Jeanne Smits – July 27, 2020

(LifeSiteNews) – A draft law proposing the legalization of assisted suicide for people over 75 who are “tired of living” has been presented in the Second Chamber of the Dutch parliament by Pia Dijkstra, of the D66 progressive “social-liberal” party. While there is a relatively small chance that the proposed law will be able to cross all legislative hurdles – this usually takes at least nine months – before the present cabinet steps down, Dijkstra made clear that her main objective is to push the theme to the fore in order to be extensively discussed.

The idea of allowing people to choose to leave this life for personal reasons has been around for some time in the Netherlands. Since euthanasia became legal in 2001, pressure groups have been working to extend the scope of “chosen death” in the name of personal autonomy. People who consider their life to be “complete” should be allowed to put an end to it even when they do not comply with the legal conditions: “unbearable suffering,” either physical or psychological, due to a serious or terminal medical condition, absence of available treatment, no perspective of improvement of their condition.

The principle of assisted death for people who are “done with life” is gaining traction in the Netherlands. Four years ago, in 2016, it was the ruling Dutch cabinet that promoted a new provision in the euthanasia law, via a letter signed by Health Minister Edith Schippers and Justice Minister Ard van der Steur. The proposition never came to Parliament because of the general elections that were to take place one year later, and liberal as the Netherlands are, it shocked public opinion.

But lobbying has continued, in particular on the part of the National Association for a Chosen End of Life (NVVE) that had applauded the cabinet’s initiative.

Over the last years, the Dutch government has decided to consult the population before a similar proposition is examined. Commission Wijngaarden, as it is known, was created in 2017 to consult “senior citizens” to find out how many are actually “tired of living.” It appeared as a way of avoiding inevitable confrontations between Christian and Christian Democrat parties with more liberal parties in a country where forming a government is impossible without political alliances.

Second Chamber member Pia Dijkstra decided to accelerate the process, promising last September that she would “soon” present a draft law.

https://www.lifesitenews.com

Michael Snyder – July 30, 2020

For a very long time we have been warned that a U.S. economic collapse was inevitably coming, and now it is here.  Fear of COVID-19 and unprecedented civil unrest in our major cities have combined to plunge us into a historic economic downturn, and nobody is exactly sure what is going to happen next.  On Thursday, we learned that U.S. GDP was down 32.9 percent on an annualized basis last quarter.  That officially makes last quarter the worst quarter in all of U.S. history, and many people believe that this new economic depression is just getting started.  But of course not all areas of the country are being affected equally.  According to USA Today, states such as Hawaii, Nevada, Michigan and New York were hit particularly hard last quarter…

Every state was walloped last quarter, though ones that rely heavily on travel and tourism, such as Hawaii and Nevada, were hit hardest by the downturn, according to employment figures analyzed by economist Adam Kamins of Moody’s Analytics. Michigan, the heart of the nation’s auto industry, was slammed as consumers put off car purchases. And densely populated Northeast states struck by the most severe virus outbreaks – like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts – absorbed among the heaviest economic losses as governors shut down earlier and residents stayed home.

Originally, the mainstream media was telling us that the U.S. economy would come surging back to life during the third quarter, but we continue to get more signs that indicate that the economy is starting to slow down again.

For example, the Labor Department just released some new numbers that were more than just a little bit startling.  If you can believe it, another 1.434 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week.  That was an increase over last week’s revised number, and it represents the second week in a row that initial claims have risen.

Overall, new claims for unemployment benefits have now been above one million for 19 weeks in a row.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com

Michael Snyder – July 23,2020

2020 has been an incredibly bizarre year up to this point, and this has many people wondering if the hand of God is at work.  And the worse things get, the more this sort of speculation will heat up.  When things get crazy, people search for answers, and that can be a good thing.  Because the truth is that during normal times most of us are way too self-absorbed and most of us spend far too little time thinking about the things that really matter.  2020 has really shaken up a large portion of the U.S. population, and we should hope that all of this shaking ultimately moves our society in a more positive direction.

Right now, COVID-19 is dominating the headlines day after day, and the debates that I have seen on social media platforms about this pandemic have often gotten quite heated.

