Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Good question -- but use a caret to insert the word "false" before "prophet"



UPDATE: Combining the top with the bottom, things are looking plausibly more possible in time in space, perhaps as a real event in our immediate futures? Look at chapter 1 of my freely downloadable book, THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE RAINBOW: "THE AGE OF AQUARIUS? or THE AGE OF THE ANTICHRIST?" THEN READ HERB PETERS' BOOK, "RECOMMENDATION 666: REAL EVENTS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION."

ORIGINAL POST: NOT ONLY THAT -- IT LOOKS DISTINCTLY LIKE INTERTWINED SIXES! HMMMM???!!!

Stay tuned!

CONSTANCE

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Solana director of Spanish Security Strategy -- Just in time for Spanish EU/WEU joint presidencies!

Well, maybe Acciona, the ESADE Business School, etc. aren't enough. Looks like our very good friend is back -- this time as director of the Spanish Security Strategy. This sounds so very much like his carefully crafted European Security Strategy. More important, this new appointment for Javier Solana comes JUST IN TIME for the Spanish EU - WEU joint presidencies to begin in just a few days. His alter ego, Cristina Gallach has been named the spokesperson for those Spanish presidencies. The next six months should be very interesting, perhaps disturbing, and most revealing. In addition to the link on the headline, here's another place to practice your Spanish by reading about it in that language from very current news.

Stay tuned!

Constance

Monday, December 21, 2009

War on the Saints? A serious British beginning!

UPDATE: Above is Lillian LaDele, a brave English Christian persecuted for adhering to her morals and her faith in God. Pray for her. Pray for Gary McFarlane. Pray for all of us as we head into these very serious times. Read the full article by clicking here.

CONSTANCE


Just found this from Great Britain. I was wondering how long it would be until people would be fired for refusing to perform same sex marriages on religious grounds. Likewise, how about those refusing to give gay couples "sex therapy." Looks like serious persecution is now here, at least for our British cousins.

Read about the gay wedding refusal here and about the persecuted Christian counselor here. I suppose Bill Marrs would find all of this very funny. I don't.

Lord Jesus, come quickly!

Constance

"

Sunday, December 20, 2009

"Spanish EU Presidency to set Precedents" -- No Doubt!

I read Friday that Cristina Gallach is to be the spokesperson for the Spanish presidency of the EU/WEU. Read about it by clicking here. This is fascinating as she is Javier Solana's long time spokesperson. I believe she still is! This reads to me as though Javier Solana will have a major role and that he has decided it would be temporarily advantageous to lower profile things for awhile.

Personally, I believe Cristina Gallach should have applied for Javier Solana's vacated Foreign Minister/"High Representative" position. She appears to be far more qualified than the appointment they made of the British parliamentarian with little or no diplomatic or military experience.

Stay tuned!

Constance

As year nears end, 70th week Jerusalem prophecies look ominously plausible



As the year ends, the tensions between Israel and the European Union are clearly increasing. Catherine Ashton is off to an extremely shaky start on her "diplomacy" with Israel. I am personally wondering where Javier Solana is on this -- is he coaching from the sidelines, or will he again "emerge" with heightened powers"? Is there somebody even more ominous and charismatic lurking whom we have missed. The 70th week prophecies from Daniel are looking frighteningly plausible. Read about it by clicking here, here and here.

Stay tuned!

