This document summarizes recent world events from the perspective of a conservative publication. It discusses record natural disasters in 2011, mass protests around the world, Germany's rising power in Europe, ongoing economic problems, and optimism about 2012 despite Bible prophecies of increasing crises. It also reports that Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz during naval drills and that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt will not recognize Israel.
This document summarizes recent world events from the perspective of a conservative publication. It discusses record natural disasters in 2011, mass protests around the world, Germany's rising power in Europe, ongoing economic problems, and optimism about 2012 despite Bible prophecies of increasing crises. It also reports that Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz during naval drills and that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt will not recognize Israel.
This document summarizes recent world events from the perspective of a conservative publication. It discusses record natural disasters in 2011, mass protests around the world, Germany's rising power in Europe, ongoing economic problems, and optimism about 2012 despite Bible prophecies of increasing crises. It also reports that Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz during naval drills and that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt will not recognize Israel.
we are the mark. The world has too much debt, too little trust, and is vulnerable towards total collapse. Iran struck back by actually closing Hormuzfor ve hours. Has Japan nally been mugged by reality? the TRUMPETWEEKLY WAR PAGE 2 HOAX PAGE3 REARMING PAGE 6 CULTURE PAGE 8 END PAGE 9 A DIGEST OF SIGNIFICANT WORLD NEWS FROM THE PHILADELPHIA TRUMPET STAFF FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 1-7, 2012 L AST YEAR was ridiculous. In March, a monster quake triggered a tsunami that leveled parts of coastal Japan. It was just one of several record-breaking disasters to smash the globe in 2011. The year was fraught with torrential rains, freak tornados, blistering droughts and accompanying wildfres. In America, there were 12 billion-dollar disasters for the year, which surpassed the previous record of nine set in 2008. For the insur- ance industry worldwide, 2011 was the costliest year ever. The world was also jolted by mass uprisings and revolts in 2011, as hundreds of thousands of people in cities all over the worldfrom Tunis to Cairo, to Rome and Manhattantook to the streets in violent protest against various political and/ or economic injustices. In the United States, the belligerent Occupiers that were supposed to beneft the average Ameri- can worker ended up costing U.S. taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. In the UK, a small, seemingly peaceful protest quickly morphed into a barbaric rampage of widespread looting, vandalism and arson that ended with sections of London and other British cities going up in fames. In the Middle East, mass demonstrations that were supposed to remove repressive authoritarianism and usher in a new era of freedom and democracy instead cleared the way for fun- damentalist Islam to expand its reach across the region. Iran, of course, stands to beneft most from the regions biggest upheaval in decades. With Egypt now on the fast track to becoming a radical Islamist state and America now gone from Iraq, Irans position as regional KING has been strengthened mightily. Germanys conquest of Europe in 2011 is another earthshaking development the Trumpet has been following closely. Millions of lives were lost during Germanys quest for world dominion during two world wars. Today, however, Germany has all but conquered Europeand without ever fring a shot. Thats how historian Victor Davis Hanson summarizes the past century of German history. Der Spiegel adds that the Germanization of Europe can now be seen all over the continent. This remarkable ascendency, as numerous news outlets have reported over the past year, has many European nations trembling with fear. Within the Fatherland itself, reports German-Foreign-Policy.com, German leaders are now urging commentators to tone down their celebratory language about German domination so as to not seem too triumphant. Germanys rise, of course, has rapidly accelerated over the past four years because of the global fnancial crisis, which showed no signs of recovery in 2011. Government debt levels are still skyrocketing. Oil prices remain high. And small investors are leaving the markets. In the United States, after Washington borrowed trillions of dollars to stimulate the economy, GDP growth remains frustratingly slow and unemployment continues to hover around 9 percent. Despite these grim realities, many Americans believe there are brighter days ahead in 2012. According to a recent survey, while nearly 70 percent of Americans say 2011 was a painful year theyd like to forget, 62 percent remain posi- tively optimistic about the road ahead. 2012 is going to be a better year. It has to be, said one New Years reveler at Times Square last week. Because it was so bad in 2011, many believe, theres surely nowhere to go but up! One conservative commentator even promised his audi- ence that everything would change for the better in 2012. As bad as he knows it is right now, he frmly believes were really close to a dramatic turnaround for America. 2012 is going to be an incredible journey, he said. Humanly, its hard to fault someone for being optimistic about the future. God, after all, is a positive thinker. But He also says we are under a curse if we put our trust in man to solve the problems of this world (Jeremiah 17:5). And many people STILL believe that mans system of democratic rule, or mans Western-style system of education, or the traditional Christian religion, with its hundreds of divided denomina- tions, will somehow bring widespread peace and prosperity to this troubled worldand soon! But what does your Bible say about the days leading up to the prophesied RETURN of Jesus Christ? Didnt the Apostle Paul tell us that when men say peace and safety, sudden destruction will follow? Didnt Jesus Himself say in Matthew 24 that the last days would be noted for world- wide fghting and unprecedented weather-related disasters? Read Revelation 11:15-19. Why, after the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord, does it say the na- tionspluralwill be ANGRY? Its amazing, isnt it, to think about HOW the nations of this world actually respond to the soon-coming establishment of Gods government on Earth. Britain had become a walk on by society. see GOODBYE page 10 STEPHEN FLURRY COLUMNIST Goodbye 2011, and Good Riddance MIDDLE EAST nThe Muslim Brotherhood will not recognize Israel: The Mus- lim Brotherhood, the terrorist-affliated party leading in Egypts elec- tions, will never recognize Israel, its deputy leader, Dr. Rashad Bayoumi, said in an interview published by the London-based al-Hayat newspa- per January 1. Recognizing Israel, he said, is not an option, whatever the circumstances; we do not recognize Israel at all. Its an occupying criminal