in Today's News 05.30.09

1.  Pakistan (yet again).  WSJ headline:  "Refugee Crisis Infames Ethnic Strife in Pakistan."  From the article: "The refugee influx to Karachi has inflamed murderous ethnic rivalries that have simmered in Pakistan's biggest city for years...This strife in Karachi adds a new dimension to the security crisis that threatens the survival of President Asif Ali Zardari's democratically elected administration, possibly Pakistan itself, as law and order collapses and militants spread south from their mountain bases."  (Emphasis added.)

One could be justified in asking if the United States knows what the hell it is doing. Here we have a country (Pakistan) that is critical to the security interests of the USA and Israel, because of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and because of the Taliban. Yet the USA has forcefully pushed the Pakistan government to take actions that have produced Pakistan's most fundamental crisis ever, including a refugee surge that is almost without precedent in the world.  And most amazing of all, having created the crisis, the USA seems to be taking a hands-off approach to the refugees and the crisis.

So, what gives?  Can the USA possibly believe that out of the chaos the USA can establish a government more in its interests?  If so, the USA policy makers are living in more of a dream world than was previously considered.

Or do the policy makers think they can defeat the Taliban before the government collapses?  If so, dream on.

In short, the USA now faces the potential loss of Pakistan which would be a foreign policy set back of gargantuan proportions.  If the USA is doing anything about it, they are keeping it a tight secret.

2. Bond Market.  WSJ:  "Yields for 10-year Treasury notes have risen 1.5 percentage points this year as bond traders pull back on a market awash in federal debt...'Clearly, the message form the bond market increasingly is structural deficits as far as the eye can see just aren't going to wash without bond yields going up to levels that might keep us in recession,' said Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research Inc."

Ah yes, here we have the market forces creating a new situation.  I mean, really, give me a break.  As always the media fails to take into account that there are enormously wealthy families, starting with the Rothschilds, who have the power and wherewithal to control and manipulate markets.  When a change like the increase in yields occurs one can assume these families are involved.

So, how would they benefit from this change?  Well, with all this debt floating around, some of which is tricky, the people that hand out the loans want more return.  And more return means more income.  Wealth accumulation again.

It is interesting that these families created the crisis that generated the need for all the debt, and now they want increased yield on the debt they created. Chutzpah!!

What Did Jesus Say about the Rabbis' Predecessors? Part Four: The Tyranny of the Pharisees

[Previous parts of this topic may be found:

Part One: Why Did Jesus Appear

Part Two: The Sermon on the Mount

Part Three: Matthew 23]

As the Israelite society developed over the centuries before Christ's appearance, the influence of heretical Phariseic concepts became more and more prevalent.  By Christ’s time the Pharisees were firmly in control exercising a tyrannical restraint based on enforcement of the Pharisees' laws and rules. Their system was rigid and allowed no exceptions.  Compassion and mercy were not active ingredients.  The Pharisees and scribes kept a constant watch for deviations from the traditions.  They punished offenders mercilessly. The joy of living God’s creation and living in His company were absent.

A law-bound society led by a legalistic and oppressive 'priesthood' was certainly not what God intended. 

Phariseic or Talmud-influenced societal organization follows a pattern of egregious oppression where a privileged elite terrorizes the majority. Two examples exist in the modern world: the Soviet Union and the Israeli rule of the Palestinians.  In the first case the Russian Revolution and the subsequent developments were led primarily (and way out of proportion to their percent of the population) by individuals who had matured and been educated in the Pharisee's Talmudic world outlook, just as Karl Marx had been. In Palestine, the Talmud-based Israeli government directly controls the Palestinian population.  In both cases, as in Jesus' time, the subjects were under a strict and severe rule that knew no compassion. Those who did not toe the line were quickly punished and ostracized. Even the show trials in the Soviet Union and the frame-up style trials in Palestine were foreshadowed in Jesus' trial where procedures based on objective evidence, justice and rights of the accused were non-existent.

Jesus incarnated into the Israelites' society with a mission to offer himself in sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. He had two goals to accomplish:  to terminate the Phariseic claim to be representing God, and to set in motion the new Church that could being humanity to God.  To accomplish these aims He had to:

• Expose the Pharisees' hypocrisy, 
• Bring authentic teaching to the Israelites and others, 
• Gather a cadre who would be the leadership of His church, 
• Teach and train this cadre in God’s ways, 
• Set an example of what a man of God is like, 
• Ensure that the concept of a priesthood to humanity is understood, 
• Show concretely how compassion, mercy, and love are inseparable from being Godly, and
• Demonstrate one hundred per cent fidelity to doing God’s will without exception, if necessary unto death.
  

Thus Jesus meant to accomplish a revolution in the context of and against the Pharisee's dictatorial society described here.  This attitude was expressed when He said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth:  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."  (Matthew 10:34) 

He was both audacious and cautious.  He taught with authority bringing the full message of God to His hearers, which caused a direct conflict with the Pharisees.  At the same time, He was cautious, never giving the Pharisees gratuitous ammunition. He was reluctant to perform miracles because it would have given the Pharisees an opportunity to accuse Him of being possessed by Beezebub. He did not reveal that He was the Son of God until the end of His ministry because He knew the Pharisees would have considered His claim as blasphemy and would have sought to kill Him. He spoke in parables so that He could make His case against the Pharisees without confronting them directly prematurely.  When He cured people, He asked them to tell no one, to go to the priests and to make the appropriate offering, again to prevent the Pharisees from making accusations and seeking to kill Him.  When the Pharisees became too threatening, Jesus withdrew into remote areas. 