Constance

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Catherine Ashton vs. Israel


Israel is VERY UNHAPPY at Catherine Ashton's handling of her new HR/CFSP position. Click here to read all about it in Haaretz. For her opening speech to the European Parliamke andent whose support she needs for ultimate confirmation of her appointment, she opened with strong denunciations of Israel. She had some positive reaction to this from like minded parliamentarians who called for immediate suspension of the EU's TREATY OF ASSOCIATION with Israel. This was the same treaty originally negotiated by Javier Solana and signed between the European Union and Spain on November 20, 1995. It takes a lot to make Javier Solana look dynamic and a friend of Israel, and I don't know what his present aspirations are to take his old job in its new incarnation and make of it the powerful force he designed it to be, but I suspect that if he wanted to return, he would have strong

support. After Catherine Ashton's remarks, the Israelis would probably be happy to see him back as well. Here's what reportedly happened after Catherine Ashton's European Parliament speech:

Following her comments, a number of MEPs from the liberal side of the house called for punitive measures against Israel, including the suspension of the EU's Association Agreement with Israel. Irish center-left member Proinsias De Rossa, who visited the West Bank last week, called Israel's treatment of Palestinians a form of "apartheid."

This was the Israel's press observation of the general EU climate toward world Jewry and Israel:


This time it was neither the Swedish president who pushed the EU toward an anti-Israel resolution, nor a judge in Britain who issued an arrest warrant against an Israeli foreign minister. Criticism of Israel has become the language of choice in European discourse.


Having held appointive political office in the past, I know Catherine Ashton can't be enjoying herself very much right now. Those positions look like a lot of fun when one is down shooting, but when one is up there being shot at, it's not all that much fun.

Catherine Ashton is most likely taking plenty of heat now -- from all sides. I don't envy her a bit. I can't help but wondering if her appointment and that of EU President Rompuy -- by appointment, not by popular EU election in that bloc's acknowledged "democratic deficit," is an updated version of the Weimar Republic of Germany that preceded Hitler's total takeover.

Better hold on to your seatbelts. 2010 looks like an upcoming rollercoaster year!

Stay tuned!

CONSTANCE

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Catherine Ashton's "shaky start on European Neighbourhood Process"

Checking in on the "European Neighbourhood Policy" via google's search engine tonight, it seems the European pundits are bemoaning "a shaky start" under HR Catherine Ashton. It was a joint Spanish EU/WEU presidency that started the Barcelona Process out of which came the clarified and reconfirmed 7 year European Neighbourhood Process. The EU has made many demands of Israel lately. This one will be vital to watch. Read the full story by clicking here. I recommend you immediately archive it to your personal computer storage.

Stay tuned!

Constance

Javier Solana's interim position? What happened to the WEU?


This just in. I'm not sure what to make of it. I rather suspect he has NOT disappeared from the world stage, but who knows?

Stay tuned!

Constance

Monday, December 14, 2009

A CHILD ABUSE INDUSTRY?


As a practicing lawyer and a former legislative analyst, I have viewed as many disturbing trends as my broader research on the international scene. Our children and our rights to our children are all important and increasingly efforts are being made to separate those of us with strong religious and political beliefs from our children. Our raising our children up is increasingly being referred to as "radicalization" and "indoctrination." This applies particularly to home and religious schoolers.

I have found an amazingly dedicated blogger, Beverly Tran, who has single handedly uncovered, researched in depth and had the courage to speak on amazing money and power issues in these areas.

This is an area of the law likely to personally affect us at any time, particularly as the Alliance of Civilizations agenda advances in tandem with the powers of the state to remove children from loving parents on all too often flimsy pretenses.

In 1986 I was asked to be the keynote speaker at a Dallas, Texas convention on "the Abuse of Child Abuse laws." Having been in the system as long as I have, I have seen both sides of the issue. I have seen real abused children and indifferent workers. Equally, I have seen overzealous workers disliking religious preferences of parents and seeking to remove children on the flimsiest of pretenses. I have also seen blatant disregard of existing family ties in a rush to place children with non-related foster parents who are paid large adoption subsidies.

Tomorrow night, Michigander, Beverly Tran, analyst and expositor par excellence has agreed to join me on MY PERSPECTIVE and share valuable information that all of you need to survive similar systems in your own regions. Join us on www.themicroeffect.com at 8 p.m. Eastern time, 7 p.m. Central time, 6 p.m. Mountain time and 5 p.m. Pacific time. Alaskan listeners should be able to reach us at 4 p.m.

