Satan’s Succeeding Plan PART II

The last half of the 1800’s was such a pivotal time in earth’s history. It all happened so fast, the US had endured a bloody Civil War, industrialization blazed around the globe digging up diamonds, processing steel, lugging goods around in locomotives. Charles Darwin penned Origin of the Species, Joseph Smith formed Mormonism, and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky started the Theosophical Society…

Wait…WHAT, who is Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and what the hay is the Theosophical Society???

If you don’t know her name it is not a surprise. If you do, are you sure you’re not a disciple of the New Age who is promoting the coming of The World Teacher Maitreya the Christ?

The false religious system that Satan personally has set up FOR THIS TIME is called New Age Spirituality.

(I really, really, really would like to you to look up “New Age” in Wikipedia just to get an idea of the vast array of influences that have come to create the modern New Age movement.)

The New Age movement can be traced back to the writings of two major female authors: H. P. Blavatsky and Alice Ann Bailey. The pivotal works that the New Age world view are based on were written by these two women.

Other important authors and leaders of the movement include: H.G. Wells, David Spangler, Marilyn Ferguson, and Benjamin Creme (just to name a tiny minuscule select few…)

If you study it in depth you begin to realize a frightening thing: They have literally infiltrated every area of power, finance, politics, religion, and influence on this entire planet and (through the direct help of their father Satan) have succeeded in their aims.

In order to finish this letter in any decent length of time, you are going to have to either take my word for it or study it yourself. The best way to study it yourself is to get a general view through “secular” sources (such as Wikipedia and your local library) and then read Constance Cumbey’s book “The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow”. Download it here for free.

I want to put forth two disclaimers before I go on:

1) Not all people involved in New Age practices believe the same things, but the “system” that they are believing in and the movement/leaders behind it all have the same principles/tenets and are from common sources (mainly Blavatsky, Bailey, and Ferguson’s writings).

2) Individual people involved in the New Age movement should not be vilified or condemned, they are deluded and need the Salvation and wisdom of Jesus the real Son of God.

The following are the basic beliefs (historical and modern) of the New Age movement:
(I am paraphrasing using my own language in no particular order – the movement has its own language that can be hard to understand until you read Mrs. Cumbey’s book.)

- Spiritual beings called “Masters,” guide New Age disciples to secret knowledge about themselves, the universe, “god”, the animal kingdom, life, death, reincarnation, and the history and future of earth.

- There is a distinct “Hierarchy” of these Masters, along with energies, forces, god, etc. It can be confusing, but I will say this there is no personal God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. They deny the Trinity entirely, and instead believe in a god of unknown forces.* (*this will be significant in the Abomination of Desolation – see Daniel 11:38 KJV)

- “god” exists in all nature, matter, space, time – they believe in “monism” and “pantheism”. There are spirits of nature.

- The Hierarchy is important, however, to study (if you have the interest) because these “Masters” are spiritual beings and who embody different men and women on the earth. They have a physical presence, as well as a spiritual presence. They can communicate telepathically to the disciple or in person. They are living in cities around the globe and when the body they are inhabiting dies, they inhabit another. (Does this sound like demonic possession to you? It sure does to me…)

- Disciples must take “initiations” and gain gnostic secret knowledge in order to climb the hierarchy. These “initiations” are many times called Luciferic Initiations. They, in point of fact, worship Lucifer, the god of light, the “Lord of this World.” Although many will not admit this. It is PLAIN AS DAY in their literature and in the writings of their founders.

- The “Masters” have been around since pre-flood times and helped a race called the Atlanteans move beyond “animal human” to a higher consciousness. “Occidental” races existed (and do until today) along with these advanced Atlanteans. But another step in human evolution has to happen in order for the “human family” to continue to exist. This next step is called by many names but basically is the New World Order.

- Humans are on a millions of years journey through evolution to become a perfect consciousness of power, light, love, mind, and energy: a NEW species of human that is essentially “god-like”.

- The “Masters” are helping humanity reach this goal.