Everything Jesus did and said was conditioned by the tyrannical Phariseic society and by the threatening presence of the Phariseic enforcers.  

Jesus chose His battles with the Pharisees carefully for maximum effectiveness when He could protect Himself and His devotees. A consideration was always how to handle a situation without provoking the Pharisees prematurely. 

Such was the situation that the Son of God found Himself in – an extremely hostile environment where everything that was done and said had to be carefully regarded. It was all necessary in order to stay alive long enough to found His Church.  Jesus showed His ever-present awareness of His situation when in Mathew 10:26 He said to his disciples, “Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” 

[Part five will discuss Jesus' parables.]

In Today's News 05.27.09

The new government-controlled economy.  A few weeks ago someone made the remark that GM now stands for Government Motors.  And how accurate he or she was.  Witness this sentence from today's WSJ:

"General Motors Corp and the United Auto Workers have agreed to a new restructuring plan that would give the union a significantly smaller stake in the company and leave the U.S. government owning as much as 70% of the car maker."  (Emphasis added.)

Such a government take-over would have been inconceivable just a year ago.  The cryptocracy seems to be in a hurry to transform the economy into one its sees as more risk-free.  The cryptocracy via Obama's auto task force has made significant strides in humbling General Motors and Chrysler.  Costs have been cut on all fronts. Whether the cuts are enough to satisfy the bank owners remains to be seen, but it's dubious.  

In France: Growing Recognition of Shoah Religion

Michael Hoffman reprints an article on the recognition of the Shoah religion in France.  It is well worth reading.  It can be found here.

in Today's News 05.23.09

Pakistan (again).  WSJ: "...the militants and Pakistani troops have been engaged in fierce fighting that has caused a massive refugee crisis, forcing about two million people to flee their homes.  On Friday, the United Nations issued a flash appeal for a total of $543 million in humanitarian aid to help the refugees. Martin Mogwanja, acting U.N. humanitarian coordinator, said, 'The scale of this displacement is extraordinary in terms of size and speed and has caused incredible suffering.'" (Emphasis added.)

What was already a catastrophe last week has now doubled in size.  The people involved are not urban sophisticates accustomed to switching residences.  These refugees have lived and made their livings in the same area for generations.  It has to be the understatement of the year to say incredible suffering is occurring when such people have to abandon their homestead and move to a sweltering refugee camp with little food and water, and no comfort at all.

Undoubtedly a portion of the refugees have to be saying, 'Certainly rule by the Taliban couldn't be any worse than this.'

Most amazing is the virtual silence in the media over one of the most significant humanitarian crises in decades.    

The crisis was precipitated when the United States brought unprecedented pressure on Pakistan to launch an offensive against the Taliban in the Swat Valley. Apparently the all-wise American policy-makers had no concept of what the consequences might be;  all that mattered was to push back the Taliban.  It seems Pakistan knew better, but they faced a rupture in relations if they didn't obey.

And so now there is a mammoth crisis in the area that may never be corrected. The problem is beyond the Pakistan government.  The United Nations seems to be unable to meet the needs of the situation.  And the United States? .... Nothing!!!! The United States government seems singularly unconcerned.  This arrogant, incredible attitude by the Unites States occurs after it was the United States that created the problem in the first place.  The United States simply walks away from the suffering; all the USA cared about was the attack on the Taliban. (A 'generous' interpretation of the United States inaction is that the USA is withholding refugee aid in order to pressure Pakistan to expedite the war with diligence.)

The media follows their masters' lead.  If there is any one in the media industry who has an ounce of compassion about two million innocent refugees, the media owners quickly disposes of it.

And the Vatican?  So far, not even a whisper from that quarter.  Is any one there aware of world events?

 

Michael Hoffman on the "Synagogue Bomb Plot"

Michael Hoffman has written a thought-provoking article on the recent "Synagogue Bomb Plot" in New York that the media has made so much ballyhoo about. Hoffman's article may be read/studied here.

in Today's News 05.21.09

1.  Ireland.  WSJ. "An Irish report concluded children were abused in Catholic-run institutions that operated until the 1990s."  The report is the product of The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse set up by the Irish government.  The report, which fails to identify perpetrators, alleges beatings, rape and molestation in dozens of Catholic-run institutions.

And so, the cryptocracy campaign to destroy the influence of the Church in Ireland has reached its final stage.  The Christ-haters in the cryptocracy have long targeted the Church in Ireland because it is a bulwark of Catholicism in Europe and the world, and a supplier of priests to the world.  The cryptocracy-inspired secularization of Ireland has been running apace for some time now.  Attacks on the Church have become more and more common as the country has abandoned its Catholic heritage.

Now comes the semi-legal attack on sexual abuse.  The model is the United States where this sort of campaign has been so successful.  The blueprint is to find the inevitable abuse cases, publicize them out of all proportion to reality, generalize in the media that the abuse is characteristic of the entire Church, and sue the pants off the Church. The sine qua non of the campaign is to inveigle the Church hierarchy to be apologetic instead of fighting back. 