Stay tuned!

Constance

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I am watching Barack Obama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech


Update: It looks like the newly "retired" Javier Solana can still get crowned heads of the world on the phone. Click here to read all about it.

I am watching Barack Obama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech. I have the most terrible sense that I've heard it before. What it sounds so terribly much like in its discussion of "failed states" and power shifting to individuals is Javier Solana's speech on global governance needed by 2009 to the Brookings Institution on March 21, 2007. I am afraid that his speech concerning "global security" is like the overarching global governance theme of MANAGING GLOBAL INSECURITY.

TEXT OF BARACK OBAMA'S NOBEL SPEECH AS PROVIDED BY THE WHITE HOUSE:
"Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world:

I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.

And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight. And then there are the men and women around the world who have been jailed and beaten in the pursuit of justice; those who toil in humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering; the unrecognized millions whose quiet acts of courage and compassion inspire even the most hardened of cynics. I cannot argue with those who find these men and women — some known, some obscure to all but those they help — to be far more deserving of this honor than I.

But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by 43 other countries — including Norway — in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.

Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict — filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.

These questions are not new. War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact, like drought or disease — the manner in which tribes and then civilizations sought power and settled their differences.

Over time, as codes of law sought to control violence within groups, so did philosophers, clerics and statesmen seek to regulate the destructive power of war. The concept of a "just war" emerged, suggesting that war is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the forced used is proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence.

For most of history, this concept of just war was rarely observed. The capacity of human beings to think up new ways to kill one another proved inexhaustible, as did our capacity to exempt from mercy those who look different or pray to a different God. Wars between armies gave way to wars between nations — total wars in which the distinction between combatant and civilian became blurred. In the span of 30 years, such carnage would twice engulf this continent. And while it is hard to conceive of a cause more just than the defeat of the Third Reich and the Axis powers, World War II was a conflict in which the total number of civilians who died exceeded the number of soldiers who perished.

In the wake of such destruction, and with the advent of the nuclear age, it became clear to victor and vanquished alike that the world needed institutions to prevent another World War. And so, a quarter century after the United States Senate rejected the League of Nations — an idea for which Woodrow Wilson received this Prize — America led the world in constructing an architecture to keep the peace: a Marshall Plan and a United Nations, mechanisms to govern the waging of war, treaties to protect human rights, prevent genocide and restrict the most dangerous weapons.

In many ways, these efforts succeeded. Yes, terrible wars have been fought, and atrocities committed. But there has been no Third World War. The Cold War ended with jubilant crowds dismantling a wall. Commerce has stitched much of the world together. Billions have been lifted from poverty. The ideals of liberty, self-determination, equality and the rule of law have haltingly advanced. We are the heirs of the fortitude and foresight of generations past, and it is a legacy for which my own country is rightfully proud.

A decade into a new century, this old architecture is buckling under the weight of new threats. The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.

Moreover, wars between nations have increasingly given way to wars within nations. The resurgence of ethnic or sectarian conflicts, the growth of secessionist movements, insurgencies and failed states have increasingly trapped civilians in unending chaos. In today's wars, many more civilians are killed than soldiers; the seeds of future conflict are sown, economies are wrecked, civil societies torn asunder, refugees amassed and children scarred.

I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago: "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: It merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life's work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak, nothing passive, nothing naive in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaidas leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.

I raise this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause. At times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the worlds sole military superpower.

Yet the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions — not just treaties and declarations — that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity from Germany to Korea, and enabled democracy to take hold in places like the Balkans. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest — because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other people's children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.

So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another — that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldiers courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause and to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such.

So part of our challenge is reconciling these two seemingly irreconcilable truths — that war is sometimes necessary, and war is at some level an expression of human folly. Concretely, we must direct our effort to the task that President Kennedy called for long ago. "Let us focus," he said, "on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions."

