And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering,
35 The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,
36 The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread,
37 The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,
38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door,
39 The brasen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
40 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation,
41 The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office.
42 According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.
43 And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.
EXODUS 40:1-38
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.
5 And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.
6 And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.
9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.
10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.
11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.
12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.
17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.
20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.
23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.
24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
25 And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:
27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.
28 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38 For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
PROPHETS PORTION
1 KINGS 7:40-8:21
40 And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:
41 The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;
42 And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars;
43 And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;
44 And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
45 And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the LORD, were of bright brass.
46 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.
48 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,
49 And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
50 And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.
51 So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.
1 KINGS 8:1-21
1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.
5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
7 For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
8 And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.
9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.
14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)
15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
NEW TESTAMENT PORTION
REVELATION 15:5-8
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
TORAH PORTION FROM MAR 22 2009 6PM - MAR 28 6PM 2009
EXODUS 38:21 - 40:38
21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.
23 And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
24 All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
26 A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.
27 And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.
28 And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.
29 And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
30 And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brasen altar, and the brasen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,
31 And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
EXODUS 39:1-43
1 And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
2 And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
4 They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together.
5 And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.
6 And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
7 And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
8 And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9 It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.
10 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.
11 And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
12 And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
13 And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.
14 And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.
15 And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold.
16 And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate.
17 And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
18 And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it.
19 And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward.
20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
21 And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22 And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
23 And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.
24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
27 And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,
28 And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,
29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
31 And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
33 And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets,
34 And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering,
35 The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,
36 The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread,
37 The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,
38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door,
39 The brasen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
40 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation,
41 The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office.
42 According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.
43 And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.
EXODUS 40:1-38
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.
5 And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.
6 And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.
9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.
10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.
11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.
12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.
17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.
20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.
23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.
24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
25 And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:
27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.
28 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38 For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
PROPHETS PORTION
1 KINGS 7:40-8:21
40 And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:
41 The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;
42 And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars;
43 And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;
44 And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
45 And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the LORD, were of bright brass.
46 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.
48 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,
49 And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
50 And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.
51 So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.
1 KINGS 8:1-21
1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.
5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
7 For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
8 And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.
9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.
14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)
15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
NEW TESTAMENT PORTION
REVELATION 15:5-8
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
VARIOUS NEWS SATURDAY
WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.
DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
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.
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.
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.
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.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
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:
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.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
JOHN BOLTON ON JOHN LOEFFLER - NEW WORLD ORDER LINGO TO WATCH FOR IN NEWS
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/03/john-loeffler-steel-on-steel-must.html#links
http://loudobbsradio.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1308
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/the-coming-war-on-sovereignty-15080
http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/11_action_plan_mgi.aspx.
http://brendabowers.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/john-bolton-on-%E2%80%98the-coming-war-on-american-sovereignty%E2%80%99-a-must-read/
FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/
BIBLE PROPHESIES ONE GOVERNMENT-ONE CURRENCY
http://www.gotquestions.org/one-world-government.html
The Coming War on Sovereignty
John Bolton March 2009
Barack Obama’s nascent presidency has brought forth the customary flood of policy proposals from the great and good, all hoping to influence his administration. One noteworthy offering is a short report with a distinguished provenance entitled A Plan for Action,1 which features a revealingly immodest subtitle: A New Era of International Cooperation for a Changed World: 2009, 2010, and Beyond.In presentation and tone, A Plan for Action is determinedly uncontroversial; indeed, it looks and reads more like a corporate brochure than a foreign-policy paper. The text is the work of three academics—Bruce Jones of NYU, Carlos Pascual of the Brookings Institution, and Stephen John Stedman of Stanford. Its findings and recommendations, they claim, rose from a series of meetings with foreign-policy eminences here and abroad, including former Secretaries of State of both parties as well as defense officials from the Clinton and first Bush administrations. The participation of these notables is what gives A Plan for Action its bona fides, though one should doubt how much the document actually reflects their ideas. There is no question, however, that the ideas advanced in A Plan for Action have become mainstays in the liberal vision of the future of American foreign policy.That is what makes A Plan for Action especially interesting, and especially worrisome. If it is what it appears to be—a blueprint for the Obama administration’s effort to construct a foreign policy different from George W. Bush’s—then the nation’s governing elite is in the process of taking a sharp, indeed radical, turn away from the principles and practices of representative self-government that have been at the core of the American experiment since the nation’s founding. The pivot point is a shifting understanding of American sovereignty.
While the term sovereignty has acquired many, often inconsistent, definitions, Americans have historically understood it to mean our collective right to govern ourselves within our Constitutional framework. Today’s liberal elite, by contrast, sees sovereignty as something much more abstract and less tangible, and thus a prize of less value to individual citizens than it once might have been. They argue that the model accepted by European countries in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which assigned to individual nation-states the right and responsibility to manage their own affairs within their own borders, is in the process of being superseded by new structures more appropriate to the 21st century.In this regard, they usually cite the European Union (EU) as the new model, with its 27 member nations falling under the aegis of a centralized financial system administered in Brussels. On issue after issue, from climate change to trade, American liberals increasingly look to Europe’s example of transnational consensus as the proper model for the United States. That is particularly true when it comes to national security, as John Kerry revealed when, during his presidential bid in 2004, he said that American policy had to pass a global test in order to secure its legitimacy.This is not a view with which the broader American population has shown much comfort. Traditionally, Americans have resisted the notion that their government’s actions had to pass muster with other governments, often with widely differing values and interests. It is the foreign-policy establishment’s unease with this long-held American conviction that is the motivating factor behind A Plan for Action, which represents a bold attempt to argue that any such set of beliefs has simply been overtaken by events.To this end, the authors provide a brief for what they call responsible sovereignty. They define it as the notion that sovereignty entails obligations and duties toward other states as well as to one’s own citizens, and they believe that its application can form the basis for a cooperative international order. At first glance, the phrase responsible sovereignty may seem unremarkable, given the paucity of advocates for irresponsible sovereignty. But despite the Plan’s mainstream provenance, the conception is a dramatic overhaul of sovereignty itself.
Global leaders,the Plan insists, increasingly recognize that alone they are unable to protect their interests and their citizens—national security has become interdependent with global security. The United States must therefore commit to a rule-based international system that rejects unilateralism and looks beyond military might, or else resign [our]selves to an ad-hoc international system. Mere traditional sovereignty is insufficient in the new era we have entered, an era in which we must contend with the realities of a now transnational world. This rule-based international system will create the conditions for global governance.The Plan suggests that the transition to this new system must begin immediately because of the terrible damage done by the Bush administration. In the Plan’s narrative, Bush disdained diplomacy, uniformly preferring the use of force, regime change, preemptive attacks, and general swagger in its conduct of foreign affairs. The Plan, by contrast, rejects unilateralism and looks beyond military might. Its implementation will lead to the successful resolution of dispute after dispute and usher in a new and unprecedented period of worldwide comity.As the Obama years begin, we certainly do need a lively debate on the utility of diplomacy, but it would be better if that debate were not conducted on the false premise offered by A Plan for Action. In reality, in the overwhelming majority of cases, foreign-policy thinkers on both sides of the ideological divide believe diplomacy is the solution to the difficulties that arise in the international system. That is how the Bush administration conducted itself as well.The difference arises in the consideration of a tiny number of cases—cases that prove entirely resistant to diplomatic efforts, in which divergent national interests prove implacably resistant to reconciliation. If diplomacy does not and cannot work, the continued application of it to a problematic situation is akin to subjecting a cancer patient to a regimen of chemotherapy that shows no results whatever. The result may look like treatment, but it is, in fact, only making the patient sicker and offering no possibility of improvement.
Diplomacy is like all other human activity. It has costs and it has benefits. Whether to engage in diplomacy on a given matter requires a judicious assessment of both costs and benefits. This is an exercise about which reasonable people can disagree. If diplomacy is to work, it must be preceded by an effort to determine its parameters—when it might be best to begin, how to achieve one’s aims, and what the purpose of the process might be. At the cold war’s outset, for example, Harry Truman’s Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, frequently observed that he was prepared to negotiate with the Soviets only when America could do so from a position of strength.Time is one of the most important variables in a diplomatic dance, because it often imposes a cost on one side and a benefit to its adversary. Nations can use the time granted by a diplomatic process to obscure their objectives, build alliances, prepare operationally for war, and, especially today, accelerate their efforts to build weapons of mass destruction and the ballistic missiles that might carry them. There are concrete economic factors that must be considered as well in the act of seeking to engage an adversary in the diplomatic realm—the act of providing humanitarian assistance as an act of good will, for example, the suspension of economic sanctions, or even resuming normal trade relations during negotiations.Obviously, the United States and, indeed, all rational nations are entirely comfortable paying substantial costs when they appear to be wise investments that will lead to the achievement of a larger objective. Alas, such happy conclusions are far from inevitable, and failing to understand the truth of this uncomfortable and inarguable reality has led nations to prolong negotiations long after the last glimmer of progress has been snuffed out. For too many diplomats, there is no off switch for diplomacy, no moment at which the only sensible thing to do is rise from the table and go home.Has one ever heard of a diplomat working to fashion an exit strategy from a failed negotiation? One hasn’t. One should.
Diplomacy is a tool, not a policy. It is a technique, not an end in itself. Urging, however earnestly, that we engage with our enemies tells us nothing about what happens after concluding the initial pleasantries at the negotiating table. Just opening the conversation is often significant, especially for those who are legitimized merely by being present. But without more, the meaning and potency of the photo op will quickly fade.That is why effective diplomacy must be one aspect of a larger strategic spectrum that includes ugly and public confrontations. Without the threat of painful sanctions, harsh condemnations, and even the use of force, diplomacy risks becoming a sucker’s game, in which one side will sit forever in naïve hope of reaching a settlement while the other side acts at will.Diplomacy is an end in itself in A Plan for Action. So, too, is multilateralism. The multilateralism the Plan celebrates and advocates is, of course, set in sharp contrast to the portrait it draws of a Bush administration flush with unilateralist cowboys intent on overturning existing international treaties and institutions just for the sport of it. Defining unilateralism is straightforward: the word refers to a state acting on its own in international affairs.2 It is a critical conceptual mistake, however, to pose multilateralism simply as its opposite.Consider, for example, the various roles of the United Nations, the North American Treaty Organization, and the Proliferation Security Initiative. The UN, the Holy Grail of multilateralism, is an organization of 192 members with responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security lodged in its Security Council. NATO is a defense alliance of 26 states, all of which are Western democracies. The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), created in 2003 by the Bush administration, now includes 90-plus diverse countries dedicated to stopping international trafficking in weapons of mass destruction.
Each organization is clearly multilateral, but their roles are so wildly different that the word ceases to have any meaning. For example, if the United States confronted a serious threat, it would be acting multilaterally if it took the matter either to NATO or the UN. Both options would be multilateral, but widely divergent in diplomatic and political content, and quite likely in military significance as well. They would be comparable related in the same way a steak knife is comparable to a plastic butter knife.The PSI offers an even starker contrast, for unlike either the UN or NATO, it has no secretary general, no Secretariat, no headquarters, and no regularly scheduled meetings. One British diplomat described the initiative as an activity, not an organization.In fact, the model of the Proliferation Security Initiative is the ideal one for multilateral activity in the future, precisely because it transcends the traditional structures of international organizations, which have, time and again, proved inefficient and ineffective.Multilateralism is, in other words, merely a word that describes international action taken by a group of nations acting in concert. For the authors of A Plan for Action, however, multilateralism has an almost spiritual aspect, representing a harmony that transcends barriers and oceans.Harmony is designed to stifle any discordant notes, and so is the multilateralism envisioned by an American foreign policy guided by responsible sovereignty. It is one in which the group of nations, of which the United States is but a single player among many, initiates policies and activities that would likely be designed to constrain the freedom of action of the United States in pursuit of that harmony—not only in its activities abroad, but also in its activities within the 50 states.
There is a precedent for this in the conduct of the European Union, whose 27 nations now possess a common currency in the form of the euro and an immensely complex series of trade and labor policies intended to cut across sovereign lines. The EU is the model A Plan for Action proffers for the responsible sovereignty regime its authors wish to import to the United States. EU bureaucrats based in Brussels have been reshaping the priorities and needs of EU member states for a decade now, and proposing a system based on the design of the EU suggests a desire to subject the United States to a kind of international oversight not only when it comes to foreign policy but also on matters properly understood as U.S. domestic policy.That very approach has been on display at the United Nations for years in an effort to standardize international conduct that has come to be known as norming.In theory, there is good reason to create international standards—for measurement, for example, or for conduct on the high seas. But norming goes far beyond such prosaic concerns. The UN has, for example, repeatedly voted in different committees to condemn the death penalty, in a clear effort to put pressure on the United States to follow suit. Similar votes have been taken on abortion rights and restricting the private ownership of firearms.Such issues have been, and likely will again be, the subjects of intense democratic debate within the United States, and properly so. There is no need to internationalize them to make the debate more fruitful. What is common to these and many other issues is that the losers in our domestic debate are often the proponents of internationalizing the controversies. They think that if they can change the political actors, they can change the political outcome. Unsuccessful in our domestic political arena, they seek to redefine the arena in which these matters will be adjudicated—moving, in effect, from unilateral, democratic U.S. decision-making to a multilateral, bureaucratic, and elitist environment. For almost any domestic issue one can imagine, there are likely to be nongovernmental organizations roaming the international arena desperately trying to turn their priorities into norming issues.This is what responsible sovereignty would look like. For the authors and signatories of A Plan of Action, sovereignty is simply an abstraction, a historical concept about as important today as the sovereigns from whose absolute rights the term originally derived. That is not the understanding of the U.S. Constitution, which locates the basis of its legitimacy in we the people, who constitute the sovereign authority of the nation.Sharing sovereignty with someone or something else is thus not abstract for Americans. Doing so by definition will diminish the sovereign power of the American people over their government and their own lives, the very purpose for which the Constitution was written. This is something Americans have been reluctant to do. Now their reluctance may have to take the form of more concerted action against responsible sovereignty if its onward march is to be halted or reversed. Our Founders would clearly understand the need.
