Will God Curse Our Countries for Christmas?
"You don't celebrate Christmas?" Well, not any more.
1 Peter 4:3-5
For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
I realize that those who are still drunk on the wine of the Babylonian Mystery religion (incorporated into the Roman Catholic Cult as brought out in The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop) don't appreciate or comprehend those who are now SOBER and happy to be free from idolatrous traditions for the plain truth of the Bible and history.
The Sabbath-keeping Church of God rejoices in the knowledge and glorious plan of salvation for all mankind that the biblical festivals, the holy days that our Great Creator God has ordained portray - no longer falling for the hollow days of pagan Rome, pimped by Roman wolves in sheep's clothing, false father figures.
The Sabbath-keeping Church of God celebrate that soon everybody will join us in celebrating God's holy days, the "Jewish holidays" in spirit and in truth, and will trash their former tinsel traditions. We are pioneers of the Wonderful World Tomorrow!
Jeremiah 16:19
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things."
It is sad when folks continue to fall for all the RELIGIOUS BULL Rome has dumped on the world and pretend they're worshipping Christ who hates such PAGAN ABOMINATIONS. Why remain in denial?
God is truth and despises such religious lies as Christmas and Easter. They're PAGAN to the core and God's People avoid them like the plague, happy with the biblical festivals God has given us to celebrate.
Yeshua, the King of the Jews, the King of Israel, will return and reign supreme from Jerusalem and teach the Torah, slaughtering the papal bull by the sword of the truth.
Isaiah 2:2-3
2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the [Temple] mountain of the LORD’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.
”For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem [not Rome].
Yeshua will establish the law of God as the law of the land, the law of all the Earth! That holy law reveals the seven biblical festivals of the LORD that Yeshua will faithfully teach and command all nations to observe or else - not just the Jewish people and British-Israelites.
Yes, too many people have inherited religious lies, and have passed down traditional error from generation to generation; worthless celebrations that God hates and rejects as unclean and polluted.
It bears repeating, since our proud and stubborn peoples have thick skulls that need the truth knocked into them, driving home this biblical message: Christmas and Easter are PAGAN -- those who say otherwise are liars, dishonest with themselves and others, worshipping God in vain (Titus 1:16, 1 John 2:4).
I believe many PROFESSING Christians are actually familiar with the Scriptures that condemn futile attempts to modify pagan holidays and tailor heathen customs to serve the true God (Deut. 12:30-32, Jer. 10:2-3), but they conveniently ignore them or reject them by woeful neglect when such Scriptures step on their traditional toes and make them uncomfortable, demanding change (isn't that what true conversion is all about?), requiring them to learn to love God's truth more than their TRADITIONS (Mark 7:7).
Abominable Christians, those who have the perverted religious preference of tradition over truth, are just like every other sinner unwilling to confess and forsake their sins and seek to whitewash or justify them.
The difference is such professing Christians often pretend to be better or more righteous than those physical idolaters and immoral folks (who also refuse to repent) while they engage in spiritual idolatry (putting tradition over truth) and spiritual immorality (whoring around with other gods and foreign ways) bringing divine judgment upon our nations.
May the servants of God, who know and believe the Bible and its principles and prophecies about blessings for national obedience and curses for national disobedience (Dan. 9:11), plea for diehard Catholics and Protestants to REPENT!
May we take the Word of God seriously and turn from the pagan holidays that God hates so much He let ancient Israel and Judah suffer destruction, defeat and deportation for such "harmless" celebrations and blind observations.
Will we insist on losing our national sovereignty too, brought to our knees to learn to see things God's way or will we repent and spare ourselves, our family and friends, from suffering the dreadful Time of Jacob's Trouble, the Great Tribulation?
1 Corinthians 10:19-21
19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. [No mixing and matching of pagan error with biblical truth]
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? [No diluting, adulterating and polluting of God's truth with pagan blends]Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."
17 Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord. [Don't stay stuck in the rut of tradition, but let the plain truth set you free!]
Do not touch what is unclean,
And [then] I will receive you.
18 [on these conditions] I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty."
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Jews must never cede an inch of Israel!
“No Jew is at liberty to surrender the right of the Jewish Nation and the Land of Israel to exist. No Jewish body is sanctioned to do so. No Jew alive today has the authority to yield any piece of land whatsoever. This right is preserved by the Jewish people throughout the generations and cannot be forfeited under any circumstance. Even if at some given time there will be those who declare that they are relinquishing this right, they have neither the power nor the jurisdiction to negate it for future generations to come. The Jewish Nation is neither obligated by nor responsible for any waiver such as this. Our right to this land in its entirety, is steadfast, inalienable and eternal. And until the coming of the Great Redemption, we shall never yield this historic right.”
DAVID BEN-GURION
Koran submits it's the Promised Land of Israel!
Khaleel Mohammed states in an interview in FrontPage Magazine:
So the simple fact is then, from a faith-based point of view: If God has “written” Israel for the people of Moses, who can change this?
The Qur’an refers to the exiles, but leaves it open for return…saying to the Jews that if they keep their promise to God, then God will keep the divine promise to them. WE may argue that the present state of Israel was not created in the most peaceful means, and that many were displaced–for me, this is not the issue. The issue is that when the Muslims entered that land in the seventh century, they were well aware of its rightful owners, and when they failed to act according to divine mandate (at least as perceived by followers of all Abrahamic faiths), they aided and abetted in a crime. And the present situation shows the fruits of that action–wherein innocent Palestinians and Israelis are being killed on a daily basis.