What might this evolution look like? What might these practical steps be?

To begin with, I believe that all nations — strong and weak alike — must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I — like any head of state — reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards strengthens those who do, and isolates — and weakens — those who dont.

The world rallied around America after the 9/11 attacks, and continues to support our efforts in Afghanistan, because of the horror of those senseless attacks and the recognized principle of self-defense. Likewise, the world recognized the need to confront Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait — a consensus that sent a clear message to all about the cost of aggression.

Furthermore, America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don't, our action can appear arbitrary, and undercut the legitimacy of future intervention — no matter how justified.

This becomes particularly important when the purpose of military action extends beyond self-defense or the defense of one nation against an aggressor. More and more, we all confront difficult questions about how to prevent the slaughter of civilians by their own government, or to stop a civil war whose violence and suffering can engulf an entire region.

I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That is why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace.

America's commitment to global security will never waver. But in a world in which threats are more diffuse, and missions more complex, America cannot act alone. This is true in Afghanistan. This is true in failed states like Somalia, where terrorism and piracy is joined by famine and human suffering. And sadly, it will continue to be true in unstable regions for years to come.

The leaders and soldiers of NATO countries — and other friends and allies — demonstrate this truth through the capacity and courage they have shown in Afghanistan. But in many countries, there is a disconnect between the efforts of those who serve and the ambivalence of the broader public. I understand why war is not popular. But I also know this: The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace entails sacrifice. That is why NATO continues to be indispensable. That is why we must strengthen U.N. and regional peacekeeping, and not leave the task to a few countries. That is why we honor those who return home from peacekeeping and training abroad to Oslo and Rome; to Ottawa and Sydney; to Dhaka and Kigali — we honor them not as makers of war, but as wagers of peace.

Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it. The Nobel Committee recognized this truth in awarding its first prize for peace to Henry Dunant — the founder of the Red Cross, and a driving force behind the Geneva Conventions.

Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not just when it is easy, but when it is hard.

I have spoken to the questions that must weigh on our minds and our hearts as we choose to wage war. But let me turn now to our effort to avoid such tragic choices, and speak of three ways that we can build a just and lasting peace.

First, in dealing with those nations that break rules and laws, I believe that we must develop alternatives to violence that are tough enough to change behavior — for if we want a lasting peace, then the words of the international community must mean something. Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable. Sanctions must exact a real price. Intransigence must be met with increased pressure — and such pressure exists only when the world stands together as one.

One urgent example is the effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and to seek a world without them. In the middle of the last century, nations agreed to be bound by a treaty whose bargain is clear: All will have access to peaceful nuclear power; those without nuclear weapons will forsake them; and those with nuclear weapons will work toward disarmament. I am committed to upholding this treaty. It is a centerpiece of my foreign policy. And I am working with President Medvedev to reduce America and Russia's nuclear stockpiles.

But it is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system. Those who claim to respect international law cannot avert their eyes when those laws are flouted. Those who care for their own security cannot ignore the danger of an arms race in the Middle East or East Asia. Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war.

The same principle applies to those who violate international law by brutalizing their own people. When there is genocide in Darfur, systematic rape in Congo or repression in Burma — there must be consequences. And the closer we stand together, the less likely we will be faced with the choice between armed intervention and complicity in oppression.

This brings me to a second point — the nature of the peace that we seek. For peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict. Only a just peace based upon the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting.

It was this insight that drove drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after the Second World War. In the wake of devastation, they recognized that if human rights are not protected, peace is a hollow promise.

And yet all too often, these words are ignored. In some countries, the failure to uphold human rights is excused by the false suggestion that these are Western principles, foreign to local cultures or stages of a nation's development. And within America, there has long been a tension between those who describe themselves as realists or idealists — a tension that suggests a stark choice between the narrow pursuit of interests or an endless campaign to impose our values.

