Category: Watching

Macron Willing to Trade France’s UN Security Council Seat to Brussels in Exchange for an EU Army

Kurt Zindulka – September 23, 2021

President Emmanuel Macron is willing to trade control of France’s permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council to Brussels in exchange for European Union member states backing his plan to forge an EU Army, an ally of the French leader has said.

Macron, who at the start of his presidency declared that he wished to govern like the Roman God Jupiter, is set to become the European Union’s most influential leader with Chancellor Angela Merkel set to step down after Sunday’s elections in Germany.

Part of this Jupitarian strategy will be to push for the creation of a centrally controlled European Army with France at the helm in the wake of President Biden’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan and the AUKUS defence pact signed between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

In order to accomplish the lofty goal of a centralized European military force, Mr Macron is reportedly willing to cede control of France’s permanent position on the UN Security Council.

A close Macron ally, Sandro Gozi told The Telegraph: “I think that if we move on these things we can put on the table also the discussion on the Security Council.”

The former Italian Europe minister and current transnational MEP for Macron’s party in Brussels added: “We must be prepared to confirm our transatlantic alliance but also to become adult in terms of our security and take on our responsibility… Certainly, Macron will push a lot. I would say this is probably his highest priority now.”

France is currently the only EU member state to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council after the UK left the bloc at the beginning of this year. While Brussels does not have a seat on the influential body, it sits in “observer” status.

The indication of a potential trade of the UN seat for a France-led EU Army comes as the French are set to take control of the rotating EU presidency on January 1st. President Macron is set to lead a joint summit on European defence alongside the EU Council president and close Macron ally Charles Michel during the six-month period in which France controls the presidency.

“This is a unique opportunity for him and for Europe,” said Mr Gozi.

https://www.breitbart.com

EU Chief Von der Leyen Says Europe Must Build the ‘Political Will’ for an EU Army

Kurt Zindulka – September 16, 2021

The European Union needs to build the “political will” to craft an army of its own, President Ursula von der Leyen said in her State of the Union speech on Wednesday.

Addressing the European Parliament in Brussels, the EU Commission chief said that in the wake of President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the bloc should look towards the formation of a “European Defence Union”.

“In the last weeks, there have been many discussions on expeditionary forces. On what type and how many we need: battlegroups or EU entry forces. This is no doubt part of the debate – and I believe it will be part of the solution,” von der Leyen said.

“But the more fundamental issue is why this has not worked in the past… What has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity – it is the lack of political will.

“And if we develop this political will, there is a lot that we can do at EU level.”

The former German defense minister argued for a more centralized command structure of the militaries of Europe rather than what she termed as the “fragmented” system in place now, saying: “This is why the EU could consider its own Joint Situational Awareness Centre to fuse all the different pieces of information.”

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Germany’s current defence minister, hailed the speech, writing: “Ursula von der Leyen is right… Real EU defence depends on the political will of member states. That’s why Germany and France must lead.”

The speech from the EU President comes amid a growing consensus in Brussels for a fully-fledged EU Army in the wake of Afghanistan.

https://www.breitbart.com

‘No further powers to Brussels’: Hungary’s foreign minister calls for more sovereignty within the EU

RT – September 4, 2021

Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto has called for limiting Brussels’ dominance over nations on the continent. Speaking to Swiss media, he accused the EU of “extortion” and questioned its authority.

“The EU is strong when its member states are sovereign and strong themselves, and that means – no further powers to Brussels,” Szijjarto said in an interview with Swiss daily Blick. Competitiveness among member states must also be increased, the minister said, suggesting European countries should not be restrained by the membership. “We definitely don’t want the United States of Europe,” he said.

Hungary is “always the target of attacks” from Brussels, Szijjarto alleged, claiming such an attitude is the result of his country’s policies oriented toward national interests.

Hungary’s conservative government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban is frequently criticized by the EU authorities. Its stance on the bloc’s migration policies has been a sticking point. In May, Budapest angered Brussels when it vetoed a proposed revision to a longstanding EU trade and development agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) partnership countries, citing concerns over the draft’s implications for increasing ACP migration to the EU.

The EU leadership has also been particularly condemnatory over Budapest’s contentious law against LGBT propaganda, which resulted in withholding investment plans, containing grants and loans, earlier this year.

“This is extortion,” the minister told Blick, saying that “the contributions are not humanitarian donations that are paid out of generosity, but part of a contract between the EU and Hungary.”

