#the g.w. bush administration

[tomorrowusa]

The biggest benefactor to Hamas in the US is not the radical chic fringe but Republican former President George W. Bush.

Because of recency bias, many people have forgotten what an awful president George "Dubya" Bush was. But in addition to two recessions (including the Great Recession), two rounds of tax breaks for the filthy rich, neglecting national security which led to 9/11, and starting an unnecessary and destabilizing war in Iraq, Bush helped to bring the terrorist group Hamas to power in Gaza.

Gaza has not had an election since 2006 – one which was instigated by George W. Bush. That election turned out to be a disaster.

It was in January 2006 that the Palestinian territories held what turned out to be their last parliamentary elections. Hamas won a bare plurality of votes (44 percent to the more moderate Fatah party’s 41 percent) but, given the electoral system, a strong majority of seats (74 to 45). Neither party was keen on sharing power. Fighting broke out between the two. When a unity government was finally formed in June 2007, Hamas broke the deal, started murdering Fatah members, and, in the end, took total control of the Gaza Strip. Those who weren’t killed fled to the West Bank, and the territories have remained split ever since. In other words, Hamas’ absolute rule of Gaza is not what the Palestinians voted for back in 2006. In fact, since the median age of Gazans is 18, half of Hamas’ subjects weren’t even born when the election took place. Since they have known no alternative, have absorbed little information but Hamas propaganda, and have witnessed periodic outbursts of violent conflict with Israel throughout their lives, it is impossible to know what they really think about their rulers. But we need to ask another question: Why did the 2006 elections take place? The explanation lies in the political ideals—or, more correctly, the naïveté—of President George W. Bush. (Much of this comes from the reporting for my 2008 book, Daydream Believers: How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power.) Bush entered his second term, in January 2005, convinced that his mission was to spread democracy around the world. He assumed that democracy was the natural state of humanity: Once a dictator was toppled and the people could vote for leaders in elections, freedom and liberty would bloom forth. For a moment, it looked like he might be right: The world was witnessing the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the first parliamentary elections in post-Saddam Iraq. More pertinent, the Palestinian National Authority held its first election, and Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party—which had recognized Israel’s right to exist and supported negotiations for a two-state solution—won handily. Around this time, Israel was withdrawing from the Gaza Strip—not just pulling out troops, but evicting some 8,000 Jewish settlers (most of whom were paid to resettle in the West Bank). Suddenly there was a vacuum of local authority. Bush thought democracy would fill a vacuum, so he urged the Palestinian Authority to hold parliamentary elections.

Create a power vacuum and the most determined group, not the most appropriate group, will rush in to fill the void. That happened to be Hamas.

One problem, though: Radical parties—notably Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which had boycotted the 2005 presidential election—decided to compete in the 2006 parliamentary contests. Six weeks before these elections, Dennis Ross was on one of his frequent trips to the Middle East. As the Middle East envoy for Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, Ross had more experience negotiating with Israelis and Palestinians than any American. He was no longer in the U.S. government, but he knew all the relevant players. Ross was leery about holding elections. He thought that if there were elections, militias such as Hamas should be banned from participating; they should have to choose between joining the system and waging violence against it—they shouldn’t be allowed to have it both ways. Members of Fatah, fearful that Hamas might win, approached Ross and asked if he could quietly urge the Israelis to block the election. An odd alignment was taking shape. “What’s wrong with this picture?” Ross asked himself. Fatah and Israel were against holding the elections; Hamas and President Bush were in favor. Ross communicated all this to Robert Zoellick, a former colleague from Bush Sr.’s days who was now deputy secretary of state. Like Ross, Zoellick worried the election could be disastrous. He urged his boss, Bush Jr.’s secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, to urge Israelis to do some things to improve Fatah’s prospects—for instance, to ease up on border crossings in the Palestinian territories and let Abbas take credit for the gesture. Rice refused, saying that the U.S. shouldn’t put its thumb on the scales. A former hardheaded adherent of realpolitik, Rice had recently adopted Bush’s view of the world: She thought, or at least acted as if, elections were a magic potion for curing political ills and that the U.S., having delivered or blessed them, should sit back and let the historical forces flow naturally. To her (and most American observers’) surprise, Hamas won. It proved to be only the first yank in the unraveling of the Bush-Rice dogma. Civil war broke out between Hamas and Fatah, leading eventually to Fatah’s expulsion from Gaza, Hamas’ total dictatorship there, and a resumption of rocket fire from the enclave into Israel—prompting the Israeli blockade on Gaza’s northern border (which Egypt, whose leaders hated and feared Hamas as well, reinforced with a blockade on the southern border).

The bottom line...

[T]he election that put Hamas in power was not inevitable; it was premature. Israel and the leaders of the neighboring Sunni Arab nations, who inveighed lavish rhetorical support for the Palestinians but did very little to back it up, could have done more to help build the elements of a civil society and negotiate a peace. But ultimately, they didn’t want to. Elections only tightened the bonds of conflict and lent it a veneer of legitimacy. Hamas’ murderous assault on Oct. 7, the subsequent escalation of violence, and the possibility of a widening war—these are the latest and most bitter fruits of the elections’ legacy.

At best, Bush and Condoleezza Rice were foolish and naïve. They felt that elections in countries with little in the way of democratic institutions would solve all their problems.

Bush, Rice, and Vice President Dick Cheney also repeatedly fawned all over what they called the first election in Afghanistan in 5,000 years. Afghanistan, like Gaza, had no background in democracy and we know what good those elections did Afghanistan in the long run.

Fred Kaplan, the author of the Slate article which is excerpted above, recently spoke with Brian Lehrer at WNYC. You can hear their conversation here...

The U.S. Role in the Israel-Hamas War

[socialjusticeinamerica]

Organized Christian religions do not endorse Republikkkan fascists. Individuals might but the churches as whole do not. Evangelicals are the only ones and that is because they are for-profit. G.W. Bush, while working on his dad’s presidential campaign, began the practice of paying off evangelical ministers to preach in favor of Republikkkans.

Evangelicals are not an organized religion with a hierarchy, charter, or mission statement. Each local church is separate from the others. Anyone can appoint themselves minister without any training or education and open their own church. The church minister or pastor decides what he/she will preach. They rely mainly on Old Testament fire and brimstone, because it is better known and appeals to the poorly educated, and completely ignore the New Testament with it’s more progressive messages about peace and tolerance.

People who belong to mainstream denominations will refer to themselves as Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics, etc. Since Evangelicals do not belong to an established denomination they simply refer to themselves as Christians. Many of them were poached from established denominations because they were too ignorant to know there was a difference or because they like the lack of restrictions on actually being expected to follow the teachings of Jesus. Evangelicals often church shop and will join the closest evangelical church or the one with the most popular pastor. Televangelist charlatans are self-appointed evangelical ministers who grew their local church into a mega church. Often these televangelists, like Pat Robertson, we’re booted out of mainstream religions because they are kooks and grifters.

Evangelicals despise Obama/Biden because their administration took evangelical tax exempt status away over them actively campaigning in political races. When G.W. Bush was governor of Texas he began the practice of farming out state social services to evangelical churches, the non-governmental organizations (NGO’s).

Southern Baptists are similar to the evangelicals but are organized. They are well know for rogue parishes attacking lgbt and boycotting Disney for decades. During the Trump years they voted on dis-allowing racism, bigotry, and fascism. The vote was close but they barely managed to vote no and release a statement saying those things were against the teachings of Jesus. Southern Baptists number over 16 million, which isn’t much, making them the largest single group supporting Republikkkans in the old Confederacy. Their numbers are dwindling and their support for Republikkkans is dwindling as the younger members are rejecting the bigotry of their parents. This has been highlighted by student protests at Liberty University where the students repeatedly denounce the University leadership’s support for Trump and the other Republikkkan MAGAts.

It’s worth noting that whenever the Koch/Walton political machines buy a state legislature and turn a state red, or purple, the evangelicals filter in to that area. Depressed rural areas around the country are spouting evangelical and baptist churches like weeds. Wherever Republikkkan policies depress the local economy you can expect evangelicals to follow. The Deep South, Confederacy, Bible Belt, is no longer the base of Republikkkan infestation. Looking at politics maps you will see that only the West Coast and Northeast (minus Maine) are the only true blue states. The old rust belt/Mid-West has gone red and purple along with Pennsylvania. We are hopelessly outgunned. For decades the Koch and Walton families have been buying up state legislatures in order to control this country and have a majority in the House of Representatives. We have the numbers but are mainly based in cities which are gerrymandered.

Blue votes now only count in state-wide and national elections. The Electoral College is working against us and the Republikkkans are working on returning the right to choose a president to the House of Representatives as it was in the beginning before political parties. Despite our numbers we are on the verge of extinction. Since Reagan in 1980 we have been relying on the popularity of individual Democratic candidates for president or governor. Look the tidal wave of hate laws sweeping the country. We do not control the state legislatures and it is killing everything we want and deserve as a people. Koch/Walton knew they could create the country they wanted by buying relatively inexpensive state legislatures. This is why they have the vast network of political foundations writing laws for Republikkkans to submit as bills through criminal stooges like Cruz and McConnell to name a few. The Trump deregulation of railroads was written by Koch/Walton operatives. The abortion bills are written by them and the gun deregulation etc. We have nothing to match the Federalist Society which has taken over the Supreme Court. We have no ALEC which matches potential Republikkkan candidates with billionaire donors. We have nothing to match the NRA which is now controlled and funded by Putin to destabilize the US.

No matter how many times I or others beat this drum you’ll still shop at Walmart, but Koch products, and send your kids to Betsy DeVos charter schools. You can’t just go to a pride parade or BLM/antifa protest and Pat yourselves on the back. Those are great starting places but you must fight the right wing in its entirety. Voting out Trump wasn’t the end but rather the beginning. 2020 saw Trump rejected on a personal level but it did not see the rejection of MAGA which is thriving and lashing out in a bid to finish us off at this moment in time. If Ron DeSantis becomes President you’ll miss the days of Trump squandering his opportunities by engaging in petty bickering.