enemy. He said the Muslim Brotherhood would not negotiate with Israel. He also said, The Brotherhood respects international con- ventions, but we will take legal action against the peace treaty with the Zionist entity. He indicated that Egypt would hold a referendum on the treaty once a new government was in place. The Muslim Brotherhood is close to victory following the fnal round of voting in Egypts elections for the lower house of parliament held Tuesday and Wednesday. nIran claims to have produced frst nuclear fuel rod: Iran has produced its frst nuclear fuel rod, Iranian scientists announced on Sunday. The public relations offce of Irans Atomic Energy Organiza- tion said scientists have succeeded in building and testing the coun- trys frst nuclear fuel rod and that it has been inserted into the core of Tehrans research reactor. U.S. analysts say that the fuel rod for medical research doesnt have any military signifcance. However, Meir Jave- danfar, a lecturer on Iranian politics at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, said, If Iran has indeed produced its frst nuclear fuel rod using its own domestic capabilities that would represent progress in its program, as just last year there was signifcant doubt they had that ability. In any case, the announcement shows Iran is not backing down in its nuclear aspirations despite stepped-up sanctions. AL ARABIYA | January 3 Egyptian Revolutionary Guard Inspired by Iran A GROUP of young Egyptians launched a page on Facebook entitled The Egyptian Revolutionary Guard, and their profle pictures show the Iranian fag with modifed colors to match the colors of the Egyptian fag. Other profle pictures show the Egyptian fag where the picture of Ayatollah Kamenei replaces the eagle. These young Egyp- tians declared on their page that the Islamic revolution in Iran, led by Ayatollah Khamenei, is their source of motivation and inspiration. Mustafa Barakat and Ali Rajab from al-Watan al-Arabi magazine in- terviewed the members of this movement, who said that they were the frst movement to hammer the wall built by the Egyptian armed forces in front of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and to storm the embassy. Mohammed l-Hadari, secretary of the Egyptian Revolutionary Guard, affrmed that the idea of establishing the Egyptian Revolution- ary Guard evolved after the Egyptian revolution had erupted and when many alliances arose. The Egyptian Revolutionary Guard is linked to many interior and foreign movements, including the Labbayka ya Akssa association and the international alliance to end the blockade on Gaza and other local Egyptian political movements, al-Hadari said. The Egyptian Revolutionary Guard secretary said the revolutions main goal is to put an end to Egypts dependence on the U.S. and Israel. Al-Hadari said: The revolution brought down the biggest U.S. and Israeli agent in the Arab world and we will hunt down all the agents affliated with the state of arrogance and the Zionist entity. We want to bring Egypt back to the objecting sates because it is Egypts natural THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 2 COULD IRAN get any bolder? It seems absolutely bent on starting a war. On Monday Iran fnished off 10 days of naval exercis- es in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz. Amid those war games, Iran threatened to retali- ate against sanctions by shutting down the strait. When the U.S. sent an aircraft car- rier and its strike group from the Persian Gulf, through the strait and into the Gulf of Oman, the area of Irans maneuvers, Iran struck back by actually closing Hormuz for fve hoursby announcing that its drills would include some long-range missile tests. For fve hours Saturday, not a single war- ship, merchant vessel or oil tanker ventured into the 30-mile-wide Hormuz Strait, wait- ing to hear from Tehran that the test was over, DEBKAfle wrote. Later that morning Irans navy said it hadnt fred any missiles after all. Tehran had demonstrated by this ruse that it could close the vital waterway for hours or days at any moment (ibid). If that wasnt confrontational enough, on Tuesday Iran upped the ante. The head of the armed forces said Iran would take action if Americas aircraft carrier returned back to its Persian Gulf base. I advise, recommend and warn them (the Americans) over the return of this carrier to the Persian Gulf because we are not in the habit of warning more than once, Maj. Gen. Ataollah Salehi said. The U.S. said it would ignore the threat and intends to stay in the Gulf. When asked if it would send more ships to reinforce the area, the Pentagon said, No one in this government seeks confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz. Its important to lower the temperature. Iran clearly disagrees. It seeks confronta- tion, and it keeps raising the temperature. But lower the temperature has long been Americas approach to Irans pushi- ness. No matter the provocation, essentially this is Americas response. Such weakness gives Iran room to push harder and harder. This pushiness was specifcally prophesied in Scripture (Daniel 11:40). Push is the verb prophecy uses to defne the power we see threatening oil routes, openly confront- ing the worlds most powerful navy and building nukes. That prophesied push has already started. And it will keep getting more provocative, volatile and violent. Until it ends in war. Iran Wants War. It Is About to Get One. JOEL HILLIKER | Columnist THE RISE of the forces of jihadist Islam in Egypt places the U.S. and other Western powers in an uncomfortable position. The U.S. is the guarantor of Egypts peace treaty with Israel. That treaty is based on the proposition of land for peace. Israel gave Egypt the Sinai in 1982 and in exchange it received a peace treaty with Egypt. Now that the Islamists are poised to take power, the treaty is effectively null and void. The question naturally arises: Will the U.S. act in accordance with its role as guarantor of the peace and demand that the new Egyptian government give Sinai back to Israel? Because if the Obama administra- tion or whatever administration is in power when Egypt abrogates the treaty does not issue such a demand, and stand behind it, and if the EU does not support the demand, the entire concept of land-for-peace will be exposed as a hoax. Indeed the land-for-peace formula will be exposed as a twofold fction. First, it is based on the false proposition that the peace pro- cess is a two-way street. Israel gives land, the Arabs give peace. But the inevitable death of the Egyptian-Israeli peace accord under an Egyptian jihadist regime makes clear that the land-for-peace formula is a one-way street. Israeli land giveaways are permanent. Arab commitments to peace can be revoked at any time. It is possible, and perhaps likely, that the U.S. will cut off military aid to Egypt in the wake of Cairos abrogation of the peace treaty. But it is impossible to imagine that the Obama administration will abide by the U.S.s commitment as the guarantor of the deal and demand that Egypt return Sinai to Israel. Indeed, it is only slightly more likely that a Republican administration would demand the return of Sinai