The Irish report is typical.  It says the abuse occurred in dozens of institutions without naming them.  It places the abuse in the past (1930s to 1970s) which makes it more difficult to disprove the allegations.  The report alleges systematic abuse without systematic proof.  The report makes vague accusations and does not identify perpetrators (that will be left to trial attorneys who will be going after the big bucks.)  It pulls on heart strings by saying victims had difficulties in later life. All in all, a clever attempt at a complete smear of the Church.

This type of slanderous and scurrilous attack on the Church can only be successful if the Church leaders adopt a stance of saying they're sorry and then handing over the money.  That is what happened in the United States and it is what will happen in Ireland in all likelihood.

The question remains: what will the Vatican do?  If past behavior is any guide, the Vatican will say very little and what it does say will be so general as to be meaningless.

The truth is that the purveyors of shoah Catholicism have little interest in the continuation of a strong, traditional Catholic culture.  The ultimate goal of the Shoah Catholicism advocates is a Church based on the Noahide 'laws', which lead to a sort of universal all-encompassing Church.  Countries that were bastions of the Church like Ireland, Poland and Croatia have no place in the future Church as they see it.

2.  The New Government-Controlled Economy.  WSJ.  In an article titled "U.S. Rescue Aid Entrenched Itself," the following observation occurs, "Many of the other emergency measures created to prop up the financial system are developing an air of permanence."

This comes as no surprise to those in the know, of course.  The cryptocracy's job right now is to begin to acquaint the public with the new reality of government control that was forced through under cover of an economic emergency.  And so, now comes the spin that the emergency measures may have to stick around for a while.

in Today's News 05.20.09

1.  Iran.  Just to ensure that Israel gets the point that the United States is not ready now to take action against Iran, two prominent think tanks issued reports today saying Iran is not an immediate threat.  The reports just happened to be released one day after the Obama-Netanyahu meeting.

The reports were issued by the East-West Institute and by the Rand Corporation.

The cryptocracy is unbelievably transparent.  If the United States was ready to take military action, you can be sure that both these groups would have issued reports justifying the action.

2.  Credit Cards.  The credit card bill now making its way though Congress seems to have some much needed reforms.  The media, however, is reluctant to discuss the costs of the reforms.  Here's what the Wall Street Journal has to say about the price:

"The new rules still allow card companies to raise interest rates on consumer's future charges.  And they will do little to stop banks from cutting credit lines for consumers deemed risky.  Issuers are already increasing rates for swaths of consumers ahead of the new rules as they try to protect against losses."

And:

"As banks look to off-set the loss in revenues from this new law, they will likely scale back their reward programs, bring back annual fees and make promotional offers less attractive, according to industry watchers.  In the long run, the banking industry has said it will have to scale back available credit and raise interest rates for new customers, because banks will have to rework their risk models."

One way or another, the credit card issuers are going to maintain their profits.

in Today's News 05.19.09

Netanyahu and Obama.  Both parties and the media say the meeting yesterday between Netanyahu and Obama was more or less routine and successful.  The Wall Street Journal buried its story on the meeting on page ten.

The reality is different.  The meeting itself went twice as long as scheduled.  This didn't happen because they were discussing the weather.  One can be sure that Netanyahu pushed aggressively on the issue of Iran.  Israel asserts that Iran is within months of producing enough fissile material to produce an atomic bomb. And therefore Israel believes the time for action against Iran is sooner rather than latter, and they feel quite strongly about it.

Obama, on the other hand, needs time so the United States can deal with the deteriorating situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The last thing Obama needs right now is an additional major focus in foreign policy.  And so, the United States is pushing to put off any Iran action until the end of the year, with attempts at negotiations occupying the interim.

There is fundamental agreement between Israel and the United States on what to do about Iran.  But, there are big differences on timing.  We will probably never know whether Netanyahu acquiesced to Obama's position, but if he did it would be entirely out of character.

There is a dangerous game here, though, for the United States.  Israel has a history of getting its way.  If direct talks don't work, then it is certainly not beneath the Israelis to take some precipitate action that forces the hand of the United States.

You can be sure that the USA's intelligence network is working full-time on making sure that Israel doesn't do one of its surprises.

All the talk at the meeting about a Palestinian state, Israeli settlements, Arab peace initiatives, etc is pure fog.  All this has been discussed ad infinitum before. The wordage doesn't change and the reality doesn't change.  The United States is committed to support Israel no matter what.  The United States talk of negotiations etc is just a cover for Israel to do what it wants.

in Today's News 05.18.09

Hillary Clinton.  Paul Richter of the Washington Bureau of the Chicago Tribune reports that Clinton's "candor" is raising eyebrows and questions at home and abroad.  "Startling U.S. friends and foes alike, Clinton has sent aides scrambling to explain her remarks and has stirred a debate over whether speaking frankly is a good thing for U.S. foreign policy."

"Clinton's remarks may not seem to be insulting or impolitic on their face.  But coming from the nation's chief diplomat, they have raised eyebrows."

The remarks the article refers to are Clinton's many verbal mis-steps regarding North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, China and elsewhere.  Clinton has a habit of simply shooting off her mouth, and then leaving it to others to clean up the mess.

Richter undoubtedly writes because at least a section of the Obama administration wants to send a warning to Clinton.  The diplomatic wordage of the article is a nice way of saying that they believe Clinton doesn't know what the hell she is doing. (Hillary's incompetence comes as no surprise to those who have watched Hillary over the years.)

