Vol. 6, No. 1 - 21st Century WATCH - 2003
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - TIMID GIANT?
At the end of World War II the United States stood on the pinnacle of world power. With more than eight and a quarter million men under arms; with our vanquished enemies having been forced to accept unconditional surrender, we were at the height of our strength, knowing no peer on earth.
We alone possessed the most fearsome weapon humans had ever devised, the atom bomb.
We had demonstrated its awesome hideousness by obliterating two large Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing about 115,000 Japanese men, women and children, acts justified by proclaiming that it could well cost up to one million American lives if an invasion of the Japanese home islands proved necessary.
World War II saw the indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets -- total war against total populations for total stakes.
However, scarcely two years after the Germans and Japanese surrendered, the United States' military was but a shadow of its former self. The Russians had stolen the secrets of radioactive bombs, and "denazification" in Germany was turned over to the Germans. By the time the North Koreans attacked South Korea in 1950, our military forces had dwindled to a mere 591,000. Those stationed in Korea viewed their presence merely as a training command, working with the South Koreans to form a viable military.
The United States did not desire territory. We did not annex Italian, German or Japanese possessions. We had gone to war to defeat brutal totalitarianism; to bring to justice mass murderers to whom human life meant nothing. Americans learned that our soldiers could fight, and fight with tenacity, courage and bravery when they knew what they were fighting for. Yet, most fought for their buddies; for mom, home, and apple pie. They did not fight for broad geopolitical principles or for lofty philosophical goals. They fought because they had to. Because there was no other choice.
Many of those same soldiers would never understand, either in Korea or Vietnam, how to fight for limited political goals; how to fight wars of attrition and compromise.
As Josef Stalin amply demonstrated, where Soviet arms went, Soviet dominance remained. The Soviet Union had gobbled up all of eastern Europe, had forged alliances with China, had occupied the Kamchatka Peninsula, and was rapidly exercising hegemony from Greece to Africa and the Middle East.
Sir Winston Churchill said it was as if "an iron curtain" had descended over Europe. The phrase was used repeatedly during decades of the "Cold War," a deadly standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, with each side engaged in a frantic race to build thousands of nuclear weapons, huge, intercontinental ballistic missiles with multiple warheads, long-range strategic bombers, and, yes, a ghastly range of chemical and biological weapons.
For decades, the world nervously walked the tightrope between the war which must never be fought and the peace which could not be achieved. Countless billions were spent by both superpowers to achieve what was called "MAD," or "Mutually Assured Destruction." Each power sought to achieve survivability should the other launch a first strike, and ensure that the retaliatory blow would be so devastating that an attacker could not survive. Thus, the policy of massive strength confronting massive strength seemed the only possible recourse in order to avoid a nuclear World War III, which could mean the end of civilization as we know it.
From the time the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb, every decision taken in the situation room in the White House included the nervous question, "But what will the Russians do?" That blinding fear of Communism pervaded every administration from that of Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan.
The late President Harry Truman, who had authorized the air force to drop atomic bombs on Japan, signed off on the development of the hydrogen bomb in January of 1950. It was known the Soviets were also working on this more fearsome weapon -- a bomb many times more powerful than the small "dirty bombs" used against Japan.
In June of that year, North Korea invaded South Korea. The North Korean armies quickly overran Seoul, the South Korean capital, and pushed the defending South Korean and U.S. forces down the entire length of the Korean peninsula to a defensive pocket around Pusan, the southernmost city.
Like Pearl Harbor, the North Korean attack came as a complete surprise. Gone were the bulk of the battle-hardened U.S. troops who had fought in Normandy and South Pacific. While many officers were WWII veterans, large numbers of the enlisted personnel were fresh and untried. Gone, too, was the American spirit of righteous anger and selfless commitment to battle against a hated enemy.
Korea, after all, was a long way from Kansas.
The White House saw the North Korean attack as an attempt by global Communism to swallow up a helpless neighbor, thus threatening Taiwan, the Philippines and all of southeast Asia; one domino about to fall, thus fulfilling the "domino theory" which theorized that if the free world lost in one theater, they lost in all. President Truman was later to write: "I remembered how each time that the democracies failed to act it had encouraged the aggressors to keep going ahead. Communism was acting in Korea just as Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese had acted ten, fifteen, and twenty years earlier...If this was allowed to go unchallenged it would mean a third world war...It was also clear to me that the foundations and the principles of the United Nations were at stake unless this unprovoked attack on Korea could be stopped."
Nevertheless, when Truman told Secretary of Defense Johnson to relate to MacArthur personally that he was to support the South Koreans with elements of air and naval elements under his command, he added, "But only south of the 38th parallel."
Thus began a new kind of war -- a war neither the military nor the civilian population would ever understand -- a war based upon limited objectives, with limited forces committed to battle piecemeal, in order to lean on an enemy and bring him to the conference table.
Never was it to be a war against total populations for total stakes. Never did the United States envision the unconditional surrender of North Korea. Never were U.S. bombers to be allowed to deprive the enemy of his rearward bases or his industrial capacity to wage war.
MacArthur knew that about 85 percent of the Chinese industrial capacity was located in Manchuria. MacArthur had at his disposal the capability of taking the war to China, should the Communist Chinese intervene. In his mind, that included the use of tactical nuclear weapons. He had no doubt whatsoever that the United States could win decisively in Korea, but that conviction was based upon using all the weapons at his disposal, and using them where they were most effective. He did not know at the outset that he would have to fight in Korea with one hand tied behind his back.
The Korean war was never truly won. Had it been, the United States would not be smarting under the saucy and provocative threats from North Korea, which has scrapped the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and announced it was activating its nuclear program. Oh yes, for "peaceful purposes," of course.
General Douglas MacArthur was known for saying, "In war, there is no substitute for victory." Instead of victory, the U.S. settled for protracted "peace talks" at Panmunjom which dragged on while the fighting continued, with casualties mounting daily. Some of the bloodiest battles in Korea such as "Bloody Ridge," "Pork Chop Hill," and "Bunker Hill" were fought while the negotiators droned on. Each side fought to present the negotiators with a fait accompli in terms of occupied territory.
Clearly, the North Koreans and Communist Chinese were bent on using the conflict to their own benefit. They prevaricated, exaggerated, lied, fenced, delayed, and sometimes walked out, using every psychological tool available to gain advantage. Utterly frustrated by their conduct, Admiral C. Turner Joy, leading the UN delegation, came to believe negotiating with the Communists was totally hopeless. So far as he was concerned, the "peace talks" merely provided a sounding board for Communist propaganda, and the manipulation of world public opinion.
In a strong, harshly clear indictment, he told the Communist negotiators, "...any hope that your side would bring good faith to these meetings was forlorn indeed. From the very start, you have cavilled [sic] over procedural details; you have manufactured spurious issues and placed them in controversy for bargaining purposes; you have denied the existence of agreements made between us when you found the fulfillment thereof not to your liking; you have made false charges based on crimes invented for your purposes; and you indulged in abuse and invective when all other tactics proved ineffective. Through a constant succession of delays, fraudulent arguments, and artificial attitudes you have obstructed the attainment of an armistice which easily lay within our grasp had there been equal honesty on both sides of this conference table...It is an enormous misfortune that you are constitutionally incapable of understanding the fair and dignified attitude of the United Nations Command. Apparently you cannot comprehend that strong and proud and free nations can make costly sacrifices for principles because they are strong, can be dignified in the face of abuse and deceit because they are proud, and can speak honestly because they are free and do not fear the truth. Instead, you impute to the United Nations Command the same suspicion, greed and deviousness which are your stock in trade. You search every word for a hidden meaning and every agreement for a hidden trap."
Powerful words. Blunt, unequivocal indictments of a sly, deceitful, prevaricating enemy.
Those sentiments still apply today, as China, Japan and the U.S. try to "talk" to the north Koreans about their nuclear start-up. Will North Korea negotiate? Are dictators susceptible to reason?
Twice, the United States went to war to halt the spread of Communism in Asia. Twice, we sent our military to fight a war which granted an enemy safe sanctuary; wars fought along an imaginary line drawn by cartographers on a map, which recognized no strategic cities, railways, rivers, mountains, or topographically important military objectives. Twice, we committed troops piecemeal, feeding men into battles for territory they were forced to abandon to the enemy after having won it with their blood. Twice, we strove merely to fight a battle of containment; a battle of attrition which would force an enemy to come to the conference table.
We did not win in Korea. When all the dying was over, all the devastation completed; the landscape strewn with destroyed towns and villages and the wreckage of war, all was just as it was. Hundreds of thousands had died, or been maimed for life. Yet, the political landscape remained the same. A merciless dictator remained in control of the North, and a free and democratic government remained in the South, defended by the U.S. and the UN.
Now, it appears we may have to pay the price for the egregious error of finding a substitute for victory. The same price may have to be paid in Iraq.
America lost in Vietnam. The North Vietnamese did not remain behind any parallel or DMZ once the shooting stopped. Instead, they occupied the South, annexed it, and began their murderous pogroms of eliminating any and all who were suspected of having cooperated with the Americans.
Few realize how deeply the ignominious withdrawal from Vietnam; the frustrating hopelessness of the war hurt American pride. Perhaps the Gulf War managed to salvage some of that lost pride, but once again the military was halted by political considerations. Once again, a substitute was found for victory.
Today, we face the imminent possibility of war with Iraq. Millions of Americans are beginning to question the wisdom of such a war, and even those who are in favor of the Administration's policy, linking Iraq to global terrorism, anxiously hope President Bush will clearly show the world the proverbial "smoking gun" before hostilities commence.