to Israel after Egypts democratically elected Islamist regime fnds an excuse to abrogate the peace treaty. It is important to keep this sorry state of affairs in mind when we assess the prospects for a land-for-peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. So the best case scenario for a peace deal with the Palestin- ians is that Abbas will sign a deal that Israel will implement by withdrawing from Jerusa- lem, Judea and Samaria . Hamas will then take power and abrogate the treaty, just as its brethren in Cairo are planning to do with their countrys peace treaty. The time has come for Israel to admit the truth. Land-for-peace is a confdence game and we are the mark. THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 3 duty to resist the Zionist-American plan in the Arab region. This is a primary role that some Arab leaders are trying to impede by seeking to abort the Egyptian revolution. We want to forge a political, economic and military alliance between Egypt and Iran. Theres nothing wrong in such an alliance between the biggest two powers in the region. Everybody sees in this alliance a threat to Israel that would eradicate the Zionist entity from the region. However, some Western countries, mainly the U.S., and Israel would spare no effort to prevent any type of alliance and communication be- tween Egypt and Iran, although the two countries share many common values that might impede the Zionist-American plan. HAARETZ | January 2 Israel Under International Siege P RIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahus envoy Isaac Molho will meet with top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman Tuesday for preliminary talks aimed at setting an agenda for peace nego- tiations, even as the Palestinians are preparing a diplomatic campaign that aims to put Israel under a real international siege. Among those who have been pushing hard for the meeting Tuesday, the frst offcial meeting between Israeli and Palestinian representa- tives in several months, are Jordans King Abdullah and Foreign Minis- ter Nasser Judeh and the Quartets Mideast envoy, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Senior Israeli offcials said there was very little chance that the meeting would lead to the renewal of negotiations. The diplomatic offensive the Palestinians are planning to launch later this month could include pushing the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning settlement construction and urging the International Criminal Court to try Israel for war crimes related to its 2008-2009 incursion into the Gaza Strip. 2012 will be the start of an unprecedented diplomatic campaign on the part of the Palestinian leadership, and it will be a year of pressure on Israel that will put it under a real international siege, said Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Shaath, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry document. The campaign will be similar to the one waged against apartheid in South Africa. The diplomatic campaign is expected to begin January 26, which marks the end of the three-month period the Quartet allotted to Israel and the Palestinian Authority for resuming talks and presenting sub- stantive proposals on borders and security arrangements. WORLD TRIBUNE | January 4 Hamas Now Firing Phosphorus-Filled Mortars Into Israel I SRAEL HAS determined that the Hamas military was fring mortar shells flled with phosphorus in attacks on Israel. Offcials said Hamas and its Palestinian militia allies have acquired or produced hundreds of phosphorus shells in an effort to The Land-for-Peace Hoax CAROLINE GLICK, JERUSALEM POST | January 6 increase Israeli casualties. They said the shells were designed to spark fres and destroy homes and felds. Mortar shells fred from the Gaza Strip into Israel contained the internationally prohibited substance white phosphorus, according to an Israeli offcial. The latest phosphorus attack was reported on Janu- ary 1. Offcials said Palestinian gunners fred two mortar salvos from the Gaza Strip toward farmers in southern Israel. Two of the shells were said to have contained a phosphorus warhead. EUROPE nFrance and Germany want fnancial transaction tax this year: French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel want a tax on fnancial transactions in place by the end of the year, French Minister for European Affairs Jean Leonetti said January 4. This is another direct attack on Britain, and will continue to force the country to the outskirts of Europe. The fnancial transaction tax is on the program for discussion at the next European summit, January 30, Leonetti said. Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel have decided on this, and it will be put in place before the end of 2012, he announced. Accord- ing to Leonetti, Britain and Sweden were the only EU nations against it. This announcement shows an accelerated time table compared to previous Franco-German plans. Last month, French Finance Minister Francois Baroin said that France and Germany would give their propos- als on the tax on January 23 in the hope of introducing it across Europe in 2013. Britain is dead-set against the tax. Last year, British Prime Min- ister David Cameron said: In all the fgures that we bandy around about the fnancial transactions tax, it is worth bearing in mind the fact that around 80 percent of it would be raised from businesses in the United Kingdom. I am sometimes tempted to ask the French whether they would like a cheese tax. The push for a transaction tax is a push to marginalize Britain. Watch for Germany to continue to push Britain out of the EU. nGerman president on the ropes: A strong media campaign for Germanys President Christian Wulff to resign from the presidency has mounted in the wake of a scandal involving a real-estate purchase in which the president was involved prior to his appointment. This has recently been exacerbated by his subsequent treatment of certain members of the German press. A widely unpopular choice at the time, Germanys President Christian Wulff was appointed as the nations president in June 2010 following the resignation of Horst Khler from that post. Now it seems that Wulffs tenure as president could be brief. Pressure has now mounted signifcantly on Wulff to resign, for, as Handelsblatt reports, members of the ruling majority have now joined their opposition colleagues in calling for his resignation. Its obvious that the knives are out to dispatch Christian WulffMerkels personal choice as Khlers replacementand if he goes it will be yet another blow to the chancellors reputation coming hard on the heels of disas- trous results for her party, the Christian Democrats, in the 2011 state elections. Who could fll the presidents shoes if Wulff succumbs to the pressure and tosses in the towel? We will be watching one man in particular: ex-Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber. nEU agrees to oil embargo on Iran: Europe is stepping up its response to Irans provocations, with European Union governments agreeing in principal to ban imports of Iranian oil, EU diplomats said on Wednesday. A lot of progress has been made, one EU diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The principle of an oil embargo is agreed. It is not being debated anymore. The details are still to be ironed out, but French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe announced that on January 30, the Europeans will hopefully pass an oil embargo. EU countries currently buy 450,000 barrels per day of Irans 2.6 million THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 4 THE TWO regions that will remain in headline news more than any others in 2012 are the Middle East and Europe. International relations between certain nations within these two largely opposed regions will rise to fever pitch. Already the increasing foreign-policy push of Iran and its allies against the European Union is meeting with a rapidly hardening stand by Germany and other key EU nations. Witness the current level of heightened EU sanctions against Iran. This is creating a divide in the Middle East, with certain key Gulf states increas- ingly aligning with Germany in particular, to Germanys foreign-policy advantage. Within this mix of dangerously volatile events, two high-profle personalities stand to gain in infuence during 2012 to the point of exercising the power to profoundly af- fect relationships between Europe and the Middle East. The frst is the aging, yet sharp-minded and smooth talking Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict has scheduled a synod of bishops for February, concentrating on his crusading effort of the new evangelization of Europe. The pope will also use the February synod to reinforce his bevy of cardinals by the ap- pointment of at least a dozen new cardinals from the right-wing enclave of the priest- hood. The highlight of the papal year 2012 will be the launching of his great European cru- sading initiative through his declared Year of Faith commencing October 2012. This initiative is designed to renew the evangeliz- ing missionary zeal of the church globally. He is also seeking to consolidate the Ro- man Catholic links between Europe and that southern continent by visits in the spring of 2012 to Cuba and Mexico. 2012 will be the return to politics of Karl- Theodor zu Guttenberg, baron of the Holy Roman Empire. In recent days the German media have re- ported that Horst Seehoffer, president of the Christian Social Unionthe political party to which Guttenberg belongsintends to invite the baron back to active party involvement to shore up the csus waning support in prepara- tion for Germanys federal elections in 2013. Yet, regardless of the particular personali- ties that will be involved at the time, the two regions of the Middle East and Europe are heading for a mighty clash in the near future. 2012Watch the Two by Two RON FRASER | Columnist bpd in oil exports, making the EU the second-largest importer of Iranian crude. Italy, Greece and Spain in particular get a lot of oil from Iran and want extra time to look for more supplies. nGreek government spokesman warns Greece may have to quit euro: Greece will have to quit the euro if it doesnt receive the funds from its second bailout, government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis warned January 3. The bailout agreement needs to be signed, other- wise we will be out of the markets, out of the euro, he said. The EU has already agree in principle a 130 billion bailout, but Greece must cut public spending and sell off government-owned companies to get it. Even Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned January 4 that without an agreement with the troika and further funding, Greece faces an immediate risk of an uncontrolled default in March. A Greek exit from the eurozone is looking increasing likely. GERMAN FOREIGN POLICY | December 21 Europe Adrift D EMANDS FROM within Berlins establishment for a more prominent nationalist oriented foreign policy are leading toward a rear- rangement of forces on the rightwing spectrums of the political parties. In the governing CDU Party, a Berlin Circle has been formed with the objective of promoting a Europe of Fatherlands. A prominent former high-ranking German industrial functionary, who has stepped forward with a plea to split up the Euro Zone, is un- dertaking the establishment of a voter initiative (Free Voters)inde- pendent of established parties represented in parliament. Both of these initiatives are expressions of a rightward drift in the political spectrum, which has been apparent throughout Europe for years and which has led to a signifcant reinforcement of the rightwing extremist parties in numerous EU countries. Greece is the most recent example. The government in Athens, in- stalled under pressure from Germany to implement Berlins austerity dictate, includes a racist, anti-Semitic party that upholds the tradition of Athenss earlier military junta. Phasing out parliamentary democracy is being contemplated also in Germany. The escalation of the crisis is accentuating nationalist and anti-democratic ventures. ASIA nChinas quiet military space program: Chinas increasing focus on space programs may be a strategy for global supremacy, the Eurasia Review wrote on Tuesday. Chinas latest fve-year plan on space explora- tion, published at the end of 2011, mentions peace or peaceful a dozen times, but nearly every major facet of the plan has crucial military ap- plications. Most media have chosen to focus on Beijings vague aspirations to- wards deep-space and manned explo- ration, said formal Royal Navy Offcer Lewis Page, but in fact the concrete details given all point toward a prima- ry emphasis on strategic advantage for China here on Earth. Besides boosting Chinas technological supremacy, more advanced forays in space give Beijing a springboard to increase its soft power in developing nations. For example, last China launches a Long March-2 rocket. THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 5 AFP/GETTY IMAGES IN A masterful stroke of diplomacy, Mario Draghi has again asserted his authority and his independence, preventing Berlin and France from meddling overmuch in the European Central Banks (ECBs) affairs. Both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Frances President Nicolas Sarkozy sought to apply pressure on Draghi to have him accede to their requests to have their nominee accepted to replace Jrgen Stark of Germany, who stepped down from the position as the ECBs chief economist at the end of 2011. Ever the master diplomat (a key Je- suit skill), Draghi neatly sidestepped both Merkel and Sarkozy by appointing one of the banks executive board members, the Bel- gian Peter Praet, to the position. In so doing, Draghi has made a strong point underlining his independence from Berlin and Paris. Commenting on the AFP story, The Local observed Germany had assumed its num- ber two at the Finance Ministry, Jrg Asmus- sen, would automatically take over. But Paris threw its hat into the ring in November in the person of Coeure, chief economist at the French Economy and Finance Ministry and number two at the French Treasury. Ever since the ECB was set up, the position of chief economist has been held by a Germanfrst Otmar Issing and then Stark (January 4). Nevertheless, it is Germany, rather than