I reject this choice. I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please, choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. We also know that the opposite is true. Only when Europe became free did it finally find peace. America has never fought a war against a democracy, and our closest friends are governments that protect the rights of their citizens. No matter how callously defined, neither America's interests — nor the worlds — are served by the denial of human aspirations.

So even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side.

Let me also say this: The promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach — and condemnation without discussion — can carry forward a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door.

In light of the Cultural Revolution's horrors, Nixon's meeting with Mao appeared inexcusable — and yet it surely helped set China on a path where millions of its citizens have been lifted from poverty, and connected to open societies. Pope John Paul's engagement with Poland created space not just for the Catholic Church, but for labor leaders like Lech Walesa. Ronald Reagan's efforts on arms control and embrace of perestroika not only improved relations with the Soviet Union, but empowered dissidents throughout Eastern Europe. There is no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement, pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time.

Third, a just peace includes not only civil and political rights — it must encompass economic security and opportunity. For true peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want.

It is undoubtedly true that development rarely takes root without security; it is also true that security does not exist where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive. It does not exist where children cannot aspire to a decent education or a job that supports a family. The absence of hope can rot a society from within.

And that is why helping farmers feed their own people — or nations educate their children and care for the sick — is not mere charity. It is also why the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action — it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance.

Agreements among nations. Strong institutions. Support for human rights. Investments in development. All of these are vital ingredients in bringing about the evolution that President Kennedy spoke about. And yet, I do not believe that we will have the will, or the staying power, to complete this work without something more — and that is the continued expansion of our moral imagination, an insistence that there is something irreducible that we all share.

As the world grows smaller, you might think it would be easier for human beings to recognize how similar we are, to understand that we all basically want the same things, that we all hope for the chance to live out our lives with some measure of happiness and fulfillment for ourselves and our families.

And yet, given the dizzying pace of globalization, and the cultural leveling of modernity, it should come as no surprise that people fear the loss of what they cherish about their particular identities — their race, their tribe and, perhaps most powerfully, their religion. In some places, this fear has led to conflict. At times, it even feels like we are moving backwards. We see it in the Middle East, as the conflict between Arabs and Jews seems to harden. We see it in nations that are torn asunder by tribal lines.

Most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint — no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or even a person of one's own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith — for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Adhering to this law of love has always been the core struggle of human nature. We are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us.

But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place. The nonviolence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached — their faith in human progress — must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.

For if we lose that faith — if we dismiss it as silly or naive, if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace — then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass.

Like generations have before us, we must reject that future. As Dr. King said at this occasion so many years ago: "I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the 'isness' of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal 'oughtness' that forever confronts him."

So let us reach for the world that ought to be — that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls. Somewhere today, in the here and now, a soldier sees he's outgunned but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, who believes that a cruel world still has a place for his dreams.

Let us live by their example. We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of deprivation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth."

The inspiration? I suspect I might have a few clues. Between you, me and the lamp post, it sounds at least a little "New Agey"!

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

SCIENTIST AT HEART OF 'CLIMATE-GATE' SCANDAL STEPS DOWN

Picture: Does not really fit story below, except to show that "big stuff" is happening all over the place! Click here to read full story of Israel/EU controversy.


According to an article this morning in THE MONEY TIMES, climate scientist British professor Phil Jones has stepped down while climate data manipulation is being investigated. You may read the article by clicking here.

Will this have an impact on the planned rush to global governance currently scheduled for Copenhagen in the next few days? If the current named head of the European Union is to believed, things are being rushed to judgment:

"I am in an interim period. I make only a short statement. Questions - ask them starting January 1. And I have 2 1/2 years to answer all your questions. But today, I am rather reluctant and I only limit myself to a brief statement," he said.

But Mr. Van Rompuy called for the world community to reach a strong climate change agreement at a summit in Copenhagen that begins next Monday.