Some officials now advocate reinstating the draft in the hopes it will cause a backlash of mounting anti-war sentiment just as it did during the war in Vietnam. Their cynicism is not lost on conservatives, who have correctly unveiled their agenda.
And now, at precisely the best geopolitical time for them to do so, the Communist North Koreans threaten the United States with "World War III."
The rogue nation challenges the Bush Administration, warning them not to impose sanctions, or they will "go to war." North Korea? At "war" with the "world's only remaining super power"? The threats are obviously hollow; whistling in the dark by a paranoid dictator who spouts ridiculous drivel calculated to bolster his people's pride.
While the United States possesses awesome power, we seem bent on proving ourselves a timid giant. We timidly go to the United Nations, Kofi Anan and the blue-helmeted troops from Scandinavia, Europe, Turkey and elsewhere for "approval." We seek to form "coalitions" which includes Muslim countries in the vain hope that hate-filled Islamic populations will see and approve of our peaceful intentions; our presumed just and righteous cause.
We appear deeply concerned, perhaps even fearful, that the North Koreans might make a "dirty bomb." Since we know they are heavily engaged in exporting missiles and missile technology to Middle Eastern and subcontinent countries like Iran, Yemen and Pakistan, we appear deeply concerned that once they have produced an arsenal of nuclear weapons along with the missiles to deliver them, they may export such weapons to other rogue nations.
The United States people and its government, for all our vaunted power and gigantic military force, could never say to the North Koreans:
"We know you intend to build a nuclear bomb. We began building them in the 1940s. Since that time, we have built tens of thousands of them -- big ones, medium sized ones, small ones. We have placed nuclear weapons in artillery shells, on the nose cones of thousands of missiles aboard nuclear submarines; on the nose cones of ICBMS and IRBMS, in the bombs carried by our stealth bombers -- nuclear weapons with a thousand times the power of the little bomb you are now trying to produce. If we decide to do so, we could utterly destroy your entire country within only minutes. Therefore, you will now halt production of any nuclear weapons, and completely dismantle your nuclear program, or we will turn Pyongyang and other major cities in North Korea into glass. You have exactly one week to comply."
But the United States is not a totalitarian state. Therefore, we could never utter such words to an upstart, rogue nation.
We have no legions. We cannot send illiterate Carthaginians to subdue enemies afar off. Instead, we must send young men and women from Iowa, North Carolina, Montana and Texas.
Because we are fundamentally a "Christian" nation (recent polls indicate up to 85 percent of us believe in God), and because we value human life, we cannot imagine using our military power against total populations for total stakes.
We did so in World War II, but that was because of Pearl Harbor and an inflamed and determined national will.
Today, the battered face of even one captured pilot, shown on enemy television, so aggrieves the hearts and minds of millions of Americans that we are willing to go to virtually any limits to appease, placate, and act the pusillanimous and "reasonable" negotiator in order to avoid armed conflict. Americans hate war, as well they should. That is why the mantle of global superpower sits heavily upon our shoulders. Once the peace talks started in Korea, forward commanders were told: "go ahead and fight the war, but don't get anyone killed." Spoiled by televised pictures of smart bombs going down elevator shafts, Americans now expect their wars to be "clean" wars, with no casualties on our side, and absolutely no "collateral damage" on the other side.
Wars simply do not work out that way.
Perhaps one of the great enigmas of a free, democratic society based upon Judeo-Christian ethics -- placing great value on each human life -- is that we are rarely willing to use the tactics of dictators against dictators.
Are we truly the world's great superpower? Or are we Gulliver in Lilliputia?
Truly, the prophecies of your Bible apply to the United States today as never before.
God says because we as a society have rejected His Ten Commandments and His laws, He will allow terrible curses to descend upon us. Those curses are here, now!
"The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
"He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
"Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee" (Deuteronomy 28:43, 45).
Isaiah's 59th chapter is particularly poignant today: "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
"But your iniquities [lawlessness! The breaking of God's Ten Commandments] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
"For your hands are defiled with blood [we lead the world in murders], and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness [Do politicians and government officials ever lie?].
"None calleth for justice [instead, they sometimes let guilty murderers escape the death penalty, as has just happened in Illinois], nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity... Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
"The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
"Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
"We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
"We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
"For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
"In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
"And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter" (Isaiah 59:1-15).
If we were a nation truly "under God," as we proclaim on our money, God would FIGHT OUR BATTLES FOR US! He promised, "Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
"Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD [call for my free booklet Why Would Anyone Keep Saturday For Sunday? Dial 903 561-7070 for your free copy].
"If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
"Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
"And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
"And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: [No fears! No worries; no "terrorists" in our midst!] and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
"And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
"And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
"For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you" (Leviticus 25:1-9).
If we were a nation obedient to God, all these fabulous BLESSINGS would be our lot.
But since we are NOT a nation obedient to God, but a nation which tramples His Sabbath underfoot; which worships many false gods; which has mixed itself among heathen peoples with pagan religions; a nation of crime, violence, divorce, pornography, child abuse, and so-called "political correctness," we are under a CURSE from God, and not the recipients of His blessings!
For a grasp of our true place in the world, and for a step by step sequence of prophetic events yet to be fulfilled, call or write for your free copy of Europe and America In Prophecy.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL THREATS TO SHAPE GERMANY'S FUTURE
The German people received quite a shock following the recent national elections that extended Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's tenure to another full term. That shock was the revelation that the City of Berlin, Die Reichshauptstadt - Berlin, the capital city of the Fatherland is broke! How could this possibly have happened? What are the ramifications of such an economic calamity? The greatest financial debacle to hit a German city since World War II will ultimately cost German taxpayers over $57 BILLION DOLLARS! Rumor has it that other cities may default within the next few months. The Schröder government is once again in the process of raising taxes, a guaranteed continuation of hard financial times in the German nation.
The coming of the Euro Dollar, the new Trans-European currency is loudly proclaimed a great success, in the news and all government pronouncements. Most Germans believe that the EURO was a good idea except nobody ever considered the possibility of vast price increases for goods and services as a result of "rounding up" prices after January 2, 2002. Essentially, every merchant, vendor, supplier of goods and commodities in Germany upped their prices to make the transition from the old Deutsche Mark, to the new Euro. The official exchange rate is DM 1.95 to the Euro. However, most everyone simplified the situation by an unofficial rate of DM 2 to the Euro. That's had a ripple effect throughout the economy.
Many prices that had been in Deutsche Marks remained the same. That is the actual numerical price remained the same. The currency of course didn't. On December 31, 2001, a certain item such as a small bulb for an oven cost DM 2.50. On January 2, 2002, the price was EURO 2.50. The cost of the little bulb doubled overnight! The Germans aren't happy about this, but as with most everything else that the government decides for them, they just go along. My landlord, a hardworking, skilled millwright summed it up this way, "Oh well, what can we Germans do? The government tells us we have to do this or that. You have to do what the government tells you. Don't you?"
This mindset is not only confined to my German landlord. It's the mindset of the vast majority of German people. Millions of people hold this view. It's a CORE VALUE of the German nation. In one respect it's enviable, that the German nation is solid in it's backing of government. It's this core value and belief that has made Germany a powerful nation in the past, and will make it a WORLD SUPERPOWER in the near future.
Not long after the Euro became a reality, I wrote about the problems that were going on. It wasn't a problem of acceptance for the reasons I've stated above. The German people had no choice in the matter. The government told them that they would convert to the Euro, and convert they did. However, almost immediately the Euro began a severe decline against the U.S. Dollar, the benchmark world currency. On January 2, 2002, the official exchange rate was EURO 1.02 to the U.S. Dollar. By March of 2002, the exchange rate fell to about 80 U.S. Cents to the Euro. As Americans paid in U.S. Dollars, German-made goods became most affordable! German goods were downright cheap! Most thought the trend would continue. Unfortunately, the events of September 11, 2001 caught up with us. Additionally, the European Central Bank began to buy Euros by dumping dollars on the currency market. The dollar began to fall against the Euro. The 9/11 atrocities, the U.S. corporate scandals and the freefall of the New York Stock Exchange, along with the "Buy Strategy" of the European Central Bank, breathed artificial life into the Euro. Today virtual parity exists between the two currencies. It can't and won't last long. The Central Bank in Europe is artificially propping-up the Euro. It's costing MILLIONS OF U.S. DOLLARS to do so. The Central Bank uses U.S. Dollars to buy massive quantities of Euros. The demand for the Euro increases, the demand for the U.S. Dollar decreases. After about 18 months or so the Euro will have to sink or swim on its own.
The German economy is predicted to grow at a ZERO rate in 2003. The economy is weak, taxes are higher than ever, and unemployment is soaring. Considering that the German economy is the leading economy in Europe, things don't look so good for the European Union.
GERMANY DELUDES HERSELF
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, there was an outpouring of sympathy and solidarity with the American people from the German nation. We Americans in the expatriate community felt the warmness and friendliness of our German hosts. That warmness and friendliness didn't last too long. Some Americans were soon subjected to comments such as, "Now you know how we felt when your B-17's bombed Mannheim!" Others were told that, "it's your fault for supporting Israel, and the Jews. After all it was the Jews who caused the ruin of the German nation. The Jews will bring you Americans down too!" Unbelievable that anybody in this country would believe such a thing, yet they do.
Shortly after 9/11, a "Thank You" banner was hung on the fence near the entrance of the army installation where I work. It says, in both English and German, "Thank you Germany, for your support and understanding." The banner is old now. It's tattered and torn. Nobody even thinks of repairing it or placing a new banner as a replacement. Most Americans now think it was a bad joke.