[deadpresidents]

Who are the youngest and oldest vice presidents

At the time of their Inauguration? Here's the list of the Vice Presidents' Age at Inauguration, from youngest-to-oldest:

AGE AT INAUGURATION: NAME OF VP [Administration] 36 years, 42 days: John C. Breckinridge [Buchanan] 40 years, 11 days: Richard Nixon [Eisenhower] 41 years, 353 days: Dan Quayle [G.H.W. Bush] 42 years, 128 days: Theodore Roosevelt [McKinley's 2nd VP] 42 years, 256 days: Daniel D. Tompkins [Monroe] 42 years, 352 days: John C. Calhoun [J.Q. Adams/Jackson's 1st VP] 44 years, 232 days: Al Gore [Clinton] 45 years, 26 days: Aaron Burr [Jefferson's 1st VP] 45 years, 346 days: Schuyler Colfax [Grant's 1st VP] 48 years, 243 days: Calvin Coolidge [Harding] 49 years, 15 days: Walter Mondale [Carter] 49 years, 56 days: Millard Fillmore [Taylor] 50 years, 72 days: Spiro Agnew [Nixon's 1st VP] 50 years, 98 days: Martin Van Buren [Jackson's 2nd VP] 50 years, 340 days: John Tyler [W.H. Harrison] 51 years, 150 days: Chester A. Arthur [Garfield] 51 years, 189 days: Hannibal Hamlin [Lincoln's 1st VP] 52 years, 105 days: Henry A. Wallace [FDR's 2nd VP] 52 years, 146 days: Lyndon B. Johnson [JFK] 52 years, 237 days: George M. Dallas [Polk] 52 years, 274 days: Garret A. Hobart [McKinley's 1st VP] 52 years, 297 days: Charles W. Fairbanks [T. Roosevelt] 53 years, 131 days: James S. Sherman [Taft] 53 years, 174 days: John Adams [Washington] 53 years, 238 days: Hubert H. Humphrey [LBJ] 53 years, 325 days: Thomas Jefferson [J. Adams] 56 years, 65 days: Andrew Johnson [Lincoln's 2nd VP] 56 years, 92 days: Kamala Harris [Biden] 56 years, 138 days: Richard M. Johnson [Van Buren] 56 years, 223 days: George H.W. Bush [Reagan] 57 years, 132 days: Adlai E. Stevenson [Cleveland's 2nd VP] 57 years, 227 days: Mike Pence [Trump] 57 years, 247 days: William A. Wheeler [Hayes] 58 years, 355 days: Thomas R. Marshall [Wilson] 59 years, 189 days: Charles G. Dawes [Coolidge] 59 years, 335 days: Dick Cheney [G.W. Bush] 60 years, 145 days: Gerald Ford [Nixon's 2nd VP] 60 years, 257 days: Harry S. Truman [FDR's 3rd VP] 61 years, 16 days: Henry Wilson [Grant's 2nd VP] 64 years, 102 days: John Nance Garner {FDR's 1st VP] 64 years, 292 days: Levi P. Morton [B. Harrison] 65 years, 178 days: Thomas A. Hendricks [Cleveland's 1st VP] 65 years, 221 days: George Clinton [Jefferson's 2nd/Madison's 1st] 66 years, 61 days: Joe Biden [Obama] 66 years, 165 days: Nelson Rockefeller [Ford] 66 years, 331 days: William R.D. King [Pierce] 68 years, 230 days: Elbridge Gerry [Madison's 2nd VP] 69 years, 38 days: Charles Curtis [Hoover] 71 years, 57 days: Alben W. Barkley [Truman]

[liesmyteachertoldme]

Interference in US foreign policy and elections? Try Israel

There are over 100 high-level members of the US government who are citizens of Israel. The US State Dept. allows dual citizenship. If you don't think Israel exerts  tremendous influence  over the decisions, policies, and wars of the United States, think again. It is absurd that people who are citizens of foreign countries would be allowed to hold public office in the US. One  cannot serve two masters.

Michael Cheroff - Israeli/US dual citizen, second United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005-2009). Co-author of the USA Patriot Act.  Federal Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2003-2005). US Assistant Attorney for the Criminal Division (2001-2003) of the Dept. of Justice personally supervised and controlled the entire FBI non-investigation of 9-11. He is also responsible for the obstruction of justice and blocking access to evidence since Sept.11,2001. He also advised the CIA of the legality of torture techniques in coercive interrogation sessions.

Michael Mukasey - Israeli/US dual citizen. 81st Attorney General of the US (2007-2009). He was the second Jewish US Attorney General. 18 years as a judge of the US District Court of New York (1987-2006), 6 of those years as Chief Judge (2000-2006).

Richard Pearle -  Israeli/US dual citizen was first Assistant Secretary for Global Strategic Affairs under Pres.Ronald Reagan. Senior staff member to Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson on the Senate Arms Committee in the 1970's. On the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee (1987-2004) under the Bush Administration.  Resigned due to conflicts of interest. Most likely an Israeli government agent. He was expelled from Senator's Jackson's office in the 1970's after the NSA caught him passing highly classified national security documents to the Israeli embassy. Perle was amember of the Bilderberg Group  until Dec. 2015. Also known as the "Prince of Darkness" and is a major player in the Israeli lobby.

Paul Wolfowitz - Israeli/US dual citizen. He is a political scientist and diplomat, was the tenth President of the World Bank (2005-2007). Resigned under pressure from World Bank members for misuse of power. US Deputy Secretary of Defense (2001-2005) under G.W. Bush and US Ambassador to Indonesia under Ronald Reagan and G.H.W. Bush (1986-1989).

Douglas Feith - Israeli/US dual citizen. Worked at the Reagan White House as a Middle East specialist for the National Security Council and then served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy. Served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the G.W.Bush Administration from 2001 to 2005. He is closely associated with the extremist group the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), which attacks Jews that don't agree with their extremist views. Feith supervised the Pentagon Office of Special Plans, a group of policy and intelligence analysis created to provide senior government officials with unvetted raw intelligence. The office was responsible for hiring Lawrence Franklin who was convicted along with AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) employees Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman for passing classified National defense information to an Israeli diplomat Naor Gilon.

Henry Kissenger - Israeli/US dual citizen was the 56th US Secretary of State from 1973-1977 under Pres. Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Was Assistant to the Pres. for Natiional Security Affairs under Nixon and Ford. Member of the Foreign  Intelligence Advisory Board from 1984-1990. A member of the Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy of the National Security Council and Defense Department  from 1986-1988.  A member of both the Council of Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.

John Bolton - Israeli/US dual citizen. National Security Advisor to Pres. Trump. Assistant Attorney General under Reagan (1985-1989). One of the most hawkish of war hawks, he aggressively supported and helped plan military action and regime change in Iraq and Libya and is now doing the same thing in Syria and Iran.

Israeli/US dual citizens in high level US government positions:

Janet Yellen-Federal Reserve Chair

Stanley Fisher-Federal Reserve Vice-Chair

Lincoln Bloomfield-Assistant Secretary of State

Daniel Kutzer-Ambassador to Israel

Cliff Sobel-Ambassador to the Netherlands

Stuart Bernstein-Ambassador to Denmark

Nancy Brinker-Ambassador to Hungary

Frank Lavin-Ambassador to Singapore

Ron Weiser-Ambassador to Slovakia

Jay Lefkowitz-Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Domestic Policy Council

Ken Melman-White House Political Director

Brad Blakeman-White House Director of Scheduling

There are 14 current and former US Senators who are dual Israeli/US citizens.

There are 32 current or past members of the US House of Representatives who are Israeli/US citizens.

[chetyarbrough]

HINDSIGHT (G.W.'S LEGACY)

Audio-book Review By Chet Yarbrough Blog: awalkingdelight) Website: chetyarbrough.blog Landfall (A Novel) By: Thomas Mallon Narrated by: Robert Petkoff Thomas Mallon (Author, novelist, essayist, and critic.) Thomas Mallon’s book is a fictionalized account of George W. Bush’s administration. Mallon cleverly includes a fictional love story that adds some drama to his story. What one should be…

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity:

More than two dozen leading scientists and law professors led by Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Program and the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned President Joe Biden today to immediately rescind key policies that restrict the government’s consideration of harms from greenhouse gas emissions on animals such as the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.

Prominent leaders including Michael E. Mann, Aradhna Tripati, Thomas E. Lovejoy, John D. Leshy and Deborah A. Sivas urged Biden to revoke the rules to make good on his executive order pledge for the government to “deploy the full capacity of its agencies to combat the climate crisis.”

“Ignoring greenhouse gases leaves the government blindfolded in its effort to protect threatened species,” said signatory Dr. Stuart Pimm, a conservation scientist at Duke University. “If he’s serious about protecting wildlife threatened by the climate crisis, from the Pacific walrus to unique birds of the Florida Everglades, President Biden has to revoke these damaging rules.”

The policies at issue include the “Bernhardt Memorandum” restricting the consideration of greenhouse emissions under the Endangered Species Act, issued by the George W. Bush administration, and regulations issued by the Trump administration in 2019 to enshrine the harmful and illegal approach.

Agencies have relied on the policies to ignore the effects of greenhouse gases and climate change when deciding whether to protect species by listing them as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and when deciding whether their agency actions may harm listed species, as required by the law.

[somerton]

The American Trilogy

People have said that Stanley Kubrick’s final 7 films are more like 1 film about humanity spanning different genres. It’s undeniable that there are specific parallels and connections between his films, but the way his films connect to each other on a basic level is quite interesting and not very difficult to see.

Dr. Strangelove ends with nuclear bombs destroying the world cut to the black void of 2001; The Dawn of Man. The end of the world caused by man’s violent nature transitioned into the beginning of man’s violent nature with Moonwatcher discovering the bone as a weapon.