I also draw your attention to the fact that the medieval exegetes of Qur’an–without any exception known to me–recognized Israel as belonging to the Jews, their birthright given to them. Indeed, two of Islam’s most famous exegetes explained “written” from Quran 5:21 thus:
Ibn Kathir (d. 774/1373) said: “That which God has written for you” i.e. That which God has promised to you by the words of your father Israel that it is the inheritance of those among you who believe” . Muhammad al-Shawkani (d. 1250/1834) interprets Kataba to mean “that which God has allotted and predestined for you in His primordial knowledge, deeming it as a place of residence for you” (1992, 2:41).
Open Europe press summary: 3 December 2009
Europe
UK Government accused of caving in over proposals for single European financial regulator
EU finance ministers yesterday agreed to proposals for three new EU authorities with binding powers over national regulators to supervise the bloc's financial markets, amid growing fears that the new EU regulators will move key powers away from national supervisors and impinge on national fiscal sovereignty.
Several papers report that the UK Government gave in on some of the most controversial aspects of the proposal, including reversing the 'burden of proof' to justify actions in inevitable disputes over national sovereignty. Despite British objections, finance ministers agreed that in the event of a challenge over a decision made by the EU authorities, the complaining country must first get the support of a majority of Europe's 27 governments in order to block the EU's ruling, the Telegraph reports. The paper quotes an EU official saying, "The real concession is that burden of proof will rest with Britain, or the complainant country. It has to get a majority against the supervisor. It will not be a question of the supervisor having to get a majority to support it in a dispute with a national government. This tips the balance."
Qualified majority voting or simple majority voting will also apply along the decision-making chain, except following an appeal in cases where an 'emergency' has been called. However, this mechanism is only invoked when a crisis has been declared, meaning that in normal circumstances the European regulator can overrule national regulators. The existence of an emergency or a crisis will be decided by EU ministers through simple majority.
The Mail and This is Money quote Open Europe's Mats Persson saying, "The UK has lost out badly in the negotiations. The key thing is the UK can be outvoted at any time." Mark Hoban, the Conservatives' Shadow Treasury Minister is quoted in the Telegraph saying "Does the Government have a veto over any decisions made by the ESA [the new EU authorities] in an emergency that have a fiscal impact on Britain, or do they have to make an appeal against these decisions? This is another example of the Government failing to stick to its red lines." A lawyer at CMS Cameron McKenna is quoted in the FT saying, "We should not agree to more Europe until there is a fundamental change in the way regulatory policy is made and deployed in the EU."
Alistair Darling insisted that he had secured "safeguards" ensuring that Britain would be able to appeal measures that it regarded as "impinging on the fiscal responsibilities of member states." The French press quotes French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde saying, "It's been a laborious process, but I think that today Europe has made real progress in banking and finance matters... We are in the process of creating a real European supervisor." The proposal will now be considered by the European Parliament, which has to agree before the proposal can become law. Criticising yesterday's decision, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe leader Guy Verhofstadt MEP accused the Council of "trying to impose its own views and its own agenda" and said the proposal didn't go far enough, according to Euractiv.
Meanwhile, the 'war on words' between France and the City of London continues, following Sarkozy's comments last week that the British were "the big losers" in the new European Commission given the appointment of Michel Barnier as Internal Market Commissioner. Angela Knight, the Chief Executive of the British Bankers Association said yesterday that "Monsieur Sarkozy must surely recognise that he has undermined the EU with his statements and put a question mark over the impartiality of his nominated commissioner that will not be easily dispelled." An article in Le Figaro notes that Sarkozy's comments may have undermined Barnier's position, by casting doubt on the impartiality of his appointment. The Mail reports that Nicolas Sarkozy has cancelled a meeting with Gordon Brown, originally planned for tomorrow, while the FT says the meeting will go ahead.
Le Figaro Independent: O'Grady Independent International Herald Tribune Mail 2 Times Mail: Leader Mail: Oborne Guardian: Elliott Times: Letters Conservative Home: Lea Times: Fraser Economist: Charlemagne's notebook Euobserver BBC EurActiv European Voice Telegraph Telegraph-Warner Telegraph-Reece This is Money Europaportalen FT FT2 Guardian
EU social laws will cost £71 billion over next decade
The Mail reports on Open Europe's recent briefing which showed that EU social laws, including health and safety rules, will cost the UK economy £71 billion over the next ten years, even in the unlikely scenario that the EU will not introduce any extra social legislation over that time period. The cost comes on top of the estimated £37 billion cost of European social legislation over the previous ten years - representing 25% of the total cost of regulation in the UK over that time period.
The article notes that earlier this week Conservative leader David Cameron pledged to cure the 'national neurosis' caused by Labour's expansion of health and safety rules, and quotes Open Europe saying, "David Cameron is absolutely right to push for a more common sense approach to social and health and safety laws. However, any meaningful effort to tackle overly prescriptive rules must focus overwhelmingly at the EU level for the simple reason that a clear majority of our laws in this area now stem from Brussels, and without any change the cost of these laws will continue to go up. In addition to renegotiating existing EU rules which are deemed unnecessary, a Conservative government must also commit to stemming the steady flow of new regulations coming from Brussels every year which impose unnecessary burdens on frontline public sector workers and businesses."
Mail Open Europe research
EU outlines police exchange scheme to create "common culture" of policing
The BBC reports that the EU is planning "student-style exchanges" for European police and judges as part of its new five year justice and home affairs blueprint, known as the Stockholm Programme. EU leaders are expected to approve the Stockholm Programme at a summit in Brussels next week. The funding arrangements and other details are yet to be worked out.
In its policy brief on the Stockholm Programme, the European Commission said that the EU should aim "to train one third of European police officers and border guards in European affairs over the next five years." Meanwhile, an informal group of home affairs ministers, the so-called Future Group, whose recommendations laid the foundations for the Stockholm Programme, said the EU should create a "common culture" of policing.
