but that's my point, Light, I'm not making an icon out of Putin ...Absolutely not. That was really an off-shoot of the original debate. As it happens, I do feel yes, that he is a better leader to his ppl than any of the US presidents of late. That said, I also feel that Mickey Mouse would be a better leader to the American ppl than any of the recent presidents. But what I don't get is why the ordinary American Joe doesn't see this? I also feel that if one criticises the US leadership in any way, one gets lambasted by these same ordinary American Joes, despite the fact that these leaders are spectacularly inept. And this confuses me greatly....
Don, you mentioned the fact that its happening in other countries too. You're bang on the money. example: our local newspaper; a small regional paper in the very north of Ireland on the border with the republic. A mere dot on the journalistic landscape: The Derry Journal. For years it was a bastion of Catholic teaching and justice. However, about 10 years ago it was bought over by a UK national newspaper, The Daily Mirror. And now it spouts nonsense; taking up a pro-abortion stance and a clear anti-catholic viewpoint. In effect, the Catholic voice it for years once proclaimed has been silenced. This is the equivalent of the Ford Motor Company buying a bike shop in a far-flung Alaskan village. It proves tho that they will go to any lengths to silence us. But ppl don't even see it, let alone care. Ireland has been beseeched by international might and money. Gay marriage is here. And abortion will likely follow, barring divine intervention. As a result - as a protest, I have relinquished my identity as Irish. And I tell all and sundry of this decision, in the hope that it will make ppl think - just THINK - to themselves as to why a once proud Irishman would take such a stand. I now hold a British passport (I have to gulp when I say that). Luckily, we here in the north can have British or Irish passports bcoz of the unique position of northern ireland. The point is, I'm willing to stand up and criticise my leaders. I just don't see why I wouldn't, given they are pushing the secular agenda so aggressively. I'm sorry, but when other Christians fail to criticise their own leaders for anti-christian agendas, i feel saddened. In fact, when other Christians defend their anti-christian leaders, it grates me. I just don't get it..
jackzokay, If the following chart is accurate, Russia surpassed the USA in their nuclear stockpile before 1980 and since around 2000 it appears difficult to tell which of the two nations has more nuclear weapons. "U.S. and USSR/Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles, 1945–2014" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons I think we can all agree that is a very sad situation that the world spends so much time and money on weapon development and military in general. Personally, I try and stick to the facts in every situation and not be "all in" with any leader but I would choose President Trump over any other leader of the world at the moment. He is far from perfect and he has a huge ego but I think his heart is in the right place, at least since he took office. As you and Don have stated, we can not trust the MSM. For instance, currently most media outlets are not painting the real picture of what is occurring in Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria and it so bad since 2/18/18 that I wonder if we are witnessing part of a prophecy unfold at the moment. It amazes me that more people are not "jumping up and down" about this and I am very thankful that my country is trying to bring attention to the situation there. I went back to one of the articles that I posted about Eastern Ghouta because I couldn't remember the number of people affected by what is going on there. The following article estimates 350,000 people are basically being starved to death but other articles have the estimate closer to 400,000. They consist of families with small children and could very likely be Christian families but regardless of what religion that they practice this is a "humanitarian disgrace" to use President Trump's own words. http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/5739547723001/?#sp=show-clips Aid workers in eastern Ghouta estimate that 4,100 families are now living in underground basements and shelters in a bid to protect themselves from airstrikes, with more than half of them without water, sanitation or ventilation. In total, 350,000 people are trapped in eastern Ghouta, with many of those still alive unable to bury their loved ones due to the ongoing shelling. https://news.sky.com/story/daily-pauses-on-syria-strikes-not-good-enough-11269143 The following provides some additional insight, Damascus bombings in Christian district kills 9, destroy churches 1/26/2018 https://www.christiandaily.com/arti...n-district-kills-9-destroy-churches/61910.htm For emphasis, I am going to repost some of the information from one of the articles