Germany has become a nation of deluded fools. The World War with Islam, thrust upon us by Islamics, has so far escaped most Germans. While there were about 60 Germans killed in the 9/11-jetliner murders at the World Trade Center, it was too few to be felt nationwide. The recent Bali massacre killed a few more Germans, but mostly Australians, so the German nation isn't too concerned. Since there has been no Al-Qaeda assault on German soil the Germans believe that they will escape these things. Even though the recent Islamic terrorists captured in the town where I live, intended to bomb schools and other targets, the threat has not yet sunk in. Germans believe that the Islamics will continue to concentrate on attacking the United States, United States interests, Israel and their interests, and leave Germany alone. After all, the Islamics hate Jews, and the Germans hold the modern day record so far, for the destruction of Jews. So, if the German nation distances itself from Americans, maybe they will be spared the ire of the Islamics. This is the current train of thought, believe it or not.
During the recent national political campaign, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder made it clear that Germany will not participate in any effort to rid the world of Saddam Hussein. One of his wacko cabinet members compared our President Bush to Adolf Hitler! She also stated that, "Baghdad had been a reliable ally in two major conflicts during the last century." As I said, the woman is a little wacky. Yet the German people took these comments to heart. Germans have been lulled into the ignorant belief that Islam is a "religion of love and peace." After all, don't the Muslims "just want to get along"? The anti-American attitudes reflected by Chancellor Schröder's government are not sitting well with the American expatriate community either. German-American relations may have been patched-up at the Washington and Berlin level, but between plain folks on the street, we have sunk to an all time low.
Now, almost daily, we are hearing of new terrorist threats to the stability and tranquility here in Germany. Many Germans have deluded themselves into believing that World War with Islam, is "George Bush's War," or it's "Bush's Adventurism," or other nonsensical brush-offs. The fact is, Islam is at war with Europe as well as with America. I've said this before and I believe it bears repeating: We (Europe, America and Asia as well) are at war. We're just not in it yet!
Germany will have her day. Al-Qaeda has its sights on this country as well as all non-Muslim lands. Remember, to the Islamic, there are only two realms. The first is Dar Al-Islam or lands controlled by Islam. The second is Dar Al-Harb, or Land of the Sword. This classification identifies lands yet remaining to be conquered by Islam. Accordingly, Islam is in a perpetual state of war with all others. Interestingly enough, Muslim immigration shows no sign of reduction in Germany.
If anyone REALLY believes that Islam is a religion of "love and peace," let me advise you of some recent comments of Islamic "holy men." "Jews are the descendents of apes and pigs. They are the enemies of Allah." These aren't the words of Osama Bin Laden or any of the Al-Qaeda trash. They aren't the words of any nominal Christian Sunday morning "evangelist." Nor are they the words of Hitler or any of his butchers. They are the words of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohammed Sayid Tantawi. This "learned Islamic scholar" is the Imam of the Al-Haraam Mosque in Mecca. The Al-Haraam Mosque is one of the "two holy shrines" protected by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Mohammed is the highest-ranking Sunni Muslim cleric IN THE WORLD. He is highly respected in ALL Sunni Muslim nations. He is highly respected, admired and followed by millions of Muslims in the United States!
Another Islamic "holy man," Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al Sudayyis, again at the Al-Haraam Mosque in Mecca harangued a crowd of the faithful for an hour and a half. He agitated his gathering with explosive rhetoric as follows; "Jews are the scum of the earth, the rats of the world, the violators of pacts and agreements, and the murderers of prophets." Sheikh Abd further urged his crowd to "exterminate the Jews and all infidels."
The Islamic "holy men" I've quoted are not fringe Imams; they aren't far out obscure Arab weirdoes off in some back-desert trash dump. These guys are as MAINSTREAM as it gets in Islam. THERE ARE NO MORE LEARNED, ADMIRED, FOLLOWED, OR LISTENED TO ISLAMIC CLERICS EXTANT.
Finally, a western magazine recently interviewed the new Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. In the interview, he stated his support for Palestinian "martyrs" who kill innocent Jewish women, children and old people. The Grand Mufti repeatedly stated that these murders are "justified" and the murderers are doing the "Work of Allah."
Germany won't escape Al-Qaeda forever. There are some pretty juicy targets for a terrorist here in the fatherland. When flying into the Frankfurt International Airport you can clearly see tall skyscrapers that would entice a demon-possessed murderer, a commodity abundantly available to Al-Qaeda. The fact is, Germany is wide open to a terrorist attack. Not just from the air, but on the ground as well. With the advent of the European Union, the tearing down of borders and the elimination of customs and border police, Europe as a whole is wide open. Don't think that Al-Qaeda won't eventually take advantage of the current openness to wreak murder and fear on helpless men, women and children. After all, the Germans are infidels too. No doubt the Islamics have every intention of converting Germany to an Islamic nation, or destroying them. Although Muslims despise the Germans and the German nation, as they do Americans, Britons and Australians, thousands of new arrivals are allowed to immigrate every year. Unfettered Middle East (Muslim) immigration to the German fatherland will soon create another serious internal threat.
A 9/11-style attack on the German nation will have a similar effect on this economy as it did on ours, only much worse. Before the last of four airliners was crashed that day, TWENTY BILLION DOLLARS evaporated in New York City alone. Billions more were lost in the ensuing months. The Islamic enemy knows this well. A single day loss of 20-Billion Euros along with the other economic disorders that are in progress in Germany today would most likely drive the German economy into the ground. Germany's economy is already shaky. The German economy is not near as resilient as our American economy. No nation on Earth can stand a 9/11-type attack and bounce back in a matter of months, as did the U.S. economy.
More insidious is the threat of BIOLOGICAL TERROR. Germany is wide-open to an attack with smallpox, ebola, dengue fever or other contagious diseases. Muslim immigrants or visitors, bent on Personal Jihad, could be purposely infected with smallpox or ebola as an example, and simply walk about infecting people, until that Jihadist becomes so ill, he dies. Jihadists will be able to infect thousands, if not millions of Germans in that manner. Any type of serious terrorist attack on Germany will rapidly create a financial meltdown!
For years, Garner Ted Armstrong has predicted that a worldwide economic collapse will bring down governments, nations and even whole continents and pave the way for dictators or absolute monarchs to rise to power. Nobody believed him. They thought he was "way out." He wasn't. More and more people believe him today as they have come to realize that what he's been warning about for years can happen virtually overnight. The reality of the matter is this; given the right internal or external threat, the German nation will once again look toward a strong leader to solve their problems and to elevate them to their former position of power and glory. Germany is prophesied to change drastically in the near future. The fastest way to effect change in any nation is for that nation to suffer an ECONOMIC COLLAPSE. The tax increase proposed by Chancellor Schröder will only serve to burden the economy more, and cause additional hardship on the German people. There have been 49 tax increases in Germany, since Schröder took office. It seems that the Social Democrats - Greens coalition never met a tax they didn't like. There are signs that the Germans have had enough. This is highly unusual for the Germans to express outrage over a government action. The last time that there was general distrust of the government was in the Weimar Republic days, just short of Hitler's election to the German Chancellorship.
Socialized medicine has become so expensive that it's unlikely the program can continue much longer. What was once available at no cost, is now saddled with a "co-payment." The co-payments are as high or higher than the treatment used to cost. Many Germans are foregoing medical treatment because they can't afford the co-payment. Yet immigrants are not charged the co-payment. Immigrant Muslim families can deliver all of the babies they want (many have 8-12 children) and the German taxpayer pays for it all! After the children are born, families receive a payment (Kindergeld- a legacy of National Socialism) for each child until the child is an adult. This is another serious internal threat. Many Germans are simply giving up and going, Sozial, or on to the generous social welfare program that so many immigrants are enrolled in. That way, the government pays for everything. The more people that go Sozial, will add to the already overburdened system, and hasten the complete breakdown of the social welfare system, which will serve to bankrupt the German government.
When the financial meltdown occurs in Germany, a strong inspiring leader, with great oratory skills and the power to mesmerize his followers will soon come on the scene. He will have the ability to once again flatter the German people. He will ascend to power rapidly, and keep his promises.
He will deal with the masses of Muslims and other minorities in Germany considered by so many to be social parasites. In an extremely popular and well-supported decree, he'll expel them. Some will leave voluntarily; most will be forcibly removed from German soil. The rest of Europe will follow his lead. Expelling Muslims from Germany and Europe may be looked upon as a great crusade in the defense of Christendom. There will be a well-known Christian "holy man" who will approve of this action. Prosperity will return to Germany. The MILLIONS of Arbeitslos, or unemployed will be back in the factories working. Under the leadership of this "great man," Germany will see her standard of living increase beyond belief! The armed forces will be restored to their former place of honor. Law and order will return. The streets will once again be safe for women and children. Germany will export her new prosperity to other European nations, hungry for power and prestige, and accordingly proceed to forge a NEW EMPIRE. THE TIME OF SORROWS prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24 will shortly begin.
The results of internal and external threats have ALWAYS led Germany to turn to strong leadership and strong central government. This time, the internal threat from social unrest and instability, brought about by the near unlimited immigration of middle-eastern people will eventually become intolerable. These are people whose first loyalty is to a totally foreign, non-European HOSTILE religion. The vast majority of Muslim immigrants that arrive in Germany will always be Muslims first, and will never be Germans. This, and Islamic attacks against German targets will eventually create a backlash not seen since the pogroms directed toward the Jews. Even today, there is a quiet seething in most German people over the massive immigration of middle-eastern people into this nation. I see it in their faces. I hear what many Germans are saying. They don't like it, but feel powerless to do anything. There is change coming.
The internal threat will be compounded by the external threat of either Islamic terror, directed at Europe in general or Germany specifically, will lead to the rise of a strong leader who will promise the German people a solution. Desperate, the German nation will once again embrace tyranny in return for security at home, and SUPERPOWER STATUS. They will get what they wish for. Germany will attain world superpower status once again. However, there will be a price to pay for that status.