2001 ends with the Starchild looking directly at the camera; at us, while A Clockwork Orange opens with a closeup on Alex’s eye. A transcended soul cut to a devilish man. The eye was a very potent symbol within 2001, representing the vast exploration possible inside oneself. The eye continues to be important in Clockwork, especially with Alex’s stigmata eyeball cuff links, strengthening the comparison to the godlike Starchild and Jesus Christ dying on the cross as a man, transcending to a God. Alex does not transcend, he lives on to do the deeds of evil men.

A Clockwork Orange, set in a near future or alternate reality, ends with an offer for Alex to move his way up the societal ladder by aligning himself with the same corrupt politicians who used the Ludavico technique on him in the first place, then a daydream with Alex surrounded by what look to be noble men and women of a past era observing him in a sexual act with a woman. The next film, Barry Lyndon is a period piece that explores the issues of class in 18th century Europe and trying to better oneself by moving up in the classist system. Clockwork is a story about where society is now (or was then), while Barry Lyndon explores where society was within the period piece genre. Interestingly enough not much has changed. Both world’s are violent, full of wealthy people using lower class people to further their own agendas, the people at the bottom forced to scratch their way to the top of a corrupt system, often using nefarious techniques to get ahead.

Kubrick is trying to communicate the way society / humans are and have always been while connecting the films with transitional elements that bring this idea into the viewer’s subconscious.

I believe those films, are also connected to the final three in Kubrick’s portrayal humanity and the way he sought to hold a mirror up to us via the cinema screen. However, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut seem to have a deeper connection to each other than the previous films. Yes, they too are an exploration of genre, using the conventions of it to subvert more complex themes, but I feel Kubrick started to develop ideas on how to thematically connect these films on an even deeper level throughout the 20 year period spent completing these three.

I suggest that the final three films act as a trilogy, exploring the genocide America was built on and the ideals of which continue to permeate through our society. These films are his ode to America’s dark secret hidden in plain sight. Not since Dr. Strangelove had he made a movie even based in America. These final 3 are inherently American films. While Strangelove was an overt criticism of authoritarian power, the final trilogy shrouds itself in a ghost story, a war epic, and a sexual thriller in order to issue Kubrick’s vicious critique.

Just to caveat, I don’t think the final trilogy are ONLY critiquing America but I do think this is crucial in all three films, more so than his others excluding Strangelove. 2001, Clockwork, and Barry Lyndon are more overtly commenting on humanity and culture in general.  

Let’s get into how the final 3 specifically do this. I’m going to breeze by a lot of basic info that any Kubrick obsessive should already know.

The Shining references Native Americans constantly, the hotel is built on an “Indian burial ground” and had to repel Native American attacks while building the Overlook. There’s a ton of info on this out there already so I don’t feel it necessary to explain all the evidence to support this, but it’s overtly injected into the film, barely under the surface. There’s also a ton of material to support the idea that the hotel itself represents America and it’s constant ability to “Overlook” the horrors that our society is built on. Stuart Ullman, the Hotel Manager has an American flag on his desk, echoing his jacket and tie with an American eagle statue poking out form behind his head (Symbols related to characters’ heads are important in Kubrick’s work). In a film where mirrors are also important his initials backwards are US. The Shining is about the bloody birth of America and the generational inheritance of said violence. To see these things, one has to use their own ability to Shine and see through the veil of genre.

The next film is Full Metal Jacket, based in the Vietnam War. The film starts out with soldiers getting their heads shaved, representing the first step in their dehumanization at the hands of the U.S Military. Vietnam is not considered a just war and is an obvious extension of the genocidal characteristics America was born into. America is still doing the same thing that The Shining represents; going into a place full of brown skinned people and wreaking havoc for their own benefit and seemingly justified by racial bias. Vietnam is truly the beginning of a modern genocide, justified by politics, fear, money, and propaganda. This film came out in 1987, 12 years after Vietnam ended, but interestingly enough 3 years before another example of this American Imperialism; The Gulf War. Full Metal Jacket makes us look at something inhumane that just recently happened and yet most people remember the drill Sergeant yelling hilarious obscenities at the soldiers, many thinking the second half of the film as inferior to the first. As horrific as the dehumanization process of bootcamp is, it’s easier to watch than the reality that happened in Vietnam. In the film’s major battle sequence, we see multiple solders die, wasting hundreds of rounds only to find one young girl to be their target. This is the reality of Vietnam. Note the poster’s reference to Joker’s helmet, BORN TO KILL, relating to both the birth of America and the eagle behind Ullman’s head, turning him into a literal figurehead of this inherited American violence. 

Eyes Wide Shut continues this theme from the perspective of someone living their adult life in post Vietnam society. The modern genocide has turned war into a commodity and has shown the darkest side of capitalism. Bill probably was too young to go to Vietnam but would be a first generation adult starting a family post Vietnam (meaning he was old enough to experience Vietnam as a child but not old enough to go).

Coincidentally enough, when EWS was released in 1999 the US were only a few years away from yet another unjust conflict in Iraq based on lies with huge non-compete contracts handed out to companies that the G.W. Bush administration had personal and financial connections with. It’s also interesting to note that although this couldn’t have been intended by Kubrick, the themes of generational violence being passed down through the generations connects to George Bush starting an Iraq war in the 90s while just over a decade later his son would do that same. Kubrick saw humanity in such a deep way, the good and bad, that he’s almost seen the future through his exploration of complex themes. Sadly though I don’t believe he was psychic, but purely able to to see the reality of cycles we humans perpetuate throughout time.

Eyes Wide Shut is about modern society’s classist structures and how someone like Bill Harford could be so oblivious to the dangers that surround his lovely life and how easily that can be taken away by his own inability to see himself and the various social constructs he participates in. He is blind to the world, happy as clam to live an upperclass Manhattanite lifestyle. This is inherently connected to the more overt violent themes in the previous two films. There is a cultural genocide perpetuated by the richest people who use others like pieces on a chessboard; built off of the original sin of America’s treatment of the Natives and continued through our unjust wars of today, finally providing the power structure for a few people to wield over the rest. Money in Eyes Wide Shut is equivalent to the axe in The Shining, the rifles in Full Metal Jacket. The first line in Eyes Wide Shut is, “Honey have you seen my wallet?”. This is no accident, it’s a seemingly insignificant line of dialog that immediately begins to beg you to pay attention to this theme. 

- From The Shining: ULLMAN: We had four presidents who stayed here, lots of movie stars. WENDY: Royalty? ULLMAN: All the best people.

See my post on “All the best people”

[thesevillereport]

In Focus: New Regime, New Money

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been elected to be the next president and vice president of the United States. That may make you very happy, very sad, or somewhere in between, but whatever the feeling, stay focused, it's still about your money. At the end of Biden and Harris' term, whether it be four years or eight, big money will be made by a small few. Being too caught up in your emotions will cause you to miss this train, so check yourself and get ready.

A Part of the Economy, but not THE Economy

The stock market is a component of the economy, and for a sitting president to know where it is and what it's doing makes sense. The Trump administration used the stock market as their report card, and because of that  some people associate a strong market with Trump. But an investor would be costing themselves big money if they were to believe that the markets only move up big when a Republican is in office.

It's true that each president and each party will prioritize a particular sector, industry, or cause over others skewing market gains towards the prioritized sector, industry, or cause.

Barack Obama was considered a green president, so it made sense that the Obama administration loaned a struggling Tesla $465 million in 2009. A year later Tesla would go public, and since then Tesla has created a tremendous amount of wealth for Elon Musk believers.

Despite what you saw in the political commercials leading up to the election, the stock markets are bigger than one man or woman, and sometimes bigger than multiple issues.

Below is a list of problems foreign and domestic that the stock market was processing in late 2018. Any combination of these events could have set off a major recession or stagnation in the markets. Instead, what we saw was a market selloff to end 2018 followed by a year long market rally in 2019 that bled into early 2020.

Rising interest rates that could make borrowing more expensive.

A slowdown in global economic growth exemplified in China weakness.

An overall breakdown in stocks, represented in equities trading at multi month lows.

Midterm election jitters, which have seasonally resulted in some jitters in U.S. markets.

Seasonal October volatility, which has tended to translate into choppy trade.

Worries that the U.S. economy is in the late stages of its expansion and due for a recession.

Brexit

Italy’s budget crisis.

The looming end of quantitative easing in Europe.

The political implications of the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Worries about the health of emerging markets outside of China.

Signs from U.S. companies that they are see earnings growth slowing

U.S.-China trade relations which may be exacerbating Beijing’s economic malaise

Growing deficits partly derived from President Donald Trump’s corporate tax cuts in 2017

Weakness in the banking sector which hasn’t benefited from rising interest rates

Softness in transports which Dow theorists tend to follow as a gauge of the health of the market

A rotation of investors out of growth stocks and into those names viewed as value

Major cracks in the housing market

A weak earnings outlook

The issues on the list didn't resolve themselves by 2019 either, the markets just didn't care. Investors saw that there was value to be bought after the late 2018 sell off, and they bought big.

During the U.S. - China trade war, what I saw was Wall Street analysts downgrading companies based on their exposure to China, then those companies adjusting their earnings outlook due to their exposure to China and the trade war, and then Wall Street celebrating after those companies beat their recently adjusted earnings expectations. Wall Street and serious investors adjusted to the new environment.

Past Presidents and the Markets

George H.W. Bush, a Republican, whose term as president consisted of America's war with Iraq and a pre election promise of no new taxes. However, the national deficit left by the Regan administration left Bush with no choice but to raise taxes. Still, the S&P 500 increased more than 50% in his four years in office.

Bill Clinton, a Democrat, had the great pleasure of being the president in office when the internet took off. The S&P 500 increased by more than 200% from January 1993 to January 2001.

George W. Bush, a Republican, encountered more issues than he had bargained for under his presidency.

Bush took over the country as former president Clinton's hot internet market was beginning to fizzle. As the country was trying to figure out the fall out from overvalued dotcom companies, 9/11 occured striking another blow to the economy. G.W. didn't really help himself by going to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

At the end of G.W. Bush's eight years, the country and the rest of the world was entering the Great Recession. All-in-all the S&P 500 lost 40% under George W. Bush, but that number comes with an asterisk, because the fall out from the dotcom bubble wasn't his doing. And from the bottoming out of the S&P 500 following the dotcom bubble burst and 9/11 in early 2003 to the start of the Great Recession in late 2007, the S&P 500 gained over 70%.