France, which ought to be at least somewhat pleased by Praets appointment, considering that he spent his frst 17 formative years liv- ing in and being acculturated into German ways before relocating to Belgium. Praet speaks both German and French fuently. Draghi also used this opportunity to reshuffe responsibilities at the ECB more to his liking. The result is that Germany wins out over France in its tussle for a prestige appointment at the ECB. One can tell that Draghi structures his alliances to go with the strength. By asserting his independent authority with these appointments, Draghi has sent a strong message to Merkel and Sarkozy that he is prepared to play things his own way as head of the worlds most powerful central bank. Yet he has also shown that he is pre- pared to favor Germany over France. So, once again its game, set and match to Romes man heading the ECB. Time will tell that Draghis assertiveness will only serve to further strengthen the alliance between Germany, Rome and the ECBnot a surpris- ing outcome to those aware of the prophe- cies of Revelation 13 and 17. Draghi Comes Out on TopAgain! RON FRASER, THETRUMPET.COM | January 6 year China launched an advanced communications satellite for Pakistan, and clinched a deal to construct and launch a satellite for Bolivia. Former U.S. President George W. Bush proposed sending astronauts back to the moon, but now the U.S. is not even able to send people into space. Chinas space program is rapidly rising as NASA trudges through a long period of inactivity and transition. nThe Koreas boosts defense as Chinas military power grows: As Seoul watches the shadows of Chinas military grow longer, South Koreas is bolstering its defenses, the South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported on December 30. Over the last 20 years, Chinas military spending has increased an average of 16.2 percent each year, and in 2010 China ranked second in the world after spending $91.7 billion on defense. And Western analysts believe Chinas actual military spend- ing is two to three times larger than these fgures Beijing offcially reports. South Koreas concern about Chinas military rise is evident in its response. For example, in preparation for the launch of Chinas frst aircraft carrier last year, Seoul began developing a ferce supersonic anti-vessel cruise missile and a feet of small submarines capable of maneuvering undetected in shallow waters. The nations armed forces have been bolstering their high-tech weapons arsenals since the mid- 1990s by developing Aegis destroyers and purchasing early-warning aircraft, not just to deter threats from North Korea, but rather to prepare for the rising military powers of China and Japan, the Chosun Ilbo wrote. Meanwhile, North Korea said on Sunday that its 1.1 million- strong military will expand under new leader Kim Jong-un, and in a joint editorial of three major newspapers instructed all North Koreans to possess a frm conviction that they will become human bulwarks and human shields in defending Kim Jong-un unto death. CHINA DAILY | December 27 Nation Urged to Increase Holdings of Gold C HINA SHOULD further diversify its foreign-exchange portfolio and make more gold purchases when the metals price dips but is still at a relatively high level, a senior central bank offcial said on Monday. The Chinese government should not only be cautious of the im- ported risk caused by rising global infation, but also further optimize its foreign-exchange portfolio and purchase gold assets when the gold price shows a favorable fuctuation, said Zhang Jianhua, director of the research bureau affliated with the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC). The spot gold price declined 16 percent over the past three months to less than $1,600 an ounce last week. It touched a record of more than $1,900 in early September. Zhang said bleak economic conditions, increasing international liquidity as countries turned to monetary easing and the resulting high infation had dampened investors confdence. He said that gold had become the only safe haven for risk-averse investors. No asset is safe now. The only choice to hedge risks is to hold hard currencygold. Zhang didnt specify what proportion of Chinas $3.2 trillion foreign reserves should be held in gold. China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities, having invested about one third of its foreign reserves in those bonds. About 20 percent has been invested in euro-denominated assets. As of this month, China ranked sixth worldwide in gold holdings, with about 1,054 tons. Central banks made their biggest gold purchases for a single year in 2011 since the Bretton Woods system dissolved in 1973 and major currencies began to foat against each other without being THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 6 HAS JAPAN fnally been mugged by reality? Several policy moves in the past month suggest Tokyo has been rudely awakened to the dangers of an increasingly volatile region and is actually doing something about it. By pledging to buy advanced stealth aircrafts and starting to fght back against cyberwarfare, Japan is telling the world that it has fgured out good inten- tions are no insurance against the destabi- lizing actions of aggressive regimes. It is an apt lesson for a troubled time in Asia and a lesson Americas leaders should learn. The new year opened with the news that Tokyo is developing a virus to disable com- puters used by cyber attackers. This comes after an unidentifed hacker broke into the systems of defense contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries earlier this year, stealing sensitive information on military programs and nuclear power plants. In December, the upper house of Parliament was hacked by addresses originating in China. Secondly, the Noda administration an- nounced in December a long-awaited re- laxation of the ban on arms exports, which also served to choke off joint development of weapons systems. Finally, in a widely noticed decision, the government said it would purchase the stealthy ffth-generation F-35 as its next frontline fghter. Many observers doubted Japan would agree to the hefty cost of buy- ing and maintaining an unproven fghter, but it may provide a useful technological edge for the Air Self-Defense Forces for de- cades to come. If the F-35 lives up to its bill- ing, Japan will become part of an informal allied air corps in Asiafying the same plane and able to cooperate more closely with the U.S., Australia and South Korea. These actions, taken together, are a notable swerve away from a decades-long adherence to the countrys postwar peace constitution. Over the years, successive governments tied themselves up in knots trying to present as nonprovocative a mili- tary posture as possible. Now, however, Tokyo seems to be con- necting the dots. Leaders worry the U.S. military will not remain a credible force in coming decades in light of planned budget cuts, and have seen Washingtons repeated outreach to China, North Korea and even Iran. More countries have more power- ful weapons and there is less confdence in diplomatic mechanisms to keep peace. Japan Mulls Rearming to Defend Itself MICHAEL AUSLIN, REAL CLEAR WORLD | January 5 pegged to gold. China has vowed to further diversify the nations foreign- reserve portfolio amid growing global fnancial uncertainty. AFRICA/ LATIN AMERICA WASHINGTON POST | January 2 In Mexico, 12,000 Killed in Drug Violence in 2011 A BOUT 12,000 people were slain last year in Mexicos surging drug violence, according to grim tallies reported Monday by the coun- trys leading media outlets. Annual indexes of torture, behead- ings and the killing of women all showed increases. More than 50,000 people have been killed during President Felipe Calderons U.S.