from yesterday (3/1/18) that I posted above in post #4832. Russia's idea for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from a besieged Damascus suburb is "a joke," the U.S. State Department's spokeswoman said Thursday. "What needs to happen instead is a nationwide cease-fire that was voted upon unanimously at the United Nations last Saturday," Heather Nauert told reporters. "Fifteen countries supported it, let me remind you. So did Russia." Nauert said the 30-day cease-fire in eastern Ghouta approved by the Security Council was "clearly not working." She said the U.S. blamed Russia for continuing to train and equip the Syrian military. Washington is calling on the Russians to pressure the Syrians to restrain themselves and de-escalate the fighting, not just in eastern Ghouta but everywhere. Russia unilaterally announced on Monday a daily five-hour pause in fighting in rebel-held eastern Ghouta so civilians can leave through a humanitarian corridor. But no one has taken advantage of the daily lull so far, not trusting the Russians or the Syrians, and no aid has gone in. Jan Egeland, the U.N. humanitarian aid chief for Syria, called the Russian plan "positive" but "insufficient." "I know of no humanitarian actor ... who thinks that five hours is enough for us to be able to deliver relief into eastern Ghouta and to organize orderly medical evacuations out," he said. https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-hu...tate-department-spokeswoman-says/4277203.html I hope that everyone on MOG will join me in prayer for a quick resolution to the situation in Eastern Ghouta, a resolution which enables the most amount of people to find food, shelter and medical aid as soon as possible. The following is an article from Reuters which is dated 3/1/18 also, U.N. says Russia's eastern Ghouta aid plan not enough https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...tern-ghouta-aid-plan-not-enough-idUSKCN1GD51A . From this article, “You are failing to help us help civilians in Syria,” U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland told diplomats from 23 states attending a weekly meeting in Geneva. “Eastern Ghouta is devoid of respect for international law.” Some 400,000 people trapped in government-besieged eastern Ghouta need life-saving aid, and the only convoy allowed so far this year was a small one in mid-February with aid for just 7,200 people, Egeland said. ... “We have 43 trucks standing by to go there and full warehouses to load into the trucks as soon as we get the permit,” Egeland said. U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters the world body would not give up seeking a full 30-day ceasefire, as mandated by the U.N. Security Council last Saturday. “We are determined because otherwise this becomes the copycat of Aleppo,” de Mistura said, referring to a battle for besieged rebel-held eastern Aleppo in late 2016. Ghanem Tayara, chairman of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations (UOSSM) working in Syria, said some 1,123 patients needed evacuation from eastern Ghouta, where two hospitals had been bombed since Saturday’s resolution. “That means these people will die during the next few days if we don’t take them out. They need intensive care units. We don’t have them.” It is interesting that they are comparing this to the city of Aleppo which was believed to have the largest number of Christians in Syria.* I think that we could be witnessing a genocide of Christians in Syria in the past few years. In addition, there is a Wikipedia page for this now https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rif_Dimashq_offensive_(February_2018) but I suggest that anything posted on this page is further researched for verification purposes. *Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Syria
Very well researched Carol Will offer my rosary today for these intentions you mentioned For myself I don’t think often enough of how many people are in harms way Thank you for sharing
Everything canceled today at my parish No 6 pm Mass or meatless supper No Stations or chaplet Too dangerous It’s like a hurricane out there
Hmm, some other search engine - Bing? Frankly, in the event of internet going down, I've been printing a vast variety of articles to accompany my few books on the topic of Revelations, End Times. There are certainly a couple more books on my list to pick up. I do have a completely wired phone in storage. If that won't work down the road...forget my car, I'll still have my bicycle. Yes, it's a lot of paper that I will put in a binder at some point but it will also serve as a great self-made reference guide. That begin said, I don't really have a sense of the probability of losing all power in the near future. I'm more debating and praying for direction whether or not to buy a condo (if one comes available or a really small house in the very near future in addition to planning a group pilgrimage. For now though, it's my lunch time so off to 1st Friday Mass.