Budapest is now “in conflict with the European Union,” the publication alleged, saying that it led the Eastern European country to seek closeness with Switzerland. While so far the two states mainly cooperate economically, Szijjarto and Swiss Vice President Ignazio Cassis aim to tighten political partnership. “Both countries value sovereignty and pride themselves on their heritage, culture and independence,” the Hungarian official said.

https://www.rt.com

NATO Hawks Raise Their Voice as Swedish Defence Minister Speaks Against EU Army

– September 3, 2021

Sweden has often been called “non-aligned in the name only” due to its growing cooperation with NATO, despite not formally joining the treaty. Calls to formalise the relationship are heard every now and then, spurred by the current situation.

Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist has once again re-affirmed Swedish scepticism toward a united EU force, which has been floated anew in the wake of the Afghanistan crisis.

Among others, the idea of creating a large-scale European task force has been suggested by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, to the joy of the French, as President Macron has repeatedly advocated for a “true European army”.

By contrast, Hultqvist has been more reserved about the proposal.

“I don’t see that as the main line for solving these problems,” Peter Hultqvist told Swedish Radio.

Instead, the defence minister lifted up cooperation with the US and the transatlantic link as crucial for Europe’s defence.

“This link must hold because it is very important for the balance in our part of the world, especially considering what is happening in Russia,” Hultqvist said, once again using the “Russian threat” as a rhetorical tool.

https://sputniknews.com

At Least 3,000 Medical Professionals Sue U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over Transgender Mandate

Amanda Casanova – September 1, 2021

Some 3,000 medical professionals involved in two different associations and a Tennessee doctor have filed a lawsuit against the “Transgender Mandate,” a law that they say violates federal conscience protection laws.

Dr. Jeanie Dassow of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the American College of Pediatricians and the Catholic Medical Association filed the suit last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The “Transgender Mandate,” part of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, bars sex discrimination and requires doctors to perform elective gender-transition procedures, such as cosmetic procedures, double mastectomies, phalloplasties and orchiectomies, The Christian Post reports.

The suit names the defendants as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the HHS Office for Civil Rights; and Robinsue Frohboese, acting director and principal deputy in the HHS Office of Civil Rights.

“This case challenges whether the federal government can make medical doctors perform gender-transition surgeries, prescribe gender-transition drugs, and speak and write about patients according to gender identity, rather than biological reality – regardless of doctors’ medical judgment or conscientious objections,” the lawsuit said.

Doctors say the HHS rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment’s Free Speech and Free Exercise of Religion Clauses.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Ryan Bangert said in a statement that the law allows “HHS to grossly overreach its authority.”

The HHS announced a revised interpretation of the statute in May. The law was first implemented by HHS under former President Barack Obama in 2016. Former President Donald Trump repealed the mandate in 2018 before it was announced again in May.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of Biblical Earthquake Mentioned in Amos, Zechariah

Michael Foust – August 5, 2021

Archaeologists in Israel say they have uncovered physical evidence in Jerusalem of an earthquake referenced in the biblical books of Amos and Zechariah that struck during the divided kingdom and after the reigns of David and Solomon.

Zechariah 14:5, seen by many as a reference to the second coming of Christ, says, “You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.” Amos 1:1 also mentions the earthquake and says Amos saw a vision about Israel “two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.” Uzziah was considered a mostly “good” and godly king of the southern kingdom of Judah, while Jeroboam was a bad king who led the people away from God.

The Israel Antiquities Authority said this week it had uncovered archaeological evidence of the earthquake, which struck in Israel about 2,800 years ago. Although archaeologists previously discovered evidence of the quake elsewhere in Israel, it is the first time they’ve found evidence of it in Jerusalem itself.

Recent excavations in City of David National Park revealed a “layer of destruction from when the building’s walls collapsed,” including shattered vessels, bowls, lamps, cooking utensils and jars, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on its Facebook page.

Joe Uziel and Ortal Kalaf, excavation directors for the Israel Antiquities Authority, said the earthquake “was probably one of the strongest and most damaging earthquakes in ancient times,” the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Polish minister suggests country could quit EU due to ‘blackmail’ over judicial reforms

RT – August 6, 2021

Poland’s justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, has indicated that his government could consider leaving the EU bloc over “illegal blackmail” attempts by its top court amid a dispute over proposed judicial reforms.

Speaking to Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Ziobro slammed the EU ahead of an August 16 ruling to obey a decision from the Court of Justice or face potential financial repercussions, threatening that his country would not remain in the EU “at any cost.”

The warning to EU officials about their dictation of Poland’s domestic affairs was paired with a firm declaration that the government would not succumb “to the illegal blackmail of the European Union carried out by the Court of Justice.”

The belief that the EU is a good uncle and gives us money, and that we should accept all its demands at all costs, is propaganda and false.

Ziobro, who leads the United Poland party, the junior member of the governing coalition, has led the judicial reforms the EU have argued undermine the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law – a key principle of the bloc.