Barack Obama, a Democrat, inherited the country as it was dealing with the Great Recession. After a tough 2009, the stock market started rolling again under Obama, and the S&P 500 gained over 182% from January 2009 to January 2017.

Under Donald Trump, a Republican, the S&P has gained more than 50% as of this writing. Considering Donald Trump was the president in office during a global pandemic, a 50% return isn't bad at all.

My Worries

I will admit that I have worries that some of the questionable decisions made by the last administration may blow up during the Biden-Harris administration, like #14 from the list above. Also, we're still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, and coronavirus cases have increased significantly in the U.S. over the past two weeks. An inability to contain the virus until a vaccine is developed could also make this a tough four years for Biden.

Stay Focused

Your money, your investment dollars should be bi-partisan. The election is over and the focus should be on the sectors, industries, or causes this administration will favor. Get invested, make money, and use that money to enjoy life.

The markets will find a way to keep grinding higher, and if the new administration can do a better job at handling the pandemic than the last administration we could see really big market gains in 2021. The election is over, now get ready to put your money to work.

[tomorrowusa]

A TL;DR excerpt:

As anxieties over the US’s exit grew, the Taliban began sending small groups of fighters to government-controlled rural outposts, striking deals with low-level representatives of the standing Afghan government through bribes or safety guarantees. Although Afghan officers say that the country’s elite military units remained committed to safeguarding the government holdouts, without support from local leaders and military personnel on the ground, their efforts to defend the country ultimately failed.

So more or less, the Taliban bribed its way to victory. There was not all that much major fighting over the past few weeks.

After 9/11 the Bush administration hurriedly invaded Afghanistan, dislodged the existing Taliban régime, rounded up a few leaders of al-Qaeda – but let Osama bin Laden slip through their hands into Pakistan.

Instead of leaving after the military objectives were (mostly) accomplished, the Bush administration decided to try to establish a US-friendly government there.

It didn’t help that they diverted troops and resources away to the disastrous Iraq War which only let the Taliban regroup and start another insurgency. Regardless, the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld types attempted to impose a system which was completely foreign to the country.

Democracy grows from the ground up – not from the top down. People in what is arguably the most feudal and tribal country in Asia are not going to jettison their way of doing things just because yet another foreign invader is waving shiny objects at them.

After a 2005 vote where Afghans got to choose among pro-invasion candidates, Vice President Dick Cheney spoke effusively about the first election there in 5,000 years.

The superficial trappings of democracy did little to affect people in the countryside. The culture of corruption continued then and will likely continue now under the Taliban.

Afghanistan has been fighting off invaders since the time of Alexander the Great. The US, when the Bush administration decided to remain in the country, became regarded as just another invader by the bulk of the population outside the urban elite. 

Since 1953 Republican neocons have developed a jones for régime change as an instrument of geopolitical strategy. In almost every instance it has ultimately backfired or failed. Afghanistan is just the latest failure.

To get other countries to love democracy we need to first practice it properly at home. Attempting to impose it on others can end up like a mismatched organ transplant.

[critrateup]

Run It Back: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 -- The Introduction and Destiny Islands

The title screen of Kingdom Hearts remains to be my favorite intros in all of games. Dearly Beloved is a theme which by now has been arranged, reprised, and remixed into about a dozen official versions. It’s a theme so iconic that rather than start fresh with an entirely new track for each new series entry, it’s been repurposed as an overture of sorts -- every reimagining of the track can tell you something about tone, beats, and themes present in the game ahead. In this instance, the theme has a somewhat melancholy bass line married to a flittering melody. The rhythm goes in an unhurried circle arriving back unto itself, accompanied by the sounds of waves gently crashing onto the shore. Sora stands in a beautiful watercolor illustration, alone and looking out at the sea. Like most of the other parts of the game that I remember fondly, the elements come together in a way that just feels right. Sora is alone, and though his expression is relaxed you get the feeling that he isn’t quite happy either. There’s a touch of mourning to the scene, which stands as a somewhat abrupt contrast to the expectations one would bring to a licensed Disney game in the early 2000’s -- something was different this time, and it was exciting!

The menu options are unfussy. You can start a new game or load a save (and in the case of the ReMIX versions, back out to the game select screen), and upon starting a new file you’re greeted with an intro cinematic. The cinematic starts with a beautifully rendered cloudscape that flashes the title in an unstylized, spartan, and serif’d font, and fades into a scene with Sora voiced by Haley Joel Osmant narrating his thoughts. It feels a little surreal, with him floating in space eyes half closed, wondering aloud to himself if he can trust his grasp of reality anymore. It sets the tone for the series, and places its production values front and center with a flashy cinematic delivering visuals well beyond what the hardware could deliver and professional Hollywood voice acting on par with what we’d expect from a Disney production yet surpassing performances we’d heard from up to that point. It also captures a certain angst that just resonated really well with 14 year old me. My stresses were piled high though I wouldn’t know to call them that at the time. I was just beginning to process some intense personal trauma that had occured very recently; national tragedy had struck the year before, with 9/11 and the G.W Bush Administration altering the course of American politics; and of course I was just entering high school, and all the baggage that brings along. Something about the way Sora saw himself falling from the sky, eyes closed and unable or unwilling to take control of his descent, resonated close and hard with me.

This is also the first time we hear the iconic Simple and Clean track, here as the -PlanitB Mix- with clubby vibe that marks the dramatic sweeps of the chorus have just a little more flair. The soundtrack to Kingdom Hearts was so good that it led to me hunting down a copy of the soundtrack at Tower Records. The craziest thing to me was that it had a domestic release (!) complete with the english (!!) versions of the Utada tracks and an unabridged, two-disc version of the soundtrack. Yoko Shimomura has since become a favorite composer of mine, to the point where I’d instantly recognized her work when I saw the first Final Fantasy XV trailer.

As a somewhat technical aside, The PS4 remaster runs at 60 frames per second, while the original ran at about 30. While the gameplay with look and act much smoother as a result, it is worth noting that the animation in the cutscenes has been keyed to 30fps resulting in a visual discontinuity when moving to and from cutscenes to live gameplay. It’s understandable, but it also shows the beginnings of what will be a recurring question with the remastered version of the game running on modern hardware: should the game be presented as the original was in 2002, and what should be modernized to make the game more akin to something of a remaster (or ReMIX in KH parlance) in 2013 then again in 2017. Although I recognize the sheer amount of work hours it would have taken to go back and essentially reanimate every cutscene in the game would border on absurd, it does give the impression that there was some work the developers and management at Square Enix were seemingly willing and unwilling to do in a re-presentation of the game -- this is not a no-holds-barred recreation of the original, nor is it quick and dirty supplanting of the original. Rather, it’s something that lands in the world between, and I’ll be noting such seems as they occur to me.

The opening with the stained glass figures is still striking as ever, and the constant moody, cryptic narration sets the mysterious vibe well. There’s a short sequence of actual gameplay that gives a brief tutorial of basic movement and attacking controls, then asks you with somewhat cryptic messages to essentially choose a build for your playthrough. I chose defense as my boosted stat in my original playthrough because of the way it’s worded. “The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all.” Of course these were values that I was All About™ but to be frank in later years when I discovered speedrunners and disgustingly destructive magic builds I became all about them, and would probably have never chosen Defense as a buffed stat in any of my playthroughs to begin with. It’s telling how effective the copy is when I still feel a pang of shame in sacrificing the shield as my default stat nerf.

The opening moments of gameplay on the Destiny Islands are totally unremarkable, and serve to highlight a coming weakness in the game -- namely, the clunky as hell platforming, with something of an identity crisis to come. It attempts to make stages interesting and fun by including varied elements of traversal and platforming, but the game’s unforgiving movement and jumping mechanics make it a difficult sell. With small ledges, an obtuse camera, finicky movement and facing requirements, a seeming lack of jump buffering and ledge forgiveness (more on that here https://www.patreon.com/posts/gamemaker-tips-14531948), getting precise movement out of Sora takes a whole lot of patience. Some of this will later be alleviated with Metroidvania-esque upgrades like a glide and a high jump, but running through the game’s platforming challenges with a vanilla Sora is tedious. Punishment for missing jumps can be harsh, reminiscent of Ratchet and Clank’s Planet Novalis Waterworks where a single misstep would send you to the back of the line to redo an entire sequence.

There’s something kind of cool and again telling in the way the tides are rendered on the beach. They’re GIF-y, cycling between a few frames of canned sea foam animation. Out of place as they may look running natively on a Playstation 4 in 2018, the way the gentle ebb and flow are rendered serve as a quaint reminder of the hardware that served the original entry -- it’s something of a momento mori for the videogame age.

The cave/secluded room on Destiny Islands has a bunch of really cool chalk drawings that I recommend you check out. Some of them seem to be of elements to come in the series, like the royal castle, starry adventures, and what even appears to be a Donald and Goofy. Weather intentional markers of the series’ now apparent time traveling and mysticism shenanigans or just fun little easter eggs for attentive players using the first person view function, it’s still a nice touch.

After some tedious gathering missions meant to familiarize you with the controls, Sora’s weighty movement, and some minor characters, the meat of the story begins to reveal itself. The introduction of the trio of Kairi, Sora, and Riku is mostly to the point -- Sora is excitable, smiley, and kind of a bag of rocks; Riku is intent on accompishing his goal of leaving the islands, seemingly in spite of the costs; and Kairi is kind if somewhat mischievous. There’s something of a love triangle painted between the three which serves to further drive their division in the coming cataclysm.

This is (to my knowledge) the only time the parents of Sora, Kairi, and Riku are even briefly acknowledged in the series. There’s a quick and disembodied line about dinner being ready at Sora’s house, and Kairi only briefly mentions family as the island is being torn apart from within. It’s kind of weird and maybe telling that Nomura and company weren’t sure how the game was going to do and what kind of future it may or may not have had coming. It’s a weird appendage to the series that seems impossible not to acknowledge.