BBC Open Europe press release Open Europe research
Ashton: EU Foreign Minister role is "brand new...I inherited a blank piece of paper";
Lord Mandelson reveals that he would have liked to be EU Foreign Minister
The EU's newly appointed Foreign Minister, Baroness Catherine Ashton, appeared before the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday for a question and answer session, before her official confirmation hearing in January. EUobserver reports that Lady Ashton often avoided giving any clear answers on foreign policy issues like the post-war situation in Georgia or the recognition of the newly elected president in Honduras. German Liberal MEP Alexander Graf Lambsdorff commented: "I do have to say we want more specific answers when you come back to us".
Lady Ashton said in her closing remarks: "This is brand new. I do not have an office, I do not have a Cabinet, I do not have a team. I inherited a blank piece of paper and at the moment I have written one or two small things on it." This is despite saying in the House of Lords, when she was responsible for guiding Lisbon through the House, that, "The proposal is that we have a high representative who becomes the vice-president of the Commission with very specific functions. That is a defined role within the treaty which is vested in one person."
Ashton added: "My office base will be in the Commission building. For two simple reasons: I know where the coffee is, and I know how that building functions, so I don't have to think about the logistics of that."
The Irish Times quotes her saying: "I won't pretend that I've got considered detailed views on everything because it was only last Thursday I discovered I was going to be doing this job and it's a day and a half in."
EurActiv reports that, when asked to comment by Lithuanian MEP Vytautas Landsbergis on the Nord Stream gas pipeline projected, Ashton left the impression that she was unaware of the fact that the pipeline was considered a pan-European project under the EU's 'Trans-European Networks' energy guidelines. Her performance caused an MEP from the Socialist grouping, Hannes Swoboda, to intervene and set the record straight.
A leader in Sueddeutsche Zeitung argues: "Ashton is still too weak to bolster EU foreign policy and to protect the EU external action service from going in the wrong direction."
Meanwhile, speaking to the BBC Today programme, Lord Mandelson revealed that he did want to become the EU's first Foreign Minister: "in other circumstances I would have liked to have done that job". He added that "it combines my interests in Europe and foreign affairs". He denied that President Sarkozy had blocked him from the job, adding: "Nobody blocked me, I'm afraid we didn't get to that happy stage."
EUobserver EurActiv International Herald Tribune Telegraph Guardian EP press release Irish Times FT Mail Times BBC Guardian Today programme OE blog
Javier Solana: EU External Action Service will have military as well as civilian personnel
In an interview with Le Monde, outgoing High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Javier Solana, defends the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton. Asked whether the new EU External Action Service, which he has previously described as "the world's biggest diplomatic service", will be complicated by rivalries between the Commission, the Parliament and the member states, Solana replies: "The service will be a new institution situated between the Commission and the Council. It will be made up of civil and military personnel." Asked about the priorities of the service, he says it will be interested first and foremost in neighbouring regions, in the Mediterranean, the East and Russia. However he adds: "It must also have in mind global action. We are not only an economic or trade organisation. I want, I hope, to put forward a political will to play a role in international affairs."
Asked if there is a growing gap between Europe and America over Afghanistan, Solana says: "I don't think that one can talk of a big gap with the United Sates: there are 30,000 Europeans deployed over there under the NATO umbrella. It is unfair to say that Europe's involvement is too modest."
Le Monde
Barnier pledges to interfere in EU Agriculture Commissioner's job
Euractiv reports that French Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier has said he will keep a close watch on the work of his colleagues in the European Commission, citing in particular the new Agriculture Commissioner, Romania's Dacian Cioloş. Barnier said: "He will be independent but I will give him my opinion," insisting on the need to "preserve farm regulations because feeding people is not a service like any other". The appointment of Dacian Cioloş, a Romanian who has claimed France is his "adoptive country," is seen as a victory for Paris, which supported his nomination.
Euractiv
French PM tries to designate 2 MPs to become 'ghost' MEPs
On his blog, Jean Quatremer reports that French Prime Minister François Fillon has asked the leader of the National Assembly to choose one MP from the ruling UMP party and one from the opposition Socialists to become MEPs, given that the Lisbon Treaty increases the number of French MEPs from 72 to 74. Quatremer notes that "the public authorities 'forgot' to alert voters" to the fact that under Lisbon they would get two extra MEPs when they went to the polls for the European Parliament elections in June. He says that, unlike the majority of other countries, France did not work out a method for determining which French regions would benefit from the extra 2 MEPs, hence the decision to pluck two deputies from the National Assembly.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Deputy Leader of the Green group in the European Parliament, has attacked the decision as a "stitch-up" between the UMP and the Socialist Party, while British Lib Dem MEP Andrew Duff has said that the move is against the 1976 rules on the election of MEPs, which rule out designating MEPs from national parliaments. EurActiv reports that French Green MEP Sandrine Bélier criticised the plan saying, "It is a democratic aberration...How will these new MEPs be chosen? For their merit or because they are useless at the National Assembly?"
The Coulisses de Bruxelles blog notes that, because Germany stands to lose 3 MEPs under the Lisbon arrangements, and since it is difficult to 'deselect' MEPs that have already been elected, Germany will keep all its MEPs until June 2014, meaning the total number of MEPs will be 754 instead of the 751 envisaged by the Lisbon Treaty. Quatremer notes that, just to complicate things further, the decision to have more MEPs than envisaged by Lisbon requires a change to treaties and therefore must be ratified by all 27 member state parliaments. In December, EU leaders decided to add an ad hoc annex to the next accession Treaty, which will say that the new MPs cannot sit until 2012. In the meantime, the 'ghost' MEPs will have 'observer' status but will not be able to vote.