You sound like you're on the east coast. I hear that is getting nailed! I should contact my sister in Philly.
Carol, sorry for interfere. But the number of nuclear weapons is not really relevant. The thinking behind the nuclear deterrence is that the nuclear power nations, especially America und Russia, know that an attack is no option because the other side has the ability to strike back with destruction. If both sides realize that an atomic attack will destroy both sides, it is rational that no one starts attack. In response to the defense system in Romania, the Russians had to develop weapons to keep the deterrent of a crushing counter-attack in case of a pre-emptive strike. That is game theory and is called a strategic balance. Of course in context with nuclear weapons this is macabre. That the Russians have developed new nuclear weapons (Trump wants this to do also, i think he said this) can show you that not the pure number is relevant rather the ability to use them. You certainly do not need 100 bombs to destroy US or Russia. And with 1000 or more nuclear bombs one would destroy the whole world. I'm sure you know the numbers that Jackzokay probably meant https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallm...expenditure-in-2016-infographic/#58c070ec43f3
Steve79, There is no need to apologize, you are not interfering. In another post I saw that jackzokay brought up the expenditures, etc. Of course, I realize everything that you have stated about the amounts of nuclear weapons, etc. and I believe that is why both the USA & Russia(USSR) agreed to drop their nuclear stockpiles. My main focus is on the people who are being starved out right now in Eastern Ghouta. Can you even imagine the terror? I can't. The following is from the Reuter's article that I posted a link to above, there is some hope but it must happen very soon and with Russia's help, During Thursday’s meeting of the humanitarian taskforce in Geneva, the United Nations received notice that it may get permission from Damascus to go to Douma in eastern Ghouta. The following is another interesting article from Reuter's related to the Russian Presidential election scheduled for March 18th which may be prophetic to Garabandal because of the date(?). Imho, the article helps show that member EarthtoAngels made several good points in her recent posts about Russia and Putin. It appears that Alexei Navalny is being prevented from running against Putin in this upcoming election and some there are worried about violent protests following the Russian presidential election. [Again, my main focus are the innocent people who are being starved to death in Eastern Ghouta and I would really like to see Russia/Putin support a 30-day nationwide cease-fire in Syria which they voted in favor of this past Saturday at the United Nations and was unanimous.] _________________________________ March 2, 2018 Andrew Osborn https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ld-get-violent-opposition-warns-idUSKCN1GE1TY Anti-Putin protests after election could get violent, opposition warns MOSCOW (Reuters) - Protests against Vladimir Putin after his expected re-election as president this month could descend into street clashes if police crack down too hard on demonstrators, a senior opposition politician said. FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny attend a rally near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 7, 2017. REUTERS/Andrey Volkov/File Photo Polls show Putin, who has dominated Russia’s political landscape for 18 years, should win comfortably on March 18. None of the seven candidates registered to run pose a threat. But Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader with the highest profile in the West, has been barred from standing over a suspended prison sentence for what he says is a trumped-up fraud charge, and is planning post-election protests. “It’s realistic to expect violence,” Vladimir Milov, a Navalny ally and a former deputy energy minister, told Reuters in an interview. “If police use excessive force, a significant number of people will fight back. We’re talking about clashes in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Several thousand people participating in clashes might be a realistic estimate.” The demonstrators plan to demand a re-run with Navalny’s participation and to protest against what he and his allies believe will be widespread electoral fraud. Polls show Navalny would not come close to unseating Putin, but his supporters believe he would pick up a sizeable protest vote and displace the Communists as the country’s second biggest political force behind the pro-Putin United Russia Party. In the run-up to the election, Navalny, a 41-year-old lawyer, has organized the biggest anti-Kremlin protests in years. Police have detained hundreds at rallies that have drawn thousands, but large-scale violence has been averted. Milov, who advises Navalny, said the opposition leader had been determined to ensure that the protests remained peaceful, but said he had overheard repeated discussion among demonstrators about responding to violence with violence. Some riot police, who had been bussed in to Moscow from distant provincial towns, had badly beaten protesters while detaining them during previous demonstrations, Milov said. FILE PHOTO: Vladimir Milov, joint leader of opposition bloc Party of People's Freedom, addresses the audience during the party congress in Moscow, Russia September 24, 2011. The sign reads "Freedom". REUTERS/Grigory Dukor/File Photo “At some point they (the police) will meet resistance,” he said.