"The European Union has been at the forefront of efforts to fight climate change. It is determined to play a leading, constructive role at the Copenhagen conference and to contribute to reaching a global, ambitious and comprehensive agreement," he added.

You may read the entire Voice of America article from which the above quote is excerpted by clicking here.

Stay tuned!

CONSTANCE

Monday, November 30, 2009

It's getting closer! England now demanding universal border fingerprint identification


I subscribe to Statewatch alerts. Today I received a disturbing one. England is now requiring all entrants to show fingerprints. Here is a link where you can view full brochure. Click on the image above itself to see it in full page mode.

Stay tuned!

CONSTANCE


Sunday, November 29, 2009

Expliquer, S'il vous plait?


Click on the images:

"Javier Solana" = 268,000 hits
"Javier Solana" -Cumbey =39,700,000


Another google search
"Javier Solana" +Cumbey =8,960

Why is he so FAR MORE minus
Cumbey, minus Margraf, minus Dennis Cuddy?

Interesting Google "new math!"

I rather suspect Javier Solana is not going fishing -- he is now "low profiling"!

Stay tuned!

CONSTANCE

Friday, November 27, 2009

TERRIBLE TIMES ARE HERE -- CONSIDER RON SEIGEL

I knew things were bad and growing worse. I was not prepared, however, for the most disturbing of news on a local level. Ron Seigel, a nationally respected reporter, was brutally stabbed in the back by two masked men as he was returning to his waiting taxi on Wednesday, November 24th, the evening before Thanksgiving. Ron is a Jewish man in his early 60s and one of the gentlest but most intelligent people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

From Ron Seigel's bio:

Ron Seigel, a seasoned Michigan reporter who has enjoyed national circulation for many of his important articles received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the prestigious Monteith College of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. His many articles have appeared in such newspapers as the Christian Science Monitor, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic Faith and Family, The Jewish News, the Michigan Citizen, the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit Legal News. Ron directed United Community Ombudsmen, an organization which assisted community residents in dealing with government institutions. "

This (the brutal stabbing) happened in Highland Park, Michigan, the Detroit municipal enclave where I once served as Executive Assistant to the Mayor. My informant was mutual friend, Gwendolyn Mingo, herself one of the finest and most valiant fighters for fairness and decency I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

I last spoke with Ron on Tuesday evening. Ron has contributed columns to this blog and had new material he wanted me to include. I had planned to do so.

Ron's spleen was punctured and had to be immediately removed. He is hospitalized at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.

I will supply more details as I receive them. PRAY FOR RON SEIGEL and that the Highland Park Police Department conduct a vigorous investigation to remove the perpetrators from the streets. My informants tell me that no police report has been made as yet. So far the heinous crime has had no coverage in the local press although Ron has been a frequent contributor to most local newspapers.

CONSTANCE

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Time Magazine Reports re EU "THE BLAND SHALL LEAD THE BLAND"

I've been mulling over Javier Solana's words in his Stockholm/Russia interview. You can watch it for yourself by clicking here. I've also been pondering his sudden total lack of fame at Google.com whereas at Yahoo.com he present enjoys 6,990,000 hits as of the time of this writing. At Google.com he is down to 297,000 hits -- that is until you do the search like this:

"Javier Solana" -Cumbey

At which point, the hits instead of decreasing by the 9,800 stories where my name and his are mentioned together, increase dramatically to 5,680,000. That's somewhat less than the nearly 7 million stories he enjoys on Yahoo!

I've written before about "Google's New Math" when it came to Javier Solana numerical calcuations. I have read quotations from Javier Solana interviews in the past that he knew how to be invisible when necessary. I have more than a passing suspicion that "invisibility" is now becoming an operational necessity for Javier Solana.

My suspicion is that this is now not so much "the bland leading the bland" as it is Javier Solana controlling behind the scenes as he gives his advice to his "successor" in "private."

After all, he has been working for the European Union -- even before he was born! Who can argue with that?

