The post Op-Ed: Iran and China close to large military and trade partnership deal first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

         If you planned to buy some cheap sporting goods gear or anything else made in China, you might want to hurry to the store.   Trade talks appear to have reached an impasse, reflected by a gyrating stock market this week. It is well known and widely reported that America suffers a $500 billion annual trade deficit with China.   An agreement was all worked out and signed by negotiators for the Chinese, until it was pulled back and rejected by their leadership.   One pundit suggested that those responsible for concluding the arrangement on China’s behalf have been recalled and may well suffer prison or death for their efforts.

President Trump seems to be the exception to widespread panic roiling the pundits and markets. He seems perfectly at ease with the tariffs even threatening to expand them to items currently not covered, such as electronics, and all will be well in the end.   The President believes that China will run out of potential retaliations and be forced to play ball, as the risk to their economy is far greater than any exposure faced by the United States. Trump publicly threatened to do exactly this eight years ago during a brief flirtation with a presidential run. Now he’s making good on that threat.

As North Korea is finding out, President Trump plays hardball.   You probably heard of the North Korean freighter seized in Indonesia carrying coal destined for China in contravention of sanctions recognized and approved by the UN. At least they won’t be using that freighter, their largest,   for clandestine shipments anymore.   Chairman Kim is receiving attention for having fired a series of short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan.   The President’s critics seem thrilled that Kim is “standing up to Trump,” flexing his muscles or whatever. Foreign policy experts are not alarmed.   The short-range tests do not fall into a category of concern over North Korean nuclear capabilities.

Central American aliens continue to flood the Southern U. S. border in   record numbers. Much to our dismay, recent weeks have seen reports of hundreds and thousands being released, destitute, into American society. A court ruling this week indicates that Central Americans can be released back into Mexico to await their asylum cases.   We can only hope that this works out and curtails the wholesale release of people who disappear into the population where many will be supported courtesy of the U. S. taxpayer. Considering the vast scale of deficit spending, it may well be our children’s children who end up carrying the backbreaking debt that’s being run up for the support and care of foreigners in our midst.   If Americans were actually having to pony up the cost of illegal immigration in real time, it might be in a completely different situation.   But the cost is simply going on the tab of U. S. debt.

By now you know that an American carrier group is steaming toward the Persian Gulf. Israeli intelligence got wind of something, maybe even military action, that Iran was planning against American allies or interests in the region.   Time has also run out for nations continuing to buy oil from Iran.   Those nations include China, which buys about half of Iran’s oil, and India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey.   The threat is that any of these nations continuing to buy Iranian oil will be prevented from access to U. S. markets.

Oil revenue is estimated to account for some 40% of Iranian government revenue.   Iran has threatened to ramp up its nuclear program in retaliation, but there’s another hitch. The European Union and its members have continued to uphold the terms of the nuclear deal that President Trump rejected on behalf of the United States.   Iran has been warned by the Europeans that ramping up their nuclear program would violate what’s left of the agreement.   No wonder Iran is considering radical measures, and no wonder the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln is headed for the Gulf.

There are enough high-level unresolved circumstances around the world to make your head spin. Israel has recently absorbed (or shot down) some 700 rockets killing civilians and destroying property.   They responded with 350 air-strikes in Gaza.   Hopefully they did some good, but the situation is not over and probably never will be.

Britain can’t seem to break free of the EU, yet.   When it finally does, the EU will be in more trouble than it’s in already. The culture has already been radically transformed due to a massive Muslim presence, and its increasing demands. A new mosque, the biggest yet, is about to open in France. There apparently aren’t enough. France already boasts 2,300 mosques with another couple of hundred planned.   There are Muslim incidents of all kinds every day across Europe and in the UK, and nearly all go unreported in our mainstream news.   People are being arrested and charged for perceived insults to the culture enrichers, even just repeating their statements or linking terrorist’s videos for the sake of honest debate.

There are those who seek to rule over us that would like to see the same thing happening right here in the U. S. Maybe you saw that it was an anti-Israel imam who delivered the opening prayer this morning on the floor of the House of Representatives.   We’ve got hideous creatures in headgear lecturing us nearly every day from the Islamic point of view. And they’re elected national “representatives,” courtesy of Obama’s attempted transformation.

We’ve arrived at a time when most all mass media and their advertisers treat the tenets of socialism as conventional wisdom.   Either you agree with their sentiments, or you’re completely out of step with society. The social media giants are busy banning people and organizations that run contrary to conventional dogma, and it’s out of control.   You think the Russians swayed an election?   Look at what Facebook, Twitter, Google and Instagram are doing to silence voices that conflict with socialist doctrines, Obama, Hillary or the Deep State!

The President couldn’t convey any more confidence or calm reassurance than he displays, even in the middle of the whirlwind created by the mainstream media.   The United States is truly the world’s last hope.   If freedom and prosperity are ever lost in the United States, the world will devolve into poverty and a one world government full of bans and mandates, just as the pope hopes. As troubled as they are, these may truly be “the good ole days.”   God promises protection for those that faithfully keep His Laws.   Have a great Sabbath,

Mark

The post Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – 10 May 2019 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.