Obama faces an interesting predicament if things continue on this course.  At some point his people are going to get tired of smoothing out Clinton.  Then what do they do?  Firing her is not so easy.  And there is nowhere to kick her upstairs. Observing how Obama deals with this situation should be one of the minor entertainments of his administration.

BTW, it is interesting that Clinton, the old pro, stumbles almost every time she opens her mouth.  Obama, who is barely wet behind the ears, has only stumbled a couple of times with no big consequences.

Richter's article in not yet available on the internet.  It is titled "Clinton a diplomatic wild card" and was published on May, 18, 2009 by the Washington Bureau of the Chicago Tribune (which has been one of Obama's prime supporters).

What Did Jesus Say about the Rabbis' Predecessors? Part Three: Matthew 23

[The first two parts of this series discussed Why Jesus Appeared and the Sermon on the Mount. They may be read here and here.  This third part discusses Matthew 23.]

Jesus’ appreciation of the Pharisees as given in the Sermon on the Mount is confirmed in Matthew 23.   Matthew quotes Jesus as delivering a list of “woes to” directed at the Pharisees.  Woe, the equivalent of a curse, means a condition of deep suffering.  To wish woe on someone is extremely serious, especially in Jesus' time.  This delineation of woes gives a still more precise understanding of the gravity of Jesus’ rejection of the Pharisees' ideas and leadership.

Jesus' discourse was given some time after the Sermon on the Mount.  Pharisees were undoubtedly present.  One can imagine their reaction as Jesus speaks to them point blank.  First He gave some advice to the Israelites about the Pharisees’ hypocrisy.

“The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’s seat;  so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do;  for they preach, but do not practice.  They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders;  but they themselves will not move them with their finger.  They do all their deeds to be seen by men…”  (Matthew 23: 1-5)  

Then He addressed the Pharisees directly …

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men;  for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in.”  (Matthew 23:13-14)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”   (Matthew 23:15)

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’  You blind fools!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?”  (Matthew 23:16-17)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith…You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.”   (Matthew 23:23-24)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity.”  (Matthew 23:25)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.   So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”  (Matthew 23: 27-28)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!...you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.”  (Matthew 23:29-31)

“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”   (Matthew 23:33)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you!...Behold your house is forsaken and desolate.”  (Matthew 23:37-38)

Jesus did not mince words.  To review:  He said of the Pharisees that they prevented people from going to heaven (!), that they turned recruits into children of hell (!), that they valued wealth over sincerity (!), that they neglected law, justice, mercy, and faith (!), that they were full of extortion and rapacity (!), that they were full of uncleanness, hypocrisy, and iniquity (!), and that they murdered the prophets (!).  Finally He called them serpents, a brood of vipers.

It is important to remember that this is the Son of God who is speaking.  He has characterized the leaders of those chosen to be priests to the world.  For Jesus to declare such extreme curses, can only mean that God no longer has a use for this leadership.  Jesus' exhortation constitutes an utter repudiation of the Pharisees, of their laws, actions, and behavior. Obviously He does not consider them qualified to be His priests.

The Pharisee's forsaken and desolate attitude toward their God-given mission became codified in the Talmud that was developed after Jesus' earthly lifetime.  Indeed the basics of the Talmud already existed in the plethora of man-made Pharisee rules and 'laws', and Pharisees' interpretation of them.

Because Jesus’ message is love and compassion, it can be tempting to try to make excuses for the Pharisees, and to see them somewhat sympathetically as light-weights and of no consequence.  Jesus did not look upon them in this manner at anytime during His ministry. 

Jesus intransigence stems from His utter disappointment in these 'leaders' of God's chosen people.  God gave them a commission that they altogether transformed into its very opposite and thereby denied.  Thus when Jesus called them serpents, the reader should be fully cognizant of what Jesus means by serpents and by what they represent. His point of reference is the garden of eden and He meant that the Pharisees were of the devil.  His judgement is final and complete.

[Part four of this series will discuss the tyranny of the Pharisees.]

in Today's News 05.17.09

1.  American Secretary of State.  Has anyone noticed that Hillary Clinton is a terrible Secretary of State (from the point of view of the interests of cryptocracy)?  There were the frequent mis-steps initially, most notably her "reset" fiasco in Moscow. Now comes the disaster in Pakistan on which she took the lead.

Mrs. Clinton during her swing through Asia first sounded the alarm on the need for drastic and immediate action in Pakistan.  The United States evidently felt Pakistan was slipping away into the influence of the Taliban.  Great pressure was put on a reluctant Pakistan to turn loose the Pakistan army in the Swat Valley.  Pakistan complied.

What happened?  The American proposed Pakistani action created one of the largest refugee situations in modern history.  Over a million poor and desolate human beings have flowed out of Swat Valley to squalor in refugee camps.  This crisis now creates a difficulty for the Pakistan government that may well be beyond its resources.  And thereby the pressure to 'slip away' to the Taliban increases.

And so, the American precipitate action has qualitatively worsened an already worrisome situation, from the point of view of the cryptocracy.  Way to go, Mrs. Clinton!!!!

Will the media pay any attention to the human tragedy in Pakistan?  Not likely.  Will the media report the current situation as attributable to Mrs. Clinton's stewardship of American foreign policy?  Not likely.  The media has always given the Clintons a pass, and it won't change now.

And by the way, where is the Pope?  Here we have one million people driven from their homes and their method of making a living.  Most of these people's families have probably lived in the Swat Valley for generations.  Can the Pope manage to say something?  Can he perhaps call for prayers?  How about directing some Catholic relief efforts to Pakistan?  We will see.  Perhaps, the Pope is too busy fighting anti-semitism.