- The goals concretely, are to bring in a new era (they themselves call it a New World Order over and over again) where humans are completely united, have a world government, world economic system, global food distribution, peace and military disarmament (except for them), and a common WORLD RELIGION (theirs).

- The “person” who will bring about this great convergence, transition, initiative is called the Christ, Sanat Kumara, Maitreya, etc. The New Agers say that this “god-man” is the embodiment of Buddha, Imam Mahdi, Krishna, etc., etc. to the major world religions. He will satisfy all prophecies of religions and will be a real messiah for humanity. The only hope for it’s survival. He is also called “The World Teacher”.

- They teach that the historical Jesus was real, but he was just a man who had the “Christ Consciousness”. The “Christ Consciousness” is the same as that of high level Master Maitreya above. In fact as a “Master” Master Jesus is low on the hierarchy and Master Maitreya is highest.

- This “Sanat Kumara” is the supreme being behind the “Masters” and the movement as a whole. He is at the highest level and is considered the “Lord of the World“. He will bring in the New Age in a literal sense on the earth. He will bring about the goals of the movement. He will save the world. He will cause all religions to look to him and worship him as he embodies the “Maitreya the Christ”.

- In order to bring about this great dawning of a new humanity, however, they must do something akin to Hitler (although they won’t admit it). They must move fundamentalist religions and people out of their way. They must move substandard races of people our of their way. They use arguments that sound something like this: “These groups and races are not far enough in their Karmic evolutionary journey and must be sent to other realms to finish.” OR “there will be a “Cleansing Action” in order for humanity to survive and move forward in their evolutionary and divine journey.” They particularly target Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The Eastern religions are all right up their ally because they teach things like Nirvana and reincarnation, NOT a personal God who will act on our behalf and cares about right and wrong or who might destroy the world.

Some Distinct Characteristics of the Modern New Age Movement:

The movement has intentionally changed its language since the 1980’s when Constance Cumbey published “Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow”. They have moved to catch phrases like, New Consciousness, Global Initiatives, Planetary Peace, Sustainable Development, World Community, Global Village, and more. They are distinctly ENVIRONMENTALLY obsessed. They are obsessed by human salvation of the planet (for one because we are gods) and there is no personal god to do. They believe in the god of energies and forces. Everything is “included” or a “part of” god (as I said above monism and pantheism). So therefor the plants, animals, minerals, trees, oceans, air, everything is god and is interconnected. If we let the earth it will repair itself, but in repairing itself, it will kill off humanity. Humanity will die out and the energies must start again. They are so eco-conscious as to be rabid about it. Almost ALL the modern New Age organizations are extremely involved in any environmental programs, initiatives, agencies, and global plans. I would go so far as to say there are very few international organizations that are purely concerned about the environment from a genuine pragmatism, but the majority are wholeheartedly faithful New Agers, SPIRITUALLY.

Other modern New Age practices include hollistic medicine, biofeedback, mind over health type practices. Heal yourself from the power within, or the cosmic energy or whatever. These practices may look harmless to an outsider, like herbs, acupuncture, massage, meditation, Yoga, etc. Many of  you may be involved in these practices and they may indeed “work”. But beware of the spiritual basis behind them: Eastern mysticism, esotericism, deep transcendental meditation, and downright Lucifer worship.

Automatic writing is now referred to as “journaling”. Which is exactly what I teach my ministry classes. I however teach hearing from God the Father, through the Power of the Holy Spirit, by the Person of Jesus LIVING IN YOUR heart through daily prayer. If you are not a regenerated Christian, do not journal. The voices you hear may not be divine. If you are, choose a pastoral accountability partner or an older Christian to help you discern what you are hearing.

There’s much MUCH more to the New Age spiritual movement that I want to share with you, but time does not allow in this email. The most important thing is they are going full force, they are on the literal brink of having achieved their goals. Since the 1970’s they have been openly (not secretly as before) promoting their agenda with full page news ads in major newspapers and magazines. They have practically taken over Hollywood, the media, social politics, universities, financial/business centers, and now major globalizing organizations.