Meanwhile, EurActiv reports that the additional 'ghost' MEP for the UK has still not been decided, but sources indicate that the extra seat will go to the West Midlands region, meaning Conservative candidate Anthea McIntyre would be appointed. However, EP sources indicated yesterday that a row could still break out, because Scotland and London are seeking an exception to the existing rules so that their region would receive the new MEP.
Coulisses de Bruxelles EurActiv
Conservatives see donations surge from the City as concern grows over EU financial regulation
The FT reports that the Conservatives claim that the party has received a boost in donations following the Government's poor response to the slew of proposals for more regulation and supervision coming out of Brussels, which has been reinforced by the poor handling of the European Commission appointments. "There may have been from time to time issues [of Conservative policy] that some people felt uncomfortable about ... but the City is so appalled by the government now that they just want these people out," said Richard Spring, a Conservative MP, according to the FT.
FT
New report: EU's biofuels policy "borders on economic madness"
PA reports that a new report from the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) has found that the EU is subsidising the biofuels industry to the tune of €4bn. The report's author Fredrik Erixon said, "Europe's biofuels policy borders to economic madness. It is costly and protectionist. It is designed to support European farmers rather than to shift Europe's energy consumption away from fossil fuels".
ECIPE report Open Europe research
Tim Montgomerie: Cameron's rating fell after he announced his new Europe policy
A survey of UK voters for Politics Home shows that David Cameron's approval rating fell from +36 on 18 September to +21 on 27 November. On Conservative Home, Tim Montgomerie notes that the fall in Cameron's rating coincided with his announcement that a Conservative government would not hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Conservative Home: Montgomerie Politics Home
Swedish unions ordered to pay damages after blockade against foreign EU workers
Swedish unions have been ordered to pay around €55,000 in damages to Latvian construction company Laval, a Swedish court has ruled, following a decision two years ago by the ECJ that the Swedish unions were breaking EU law when they engaged in a blockade against the Latvian firm which was refurbishing a school outside Stockholm, Sweden. The Swedish unions claimed that Laval undercut local wages, but the ECJ ruled that the unions' demands were arbitrary and the strike therefore illegal.
Europaportalen Open Europe research
Nato foreign ministers are meeting today in Brussels to discuss Afghanistan, amid calls for Nato allies to pledge more than 5,000 additional troops, following President Obama's commitment for 30,000 more troops next year. Several members, including France and Germany, are thought to be reluctant to do so.
EUobserver BBC Sun
The FT Deutschland has a leader with the title "Punish Greece!" arguing that "Greek governments have disregarded the EU stability pact for years and thereby endanger Monetary Union. Because of that, harder punishments are now needed."
FTD: Leader FT WSJ
In an interview with LabourList former Europe Minister Caroline Flint comments: "One thing I became really aware of when I became Europe minister is that we have had a constant change of ministers in that role; what are we up to now, 12, 13? We've had two even since I resigned. I don't think that constant change is helpful."
Labour List
After a 'conciliation' agreement between the European Council and the European Parliament, the total 2010 EU budget has been set at €141.453 billion in commitments and €122.937 billion in payments.
EP press release
European Voice reports that MEPs are split along party lines over the EU's Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive, with the Socialists and Greens pushing for tougher amendments and the Liberal and European Conservatives and Reformists groups saying they want to scale back some of the proposals in the report prepared by the EPs rapporteur Jean-Paul Gauzès.
European Voice Open Europe research
FT Deutschland reports that both Italy and France have expressed reservations about the reappointment of Luxembourg's PM Jean-Claude Juncker as Head of the Eurogroup.
Eurointelligence
EU import duties for shoes from Vietnam and China will remain in place despite fierce protest from Lord Mandelson and British shoe retailers. The tariffs usually add an extra £1.60 to the cost of an imported pair of shoes, with annual duties costing UK retailers £330m.
Independent Times
Euractiv notes that a report from the World Health Organisation has said that the Lisbon Treaty furthers the scope for EU action in health policy, for example by introducing legally-binding legislation where it identifies safety concerns in public health.
Euractiv
EurActiv reports that business groups have 'slammed' national parliaments for their failure to fully implement the EU's Small Business Act. They argued that the EU institutions must put more pressure on member states to comply.
EurActiv
The IHT reports that yesterday the French government won €700 million of EU support for farmers suffering from sharp price drops during the economic downturn. Farmers will be able to claim up to €15,000 each.
No link
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
UK Government accused of caving in over proposals for single European financial regulator
EU finance ministers yesterday agreed to proposals for three new EU authorities with binding powers over national regulators to supervise the bloc's financial markets, amid growing fears that the new EU regulators will move key powers away from national supervisors and impinge on national fiscal sovereignty.
Several papers report that the UK Government gave in on some of the most controversial aspects of the proposal, including reversing the 'burden of proof' to justify actions in inevitable disputes over national sovereignty. Despite British objections, finance ministers agreed that in the event of a challenge over a decision made by the EU authorities, the complaining country must first get the support of a majority of Europe's 27 governments in order to block the EU's ruling, the Telegraph reports. The paper quotes an EU official saying, "The real concession is that burden of proof will rest with Britain, or the complainant country. It has to get a majority against the supervisor. It will not be a question of the supervisor having to get a majority to support it in a dispute with a national government. This tips the balance."
Qualified majority voting or simple majority voting will also apply along the decision-making chain, except following an appeal in cases where an 'emergency' has been called. However, this mechanism is only invoked when a crisis has been declared, meaning that in normal circumstances the European regulator can overrule national regulators. The existence of an emergency or a crisis will be decided by EU ministers through simple majority.