EUROPEAN UNION DESTROYING DEMOCRACY, WRECKING LIVES
Campaigners from throughout Europe and across the political spectrum unite in defence of citizens’ democratic rights .Public meeting Freedom and Democracy, not EU Dictatorship, Euston, London, Sat 4 April 2009
Trade unionists, as well as independent politicians and campaigners from Ireland, Germany and even Nigeria will be among the guest speakers at a public meeting to be held in Euston, London, on Saturday 4th April, organised by the cross-party Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIB) to protest against what they see as the growing dictatorship of the European Union. German campaigner against the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution, Henry Nitzsche, an independent member of the Bundestag, and veteran Eurosceptic Sir Teddy Taylor, a Conservative MP for over 30 years, will join labour movement activist Brian Denny of the Rail & Maritime Union
(RMT), representing Trade Unions against the EU Constitution (TUAEC), Frank Keoghan of the Irish People’s Movement, and Dele Oguntimoju of the Nigerian Movement for National Reformation in denouncing the profoundly undemocratic nature of the EU. The meeting has been organized by the CIB in response to the recent ComRes opinion poll which showed that the overwhelming majority of the British people want the chance to vote in a national referendum on whether or not the UK stays in the European Union. In the same poll, three quarters of voters said they thought that UK politicians on the whole don’t do enough to stand up for British interests in Europe. CIB spokesman Andy Smith said: The tide is turning decisively against the European Union. Despite the millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money that Gordon Brown’s government and the bureaucrats in Brussels have spent on trying to persuade the British people to love the EU, all we really want is to leave it! Poll after poll shows that Britons are overwhelmingly hostile to the EU, they know that Brussels is responsible for taking away our democratic rights and that the UK’s membership of the EU costs us dearly in terms of cuts to our public services, higher taxation, and the destruction of British jobs. There is widespread recognition nowadays that we would be better off out.
He added that the Campaign for an Independent Britain had organised this major public meeting because we believe it is important to provide as many opportunities as possible for Eurosceptics to gather together and network, and to learn new insights into the EU dictatorship from their various different perspectives. We also felt it was extremely important to hear from people from Europe and Africa, so that we can try to understand the motivations of those people who share the British Eurosceptic view. Euroscepticism is often seen as purely British – English in fact – and one of the aims of our meeting on 4th April is to create a broadly-based, cross-party event at which participants from throughout the EU (and beyond) and from right across the political spectrum, can meet together to plan the next phrase of our joint campaign.
The EU wants to extend its powers even further through the Lisbon Treaty – but CIB is fighting hard to block this latest power gab. That’s why we’ve called this meeting: Freedom and democracy, not EU dictatorship. Anyone interested in attending should go to the CIB website, www.eurosceptic.org.uk.-ENDS Press contact: Andy Smith, Press Officer, Campaign for an Independent Britain, tel: 07737 271676, email: press@eurosceptic.org.uk
TESTING THE FAITH Suit claims recognition of God violates law,Brief challenges plan to stop acknowledging prayer March 21, 2009 12:15 am Eastern 2009 WorldNetDaily
A court should reject arguments from those who seek relentless extirpation of any reference to religion in public life, according to a brief submitted in opposition to a Wisconsin lawsuit that challenges the National Day of Prayer. The lawsuit was filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which asserted the law that sets the first Thursday in May as National Day of Prayer should be declared in violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The case pending in a Wisconsin court now, however, has drawn the attention of the American Center for Law and Justice, the ACLJ, which submitted a friend-of-the-court brief asking for the case to be dismissed.The ACLJ's filing includes a list 60 pages long of presidential and other proclamations recognizing America's need for a day of prayer and said the concept was adopted even as the U.S. was being created as a nation. At the end of the years 1777, 1781 and 1782 the Continental Congress recommended that the states set apart a day for prayer and thanksgiving. At the Constitutional Convention itself, Benjamin Franklin urged that prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business,the ACLJ argued. It was George Washington who offered the first presidential proclamation urging a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.He said it is in an especial manner our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience,the filing argued.
This is another twisted legal attempt to remove prayer from public life, said the ACLJ's director, Jay Sekulow. The fact is that a day set aside for prayer for the country is a time-honored tradition woven into the very fabric of our nation. From the time of our Founding Fathers to the present day, such proclamations and observances reflects the nation's rich history. The courts have been clear on this issue: there is no constitutional crisis here. We're hopeful that the court will take the only action appropriate in this case and dismiss this lawsuit,he said. The brief said the U.S. Supreme Court already has addressed the dispute, too. In Marsh v. Chambers,the United States Supreme Court conducted a searching examination of the nation's history when considering a challenge to the Nebraska state legislature's practice of opening its session with prayer by a paid chaplain. Upholding the practice, the court held that historical evidence sheds light not only on what the draftsmen intended the Establishment Clause to mean, but also on how they thought that Clause applied to the practice authorized by the First Congress – their actions reveal their intent.In its brief filed with the court in Madison, Wis., the ACLJ represents itself and 31 members of the 111th Congress, including Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Va., who chairs the Congressional Prayer Caucus. Other members of Congress represented are Robert B. Aderholt, Michele Bachmann, Roscoe G. Bartlett, John A. Boehner, John Boozman, Eric Cantor, K. Michael Conaway, Mary Fallin, Virginia Foxx, Trent Franks, Scott Garrett, Louie Gohmert, Wally Herger, Peter Hoekstra, Walter B. Jones, Jim Jordan, Doug Lamborn, Thaddeus G. McCotter, Patrick T. McHenry, Mike McIntyre, Jeff Miller, Sue Wilkins Myrick, Randy Neugebauer, Pete Olson, Mike Pence, Joseph R. Pitts, Heath Shuler, Adrian Smith, Lamar Smith and Joe Wilson. Even the drafter of the First Amendment, James Madison, issued four proclamations in the early 1800's calling the nation to a day of prayer,the ACLJ noted.
The ACLJ contends that the strategy to purge all religious observances and references from American public life must not be indulged.The ACLJ's brief can be read here. WND columnist Jonathan Falwell addressed the concerns in a column. The problem with this lawsuit, as I see it, is that America has a rich history of honoring God. From our nation's very first inaugural address by George Washington – in which he requested that the Bible be opened to Deuteronomy chapter 28 – we see the tradition of publicly paying tribute to God,he wrote. George Washington understood that this nation is a gift from the Sovereign God, and he recognized the need for the nation to honor Him. It is the duty of all nations,Washington said,to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God and to obey His will,Falwell wrote. We must fight to preserve our history, my friends, because there are those who want to ignore and destroy it,he said.
Pope condemns sorcery, urges Angolans to convert By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer MAR 21,09
LUANDA, Angola — Tens of thousands of Angola's Catholics lined the streets of the capital on Saturday for a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI, who urged the country's faithful to reach out and convert people who believe in witchcraft.In today's Angola, he said at Mass in the capital, Catholics should offer the message of Christ to the many who live in the fear of spirits, of evil powers by whom they feel threatened.He also gave a message of hope to young people, including some wounded and maimed during Angola's long civil war, when he addressed a crowd of some 30,000 people at drum concert later.I think of the many tears you shed for the loss of relatives, he told the crowd at a soccer stadium where he watched a drum concert by young men with the painted faces, and dancers in colorful costumes. The civil war started with Angola's 1975 independence from Portugal and ended in 2002.The 81-year-old pontiff, wearing white robes, looked tired and moved slowly in the tropical heat during the youth appearance in late afternoon.In the morning, Benedict attracted thousands onto the streets every time his motorcade passed and delighted the crowds by speaking in Portuguese.Drawing on the more than 500 years of Roman Catholicism in Angola, he called Christianity a bridge between the local peoples and the Portuguese settlers. The country's history as a Portuguese colony gave the country Christian roots. Eighty percent of the 16 million people are Christian, about 65 percent Catholic.
The pope began his day addressing Catholic clergymen and nuns, telling them to be missionaries to those Angolans living in fear of spirits, of malign and threatening powers. In their bewilderment they end up even condemning street children and the elderly as alleged sorcerers.In Africa, some churchgoing Catholics also follow traditional animist religions and consult medicine men and diviners who are denounced by the church. People accused of sorcery or of being possessed by evil powers sometimes are killed by fearful mobs.Local media have reported that police last year rescued 40 children who had been held by two religious sects after being accused by their own families of witchcraft.Benedict counseled Catholics to live peacefully with animists and other nonbelievers and urged Angolans to be the new missionaries to bring people who believe in sorcery to Christ.Benedict spoke at a Mass at the capital's blue-domed St. Paul's Church, where light streamed through stained glass windows onto veiled nuns and priests and bishops resplendent in white and lilac robes.
The pope lovingly caressed the faces of children and sketched the cross on their foreheads.Security was unusually tight, with military sharpshooters atop buildings in the capital. The National Police said they have deployed 10,000 officers. Security agents blocked cell phones in the church, apparently by sending a signal.This is a very emotional day for me, my first time to get a Papal blessing, said Sister Iliria Olivera, from Oaxaca in Mexico, among hundreds of foreign missionaries in the church. Olivera for nine years has been working with her Sisters of the Divine Pastor, teaching children and running a maternal health clinic outside Luanda.On Friday, Benedict lamented what he called strains on the traditional African family, condemning sexual violence against women and chiding countries that have approved abortion.The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, who is traveling with the pope, told journalists at a briefing Saturday that Benedict in that speech was referring to abortion when used as a means of population control.Earlier in the weeklong trip, the pope's first to Africa, Benedict drew criticism from aid agencies and some European governments when he said that condoms were not the answer to Africa's severe AIDS epidemic, suggesting that sexual behavior was the issue. Among the young people in the stadium Saturday was Valdomero Dias, who said he understood the pope's message as leader of the church. But abstinence is very difficult for young people,said Dias, a 27-year-old bachelor who helps run the scouting movement.
Amnesty International on Saturday called on the pope to use his influence to halt the threat of forced evictions for residents of Luanda to make rise for high-rise apartments and office buildings. Many have been given cheap houses in faraway satellite towns that have no running water or electricity. Amnesty said that between 2003 and 2006, thousands of people were forcibly evicted from land belonging to the Catholic Church in three Luanda districts. Asked at the press briefing about Amnesty's allegations, Lombardi referred the question to an Angolan bishop, Monsignor Jose Manuel Imbamba. The prelate denied that anyone had been evicted or houses destroyed.We help the poor, we don't send them away,Imbamba said. AP correspondent Michelle Faul and reporter Casimiro Siona contributed to this report.
THE MEDIA IS SO BIAS AGAINST ISRAEL ITS REDICULAS USING THE TERMS CHILDREN AND SCHO0LYARD IN THIS STORY TO GIVE THE PALESTINIAN MURDERERS FAVOUR.......SICK MEDIA.JERUSALEM WILL BE ISRAELS CAPITAL FOREVER WORLD AND DON'T FORGET IT. NO MATTER HOW THE MEDIA IS HATING AND BIAS AGAINST ISRAEL,GOD RULES AND ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE SEPARATED AFTER JESUS THE TRUE MESSIAH AND GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WORLD RETURNS TO RULE FROM JERUSALEM FOREVER,THEN IT WILL BE THE WORLD JEWISH CAPITAL.
Israel police ban Arab culture day in Jerusalem By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer MAR 21,09
JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities broke up a series of Palestinian cultural events in Jerusalem on Saturday, disrupting a children's march and bursting balloons at a schoolyard celebration in a crackdown that underscored the emotional battle over control of the disputed holy city.Elsewhere in Jerusalem, hundreds of Israelis gathered outside the residence of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to mark the 1,000th day in captivity of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The demonstration took place at a protest tent set up by the soldier's family, and many in the crowd quietly waved yellow glow sticks in a show of solidarity.Palestinian activists called for Saturday's celebrations to mark the Arab League's designation of Jerusalem as the capital of Arab culture for 2009. The 23-nation group chooses a different city for the honor each year.
But Israel said the events violated a ban on Palestinian political activity in Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized the crackdown.Announcing the ban on Saturday's events, Israel's internal security minister, Avi Dichter, accused Abbas' Palestinian Authority of being behind the activities. Israel does not allow the Palestinian government to have a presence in Jerusalem, saying it undercuts Israel's claim to the city.At one event, teenage girls at an east Jerusalem Catholic school released a few dozen balloons in the red, white, green and black colors of the Palestinian flag over the walled Old City. Israeli military police and soldiers quickly moved into the schoolyard and popped the remaining balloons, students said.
Zein, an 18-year-old student, said the police popped them with their hands and told them they weren't allowed to release them into the air. She asked not to use her last name, fearing further problems with the police.An Israeli intelligence official at the school who refused to give his name said the balloons were burst because they are Palestinian.Police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said 12 people were detained. Police also broke up attempts by Palestinian school children to march into the Old City.The dispute over Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has been the most sensitive issue in peace talks.Israel says the entire city of Jerusalem is its undivided capital. Palestinians want east Jerusalem — captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and site of key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites — as the capital of a future state.Israel annexed the eastern part of the city after the 1967 war, and today, some 180,000 Jewish Israelis live in east Jerusalem neighborhoods. The annexation is not internationally recognized.Speaking in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Abbas said Israel's policies in Jerusalem were undermining the chances for peace.The policy of discrimination, suppression, stealing the land, destruction of neighborhoods, and homes, the policy of falsifying the past, destroying the present and stealing the future should all stop if peace is to have a real opportunity in this land,he said.He urged the incoming Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to resume stalled peace negotiations on all issues of dispute, including Jerusalem. The conservative Netanyahu rejects any division of the holy city.Olmert had hoped to arrange a prisoner swap with Hamas that would bring home the captured soldier, Sgt. Gilad Schalit, before he leaves office. Netanyahu is putting together a coalition government following elections last month and has two more weeks to complete the task.
But earlier this week, Olmert said Hamas' demands were excessive, strongly signaling he would turn over the matter to Netanyahu. Hamas is seeking the release of some 450 imprisoned militants, including dozens convicted of killing Israelis, in exchange for Schalit.Schalit's father, Noam, urged Olmert to continue his efforts. We want Gilad Schalit back home immediately — immediately, not in another 1,000 days, not even in another 100 days,he told the crowd Saturday night. Schalit's family set up the protest tent two weeks ago to push for a last-minute deal. In a country where military service is mandatory, the case has gripped the nation's attention, and thousands of people have stopped by the tent to support the family. The family planned to return home to northern Israel later Saturday, but his father said their struggle would go on. This hasn't ended, dear Gilad,he said.