Stay tuned!

CONSTANCE

Thursday, November 19, 2009

European Posts filled by virtual unknowns -- Serious appointments?



It's hard for me as an observer to believe that either of these appointments are serious or lasting ones. Is this Europe's equivalent of Germany's pre Hitler Weimar Republic?

Both of these individuals are relatively unknown. It is safe to say that neither have extensive diplomatic nor military expertise. I will be posting more as I learn more. Javier Solana said in the interview I posted in my last post that he would be active as "advisor" to his successor. I rather suspect with this one he will be running the entire show. Games are being played here. I am not entirely sure what they are. I'll bet Tony Blair is wondering the same thing!

UPDATE: The only one more perplexed by it than me are the Brits. Of course, the only ones more perplexed by Javier Solana's 1995 NATO appointment were the Spaniards. I thought I'd seen it all. I was wrong. Here's a British press reaction:

Who the f*** is Baroness Ashton?

Posted on November 19, 2009 in Media, Politics

Well she’s the EU’s new High Representative for foreign affairs it would seem, despite never having been elected to anything in her life and with most of her experience in politics being as a health service panjandrum in Hertfordshire.

She’s also married to YouGov pollster Peter Kellner, which may mean something or nothing - probably nothing.

Tony Blair didn’t get the president’s job of course, losing out to Herman van Rompuy of Belgium. Well at least Herman didn’t invade Iraq.

But as for the good baroness….I listened to about three hours of BBC reports on the matter tonight and they didn’t seem to know who she was either.

An appointment straight out of Lewis Carrol.


Stay tuned!

CONSTANCE

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

What is Solana hinting? Transition or staying on??



Second update: Announcement of future5 power Iranian talks IN SOLANA'S PRESENCE as announced by his aide, Cristina Gallach.

Update: Activity today, per Der Spiegel. Read all about it by clicking here.

Tomorrow is a big day for the European Union. Its 27 heads of state doing business as the Council of Ministers of the European Union are to meet. Javier Solana is the Secretary General of that body as well as his other positions (Secretary General of the Western European Union; Office of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy CFSP), etc. They are meeting to elect a President for the EU and even more importantly the "High Representative." It is clear from reading both the newly ratified Lisbon Treaty as well as its predecessor failed Constitution that the Foreign Minister holds the major trump cards in the new new European Union government formation. You may read a side by side comparison by clicking here. I have been following Javier Solana's career with no small degree of fascination since November 22, 1995, the date I first became aware of his growing global influence. The enabling acts giving him power were interesting too. Section 666 of the Europa official documents and Recommendation 666 in his Western European Union. Note particularly numbered paragraphs 12, 15, and 18 of the latter.

He has indicated in a recent Interfax interview that even if he has a successor he intends to remain active in all his present endeavors. Far and away his most active endeavor has been the promotion of "global governance."

Tomorrow will be an interesting day to watch. And to give a double meaning, we should all "watch and be ready." The wise shall understand, to quote the Prophet Daniel.

Stay tuned.

Constance

Monday, November 16, 2009

HELP WANTED AT EUROPEAN UNION



H E L P W A N T E D

UPDATE: YOU MUST, HOWEVER, BE 'SUPERHUMAN'!

"Perks" include your personal EU standing army!

It seems nobody wants to be Foreign Minister of the European Union with its enhanced budget, power, and huge diplomatic and military retinues. I rather suspect Javier Solana is far too much of a European patriot to let the post go vacant or to somebody inexperienced. If you are interested in applying for the job, read all about it by clicking here. Otherwise, I am suspecting that with proper pay, power boosts, guarantees, executive perks, etc., etc., the present place holder MIGHT be persuaded to take/keep the job.

Update your resume -- there just might be opportunity lurking in Brussels. Maybe Cristina Gallach might want to apply in case her boss really is serious about retiring or becoming an Acciona consultant.

Stay tuned!

Constance