The Mail and This is Money quote Open Europe's Mats Persson saying, "The UK has lost out badly in the negotiations. The key thing is the UK can be outvoted at any time." Mark Hoban, the Conservatives' Shadow Treasury Minister is quoted in the Telegraph saying "Does the Government have a veto over any decisions made by the ESA [the new EU authorities] in an emergency that have a fiscal impact on Britain, or do they have to make an appeal against these decisions? This is another example of the Government failing to stick to its red lines." A lawyer at CMS Cameron McKenna is quoted in the FT saying, "We should not agree to more Europe until there is a fundamental change in the way regulatory policy is made and deployed in the EU."
Alistair Darling insisted that he had secured "safeguards" ensuring that Britain would be able to appeal measures that it regarded as "impinging on the fiscal responsibilities of member states." The French press quotes French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde saying, "It's been a laborious process, but I think that today Europe has made real progress in banking and finance matters... We are in the process of creating a real European supervisor." The proposal will now be considered by the European Parliament, which has to agree before the proposal can become law. Criticising yesterday's decision, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe leader Guy Verhofstadt MEP accused the Council of "trying to impose its own views and its own agenda" and said the proposal didn't go far enough, according to Euractiv.
Meanwhile, the 'war on words' between France and the City of London continues, following Sarkozy's comments last week that the British were "the big losers" in the new European Commission given the appointment of Michel Barnier as Internal Market Commissioner. Angela Knight, the Chief Executive of the British Bankers Association said yesterday that "Monsieur Sarkozy must surely recognise that he has undermined the EU with his statements and put a question mark over the impartiality of his nominated commissioner that will not be easily dispelled." An article in Le Figaro notes that Sarkozy's comments may have undermined Barnier's position, by casting doubt on the impartiality of his appointment. The Mail reports that Nicolas Sarkozy has cancelled a meeting with Gordon Brown, originally planned for tomorrow, while the FT says the meeting will go ahead.
Le Figaro Independent: O'Grady Independent International Herald Tribune Mail 2 Times Mail: Leader Mail: Oborne Guardian: Elliott Times: Letters Conservative Home: Lea Times: Fraser Economist: Charlemagne's notebook Euobserver BBC EurActiv European Voice Telegraph Telegraph-Warner Telegraph-Reece This is Money Europaportalen FT FT2 Guardian
EU social laws will cost £71 billion over next decade
The Mail reports on Open Europe's recent briefing which showed that EU social laws, including health and safety rules, will cost the UK economy £71 billion over the next ten years, even in the unlikely scenario that the EU will not introduce any extra social legislation over that time period. The cost comes on top of the estimated £37 billion cost of European social legislation over the previous ten years - representing 25% of the total cost of regulation in the UK over that time period.
The article notes that earlier this week Conservative leader David Cameron pledged to cure the 'national neurosis' caused by Labour's expansion of health and safety rules, and quotes Open Europe saying, "David Cameron is absolutely right to push for a more common sense approach to social and health and safety laws. However, any meaningful effort to tackle overly prescriptive rules must focus overwhelmingly at the EU level for the simple reason that a clear majority of our laws in this area now stem from Brussels, and without any change the cost of these laws will continue to go up. In addition to renegotiating existing EU rules which are deemed unnecessary, a Conservative government must also commit to stemming the steady flow of new regulations coming from Brussels every year which impose unnecessary burdens on frontline public sector workers and businesses."
Mail Open Europe research
EU outlines police exchange scheme to create "common culture" of policing
The BBC reports that the EU is planning "student-style exchanges" for European police and judges as part of its new five year justice and home affairs blueprint, known as the Stockholm Programme. EU leaders are expected to approve the Stockholm Programme at a summit in Brussels next week. The funding arrangements and other details are yet to be worked out.
In its policy brief on the Stockholm Programme, the European Commission said that the EU should aim "to train one third of European police officers and border guards in European affairs over the next five years." Meanwhile, an informal group of home affairs ministers, the so-called Future Group, whose recommendations laid the foundations for the Stockholm Programme, said the EU should create a "common culture" of policing.
BBC Open Europe press release Open Europe research
Ashton: EU Foreign Minister role is "brand new...I inherited a blank piece of paper";
Lord Mandelson reveals that he would have liked to be EU Foreign Minister
The EU's newly appointed Foreign Minister, Baroness Catherine Ashton, appeared before the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday for a question and answer session, before her official confirmation hearing in January. EUobserver reports that Lady Ashton often avoided giving any clear answers on foreign policy issues like the post-war situation in Georgia or the recognition of the newly elected president in Honduras. German Liberal MEP Alexander Graf Lambsdorff commented: "I do have to say we want more specific answers when you come back to us".
Lady Ashton said in her closing remarks: "This is brand new. I do not have an office, I do not have a Cabinet, I do not have a team. I inherited a blank piece of paper and at the moment I have written one or two small things on it." This is despite saying in the House of Lords, when she was responsible for guiding Lisbon through the House, that, "The proposal is that we have a high representative who becomes the vice-president of the Commission with very specific functions. That is a defined role within the treaty which is vested in one person."
Ashton added: "My office base will be in the Commission building. For two simple reasons: I know where the coffee is, and I know how that building functions, so I don't have to think about the logistics of that."
The Irish Times quotes her saying: "I won't pretend that I've got considered detailed views on everything because it was only last Thursday I discovered I was going to be doing this job and it's a day and a half in."
EurActiv reports that, when asked to comment by Lithuanian MEP Vytautas Landsbergis on the Nord Stream gas pipeline projected, Ashton left the impression that she was unaware of the fact that the pipeline was considered a pan-European project under the EU's 'Trans-European Networks' energy guidelines. Her performance caused an MEP from the Socialist grouping, Hannes Swoboda, to intervene and set the record straight.