The new empire will eventually consist of TEN NATIONS once it's consolidated and completed. This ten-nation empire will become the most powerful economic entity in the history of the world. Its armed forces will be the most powerful NUCLEAR armed forces ever! During the 42-months that this great empire exists, the people of the Earth will be in awe of the greatness and power at its disposal. It's alliance with, and blessing by the "great man of God" and leader of a grand universal church will seemingly create an invincible multinational European empire. This empire will dominate and overshadow nations such as the United States and Great Britain. The Ausländers, or nonmembers of the great empire will look in awe at the magnificence and splendor of their betters.
The book of Revelation tells us that the final military, political and RELIGIOUS union will consist of TEN KINGS. It's not unreasonable to believe that this is a literal statement. Every European nation has either a king or queen sitting on their respective thrones today, or has pretenders to dormant thrones. Germany is no exception. The Hohenzollern monarchy, the monarchy of Kaiser Wilhelm, while not in power, is certainly alive and well. Not only are the Bourbon pretenders extant in France, but so are the Bonapartes. The Savoy monarchy, which was enthroned in Italy until 1946 is still alive and well. The Savoy family had lived in exile in Switzerland since 1946. Only recently has the Italian government allowed their return. In the past few weeks, Victor Emanuel, the pretender to the Savoy monarchy traveled to the Vatican for an audience with the Pope. It should be noted that historically, the pope has always claimed the authority to crown kings. Many news reports I've heard in Germany tout this as the first step in the restoration of the Savoys as the rightful rulers of Italy. Belgium, Holland, Spain, Britain, Sweden, Norway and Denmark all have active monarchies with kings and queens on their respective thrones today. It is entirely possible that ALL of the final members of the holy Roman Empire will turn once again to KINGS to save these nations from internal and external threats.
Regardless, Europe will consist of a contingent of strong governments aligned with the "universal church," and forged into the final revival of the holy Roman Empire. The prophecies are coming to pass more and more every day. That we live in the end times prophesied in both the books of Daniel and the Revelation is becoming clearer. The TIME OF TROUBLE is soon to be upon us. Watch for the TWO KEY PROPHECIES written and preached of by Garner Ted Armstrong to be fulfilled. Watch Europe and always watch Jerusalem. The time of redemption is near. Economic collapse in the "Euro Zone" may serve as cause to expel the British from the European Union. After all, the Brits have not adopted the Euro. They've maintained the Pound Sterling. All indications are that the United Kingdom won't be converting to the Euro anytime soon.
The coming war between the United States and Iraq may well cause the internal Muslim threat here in Europe to come to a boil. The creation of a strong central government in Germany may not be far away. That government will unify with nine other nations, and soon create the final version of the old Roman Empire. Keep your eyes on Europe. Watch the events unfolding every day in the world. Time is short.
Do not be distracted from The BIG PICTURE
Your daily news and mine is filled with dozens of distractions, alarming reports, warnings of terrorist activity, and the threat of impending war. The news is so threatening that millions of people prefer not to watch it or read about it. Many prefer to turn immediately to the sports sections, or to sit before their television sets, watching "sitcoms" and "soaps."
When one surveys the condition of this world, it is tempting to play the proverbial ostrich, or to simply shrug off and deny the bad news.
And bad it is:
ITEM: Resulting from the near miss of a Russian made shoulder mounted ground to air missile attack against an Israeli civilian jetliner in Kenya, the government has issued a stern warning to all airlines about the potential of such hand-held missiles being used against commercial jets. Warnings have been issued about the potential of "RPGs" (Rocket Propelled Grenades) or "Stingers" which are no doubt in the hands of terrorists.
ITEM: The media has hyped recent Al Quaida broadcasts about potential attacks at theme parks, sports events, and big crowds -- prime targets for terrorists.
ITEM: Hundreds sick aboard cruise ships has caused much speculation about the possibility of sabotage.
ITEM: A sensational book recently published lays the huge numbers of Americans and others who have suffered respiratory diseases and many other ailments at the door of international terrorists.
ITEM: An unregistered ship is intercepted en route for Yemen with North Korean SCUD missiles aboard. Were they en route to Saddam? To Bin Laden?
ITEM: In Indonesia, arrests have been made as investigators sorted through the charred wreckage of the Bali bombing for which Bin Laden's Al Quaida organization took credit. They also took credit for the massive bombing in Kenya, which gutted a popular Israeli tourist resort, killing and maiming dozens.
ITEM: UN investigators begin sorting through voluminous documents from Iraq, purporting to prove Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction. But previous investigators say much of the material is only a rehash of that which was compiled over ten years ago.
ITEM: Tarik Aziz, Saddam Hussein's right hand man and Foreign Minister for Iraq, charges America wants to redraw the borders of the Mideast; wants to create three countries out of Iraq, give Turkey a slice in the north, and then invade Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, making all of them American "protectorates" so the U.S. can exploit oil. Aziz says it is "all about Israel and oil."
ITEM: American forces are deployed all over the Middle East; in Qatar, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and in Iraq itself.
ITEM: with "war games" being conducted in Qatar; with two more U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups arriving in the Persian Gulf, we know that any "material breach" of the latest tiresome and usually useless "UN Resolution" might cause a sudden U.S. attack against Saddam Hussein.
ITEM: Intelligence sources on the ground in Iraq claim that the ongoing bombing of Iraqi radar sites and air bases is really the beginning of the war; that special forces from America and Britain have been systematically seeking out and pinpointing targets all over the country which are scheduled to be hit the moment a war starts, and are gradually diminishing Saddam's air defenses.
ITEM: Now, it is revealed that Saudi Arabia has intermediate missile capability as a result of purchasing missile technology from China.
ITEM: In the Philippines, Al Quaida operatives continue to pose a threat to U.S. missionaries and other U.S. personnel.
ITEM: Continuing bombings and sniper attacks plague Israel, as Palestinian suicide bombers and gunmen continue to exact their horrible toll.
These items, and many, many more make up a hodge-podge of bad news, apprehension, fears and worries. Millions of Americans are kept on tenterhooks by a continual series of warnings of the possibility of terrorist attacks; war with Iraq is a daily item of discussion on every major television network.
ITEM: The buildup of U.S. and British troops continues in the Gulf. War could come before this newsletter is printed and mailed.
ITEM: North Korea has scrapped the nuclear nonproliferation treaty; has dismantled UN cameras and seals placed in its nuclear reactor facility, and has blatantly threatened the U.S. with "World War III" if the U.S. retaliates by imposing sanctions.
ITEM: An outgoing governor in Illinois empties Illinois prison death rows of over one-hundred murderers in an apparent attempt to gain sympathy from potential jurors as he faces possible charges.
ITEM: A Canadian homosexual, a member of Parliament, is attempting to push through a law which would label the Bible "hate literature" because of Biblical condemnation of sodomy and homosexuality. Such a law, if passed, could mean jail time for preachers who used the Bible to condemn homosexuality.
Today, even a cursory look at these and other world conditions should convince even the most skeptical that the prophecies of Jesus Christ are unfolding before our very eyes!
Christ warned, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
"All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:6-8).
We are surely living in a time of "wars and rumors of wars"! The potential of war looms in China, where some observers say the Chinese are only waiting until the U.S. is enmeshed in a war with Iraq before they attack Taiwan. Others worry that North Korea may seize the opportunity to once again attack South Korea.
Remember, one full third of your Bible is PROPHECY! All prophecy focuses on the Middle East, much of it on Jerusalem. Bible prophecy says almost nothing whatsoever about the Orient. Many of the great wars of the past were not specifically predicted. Not even World War I or World War II were specifically predicted, any more than the war in Korea, in Vietnam, or the war against Iraq in the Gulf. Instead, the prophecies of the Bible concern themselves mainly with Jerusalem, and the general area of Palestine. Christ's "Olivet" prophecy was delivered on the Mount of Olives, across the dry former watercourse of the brook "Kidron." I have been on the Mount of Olives many times; have done radio and television programs from there; have stayed overnight in the old hotel which was operated by the Jordanians there.
Often lost in the hyperbole of frantic media warnings about terrorism and Iraq is the ominous fact that JERUSALEM, and the very existence of the nation of Israel, is the focal point of Arab and Islamic hatred! Time and again, I have written about this fact; how your Bible says Jerusalem is the location which will be critical in the horrific events of the Great Tribulation.
Christ went on to say, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
"Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
"Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
"Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
"And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:15-21).
The "Abomination of Desolation," or the ugly, Satanic, abomination in God's sight which CAUSES destruction and desolation is yet to be set up in Jerusalem! Anciently, Antiochus Ephiphanes, the bloody dictator of Syria, set up a statue of Jupiter Olympus in the Holy of Holies in the temple, thus desecrating the holiest site to God on this earth. Swine's blood; the blood of an unclean animal, and thus abominable to the Jews, was sacrificed there. Also, following the sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the armies of the Romans under Titus, the pagan Roman standards, which were regarded as objects of worship by the Romans, were set up there.
But these were merely typical forerunners of the end time abomination which is to be set up. Will it be set up in a literal temple? Paul predicted, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
"That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 1-4). Some muse that the "temple of God" indicates the church. But this prophecy seems not to be mere analogy, or metaphor. Its language is strongly literal. Furthermore, when it was written the temple in Jerusalem still stood. It would be about fifteen years into the future before it would be destroyed by Titus' armies.
Since no temple exists today, and since the prophecy seems to strongly indicate that a temple will be built, one must ask, where, when, and how?