And with that, the trio are sucked into the abyss, we get a glimpse of King Mickey’s castle, Riku in what we’ll later discover is Hollow Bastion, and Donald and Goofy are introduced. The story is told from and omniscient, cross-cutting point of view and I think it works for the most part. There are a lot of threads to keep track of, with characters we’re given lots of reasons to care about. In a game where the player character is one of a group of protagonists, each thematically and literally lost and in search of something, it creates a bigger payoff in dramatic tension to see them criss cross and near miss in pursuit of one another.

Next time, we’ll visit Traverse Town and discuss it’s soothing, soft-porn sax track at the crossroads of every world.

[girlfriendsguidetometal]

Are You An American Idiot?

Are You An American Idiot?

[liesmyteachertoldme]

Israel is the Problem Not Russia

Interference in U.S. elections, try Israel, not Russia.

Michael Chertoff --- Israel/U.S. Dual Citizen

Second United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2005-2009). Co-Author of the USA Patriot Act. Federal Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2003-2005). U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Criminal Division (2001-2003) of the Dept. of Justice, personally supervised and controlled the entire FBI non-investigation of 9-11. He is also responsible for the obstruction of justice and blocking access to evidence since Sept. 11, 2001. He also advised the CIA of the legality of torture techniques in coercive interrogation sessions.

Michael Mukasey --- Israeli/U.S. Dual Citizen

81st Attorney General of the United States (2007-2009) He was second Jewish U.S. Attorney General. 18 years as a judge of the U.S. District Court of New York (1987-2006); 6 of those years as Chief Judge (2000-2006)

Richard Perle --- Israeli/U.S. Dual Citizen

Was first Assistant Secretary for Global Strategic Affairs under Pres. Ronald Reagan. Senior Staff member to Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson on the Senate Arms Committee in the 1970's. On the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee (1987-2004), under the Bush administration. Resigned due to conflicts of interest. Most likely an Israeli government agent. He was expelled from Senator Jackson's office in the 1970's after the NSA caught him passing highly-classified national security documents to the Israeli Embassy. Perle was a member of the Bilderberg Group until Dec. 2015. Also known as the "Prince of Darkness" and is a major playor in the Israeli lobby.

Paul Wolfowitz --- Israeli/U.S. Dual Citizen

He is a political scientist and diplomat, was the 10th Pres. of the World Bank (2005-2007). Resigned under pressure, from World Bank members for mis-use of power. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense (2001-2005), under G.W. Bush and U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia under Ronald Reagan and G.H.W. Bush (1986-1989).

No one can serve two masters!

(to be cont.)

[shalomelohim]

Crise climatique, Crise pandémique : Deux outils pour une gouvernance mondiale, Deux outils pour lutter contre les « 2 témoins »

(Article paru au n° 570 du « Jérusalem » octobre 2009)

Réédition intégrale de cet article en notre période de pandémie dite du « Covid 19 » … Nous oserions dire : Jamais deux sans trois ! Nous voici en réplique de ce que le monde a subi en moindre effet dans les années 2008 à 2009… L’avertissement est à prendre très au sérieux, car sans jouer au devin ou au conspirationniste, nous décelons dans ce qui devient une « tendance » un levier dans l’avancement de la mise sous tutelle de l’humanité…  

 Préambule

« Fils d’homme, parle aux gens de ton peuple et dis-leur … si alors quelqu’un entend la sonnerie du cor mais ne tient pas compte de l’avertissement, il sera seul responsable de sa mort si l’ennemi survient et le tue … s’il tient compte de l’avertissement, il sauvera sa vie. Mais si la sentinelle voit venir l’ennemi et ne sonne pas du cor, de sorte que le peuple n’est pas averti … je demanderai compte de sa mort à la sentinelle. Eh bien, toi, fils d’homme, je t’ai posté comme sentinelle pour la communauté d’Israël : tu écouteras la parole qui sort de ma bouche et tu les avertiras de ma part. » (Ezékiel 33:1)

Ces paroles furent adressées au prophète Ezékiel. Elles pourraient aujourd’hui être adressées à chacun d’entre nous. Nous avons à nous parler les uns aux autres et à nous alerter mutuellement. Ce que nos frères feront ou ne feront pas des avertissements, nous explique ensuite le prophète Jérémie, ne sera alors plus de notre responsabilité.

« J’ai placé des sentinelles pour les avertir: Attention, le cor sonne l’alerte ! Mais ils ont répondu : ça nous est égal. Écoutez donc, vous les nations, sachez tous ce qui va leur arriver. Écoutez, peuples du monde entier: Je vais envoyer à ces gens le malheur que méritent leurs intentions mauvaises. Ils n’ont pas pris garde à ce que je leur disais …» (Jérémie 6:17)

Nous avons donc à scruter l’horizon de notre actualité et à y détecter tout mouvement de l’ennemi et de ses troupes contre nos propres positions. Cette tâche n’est pas dépourvue d’intérêt ni de spiritualité pour tout croyant conscient d’être inscrit dans un contexte évident de réalisations prophétiques. Mais l’actualité ne se donne pas à voir, elle se cherche, elle se scrute. Car l’actualité, qui nous est donnée sur nos médias traditionnels et traditionnellement acquise à l’édification du Nouvel Ordre Mondial, est une actualité partielle, tronquée, transformée et orientée. Une telle actualité n’est pas de nature à réveiller la sentinelle, mais à l’endormir.

A l’invitation de notre Seigneur Yéshoua, qui n’a pas hésité à commenter sa propre actualité en analysant le fait divers tragique de la tour de Shiloh dont la chute avait entrainé la mort accidentelle de 18 personnes, nous voulons plus que jamais observer et commenter notre actualité. Nous n’avons pas à la redouter mais à la recevoir comme autant d’avertissements très sérieux, d’une proximité toujours plus grande de ce jour funeste qui verra la révélation de l’impie, puis de ce jour glorieux qui verra la délivrance de ceux qui auront traversé les tribulations sous le sceau divin, en toute sécurité.

Exposés des faits : deux nouveaux outils pour imposer une gouvernance mondiale

L’automne-hiver 2008 a été la saison de la crise bancaire et économique, cette dernière n’étant pas terminée, quoiqu’en disent les médias alignés et commandités pour tenir ce discours faussement rassurant. L’automne-hiver 2009 sera la saison de la crise pandémique et climatique. De la même façon que la crise économique a permis d’instaurer un G20 et un début de gouvernance mondiale de l’économie, nous attendons de la prochaine conférence de Copenhague sur le climat fin décembre 2009 des solutions mondiales – en dehors des états-nations – pour réguler et endiguer le « réchauffement climatique ».

Selon une mécanique identique, la crise pandémique dite de la grippe A/H1N1, va permettre à l’Administration sanitaire mondiale de prendre la main sur les politiques des nations en la matière. Depuis la jurisprudence Tchernobyl (« les nuages toxiques ne s’arrêtent pas aux frontières … »), ces crises ne peuvent plus trouver de solutions nationales. L’échelon mondial est le seul pertinent pour traiter d’un subit dérèglement du climat et d’une pandémie grippale d’origine porcine et humaine.

Certains observateurs attentifs – écoutons leurs discours avec discernement – affirment que ces deux crises, largement annoncées et donc suspectes, n’ont pour seule vocation que de cacher l’acte 2 du tsunami financier qui est encore devant nous. Une diversion, en quelque sorte, qui présenterait l’intérêt de recourir avec souplesse aux consignes de confinement, de mise en quarantaine, voire d’internement pour les plus récalcitrants.

Au-delà de cette simple tactique humaine – possible, probable, envisageable -, dans la gestion des douleurs de l’enfantement du Nouvel Ordre Mondial, nous voulons voir une volonté stratégique de prendre la main sur les politiques nationales et de les supplanter dans des domaines aussi variés et importants que sont la médecine, les politiques de développement industriel, la fiscalité associée, la gestion des catastrophes naturelles, la gestion des évènements sociaux nécessitant états d’urgence et autres lois martiales.

La France a dépoussiéré son arsenal juridique de gestion de crises sociales au cours de l’hiver 2005, à l’occasion de l’explosion de ses banlieues. Les USA ont organisé la plus grande opération militaire - 80.000 soldats - sur territoire fédéral en 2004, à l’occasion du cyclone et des inondations liées à Katrina. Etats d’urgences, plans Vigipirate et autres lois martiales sont des outils juridiques existants, autorisant les pouvoirs civils à recourir à la force militaire en temps de paix et sur son propre territoire national, le cas échéant.

Nous voulons retenir de cette actualité récente le discours ambiant et relayé avec force par nos médias : l’espèce humaine est aujourd’hui devant un double défi : Le défi climatique et le défi pandémique. 

L’homme peut en sortir grandi s’il relève ces défis avec courage dans le cadre d’une coordination mondiale. Ce que nos médias ne nous disent pas : une politique mondiale coordonnée, nécessite … un coordinateur.

Premier outil : la crise climatique

« Élie était un homme de même nature que nous : il pria avec instance pour qu’il ne pleuve pas, et il ne tomba pas de pluie sur la terre pendant trois ans et six mois. » (Jacques 5:17)

« Réchauffement climatique lié à la production excessive de CO2 » : voilà la thèse officielle des scientifiques qui sera débattue à Copenhague en fin d’année, pour esquisser une politique mondiale de l’environnement, susceptible d’être contractualisée dans le cadre d’un traité mondial post-Kyoto, ratifié même par les Etats-Unis. La question que tous les spécialistes se posent est : pourquoi les USA, qui n’ont jamais ratifié le traité de Kyoto et continuent d’empoisonner l’atmosphère sans scrupule, décident-ils subitement de prendre la tête du combat mondial contre le réchauffement climatique ? Effet OBAMA ?