They literally now have a global empire. You cannot ignore this fact when you look at what I will post later this week. There is so much more, but I have said enough.

FOR NOW…

PLEASE PRAY VIGILANTLY for the people deluded by this movement. Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are on the edge of apostasy by believing New Age ideas wholeheartedly (there are MANY of them, trust me, they were my professors at Piedmont College….) Pray for the world and what it is about to undergo. Pray for the martyrs. Pray for the persecuted. Pray, pray, PRAY!

And after you’ve prayed, SHARE CHRIST. For the spirit of Prophecy is the testimony of JESUS. And to deny Jesus is the Son of God in the flesh, and the Only Way to heaven is the spirit of the Antichrist.

Paying Attention to Satan’s Succeeding Plan

First things first….

First and foremost you should be paying attention to Christ. He is the Author and Finisher, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Nothing was made without Him. Nothing gets past Him. He is our intercessor and our complete sacrifice. He is the Only One we should be lifting up.

I seek to lift Him up daily. He is the One who wrote Revelation. He is the one who talked to the disciples on the Mount of Olives. He is the ONLY ONE who can open the Scroll with the Seven Seals. No ONE ELSE IS WORTHY! It is not the Antichrist who does it, not the Church, not the world’s religions, ONLY JESUS.

The reason for this, HE is the God who became a living, breathing, bleeding CREATION and DIED and CAME BACK TO LIFE. Anybody who denies this is upholding the spirit of Antichrist. Buddha didn’t die for you, Muhammad did not die for you, Vishnu did not die for you, the planet Venus did not die for you. There is NO OTHER MESSIAH.

That being said, we MUST listen to what He said, “If the master of the house had known at what hour the thief would come he would have stayed awake.”

Jesus did not say this to threaten us, or sell an impossibility. We CAN know the TIME of the End. He said just like we can see the forsythia blooming outside (OKAY the “fig” but we here in Dahlonega have the forsythia and pears busting out…) We should keep our oil lamps filled up and KEEP WATCH. We can know, Paul said we could. Jesus said we could. We could KNOW the season without a doubt. Previous generations could not say that. We can.

We are about to see unprecedented things come upon the world as we know it. I am NOT a conspiracy theorist, I am a disciple of Christ. I do not care what the Illuminati is doing, I care about what the Word says, Satan is and has been doing. And it just so happens that he (I refuse to capitalize his “h” *grin*) is behind nearly ALL of the major world religions, world powers, empires, economic, political, and spiritual. He ALWAYS has been.

Don’t you see? He is the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the dragon. He is cast down to earth knowing his time is SHORT. He is seeking those he may devour. He is working in the workers of iniquity. He has “children” of his own. Those who are of the world, slaves to sin, and the realm of the wicked.

He has always operated in this capacity since the garden of Eden. You say, “But God is the Sovereign here.” Yes and no. GOD ALLOWED IT! He ALLOWED Satan to be in control here for the time being, whether we like it or not. That is what happened. You can ask Him why when you get to Heaven. If you’ll just please believe that He did it for the best possible GODLY purposes and TRUST HIM. I’m not going to go into the “problem of evil” here…..thank goodness…..

HOWEVER, Satan is here. He’s at work. He’s doing nasty terrible things nobody wants to talk about. The few who are willing to talk about it are called quacks, fundamentalists, spiritual warfare freaks, doomsayers, apocalyptic maniacs, fear/hate mongers and many other terrible names.

Having said that, Satan is PRIMING the world for Antichrist. He hasn’t had this big of a job since helping Rome conquer her Empire.

For instance, there are now 7 billion people in the world, (not between 200 & 400 million as in Jesus’ day). There are about 195 countries, probably more than 1,000,000,000 TV’s in the world, and 22 major world religions (not to mention the 1000’s of minor ones, and myriads of sub-sects, etc.)….

I believe he has been planning this grand scheme since day 1. Since the Tree. He has been planning it and it is coming to fruition. It has been put on fast forward over the last 100 or so years, but he’s been at it a LONG time.