The "where" immediately brings up a mind-boggling scenario of world conflict! As we have reported for decades, those groups in Israel who insist upon the building of a temple also insist upon its being built on the very site of the two Islamic mosques, the famed "Dome of the Rock," and the "Al Aksa" mosque, which stand atop the Temple Mount. Every allegation about any Israeli interference in the "Haram al Shariff," as the Arabs call it, brings about violent reaction. The current and ongoing Intifada with the many bombings and shootings began when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dared to visit the site with police protection. Also, when a long sealed tunnel was opened to allow tourists access into the old city, the Arabs accused the Israelis of deliberately weakening the foundations of the mosques, as if in preparation to tear them down.
The "Temple Mount Faithful," headed by Gershon Solomon, who my son Mark interviewed for our televison program, advocated taking down the mosques, and each year stages a symbolic "laying of the corner stone" complete with shofars, priests, and symbolic stone.
The WHEN is another huge question. As I have said many times, any massive loss of life COULD result in the Israeli government turning on the mosques in a frenzy of anger and retaliation, and COULD result in the government granting permission for the commencement of a temple!
IF the prophecy must be taken literally, it plainly shows that the great false prophet, who will be in collusion with the beast, will ensconce himself there, and, with the powers of Satan, produce great miracles which will cause millions to worship the beast and his image! Paul said, "And then shall that Wicked [one] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).
The final judgment against the beast and false prophet is described in Revelation 19:20 "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
As I have covered many times previously, the intricate prophecy of Daniel 11:40-45 shows the beast power occupying Palestine, and "overflowing" even to the borders of Pakistan and India. The stage is being set for the emergence of the prophesied "King of the South," a powerful Arab leader who will "push at" (an oil embargo?). The "King of the North," or the beast power which will consist of a huge coalition of powerful nations led by ten "kings," or perhaps military dictators in EUROPE!
How SIGNIFICANT is it that ISRAEL and the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA are the most hated nations on earth today? How significant is it that only BRITAIN dares to continually support the U.S. government, while most of the world does not?
Yes, there will be "wars and rumors of wars." But Christ told His disciples, "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
"Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:24-28).
It is long past the time when people should be distracted by minor doctrinal disagreements; by conspiracy theories; by arguments about words! It is long past time for people to be distracted, misdirected, becoming bogged down in completely irrelevant issues!
Clearly, "these things" of Christ's prophecies are BEGINNING! Jesus Christ says it is time to LIFT UP OUR HEADS; TO LOOK UP because our redemption draws near!
But, sadly, He also said most will be preoccupied with their own daily pursuits!
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
"For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
"And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away..."
"Knew not?" But they had been WARNED FOR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS! How like this generation which has been warned for OVER FIFTY YEARS about events in Europe and the Mideast!
Christ continued, "...so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
"Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matthew 24:35-42).
It is incredible that the flood came upon millions of people who "knew not until the day Noah entered the ark!" Yet, there are countless people today who have been WARNED about what is coming upon this earth, yet continue to be heedless -- like the "sleepy virgins" of Matthew 25! May God grant YOU are not one of those.
The BIG QUESTION is are we deeply converted; are we zealously involved in God's work; are we READY?
The BIG PICTURE concerns the events leading to the second coming of Christ! As John wrote, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
THE UNITED NATIONS, ....COLOSSAL FAILURE!
My father, Herbert W. Armstrong, was an accredited press correspondent in San Francisco when the United Nations was officially formed. For the rest of his life, he remained skeptical toward this body -- doubtful that it could achieve its lofty goals.
Were he alive today, he would be even more skeptical than he was when he heard world leaders adopt the UN charter back in 1946.
The United Nations is the second attempt by mankind to create a WORLD GOVERNMENT. Like the defunct League of Nations following World War I, the UN has been proving its utter irrelevancy ever since its inception!
The Preamble of the United Nations says, "WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED:
"to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
"to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
"to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and
"to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
AND FOR THESE ENDS
"to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and
"to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
"to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
"to employ international machinery for the promotion of economic and social advancement of all peoples,
"HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS.
"Accordingly, our respective governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations."
Since the adoption of its charter in 1946, the UN has failed to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" over sixty times. Wars have been fought all over the globe, with at least one, and usually both, of the participants members of the UN. Those wars were neither prevented nor curtailed short of the combatant's desires to do so. Dozens of nations have undergone violent overthrow of government; hideous pogroms have been carried out by machete or machine gun; millions have died; economies have been wrecked; "fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person" have been brutally and savagely violated hundreds of times in virtually every nation on earth.
From its beginning, the United Nations has shown that it is a timid paper tiger; an ineffective, farcical body which has neither the will nor the power to implement any of its vaunted goals.
Never could the so-called "United Nations" (which should have been dubbed "The Disunited Nations") tolerate, from the immediate aftermath of World War II and the Soviet occupation of Europe, any representative from The United States, Britain, or the Soviet Union to be appointed as its Secretary General. Nor could any individual from one of the "aligned" nations occupy such an office.
Instead, the UN sought to find people from small, powerless, non-aligned nations to become its Secretary General. Norway's Trygvie Lie occupied the top spot from 1946 until 1952.
During his tenure in office, the British sent tanks to Greece to prevent a Soviet push to the Mediterranean; The Soviets clamped down a blockade on Berlin, resulting in the airlift by U.S. and British airplanes, costing many lives and countless dollars; The Bolivian popular revolt broke out in 1946, as did the Chinese Civil War. A Haitian Military Coup occurred that same year. Then came the Huk Rebellion in the Philippines, the French Indo-China War, the Korean Occupation Rebellion, the Paraguayan Coup, the Partitioning of India, and the Portuguese Military Coup. Pakistan annexed Kalat, while India annexed Junagadh. Then came the Ecuadorian Military Coup, and the Kashmiri War. A revolt occurred in Madagascar, and the Paraguayan Civil War broke out.
Sino-Mongolian border clashes ensued, and a coup d'etat occurred in Thailand. There was a Communist "purge" in Albania, and the Dier Yasin Massacre in Palestine. Six Arab armies attacked Israel in 1948, in the Israeli war of independence. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, and Hyderabad was annexed. The Karen Revolt took place in Burma in 1948. The Costa Rican Civil war broke out that same year. The Calderonista Invasion of Costa Rica occurred.
There was a Jamaican Military Coup, a Paraguayan Military Coup, and a mutiny in the Peruvian Navy. A Salvadoran Military Revolt broke out, and then came the Sino-Taiwanese War. The Congo War broke out, lasting from 1949 until 1967. The Libyan Revolt occurred from 1959 until 1951.
An attack against Blair House in Washington occurred in 1950, as the Chinese Communist "Terror" began, which lasted from 1950 until 1958. The Chinese occupied Tibet, and the Indochina War began in 1950, lasting until 1954. The Indonesian Civil War started that same year, lasting for eleven years, until 1961. The Korean war broke out, and dragged on until 1953.
The Argentine Revolt occurred in 1951, along with a Bolivian Military Coup. A Thai government coup came in 1951, and the "Enosis" Campaign began in Cyprus the following year. The Tunisian War of Independence came in 1952, followed by the Maronite Coup in Lebanon. The Mau Mau terrorist killings began in Kenya, and the Mau Mau war lasted from 1952 until 1956.
So much for the term in office of Mr. Trygve Lie the UN's first Secretary General.
The UN then turned to neutral Sweden, electing Dag Hammarskjold as Secretary General.
Hammarskjold occupied the office from 1953 to 1961. The British intervened in Guyana in 1953, as a Columbian Military Coup occurred. The East German Uprising took place that same year. Then came the Laotian Rebellion and the Moroccan Rebellion. The Druse revolted in Syria, and an Iranian Military Coup occurred.
The Algerian War of Independence took place, lasting from 1954 until 1962. The Batdambang Massacre happened, along with the Guatemalan Revolution. There was a Paraguayan Coup in 1954, and the Pathet Lao Insurgency began, lasting until 1959. The Tibetan Uprising came in 1954, along with the Viet Minh Incursion in Cambodia.
Military revolts broke out in Buenos Aires, spreading to the entire country in 1955. There was a Buddhist Rebellion in South Vietnam in 1956, and a Calderonista Invasion of Costa Rica in 1955. The Israelis raided Gaza that same year, while "Black Thursday" occurred in Singapore. The Sudanese Civil War broke out, and continued into the mid 1990s.
The Suez Canal was nationalized by Egypt, and the Sinai War broke out in 1956, when the Arabs again attacked Israel, Egypt blocked the canal, and the British intervened. The Cameroon Rebellion came in 1956 until 1959. Castro overthrew the government in Cuba; the Cuban Revolution lasting from 1956 to 1959. There was a Honduran Military Coup, and then the Hungarian Revolt in 1956, crushed by Soviet troops and tanks. Rioting took place in Poznan in Poland, and the Sino-Burmese War began. The Tibetan War broke out in 1956, lasting for three years. Then came the Viet Cong Insurgency, which would finally result in dragging the U.S. into the Vietnam War.
There were Franco-Tunisian Border Clashes, the Invasion of Ifni by Moroccan Militia; the Imam's revolt in Oman, and the Syrian War. Then came the Tunisian revolt, and Turko-Syrian border incidents. An Army Coup took place in Burma, as the Columbian Civil War broke out. There was a French Officer's Revolt, the Guatemalan Rebellion, the Iraqi Pan-Arab Revolt, and the Iraqi Anti-government Rebellion. Paraguay's "State of Siege" occurred, along with the Tibetan Uprising of 1959. Iraq threatened to annex Kuwait in 1960, and the Guatemalan Army revolted. Israelis captured Adolf Eichmann in Argentina, and the Laotian Civil War broke out.
All of these events, violent occurrences and wars took place during the tenure of Mr. Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden.