Canada bars Galloway over Hamas support Sat Mar 21, 6:55 am ET
OTTAWA, (AFP) – George Galloway has been blocked from visiting Canada because of his support of Hamas, which is banned here, the Canadian immigration minister's office said.I'm sure Galloway has a large Rolodex of friends in regimes elsewhere in the world willing to roll out the red carpet for him, Alykhan Velshi, spokesman for Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, told AFP.Canada, however, won't be one of them, he said in an email.Galloway was to give a speech in Toronto at the end of the month, but has been denied entry over his opposition to Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said the Sun.In a comment piece published in the Guardian on Saturday, Galloway described the ban as absurd, hypocritical, and in vain because his allies in the country were seeking a judicial review.And there are other ways I can address those Canadians who wish to hear me, he wrote.From coast to coast, minister Kenney notwithstanding, I will be heard -- one way or another.Velshi said Galloway was deemed inadmissible to Canada due to national security concerns.It was an operational decision" by border security officials based on a number of factors, not only those mentioned in the Sun piece,he said.Such a decision could be overturned by ministerial order, but it is not warranted in this case, he said.We're going to uphold the law, not give special treatment to a street-corner Cromwell who brags about giving financial support to Hamas, a terrorist organization banned in Canada,Velshi said.
Opposition New Democratic Party MP Olivia Chow however accused the government of censorship for not allowing Galloway to tout his anti-war messages in Canada.Denying him entry to this country is an affront to freedom of speech and shows the Canadian government is frightened of an open debate on an unpopular war, she said in a statement.This week, Galloway traveled to Gaza at the head of a humanitarian convoy. He praised the Palestinian resistance and condemned Israel's 22-day offensive launched in December, in which 1,300 Palestinians died, as genocidal aggression.The MP also donated thousands of dollars and dozens of vehicles to the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Chef: Norovirus may be cause of Fat Duck illnesses By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer – Fri Mar 20, 12:15 pm ET
LONDON – Chef Heston Blumenthal and health officials say a virus may have caused an outbreak of illness among diners at England's Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant.
The restaurant was closed for more than two weeks starting Feb. 24 after scores of diners were struck by bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. Initial reports said 40 diners had fallen ill, but the Health Protection Agency said Friday that 529 people have now reported becoming sick after eating at the Fat Duck.Blumenthal was quoted by Australia's Hospitality magazine as saying several members of staff and customers had tested positive for norovirus, an easily transmitted bug known as winter vomiting disease.It is categorically not food poisoning, we know that, Blumenthal was quoted as saying.The Health Protection Agency said it was still conducting tests to determine the cause of the outbreak but confirmed that norovirus infection had been detected in six members of staff and eight diners.The agency said restaurant staff had continued to work while ill with the virus, in contravention of public health guidelines.The agency ruled last week that it was safe to reopen the restaurant in Bray, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of London. It said it had given the restaurant advice on how to deal with staff illness.The Fat Duck reopened on March 12, and Blumenthal said diners were not staying away as a result of the illnesses.
It's affected the restaurant big time because (we) had to cancel 800 people because of the closure but in terms of the business and people wanting to come in then no, he was quoted as saying.Norovirus is the most common stomach bug in Britain. Outbreaks sicken up to 1 million people in the U.K. every year, though they are usually confined to hospitals, nursing homes and schools.The virus spreads via contact with an infected person, food, water, or contaminated surfaces. It can also survive for days in the environment.The Fat Duck, one of only three British restaurants awarded the Michelin food guide's top three-star rating, was named the best place in the world to eat by Restaurant magazine in 2005.The 42-year-old self-taught chef is known for elaborate culinary concoctions such as snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream.
AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed to this report.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE 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.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) 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 KINGS OR NATIONS).
EU expanding its sphere of influence,Russia says
VALENTINA POP Today MAR 21,09 @ 16:17 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Eastern Partnership is an EU attempt to expand its sphere of influence in the quest for hydrocarbons, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said, in Moscow's first major broadside against the new policy. We are accused of having spheres of influence. But what is the Eastern Partnership, if not an attempt to extend the EU's sphere of influence, including to Belarus, the minister said on Saturday (21 March) at the Brussels Forum, a high-level symposium.He added that the Czech EU presidency and the European Commission are putting undue pressure on Belarus by suggesting it might be marginalised if it follows Russia in recognising the independence of Georgian breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia.Is this promoting democracy or is it blackmail? It's about pulling countries from the positions they want to take as sovereign states,Mr Lavrov said.The EU on Friday formally launched the Eastern Partnership, a €600 million policy to forge closer political and trade links with six former Soviet countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Azerbaijan and Georgia are important for the EU's pursuit of alternative gas and oil import routes from the Caspian Sea region. Belarus also hosts a major gas pipeline system.The invitation of Belarus leader Lukashenko to an Eastern Partnership launch summit in May and the pace of EU-Belarus rapprochement in the partnership process continue to hang in the balance, however. Czech foreign minister Karl Schwarzenberg in February said it would be "difficult" to make progress if Minsk takes the Russian line on Georgia. Mr Lavrov's choice of words on Saturday was piquant, with former-Communist EU members often accusing Moscow of blackmailing its neighbours or thinking in terms of Cold War-era spheres.He said Russia has special relations with eastern European countries because of hundreds of years of common history and Russia's open labour market.
Sweden, the co-author of the Eastern Partnership project together with Poland, rejected Mr Lavrov's position as completely unacceptable.The Eastern Partnership is not about spheres of influence. The difference is that these countries themselves opted to join,Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt told EUobserver at the Brussels Forum. The EU's position on Georgia is not blackmail but is about upholding the principles of the EU and international law, which Russia should also be respecting, he added.
Appeasement won't work
The Lavrov speech should dispel the idea that Russia will agree to a formula of more EU, less NATO for its former vassals, according to EU and NATO-aspirant Georgia. Mr Lavrov just confirmed that whatever choices Eastern European countries make, be it NATO or EU, they are not acceptable to Russia. Moscow continues to see the Euro-atlantic aspirations of these countries as an attempt to leave its sphere of influence,Georgian minister for reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili told this website.
The fact that Russia sees the European Partnership as a zero-sum game proves wrong those who believe that giving up NATO aspirations would solve the problems with Moscow. Appeasing Russia will not work.Ukraine, home to a large ethnic-Russian minority hostile to NATO expansion, is taking a more nuanced approach. There is a difference, NATO has a huge legacy from the bipolar world of the Cold war, which the EU does not have,Ukraine deputy premier Hryhoriy Nemyria said. The strategic priority of our country is integration in the EU. This is the way to modernise our country and we welcome the Eastern Partnership policy, because it uses de facto the same instruments as for EU candidates. We know it's not about membership, but membership is also not completely ruled out for the future.
BILDERBERGS EXCITE POLITICOS
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/blog/?p=103
LOU DOBBS LEFT WING CONSPIRACY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qj3GIpKPLc&feature=player_embedded
ENVIROMENTALISTS ARE FRAUDS,SCAMMERS (CULT RELIGIONISTS)
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/blog/?p=73
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHW7KR33IQ&feature=player_embedded
Czech president attacks Al Gore’s climate campaign
Jan. 31, 2009
Czech President Vaclav Klaus took aim at climate change campaigner Al Gore on Saturday in Davos in a frontal attack on the science of global warming. I don’t think that there is any global warming,said the 67-year-old liberal, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. I don’t see the statistical data for that. Referring to the former US vice president, who attended Davos this year, he added:I’m very sorry that some people like Al Gore are not ready to listen to the competing theories. I do listen to them.Environmentalism and the global warming alarmism is challenging our freedom. Al Gore is an important person in this movement.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, he said that he was more worried about the reaction to the perceived dangers than the consequences.I’m afraid that the current crisis will be misused for radically constraining the functioning of the markets and market economy all around the world,he said. I’m more afraid of the consequences of the crisis than the crisis itself. Klaus makes no secret of his climate change scepticism — he is also a fierce critic of the European Union — and has branded the world’s top panel of climate experts, the UN’s IPCC, a smug monopoly.
New York: Albany County Staging Attack on Ammunition Sales
National Rifle Association of America Press release March 20, 2009
At Monday night’s meeting of the Albany County Legislature, Legislators PhillipSteck (D), Douglas Bullock (D) and Wanda Willingham (D) introduced Local Law A, a proposal that would regulate the purchase of ammunition in Albany County. Local Law A would require that a valid firearms license be shown when purchasing ammunition. The law would also mandate that retailers keep a record of ammunition sales, including the type, caliber, and quantity of the ammunition, make, model and serial number of the firearm it is for, as well as the purchaser’s name and address. As if that is not enough, Local Law A would also create a secondary method of gun registration for both long guns and handguns. Local Law A has been sent to the Law Committee. Congress has tried ammunition registration in the past, only to discover that it was not only ineffective for law enforcement, but also completely unmanageable due to the sheer volume of transactions. Ammunition registration creates huge record keeping requirements and provides no useful benefits for law enforcement; which is why it was repealed under the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. Please contact the members of the Law Committee and the County Legislators TODAY and respectfully voice your opposition to Local Law A. Contact information for the members of the Law Committee can be found below. County Legislators can be reached by phone at (518) 447-7168 or fax (518) 447-5695.For more contact information, please visit http://www.albanycounty.com/departments/legislature/legislator.asp?id=165 .
George L. Infante - District 01
9 McDonald Road
Albany, NY 12209
Home: (518) 449-5822
Christopher T. Higgins - District 06
88 Dove Street
Albany, NY 12210
(518) 320-8580
christopher.higgins@albanycounty.com
Donald W. Rahm - District 09
271 South Main Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
Phone: (518) 489-2277
donald.rahm@albanycounty.com
Phillip G. Steck - District 15
12 Paul Holly Drive
Loudonville, NY 12211
Phone: (518) 463-7786
psteck@nycap.rr.com
Robert J. Beston - District 16
1406 6th Avenue
Watervliet, NY 12189
Home: (518) 272-1038
Shawn M. Morse - District 18
PO Box 402
Cohoes, NY 12047
(518) 470-4126
smorse@nycap.rr.com
William M. Hoblock - District 26
20 DeLucia Terrace
Loudonville, New York 12211
Home: (518) 465-2906
whoblock@nycap.rr.com
Patrice Lockart - District 27
12 Peach Tree Lane
Albany, NY 12205
(518) 456-3866
plockart@nycap.rr.com
Bryan M. Clenahan - District 30
30 Woodlake Road
Albany, NY 12203
Telephone: (518) 464-7601
bryan.clenahan@albanycounty.com
BORN IN THE USA? Taitz to FBI: Investigate tampering at Supremes 305 million Americans need to know if foreign national is usurping presidency March 21, 2009
12:15 am Eastern By Bob Unruh 2009 WorldNetDaily
Orly Taitz
A California attorney battling on a number of fronts to obtain documentation of Barack Obama's eligibility to be president is asking the FBI and U.S. Secret Service to investigate suspected tampering at the U.S. Supreme Court. Orly Taitz, who is pursuing nearly half a dozen causes through her Defend Our Freedoms Foundation, says the issue of Obama's eligibility to meet the Constitution's demand for a natural born president has been before the Supreme Court at least four times. But she wonders whether the justices actually were given the pleadings to review. I believe … that there was tampering with documents and records by employees of the Supreme Court and the justices never saw those briefs,she alleges in a letter to the FBI's Robert Mueller, the Secret Service's Mark Sullivan and Attorney General Eric Holder. Three hundred five million American citizens … need to know whether a foreign national is usurping the position of the president and the commander in chief,she wrote.
Taitz raises questions about forgery of court records, tampering with court records, cyber crime, erasing of court records from the docket, fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and other related crimes.Specifically, she points to the handling of her own case, Lightfoot v. Bowen, which was submitted to the Supreme Court on an emergency basis. Although it was scheduled for a conference, no hearing ever was held. Join one third of a million people who are seeking the truth on whether Obama meets the Constitution's natural born citizenship clause. Taitz notes that references to the case were erased from the docket of the Supreme Court on Jan. 21, shortly after Obama, the defendant, met with eight of the nine justices behind closed doors. It happened just two days before her case was scheduled to be reviewed in conference.
Secondly, Taitz notes that in her conversation with Justice Antonin Scalia at a book-signing in Los Angeles several weeks ago, he appeared to have no knowledge of the cases that had been submitted. She said she mentioned her case and those brought by Cort Wrotnowski, Philip Berg and Leo Donofrio. In the presence of several attorneys, law students and Secret Service agents Justice Scalia kept saying that he didn't know anything … even though all of the plaintiffs have received notification that all of those cases were reviewed by all nine justices,she said. Taitz said she's also concerned that the Supreme Court docket was somehow modified. Did somebody from outside break and enter into the computer system of the Supreme Court or was it done by one of the overzealous employees who wanted to keep Obama in the White House?" she asked.I demand to see the printout of entries of both internal docket seen by justices and the external docket seen by the public to verify if those were identical at all times, particularly between January 20th and January 23rd,she said. She also raised the possibility that justices' signatures may have been stamped on documentation.