2.  Pakistan.  Question: How does the United States get out from responsibility for the one million strong refugee problem in Pakistan?  Answer: Easy.  First, declare that the number is only 200,000.  Then, say they are all Pashtuns who are the dominant ethnic group in the Taliban.  Then, point out that Taliban members are using the refugees to infiltrate into Karachi.  

See, no difficulty is too big for the prevaricators in the cryptocracy.  The only problem is, they can say this, and even believe it, and they can get the media and the American public to buy it.  But, the reality remains.  Which is there are over one million refugees outside Karachi and the needs of this group are far greater than Pakistan can provide.

in Today's News 05.16.09

1.  Pakistan.  (WSJ) "A two-week-old Pakistani army offensive against Taliban militias is triggering a massive exodus of refugees -- one of the largest such crises since the Indian subcontinent was divided in 1947.  Nearly a million people have abandoned the Swat Valley...according to United Nations officials."

This outrageous human suffering was made in the USA. Hillary Clinton, in her swing through this area of the world, was the first to demand that the Pakistan government begin the offensive now in progress.  The US government then put heavy pressure on the Pakistani to the same purpose.  One has the impression that Pakistani did not want to do it (undoubtedly fearing what has happened), but the Obama administration made it very clear that Pakistan must attack the Taliban or relations with the US were at stake.

And so now there is one of the worst crises in the history of the Indian sub-continent.  This mass of humanity is now being herded into refugee camps that consist of rows of small tents pitched in the blazing sun.  Listen to Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, "Many people are fleeing with nothing.  It will not be possible to meet their needs without massive and rapid help from the international community.  And if help doesn't come, it will be a humanitarian disaster." (!!!)

Will the Obama administration and Mrs. Clinton take responsibility for creating this catastrophe?  Don't count on it.  Will they take the lead in trying to alleviate the human suffering?  Don't count on it.  All that matters in Washington is that the Pakistan government did as they were told and the Taliban was attacked. 

2.  The New Government-Controlled Economy.  The closing of Chrysler and General Motors dealerships gives an indication of why the cryptocracy is now opting for a government-controlled economy. 

The big banks and their owners have been pressuring the auto makers (especially General Motors) for years to dramatically reduce spending.  Wages, health and retirement benefits, bloated dealerships, and inefficient corporate functioning were the targets.  The cryptocracy was driven to distraction over the zillions of dollars that were wasted (from the cryptocracy's viewpoint) on these silly expenditures.

General Motors and the others have made several runs at trying to meet the demands of the bank owners.  All of them pretty much failed.  Failed because of union intransigence, the incredible hide-bound bureaucratic complaceny, and the weight of past decades of glorious American auto-maker success.

It is now clear that the cryptocracy finally lost patience. They created the economic crisis so that emergency governmental action could be taken in regard to various sectors of the economy including to bust up General Motors and others like them. The bank owners obviously decided that the only way to accomplish their aims was to move to a government-directed economy where corporate entities would be under supervision and restraint. And where action would be taken immediately on the demands of the bank owners.

Mere mortals usually think that politics and the economy are evolving normally. The bank owners have a much different view. They believe that many, many changes urgently need to be made.  They are always on the prod to accomplish their secret agenda.  Their outlook is intense; they are always contemplating drastic action to ensure their control, their fortunes, and their investments, and their political agenda.  

Michael Hoffman on the Pope in Israel

Michael Hoffman has written another insightful document on Benedict's attempt to develop Shaoh Catholicism.  This document may be read here.

in Today's News 05.15.09

1.  The New Government-Controlled Economy.  (WSJ)  "The Treasury Department will make federal bailout funds available to a number of U.S. life insurers...The Treasury is prepared to inject up to $22 billion into the insurers ..."

The administration and the media no longer even bother to crisis-monger. They simply declare a crisis, pass out the lucre, and assert their dominion over the crisis-ee.

The auto, banking, and insurance sectors are now firmly under government supervision and restraint.  Or, in other words, the cryptocracy is making sure that the American economy is closely managed by its direct representatives.  It no longer is willing to take the risk that these companies or industry might make mistakes on their own now and then.

All this shows, of course, that the system doesn't work.  When the cryptocracy is unwilling to let things flow naturally and when they have to hold it together through government edict, you may conclude that the system is in a fundamental crisis, and not the one the media talks about.

One wonders when Obama will announce his five-year plan.

2.  Bank of America.  See previous item on BoA here.  (WSJ) "Bank of America has been pressured by federal officials to revamp its board by bringing in directors with more banking experience."

The cryptocracy really has a thing about BoA.  First was the campaign to get Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis which was only partially successful.  Now comes the next phase:  trying to force BoA to change the board of directors to include "more banking experience" (read: individuals who are committed to the cryptocracy's interests.)

What the cryptocracy has against BoA and Kenneth Lewis is so far being kept secret.  But, observing the machinations is an instructive example of how the cryptocracy goes about achieving its goals.

3. Pope in Holy Land and Israel.  News reports indicate that the Pope has spoken about on all aspects of the situation in the mideast: condemning the wall between Israel and Palestine, attempting to please muslims and jews, calling for an end to terrorism, and supporting a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine situation.