I knew that many people had extremely passionate opinions about COVID-19, but what I didn’t realize is that a large percentage of them are also convinced that God is somehow involved.  In fact, an Associated Press/NORC survey found that 63 percent of all religious Americans believe that this pandemic is “a sign from God”…

Sixty-three percent of religious Americans say that the novel coronavirus pandemic is a sign from God, telling humanity to change its ways of living, according a new poll.

The poll, which was conducted by the Associated Press/NORC, surveyed 1,002 U.S. adults who say they believe in God.

I was stunned to see a number that high.  The Bible does tell us that there will be “pestilences” in the last days, and it would have been very interesting to see how many respondents to that survey believe that this COVID-19 pandemic is one of those pestilences.

In any event, if this pandemic actually does inspire vast numbers of Americans to live better lives, that would definitely be a positive outcome.

Unfortunately, that does not appear to be happening.  Instead, surveys have shown that Americans are increasingly turning to drugs, alcohol and television during this pandemic, and a survey that was released just this week found that Bible reading in the United States dropped precipitously “between January and June”.

http://endoftheamericandream.com

Mikaela Mathews – July 16, 2020

This week, a federal judge in Maryland ruled that women do not need an ‘in-person’ doctor’s visit to obtain an abortion pill.

According to U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, the current requirements for the abortion pill create a “substantial obstacle” for women, the Associated Press reports.

The case arose after the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in May, citing the difficulty women are currently facing to obtain an abortion during COVID-19.

“Particularly in light of the limited timeframe during which a medication abortion or any abortion must occur, such infringement on the right to an abortion would constitute irreparable harm,” he said in an 80-page decision.

Healthcare providers will now allow women to receive mifepristone through the mail. The previous rule required women to pick up the tablet at a hospital, clinic or medical office. The FDA’s lawyers argued the now-previous process required patients to sign a waiver providing lifesaving information that indicates the medical risks involved with taking the medication.

The lawsuit stated that the FDA rule has “particularly severe implications for low-income people and people of color, who comprise a disproportionate share of impacted patients and who are already suffering and dying from COVID-19 at substantially higher rates.”

“By causing certain patients to decide between forgoing or substantially delaying abortion care, or risking exposure to COVID-19 for themselves, their children, and family members, the In-Person Requirements present a serious burden to many abortion patients,” Chuang said.

Pro-life advocates, however, mourned the ruling, stating the harm it would cause women.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Simon Kent – June 26, 2020

The world needs an overarching level of multilateral governance that can sideline problematic “national interests” U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Thursday, as he lamented existing U.N. instruments such as the Security Council have teeth but “show little or no appetite to bite.”

As the world body on Friday commemorates the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the U.N. Charter, the founding instrument of the globalist organisation, Guterres said there is a need to “re-imagine the way nations cooperate.”

“We need a networked multilateralism, bringing together the U.N. system, regional organisations, international financial institutions and others. And we need an inclusive multilateralism, drawing on the indispensable contributions of civil society, business, cities, regions and, in particular, with greater weight given to the voices of youth,” Guterres said at a virtual press conference Thursday.

He claimed in the 21st century, governments are no longer the only political and power reality, adding “we need an effective multilateralism that can function as an instrument of global governance where it is needed.”

https://www.breitbart.com

Michael Gryboski – June 24, 2020

Around six in 10 Americans do not believe that human life is inherently “sacred,” though more than two-thirds believe human beings are “basically good,” new data suggests.

The recently launched Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released a report on Tuesday examining how Americans value human life.

Data for the report came from a survey conducted in January of 2,000 adult respondents in the United States, 1,000 of whom were contacted by telephone and 1,000 reached by online questionnaires. The data has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

Among respondents, only 39% said they agreed with the statement: “human life is sacred.”

The word “sacred” is defined by the researchers as “having unconditional, intrinsic worth.”

Many respondents who identified as religious were more likely than the total sample to believe that human life is sacred. For example, 60% of evangelical and born-again Christian respondents agreed that life is sacred.

Among other respondent groups, 46% of Pentecostals, 45% of mainline Protestants, and 43% of Roman Catholics agreed that human life is sacred.

Meanwhile, 12% of respondents said they believe people are only “material substance – biological machines.” Another 12% said that believe humans are “part of the mind of the universe.”

https://www.christianpost.com

Melanie Arter – June 19, 2020

(CNSNews.com) – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, Dr. Alveda King, told Fox Business’s “Mornings With Maria Bartiromo” on Friday that it’s a dream come true for her to see Juneteenth acknowledged more broadly, but she hopes there’s a Juneteenth for the unborn.