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts
Her allegations, she said, were part of what she submitted to Chief Justice John Roberts when she met him at the University of Idaho a week ago. Due to the … great urgency of the matter in relation to the national security of the United States … I demand immediate investigation of this matter,Taitz wrote. Taitz also is developing a Quo Warranto case that has been submitted to Holder. Essentially, the case demands to know what authority Obama is using to act as president. An online constitutional resource says Quo Warranto affords the only judicial remedy for violations of the Constitution by public officials and agents.As WND reported, Taitz already has submitted a motion to the Supreme Court for re-hearing of Lightfoot v. Bowen, a case she is working on through Defend Our Freedoms alleging some of her documentation may have been withheld from the justices by a court clerk. WND has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a natural born citizen. The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.Some of the lawsuits question whether he was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, some suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time. Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born.Although Obama officials have told WND all such allegations are garbage, here is a partial listing and status update for some of the cases over Obama's eligibility:
New Jersey attorney Mario Apuzzo has filed a case on behalf of Charles Kerchner and others alleging Congress didn't properly ascertain that Obama is qualified to hold the office of president.Pennsylvania Democrat Philip Berg has three cases pending, including Berg vs. Obama in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a separate Berg vs. Obama which is under seal at the U.S. District Court level and Hollister vs. Soetoro a/k/a Obama, (now dismissed) brought on behalf of a retired military member who could be facing recall to active duty by Obama.Leo Donofrio of New Jersey filed a lawsuit claiming Obama's dual citizenship disqualified him from serving as president. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court but denied a full hearing.Cort Wrotnowski filed suit against Connecticut's secretary of state, making a similar argument to Donofrio. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court, but was denied a full hearing.Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes headlines a list of people filing a suit in California, in a case handled by the United States Justice Foundation, that asks the secretary of state to refuse to allow the state's 55 Electoral College votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential election until Obama verifies his eligibility to hold the office. The case was dismissed by Judge Michael P. Kenny.Chicago attorney Andy Martin sought legal action requiring Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle to release Obama's vital statistics record. The case was dismissed by Hawaii Circuit Court Judge Bert Ayabe.Lt. Col. Donald Sullivan sought a temporary restraining order to stop the Electoral College vote in North Carolina until Barack Obama's eligibility could be confirmed, alleging doubt about Obama's citizenship. His case was denied.In Ohio, David M. Neal sued to force the secretary of state to request documents from the Federal Elections Commission, the Democratic National Committee, the Ohio Democratic Party and Obama to show the presidential candidate was born in Hawaii. The case was denied.Also in Ohio, there was the Greenberg v. Brunner case which ended when the judge threatened to assess all case costs against the plaintiff.In Washington state, Steven Marquis sued the secretary of state seeking a determination on Obama's citizenship. The case was denied.In Georgia, Rev. Tom Terry asked the state Supreme Court to authenticate Obama's birth certificate. His request for an injunction against Georgia's secretary of state was denied by Georgia Superior Court Judge Jerry W. Baxter.California attorney Orly Taitz has brought a case, Lightfoot vs. Bowen, on behalf of Gail Lightfoot, the vice presidential candidate on the ballot with Ron Paul, four electors and two registered voters.In addition, other cases cited on the RightSideofLife blog as raising questions about Obama's eligibility include: In Texas, Darrel Hunter vs. Obama later was dismissed.In Ohio, Gordon Stamper vs. U.S. later was dismissed.In Texas, Brockhausen vs. Andrade.In Washington, L. Charles Cohen vs. Obama.In Hawaii, Keyes vs. Lingle, dismissed.
5,000 evacuated after hazardous acid spill in Pa. MAR 21,09
WIND GAP, Pa. – Evacuation orders for about 5,000 people in northeastern Pennsylvania remain in effect even as authorities say the leak of a hazardous chemical has been contained.Authorities say a tanker truck carrying more than 16 tons of hydrofluoric acid overturned early Saturday near Wind Gap, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia.
Northampton County spokesman John Conklin says the driver was treated for injuries and released. There were no other immediate reports of injuries.Conklin says hazardous materials teams managed to stop the slowly dripping liquid. He says not enough of the chemical leaked to create a toxic cloud.Hydrofluoric acid in low doses can irritate the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract. Inhalation can be fatal.
http://www.brugesgroup.com/maps/ForeignPressMap00.gif
Development bank urges G20 to remember Africa Fri Mar 20, 12:21 pm ET
GENEVA (AFP) – African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka on Friday urged the Group of 20 not to forget Africa when it meets next month to seek ways to stimulate the ailing global economy.We will be concerned if in the course of the G20 process... to resolve the financial issues, and associated economic issues, development is not included in the agenda, he said.We cannot imagine a stimulus to the world economy (that) ignores Africa, he added, pointing out that the continent is home to some 900 million people.We think we are part of the solution to the crisis, and should therefore be integrated into international discussions on the issue, he added.South Africa is the only African country within the G20 industrialised and emerging market economies whose leaders are to meet in London on April 2.However, the chairmen of the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Union Commission are also due to attend.Kaberuka said the economic crisis is also taking a toll on African nations, with the continent's gross domestic product growth to slow to 3.5 percent from 5.4 percent posted in 2008.The crisis is reaching us and is hitting very hard, he added.The Rwandan said he supported World Bank chief Robert Zoellick's proposal to create a fund to help the most vulnerable countries, with the value of the fund to be set at 0.75 percent of the total value of economic rescue packages around the world.
Such a measure would generate by our calculations 15 billion dollars, he said.He also called on donors to honour their pledges in development aid, notably on doubling aid and on improving efficiency.
EU pledges new IMF money but no new stimulus funds By AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer – Fri Mar 20, 2:27 pm ET
BRUSSELS – European Union nations have already spent enough to try to boost sluggish demand, the bloc's leaders said Friday, calling instead for better financial regulation to restore market confidence and fix the ailing world economy.They also raised new red flags against protectionism after French carmaker Renault SA said it was moving jobs out of low-wage Slovenia and into recession-hit France, and urged more funding for the International Monetary Fund to help countries hard hit by the crisis.Stimulus spending, market confidence, financial regulation and free trade will be key issues at a Group of 20 summit of the world's leading rich and developing economies next month in London.The plan EU leaders outlined Friday stands in stark contrast to President Barack Obama's heavy stimulus spending and could make for tough negotiations at the April 2 summit on how best to resolve the global economic crisis.
Getting lending flowing again to businesses and households means more rules and oversight for the financial system and a stronger role and more resources for the IMF, the EU leaders said at a summit that ended Friday.Leaders of the EU's 27 nations insisted it was too soon to inject extra billions of euros (dollars) into their own economies to fight a recession that has sent industrial output diving and the EU's jobless rate soaring.Europe is doing all that was necessary to restore growth, EU leaders said in a joint statement.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said solving the banking crisis was the biggest task facing the world right now.This is a global banking crisis that's spread right across the world, Brown told reporters at the talks in Brussels.To solve that problem you've got to get countries working together.
His cure for the world economy was restructuring the banking sector to curb corporate bonuses and clamp down on taxes and the shadow banking system that helped create an investment bubble.At the same time, Brown said the EU must urge all nations to counter plunging world trade by making finance available to exporters and importers and shunning protectionist trade barriers.The EU's concrete promises were few. Nations backed doubling IMF lending to $500 billion, saying they stood ready to provide some euro75 billion ($100 billion) if needed.EU leaders also raised an emergency bailout fund for EU members that don't use the euro from euro25 billion to euro50 billion ($67.7 billion) — a move to assure eastern European countries who could face problems balancing their books this year.The only real money they laid on the table was some euro5 billion ($6.7 billion) in unused EU farm subsidies that they will spend on energy links, green power and broadband Internet instead of returning it to governments.They repeated their usual call for Europe to stay true to the great economic project of leveling national barriers to create a single market, saying this was central to making the recession in Europe shorter and less severe.But that sounded hollow, after France's Renault SA announced Friday it would move excess production from a car plant in Slovenia to a French site and create 400 French jobs in the process.France was forced under EU pressure to drop a demand that carmakers getting state handouts should bring jobs home from eastern Europe. EU regulators immediately sounded alarm bells about Renault's decision, saying they would "verify" if it was acting legally.EU leaders delayed a decision until at least July about how much aid they will offer to poor, mostly African nations, to entice them to sign a new global climate change pact at the end of the year. The United Nations, environmental and aid groups say delaying the move threatens efforts to combat global warming.Associated Press writers Constant Brand, Raf Casert, Robert Wielaard, Holly Fox, Barbara Schaeder and Claudia Kemmer contributed to this report.
Confusion reigns over possible eurozone bailout plan
ANDREW WILLIS 20.03.2009 @ 14:57 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Friday (20 March) was the scene of some confusion as to whether member states have agreed the bones of a eurozone bailout plan.A senior German politician, Otto Bernhardt, member of the German chancellor's CDU party, told Reuters early on Friday that eurozone finance ministers agreed at a recent meeting the main components of a eurozone bailout plan that would see richer countries contribute to a special reserve fund to which struggling eurozone members could apply.However, German finance minister Peer Steinbrück was somewhat cryptic when asked about the funds existence at a press conference later in the day. I can't confirm such a meeting or such conclusions, adding that no eurozone member currently had difficulties in meeting debt payments. In the unlikely case that it did happen, the eurozone would be ready for action,he said.Mr Bernhardt told Reuters that the fund has already been set up with the European Central Bank and is ready to help eurozone countries at a moments notice, continuing that we won't let anyone go bust.We are in a position to act within 24 hours. The ECB would take immediate action,he said.The ECB can make an unlimited amount of money available.Ireland, which Mr Bernhardt said was in the worst situation of all immediately denied the existence of such a plan.Finance ministers didn't discuss anything to do with a rescue package for members of the euro zone Irish foreign minister Micheal Martin told Irish radio on Friday morning.A German spokesperson said there is no such plan and that Mr Bernhardt said he had been misinterpreted. European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said: I am not aware of this kind of decision.
But Mr Bernhardt was quite precise in the details he gave to Reuters, speaking of a quid pro quo arrangement on corporate tax, something that has also been previously reported in Irish newspapers.We would look very closely at past sins, Mr Bernhardt said.We will not tolerate there being low-tax countries like Ireland for example. We will insist on a minimum corporate taxation rate.Germany has long been irritated by Ireland's low corporate tax rate, standing at 12 percent.However, sweetners to business formed the backbone of Ireland's Celtic Tiger years attracting huge amounts of foreign investment and Brian Cowen's government wants to continue to use it to get the country – hit by a falling property market and plummeting exports - out of the financial doldrums.In a speech delivered to Microsoft's headquarters in Brussels on Thursday (19 March), Mr Cowen said the government plans highly favourable business supports, tax regime and infrastructural supports,in a bid to turn Ireland into a smart economy.
Talk of a eurozone bailout have cropped up persistently in recent weeks.Earlier this month at a breakfast meeting at the European Policy Centre think-tank, economy commissioner Joaquin Almunia said the EU did have plan to help struggling eurozone states but refused to elaborate on the details. It is not clever to talk in public about this solution.Last month, Mr Steinbrueck said that richer eurozone countries may have to come to the aid of single currency nations that are having problems. The euro-region treaties do not foresee any help for insolvent states, but in reality the others would have to rescue those running into difficulty,he said on 17 February.
Meanwhile, the European Central Bank on Friday denied the existence of a rescue fund.
The reported information is for the ECB untrue, a spokeswoman for the Frankfurt-based central bank said, reports Bloomberg news agency. The euro dropped after the comment was published.
THE FED BREAKS THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA GIVES THE MONEY TO THE BANKERS WORLDWIDE TO GOBBLE UP PROPERTY AND THE FED JUST GETS MORE PROPERTY TILL THEY COUNTROL THE COUNTRY THEN EVENTUALLY THE WORLD.OVIOUSLY THE BIG MONEY IS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AS THE BIBLE SAYS THEY HAVE THE DICTATORIAL WORLD DOMINATION.
2 corporate credit unions taken over by government,Regulators take over 2 big wholesale credit unions, seek to stabilize corporate credit unions
Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer Friday March 20, 2009, 9:59 pm EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators on Friday seized control of two large institutions that provide wholesale financing for U.S. credit unions, a move they say was needed to stabilize the credit union system.The National Credit Union Administration said it has taken over and put into conservatorship the two corporate credit unions, U.S. Central Federal Credit Union, based in Lenexa, Kan., and Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, in San Dimas, Calif. U.S. Central has about $34 billion in assets while Western Corporate, known as WesCorp, has an estimated $23 billion in assets.A conservatorship enables the government to operate a financial institution. Corporate credit unions provide financing and investment services to the much larger population of retail credit unions. Some of the 28 corporate credit unions in the U.S. have sustained steep losses on paper from the depressed value of the mortgage-linked securities they hold.The NCUA, which oversees some 7,800 federally insured credit unions, said it will continue to take any and all steps necessary to preserve a well-functioning system of corporate credit unions and to protect the assets of (retail credit unions) and their members during the ... financial market dislocation.The financial services provided by the two corporate credit unions will continue uninterrupted and there will be no direct impact on the 90 million members of retail credit unions nationwide, the NCUA said in a news release.
It said retail credit unions, which are cooperatives owned by their members, remain financially strong -- with net worth exceeding 10 percent of assets, and sustained growth in assets and membership despite the deep recession.The NCUA staff recently completed a stress test of the mortgage- and other asset-backed securities held by all corporate credit unions, including U.S. Central and WesCorp, and found that an unacceptably high concentration of risk was contained in those two institutions, the agency said Friday. Securities held by the two have continued to lose value since late January, reducing their available cash and worsening a loss of confidence on the part of their member credit unions, the NCUA said.In January, the NCUA injected $1 billion of capital into U.S. Central. At the same time, the agency moved to guarantee tens of billions of dollars in uninsured deposits at corporate credit unions overall, the latest in a series of actions to shore them up in the face of financial stress.
The NCUA said it would automatically guarantee uninsured deposits at all corporate credit unions through February and then on a voluntary basis through Dec. 31, 2010.
The agency's insurance fund is financed by fees paid by credit unions. As is the case with banks and thrifts, regular deposit accounts in federally insured credit unions are covered up to $250,000.In December, the agency made more than $40 billion available to support several corporate credit unions with a new borrowing from the Treasury Department and provided another $2 billion to help struggling homeowners.The NCUA also has proposed restructuring the corporate credit union system with an eye to enhancing its stability.U.S. Central has said it expected to report a substantial loss for 2008, due to around $1.2 billion in charges for impairments in its holdings of mortgage-backed securities.
Up to three million march in French mass protest
ELITSA VUCHEVA 20.03.2009 @ 09:15 CET
In a record turn-out, as many as three million people hit the streets in France on Thursday (19 March) to protest against the government's economic policies in response to the global crisis, according to union estimates. The numbers were closer to 1.2 million, say the police. The country's airports, trains, schools and public transport were disrupted by the mass demonstration - the second general strike faced by France in two months.The event mobilised more people than the similar one in January when between one and two million people protested in France's cities.The country's eight main trade unions, who had called for the protests, demanded that the government react.I cannot believe the government will stay immobile in the face of a phenomenon of this size, Bernard Thibault of the General Labour Confederation said on state television France 2.If things continue like this, the marches will get bigger, Bernard van Craeynest, the leader of trade union CFE-CGC, was reported as saying by Le Monde.Representatives of the opposition were also participating in the protests.
It is important that the government changes its economic, social and fiscal policy, Paris' Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe said.For his part, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon defended his government's actions and ruled out any new economic recovery plan in France at this stage, saying it should first be clear what the effects of the €26 billion plan announced in December are.Mobilisation [in the streets] will not solve the problems of the world crisis,Mr Fillon said.