The disagreement between the EU and Poland centers on the member state’s judicial reforms, which began to be introduced after the Law and Justice Party took office in 2015. The reforms made changes to the retirement age of Supreme Court justices, resulting in the removal of 20 judges, changes to the term length of ordinary court judges, and the implementation of a measure allowing for justices to be investigated and punished for court rulings.

https://www.rt.com

Archaeologists astounded by tablet that ‘revealed first ever image of Tower of Babel’

Joel Day – August 4, 2021

ARCHAEOLOGISTS were astounded at being given unfettered access to a previously unseen site that revealed the “first ever image of the Tower of Babel”.

The Tower remains one of the most mysterious stories contained in the Bible. For years, whether or not the Tower was a real, physical thing was open for discussion. Many believed it was simply symbolic, acting as a message to the Bible’s dedicated followers.

Others claimed it was merely folklore or legend.

The fragile remains of the ancient city of Babylon, in modern day Iraq, have revealed many secrets; the greatest of all the discovery of a vast structure which ancient records suggest was the Tower of Babel.

These texts, as well as others found all around the Middle East – where Christianity originated – have given scholars some idea of what the building might have looked like.

Yet, none have given researchers a clear outline or description bound in solid imagery.

Things changed in 2017 when academics were given access to a privately owned tablet.

The artifact was explored during the Smithsonian Channel’s documentary, ‘Secrets: Tower of Babel’.

Here, the narrator said: “Inscribed on the tablet is an image that sensationally reveals exactly what the Tower of Babel looked like.”

Dr Andrew George, an expert in ancient texts at SOAS, University of London, said: “This is a very strong piece of evidence that the Tower of Babel story in the Bible was inspired by this real building.”

The remarkable tablet, which had never been filmed before, dates to the 6th century BCE, and was discovered in Babylon over a century ago.

Yet, no one had realized how important it was until Professor George was given the slab, and went on to decipher the inscriptions.

He explained: “At the top part there is a relief, depicting a step tower.

“And here, a great figure of a human being carrying a staff with a conical hat on.

“Below that relief is the text which has been chiseled into the monument, and the label is easily read: it reads, ‘The temple tower of the city of Babylon’.”

As the narrator noted: “This tablet provides the first-ever image of the real Tower of Babel.

https://www.express.co.uk

Poland’s Tusk says conflicts with EU could eventually end the bloc

– July 16,2021

WARSAW, July 16 (Reuters) – Poland and Hungary’s conflicts with the European Union could start a process that results in the bloc falling apart, former European Council President Donald Tusk warned on Friday, amid a worsening standoff over democratic standards.

Brussels is at loggerheads with Warsaw and Budapest over issues such as the independence of the judiciary and press freedoms, a conflict which deepened this week as Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled the country should not comply with demands from the EU’s top court, while the European Commission took legal action against both countries over LGBT rights. read more

“If more of these kinds of countries are found who insist on damaging… the European Union it may simply mean the end of this organisation,” Tusk, who has returned to domestic politics as leader of Poland’s main opposition party Civic Platform (PO), told private broadcaster TVN24.

Surveys show an overwhelming majority of Poles support EU membership, and there is no legal way to throw countries out of the bloc.

However Tusk, who helped steer the European Union through a tumultuous period marked by Brexit, said the risk of an eventual exit existed.

“We will not leave the EU tomorrow, and the EU will not fall apart the day after tomorrow. These are processes that can take years,” he said.

https://www.reuters.com

Mississippi Officially Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Roe V. Wade

B911 – July 22, 2021

Today, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed her brief with the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Lawmakers in Mississippi has been trying to implement a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“There are those who would like to believe that Roe v. Wade settled the issue of abortion once and for all,” said Attorney General Fitch. “But all it did was establish a special-rules regime for abortion jurisprudence that has left these cases out of step with other Court decisions and neutral principles of law applied by the Court. As a result, state legislatures, and the people they represent, have lacked clarity in passing laws to protect legitimate public interests, and artificial guideposts have stunted important public debate on how we, as a society, care for the dignity of women and their children. It is time for the Court to set this right and return this political debate to the political branches of government.”

As noted in the brief, rather than settle the discord established by Roe, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey made matters worse. “Caseyrecognized that Roe’s disregard for state interests had to be abandoned…. Caseytried to improve upon Roe by replacing strict scrutiny with the undue-burden standard. But that standard too defeats important state interests rather than accounts for them.

”The brief continues, “The only workable approach to accommodating the competing interests here is to return the matter to ‘legislators, not judges.’…The national fever on abortion can break only when this Court returns abortion policy to the states – where agreement is more common, compromise is more possible, and disagreement can be resolved at the ballot box.”

“With this brief, we’re simply asking the Court to affirm the right of the people to protect their legitimate interests and to provide clarity on how they may do so,” said Fitch.

https://breaking911.com