La première partie de la réponse est moins idyllique et plus pragmatique : le potentiel de développement économique lié aux politiques vertes s’est imposé comme un nouveau dogme. Par ailleurs, la fiscalité associée aux politiques climat-énergie (taxe carbone en France) semble illimitée et promet aux Etats de sérieuses et inespérées recettes fiscales. Par ailleurs, freiner subitement le développement des industries polluantes et des transports revient fort opportunément à réduire les taux de croissance de la Chine, de l’Inde, du Brésil, de la Russie et de tous les pays en voie de développement.

*** La deuxième partie de la réponse est de nature spirituelle : si les hommes et prophètes d’Elohim ont le pouvoir sur les éléments naturels, dont le climat (voir Moshéh, Elie, les 2 témoins), il est impératif au Satan de s’organiser pour les contrer et endiguer leurs actions. A l’instar des magiciens de Pharaon, si les scientifiques – magiciens modernes – savent expliquer et peuvent reproduire les « miracles » des hommes d’Elohim, nul besoin d’Elohim, nul besoin de se repentir et de changer de voie. ***

« Quant au restant des hommes, ceux qui n’étaient pas morts sous le coup des fléaux, ils ne se repentirent pas des œuvres de leurs mains … ni de leurs sortilèges … » (Ap.9:20)

C’est dans ce cadre qu’émerge actuellement une conscience environnementale universelle, susceptible d’accélérer l’avènement d’un Ordre Mondial qui s’organiserait notamment autour de la problématique.

Si Elie a pu fermer les cieux, Moshéh a pu, quant à lui, les ouvrir abondamment sous forme de grêle. Mais l’homme qui refuse les lois d’Elohim ne peut accepter d’y être soumis et de les subir. Il se prépare donc à les affronter. 

« J’entrerai en jugement avec lui par la peste et par le sang, Je ferai pleuvoir une pluie torrentielle et des grêlons … [Contre Gog] » (Ezékiel 38 :22)

Al GORE et le GIEC : au service d’un droit mondial de l’environnement ?

Al GORE fut Vice-président de Bill CLINTON de 1993 à 2001. Battu par G.W. BUSH sur une décision administrative de la Cour Suprême, malgré ses 550 000 voix d’avance, Al GORE est aujourd’hui membre de la Direction de la firme Apple et conseiller-actionnaire du géant Google.

Depuis ce relatif échec politique, l’ex-vice-président des USA s’est mué en défenseur planétaire de l’environnement. En 2006, il produit un film-documentaire « Une vérité qui dérange » qui rencontre un succès mondial après sa présentation officielle au festival de Cannes. Par la suite, Al GORE reçoit 2 oscars et … le prix Nobel de la Paix pour « ses efforts afin de mettre en place et diffuser une meilleure compréhension du changement climatique causé par l'homme, et de jeter les bases des mesures nécessaires pour contrecarrer un tel changement » déclara depuis Oslo le Président du comité Nobel.

Suite au dépôt de plainte d’un directeur d’une école du Kent contre l’intention du gouvernement britannique de faire visionner le film d’Al GORE dans toutes les écoles, un juge anglais a réussi à bloquer l’opération de propagande en relevant 9 erreurs scientifiques identifiées dans le film. De fait, la distribution du film de l’ex-vice-président révèle l’une des campagnes de propagande les plus massives de l’Histoire. Ce documentaire n’est que la partie la plus visible d’une série d’opérations psychologiques coordonnées, ayant pour but de fabriquer une conscience environnementale universelle, et une demande de sécurité concomitante. Le film produit par GORE vient d’être démoli par un autre film intitulé « The Great Global Warming Hoax » (L’imposture du réchauffement global). Dans ce documentaire, des scientifiques de renom pourfendent les affirmations de GORE lorsqu’il accuse les émissions de CO2 d’être responsables du réchauffement planétaire. Selon eux, les propositions de GORE aboutiraient à priver le Tiers-monde de tout, et notamment du droit à l’électricité, avec des conséquences génocidaires.

Autre indice intéressant dans notre recherche des vraies motivations supportant ce nouveau mouvement mondial écologiste : cette année là, en 2007, Al GORE a partagé son prix de Nobel de la Paix avec …le GIEC, le Groupement Intergouvernemental d’Experts sur l’évolution du Climat ! Créé à la demande du G7 en 1988, le GIEC a été mis en place par l'OMM (Organisation Météorologique Mondiale, en anglais la WMO). Il réunit 2500 chercheurs de 130 pays. Le rôle du GIEC est « d'expertiser l'information scientifique, technique et socio-économique qui concerne le risque de changement climatique provoqué par l'homme ». Les documents produits par le GIEC servent alors de référence dans le cadre des négociations internationales sur les gaz à effet de serre. Le dernier rapport du GIEC servira de document référence à Copenhague en décembre.

Yann Arthus BERTRAND, son film « Home » et les mouvements écologistes : mensonge ou vérité ?

Financé par le leader mondial de l’industrie du luxe, le film planétaire « Home » de Yann Arthus BERTRAND a été diffusé le 5 juin 2009 à l’occasion de la journée mondiale de l’environnement sur tous les médias, dans tous les pays. En France, cette date coïncidait avec la fin de la période électorale liée au scrutin européen qui a salué le triomphe des problématiques environnementales et l’installation durable du mouvement écologiste dans le paysage politique français et européen. Le producteur-commentateur du film-documentaire a lui-même avoué que la projection de son film avait largement influencé l’électorat et avait permis à David COHN-BENDIT de faire un coup politique.

Dans la droite ligne du long métrage d’Al GORE, le film « Home » dénonce pêle-mêle l’effet des gaz à effet de serre sur tous les écosystèmes. Quelques voix se sont élevées contre la propagande environnementale que draine ce film. Claude ALLEGRE, ancien Ministre et membre de l’Académie des Sciences, a fait connaitre son désaccord avec les thèses actuelles tendant à rendre les émissions de CO2 responsables du dérèglement du climat. En son temps, Haroun TAZIEFF avait fait scandale en dénonçant les discours rendant responsables les gaz CFC de la destruction de la couche d’ozone.

Début octobre, un autre film-documentaire signé Nicolas HULOT, (« le syndrome du Titanic »), parachèvera, dans une trinité hollywoodienne, la campagne mondiale de communication qui porte la problématique écologique et climatique, subitement, au plus haut des préoccupations politiques.

La réalité est plus glauque. Grâce au lobbying des mouvements écolos, le monde est prêt à accepter une nouvelle fiscalité dite climat-énergie. En taxant la tonne de CO2 émise, le futur gouvernement mondial obtient une source de financement inépuisable. Il n’y a pas de politique mondiale sans impôt mondial pour la financer : chose faite.

Le Président OBAMA a annoncé la mise en place du marché d’émission de CO2 pour 2012. Il appartiendra alors à chaque acteur économique d’acheter sa tonne de CO2 pour pouvoir produire et vivre. Dans ce débat hallucinant, il nous faut rappeler que le plus gros émetteur de CO2 est … l’homme, à chaque respiration ! Ainsi, avec des projections démographiques à 10 milliards d’individus d’ici 2050, le seul et vrai responsable à taxer en conséquence devient le nouvel être vivant qui ajoute, de par sa simple existence, aux problèmes écologiques de la planète. Dans cette perspective digne d’un mauvais film de science-fiction, comment comprendre la phrase de Jacques ATTALI, acteur important dans l’essor du N.O.M. : « faire connaitre à chacun la quantité de gaz carbonique émise lors de toute action de consommation pour pouvoir choisir lucidement de l’éviter. » ? A travers les efforts actuels pour créer un droit mondial de l’environnement et instaurer une coordination mondiale pour le bien être de l’humanité, voici une déclaration sans ambiguïté d’Harlem DESIR, Vice-président au Parlement européen du groupe politique au nom duquel il s’exprime : « quelques pays, aussi volontaires soient-ils, ne pourront pas tout régler seuls. Les problèmes sont planétaires, les solutions aussi. » ■

Second outil : la crise pandémique

Dans le domaine du fléau pandémique, la solution ne peut être que mondiale, les virus ne respectant pas, par nature, les frontières. Le 11 juin 2009, la Directrice générale de l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, le docteur Margaret CHAN, déclarait la grippe A/H1N1 première pandémie du XXIe siècle. Le comité exécutif de cette organisation étatsunienne avait préalablement proclamé le niveau 6 de la pandémie. Pourquoi cette organisation a-t-elle choisi une échelle de gravité signée de ce sinistre chiffre 6 ? La question est posée. En anglais, l’OMS se prononce Wordl Healt Organization, soit WHO : QUI ! Qui se cache derrière cette organisation à vocation mondiale ? Elu pour 3 ans, le comité exécutif est composé de 33 membres qualifiés dans le domaine de la santé, plus la Directrice générale. Petite analyse du logo de cette organisation :

De l’aveu même de la Directrice de la WHO (OMS), le virus voyage à une vitesse incroyable, inédite. « En six semaines, il parcourt la même distance que d'autres virus en six mois. Le nombre de personnes infectées est aussi sans précédent.». Paradoxalement, il est intéressant de noter ce que cite l’OMS comme symptômes du H1N1 : température, toux, maux de tête, écoulement nasal … un gros rhume, pas de quoi s’affoler à priori !

Le gouvernement français s’apprête pourtant à engager une dépense d’1 milliard d’euros pour acheter des vaccins, destinés à lutter contre le virus de la grippe A. Nous savons que les personnes décédés du H1N1 ont souvent cumulé des complications respiratoires de nature diverses. Dans tous les cas, nous sommes bien loin du bilan annuel de la grippe saisonnière qui totalise jusqu’à 500.000 morts.

Les principales multinationales qui ont passé des accords avec l’OMS pour produire un vaccin contre la pandémie sont : BAXTER, NOVARTIS, GLAXO et SANOFI. La société BAXTER a été associée par le passé à des scandales meurtriers, notamment liés à la contamination par le virus du Sida de composants hémophiles injectés à des dizaines de milliers de personnes. La firme GLAXO a été déclarée non grata par la Suède après que son vaccin Rougeole-Oreillons-Rubéole fut impliqué dans des cas de maladie de CROHN.