EU-wide problem
The French protests come as unemployment reached eight percent in the country, and new figures published on Friday by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) say the number of jobless people will reach 8.8 percent by the end of the first half of 2009.The institute also forecasts a prolongation of the recession in the first half of this year in France, saying GDP will shrink by up to 1.5 percent in the first quarter alone – its worst drop since 1975.Meanwhile, strikes have been taking place in other EU countries as well, including Italy. A major demonstration is also to be organised by unions, NGOs and charities on 28 March in London, ahead of the G20 meeting on 2 April, to call on global leaders to put people first,Le Figaro reports.EU premiers and presidents, gathered for a two-day summit ending on Friday in Brussels, are expected to declare in a final document that the rapid increase of unemployment is central to our concerns.The Czech Republic, currently at the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, has also called a social affairs summit in Prague on 7 May, aiming to tackle the social consequences of the economic crisis.On Thursday, John Monks, secretary-general of the European Trade Union Confederation's (ETUC), called on the EU to be ambitious and adopt a new social deal at this summit.
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.
DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
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.
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.
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.
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.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
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:
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.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
JOHN BOLTON ON JOHN LOEFFLER - NEW WORLD ORDER LINGO TO WATCH FOR IN NEWS
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/03/john-loeffler-steel-on-steel-must.html#links
http://loudobbsradio.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1308
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/the-coming-war-on-sovereignty-15080
http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/11_action_plan_mgi.aspx.
http://brendabowers.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/john-bolton-on-%E2%80%98the-coming-war-on-american-sovereignty%E2%80%99-a-must-read/
FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/
BIBLE PROPHESIES ONE GOVERNMENT-ONE CURRENCY
http://www.gotquestions.org/one-world-government.html
The Coming War on Sovereignty
John Bolton March 2009
Barack Obama’s nascent presidency has brought forth the customary flood of policy proposals from the great and good, all hoping to influence his administration. One noteworthy offering is a short report with a distinguished provenance entitled A Plan for Action,1 which features a revealingly immodest subtitle: A New Era of International Cooperation for a Changed World: 2009, 2010, and Beyond.In presentation and tone, A Plan for Action is determinedly uncontroversial; indeed, it looks and reads more like a corporate brochure than a foreign-policy paper. The text is the work of three academics—Bruce Jones of NYU, Carlos Pascual of the Brookings Institution, and Stephen John Stedman of Stanford. Its findings and recommendations, they claim, rose from a series of meetings with foreign-policy eminences here and abroad, including former Secretaries of State of both parties as well as defense officials from the Clinton and first Bush administrations. The participation of these notables is what gives A Plan for Action its bona fides, though one should doubt how much the document actually reflects their ideas. There is no question, however, that the ideas advanced in A Plan for Action have become mainstays in the liberal vision of the future of American foreign policy.That is what makes A Plan for Action especially interesting, and especially worrisome. If it is what it appears to be—a blueprint for the Obama administration’s effort to construct a foreign policy different from George W. Bush’s—then the nation’s governing elite is in the process of taking a sharp, indeed radical, turn away from the principles and practices of representative self-government that have been at the core of the American experiment since the nation’s founding. The pivot point is a shifting understanding of American sovereignty.
While the term sovereignty has acquired many, often inconsistent, definitions, Americans have historically understood it to mean our collective right to govern ourselves within our Constitutional framework. Today’s liberal elite, by contrast, sees sovereignty as something much more abstract and less tangible, and thus a prize of less value to individual citizens than it once might have been. They argue that the model accepted by European countries in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which assigned to individual nation-states the right and responsibility to manage their own affairs within their own borders, is in the process of being superseded by new structures more appropriate to the 21st century.In this regard, they usually cite the European Union (EU) as the new model, with its 27 member nations falling under the aegis of a centralized financial system administered in Brussels. On issue after issue, from climate change to trade, American liberals increasingly look to Europe’s example of transnational consensus as the proper model for the United States. That is particularly true when it comes to national security, as John Kerry revealed when, during his presidential bid in 2004, he said that American policy had to pass a global test in order to secure its legitimacy.This is not a view with which the broader American population has shown much comfort. Traditionally, Americans have resisted the notion that their government’s actions had to pass muster with other governments, often with widely differing values and interests. It is the foreign-policy establishment’s unease with this long-held American conviction that is the motivating factor behind A Plan for Action, which represents a bold attempt to argue that any such set of beliefs has simply been overtaken by events.To this end, the authors provide a brief for what they call responsible sovereignty. They define it as the notion that sovereignty entails obligations and duties toward other states as well as to one’s own citizens, and they believe that its application can form the basis for a cooperative international order. At first glance, the phrase responsible sovereignty may seem unremarkable, given the paucity of advocates for irresponsible sovereignty. But despite the Plan’s mainstream provenance, the conception is a dramatic overhaul of sovereignty itself.
Global leaders,the Plan insists, increasingly recognize that alone they are unable to protect their interests and their citizens—national security has become interdependent with global security. The United States must therefore commit to a rule-based international system that rejects unilateralism and looks beyond military might, or else resign [our]selves to an ad-hoc international system. Mere traditional sovereignty is insufficient in the new era we have entered, an era in which we must contend with the realities of a now transnational world. This rule-based international system will create the conditions for global governance.The Plan suggests that the transition to this new system must begin immediately because of the terrible damage done by the Bush administration. In the Plan’s narrative, Bush disdained diplomacy, uniformly preferring the use of force, regime change, preemptive attacks, and general swagger in its conduct of foreign affairs. The Plan, by contrast, rejects unilateralism and looks beyond military might. Its implementation will lead to the successful resolution of dispute after dispute and usher in a new and unprecedented period of worldwide comity.As the Obama years begin, we certainly do need a lively debate on the utility of diplomacy, but it would be better if that debate were not conducted on the false premise offered by A Plan for Action. In reality, in the overwhelming majority of cases, foreign-policy thinkers on both sides of the ideological divide believe diplomacy is the solution to the difficulties that arise in the international system. That is how the Bush administration conducted itself as well.The difference arises in the consideration of a tiny number of cases—cases that prove entirely resistant to diplomatic efforts, in which divergent national interests prove implacably resistant to reconciliation. If diplomacy does not and cannot work, the continued application of it to a problematic situation is akin to subjecting a cancer patient to a regimen of chemotherapy that shows no results whatever. The result may look like treatment, but it is, in fact, only making the patient sicker and offering no possibility of improvement.
Diplomacy is like all other human activity. It has costs and it has benefits. Whether to engage in diplomacy on a given matter requires a judicious assessment of both costs and benefits. This is an exercise about which reasonable people can disagree. If diplomacy is to work, it must be preceded by an effort to determine its parameters—when it might be best to begin, how to achieve one’s aims, and what the purpose of the process might be. At the cold war’s outset, for example, Harry Truman’s Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, frequently observed that he was prepared to negotiate with the Soviets only when America could do so from a position of strength.Time is one of the most important variables in a diplomatic dance, because it often imposes a cost on one side and a benefit to its adversary. Nations can use the time granted by a diplomatic process to obscure their objectives, build alliances, prepare operationally for war, and, especially today, accelerate their efforts to build weapons of mass destruction and the ballistic missiles that might carry them. There are concrete economic factors that must be considered as well in the act of seeking to engage an adversary in the diplomatic realm—the act of providing humanitarian assistance as an act of good will, for example, the suspension of economic sanctions, or even resuming normal trade relations during negotiations.Obviously, the United States and, indeed, all rational nations are entirely comfortable paying substantial costs when they appear to be wise investments that will lead to the achievement of a larger objective. Alas, such happy conclusions are far from inevitable, and failing to understand the truth of this uncomfortable and inarguable reality has led nations to prolong negotiations long after the last glimmer of progress has been snuffed out. For too many diplomats, there is no off switch for diplomacy, no moment at which the only sensible thing to do is rise from the table and go home.Has one ever heard of a diplomat working to fashion an exit strategy from a failed negotiation? One hasn’t. One should.
Diplomacy is a tool, not a policy. It is a technique, not an end in itself. Urging, however earnestly, that we engage with our enemies tells us nothing about what happens after concluding the initial pleasantries at the negotiating table. Just opening the conversation is often significant, especially for those who are legitimized merely by being present. But without more, the meaning and potency of the photo op will quickly fade.That is why effective diplomacy must be one aspect of a larger strategic spectrum that includes ugly and public confrontations. Without the threat of painful sanctions, harsh condemnations, and even the use of force, diplomacy risks becoming a sucker’s game, in which one side will sit forever in naïve hope of reaching a settlement while the other side acts at will.Diplomacy is an end in itself in A Plan for Action. So, too, is multilateralism. The multilateralism the Plan celebrates and advocates is, of course, set in sharp contrast to the portrait it draws of a Bush administration flush with unilateralist cowboys intent on overturning existing international treaties and institutions just for the sport of it. Defining unilateralism is straightforward: the word refers to a state acting on its own in international affairs.2 It is a critical conceptual mistake, however, to pose multilateralism simply as its opposite.Consider, for example, the various roles of the United Nations, the North American Treaty Organization, and the Proliferation Security Initiative. The UN, the Holy Grail of multilateralism, is an organization of 192 members with responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security lodged in its Security Council. NATO is a defense alliance of 26 states, all of which are Western democracies. The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), created in 2003 by the Bush administration, now includes 90-plus diverse countries dedicated to stopping international trafficking in weapons of mass destruction.
Each organization is clearly multilateral, but their roles are so wildly different that the word ceases to have any meaning. For example, if the United States confronted a serious threat, it would be acting multilaterally if it took the matter either to NATO or the UN. Both options would be multilateral, but widely divergent in diplomatic and political content, and quite likely in military significance as well. They would be comparable related in the same way a steak knife is comparable to a plastic butter knife.The PSI offers an even starker contrast, for unlike either the UN or NATO, it has no secretary general, no Secretariat, no headquarters, and no regularly scheduled meetings. One British diplomat described the initiative as an activity, not an organization.In fact, the model of the Proliferation Security Initiative is the ideal one for multilateral activity in the future, precisely because it transcends the traditional structures of international organizations, which have, time and again, proved inefficient and ineffective.Multilateralism is, in other words, merely a word that describes international action taken by a group of nations acting in concert. For the authors of A Plan for Action, however, multilateralism has an almost spiritual aspect, representing a harmony that transcends barriers and oceans.Harmony is designed to stifle any discordant notes, and so is the multilateralism envisioned by an American foreign policy guided by responsible sovereignty. It is one in which the group of nations, of which the United States is but a single player among many, initiates policies and activities that would likely be designed to constrain the freedom of action of the United States in pursuit of that harmony—not only in its activities abroad, but also in its activities within the 50 states.
There is a precedent for this in the conduct of the European Union, whose 27 nations now possess a common currency in the form of the euro and an immensely complex series of trade and labor policies intended to cut across sovereign lines. The EU is the model A Plan for Action proffers for the responsible sovereignty regime its authors wish to import to the United States. EU bureaucrats based in Brussels have been reshaping the priorities and needs of EU member states for a decade now, and proposing a system based on the design of the EU suggests a desire to subject the United States to a kind of international oversight not only when it comes to foreign policy but also on matters properly understood as U.S. domestic policy.That very approach has been on display at the United Nations for years in an effort to standardize international conduct that has come to be known as norming.In theory, there is good reason to create international standards—for measurement, for example, or for conduct on the high seas. But norming goes far beyond such prosaic concerns. The UN has, for example, repeatedly voted in different committees to condemn the death penalty, in a clear effort to put pressure on the United States to follow suit. Similar votes have been taken on abortion rights and restricting the private ownership of firearms.Such issues have been, and likely will again be, the subjects of intense democratic debate within the United States, and properly so. There is no need to internationalize them to make the debate more fruitful. What is common to these and many other issues is that the losers in our domestic debate are often the proponents of internationalizing the controversies. They think that if they can change the political actors, they can change the political outcome. Unsuccessful in our domestic political arena, they seek to redefine the arena in which these matters will be adjudicated—moving, in effect, from unilateral, democratic U.S. decision-making to a multilateral, bureaucratic, and elitist environment. For almost any domestic issue one can imagine, there are likely to be nongovernmental organizations roaming the international arena desperately trying to turn their priorities into norming issues.This is what responsible sovereignty would look like. For the authors and signatories of A Plan of Action, sovereignty is simply an abstraction, a historical concept about as important today as the sovereigns from whose absolute rights the term originally derived. That is not the understanding of the U.S. Constitution, which locates the basis of its legitimacy in we the people, who constitute the sovereign authority of the nation.Sharing sovereignty with someone or something else is thus not abstract for Americans. Doing so by definition will diminish the sovereign power of the American people over their government and their own lives, the very purpose for which the Constitution was written. This is something Americans have been reluctant to do. Now their reluctance may have to take the form of more concerted action against responsible sovereignty if its onward march is to be halted or reversed. Our Founders would clearly understand the need.
EUROPEAN UNION DESTROYING DEMOCRACY, WRECKING LIVES
Campaigners from throughout Europe and across the political spectrum unite in defence of citizens’ democratic rights .Public meeting Freedom and Democracy, not EU Dictatorship, Euston, London, Sat 4 April 2009
Trade unionists, as well as independent politicians and campaigners from Ireland, Germany and even Nigeria will be among the guest speakers at a public meeting to be held in Euston, London, on Saturday 4th April, organised by the cross-party Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIB) to protest against what they see as the growing dictatorship of the European Union. German campaigner against the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution, Henry Nitzsche, an independent member of the Bundestag, and veteran Eurosceptic Sir Teddy Taylor, a Conservative MP for over 30 years, will join labour movement activist Brian Denny of the Rail & Maritime Union
(RMT), representing Trade Unions against the EU Constitution (TUAEC), Frank Keoghan of the Irish People’s Movement, and Dele Oguntimoju of the Nigerian Movement for National Reformation in denouncing the profoundly undemocratic nature of the EU. The meeting has been organized by the CIB in response to the recent ComRes opinion poll which showed that the overwhelming majority of the British people want the chance to vote in a national referendum on whether or not the UK stays in the European Union. In the same poll, three quarters of voters said they thought that UK politicians on the whole don’t do enough to stand up for British interests in Europe. CIB spokesman Andy Smith said: The tide is turning decisively against the European Union. Despite the millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money that Gordon Brown’s government and the bureaucrats in Brussels have spent on trying to persuade the British people to love the EU, all we really want is to leave it! Poll after poll shows that Britons are overwhelmingly hostile to the EU, they know that Brussels is responsible for taking away our democratic rights and that the UK’s membership of the EU costs us dearly in terms of cuts to our public services, higher taxation, and the destruction of British jobs. There is widespread recognition nowadays that we would be better off out.