Juneteenth is the national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the U.S. June 19th marks the day that slaves in Texas learned two years later that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery.“

This is a dream come true for me – the acknowledgement broadly of Juneteenth. As an African-American woman, I have celebrated Juneteenth for many years. In the Bible, Juneteenth would be associated with jubilee, a time of liberty, repentance and restoration,” said King, who serves as director of African-American outreach for Gospel of Life, headed by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life.

“I even think about the little babies in the womb, I hope there’s a Juneteenth for them. I’m over at Civil Rights for the Unborn with Priests for Life,” she said.

https://www.cnsnews.com

RT – June 11, 2020

The latest data from the Treasury Department shows that the US gross national debt has exceeded $26 trillion for the first time, as the nation grapples with economic relief from the Covid-19 pandemic.

National debt is up from $23.5 trillion in March, with an increase of $1 trillion since May 5. According to CBS News, citing data from the Treasury, public debt has grown by $6 trillion since President Donald Trump took office in 2017.

“The Treasury Department notes that the growth in public debt was caused by the allocation of funds for the COVID-19 pandemic counteraction program and the pandemic-related tax deferral,” CBS reported.

The US government has allocated trillions of dollars in coronavirus relief since the start of the pandemic. The so-called CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) was adopted in March and earmarked $2 trillion, while the $3 trillion HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions) was passed by the House of Representatives in May.

According to the Treasury’s monthly report, the federal government budget deficit for the first eight months of the current fiscal year (which started on 1 October 2019) has reached $1.88 trillion – already higher than any full fiscal year deficit in US history.The 2020 eight-month deficit more than doubled the $738.6 billion deficit for the same period in the 2019 fiscal year.

https://www.rt.com

Penny Starr – June 5, 2020

Lawmakers in Idaho last year passed the Idaho Vital Statistics Act, which does not allow people to change the sex identification on their birth certificate just because they “identify” as something other than their biological sex.

Those who want to change their gender on their birth certificate because they are “transgender” or have some other “sexual orientation” had already been able to do so because of a 2018 ruling by federal Magistrate Judge Candy Dale, who said it was unconstitutional to deny such changes.

The Idaho State Journal reported on the judge’s latest decision:

Shortly after the bill took effect Lambda Legal, which represented the plaintiffs in the 2018 F.V. v. Barron case, filed a motion asking Dale to clarify whether her 2018 injunction still applies. She ruled on Monday that it does and that the passage of House Bill 509 doesn’t change that.

“The Court clarifies that the plain language and objective of the Order and Judgment entered in this case permanently enjoin (the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare) from infringing on the constitutional rights of transgender individuals by automatically rejecting applications to change the sex listed on their birth certificates to match their gender identity,” Dale wrote. “The Injunction requires IDHW to institute a meaningful and constitutionally-sound process for accepting, reviewing, and considering applications from transgender individuals to amend the gender listed on their birth certificates.”

The judge did not rule on the constitutionality of House Bill 509 or grant Lambda Legal’s effort to block enforcement of the law.

“While serious and formidable questions exist over the constitutionality of HB 509, whether HB 509 can pass constitutional muster is not yet before the Court and not decided here,” Dale wrote. “Likewise, whether enforcement of HB 509 violates the Injunction is not ripe.”

https://www.breitbart.com

ANNA AHRONHEIM, TOVAH LAZAROFF  – February 13, 2019

Iran is capable of producing a nuclear weapon within two years, if it steps up work on its nuclear program and violates the 2015 deal with the West, according to a recent Israeli intelligence assessment.

The assessment was released as the controversial US-led summit against Iran opened in Warsaw, where Israel is expected to pressure the European Union against trying to prop up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action following the American withdrawal last May.

In the Polish capital, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke openly about the possibility of war with Iran, and the possibility of a new alliance of Arab states with Israel, in the event of such hostilities.

“I am going to a meeting with 60 foreign ministers and envoys of countries from around the world against Iran,” Netanyahu said next to an outdoor skating rink in a short video clip his staff filmed for his Facebook page.

“What is important about this meeting – and this meeting is not in secret, because there are many of those – is that this is an open meeting with representatives of leading Arab countries, that are sitting down together with Israel in order to advance the common interest of war with Iran,” he said.

https://www.jpost.com