Then, the UN found yet another obscure person from a third world country, Mr. U Thant of Myanmar. He held office from 1961 to 1971. During his term of office, The Nigerian Civil War occurred, and the Sandinista Insurgency erupted in 1961, lasting until 1978. There were Indo-Chinese skirmishes in 1960, and the Katangan Secession in the Congo from 1960 until 1964.
A Laotian Military Coup took place, and a French Army Revolt broke out in Algeria. The Gary Powers U-2 Incident occurred, as the Angolan War of Independence broke out. Then came the ill-fated "Bay of Pigs" invasion. The Berlin Wall Crisis occurred. And Ecuadoran Coup took place, and the Guatemalan Civil War broke out. So did the Laotian Civil War, the Nigerian Civil War, and a South Korean Military Coup. Then came the Yemen War, and the Iraqi Kurdish Revolt, brutally crushed by the Iraqi Army. A Burmese Military Coup took place in U Thant's home country, and the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the very precipice of nuclear bomb World War III. The Guatemalan Student Riots occurred, along with Insurrection in Brunei, the Pathet Lao Insurgency, and the Mozambique War of Independence. Then came the bloody Rwandan Civil War, the Sino-Indian War, the North Yemeni Civil War, and the dissolution of the United Arab Republic.
By 1963 the Algerian-Moroccan War broke out, the Cypriot Civil War began, a Congolese Military Coup occurred, as did a similar coup in Ecuador. There was another Guatemalan Military Coup, the Haitian Rebel Invasion, a Honduran Military Coup, and a South Vietnamese Military Coup. The Tupamaros Terrorism began, and the hideous Tutsi Massacre in Rwanda commenced in 1963.
Then, in 1964 came the Brazilian Military Revolt, the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, Anti-American rioting in Panama, the Thailand War, and the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Meanwhile, the PRP Rebels were murdering thousands in Zaire, and the Tanganyikan Army mutinied. Zanzibar underwent a revolution, and a Civil War broke out in Chad. The Thai Rebellion occurred, and the Vietnam War began by 1965. The Second Kashmiri War took place that same year. The Black Panther rebellion in the United States began in 1966, and lasted until 1973.
The so-called "Chinese Cultural Revolution" in which uncounted millions were murdered, took place from 1966 until 1969. A Central African Republic Coup occurred, and a military coup in Ghana. The Nigerian Coup took place in 1966, and the Algerian-Moroccan border clashes happened the next year. Biafra seceded in 1967, and the violence continued for three years. The Cypriot crisis between Greece and Turkey, both members of the UN and NATO, occurred in 1967. The Katanga Revolt broke out in the Congo, and the "Colonel's Coup" took place in Greece. The Six-Day War between Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt occurred in 1967, setting the stage for interminable demands by the Arabs for the return of captured territories.
The Basque Separatist Terrorism struck Spain in 1968, and terrorist bombings and attacks took place in Northern Ireland. There was a Panamanian Military Coup, another Iraqi Kurd uprising, and North Korea captured the USS Pueblo. The Israelis raided Bierut in 1968, and a Mali Military Coup occurred. Then came the Yemeni Civil War, and the Baath Party Coup in Iraq.
Two coups occurred in Panama in 1969; one in January, the other in December. A Sino-Soviet border clash occurred, and military coups took place in the Sudan and in Libya. The dispute over the Shatt al Arab began between Iraq and Iran, which would lead to a 10-year war. "Christian" and Shia violence caused much loss of life in Lebanon; the Guyanan Rebellion broke out, and the infamous "Soccer War" occurred. The Baader-Meinhof gang gained global notoriety through terrorist attacks and kidnappings; the Cambodian Civil War broke out, the Polish Revolt occurred, and many acts of Syrian sponsored terrorism occurred from 1970 to 1986. There was a rebellion in Trinidad. The Bangladesh War of Independence occurred in 1971, and more Lebanese-Palestinian violence took place.
The Rhodesian Civil War broke out, and Idi Amin staged a successful coup in Uganda. All this took place while U Thant of Myanmar sat in his office at the UN, that organization which allegedly represents "the world's last chance for peace."
Then, the UN elected Kurt Waldheim of Austria, not knowing of his Nazi past, or, if they did know of it, choosing to ignore it. During Waldheim's tenure in office, there was a huge genocidal massacre in Burundi; the Ecuadoran Military Coup occurred; the North-South Yemen War; the Afghan Military Coup; the Chilean Coup; the Greek Military Coup, and the Israeli raid on Beirut in 1973 took place. The Yom Kippur war came that same year, followed by the Arab Oil Embargo. Once again, the Kurds rose up in Iraq, and Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons, killing thousands of men, women and children. The Turks invaded Cyprus in 1974, and the Ethiopian Civil War broke out. So did war between Mali and Upper Volta.
During Waldheim's term in office, Watergate occurred, leading to President Nixon's resignation; the Mayaguez was seized offshore Cambodia, resulting in Marines assaulting Tang Island in the Gulf of Siam, bombing of a Cambodian air base, and the release of the ship and crew. President Carter pardoned Vietnam War deserters; the Senate voted to turn over the Panama Canal; 63 Americans were taken hostage in Tehran as the Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah of Iran; the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and U.S. sanctions were imposed against the Soviet Union, while the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics.
Disputes over the Shatt al-Arab eventually resulted in war between Iraq and Iran, leaving more than a million dead, and the use of chemical weapons. The Khmer Rouge raids in Cambodia began, in which an alleged million eventually died. The Lebanese Civil War broke out, and first a rightist, and then a leftist coup took place in Portugal. So did a coup in Nigeria. The Pathet Lao occupation of Laos began. The Renamo Insurgency took place in Mozambique, and the South African Rebellion occurred.
Argentina fought its dirty war from 1976 until 1983, and the Israeli raid on Entebbe to rescue Jewish hostages took place in 1976. The Thammasat Massacre occurred in Thailand in 1976, as did the Thai Naval Coup. The Hmong Guerilla War struck Laos in 1977, as the Libyan-Egyptian war broke out. The revolution in Iran occurred commencing in 1979, and a Marxist coup took place in Afghanistan. The Columbian "drug wars" began.
Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978, and Jim Jones led his duped believers to their deaths in Guyana. The Sandinista Revolution began in Nicaragua, and there was war between Uganda and Tanzania. The Zaire Rebellion came along in 1978, lasting for nine years. The Soviets occupied Afghanistan in 1979, withdrew in 1988. The Iranian hostage crisis occurred from 1979 until 1981. Libya invaded Chad. There was a military coup in Ghana, and the Sino-Vietnamese war broke out. A coup was staged in Liberia; the Libyan Army revolted; the Salvadoran Civil War broke out, as the Iran-Iraq War raged on. The Solidarity Movement began in Poland. The West Nile Terror took place from 1980 until 1985 in Uganda.
A border war broke out between Ecuador and Peru; Sadat of Egypt was assassinated, and the Israelis attacked and destroyed Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak, near Baghdad, without asking Kurt Waldheim's permission, or attempting to form an Arab coalition. The Libyans invaded Chad; martial law was imposed in Poland; there were military coups in Bangladesh, Ghana and Spain, and a bush war raged in Uganda.
All these events, and many more not covered here took place during Kurt Waldheim's tenure of office.
Next, the UN decided to elect an obscure diplomat from Peru, Javier Perez de Cuellar, as Secretary General. During de Cuellar's term in office, from 1982 until 1991, the Falkland Islands War between Argentina and Britain occurred; there were military coups in Guatemala, Bangladesh, and the Central African Republic. Hindu-Muslim violence occurred in India, and many were killed as the Sikh Separatists fought for independence. The Thai drug war broke out. and President Aquino of the Philippines was assassinated. There were overthrows of government in Guatemala (again), Upper Volta and Nigeria, and PLO terrorists bombed and murdered helpless civilians in Israel from 1983 up to the present.
The Tamil insurgency began. There was a revolt in the Sudan, in Cameroon, and Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984. The Thai-Laotian border clash occurred in 1984. Then came the Haitian Revolution, the Israeli Raid on PLO headquarters in Lebanon, and the Nigerian Coup.
Military coups also occurred in 1985 in Sudan, Thailand, and Uganda. 1986 saw the beginning of the Ugandan Civil War, and the U.S. raid on Libya over Kadafi's self-proclaimed "line of death" in the Gulf of Sidra. The Philippine Revolution occurred, as did the South Yemeni Civil War.
During de Cuellar's term, the Soviets shot down an unarmed South Korean 747 off Kamchatka, killing all 269 people on board; 241 U.S. marines and naval personnel were killed in Lebanon as terrorists blew up their barracks at Beirut's airport; the U.S. invaded Grenada; a TWA jet was seized by terrorists after taking off from Athens; 153 passengers held hostage, and one U.S. serviceman was killed; Palestinian terrorists seized the Italian linerAchille Lauro, killing a helpless American Jewish cripple; space shuttle Challenger exploded; the U.S. imposed sanctions on South Africa; Iraq fired a missile at the USS Stark, killing 37 sailors; a missile from the USS Vincennes shot down an Iraqi jetliner, killing all 290 aboard; terrorists bombed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 259 aboard and 11 on the ground; the Iran-Contra "scandal" broke, threatening the Reagan presidency.
Two coups took place in Haiti in 1988; one in June, the other in September. The Palestinian "Intifada" or uprising (along with boycotting of Israel) began in 1988. There was another military coup in Panama, and the Armenian-Azerbaijani War broke out. Revolution occurred in Romania in 1989. The Liberian Civil War broke out, and yet another Panamanian military coup occurred.
There was a Philippine Military Revolt, and the Tiananmen Square massacre took place in Beijing. The U.S. invaded Panama, capturing General Noriega. The Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet Union imploded, and in quick succession the nations of eastern Europe emerged from behind the iron curtain, and began democratic and free market reforms. None of this was the result of UN efforts, however. The much-heralded "end of the cold war" was primarily a struggle between the vibrant American economy and the failure of Communism.