He added that the Campaign for an Independent Britain had organised this major public meeting because we believe it is important to provide as many opportunities as possible for Eurosceptics to gather together and network, and to learn new insights into the EU dictatorship from their various different perspectives. We also felt it was extremely important to hear from people from Europe and Africa, so that we can try to understand the motivations of those people who share the British Eurosceptic view. Euroscepticism is often seen as purely British – English in fact – and one of the aims of our meeting on 4th April is to create a broadly-based, cross-party event at which participants from throughout the EU (and beyond) and from right across the political spectrum, can meet together to plan the next phrase of our joint campaign.
The EU wants to extend its powers even further through the Lisbon Treaty – but CIB is fighting hard to block this latest power gab. That’s why we’ve called this meeting: Freedom and democracy, not EU dictatorship. Anyone interested in attending should go to the CIB website, www.eurosceptic.org.uk.-ENDS Press contact: Andy Smith, Press Officer, Campaign for an Independent Britain, tel: 07737 271676, email: press@eurosceptic.org.uk
TESTING THE FAITH Suit claims recognition of God violates law,Brief challenges plan to stop acknowledging prayer March 21, 2009 12:15 am Eastern 2009 WorldNetDaily
A court should reject arguments from those who seek relentless extirpation of any reference to religion in public life, according to a brief submitted in opposition to a Wisconsin lawsuit that challenges the National Day of Prayer. The lawsuit was filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which asserted the law that sets the first Thursday in May as National Day of Prayer should be declared in violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The case pending in a Wisconsin court now, however, has drawn the attention of the American Center for Law and Justice, the ACLJ, which submitted a friend-of-the-court brief asking for the case to be dismissed.The ACLJ's filing includes a list 60 pages long of presidential and other proclamations recognizing America's need for a day of prayer and said the concept was adopted even as the U.S. was being created as a nation. At the end of the years 1777, 1781 and 1782 the Continental Congress recommended that the states set apart a day for prayer and thanksgiving. At the Constitutional Convention itself, Benjamin Franklin urged that prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business,the ACLJ argued. It was George Washington who offered the first presidential proclamation urging a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.He said it is in an especial manner our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience,the filing argued.
This is another twisted legal attempt to remove prayer from public life, said the ACLJ's director, Jay Sekulow. The fact is that a day set aside for prayer for the country is a time-honored tradition woven into the very fabric of our nation. From the time of our Founding Fathers to the present day, such proclamations and observances reflects the nation's rich history. The courts have been clear on this issue: there is no constitutional crisis here. We're hopeful that the court will take the only action appropriate in this case and dismiss this lawsuit,he said. The brief said the U.S. Supreme Court already has addressed the dispute, too. In Marsh v. Chambers,the United States Supreme Court conducted a searching examination of the nation's history when considering a challenge to the Nebraska state legislature's practice of opening its session with prayer by a paid chaplain. Upholding the practice, the court held that historical evidence sheds light not only on what the draftsmen intended the Establishment Clause to mean, but also on how they thought that Clause applied to the practice authorized by the First Congress – their actions reveal their intent.In its brief filed with the court in Madison, Wis., the ACLJ represents itself and 31 members of the 111th Congress, including Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Va., who chairs the Congressional Prayer Caucus. Other members of Congress represented are Robert B. Aderholt, Michele Bachmann, Roscoe G. Bartlett, John A. Boehner, John Boozman, Eric Cantor, K. Michael Conaway, Mary Fallin, Virginia Foxx, Trent Franks, Scott Garrett, Louie Gohmert, Wally Herger, Peter Hoekstra, Walter B. Jones, Jim Jordan, Doug Lamborn, Thaddeus G. McCotter, Patrick T. McHenry, Mike McIntyre, Jeff Miller, Sue Wilkins Myrick, Randy Neugebauer, Pete Olson, Mike Pence, Joseph R. Pitts, Heath Shuler, Adrian Smith, Lamar Smith and Joe Wilson. Even the drafter of the First Amendment, James Madison, issued four proclamations in the early 1800's calling the nation to a day of prayer,the ACLJ noted.
The ACLJ contends that the strategy to purge all religious observances and references from American public life must not be indulged.The ACLJ's brief can be read here. WND columnist Jonathan Falwell addressed the concerns in a column. The problem with this lawsuit, as I see it, is that America has a rich history of honoring God. From our nation's very first inaugural address by George Washington – in which he requested that the Bible be opened to Deuteronomy chapter 28 – we see the tradition of publicly paying tribute to God,he wrote. George Washington understood that this nation is a gift from the Sovereign God, and he recognized the need for the nation to honor Him. It is the duty of all nations,Washington said,to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God and to obey His will,Falwell wrote. We must fight to preserve our history, my friends, because there are those who want to ignore and destroy it,he said.
Pope condemns sorcery, urges Angolans to convert By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer MAR 21,09
LUANDA, Angola — Tens of thousands of Angola's Catholics lined the streets of the capital on Saturday for a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI, who urged the country's faithful to reach out and convert people who believe in witchcraft.In today's Angola, he said at Mass in the capital, Catholics should offer the message of Christ to the many who live in the fear of spirits, of evil powers by whom they feel threatened.He also gave a message of hope to young people, including some wounded and maimed during Angola's long civil war, when he addressed a crowd of some 30,000 people at drum concert later.I think of the many tears you shed for the loss of relatives, he told the crowd at a soccer stadium where he watched a drum concert by young men with the painted faces, and dancers in colorful costumes. The civil war started with Angola's 1975 independence from Portugal and ended in 2002.The 81-year-old pontiff, wearing white robes, looked tired and moved slowly in the tropical heat during the youth appearance in late afternoon.In the morning, Benedict attracted thousands onto the streets every time his motorcade passed and delighted the crowds by speaking in Portuguese.Drawing on the more than 500 years of Roman Catholicism in Angola, he called Christianity a bridge between the local peoples and the Portuguese settlers. The country's history as a Portuguese colony gave the country Christian roots. Eighty percent of the 16 million people are Christian, about 65 percent Catholic.
The pope began his day addressing Catholic clergymen and nuns, telling them to be missionaries to those Angolans living in fear of spirits, of malign and threatening powers. In their bewilderment they end up even condemning street children and the elderly as alleged sorcerers.In Africa, some churchgoing Catholics also follow traditional animist religions and consult medicine men and diviners who are denounced by the church. People accused of sorcery or of being possessed by evil powers sometimes are killed by fearful mobs.Local media have reported that police last year rescued 40 children who had been held by two religious sects after being accused by their own families of witchcraft.Benedict counseled Catholics to live peacefully with animists and other nonbelievers and urged Angolans to be the new missionaries to bring people who believe in sorcery to Christ.Benedict spoke at a Mass at the capital's blue-domed St. Paul's Church, where light streamed through stained glass windows onto veiled nuns and priests and bishops resplendent in white and lilac robes.
The pope lovingly caressed the faces of children and sketched the cross on their foreheads.Security was unusually tight, with military sharpshooters atop buildings in the capital. The National Police said they have deployed 10,000 officers. Security agents blocked cell phones in the church, apparently by sending a signal.This is a very emotional day for me, my first time to get a Papal blessing, said Sister Iliria Olivera, from Oaxaca in Mexico, among hundreds of foreign missionaries in the church. Olivera for nine years has been working with her Sisters of the Divine Pastor, teaching children and running a maternal health clinic outside Luanda.On Friday, Benedict lamented what he called strains on the traditional African family, condemning sexual violence against women and chiding countries that have approved abortion.The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, who is traveling with the pope, told journalists at a briefing Saturday that Benedict in that speech was referring to abortion when used as a means of population control.Earlier in the weeklong trip, the pope's first to Africa, Benedict drew criticism from aid agencies and some European governments when he said that condoms were not the answer to Africa's severe AIDS epidemic, suggesting that sexual behavior was the issue. Among the young people in the stadium Saturday was Valdomero Dias, who said he understood the pope's message as leader of the church. But abstinence is very difficult for young people,said Dias, a 27-year-old bachelor who helps run the scouting movement.
Amnesty International on Saturday called on the pope to use his influence to halt the threat of forced evictions for residents of Luanda to make rise for high-rise apartments and office buildings. Many have been given cheap houses in faraway satellite towns that have no running water or electricity. Amnesty said that between 2003 and 2006, thousands of people were forcibly evicted from land belonging to the Catholic Church in three Luanda districts. Asked at the press briefing about Amnesty's allegations, Lombardi referred the question to an Angolan bishop, Monsignor Jose Manuel Imbamba. The prelate denied that anyone had been evicted or houses destroyed.We help the poor, we don't send them away,Imbamba said. AP correspondent Michelle Faul and reporter Casimiro Siona contributed to this report.
THE MEDIA IS SO BIAS AGAINST ISRAEL ITS REDICULAS USING THE TERMS CHILDREN AND SCHO0LYARD IN THIS STORY TO GIVE THE PALESTINIAN MURDERERS FAVOUR.......SICK MEDIA.JERUSALEM WILL BE ISRAELS CAPITAL FOREVER WORLD AND DON'T FORGET IT. NO MATTER HOW THE MEDIA IS HATING AND BIAS AGAINST ISRAEL,GOD RULES AND ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE SEPARATED AFTER JESUS THE TRUE MESSIAH AND GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WORLD RETURNS TO RULE FROM JERUSALEM FOREVER,THEN IT WILL BE THE WORLD JEWISH CAPITAL.
Israel police ban Arab culture day in Jerusalem By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer MAR 21,09
JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities broke up a series of Palestinian cultural events in Jerusalem on Saturday, disrupting a children's march and bursting balloons at a schoolyard celebration in a crackdown that underscored the emotional battle over control of the disputed holy city.Elsewhere in Jerusalem, hundreds of Israelis gathered outside the residence of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to mark the 1,000th day in captivity of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The demonstration took place at a protest tent set up by the soldier's family, and many in the crowd quietly waved yellow glow sticks in a show of solidarity.Palestinian activists called for Saturday's celebrations to mark the Arab League's designation of Jerusalem as the capital of Arab culture for 2009. The 23-nation group chooses a different city for the honor each year.
But Israel said the events violated a ban on Palestinian political activity in Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized the crackdown.Announcing the ban on Saturday's events, Israel's internal security minister, Avi Dichter, accused Abbas' Palestinian Authority of being behind the activities. Israel does not allow the Palestinian government to have a presence in Jerusalem, saying it undercuts Israel's claim to the city.At one event, teenage girls at an east Jerusalem Catholic school released a few dozen balloons in the red, white, green and black colors of the Palestinian flag over the walled Old City. Israeli military police and soldiers quickly moved into the schoolyard and popped the remaining balloons, students said.
Zein, an 18-year-old student, said the police popped them with their hands and told them they weren't allowed to release them into the air. She asked not to use her last name, fearing further problems with the police.An Israeli intelligence official at the school who refused to give his name said the balloons were burst because they are Palestinian.Police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said 12 people were detained. Police also broke up attempts by Palestinian school children to march into the Old City.The dispute over Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has been the most sensitive issue in peace talks.Israel says the entire city of Jerusalem is its undivided capital. Palestinians want east Jerusalem — captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and site of key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites — as the capital of a future state.Israel annexed the eastern part of the city after the 1967 war, and today, some 180,000 Jewish Israelis live in east Jerusalem neighborhoods. The annexation is not internationally recognized.Speaking in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Abbas said Israel's policies in Jerusalem were undermining the chances for peace.The policy of discrimination, suppression, stealing the land, destruction of neighborhoods, and homes, the policy of falsifying the past, destroying the present and stealing the future should all stop if peace is to have a real opportunity in this land,he said.He urged the incoming Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to resume stalled peace negotiations on all issues of dispute, including Jerusalem. The conservative Netanyahu rejects any division of the holy city.Olmert had hoped to arrange a prisoner swap with Hamas that would bring home the captured soldier, Sgt. Gilad Schalit, before he leaves office. Netanyahu is putting together a coalition government following elections last month and has two more weeks to complete the task.
But earlier this week, Olmert said Hamas' demands were excessive, strongly signaling he would turn over the matter to Netanyahu. Hamas is seeking the release of some 450 imprisoned militants, including dozens convicted of killing Israelis, in exchange for Schalit.Schalit's father, Noam, urged Olmert to continue his efforts. We want Gilad Schalit back home immediately — immediately, not in another 1,000 days, not even in another 100 days,he told the crowd Saturday night. Schalit's family set up the protest tent two weeks ago to push for a last-minute deal. In a country where military service is mandatory, the case has gripped the nation's attention, and thousands of people have stopped by the tent to support the family. The family planned to return home to northern Israel later Saturday, but his father said their struggle would go on. This hasn't ended, dear Gilad,he said.
Canada bars Galloway over Hamas support Sat Mar 21, 6:55 am ET
OTTAWA, (AFP) – George Galloway has been blocked from visiting Canada because of his support of Hamas, which is banned here, the Canadian immigration minister's office said.I'm sure Galloway has a large Rolodex of friends in regimes elsewhere in the world willing to roll out the red carpet for him, Alykhan Velshi, spokesman for Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, told AFP.Canada, however, won't be one of them, he said in an email.Galloway was to give a speech in Toronto at the end of the month, but has been denied entry over his opposition to Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said the Sun.In a comment piece published in the Guardian on Saturday, Galloway described the ban as absurd, hypocritical, and in vain because his allies in the country were seeking a judicial review.And there are other ways I can address those Canadians who wish to hear me, he wrote.From coast to coast, minister Kenney notwithstanding, I will be heard -- one way or another.Velshi said Galloway was deemed inadmissible to Canada due to national security concerns.It was an operational decision" by border security officials based on a number of factors, not only those mentioned in the Sun piece,he said.Such a decision could be overturned by ministerial order, but it is not warranted in this case, he said.We're going to uphold the law, not give special treatment to a street-corner Cromwell who brags about giving financial support to Hamas, a terrorist organization banned in Canada,Velshi said.