The one thing that he has not mentioned, and the failure renders all the other remarks meaningless, is the recently concluded blood-bath in Gaza by Israeli armed forces.  To anyone who examines what happened in Gaza it becomes clear that this aggression was one of the most egregious crimes of this century;  a crime where innocents were slaughtered, starved, and made homeless.

That the Pope of the Catholic Church cannot bring himself to condemn this outrage against some of the most down-trodden people in the world, tells a lot about the Pope's orientation.  Shoah Catholicism is alive and well.

in Today's News 05.14.09

The New Government-Controlled Economy.  (WSJ) "Federal regulators outlined plans to regulate the giant market of derivatives, a moved aimed at avoiding a repeat of the turmoil created last year by certain financial institutions whole risk-taking in exotic financial instruments went largely unchecked."  (Emphasis added.)

Here we have one of the keys to the crisis.  The Rothschild's and others like them seem to be agitated that financial entities not under their exclusive control were able to influence the market.  They are now making sure that doesn't happen again.  In tune with the theme of the measures taken by the Obama regime, the government is now setting up regulations that will enable the cryptocracy to control financial groups that may affect the market adversely.  The thrust of the new regulations is to make sure that the ruling financial families do not have to endure risk to their fortunes and investments.  

But, there is a little bit of camouflage going on here.  The economic crisis was brought about by banks under the control of the cryptocracy making huge numbers of mortgages that they knew perfectly well would never be repaid.  The big banks then sold these mortgages to 'certain financial institutions whose risk-taking...went largely unchecked.'  These institutions were caught off guard and brought to their knees when the big banks tightened credit to precipitate the economic crisis. 

So, to some extent what is happening with these new proposed regulations is a blaming of some of the victims (albeit some pretty big and influential ones) for the problem.  

Nonetheless the cryptocracy has spotted a weakness in their control mechanism that has to be corrected:  bring under supervision and restraint 'certain financial institutions' that could potentially affect the market negatively.

  

In Today's News 05.13.09

1.  The new government-controlled economy.  (WSJ) "The Obama administration has begun serious talks about how it can change compensation practices across the financial-services industry, including at companies that did not receive federal bailout money...Administration and regulatory officials are looking at various options, including using the Federal Reserve's supervisory powers..."

Such intervention would have been inconceivable just a year ago.  It shows how far the Obama regime has instituted a government-controlled economy.  Think about it:  we now have the federal government dictating to the central economic units of the American system how and what those units will pay their key employees. Unbelievable.

The main point here is not about executive pay.  No matter what measures may be put in place, the cryptocracy will ensure that its key employees receive a good share of the loot.  That's one reason they have lawyers -- to find the loopholes.

The main point is the cryptocracy wants to have absolute control of the banking (and other) sectors so that financial risk is minimized.  As Barney Frank, House Financial Services Committee Chairman, put it (as paraphrased by the WSJ) the committee "...is working on legislation that could strengthen the government's ability both to monitor compensation and to curb incentives that threaten a company's viability or pose a systemic risk to the economy."  (Emphasis added.)

It should also be noted that one of the projected control mechanisms is the Federal Reserve, a privately owned entity that just happens to operate in the interests of the world's richest families.  Empowering the Fed is this manner is part of a pattern in this economic crisis to put more and more governing power directly in the hands of the cryptocracy's ruling families.

2.  Pope in Israel.  There is a dog-product commercial on the tube these days about how dogs always want more, more, more.  But Benedict's visit to Israel illustrates another group who always, without fail, wants more.

Here we have the one of most pro-Judaic Popes in the history of the Church.  He and John Paul II are the prime developers of Shoah Catholicism which holds the holocaust to be more important to humanity than the crucifixion.  Benedict's papacy has seen all kinds of friendly gestures to the Judaic interests.  And now he makes a trip to the holy land and Israel.  He makes his de rigueur obeisance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.  He makes a speech against anti-semitism and in memory of the holocaust victims.

And what happens?  The director and board chairman of Yad Vashem and the parliament speaker issued public rebukes of the Pope.  They criticized the Pope's address because of "failing to specify the number of Jews that perished in the Holocaust, not singling out the Germans or Nazis as the culpable party, and failing to issue an explicit apology." (Quotation is the WSJ wordage in their article.)  The Pope was also accused of being a member of the Hitler Youth Corps. 

The Pope will evidently never learn this lesson, but one can never expect charity, forgiveness, or gratitude from those educated and trained in the Talmud.  The Talmud-inspired standard operating procedure is vengeance, getting the upper hand, and more, more, more.  In the case of the Church, it seems they will not be satisfied until the Church does exactly as they say. 

Religious Dialogue

The Maurice Pinay blog site has a video of the conference where Sheikh Taysir al-Tamini made his now famous anti-Israel remarks in the presence of the Pope.  The video may be viewed here.

In Today's News 05.12.09

1.  "U.S. Fires Afghan War Chief" (Wall Street Journal).  The US is sending in a new strategic commander and a day-to-day commander.  This will be the first time the US will have two senior commanders in Kabul.

Here's the official spin on this development, WSJ version, "The Pentagon ousted its top general in Afghanistan and appointed a new leadership team, in an attempt to jump-start a new war strategy that relies more on counterinsurgency tactics and less on conventional warfare."

The reality is different.  The situation in Afghanistan (and Pakistan) has deteriorated dramatically in recent weeks.  Support for the regime (and the USA) has weakened to alarming proportions, and support for the armed resistance has grown to a measure that surprised American planners.  The US now faces a situation that is roughly the same as that faced by Russia before its debacle in Afghanistan.