A leader in Sueddeutsche Zeitung argues: "Ashton is still too weak to bolster EU foreign policy and to protect the EU external action service from going in the wrong direction."
Meanwhile, speaking to the BBC Today programme, Lord Mandelson revealed that he did want to become the EU's first Foreign Minister: "in other circumstances I would have liked to have done that job". He added that "it combines my interests in Europe and foreign affairs". He denied that President Sarkozy had blocked him from the job, adding: "Nobody blocked me, I'm afraid we didn't get to that happy stage."
EUobserver EurActiv International Herald Tribune Telegraph Guardian EP press release Irish Times FT Mail Times BBC Guardian Today programme OE blog
Javier Solana: EU External Action Service will have military as well as civilian personnel
In an interview with Le Monde, outgoing High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Javier Solana, defends the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton. Asked whether the new EU External Action Service, which he has previously described as "the world's biggest diplomatic service", will be complicated by rivalries between the Commission, the Parliament and the member states, Solana replies: "The service will be a new institution situated between the Commission and the Council. It will be made up of civil and military personnel." Asked about the priorities of the service, he says it will be interested first and foremost in neighbouring regions, in the Mediterranean, the East and Russia. However he adds: "It must also have in mind global action. We are not only an economic or trade organisation. I want, I hope, to put forward a political will to play a role in international affairs."
Asked if there is a growing gap between Europe and America over Afghanistan, Solana says: "I don't think that one can talk of a big gap with the United Sates: there are 30,000 Europeans deployed over there under the NATO umbrella. It is unfair to say that Europe's involvement is too modest."
Le Monde
Barnier pledges to interfere in EU Agriculture Commissioner's job
Euractiv reports that French Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier has said he will keep a close watch on the work of his colleagues in the European Commission, citing in particular the new Agriculture Commissioner, Romania's Dacian Cioloş. Barnier said: "He will be independent but I will give him my opinion," insisting on the need to "preserve farm regulations because feeding people is not a service like any other". The appointment of Dacian Cioloş, a Romanian who has claimed France is his "adoptive country," is seen as a victory for Paris, which supported his nomination.
Euractiv
French PM tries to designate 2 MPs to become 'ghost' MEPs
On his blog, Jean Quatremer reports that French Prime Minister François Fillon has asked the leader of the National Assembly to choose one MP from the ruling UMP party and one from the opposition Socialists to become MEPs, given that the Lisbon Treaty increases the number of French MEPs from 72 to 74. Quatremer notes that "the public authorities 'forgot' to alert voters" to the fact that under Lisbon they would get two extra MEPs when they went to the polls for the European Parliament elections in June. He says that, unlike the majority of other countries, France did not work out a method for determining which French regions would benefit from the extra 2 MEPs, hence the decision to pluck two deputies from the National Assembly.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Deputy Leader of the Green group in the European Parliament, has attacked the decision as a "stitch-up" between the UMP and the Socialist Party, while British Lib Dem MEP Andrew Duff has said that the move is against the 1976 rules on the election of MEPs, which rule out designating MEPs from national parliaments. EurActiv reports that French Green MEP Sandrine Bélier criticised the plan saying, "It is a democratic aberration...How will these new MEPs be chosen? For their merit or because they are useless at the National Assembly?"
The Coulisses de Bruxelles blog notes that, because Germany stands to lose 3 MEPs under the Lisbon arrangements, and since it is difficult to 'deselect' MEPs that have already been elected, Germany will keep all its MEPs until June 2014, meaning the total number of MEPs will be 754 instead of the 751 envisaged by the Lisbon Treaty. Quatremer notes that, just to complicate things further, the decision to have more MEPs than envisaged by Lisbon requires a change to treaties and therefore must be ratified by all 27 member state parliaments. In December, EU leaders decided to add an ad hoc annex to the next accession Treaty, which will say that the new MPs cannot sit until 2012. In the meantime, the 'ghost' MEPs will have 'observer' status but will not be able to vote.
Meanwhile, EurActiv reports that the additional 'ghost' MEP for the UK has still not been decided, but sources indicate that the extra seat will go to the West Midlands region, meaning Conservative candidate Anthea McIntyre would be appointed. However, EP sources indicated yesterday that a row could still break out, because Scotland and London are seeking an exception to the existing rules so that their region would receive the new MEP.
Coulisses de Bruxelles EurActiv
Conservatives see donations surge from the City as concern grows over EU financial regulation
The FT reports that the Conservatives claim that the party has received a boost in donations following the Government's poor response to the slew of proposals for more regulation and supervision coming out of Brussels, which has been reinforced by the poor handling of the European Commission appointments. "There may have been from time to time issues [of Conservative policy] that some people felt uncomfortable about ... but the City is so appalled by the government now that they just want these people out," said Richard Spring, a Conservative MP, according to the FT.
FT
New report: EU's biofuels policy "borders on economic madness"
PA reports that a new report from the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) has found that the EU is subsidising the biofuels industry to the tune of €4bn. The report's author Fredrik Erixon said, "Europe's biofuels policy borders to economic madness. It is costly and protectionist. It is designed to support European farmers rather than to shift Europe's energy consumption away from fossil fuels".
ECIPE report Open Europe research
Tim Montgomerie: Cameron's rating fell after he announced his new Europe policy
A survey of UK voters for Politics Home shows that David Cameron's approval rating fell from +36 on 18 September to +21 on 27 November. On Conservative Home, Tim Montgomerie notes that the fall in Cameron's rating coincided with his announcement that a Conservative government would not hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Conservative Home: Montgomerie Politics Home
Swedish unions ordered to pay damages after blockade against foreign EU workers
Swedish unions have been ordered to pay around €55,000 in damages to Latvian construction company Laval, a Swedish court has ruled, following a decision two years ago by the ECJ that the Swedish unions were breaking EU law when they engaged in a blockade against the Latvian firm which was refurbishing a school outside Stockholm, Sweden. The Swedish unions claimed that Laval undercut local wages, but the ECJ ruled that the unions' demands were arbitrary and the strike therefore illegal.