By 1990, the Persian Gulf War broke out, along with rebellions and uprisings in Nepal, Albania, Nigeria, Romania, Niger, Somalia, Surinam and Trinidad. The Tutsi insurgency in Rwanda saw the brutal massacre of uncounted tens of thousands who were hacked to death by machetes.
The "August Coup" took place in 1991 in the Soviet Union, quickly followed by the Croatian secession. The Kurds again revolted in Iraq and Turkey in 1991, and the "no-fly" zones were established to prevent Saddam Hussein from massacring Kurds in the north and Shia Muslims in the South. The Somalian Civil War broke out from 1991 to 1993, and the Soviets intervened in Latvia in 1991. There was a Thai military coup in 1991, and the Moldavian Civil War broke out.
All these events took place during the tenure of Javier Perez de Cuellar, of Peru.
Next, the UN sought to find yet another obscure diplomat from a third world country as Secretary General. They found Boutros Boutros-Ghali, whom I had come to know in the early 1970s, when he was the Egyptian Ambassador to Ethiopia. I enjoyed dinner with Mr. Boutros-Ghali in his home in Cairo while he held this post.
During Mr. Boutros-Ghali's tenure in office, from 1992 until 1996, the Algerian Civil War broke out, as did civil wars in Angola and Bosnia. The Bangkok Massacre occurred in Thailand in 1992. There were coups in Chad in February and May. The Tajikistan Civil War broke out, and there were two coups in Venezuela, in February and November of 1992.
The bloody Burundian Civil War began in 1993, as did the Civil War in Georgia. Somalian Clan Warfare began in 1993 and continues to the present. A revolt began in Chechnya; and massive genocidal killings began in Rwanda by 1994.
1995 saw the Ecuadoran-Peruvian border war; tribal violence in Ghana, and the Hutu infiltration of Burundi. There was a Burundian Military Coup in 1996, the Liberian Civil War in that same year, and a Columbian peasant uprising. The Albanian Rebellion commenced in 1997, resulting in the Kosovo crisis, and NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Civil War broke out in Cambodia, and the military revolted in Sierra Leone.
A bloody Ethiopian-Eritrean Border War occurred in 1998, along with more violence in Northern Ireland. The Tutsi Rebellion occurred in the Congo.
From that time to this, there have been many additional incidents of violence all over the world. Hideous terrorist bombings in Israel continue to result in Israeli retaliations; the Mideast seethes with ancient hatreds and strife, and peace in the Mideast seems more elusive than ever.
By 2001, the United States experienced the most devastating attack on its own shores in history, as the September 11th terrorists hijacked four aircraft, turning them into flying missiles, smashing them into the two most imposing buildings in New York, the Twin World Trade Towers. Another passenger jet slammed into the Pentagon. Still another, probably headed for either the White House or the nation's capitol building, thanks to heroic efforts of doomed passengers, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
The "War on Terror" had begun.
Knowing the Saudi exile, Osama bin Laden was the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan, known to be bin Laden's warren, where he was supported by the brutal Taliban regime. The United States did so without going hat in hand to the current Secretary General, Kofi Anan.
Kofi Anan was born in Ghana, another third world nation. Again, the UN had demonstrated its unwillingness, or inability to elect to its top post any seasoned diplomat from a major industrial state.
With a second war against Iraq in the immediate offing, Kofi Anan and the UN have once again demonstrated to the world their absolute inability to wield real power in enforcing UN resolutions.
The UN resolution on Iraq says, in paragraphs 3 and 4 that the UN "...Decides that, in order to begin to comply with its disarmament obligations, in addition to submitting the required biannual declarations, the Government of Iraq shall provide to UNMOVIC, the IAEA, and the Council, not later than 30 days from the date of this resolution, a currently accurate, full, and complete declaration of all aspects of its programmes to develop chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and other delivery systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles and dispersal systems designed for use on aircraft, including any holdings and precise locations of such weapons, components, sub-components, stocks of agents, and related material and equipment, the locations and work of its research, development and production facilities, as well as all other chemical, biological, and nuclear programmes, including any which it claims are for purposes not related to weapon production or material;
"4. Decides that false statements or omissions in the declarations submitted by Iraq pursuant to this resolution and failure by Iraq at any time to comply with, and cooperate fully in the implementation of, this resolution shall constitute a further material breach of Iraq's obligations and will be reported to the Council for assessment in accordance with paragraphs 11 and or 12 below."
Paragraphs 11 and 12 read: "Directs the Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC and the Director General of the IAEA to report immediately to the Council any interference by Iraq with inspection activities, as well as any failure by Iraq to comply with its disarmament obligations, including its obligations regarding inspections under this resolution;
"12. Decides to convene immediately upon receipt of a report in accordance with paragraphs 4 or 11 above, in order to consider the situation and the need for full compliance with all of the relevant Council resolutions in order to secure international peace and security".
Time and time again, the media has reported that Iraq is already in "material breach" of resolution 1441. Yet, the UN has taken no action. Preferring to pretend the documents submitted by Iraq (which are admittedly a "rehash" of those submitted eleven years ago) are to be taken seriously, the UN has allowed itself to assume the posture once again of a paper tiger, sending out empty threats, but failing to act when those threats are ignored.
The opening words of Resolution 1441 are virtually embarrassing, for they document the failure of the UN to force Iraq into complying with a plethora of useless resolutions: "The Security Council, Recalling all its previous relevant resolutions, in particular its resolutions 661 (1990) of 6 August 1990, 678 (1990) of 29 November 1990, 686 (1991) of 2 March 1991, 687 (1991) of 3 April 1991, 688 (1991) of 5 April 1991, 707 (1991) of 15 August 1991, 715 (1991) of 11 October 1991, 986 (1995) of 14 April 1995, and 1284 (1999) of 17 December 1999, and all the relevant statements of its president,
"Recalling also its resolution 1382 (2001) of 29 November 2001 and its intention to implement it fully,
"Recognizing the threat Iraq's noncompliance with Council resolutions and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles poses to international peace and security,
"Recalling that its resolution 678 (1990) authorized Member States to use all necessary means to uphold and implement its resolution 660 (1990) of 2 August 1990 and all relevant resolutions subsequent to Resolution 660 (1990) and to restore international peace and security in the area,
"Further recalling that its resolution 687 (1991) imposed obligations on Iraq as a necessary step for achievement of its stated objective of restoring international peace and security in the area,
"Deploring the fact that Iraq has not provided an accurate, full, final, and complete disclosure, as required by resolution 687 (1991), of all aspects of its programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles with a range greater than one hundred and fifty kilometres, and of all holdings of such weapons, their components and production facilities and locations, as well as all other nuclear programmes, including any which it claims are for purposes not related to nuclear-weapons-usable material,
"Deploring further that Iraq repeatedly obstructed immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access to sites designated by the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), failed to cooperate fully and unconditionally with UNSCOM and IAEA weapons inspectors, as required by resolution 687 (1991), and ultimately ceased all cooperation with UNSCOM and the IAEA in 1998,
"Deploring the absence, since December 1998, in Iraq of international monitoring, inspection, and verification, as required by relevant resolutions, of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, in spite of the Council's repeated demands that Iraq provide immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), established in resolution 1284 (1999) as the successor organization to UNSCOM, and the IAEA, and regretting the consequent prolonging of the crisis in the region and the suffering of the Iraqi people..."
Ongoing events have proved that Iraq has not complied with this resolution, any more than it did the previous ones.
The next few weeks will determine once and for all if the United Nations is truly relevant, or, like the League of Nations, should be relegated to the "dust bin of history."
In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler brazenly defied the allied powers and the League of Nations by sending troops into the demilitarized Rhineland, the "DMZ" of its day. His bold gambles paid off again and again as weak, indecisive nations failed to stand up to him. At the time Hitler attacked France, the French Army was several times larger than the Wehrmacht. Yet, Hitler prevailed.
Today, Saddam Hussein seems bent on proving that the United Nations, just like the League of Nations, is superfluous and irrelevant; that it may belong to the dust bin of history.
When one reviews its charter; its avowed intention to prevent wars, and usher in an era of world peace in the light of all the foregoing, one is inclined to view the United Nations not as the "world's last chance for peace," but as a colossal failure.
Suppose one of the ambassadors to the United Nations would stand up in the General Assembly and utter the following words:
"This body has demonstrated for the past 58 years its total inability to bring world peace.
Today, the world seems closer to massive wars -- even the possibility of a nuclear World War III than it ever has -- despite the best efforts of the United Nations.
There is only one hope for peace in this world, and that is the return of Jesus Christ, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God."
All Islamic representatives would go berserk. The Jewish delegates would be outraged. All Hindus, Buddhists and Animists would shriek in rage. Most nominal Christians would be embarrassed and shocked. The offending speaker would no doubt be quickly captured, and escorted from the premises by security guards.
After the pandemonium his words had caused would finally settle down, someone from among his colleagues would tender an apology, the gavel would come down, and the UN General Assembly would once again get about its business.
God's Word, speaking of governments, says: "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity [lawlessness]...their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
"Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
"The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
"Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
"We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
"We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
"For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgres-sions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
"In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
"And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter" (Isaiah 59:4-14, excerpted).
Truth, justice and fairness are not to be found in the UN building in New York. Instead, it quickly became a hollow sounding board for Communist propaganda, and has now proved itself an inept, irrelevant body of pusillanimous appeasers.
The way of peace they know not.
HOW MUCH LONGER WILL THEY TAKE IT?