All he has to do is this: get rid of God. And set himself up as god. No big deal right.

Well it turns out humans are pretty pathetic. They believe that they are wretched, flawed, lonely, small in the universe, unsuccessful at life, and in need of a god. They know their crops fail, their children die, that plagues kill, and that old age wrinkles the body and brittle’s the bones. They have a hard time believing that God does not exist. They look to the skies, build statues, perform rites, and offer sacrifices. They write tomes, go on quests, and seek their souls. They have a deep need for God.

So Satan has to re-write human history and literature, reinvent human technology, and reprogram human thought. He has succeeded.

He has succeeded in doing this since he was allowed to change some rules in the 1800’s. Ideas like this had been around MUCH longer, but they became global in scale, because during that time, EVERYTHING began to be global in scale. The 1800’s was the dawn of globalism. God had kept it nicely in check with flood, confusion of languages, distance, and lack of technological advance. God was about to allow something that had been painstakingly slow previously. He was about to allow the acceleration of human ability and cooperation through technological advances. He pressed the fast forward button on time and history, hurtling us to the end of our very existence, knowing that the fullness of time was about to “come in.”

Planes, trains, automobiles, computers, wireless technology, atom bombs, biotechnology, ALL OF IT. MAJOR MAJOR exponential advances that could have taken humans 1000’s more years to come up with on their own. Who assisted them?
Why the lord of this world, of course. He has been doing it for a long time if you have read the book of Enoch. If not, you can see him doing it through pagan innovation to have more money, power, possessions, longevity, etc.

See, the great Satan wants to make HUMANS gods. He wants to make humans think that they are gods. He knows he does not have the power to overthrow God. He knows he cannot convince them that he is God. But he knows that God did something rather silly, in Satan’s mind anyway it is downright hilarious. He knows that God gave humans the ability to overthrow Him. But only temporarily. In their lifetime. While they are alive, they can throw off God and say, “never the less, I will“. God made humans with the ability to CHOOSE Him. Free will. Choose me, or not. Have it your way.

Why does Satan think this will help his campaign? Because he knows if they throw off God during their lifetime, they are AUTOMATICALLY UNDER HIS MILITARY CONTROL. It’s the rules. He has temporary dominion over earth, he’s the commander here for the time being, and he can have all the people he wants. As long as they dis God.

So back to why he wants humans to think “they” are god…. Humans are rather dumb. They have never seen planets created, universes organized, angels assembled. They are under the shadow of a sin sick, illness laden, black cloud of a planet. They are “new” in the cosmic scheme of things. They are babies. He can control and manipulate them.

Throughout history he has been fooling them with idol worship, animal worship, crazy winged creature worship, land worship, king worship, ocean worship, sky worship, all kinds of insane things. They are easy prey. (Remember how pain filled our lives are, how short-lived, how frail.)

Well now he has the PERFECT religious system to catch them with. It is just a delightful mish-mash of ALL of them. And, as always with Satan, it has just enough of a kernel of truth in it to make it seem truly perfect. If you don’t know any better.

---

To Be Continued….
See Part II for further elaboration on this not so new religious system.

Look Who Else is Using Economic Fears

God forbid I should promote what this abominable demon is saying through this New Age maniac, but we need to study what the ENEMY is up to. – As Constance Cumbey has been doing for YEARS (please visit her website often, watch her videos, read her books, as well as listen to her radio program on Radio Liberty) – Many profane New Age prophecies of the “Maitreya” are “backed up” by Biblical scripture. Remember the Word says the very elect could be deceived. If you are not familiar with New Age philosophy, its proponents, its UN connections, or its dominance in the world today you are in danger of being deceived. You must WATCH and be vigilent. The days are evil.

So what do I want you to watch for in the following 2 articles. Revelation says that the Beast (Antichrist) will control all trade, buying, selling, and commerce. He will do this only AFTER the 3rd Seal of Revelation, in which a terrible famine hits the world. The Theosophists of the New Age movement believe that this will bring in their savior “Maitreya” “to emerge openly and begin His outer mission”.