Europaportalen Open Europe research
Nato foreign ministers are meeting today in Brussels to discuss Afghanistan, amid calls for Nato allies to pledge more than 5,000 additional troops, following President Obama's commitment for 30,000 more troops next year. Several members, including France and Germany, are thought to be reluctant to do so.
EUobserver BBC Sun
The FT Deutschland has a leader with the title "Punish Greece!" arguing that "Greek governments have disregarded the EU stability pact for years and thereby endanger Monetary Union. Because of that, harder punishments are now needed."
FTD: Leader FT WSJ
In an interview with LabourList former Europe Minister Caroline Flint comments: "One thing I became really aware of when I became Europe minister is that we have had a constant change of ministers in that role; what are we up to now, 12, 13? We've had two even since I resigned. I don't think that constant change is helpful."
Labour List
After a 'conciliation' agreement between the European Council and the European Parliament, the total 2010 EU budget has been set at €141.453 billion in commitments and €122.937 billion in payments.
EP press release
European Voice reports that MEPs are split along party lines over the EU's Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive, with the Socialists and Greens pushing for tougher amendments and the Liberal and European Conservatives and Reformists groups saying they want to scale back some of the proposals in the report prepared by the EPs rapporteur Jean-Paul Gauzès.
European Voice Open Europe research
FT Deutschland reports that both Italy and France have expressed reservations about the reappointment of Luxembourg's PM Jean-Claude Juncker as Head of the Eurogroup.
Eurointelligence
EU import duties for shoes from Vietnam and China will remain in place despite fierce protest from Lord Mandelson and British shoe retailers. The tariffs usually add an extra £1.60 to the cost of an imported pair of shoes, with annual duties costing UK retailers £330m.
Independent Times
Euractiv notes that a report from the World Health Organisation has said that the Lisbon Treaty furthers the scope for EU action in health policy, for example by introducing legally-binding legislation where it identifies safety concerns in public health.
Euractiv
EurActiv reports that business groups have 'slammed' national parliaments for their failure to fully implement the EU's Small Business Act. They argued that the EU institutions must put more pressure on member states to comply.
EurActiv
The IHT reports that yesterday the French government won €700 million of EU support for farmers suffering from sharp price drops during the economic downturn. Farmers will be able to claim up to €15,000 each.
No link
Open Europe is an independent think tank campaigning for radical reform of the EU. For information on our research, events and other activities, please visit our website: openeurope.org.uk or call us on 0207 197 2333.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Herbert Armstrong was not a false prophet!
DEUTERONOMY 18:20-22 DOES NOT MAKE MR ARMSTRONG A FALSE PROPHET!
Immediately after God had given the Ten Commandments, the people rejected God with, “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we
die.” (Exod 20:19).
In Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Moses reminded Israel of God’s reaction to that rejection with, “15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God …” Moses continued, “17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
Moses then gave God’s warning to false prophets, “20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing
follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
[I didn't post the part of his article that doesn't pertain to proving how Mr. Armstrong is not a false prophet, as it could be a distraction - DBA]...
Let us now concentrate on the warning God gave through Moses to false prophets presuming to speak in God’s name (Deut. 18:20-22) and recognize this does not apply to Mr Herbert W Armstrong.
A number of men have accused Mr Armstrong of being a false prophet because he warned Greater Israel at times too enthusiastically of dangers during the dark days before and during W.W.II and
again during the Cold War.
With the benefit of hindsight we can now see that Mr Armstrong got some of his predictions wrong during such dark times but as shown next these were not prophecies spoken in the name of God.
God told Moses He would send a Prophet, whom Peter identified was Jesus. Also that God would send His message through this Prophet to Israel despite Israel having declared not wishing to listen to God. We all recall how only Mr Armstrong taught that Jesus brought the Good News or Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God. Let no one forget that only Mr Armstrong and no other in our day brought us that message.
That therefore during his long ministry only Mr Armstrong spoke truly and faithfully concerning that Good News prophecy of the Kingdom of God, which Jesus brought from God the Father (Deut 18:15-19) and of which God the Father had warned that no prophet should speak falsely (Deut 18:20-22).
Therefore when we hear men accuse Mr Armstrong of being a false prophet by misapplying Deuteronomy 18:20-22 outside the Kingdom of God context of verses 15-19, then let us recognize that these men themselves are false teachers!
I recall one minister ridiculing Mr Armstrong throughout a sermon over predictions made during the dark days of W.W.II and the Cold War and which he claimed had not come true. He then claimed based on Deuteronomy 18:20-22, that Mr Armstrong was a false prophet.
One atheist web site lists over 200 alleged false predictions published in past PT's and other RCG / WCG publications but without giving precise references that allow us to investigate those claims. The few I could verify were questionable.
Even if some of Mr Armstrong’s past predictions did not come true but which he made to warn Greater Israel, we must see that this does not make him a false prophet because these alleged failed predictions were not false prophecies about the Kingdom of God. Therefore God’s warning to false prophets in verses 20-22 does not apply to Mr Armstrong.
Had any of us been in Mr Armstrong’s shoes during the dark days of W.W.II and the Cold War, and had we known about Israel Identity, then we too may have similarly warned Greater Israel without being false prophets. Let us therefore judge righteously but temper our judgment with mercy so that we too may be judged with mercy (James 2:13).