Opposition New Democratic Party MP Olivia Chow however accused the government of censorship for not allowing Galloway to tout his anti-war messages in Canada.Denying him entry to this country is an affront to freedom of speech and shows the Canadian government is frightened of an open debate on an unpopular war, she said in a statement.This week, Galloway traveled to Gaza at the head of a humanitarian convoy. He praised the Palestinian resistance and condemned Israel's 22-day offensive launched in December, in which 1,300 Palestinians died, as genocidal aggression.The MP also donated thousands of dollars and dozens of vehicles to the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Chef: Norovirus may be cause of Fat Duck illnesses By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer – Fri Mar 20, 12:15 pm ET
LONDON – Chef Heston Blumenthal and health officials say a virus may have caused an outbreak of illness among diners at England's Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant.
The restaurant was closed for more than two weeks starting Feb. 24 after scores of diners were struck by bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. Initial reports said 40 diners had fallen ill, but the Health Protection Agency said Friday that 529 people have now reported becoming sick after eating at the Fat Duck.Blumenthal was quoted by Australia's Hospitality magazine as saying several members of staff and customers had tested positive for norovirus, an easily transmitted bug known as winter vomiting disease.It is categorically not food poisoning, we know that, Blumenthal was quoted as saying.The Health Protection Agency said it was still conducting tests to determine the cause of the outbreak but confirmed that norovirus infection had been detected in six members of staff and eight diners.The agency said restaurant staff had continued to work while ill with the virus, in contravention of public health guidelines.The agency ruled last week that it was safe to reopen the restaurant in Bray, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of London. It said it had given the restaurant advice on how to deal with staff illness.The Fat Duck reopened on March 12, and Blumenthal said diners were not staying away as a result of the illnesses.
It's affected the restaurant big time because (we) had to cancel 800 people because of the closure but in terms of the business and people wanting to come in then no, he was quoted as saying.Norovirus is the most common stomach bug in Britain. Outbreaks sicken up to 1 million people in the U.K. every year, though they are usually confined to hospitals, nursing homes and schools.The virus spreads via contact with an infected person, food, water, or contaminated surfaces. It can also survive for days in the environment.The Fat Duck, one of only three British restaurants awarded the Michelin food guide's top three-star rating, was named the best place in the world to eat by Restaurant magazine in 2005.The 42-year-old self-taught chef is known for elaborate culinary concoctions such as snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream.
AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed to this report.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE 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.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) 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 KINGS OR NATIONS).
EU expanding its sphere of influence,Russia says
VALENTINA POP Today MAR 21,09 @ 16:17 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Eastern Partnership is an EU attempt to expand its sphere of influence in the quest for hydrocarbons, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said, in Moscow's first major broadside against the new policy. We are accused of having spheres of influence. But what is the Eastern Partnership, if not an attempt to extend the EU's sphere of influence, including to Belarus, the minister said on Saturday (21 March) at the Brussels Forum, a high-level symposium.He added that the Czech EU presidency and the European Commission are putting undue pressure on Belarus by suggesting it might be marginalised if it follows Russia in recognising the independence of Georgian breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia.Is this promoting democracy or is it blackmail? It's about pulling countries from the positions they want to take as sovereign states,Mr Lavrov said.The EU on Friday formally launched the Eastern Partnership, a €600 million policy to forge closer political and trade links with six former Soviet countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Azerbaijan and Georgia are important for the EU's pursuit of alternative gas and oil import routes from the Caspian Sea region. Belarus also hosts a major gas pipeline system.The invitation of Belarus leader Lukashenko to an Eastern Partnership launch summit in May and the pace of EU-Belarus rapprochement in the partnership process continue to hang in the balance, however. Czech foreign minister Karl Schwarzenberg in February said it would be "difficult" to make progress if Minsk takes the Russian line on Georgia. Mr Lavrov's choice of words on Saturday was piquant, with former-Communist EU members often accusing Moscow of blackmailing its neighbours or thinking in terms of Cold War-era spheres.He said Russia has special relations with eastern European countries because of hundreds of years of common history and Russia's open labour market.
Sweden, the co-author of the Eastern Partnership project together with Poland, rejected Mr Lavrov's position as completely unacceptable.The Eastern Partnership is not about spheres of influence. The difference is that these countries themselves opted to join,Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt told EUobserver at the Brussels Forum. The EU's position on Georgia is not blackmail but is about upholding the principles of the EU and international law, which Russia should also be respecting, he added.
Appeasement won't work
The Lavrov speech should dispel the idea that Russia will agree to a formula of more EU, less NATO for its former vassals, according to EU and NATO-aspirant Georgia. Mr Lavrov just confirmed that whatever choices Eastern European countries make, be it NATO or EU, they are not acceptable to Russia. Moscow continues to see the Euro-atlantic aspirations of these countries as an attempt to leave its sphere of influence,Georgian minister for reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili told this website.
The fact that Russia sees the European Partnership as a zero-sum game proves wrong those who believe that giving up NATO aspirations would solve the problems with Moscow. Appeasing Russia will not work.Ukraine, home to a large ethnic-Russian minority hostile to NATO expansion, is taking a more nuanced approach. There is a difference, NATO has a huge legacy from the bipolar world of the Cold war, which the EU does not have,Ukraine deputy premier Hryhoriy Nemyria said. The strategic priority of our country is integration in the EU. This is the way to modernise our country and we welcome the Eastern Partnership policy, because it uses de facto the same instruments as for EU candidates. We know it's not about membership, but membership is also not completely ruled out for the future.
BILDERBERGS EXCITE POLITICOS
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/blog/?p=103
LOU DOBBS LEFT WING CONSPIRACY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qj3GIpKPLc&feature=player_embedded
ENVIROMENTALISTS ARE FRAUDS,SCAMMERS (CULT RELIGIONISTS)
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/blog/?p=73
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHW7KR33IQ&feature=player_embedded
Czech president attacks Al Gore’s climate campaign
Jan. 31, 2009
Czech President Vaclav Klaus took aim at climate change campaigner Al Gore on Saturday in Davos in a frontal attack on the science of global warming. I don’t think that there is any global warming,said the 67-year-old liberal, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. I don’t see the statistical data for that. Referring to the former US vice president, who attended Davos this year, he added:I’m very sorry that some people like Al Gore are not ready to listen to the competing theories. I do listen to them.Environmentalism and the global warming alarmism is challenging our freedom. Al Gore is an important person in this movement.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, he said that he was more worried about the reaction to the perceived dangers than the consequences.I’m afraid that the current crisis will be misused for radically constraining the functioning of the markets and market economy all around the world,he said. I’m more afraid of the consequences of the crisis than the crisis itself. Klaus makes no secret of his climate change scepticism — he is also a fierce critic of the European Union — and has branded the world’s top panel of climate experts, the UN’s IPCC, a smug monopoly.
New York: Albany County Staging Attack on Ammunition Sales
National Rifle Association of America Press release March 20, 2009
At Monday night’s meeting of the Albany County Legislature, Legislators PhillipSteck (D), Douglas Bullock (D) and Wanda Willingham (D) introduced Local Law A, a proposal that would regulate the purchase of ammunition in Albany County. Local Law A would require that a valid firearms license be shown when purchasing ammunition. The law would also mandate that retailers keep a record of ammunition sales, including the type, caliber, and quantity of the ammunition, make, model and serial number of the firearm it is for, as well as the purchaser’s name and address. As if that is not enough, Local Law A would also create a secondary method of gun registration for both long guns and handguns. Local Law A has been sent to the Law Committee. Congress has tried ammunition registration in the past, only to discover that it was not only ineffective for law enforcement, but also completely unmanageable due to the sheer volume of transactions. Ammunition registration creates huge record keeping requirements and provides no useful benefits for law enforcement; which is why it was repealed under the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. Please contact the members of the Law Committee and the County Legislators TODAY and respectfully voice your opposition to Local Law A. Contact information for the members of the Law Committee can be found below. County Legislators can be reached by phone at (518) 447-7168 or fax (518) 447-5695.For more contact information, please visit http://www.albanycounty.com/departments/legislature/legislator.asp?id=165 .
George L. Infante - District 01
9 McDonald Road
Albany, NY 12209
Home: (518) 449-5822
Christopher T. Higgins - District 06
88 Dove Street
Albany, NY 12210
(518) 320-8580
christopher.higgins@albanycounty.com
Donald W. Rahm - District 09
271 South Main Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
Phone: (518) 489-2277
donald.rahm@albanycounty.com
Phillip G. Steck - District 15
12 Paul Holly Drive
Loudonville, NY 12211
Phone: (518) 463-7786
psteck@nycap.rr.com
Robert J. Beston - District 16
1406 6th Avenue
Watervliet, NY 12189
Home: (518) 272-1038
Shawn M. Morse - District 18
PO Box 402
Cohoes, NY 12047
(518) 470-4126
smorse@nycap.rr.com
William M. Hoblock - District 26
20 DeLucia Terrace
Loudonville, New York 12211
Home: (518) 465-2906
whoblock@nycap.rr.com
Patrice Lockart - District 27
12 Peach Tree Lane
Albany, NY 12205
(518) 456-3866
plockart@nycap.rr.com
Bryan M. Clenahan - District 30
30 Woodlake Road
Albany, NY 12203
Telephone: (518) 464-7601
bryan.clenahan@albanycounty.com
BORN IN THE USA? Taitz to FBI: Investigate tampering at Supremes 305 million Americans need to know if foreign national is usurping presidency March 21, 2009
12:15 am Eastern By Bob Unruh 2009 WorldNetDaily
Orly Taitz
A California attorney battling on a number of fronts to obtain documentation of Barack Obama's eligibility to be president is asking the FBI and U.S. Secret Service to investigate suspected tampering at the U.S. Supreme Court. Orly Taitz, who is pursuing nearly half a dozen causes through her Defend Our Freedoms Foundation, says the issue of Obama's eligibility to meet the Constitution's demand for a natural born president has been before the Supreme Court at least four times. But she wonders whether the justices actually were given the pleadings to review. I believe … that there was tampering with documents and records by employees of the Supreme Court and the justices never saw those briefs,she alleges in a letter to the FBI's Robert Mueller, the Secret Service's Mark Sullivan and Attorney General Eric Holder. Three hundred five million American citizens … need to know whether a foreign national is usurping the position of the president and the commander in chief,she wrote.
Taitz raises questions about forgery of court records, tampering with court records, cyber crime, erasing of court records from the docket, fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and other related crimes.Specifically, she points to the handling of her own case, Lightfoot v. Bowen, which was submitted to the Supreme Court on an emergency basis. Although it was scheduled for a conference, no hearing ever was held. Join one third of a million people who are seeking the truth on whether Obama meets the Constitution's natural born citizenship clause. Taitz notes that references to the case were erased from the docket of the Supreme Court on Jan. 21, shortly after Obama, the defendant, met with eight of the nine justices behind closed doors. It happened just two days before her case was scheduled to be reviewed in conference.
Secondly, Taitz notes that in her conversation with Justice Antonin Scalia at a book-signing in Los Angeles several weeks ago, he appeared to have no knowledge of the cases that had been submitted. She said she mentioned her case and those brought by Cort Wrotnowski, Philip Berg and Leo Donofrio. In the presence of several attorneys, law students and Secret Service agents Justice Scalia kept saying that he didn't know anything … even though all of the plaintiffs have received notification that all of those cases were reviewed by all nine justices,she said. Taitz said she's also concerned that the Supreme Court docket was somehow modified. Did somebody from outside break and enter into the computer system of the Supreme Court or was it done by one of the overzealous employees who wanted to keep Obama in the White House?" she asked.I demand to see the printout of entries of both internal docket seen by justices and the external docket seen by the public to verify if those were identical at all times, particularly between January 20th and January 23rd,she said. She also raised the possibility that justices' signatures may have been stamped on documentation.
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts
Her allegations, she said, were part of what she submitted to Chief Justice John Roberts when she met him at the University of Idaho a week ago. Due to the … great urgency of the matter in relation to the national security of the United States … I demand immediate investigation of this matter,Taitz wrote. Taitz also is developing a Quo Warranto case that has been submitted to Holder. Essentially, the case demands to know what authority Obama is using to act as president. An online constitutional resource says Quo Warranto affords the only judicial remedy for violations of the Constitution by public officials and agents.As WND reported, Taitz already has submitted a motion to the Supreme Court for re-hearing of Lightfoot v. Bowen, a case she is working on through Defend Our Freedoms alleging some of her documentation may have been withheld from the justices by a court clerk. WND has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a natural born citizen. The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.Some of the lawsuits question whether he was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, some suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time. Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born.Although Obama officials have told WND all such allegations are garbage, here is a partial listing and status update for some of the cases over Obama's eligibility:
New Jersey attorney Mario Apuzzo has filed a case on behalf of Charles Kerchner and others alleging Congress didn't properly ascertain that Obama is qualified to hold the office of president.Pennsylvania Democrat Philip Berg has three cases pending, including Berg vs. Obama in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a separate Berg vs. Obama which is under seal at the U.S. District Court level and Hollister vs. Soetoro a/k/a Obama, (now dismissed) brought on behalf of a retired military member who could be facing recall to active duty by Obama.Leo Donofrio of New Jersey filed a lawsuit claiming Obama's dual citizenship disqualified him from serving as president. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court but denied a full hearing.Cort Wrotnowski filed suit against Connecticut's secretary of state, making a similar argument to Donofrio. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court, but was denied a full hearing.Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes headlines a list of people filing a suit in California, in a case handled by the United States Justice Foundation, that asks the secretary of state to refuse to allow the state's 55 Electoral College votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential election until Obama verifies his eligibility to hold the office. The case was dismissed by Judge Michael P. Kenny.Chicago attorney Andy Martin sought legal action requiring Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle to release Obama's vital statistics record. The case was dismissed by Hawaii Circuit Court Judge Bert Ayabe.Lt. Col. Donald Sullivan sought a temporary restraining order to stop the Electoral College vote in North Carolina until Barack Obama's eligibility could be confirmed, alleging doubt about Obama's citizenship. His case was denied.In Ohio, David M. Neal sued to force the secretary of state to request documents from the Federal Elections Commission, the Democratic National Committee, the Ohio Democratic Party and Obama to show the presidential candidate was born in Hawaii. The case was denied.Also in Ohio, there was the Greenberg v. Brunner case which ended when the judge threatened to assess all case costs against the plaintiff.In Washington state, Steven Marquis sued the secretary of state seeking a determination on Obama's citizenship. The case was denied.In Georgia, Rev. Tom Terry asked the state Supreme Court to authenticate Obama's birth certificate. His request for an injunction against Georgia's secretary of state was denied by Georgia Superior Court Judge Jerry W. Baxter.California attorney Orly Taitz has brought a case, Lightfoot vs. Bowen, on behalf of Gail Lightfoot, the vice presidential candidate on the ballot with Ron Paul, four electors and two registered voters.In addition, other cases cited on the RightSideofLife blog as raising questions about Obama's eligibility include: In Texas, Darrel Hunter vs. Obama later was dismissed.In Ohio, Gordon Stamper vs. U.S. later was dismissed.In Texas, Brockhausen vs. Andrade.In Washington, L. Charles Cohen vs. Obama.In Hawaii, Keyes vs. Lingle, dismissed.