The following 2 articles are from Bejamin Creme and his organization Share International…. www.share-international.org

The Stage is Set

by the Master – , through Benjamin Creme – 11 October 2008

For many years We, your Elder Brothers, have warned men of the dangers of blindly following market forces which, themselves, are blind. Thus, the present widespread economic and financial crisis should not be unexpected. The ‘bubble’ created by competition and greed had, inevitably, to burst. Yet the ‘men of money’ who built this towering edifice on shifting sands are stunned by the outcome, are at a loss to understand the reasons for the catastrophe and are already looking for better ways of continuing the same folly.

The people of the countries worst hit by the recent events, however, know well the reasons for the collapse, and are angry in the knowledge that it is they who will suffer hardship and want in the months and years ahead.

Window

Maitreya, waiting patiently in the wings, sees this as a ‘window of opportunity’ which allows Him to emerge openly and begin His outer mission. Thus, the long wait for His emergence is almost over. Very soon indeed now men will hear Maitreya’s call for action and for change.

Already, amid the myriad analysts the media have turned to for explanation and advice in the current crisis are a few who wisely warn that radical change is essential; that control and regulation of the ‘men of money’ must be a top priority to prevent a repetition. The people call for fairness and justice and are in no mood to be ignored. Thus the stage is set, at last, for the words of Maitreya to be heard, and to be seen as sensible and true. He will tell men that the continuation of the present disorder will bring only further chaos; that only a complete and ordered reconstruction of the world’s economic system will bring justice and peace; that without such justice and peace the future would be bleak indeed. He will tell them that we have the answer in our hands, that the world is one; that we live and prosper as one or face annihilation. These things, bit by bit, Maitreya will tell the world and the people will respond. Before their present leaders, they will see His good sense, and welcome the opportunity to put into practice His advice.

How long this phase will last is difficult to predict but, in the present chaotic conditions it may be relatively short indeed. The greedy ‘men of money’ have been caught out and their methods found wanting. The people who only want sufficient to raise their families in decency are more than ready for the changes and the challenges of the future. They want justice and peace and are prepared to share to achieve these precious goals. The people are ready; the ‘men of money’ are bewildered and are licking their wounds; Maitreya, too, is ready, and has His hand on the door.

[This article from Share International magazine, November 2008 , is by a senior member of the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom. His name, well-known in esoteric circles, is not yet being revealed. Benjamin Creme, a principal spokesman about the emergence of Maitreya, is in constant telepathic contact with this Master who dictated his article to him.]

The Moment Has Come

by the Master – , through Benjamin Creme – 8 February 2009

Eventually, men will realize that they are traveling together on a journey of Self-discovery, one which will bring them in time to the feet of the most holy.

The essence of this journey of discovery is that it is self-enacted and willed, and at the same time is shared by all members, known and unknown, of the human family. True it is that all men are brothers, sons of the One Father, each engaged, consciously or otherwise, in this momentous adventure we call life. To many today, unfortunately, this adventure is a painful and degrading experience; to millions, it is unjust and barren, the sooner over the better.

Small wonder is it, therefore, that so many see life as drudgery and grind, their child-engendered dreams of achievement and happiness but distant memories.

Men are born to create and grow in Self-awareness, and need the environment in which that becomes possible. The terrible disease of commercialization has robbed countless millions of their birthright and, as its insidious growth encroaches on all aspects of men’s lives, its tentacles of disaster squeeze every generous and human feeling from their hearts. Humanity is in thrall to commercialization and in peril of its soul.

What can men do to reverse this process of disaster? Already, the current economic and financial chaos, symptoms of the destructive forces of commercialization, are showing men that they can no longer allow this monster to rule their lives; that they must take stock and assess anew their priorities for a more just and healthy economic structure which will the better serve their needs.

There are, of course, many, relatively untouched by the current crisis, who see this time as a ‘downturn’ and look forward in full confidence to the inevitable ‘upturn’, when we can carry on as before. This is no longer possible; the blind can no longer lead the blind. They know not of Maitreya.