La Secrétaire d’Etat U.S. à la santé a pris les devants pour éviter à son industrie pharmaceutique trop de déboires. Kathleen SEBELIUS a signé un décret conférant une totale immunité aux fabricants de vaccins en cas de poursuite judiciaire. Pourquoi ? Parce que le programme accéléré - plus de 7 milliards de dollars de commande - pour la fabrication du vaccin, qui doit être mis sur le marché à l’automne, ne prévoit pas de test de sécurité. En échange de leur réactivité, les fabricants ont exigé et obtenu une immunité pénale totale, conformément aux dispositions de la loi sur les urgences de santé publique, imposée par l’Administration BUSH en 2006.

A ce propos et pour avoir été déjà incriminée par le passé, l'O.M.S. avoue : « Les contraintes de temps signifient que les données cliniques seront inévitablement limitées quand les premiers vaccins contre la pandémie seront administrés ». L'O.M.S. conseille en conséquence « à tous les pays administrant le vaccin de mener une surveillance intensive sur la sécurité et l'efficacité du médicament après le début des campagnes. » Voilà qui est rassurant.

Soyons clairs sur ce sujet : les autorités sanitaires de nos pays ont décidé de laisser l’industrie pharmaceutique introduire sur le marché les vaccins sans que leurs possibles effets secondaires ne soient évalués. Les premières doses de vaccins seront donc délivrées au public avant que leur innocuité et leur efficacité ne soit avérées.

L’avis partagé par beaucoup d’observateurs, non alignés sur cette polémique naissante du vaccin H1N1, se résume à une gigantesque opération marchande à haute valeur ajoutée pour quelques firmes proches du pouvoir politique, et susceptible de créer opportunément un écran médiatique aux climats sociaux appelés à se dégrader.

H1N1 : la résistance s’organise

De nombreuses voix s’élèvent et dénoncent le contexte dans lequel les autorités sanitaires s’apprêtent à délivrer les autorisations de mise sur le marché du vaccin. Nous ne ferons pas ici écho aux dépôts de plainte effectifs ou envisagés par quelques associations ou personnalités qui dénoncent pêle-mêle une vaste opération de réduction de la population sur la planète, dans laquelle les conglomérats pharmaceutiques se seraient entendus pour transformer les vaccins en armes de destruction massive. Cette thèse est hallucinante. Personne ne veut y croire.

Ecoutons une autre voix, moins « conspirationniste » et donc peut-être plus audible : celle du Professeur Marc GENTILINI, spécialiste des maladies infectieuses, membre de l'Académie de Médecine et ancien Président de la Croix-Rouge : « Le poids qu'on attribue à la grippe A est indécent par rapport à l'ensemble de la situation sanitaire dans le monde. C'est une pandémie de l'indécence. Quand je regarde la situation de la planète, j'ai honte de voir tout ce qui est entrepris pour éviter cette grippe dont on ne sait que peu de chose. Chaque semaine dans le monde près de 200 000 enfants meurent de maladies. La plupart auraient pu être sauvés s'ils avaient eu accès à des médicaments ou à des programmes de prévention. Chaque année, 1 million de personnes meurt du paludisme dans l'indifférence quasi générale … La décision d'acheter massivement des vaccins dont on ne sait rien, pour 1 milliard d'euros, ne me paraît pas raisonnable. C'est une mesure qui est dans la démesure. Un milliard d'euros, c'est trois fois plus que l'aide de la France aux pays en développement ! » (Interview pour « Le Monde » en date du 6 août 2009).

Face au spectre de la vaccination obligatoire, les réseaux se constituent pour mettre en garde la population contre les tentatives d’imposer un état d’urgence sanitaire incompatible avec les objections de conscience. Le gouvernement français est devenu l’otage de sa propre rhétorique de la peur : en commandant 94 millions de doses de vaccins, notre pays s’est mis en situation soit de les écouler - de force ? - soit d’affronter le scandale médiatique d’une décision hâtive et d’un gâchis de 1 milliard d’euros. C’est dans un contexte similaire que le 17 novembre 2007, le procureur du Maryland aux USA a distribué des citations à comparaître à plus de 1600 parents d’enfants qui n’ont pas fourni de certificat de vaccination. Le procureur a ordonné de rassembler les enfants dans un palais de justice pour des vaccinations forcées, pendant que la police montait la garde avec des fusils et des chiens d’attaque. « Cette prise de position élimine le consentement informé et tous les droits parentaux » a réagit Kathryn SERKES, Directeur politique de l'Association américaine des médecins et des chirurgiens (AAPS), un des rares groupes de médecins US qui refuse les subventions corporatives provenant des puissantes compagnies pharmaceutiques, par ailleurs traditionnels soutiens financiers des élites politiques.

En France, la vaccination obligatoire n’est pas à l’ordre du jour. Mais si l’OMS donnait des consignes dans ce sens et si la pandémie devenait incontrôlable, le Ministère franco-français de la Santé et des Sports ne pèserait pas lourd face aux directives européennes et recommandations de l’OMS, prises en application du règlement sanitaire mondial. La liberté de circuler sans frontière et les lois de libres échanges imposées par l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce vont maintenant se payer au prix fort : les pays refusant d’appliquer les résolutions étatsuniennes en matière de sécurité sanitaire seront mis hors système. Par ailleurs, une situation pandémique échappant à tout contrôle, et aggravée par le « comportement à risque » (dixit les autorités sanitaires) des objecteurs-rebelles aux campagnes de vaccination, inaugurerait une période d’état d’urgence sanitaire, où les mesures de confinements, de quarantaine, voire d’internements, ne seraient plus à exclure. Les campagnes de vaccinations étant d’ores et déjà assorties de mesures de traçabilités individuelles, le temps où « sans la marque, nul ne pourra acheter ou vendre ... » n’est plus un temps si éloigné.

Deux outils, deux témoins : chronique d’un conflit annoncé

« J’accorderai à mes deux témoins le don de prophétiser, revêtus de sacs, pendant 1 260 jours. Ce sont là les deux oliviers et les deux chandeliers qui se tiennent devant le Seigneur de la terre … Ils ont le pouvoir de fermer le ciel, afin qu’il ne tombe pas de pluie pendant les jours de leur prophétie, et ils ont le pouvoir de changer les eaux en sang et de frapper la terre de toute espèce de plaie, chaque fois qu’ils le veulent. Quand ils auront achevé leur témoignage, la bête … les vaincra et les tuera … Les habitants de la terre se réjouiront à leur sujet … Ils s’enverront des présents les uns aux autres, parce que ces deux prophètes ont tourmenté les habitants de la terre. » (Ap. 11:3).

Toute espèce de plaie chaque fois qu’ils le veulent … quel pouvoir terrifiant ! Assurément, le monde ne veut pas de ces deux témoins. Selon toute vraisemblance, les hommes de l’antimessie se préparent à affronter ces « deux chandeliers, ces deux oliviers ». Ils connaissent les prophéties, et comme les démons, ils les tiennent pour vraies. Ils ne veulent pas improviser ce combat crucial comme l’improvisèrent les magiciens de Pharaon face aux deux témoins d’Elohim : Moshéh et Aharon. Sur les trois premières plaies, les magiciens d’Egypte rivalisèrent alors avec les prophètes de l’Adonaï Elohim.

« YHWH à Moshéh : Dis à Aharon : étends ta main avec ton bâton sur les rivières, sur les bras du Nil et sur les étangs, et fais monter les grenouilles sur le pays d’Égypte .. .Mais les magiciens en firent autant par leurs pratiques occultes. Ils firent monter les grenouilles sur le pays d’Égypte. » (Exode 8:5)

A la quatrième plaie, ceux d’Egypte abdiquèrent et les Ecritures précisent que les magiciens eux-mêmes, malgré toute leur science occulte, furent atteints par la maladie envoyée par les deux témoins d’Elohim.

Les scientifiques de l’Organisation Mondiale de la Météorologie et de l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé lisent-ils la Bible ? S’ils le faisaient, ils apprendraient que pendant trois ans et demi les deux témoins du Seigneur vont les défier sur leurs propres terrains d’expertises. De la même façon que Moshéh dut prouver la supériorité de l’Elohim d’Avraham, d’Yitshaq et de Yaaqov sur toute la science d’Egypte, les deux témoins vont prouver au monde la supériorité de la Parole et de leur témoignage sur toutes les sciences modernes et les fausses doctrines.

Aussi ne soyons pas surpris par la réaction préventive de « l’état-major des forces adverses » : en guise de préparation au conflit annoncé, deux nouveaux outils viennent de renforcer l’arsenal des armées de l’antimessie. Le GIEC piloté par l’OMM et l’OMS, sont ces deux outils émanant de l’ONU, dont la vocation ultime est de contrôler, limiter et endiguer tout type de plaie liée à leurs périmètres respectifs.

S’il ne pleut plus, il faut pouvoir faire pleuvoir. S’il pleut de trop, il faut pouvoir assécher.

« Des grêlons lourds comme des talents tombèrent du ciel sur les hommes, et les hommes blasphémèrent Elohim à cause du fléau de la grêle, car ce fléau était particulièrement redoutable. » (Ap. 16:21).

Si la maladie survient subitement, il faut pouvoir soigner-vacciner. Si la guérison arrive miraculeusement, il faut pouvoir recréer la maladie.