5,000 evacuated after hazardous acid spill in Pa. MAR 21,09
WIND GAP, Pa. – Evacuation orders for about 5,000 people in northeastern Pennsylvania remain in effect even as authorities say the leak of a hazardous chemical has been contained.Authorities say a tanker truck carrying more than 16 tons of hydrofluoric acid overturned early Saturday near Wind Gap, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia.
Northampton County spokesman John Conklin says the driver was treated for injuries and released. There were no other immediate reports of injuries.Conklin says hazardous materials teams managed to stop the slowly dripping liquid. He says not enough of the chemical leaked to create a toxic cloud.Hydrofluoric acid in low doses can irritate the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract. Inhalation can be fatal.
http://www.brugesgroup.com/maps/ForeignPressMap00.gif
Development bank urges G20 to remember Africa Fri Mar 20, 12:21 pm ET
GENEVA (AFP) – African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka on Friday urged the Group of 20 not to forget Africa when it meets next month to seek ways to stimulate the ailing global economy.We will be concerned if in the course of the G20 process... to resolve the financial issues, and associated economic issues, development is not included in the agenda, he said.We cannot imagine a stimulus to the world economy (that) ignores Africa, he added, pointing out that the continent is home to some 900 million people.We think we are part of the solution to the crisis, and should therefore be integrated into international discussions on the issue, he added.South Africa is the only African country within the G20 industrialised and emerging market economies whose leaders are to meet in London on April 2.However, the chairmen of the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Union Commission are also due to attend.Kaberuka said the economic crisis is also taking a toll on African nations, with the continent's gross domestic product growth to slow to 3.5 percent from 5.4 percent posted in 2008.The crisis is reaching us and is hitting very hard, he added.The Rwandan said he supported World Bank chief Robert Zoellick's proposal to create a fund to help the most vulnerable countries, with the value of the fund to be set at 0.75 percent of the total value of economic rescue packages around the world.
Such a measure would generate by our calculations 15 billion dollars, he said.He also called on donors to honour their pledges in development aid, notably on doubling aid and on improving efficiency.
EU pledges new IMF money but no new stimulus funds By AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer – Fri Mar 20, 2:27 pm ET
BRUSSELS – European Union nations have already spent enough to try to boost sluggish demand, the bloc's leaders said Friday, calling instead for better financial regulation to restore market confidence and fix the ailing world economy.They also raised new red flags against protectionism after French carmaker Renault SA said it was moving jobs out of low-wage Slovenia and into recession-hit France, and urged more funding for the International Monetary Fund to help countries hard hit by the crisis.Stimulus spending, market confidence, financial regulation and free trade will be key issues at a Group of 20 summit of the world's leading rich and developing economies next month in London.The plan EU leaders outlined Friday stands in stark contrast to President Barack Obama's heavy stimulus spending and could make for tough negotiations at the April 2 summit on how best to resolve the global economic crisis.
Getting lending flowing again to businesses and households means more rules and oversight for the financial system and a stronger role and more resources for the IMF, the EU leaders said at a summit that ended Friday.Leaders of the EU's 27 nations insisted it was too soon to inject extra billions of euros (dollars) into their own economies to fight a recession that has sent industrial output diving and the EU's jobless rate soaring.Europe is doing all that was necessary to restore growth, EU leaders said in a joint statement.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said solving the banking crisis was the biggest task facing the world right now.This is a global banking crisis that's spread right across the world, Brown told reporters at the talks in Brussels.To solve that problem you've got to get countries working together.
His cure for the world economy was restructuring the banking sector to curb corporate bonuses and clamp down on taxes and the shadow banking system that helped create an investment bubble.At the same time, Brown said the EU must urge all nations to counter plunging world trade by making finance available to exporters and importers and shunning protectionist trade barriers.The EU's concrete promises were few. Nations backed doubling IMF lending to $500 billion, saying they stood ready to provide some euro75 billion ($100 billion) if needed.EU leaders also raised an emergency bailout fund for EU members that don't use the euro from euro25 billion to euro50 billion ($67.7 billion) — a move to assure eastern European countries who could face problems balancing their books this year.The only real money they laid on the table was some euro5 billion ($6.7 billion) in unused EU farm subsidies that they will spend on energy links, green power and broadband Internet instead of returning it to governments.They repeated their usual call for Europe to stay true to the great economic project of leveling national barriers to create a single market, saying this was central to making the recession in Europe shorter and less severe.But that sounded hollow, after France's Renault SA announced Friday it would move excess production from a car plant in Slovenia to a French site and create 400 French jobs in the process.France was forced under EU pressure to drop a demand that carmakers getting state handouts should bring jobs home from eastern Europe. EU regulators immediately sounded alarm bells about Renault's decision, saying they would "verify" if it was acting legally.EU leaders delayed a decision until at least July about how much aid they will offer to poor, mostly African nations, to entice them to sign a new global climate change pact at the end of the year. The United Nations, environmental and aid groups say delaying the move threatens efforts to combat global warming.Associated Press writers Constant Brand, Raf Casert, Robert Wielaard, Holly Fox, Barbara Schaeder and Claudia Kemmer contributed to this report.
Confusion reigns over possible eurozone bailout plan
ANDREW WILLIS 20.03.2009 @ 14:57 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Friday (20 March) was the scene of some confusion as to whether member states have agreed the bones of a eurozone bailout plan.A senior German politician, Otto Bernhardt, member of the German chancellor's CDU party, told Reuters early on Friday that eurozone finance ministers agreed at a recent meeting the main components of a eurozone bailout plan that would see richer countries contribute to a special reserve fund to which struggling eurozone members could apply.However, German finance minister Peer Steinbrück was somewhat cryptic when asked about the funds existence at a press conference later in the day. I can't confirm such a meeting or such conclusions, adding that no eurozone member currently had difficulties in meeting debt payments. In the unlikely case that it did happen, the eurozone would be ready for action,he said.Mr Bernhardt told Reuters that the fund has already been set up with the European Central Bank and is ready to help eurozone countries at a moments notice, continuing that we won't let anyone go bust.We are in a position to act within 24 hours. The ECB would take immediate action,he said.The ECB can make an unlimited amount of money available.Ireland, which Mr Bernhardt said was in the worst situation of all immediately denied the existence of such a plan.Finance ministers didn't discuss anything to do with a rescue package for members of the euro zone Irish foreign minister Micheal Martin told Irish radio on Friday morning.A German spokesperson said there is no such plan and that Mr Bernhardt said he had been misinterpreted. European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said: I am not aware of this kind of decision.
But Mr Bernhardt was quite precise in the details he gave to Reuters, speaking of a quid pro quo arrangement on corporate tax, something that has also been previously reported in Irish newspapers.We would look very closely at past sins, Mr Bernhardt said.We will not tolerate there being low-tax countries like Ireland for example. We will insist on a minimum corporate taxation rate.Germany has long been irritated by Ireland's low corporate tax rate, standing at 12 percent.However, sweetners to business formed the backbone of Ireland's Celtic Tiger years attracting huge amounts of foreign investment and Brian Cowen's government wants to continue to use it to get the country – hit by a falling property market and plummeting exports - out of the financial doldrums.In a speech delivered to Microsoft's headquarters in Brussels on Thursday (19 March), Mr Cowen said the government plans highly favourable business supports, tax regime and infrastructural supports,in a bid to turn Ireland into a smart economy.
Talk of a eurozone bailout have cropped up persistently in recent weeks.Earlier this month at a breakfast meeting at the European Policy Centre think-tank, economy commissioner Joaquin Almunia said the EU did have plan to help struggling eurozone states but refused to elaborate on the details. It is not clever to talk in public about this solution.Last month, Mr Steinbrueck said that richer eurozone countries may have to come to the aid of single currency nations that are having problems. The euro-region treaties do not foresee any help for insolvent states, but in reality the others would have to rescue those running into difficulty,he said on 17 February.
Meanwhile, the European Central Bank on Friday denied the existence of a rescue fund.
The reported information is for the ECB untrue, a spokeswoman for the Frankfurt-based central bank said, reports Bloomberg news agency. The euro dropped after the comment was published.
THE FED BREAKS THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA GIVES THE MONEY TO THE BANKERS WORLDWIDE TO GOBBLE UP PROPERTY AND THE FED JUST GETS MORE PROPERTY TILL THEY COUNTROL THE COUNTRY THEN EVENTUALLY THE WORLD.OVIOUSLY THE BIG MONEY IS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AS THE BIBLE SAYS THEY HAVE THE DICTATORIAL WORLD DOMINATION.
2 corporate credit unions taken over by government,Regulators take over 2 big wholesale credit unions, seek to stabilize corporate credit unions
Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer Friday March 20, 2009, 9:59 pm EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators on Friday seized control of two large institutions that provide wholesale financing for U.S. credit unions, a move they say was needed to stabilize the credit union system.The National Credit Union Administration said it has taken over and put into conservatorship the two corporate credit unions, U.S. Central Federal Credit Union, based in Lenexa, Kan., and Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, in San Dimas, Calif. U.S. Central has about $34 billion in assets while Western Corporate, known as WesCorp, has an estimated $23 billion in assets.A conservatorship enables the government to operate a financial institution. Corporate credit unions provide financing and investment services to the much larger population of retail credit unions. Some of the 28 corporate credit unions in the U.S. have sustained steep losses on paper from the depressed value of the mortgage-linked securities they hold.The NCUA, which oversees some 7,800 federally insured credit unions, said it will continue to take any and all steps necessary to preserve a well-functioning system of corporate credit unions and to protect the assets of (retail credit unions) and their members during the ... financial market dislocation.The financial services provided by the two corporate credit unions will continue uninterrupted and there will be no direct impact on the 90 million members of retail credit unions nationwide, the NCUA said in a news release.
It said retail credit unions, which are cooperatives owned by their members, remain financially strong -- with net worth exceeding 10 percent of assets, and sustained growth in assets and membership despite the deep recession.The NCUA staff recently completed a stress test of the mortgage- and other asset-backed securities held by all corporate credit unions, including U.S. Central and WesCorp, and found that an unacceptably high concentration of risk was contained in those two institutions, the agency said Friday. Securities held by the two have continued to lose value since late January, reducing their available cash and worsening a loss of confidence on the part of their member credit unions, the NCUA said.In January, the NCUA injected $1 billion of capital into U.S. Central. At the same time, the agency moved to guarantee tens of billions of dollars in uninsured deposits at corporate credit unions overall, the latest in a series of actions to shore them up in the face of financial stress.
The NCUA said it would automatically guarantee uninsured deposits at all corporate credit unions through February and then on a voluntary basis through Dec. 31, 2010.
The agency's insurance fund is financed by fees paid by credit unions. As is the case with banks and thrifts, regular deposit accounts in federally insured credit unions are covered up to $250,000.In December, the agency made more than $40 billion available to support several corporate credit unions with a new borrowing from the Treasury Department and provided another $2 billion to help struggling homeowners.The NCUA also has proposed restructuring the corporate credit union system with an eye to enhancing its stability.U.S. Central has said it expected to report a substantial loss for 2008, due to around $1.2 billion in charges for impairments in its holdings of mortgage-backed securities.
Up to three million march in French mass protest
ELITSA VUCHEVA 20.03.2009 @ 09:15 CET
In a record turn-out, as many as three million people hit the streets in France on Thursday (19 March) to protest against the government's economic policies in response to the global crisis, according to union estimates. The numbers were closer to 1.2 million, say the police. The country's airports, trains, schools and public transport were disrupted by the mass demonstration - the second general strike faced by France in two months.The event mobilised more people than the similar one in January when between one and two million people protested in France's cities.The country's eight main trade unions, who had called for the protests, demanded that the government react.I cannot believe the government will stay immobile in the face of a phenomenon of this size, Bernard Thibault of the General Labour Confederation said on state television France 2.If things continue like this, the marches will get bigger, Bernard van Craeynest, the leader of trade union CFE-CGC, was reported as saying by Le Monde.Representatives of the opposition were also participating in the protests.
It is important that the government changes its economic, social and fiscal policy, Paris' Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe said.For his part, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon defended his government's actions and ruled out any new economic recovery plan in France at this stage, saying it should first be clear what the effects of the €26 billion plan announced in December are.Mobilisation [in the streets] will not solve the problems of the world crisis,Mr Fillon said.
EU-wide problem
The French protests come as unemployment reached eight percent in the country, and new figures published on Friday by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) say the number of jobless people will reach 8.8 percent by the end of the first half of 2009.The institute also forecasts a prolongation of the recession in the first half of this year in France, saying GDP will shrink by up to 1.5 percent in the first quarter alone – its worst drop since 1975.Meanwhile, strikes have been taking place in other EU countries as well, including Italy. A major demonstration is also to be organised by unions, NGOs and charities on 28 March in London, ahead of the G20 meeting on 2 April, to call on global leaders to put people first,Le Figaro reports.EU premiers and presidents, gathered for a two-day summit ending on Friday in Brussels, are expected to declare in a final document that the rapid increase of unemployment is central to our concerns.The Czech Republic, currently at the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, has also called a social affairs summit in Prague on 7 May, aiming to tackle the social consequences of the economic crisis.On Thursday, John Monks, secretary-general of the European Trade Union Confederation's (ETUC), called on the EU to be ambitious and adopt a new social deal at this summit.
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