There is no "jump-starting" going on.  The US is rather in a panic mode to prevent a bad situation from becoming disastrous.  There doesn't seem to be any real American perspective on how to win in the long run.

Obama has forgotten about withdrawing troops as he promised in his election campaign. Now the plan is to send in 21,000 reinforcements in the next month.

The US situation is not bright, but failure is not permissible because the Israelis want very much to keep Islamic militants under US attack.

2.  Pope in Israel.  As the author of the Maurice Pinay blog says, "Let history record that while Gaza was still smoldering, Benedict XVI warmly embraced the Israelis aiding them in their hasbara campaign calculated to make the world forget their horrible crimes."

What Did Jesus Say about the Rabbis' Predecessors? Part Two: The Sermon on the Mount

[The first part of this series dealt with the question of why Jesus appeared when He did and where He did.   It may be viewed here.  This second part discusses Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:3-7:29)]

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus presented a clear and succinct picture of the character of a God-fearing person. The description has been a guide to Christians ever since, but what is not often considered by commentators is what He said by implication about the Pharisees, who undoubtedly were present and listening to him.  The commentary in this chapter emphasizes what Jesus said in the Sermon about the Pharisees and the mission of the Israelites. 

The contrast in the sermon between Jesus’ picture of sanctity and the Pharisees’ beliefs was palpable and direct.  Jesus seemed to make his points in just such a way as to heighten the contrast.  One can imagine the Pharisees becoming more and more uncomfortable, even outraged, as the sermon progressed.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”.  Jesus was looking at two groups of people --those who would be priests to the world and those who are proselytized.   In both cases a quality that is needed is the desire for spiritual growth, a drive for union with God.  To be poor in spirit is to be His follower and to be a lover of God.  He made this point to the multitude to show them how they ought to act toward others if they are to be priests to the world.  Those present undoubtedly knew exactly who did not have this quality --  those who knew they were very rich in spirit and always made sure everyone saw their fine spiritual state; those who were full of themselves, full of pride in their spiritual achievements, and full of self-importance – in other words, the Pharisees.

“Blessed are those who mourn”.  Those who aspire to lead the world to God ought to be like Him especially in the qualities of compassion and acting from the heart.   A test of these qualities is death itself because genuine mourners for the dead do have emotions and compassion for the departed, just as Jesus did at Lazarus’ tomb.  Jesus here makes a pointed, implied criticism of the Pharisees who were so ritualistic in matters of death that they had no room for acting from the heart. 

“Blessed are the meek”.  When one contemplates the incomprehensible – that is, who God must be – the experience engenders a basic humility.  One stands meekly in awe of the Almighty and His Son.  Those who hunger for God will of necessity have this meekness.  Jesus made the point to show that the Israelites must have this character if they expect to be God’s people and his priests.  Indirectly, Jesus condemned the prideful, arrogant, and aggressive Pharisees who by mocking meekness display their disregard for God.  No one could miss the point. 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”.   A qualitative difference exists between righteousness and self-righteousness.  No hunger or thirst is involved in the later which was a Pharisee speciality.  The Pharisees were smug and self-satisfied in their knowledge of the law and substituted their own self-importance for righteousness.  In contrast Jesus pointed to God’s admiration for those who humbly seek Him out and who love God with all their heart and soul.  Jesus was entirely contemptuous of those whose love of God was confined to ritual. 

“Blessed are the merciful”.  The Pharisees structured society around fulfillment of the law.  The Pharisees’ judgment of people was an evaluation of whether one had fulfilled the law, most of which were man-made and worthy of Jesus’ condemnation.  Mercy and compassion had little to do with this system.  You either observed the law or not.  Jesus is denounced this way of life.  He wanted his followers, the priests to all mankind, to be merciful from the heart to others .  At another time he said to the Pharisees, “Learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’”.  (Matthew 10:13). 

“Blessed are the pure in heart”.  When Jesus first encountered the apostle Nathaniel, He said (John 1:47), “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.”  Jesus seemed to state this as a surprise, as if to say, ‘what a unique thing, a Israelite without guile.’  Such is the legacy of the Pharisees’ mis-education of their followers.   The Pharisees' exclusiveness and attitude of superiority had led them to become manipulative with an ‘agenda’ toward others, often with the aim of maintaining a separation from the 'unclean'.   Jesus made the point in this beatitude that spiritual leaders must be pure of heart, utterly without guile, if they want to fulfill God’s wishes. 

“Blessed are the peacemakers”.  When resurrected Jesus appeared after the crucifixion he stated at one point, “Peace be with you.”  (Luke 24:33)  God created man to be peaceful and peaceable.  Jesus desires humanity to make its way back to this state.  He expects His human leaders to be men of peace because they cannot lead others to peace by being otherwise.  The implication is that the Pharisees  lacked a peaceful nature.  They engendered into the populace the constant anxiety of figuring out if one had fulfilled the law.   The Pharisees were hardly peaceful with their practice of running around telling people that they lacked holiness if they failed to uphold some rule that the Pharisees had made up.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…,”and “blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my [Jesus’] account”.  Jesus, of course, knew what was to transpire at the hands of the Pharisees and those they influenced – his own crucifixion and the persecution of His followers.  He taught that a believer in God must be prepared to face such persecution to bring about God’s kingdom.  In blessing those who are prosecuted He was preparing them for their purpose and also warning the Pharisees that their intent to kill and disrupt his followers was known, and thereby exposed. 