The so-called Intifada, declared by Yasser Arafat is just a new name for an old scourge. Since 1948, combined Arab Armies have attacked Israelis; so-called freedom fighters, and Armies of God, Islamic Holy War, and outfits with a list of weird names have attacked and killed innocent people. The sole purpose of all of these attacks, shootings, arsons, riots, murders, bombings and mayhem has been for one purposethe annihilation of Israel and as many Jews as possible! Regaining the land of Israel, once Dar Al-Islam, land of submission, or land controlled by Islam, will remain Dar Al-Harb, or Land of the Sword.
Israel has always stood for peace. It's to the advantage of any capitalistic, democratic nation to seek peace. The way our economies work is that peace creates a stable environment from which to do business. Israelis are great businessmen. They fully understand that for their economy to flourish, for their society to grow and prosper, a stable environment must be achieved and maintained.
The Islamic Arabs are of another mindset however. The establishment and maintenance of democracy, freedom and stability are not within reach of most Arab nations. These concepts are foreign to the thinking of most Islamic Arabs. Of the 22 nation Arab League, all are dictatorships of one form or another. Not one of the Arab League members is a democratic country. Not one offers freedom to their people. They offer the unquestioned loyalty of Islam, or in Saddam Hussein's situation, unquestioned loyalty to Saddam.
Take the case of Yasser Arafat, or "General Yasser Arafat," as he proclaimed himself during one of the Rumallah sieges. Arafat has been handed every incentive and opportunity for peace that one can imagine. However, he has spurned the Israeli government's peace proposals every time. Why? Arafat does not want peace. He wants ISRAEL.
"General" Arafat has never negotiated with the Israelis with sincerity, nor has he negotiated with the Israelis with any intent to find common ground. Arafat goes through the motions in order to gain money, materiel, and fame. A darling of the liberal media in our country, and Europe, Arafat will maintain his intransigence until he's either deposed, dead or has no alternative. In the meantime, the murders of innocent Israeli women, children and old people will continue. It will continue until the Israeli people have had enough! "The patience of Job," comes to my mind, when I think about the endless atrocities that the Israeli people have been subjected to by their Islamic Arab neighbors. Israelis are after all human beings, and their patience won't hold out forever.
As of this writing, war is still imminent with Iraq. Thousands of American and British soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are positioned now, to strike Iraq upon being ordered to do so. Advanced air forces and naval assets will be used to strike Iraq as hard and as fast as possible. No doubt we'll see a prolonged air assault designed to rapidly establish air supremacy, and to destroy any and all Iraqi antiaircraft weapons system. No doubt we'll attack scud missile launchers at every opportunity. But what of those one or two or so scud missiles that actually strike ISRAEL? Saddam has stated that if coalition forces attack Iraq, he will immediately launch attacks on Israel. In this case, I think we can believe the mad dictator. What if Saddam has placed biological weapons or CHEMICAL MUNITIONS on the nosecones of those scuds? How will Israel react? Will she lie down and take it as she did in 1991? I don't see that as a likely possibility. Israel will retaliate with vicious attacks of her own. If Israelis are dying on their streets and in their homes, as a result of being GASSED, you can expect retaliation up to and INCLUDING NUCLEAR WEAPONS. The city of Baghdad might very well cease to exist except in the memories of the survivors. You can count on Israeli patience ending, when Arab weapons of mass destruction fall on Israel. They will not tolerate any such atrocity.
The Arab world threatens to "mobilize" yet it's doubtful that they really will. Remember that in the Arab world, saying is as good as doing. Words most often substitute for deeds. Certainly we will see more murderous incidents perpetrated by Islamic terrorists. Murderous young Muslims harangued and stirred up by cowards masked as "holy men." But a mobilized Arab army moving against Israel is not likelyunless the NUCLEAR annihilation of Iraq, by Israel prepares the way for a charismatic Arab leader to rise up and UNITE ALL ARABS IN JIHAD AGAINST ISRAEL. That leader who will rise up to be the KING OF THE SOUTH is alive today, and may already be in a leadership position somewhere in the Middle East. Garner Ted Armstrong has preached and taught for years that the Bible does NOT predict peace and harmony for the Middle East. Mankind is simply not capable of establishing and maintaining any kind of a lasting peace. There is only one hope for the Middle East, and the world in general, and that is the return of Jesus Christ to this Earth. Jesus Christ CAN AND WILL ESTABLISH PEACE ON EARTH. However, He will do it in a manner that nominal Christians will not believe, and no amount of reasoning will convince them. They don't believe what their own Bible says. I do.
War is coming to the Middle East soon. Peace is elusive, and not on the horizon. As Watchmen, we need to continue to keep our eyes on world events, especially events unfolding in and around Jerusalem. The Middle East is where the next WORLD WAR will begin. In all actuality, the war has already started. We just are simply not in it yet.
Biblical prophecy is unfolding at an ever increasing pace. We are in the end times, and the final countdown to the return of Jesus Christ has begun. Many people in God's Church will actually see the Son of Man return to earth with a vast army of Angels, to be joined by His resurrected saints. Watch always and pray that you are able to STAND at the Last Trump, the signal that Jesus has returned to gather His elect from the four corners of the Earth.
In the meantime, watch Israel. The murder of Israelis, the bombings and destruction will only be tolerated to a point. The restitution will be hard on those who would venture to push the Israelis into the sea. It's a war that's been in the making for many thousands of years. The delusional religion invented by Mohammed, called Islam has only hastened the coming day of reckoning for ISHMAEL.
Letters:
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
I very much enjoy listening to your program. Do you have any information on baptism?
B. H. in Massachusetts
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
Thank you for the literature, it's been wonderful reading!!
J. D. in Michigan
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
This show needs to air more times per day! I thank you for all your in-depth knowledge.
G. J. in North Carolina
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
Thank you very much for your materials, they are very educational.
R. Z. in Slovakia
Dear Mr. Armstrong
I have listened to Mr. Armstrong off and on for many years, but never so much as I have been in the last few years. For I, like so many others, lost Mr. Armstrong and falsely believed that I had lost him for the remainder of my sojourn on this earth, but praise be to (God) that I have found him again.
I now have many video and audio tapes which I share and spread for others to use and enjoy (GLORY TO GOD) Our Father and His soon coming KINGDOM and to our precious Savior and Eldest Brother who is to be head of said Kingdom as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
M. J.
Read Mr. Armstrong's article "America the Timid Giant" at the World Net Daily news site and must say, What a great article it was! It contained a wonderful history lesson all Americans should read and understand. Also, the questions Mr. Armstrong raises should be considered by all Americans as well. I sure hope Mr. Armstrong writes more articles for this news site. For those of us who visit this site on regular visits we look forward to more material like Mr. Armstrong brings forth! Have earmarked your site as a favorite. The address was given at the end of the article. Thank you for letting me respond, and please pass along my greetings and well wishes to Mr. Armstrong and hope for more continued contributions to the World Net Daily news site. Must close now and browse through your interesting site, it has so much information it is amazing!
D. M.
Garner: Hear Hear, well done! Thank you for such a fine article. I think the Holy Spirit was guiding your fingers on this one. It should be required reading for everyone, especially young people.
D.L
Do you have a newsletter? If so, I would like to subscribe. Thank you.
J. D.
I read your well written article about United States of America a Timid Giant and have passed it on to my friends to read. I always enjoyed hearing you when you were on the radio back when. You are a good thinker - a rare commodity today. It is a shame to see the church your father founded give up the Sabbath.
J.O.
Dear Brother Garner Ted,
Good article today in the WND. Thanks! We've missed you here in the L.A. area.
G. D.
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
Just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you and the rest of the website team for "always being there." Whenever I've needed reassurance (in addition to prayers and Bible reading), it's a blessing to know the web site is there and the people behind it. You've always taken the time to answer my emails and provide the necessary guidance when necessary. My prayers for you and the team and a big thank you. Keep up the great work. Some of us desperately appreciate it.
J. G.
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
What you are doing is awesome. It's great to hear the truth, and of course be set free by it. I am commencing reading all your booklets, along with my Bible of course. I am most looking forward to beginning this journey to know God a whole lot better!! Thank you so much.
K. T.
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
Started with HWA and the Radio Church of God but left in 1961. Thank you very much. Please make sure I am on the mailing list to receive 21st Century Watch. By the way, we met your father at Lake Tahoe years ago. Keep up the good works.
M. H.
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
I think it's a wonderful thing and a blessing that you offer your Biblical study and research (that must be prompted from divine revelation) for free. I must add that it is refreshing to see that there is someone administering God's truths from His Word without wanting anything in return (money). You're not selling it, as many others do; you're freely administering, as God has freely given it to you. I enjoy reading literature that doesn't conform to any denominational dogma, but rather to the TRUTH. I will be requesting more literature from you in the near future. God bless you, Mr. Armstrong and your great gift of understanding and prophecy.
R. M. in Alaska
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
I got much good information out of your booklet "THE MARK OF THE BEAST--WHAT IS IT?" Thanks, Keep doing GOD'S 'true' work.
C. G. in California
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
I want to thank you for bringing the truth to so many that have been deceived by traditional teachings. My father is a minister and I was raised with the same beliefs that you teach. I married a wonderful Christian man, but he was taught the more traditional manner. After reading your article, "To Eat or Not to Eat, That Is The Question," about 3 days ago, he told me this evening to get the pork out of the house. God's laws reached yet another family and through your efforts. Even knowing how I was raised he still didn't have a conviction nor thought it was wrong biblically until he read your article. Thank you so much for I didn't want my children being raised to believe it was all right. Thank you so much for all your efforts.
S. B. in West Virginia
Dear Mr. Armstrong,
Thank you all for doing a great job. Keep up the good work!
T. B.