-backed military confrontation with organized crime and drug traffcking, which began in 2006. The Calderon government, after promising to update fgures regu- larly, has not reported its own death count, perhaps because the trend line does not look good. A government spokesman said new fgures would be released later this month. The ruling party is facing national elections this summer, in which the main opposition party threatens to retake the presidency. The daily newspaper Reforma, one of the nations most respected in- dependent news outlets, reported 12,359 drug-related killings in 2011, a 6.3 percent increase compared with the previous year. There were 2,275 drug killings in 2007, Reforma said. Other media reported similar numbers. ISRAEL-NATIONAL-NEWS.COM | January 1 Nigeria Declares State of Emergency I SLAMIST VIOLENCE has forced Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency and order the closure of part of the coun- trys borders. Jonathan announced the emergency measures Satur- day, labeling the Islamist sect Boko Haram a cancer that threatened to destroy Africas most populated body after a deadly week in which scores were killed by the radical Islamist terror group Boko Haram. Speaking in a broadcast to the nation, the president said, It has become imperative to take some decisive measures to restore normalcy in the country, especially within the affected communities . He listed parts of the states of Niger, Yobe, Plateau and Bornowhere Boko Ha- ram has its traditional stronghold. Jonathan also ordered the shutdown of land borders between the affected areas to control cross-border terrorist activities. Nigeria has been hit by a series of bloody terrorist attacks. Last week 39 people were slaughtered, most of them dying in a bombing of their house of worship after celebrating Christmas Mass, lying in a pool of blood on the steps of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, near the Nigerian capital. THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 7 PRESIDENT OBAMAS new defense strategic- guidance document sends a clear message to Americas adversaries: Go for it. The Obama administration frequently pro- duces major publications that belie their own titles. For example, the presidents frst of sever- al budgets with trillion-dollar-plus defcits was titled A New Era of Responsibility. The same could be said of Sustaining U.S. Global Leader- ship, the strategic document introduced with great fanfare at the Pentagon Thursday morning. This mini-Quadrennial Defense Review is an eight-page admission of American impotence. Mr. Obama claimed the new strategy refects the personal guidance he gave throughout its formulation. Its odd he would seek to tie himself so closely to something that attests to his admin- istrations dreary performance. The new strategy claims the United States faces an infection point, which in calculus is the point at which a curve changesfrom upward to down- ward, for example, from positive to negative. The document is a new milestone marking Americas strategic retreat. The Cold War-era requirement that the United States be able to fght and win 2 wars was downgraded to two major-theater wars during the Clinton administration. Under the new guidance, we are down to a war and a half. Even when U.S. forces are committed to a large-scale operation in one region, it declares, they will be capable of denying the objectives of an opportunistic aggressor in a second region. So, while Wash- ington will pledge to defeat one adversary, in the second, smaller confict, U.S. forces will only be able to play for a draw. This was a strategy that worked well in the Vietnam Warfor our enemy. To make up for the decline in U.S. power, the new defense document promotes the idea of building partnership capacity . America will seek to be the security partner of choice, which reduces defending freedom to an unin- spiring marketing plan. The guidance suggests pursuing partnerships with a growing number of nations whose in- terests and viewpoints are merging into a com- mon vision of freedom, stability and prosperity. Unfortunately, this statement is fatly untrue; freedom, stability and prosperity are not growing but are in global retreat like Obamas America. The guidance suggests the future lies in innovative, low-cost and small-footprint approaches to global partnership, which is like calling for a coalition of Facebook friends. Today, Mr. Obama declared, were fortu- nate to be moving forward from a position of strength. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrayed behind him like extras on a movie set, stared grimly ahead, in silence. Obamas Strategic Retreat WASHINGTON TIMES | January 5 Israel immediately issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms the terror attacks that occurred in Nigeria on Christmas Day. The Netanyahu government promised to provide the Nigerian au- thorities with medical supplies to treat the wounded. The White House, meanwhile, responded to the slaughter with a routine condemnation, as did British Foreign Secretary William Hague and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. ANGLO-AMERICA nObama administration planning to cut tens of thousands of troops: Now that the Iraq war has come to an offcial close, United States President Barack Obama has announced a major reshaping and shrinking of the military. On Thursday, Obama promised to reduce Americas arsenal of nuclear weapons and to shed tens of thousands of troops. These reforms, whose details will be included in the 2013 defense budget, will cut hundreds of billions of dollars from planned Pentagon spending over the coming decade. To compensate for its loss in overall military power, the Pentagon will have to rely more upon its allies in Europe, the president said. Bible prophecy reveals that it will be this reli- ance on foreign allies that ultimately proves to be Americas undoing. nPetroChina buys Canadian oil sands project: Canadian frm Athabasca Oil Sands Corp announced this week that it is selling a 40 per- cent stake in one of its oil sands prospects to a Chinese company. Atha- basca already sold 60 percent stakes in its MacKay River project to Pet- roChina in 2010. Now it is trying to sell off the remaining stakes. If this sale goes through, it will be the frst time a Chinese company gains full ownership of such a project. Canada holds the worlds third-largest re- serves of oil, so obviously China is eager to move in and get a piece of the pie. This has particularly been the case since the U.S. State Department late last year delayed a decision to build a pipeline proposed to carry oil from Alberta to Texas. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that he plans to actively market Canadian oil to Asian buyers since the Obama administration does not seem interested in it. Ironically, at a time when Washington is sweating over whether or not Iran will try to block Middle Eastern oil shipments, Beijing is sneaking in the back door and taking Canadian oil that America seems not to even want. n40 percent of pregnancies in New York City aborted: The abortion rate in New York City is more than double the national average, according to data released by the local heath department on Thursday. The data shows that 83,750 pregnancies were aborted in New York City in 2010, which translated to 40 percent of the total. The citys abortion rate was highest among African-Americans, where 60 percent of preg- nancies end in abortion. The study revealed that the citys pregnant teen- agers aborted 63 percent of their pregnancies. That means that for every 1,000 babies born to New Yorks teenage mothers, 1,684 were aborted. TELEGRAPH | January 2 Children Becoming Addicted to Computers C HILDRENS ACCESS to smartphones and computers should be limited to stop them becoming addicted to electronic gadgets, accord- ing to a schools leader. Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, said THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 8 Citizens Arrests Plummet Due to Walk On By Culture THE NUMBER of citizens arrests carried out has fallen fve-fold in the past decade, ac- cording to offcial fgures which show the extent of Britains walk on by culture. In 2002, more than 14,000 citizens arrests were made in London. In 2010 it fell to 2,500 and is expected to drop below 2,000 for 2011, meaning the number of citizens arrests has declined by 85 percent in less than 10 years. The fgures were released by the Met- ropolitan Police, Britains biggest force, under the Freedom of Information Act, but are likely to be replicated across the country. The Metropolitan Police said it was un- aware of any specifc reason for the drop and was unable to explain it. But the force confrmed the fgures were correct. A change in the law in 2006 said that members of the public should only inter- vene in serious cases and they must be sure that intervening is necessary and that there is no police offcer available to make the arrest before they tackle criminals themselves. Guidance issued by the Crown Pros- ecution Service (CPS) warns that a person making a citizens arrest may themselves be arrested . In 2006 a chip shop owner and his son were charged with kidnap after they performed a citizens arrest on a 12-year-old boy who spat at a customer and smashed the store window. In 2008 the then victims commissioner Louise Casey warned that Britain was in danger of becoming a walk-on-by society. A report she published said: There was a strong view from members of the public during the review that they would no longer intervene if they saw a crime taking place, for fear that they would either be attacked by the perpetrators or be arrested themselves by the police. In 2010, a report said that Britain had become a walk on by society . [The] report found that 62 percent of Britons said they would not intervene to stop a group of teenagers smashing up a bus stop, compared with 48 percent across western Europe. Only three in ten people would feel confdent to intervene compared with six in ten in Germany. TELEGRAPH | January 3 young peoples reading and conversational skills were being put at risk by overexposure to modern technology. He said parents should resist buying sons and daughters a smart- phone until they are at least 15 and limit computer use to an hour or two a day. In an interview, he said that exposure to computers was particularly damaging to boys, harming their long-term development. Far too many children, and particularly boys, become quite addicted to com- puter use, he said. It is very hard to prevent children from accessing damaging material through the computer, but the main issue is that children spend far too long on computers and, as a result, they are not doing the two things that we want [them] to do, which are reading and conversation. Mr. Lenon told the Times that parents should be advised to restrict childrens access to computers and televisions in favor of reading sto- ries together. He also said computer use should be limited to one hour a day for children aged up to 12 and two hours for older pupils. ZERO HEDGE | January 3 Record $15.22 Trillion in Debt, Offcially at 100.3 Percent of GDP W HILE NOT news to Zero Hedge readers who knew about the fnal debt settlement of U.S. debt about 10 days ahead of schedule, it is now offcial: According to the U.S. Treasury, America has closed the books on 2011 with debt at an all time record $15,222,940,045,451.09. And, as was observed here frst in all of the press, U.S. debt-to-GDP is now offcially over 100 percent, or 100.3 percent to be specifc, a fact which the U.S. government decided to delay exposing until the very end of the calendar year. We wonder, rhetorically, just how prominent of a talking point this historic event will be in any upcoming GOP primary debates. And yes, technically this number is greater than the debt ceiling but it excludes various accounting gimmicks. When accounting for those, the U.S. has a debt ceiling buffer of $14 billion, or one third the size of a typical bond auction. BUSINESS INSIDER | January 4 Bill Gross Warns of End of Economic Life as We Know It T HE WORLD has too much debt, too little trust, and is vulnerable towards total collapse. [Bill Gross, manager of PIMCO, the worlds largest bond funds writes:] How many ways can you say its dif- ferent this time? Theres abnormal, subnormal, paranormal and of course new normal. The new normal as PIMCO and other economists would describe it was a world of muted Western growth, high unem- ployment and relatively orderly delevering. Its as if the Earth now has THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 9 PRESIDENT OBAMA is not one to let the Constitution get in the way of a recess appointment. He just named Richard Cordray to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and he has announced three similar recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. But Obama is making these appointments at a time when the Senate is actually in session, according to the Constitution and under all defnitions accepted by authori- ties for the last century. If the Senate is in session, the Constitution requires the Senates advice and consent to these ap- pointments. This attempt to circumvent the legisla- tive branch is a violation of Obamas oath of offce to uphold and defend the Consti- tution. Instead he is thumbing his nose at it and daring Congress, or anybody else, to stop him. Its the same sort of funda- mental disrespect for the rule of law that is routinely practiced by tinhorn dictators like Hugo Chavez. If Democrats care about preserving the Constitution, the danger of executive usurpation, and protecting the separation of powers among co-equal branches, they must stand up now and tell Obama to back off. If they