Fulfillment of the Law

Continuing his exhortation, Jesus goes on to explain, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets;  I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.”  (Matthew 5:17)  This statement was an answer to the Pharisees’ criticism that Jesus did not obey the laws, that He wanted to do away with them.  Jesus made clear that He not only is for the laws, He is for what is behind them: compassion and action motivated from the heart, in a word, righteousness.   He made sure the fundamental nature of this point was understood by saying to the multitude, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:20)

Jesus elaborated by illustrating how the law is fulfilled from the heart.  He recited the commandment thou shall not kill, but explained that what is in the heart is what calls for judgment.  He pointed to anger in the heart as an example.  Similarly He noted that prohibition of adultery is in the law, but He cautioned that lust in the heart is evil.  He made contrasts in other examples between what it means to formally observe the Pharisee traditions and to observe them from the heart.  His examples include the formality of divorce and the reality of separating what God had united, swearing falsely and speaking honestly, and the Pharisee penchant for revenge and the love that is in one's heart, including love of one's enemy.  

Jesus then turned to an outright attack on the Pharisees, repeatedly calling them hypocrites.  He said that their piety, praying, and fasting were for others to notice.  He accused them of collecting treasures, warning them that they cannot serve both God and mammon.  He said that they are full of darkness and therefore anxious about life, food, drink and clothes. Jesus reminded them that one should rely only on God.  “But first seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours.”  (Matthew 6:33)

He went on to denounce the Pharisees for presuming to judge others when they have so many faults of their own, citing the well-known analogy of having a log in their eye when they try to take a splinter out of someone else’s.  Instead of judging others He called on the Pharisees to observe the golden rule.  

He finished his oration by telling his listeners to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”  (Matthew 7:15)  Can there be any doubt what group He meant by 'false prophets'?  To call them 'ravenous wolves' was the talk of all-out war.  He told his followers to enter the kingdom of heaven by the narrow gate, implying that Pharisees’ lack of a genuine piety will not bring them to heaven. 

In summary:  Jesus' sermon on the mount illustrated that Jesus had drawn a line for all eternity between the kingdom of God and the Pharisees' outlook on life.  The sermon backed up His whole orientation to expose the Pharisees' evilness and hypocrisy to the masses of the Israelites, to demonstrate by words and example how God’s people should conduct their lives.  He underlined repeatedly that no similarity existed between the Pharisees' teaching and what God wants.  He said the Pharisees are pompous, prideful, anxious for recognition, hypocritical, ritualistic, evil-doers, lustful, full of darkness, ravenous and covetous of wealth.  His condemnation could not have been more thorough.

[The next part of this series will examine what Jesus says about the Pharisees in Matthew 23.] 

in Today's News 05.11.09

Today's Wall Street Journal has a front page article on the Chrysler situation, "U.S. Forced Chrysler's Creditors to Blink."  This piece gives a detailed account of how the government-controlled economy works, and therefore shows where the cryptocracy is heading.  Unfortunately the article is only available on the internet to WSJ subscribers.

In Today's News 05.09.09

Today's Wall Street Journal prominently features a long article on the May 18 meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This article signals a slight change in the cryptocracy's focus.  Iran, once again, comes to prominence.

Now that the United States and Israel national elections have installed new regimes, and now that the economic crisis has accomplished many of the cryptocracy's goals, the time has come to emphasize again the need to humble Iran.

The world's population hates war.  Not so the cryptocracy.  The cryptocracy has a definite agenda for world domination.  Such a goal of necessity entails war, and lots of them, to subdue obstacles and potential obstacles.  The cryptocracy is thus continually faced with how to maneuver humankind into supporting something they viscerally hate -- war. 

There is no fundamental difference between the governments serving the cryptocracy on the need to make sure Iran has no power in the middle east and in the world.  The differences are over how to go about convincing the public.   This is purpose of the WSJ article -- to begin a discussion on these differences.

It might seem strange that a teeny-tiny country like Israel can receive such great attention from the world's most powerful country and its media.  But, the truth is that the cryptocracy's favorite country is Israel.  The cryptocracy will undertake any and all measures to ensure that Israel is not threatened.

And so, be prepared for the 'public' discussion on how to get Iran that will occur over the next period of time.  The thing to watch is whether Israel will lose patience and take unilateral action, as they have often done in the past.

There is one fly in the ointment for Israel's intention to have the United States carry the campaign against Iran.  The deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan will make the United States much less willing to take on any new military initiative.

In Today's News 05.08.09

1.  If anyone doubts that the current economic crisis has brought about a fundamental change in America to a government-directed economy, read the following from the Associated Press today:

"Regulators must not only sharpen their assessments of individual banks, but also examine the financial system as a whole to detect risks that could endanger the normal flow of credit, market operations and commerce -- critical elements to the smooth functioning of the U.S. economy, Bernanke said.

See previous item on the current economic crisis here.

2.  "(AP) The World Health Organization added a scary-sounding warning Thursday, predicting up to 2 billion people could catch the new flu if the outbreak turns into a global epidemic."

These people are a joke, a complete joke.  Why stop at 2 billion?  It's possible the new flu could morph into a bug that kills the entire world population.  

See previous items on swine flu here and here and here.