Maitreya has chosen this moment to fulfil His promise to enter the domain of men and to help them on their journey. He is emerging now; His herald, the star-sign of His emergence, is seen worldwide by many and is the signal of His appearance, openly, before men. Using the television resources of today, He will engage on a series of interviews starting in America and including Japan and many other countries.

As an ordinary man, undeclared as Maitreya, He will speak for all those who have no voice, no spokesman. He will call on men to share the goods of the Earth and to embrace each other as the brothers and sisters they are. He will show that if we would have peace there is only one way to achieve it: that is by the realization of justice throughout the world, and that justice can only be achieved through sharing. We await the response of all men and women of goodwill in this, our world.

[This article from Share International magazine, March 2009 , is by a senior member of the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom. His name, well-known in esoteric circles, is not yet being revealed. Benjamin Creme, a principal spokesman about the emergence of Maitreya, is in constant telepathic contact with this Master who dictated his article to him.

You need to realize who is ALSO trying to “use” this economic crisis to hasten globalization and world control: Gordon Brown, Obama, and Javier Solana to name a few. The Alliance of Civilizations, the United Nations, and many, many more.

Why are they obsessed with doing this? Simple. Because it is the “will of man,” the climate at the tower of Babel not too terribly long ago. Humanity has been “primed” for this throughout history. Every pagan empire has sought the same goals. Set up man as god and do away with God entirely. Surely we can come together and ascend to heaven. The UN, the EU, and now the new US administration do not realize the spiritual forces behind what they do (or do they?)…but the New Agers sure do! Keep a close eye on the world at this time. The moment has indeed come. Next stop the 70th Week of Daniel and the Abomination of Desolation.

End of February News

Russian bomber neared Canada before Obama visit

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian fighters scrambled to intercept an approaching Russian bomber less than 24 hours before U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Ottawa last week, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said on Friday.

The Bear bomber did not enter Canada’s Arctic airspace but the two Canadian F-18 fighters had to order the plane to turn back, MacKay told a news conference.

Obama spent a few hours in the Canadian capital on February 19 on his first foreign trip since becoming president.

“I’m not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit but it was a strong coincidence, which we met with the presence, as we always do, of F-18 fighter planes … and sent a strong signal that they should back off and stay out of our air space,” MacKay said.

He also said Russia had stepped up its bomber flights toward the Canadian Arctic in the last few years, reviving a practice that was common during the Cold War.

 

European, US stocks plunge as economic fears weigh

LONDON – European and U.S. markets plunged Friday after economic data showed the U.S. economy shrank in the fourth quarter at the fastest pace in over a quarter century.

Market sentiment was also weak as investors worried about banks’ health and pharmaceutical companies’ profits, which some believe may be curbed by President Obama’s plan to reform America’s costly health care system.

By late afternoon in mainland Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 2.6 percent to 3,814.49, Germany’s DAX lost 3 percent to 3,824.85, and France’s CAC 40 dropped 2.6 percent to 2,674.66.

Wall Street opened lower after Citigroup Inc. said the government would take a bigger stake in the company and news that the U.S. economy shrunk at a faster-than-expected 6.2 percent pace at the end of 2008, its worst performance in a quarter-century.

 

More News From The Last Few Days

 

Brown: World needs ‘global New Deal’

EU ‘Single Sky’ agreement in sight

Israeli officials fear US may cut military aid

Denominations make doctrinal compromises

European chiefs propose global rules

Assad, Solana meet on Syrian-EU ties

Solana, Egyptian FM meet on Middle East issues

Serious News – February 20th

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLES – CLICK ON THEIR TITLE….

 

From Times Online

February 20, 2009

Binyamin Netanyahu targets Iran after he is appointed Prime Minister

(Kevin Frayer/AP)

Binyamin Netanyahu said Iran constitutes the greatest threat ever faced by Israel

David Byers and James Hider, in Jerusalem

Binyamin Netanyahu described Iran as the greatest threat that Israel has ever faced and failed to mention stalled talks with the Palestinians after he was asked to be the country’s new Prime Minister today.