« Je regardai et je vis un cheval de couleur verdâtre. Celui qui le montait se nomme la Mort, et le monde des morts le suivait. On leur donna le pouvoir sur le quart de la terre, pour faire mourir ses habitants par la guerre, la famine, les épidémies et les bêtes féroces. » (Ap. 6:8)

Dans tous les cas, l’objectif sera de prouver que les deux témoins ne parlent pas au nom d’Elohim mais au nom de leurs « sectes d’illuminés », et que la Science qui se suffit à elle-même, peut expliquer et recréer les mêmes phénomènes. La Science se prépare aujourd’hui à rejouer la scène de la création d’ « un serpent à partir d’un bâton » : voilà peut-être expliqué spirituellement le symbole du caducée présent dans le logo de l’OMS. (même si ce dernier est inspiré du serpent d’airain de Moshéh)

Il faudra le miracle de la résurrection des deux témoins pour authentifier définitivement leur témoignage et confondre les apprentis sorciers. Car si ces derniers ont le pouvoir de la mort - et ils le montreront - ils n’ont pas le pouvoir de la vie. ■

Le Vatican et la gouvernance mondiale en gestation

Le monde se prépare à affronter les témoins d’Elohim et à faire la guerre à Ses saints. Nous venons de le dire, des outils sont en préparation pour assurer ce conflit dans l’intérêt bien compris des systèmes établis et dans le cadre d’une globalisation des politiques de sécurité coordonnées à l’échelon mondial. Cette coordination mondiale, sans précédent dans l’Histoire, nécessite un coordinateur. Du côté de Rome, on se prépare à assumer ce rôle.

Le 29 juin 2009, à la veille du sommet du G8 à l’Aquila en Italie - ville meurtrie par un récent tremblement de terre - le pape Benoît XVI a publié sa première encyclique sociale, baptisée « Caritas in veritate ». « Face au développement irrésistible de l'interdépendance mondiale », il y réclame une réforme du fonctionnement de l’ONU et appelle la mondialisation à accueillir éthique et foi. Dans ce document, le chef de l’Etat du Vatican réclame la création d'une « Autorité politique mondiale » pour « assainir les économies frappées par la crise et prévenir son aggravation et de plus grands déséquilibres ». « Il est urgent que soit mise en place une véritable autorité politique mondiale » affirme le pape dans ce texte qui fait le tour de l'ensemble des questions posées à la société actuelle. Cette instance constituerait selon lui « un degré supérieur d'organisation à l'échelle internationale de type subsidiaire pour la gouvernance de la mondialisation », et devrait aussi « procéder à un souhaitable désarmement intégral, arriver à la sécurité alimentaire, assurer la protection de l'environnement et réguler les flux migratoires » ajoute Benoît XVI dans cette communication aux évêques et à l'ensemble des catholiques. Caractérisant cette future autorité mondiale, l’ancien Cardinal de Munich précise qu’il faudra également qu'elle soit « reconnue par tous » et « jouisse d'un pouvoir effectif pour assurer à chacun la sécurité, le respect de la justice et des droits ». Elle devra enfin posséder « la faculté de faire respecter ses décisions par les différentes parties », de même que « les mesures coordonnées adoptées par les divers forums internationaux ».

*** En d’autres termes, le pape appelle non seulement à l’avènement d’un gouvernement mondial, mais également à la création d’une police qui fasse appliquer efficacement les décisions internationales. *** 

Conclusion

Coup après coup et à une cadence de plus en plus rapide, une hiérarchie invisible soumet la planète à des chocs successifs pour obtenir des changements qu’il serait compliqué de favoriser par voie démocratique ou trop long. Dans ce cadre, crise climatique et crise pandémique deviennent deux outils au service d’une mondialisation accélérée et imposée par les évènements. Ces deux crises rejoignent, aggravent ou cachent la crise non encore résolue de la finance mondiale.

Quel que soit le scénario retenu par ceux qui conçoivent et suivent la « feuille de route », les lecteurs attentifs des Ecritures connaissent les points de rendez-vous. 

Nous attendons dans un premier temps, la révélation de l’impie qui se fera 

« par toute sorte de miracle, signes et prodiges mensongers » car « il faut qu’auparavant se révèle l’homme-impie… » (2 Th. 2:3)

Cet avènement sera suivi par le dernier témoignage et le combat que livreront les deux témoins contre ceux de la « synagogue de Satan ». Ce combat sera marqué et authentifié par toutes sortes de plaies, susceptibles d’être contrées ou plagiées pour les désacraliser. 

« Quand cela commencera d’arriver, redressez-vous et levez la tête, parce que votre délivrance approche. » (Luc 21:28)

A l’occasion de ce dernier combat et témoignage, ceux qui auront à traverser les tribulations apprendront à persévérer, à être patients, à vivre conformément au Psaume 91 et en suivant les recommandations du Prophète Agée :

« Tu ne craindras ni les terreurs de la nuit, ni la flèche qui vole de jour, ni la peste qui marche dans les ténèbres, ni la contagion qui frappe en plein midi. Que mille tombent à ton côté, et dix mille à ta droite, tu ne seras pas atteint; de tes yeux seulement tu regarderas, et tu verras la rétribution des méchants. Car tu es mon refuge, ô YHWH ! Tu fais du Très-Haut ta retraite. Aucun malheur ne t’arrivera, aucun fléau n’approchera de ta tente, car il ordonnera à ses anges de te garder dans toutes tes voies … »

« Selon l’engagement que j’ai pris envers vous lors de votre sortie d’Egypte, et puisque mon Souffle se tient au milieu de vous, ne craignez rien ! » (Agée 2:5)

S’agissant de la prochaine campagne mondiale de vaccination antigrippe, il est hors de question de donner ici des consignes. Que chacun se fasse sa propre opinion en pesant avec discernement tous les éléments repris dans cet article et que le lecteur aura soin de rechercher et de valider par ailleurs. 

Clôturons cette étude de notre actualité en citant une phrase de notre Adon Yéshoua qui prend un relief particulier, si nous appliquons sa sentence au débat sur la vaccination de masse préconisée dans un contexte de peur savamment entretenue : 

« … car quiconque voudra sauver sa vie la perdra … » (Luc :24)

Source : Blog Qehila

Article en PDF à télécharger Ici

[prelawland]

A History Of The Americans With Disabilities Act

By Stefania Valera, University of Rhode Island Class of 2021

July 31, 2020

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), was a monumental document in which paved the way for inclusiveness for those with disabilities; both mental and physical. In order to be protected by the ADA, “one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability,” additionally an individual is protected under the act by “having a physical or mental impairment” [2]. The ADA recognizes the magnitude of disabilities that can exist within multiple people, and this past week the United States celebrated 30 years since the ADA was signed. It is important to acknowledge the history and advancements the United States has recognized and perpetrated since the ADA was signed.

July 20, 1968: The first ever Special Olympics Summer Games are organized in Soldier Field, Chicago [3]

September 26, 1973: The Rehabilitation Act is “passed to prohibit employment discrimination based on disability” [4]. Although the Act is intended to aid those with disabilities with inclusion, the Act is unable to make life more accessible for those with disabilities. Even more remarkably, the United States is the first country “to pass comprehensive protections for… people with disabilities” [5]

July 26, 1990: President G.W. Bush signs the ADA into law, “banning discrimination against millions of people requiring reasonable accommodations” in public life [6]

2006: Updated Transportation Regulations within the ADA are issued by the Department of Transportation [7]

July 26, 2010: President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order increasing the federal employment for people with disabilities [8]

July 26, 2020: The United States celebrates 30 years of the ADA!

The events above are a shortly accumulated list of some of the most important decisions and achievements the United States has done in order to improve and aid the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although the ADA has made tremendous efforts in helping those with disabilities, there are still drawbacks for many. The ADA has definitely helped those with disabilities, however some of the main points of concern are education and employment. The ADA has established a more inclusive environment for those with disabilities. In terms of education, schools have taken positive action in enforcing that kids with disabilities be taught in public schools. The same children may also attend schools designed for those with disabilities. The addition of school aids has helped children with disabilities be able to focus and receive more direction within classroom activities. However, after high school it is difficult for people with disabilities to gain a higher education. A good amount of schools dedicated to help those with disabilities stop after a generic high school graduation. Furthermore, this disallows those with disabilities to enter the work force at such a high percentage against those who have no disabilities.

CBS News reports that adults “with disabilities who are working by some measures hasn’t improved since the ADA passed in July 1990,” proving there is still much work to be done. More interestingly, “some economists suggest the ADA may have made it less likely for employers to hire people with disabilities because of the costs they might incur for providing accommodations” [9]. Furthermore, along with many of the stigmas and challenges that people with disabilities may have to face, due to this data and findings, it can be inferred that those with disabilities may not have as a fulfilling life or experience once they enter the workforce. Many of these stigmas and challenges need to be erased in order to provide a more fair and equal opportunity for those with disabilities. It is imperative that the United States understand that people with disabilities, “like all members of our communities, should be ensured access to the same protections and opportunities” [10]. There is no place for segregation and discrimination in the United States, therefore it is important for constituents and voters to understand the importance of those they vote into power, and to ensure that their values align with the leaders that will ultimately bridge the gap between differing communities. The ADA is certainly something to be celebrated, however with continuous efforts the United States can ensure that those with disabilities no longer feel like second-hand citizens.

________________________________________________________________

1.     “Disability Access Office.” The City of San Antonio - Official City Website.

2.     Carmel, Julia. “Before the A.D.A., There Was Section 504.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 July 2020.

3.     “History.” SpecialOlympics.org.

4.     A Guide to Disability Rights Laws.

5.     McGreevy, Nora. “The ADA Was a Monumental Achievement 30 Years Ago, but the Fight for Equal Rights Continues.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 24 July 2020.

6.     “Beyond the Law's Promise: 30 Years Since the Passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 July 2020.

7.     “Timeline of the Americans with Disabilities Act.” ADA National Network, 5 Aug. 2020.

8.     “From the Archives: A Landmark Moment for Americans with Disabilities.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration.

9.     Picchi, Aimee. “Americans with Disabilities Still Can't Land Jobs.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 26 July 2017.

10.  Pettinicchio, David. “Perspective | Why Disabled Americans Remain Second-Class Citizens.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 July 2019.

[elaindurham]

President Trump’s BIGGEST Blunder...

President Trump failed to fire MOST Obama administration appointees who, many of which, have caused endless problems for Trump. Obama fired most G.W. Bush appointees when he took office. That’s what all SMART incoming president’s do. Trump is paying the price for his stupidity...