stand meekly by and let him get by with it, Democrats will surely rue the day when they lose the White House, and this new, illegal power is wielded against them by a Republican president as willing as Obama to ignore the Constitution. To justify this power grab, Obama con- tends that the Senate has actually been in recess for weeks because the Senates brief pro forma sessions every three days are a sham since no offcial business is conduct- ed. Obama might as well argue that his appointments are legal because the moon is made of green cheese. It makes zero difference where you stand on political parties, the CFPB, fnan- cial reform policy, the NLRB, the imperial presidency or congressional obstruction- ism. If Obama doesnt like getting the Sen- ates advice and consent to his nominees, he should take his case to the American people and ask them to amend the Con- stitution. What he cant do is make up his own rules to suit his re-election campaign strategy. Only Senate Democrats can cred- ibly tell Obama to back away from this constitutional crisis. The nation is watch- ing to see if they will. Obama Thumbs Nose at Constitution WASHINGTON EXAMINER | January 5 ANGRY nations of this Earth, it says in Revelation 19:19, will assemble their armies together to MAKE WAR against Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God! The Bible says this climactic battle of the ages will occur at a place called Jehoshaphata deep ravine that fanks the eastern border of Jerusalem. It is here that the armies of man will fght against the armies of God for control of the entire worldJerusalem, the future capital of the world, being the grand prize! The Bible graphically describes this nightmarish struggletruly, the war to end ALL warsin Joel 3:12-14, Zechariah 14:9-13, Revelation 14:19-20 and all of chapters 16 and 19. The nations will be flled with white-hot rage, these passages reveal. But Jesus Christ responds to their hate-flled wrath with His own RIGH- TEOUS display of corrective anger. Revelation 11:18 says He will destroy them which DESTROY THE EARTH. This is what Christ must do to spare this Earth from man-made, TOTAL destruction. Several of these biblical passages describe Gods ferce wrath as a great winepress that squeezes the juice from a cluster of grapes, which represents the stubborn nature of a rebellious mankind that rejected Gods government in the Garden of Eden. It is this same government that the kings of this Earth will vainly attempt to overthrow at the return of Gods anointed. As is clearly revealed in Psalm 2, mans problem has always been with Gods gov- ernment and His rule of law. This is why the nations will fght against Christbecause they refuse to submit to Gods law, summed up by the Ten Commandments! Now study Jeremiah 25:30-34, and keep in mind that what the prophet describes in this passage NEVER happened during the last days of Judahs existence, before it went into Babylonian captivity. This prophetic passage is for OUR TIME today. In it, God says He has a contro- versy with the NATIONSpluralnot just Iran, or Germany, or any other one nation specifcally. God, it says, is coming with A SWORD to plead with all fesh. THAT MEANS ALL OF MANKIND! By this point in the affairs of men, the rod of iron is the ONLY lan- guage a sinful mankind could ever understand. And the level of de- struction that follows in the wake of this spectacular clash is unfathom- able and immeasurable. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the SLAIN of the Lord shall be at that day [the time now ahead of us] from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth (verses 32-33). Its diffcult to imagine the size and scope of this kind of devastation and ruin. But one thing this passage clearly reveals, along with the many other scriptures cited above, is that before it EVER gets better on this Earthbefore a peaceful and prosperous utopia can ever be established the Bible says it will get much, MUCH worse than it ever was in 2011. That is the plain truth. And no amount of false hope could ever change that. Mans only sure and lasting hope for survival rests in the divine power of Almighty God and His merciful and FORCEFUL intervention in the affairs of mankind! two moons instead of one and both are growing in size like a cancerous tumor that may threaten the fnancial tides, oceans and economic life as we have known it for the past half century. Welcome to 2012. The fnancial markets are slowly implodingdeleveringbecause theres too much paper and too little trust. Goodbye old normal, stand- by to redefne new normal, and welcome to 2012s paranormal. So what does it all mean? Basically that the future could be charac- terized by horrible, zero-rate growth on one hand, or implosion on the other hand. THE TRUMPET WEEKLY January 7, 2012 10 GOODBYE from page 1 AS 2011 has come to a close, millions of Americans are resting with a false sense of security. Little do they know that a trap has al- ready been sprung and steel teeth are about to slam shut. Normally, the value of a nations currency is a good measure of the health of an economy. Over the past six months, the dollar has risen 8 percent on the dollar index. It is up more than 13 percent since the economic crisis in 2008. Does this mean the economic crisis is over? Not by a long shot. First: The dollar is rising because Europe is a mess. The U.S. dollar market is the only market large enough to absorb all the safe haven money trying to fee Europe. Second: Many people are trying to pay down debt. This causes the money supply to shrink, which also boosts the dollars purchasing power. Third: The dollar is rising because when people get scared, they sell investments. Like gold, the dollar has long been seen as a safe haven. Yet this accumulate dollars strategy may end up being a gigantic trap. The dollar is no longer the safe haven it once was (or at least it may not be for long). Perhaps you heard? The president is asking for the debt ceiling to be raised by another $1.2 trillion. That will take the total federal debt to around $16.4 trillionwell over 100 percent of GDP. That is a lot higher than Spains debt-to-GDP ratio and about the same as Portugals, two countries in serious fnancial trouble. When you include house- hold debt and corporate debt, Americas debt-to-GDP ratio is over 250 percentwhich is essentially the same as Greeces. America is only marginally better than Italy. When you account for unfunded liabilities, Americas debt shoots to over 500 percent of GDPwhich is way beyond Italy, Ireland, Por- tugal or Spains unfunded liabilities. Yet here is why the dollar is a deadly trap. Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland never had any trouble borrowing moneyun- til they did. Investors happily lent these coun- tries money blindly, assuming they would get it back. Then abruptlyalmost overnightin- vestor sentiment changed. Confdence was broken. Then these countries couldnt borrow a dime at affordable rates, and their econo- mies plummeted into economic crisis. One dayperhaps one day soonAmerica will wake up to fnd out that it has suddenly become Greece. Beware the dollar trap. The Dollar Trap Is Sprung ROBERT MORLEY | Columnist