In a speech made outside the residence of President Shimon Peres, the Likud leader said that protecting Israel would be his greatest responsibility as leader, and condemned “formidable” challenges posed by the Islamic Republic.

However, he did not once mention the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process or a two-state solution throughout his address, omissions that will cause concern within an Obama administration determined to advance the peace process…

 

Equal Rights For All Israel’s Citizens

The Current Discussion: Israel’s real “existential question” is whether or not to disenfranchise its Arab minority, says Fareed Zakaria in his column this week. Is he right?

This particular issue – especially the description of Israel as a “Jewish state” – almost torpedoed the 2007 Annapolis conference. Palestinians adamantly refused to recognize the state established on Palestinian land as a Jewish state, because 20% of that state’s citizens are non-Jewish Palestinian Arabs.

But former President George Bush would not budge, calling Israel a “Jewish state” as he spoke in favor of an independent Palestinian state (which he promised would be realized before his term was up.) While this was not the first time that a U.S. senior official has referred to Israel as a religious entity, Bush’s insistence on the description despite Palestinian president Mahmood Abbas’s demands that this term not be used reflected a total U.S. acceptance of the Israeli position. Calling Israel a Jewish state goes directly against the general U.S. principle of separating politics from religion and counters the democratic values that the U.S. is trying to export to the rest of the world, including the Arab region…

 

Soros sees no bottom for world financial “collapse”

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Renowned investor George Soros said on Friday the world financial system has effectively disintegrated, adding that there is yet no prospect of a near-term resolution to the crisis.

Soros said the turbulence is actually more severe than during the Great Depression, comparing the current situation to the demise of the Soviet Union.

He said the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September marked a turning point in the functioning of the market system.

“We witnessed the collapse of the financial system,” Soros said at a Columbia University dinner. “It was placed on life support, and it’s still on life support. There’s no sign that we are anywhere near a bottom.”

His comments echoed those made earlier at the same conference by Paul Volcker, a former Federal Reserve chairman who is now a top adviser to President Barack Obama.

Volcker said industrial production around the world was declining even more rapidly than in the United States, which is itself under severe strain.

“I don’t remember any time, maybe even in the Great Depression, when things went down quite so fast, quite so uniformly around the world,” Volcker said.

(Reporting by Pedro Nicolaci da Costa and Juan Lagorio; Editing by Gary Hill)

 

Dodd Says Short-Term Bank Takeovers May Be Necessary  

By Alison Vekshin

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) – Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said banks may have to be nationalized for “a short time” to help lenders such as Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. survive the worst economic slump in 75 years.

“I don’t welcome that at all, but I could see how it’s possible it may happen,” Dodd said today on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt” to be broadcast this weekend. “I’m concerned that we may end up having to do that, at least for a short time.”

 

U.S. Stocks Fall After Stiff Declines in World Markets Overnight

By Alejandro Lazo

Washington Post Staff Writer 
Friday, February 20, 2009; 11:54 AM 

U.S. stock markets fell again on Friday — one day after the Dow Jones industrial average sank to its lowest level in six years — as investors remained concerned that the global recession is deepening.

The losses on Wall Street followed stiff declines in markets around the world overnight…

 

Latvian ruling coalition falls, PM resigns

Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:41am EST

By Patrick Lannin

RIGA (Reuters) – Latvia’s four-party ruling coalition collapsed on Friday, prompting the president to call for talks to forge a new government to tackle a deepening economic crisis.

The coalition’s fall, the second European government to succumb to the financial crisis, adds to the economic problems of the small Baltic state, which last year had to take a 7.5 billion euro ($9.43 billion) IMF-led rescue loan last year.