None of God’s servants were perfect. So let us not accuse Mr Armstrong of being a false prophet as has the secular world.
The reader may also like to read my paper P12, “Fresh Evidence Denies Mr Armstrong’s Accusers!” which addresses other accusations made against Mr Armstrong.
Readers may download from http://www.rightly-dividing.net/ the papers mentioned above or request these in
writing from:
Henk Jens,
PO Box 121,
Belmore, 2192,
NSW, Australia.
http://home.zipworld.com.au/~hwj/NoFalseProphet-Jul08.pdf
Many in God’s church misunderstand Deuteronomy 18:15-19 and some misapply God’s warning to false prophets of verses 20-22, to accuse Mr Herbert W Armstrong of being a false prophet.
Immediately after God had given the Ten Commandments, the people rejected God with, “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we
die.” (Exod 20:19).
In Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Moses reminded Israel of God’s reaction to that rejection with, “15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God …” Moses continued, “17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
Moses then gave God’s warning to false prophets, “20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing
follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
[I didn't post the part of his article that doesn't pertain to proving how Mr. Armstrong is not a false prophet, as it could be a distraction - DBA]...
Let us now concentrate on the warning God gave through Moses to false prophets presuming to speak in God’s name (Deut. 18:20-22) and recognize this does not apply to Mr Herbert W Armstrong.
A number of men have accused Mr Armstrong of being a false prophet because he warned Greater Israel at times too enthusiastically of dangers during the dark days before and during W.W.II and
again during the Cold War.
With the benefit of hindsight we can now see that Mr Armstrong got some of his predictions wrong during such dark times but as shown next these were not prophecies spoken in the name of God.
God told Moses He would send a Prophet, whom Peter identified was Jesus. Also that God would send His message through this Prophet to Israel despite Israel having declared not wishing to listen to God. We all recall how only Mr Armstrong taught that Jesus brought the Good News or Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God. Let no one forget that only Mr Armstrong and no other in our day brought us that message.
That therefore during his long ministry only Mr Armstrong spoke truly and faithfully concerning that Good News prophecy of the Kingdom of God, which Jesus brought from God the Father (Deut 18:15-19) and of which God the Father had warned that no prophet should speak falsely (Deut 18:20-22).
Therefore when we hear men accuse Mr Armstrong of being a false prophet by misapplying Deuteronomy 18:20-22 outside the Kingdom of God context of verses 15-19, then let us recognize that these men themselves are false teachers!
I recall one minister ridiculing Mr Armstrong throughout a sermon over predictions made during the dark days of W.W.II and the Cold War and which he claimed had not come true. He then claimed based on Deuteronomy 18:20-22, that Mr Armstrong was a false prophet.
One atheist web site lists over 200 alleged false predictions published in past PT's and other RCG / WCG publications but without giving precise references that allow us to investigate those claims. The few I could verify were questionable.
Even if some of Mr Armstrong’s past predictions did not come true but which he made to warn Greater Israel, we must see that this does not make him a false prophet because these alleged failed predictions were not false prophecies about the Kingdom of God. Therefore God’s warning to false prophets in verses 20-22 does not apply to Mr Armstrong.
Had any of us been in Mr Armstrong’s shoes during the dark days of W.W.II and the Cold War, and had we known about Israel Identity, then we too may have similarly warned Greater Israel without being false prophets. Let us therefore judge righteously but temper our judgment with mercy so that we too may be judged with mercy (James 2:13).
None of God’s servants were perfect. So let us not accuse Mr Armstrong of being a false prophet as has the secular world.
The reader may also like to read my paper P12, “Fresh Evidence Denies Mr Armstrong’s Accusers!” which addresses other accusations made against Mr Armstrong.
Readers may download from http://www.rightly-dividing.net/ the papers mentioned above or request these in
writing from:
Henk Jens,
PO Box 121,
Belmore, 2192,
NSW, Australia.
http://home.zipworld.com.au/~hwj/NoFalseProphet-Jul08.pdf
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
World AIDS Day?
Scarlet Letter: A Christian With AIDS
The following is a actual letter I sent to a close Christian friend in 1999, immediately after I was diagnosed with HIV. Since then the HIV has progressed on into AIDS.
Does God Heal Today?
When I was first diagnosed with the HIV virus, I read innumerable articles on it and later suffered from an information overload and depressing confusion. One article would speak in favor of taking the highly toxic HIV/AIDS medicines, and then I'd read another one that spoke against it with just as convincing of an argument.
The following is a actual letter I sent to a close Christian friend in 1999, immediately after I was diagnosed with HIV. Since then the HIV has progressed on into AIDS.
Does God Heal Today?
When I was first diagnosed with the HIV virus, I read innumerable articles on it and later suffered from an information overload and depressing confusion. One article would speak in favor of taking the highly toxic HIV/AIDS medicines, and then I'd read another one that spoke against it with just as convincing of an argument.
Europe's New Crusade
Europe agrees to recognize Palestinian state
Resolution to be voted on next week calls for full division of Jerusalem, approves of unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence more»
************
Divide and conquer. The German-Jesuit EU will occupy Jerusalem and brutally betray and slaughter both Arabs and Jews.
Europe's New Crusade
Warning Jews
Pope's Evil Eye on Jerusalem!
Christian-Zionist Response to Shimon Peres' AIPAC speech
Resolution to be voted on next week calls for full division of Jerusalem, approves of unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence more»
************
Divide and conquer. The German-Jesuit EU will occupy Jerusalem and brutally betray and slaughter both Arabs and Jews.
Europe's New Crusade
Warning Jews
Pope's Evil Eye on Jerusalem!
Christian-Zionist Response to Shimon Peres' AIPAC speech
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