Political and social tensions exploded in January into a riot…

 

WRAPUP 2-Euro bloc considers aid to weaker members

Fri Feb 20, 2009 5:44pm GMT

* Germany says mulling aid for weak euro states

* Eurogroup chief says states mull lending to each other

* Euro zone aid issue risks overshadowing EU-G20 summit

By Noah Barkin and Paul Carrel

BERLIN, Feb 20 (Reuters) – Economically strong euro zone countries have begun considering ways to shore up weaker member states for the first time in the decade-old history of the single currency bloc, Germany said on Friday.

Speculation has been swirling all week that Germany and perhaps other big European countries could come to the aid of euro bloc countries like Ireland or Greece, which have seen their finances sharply deteriorate during the global crisis…

 

Iran understates uranium stocks to IAEA: diplomats

Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:56pm GMT

By Mark Heinrich

VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran recently understated by a third how much uranium it had enriched and U.N. nuclear inspectors are working with Tehran to ensure such a significant gap does not recur, diplomats said Friday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency believes the discrepancy was a technical mistake rather than subterfuge, but the matter is important given concerns, denied by Tehran, that it is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons.

An IAEA report Thursday showed a significant increase in Iran’s reported stockpile of low-enriched uranium (LEU) since November to 1,010 kg, which U.S. analysts said could be converted into enough high-enriched uranium for one bomb…

 

Nuclear Inspectors Cite Problems in Syria, Iran

By VOA News  19 February 2009

 

An undated image released during a briefing by senior US officials shows alleged Syrian nuclear reactor, which was hit by Israeli strike

 

The United Nations nuclear agency says it has found more traces of uranium at a Syrian site that Israel bombed because of suspicions it was a covert nuclear plant.

A report to members of the International Atomic Energy Agency board in Geneva Thursday said the uranium was processed and not naturally occurring. It also gave only a “low probability” that the element came from missiles.

Syria argued that traces of uranium found there were from Israeli weaponry used to bomb the al-Kibar site in 2007…

Blueprint for EU army to be agreed

A security blueprint charting a path to a European Union army will be agreed by Euro-MPs on Thursday.

By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels 

The Telegraph.co.uk
Last Updated: 7:31PM GMT 18 Feb 2009

The plan, which has influential support in Germany and France, proposes to set up a “Synchronised Armed Forces Europe”, or Safe, as a first step towards a true European military force.

The move comes as France, a supporter of an EU army, prepares to rejoin Nato and to take over one of the Alliance’s top military posts. General Charles de Gaulle withdrew French forces in 1966.

Geoffrey Van Orden MEP, the Conservative European defence spokesman, warned that British ministers are “in denial”.

He said: “They are sleepwalking towards a European army and seem to have little awareness of what is going on.”

 

EU, NATO, US: 21st Century Alliance For Global Domination By Rick Rozoff

Global Research, February 19, 2009

Stop NATO

With France’s reintegration into NATO’s military command after a 33 year hiatus to be formalized at this year’s Alliance summit in Strasbourg, which will also upgrade the 1999 Strategic Concept with increased emphasis on NATO-EU-US military integration, and with the EU intensifying the creation of a 60,000-troop rapid deployment force and its own and affiliated Nordic battlegroups for use around the world, the mutual relations obtaining among the three major centers of Western economic, political and military power – the EU, NATO and the US – require urgent examination. To date the conventional wisdom in establishment circles has largely consisted of a set of four false dichotomies:  The progressively more ambitious development of EU military capabilities is in competition with if not a direct challenge to NATO and the strategic trans-Atlantic alliance with Washington. NATO is a multilateral antidote to US unilateralism. The EU is a principled practitioner of peaceful diplomacy whereas the US and NATO are often too hasty in relying on the military necessity. The EU is a or even the main competitor of the US in Europe and increasingly throughout much of the world…   Wednesday in plenary: EU role in the Middle East, cooperation with NATO Institutions - 19-02-2009 – 12:31 (European Parliament Website) MEPs discussed foreign policy and the EU’s relationship with NATO Wednesday afternoon in Brussels. Europe’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana told MEPs about the problems in the Middle East and the EU’s search for peace in the region. The House discussed the strengthening of EU-NATO relations following a subtle convergence of certain military projects…