“People will maybe tolerate this one or two more times and then there will be clashes.” Tens of thousands protested after Putin’s last election win in 2012. At one major Moscow demonstration that May, police detained more than 400 people after clashes that saw stiff jail sentences on charges of mass disorder handed down to some. FILE PHOTO: Riot police detain a man covered with Russian national flag during an anti-corruption protest organised by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, on Tverskaya Street in central Moscow, Russia, June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo BACKLASH RISK The Kremlin says the police act proportionately to uphold public protest laws which stipulate that the location and timing of demonstrations must be agreed in advance. Authorities in Moscow and St Petersburg have regularly rejected opposition applications for protests in the past, suggesting out-of-town venues on public safety grounds. The opposition has sometimes spurned those alternatives and gone ahead anyway. Navalny, who has been repeatedly detained, was briefly taken into custody last month and said police had opened a case against him for organizing illegal protests. If found guilty, he could be jailed for 30 days. Milov said protests were just one part of the strategy to try to bring political reforms to Russia and that, though large, they were for now not enough on their own to change the situation. The authorities had so far exercised a measure of restraint when it came to breaking up protests, he said, because they were aware that a harsh crackdown could backfire. “They (the authorities) are really behaving like they want to avoid mass violence,” said Milov, who said the opposition wanted to avoid violence too, even though they might gain support as a result. “But who knows what will happen when the situation heats up. If they respond (to protests) heavily they would win using force, but there would be a reaction. It could act as a trigger event when a lot of people who were previously loyal shifted away from Putin because they did not feel secure anymore.” editing by John Stonestreet
GR MI is a gorgeous sunny 40 Grateful for my office window as I overlook the river..I'm pining for a walk.
Carol, this is a travesty. Theres no doubt about it. An absolute travesty. I have no 'but' to add. In addition, I would say that a humanitarian crisis exists in Gaza. Where ppl suffer exponentially. I will not make excuses for those that created these awful humanitarian situations. I condemn unreservedly both (tho my condemnations matter little). ..and, it amazes me how ppl aren't jumping up and down about the butchering of innocent children in Gaza.
jackzokay, I agree. We discussed the Gaza issue a little recently, http://motheofgod.com/threads/signs.7937/page-235#post-200924 post #4689. The current situation in Eastern Ghouta may lead to a very great number of deaths in a very short period of time and if the dead go unburied for any length of time, well, I really don't want to think about it too much because I pray that won't be the case. Don't under estimate your condemnation nor your prayers. Any prayers for peace in the world, I believe, are most welcomed by God. EDITED TO ADD: Maybe Russia is trying to put out one of the fires that they started this week, maybe they will see the light and they help with the Eastern Ghouta situation also. The following article could be looked at as possible fruits of condemnation, Russia rolls back Putin's cold war-era rhetoric as Kremlin denies 'nuking Florida' in video mock-up 3/2/2018 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...esman-denies-nuclear-weapons-us-a8236506.html
Stay safe HH. By God's grace we have dodged this billet. It went south of us. Praying for all of you in this storm.
The ceasefire adopted last week by the UN Security Council actually applies to all of Syria https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/tur...ime-fighters-syrias-afrin-monitor-doc-11r0bv3 Turkish air strikes kill 36 pro-regime fighters in Syria's Afrin: monitor Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters backing Kurdish militia in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin on Saturday, a monitoring group said. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democractic Forces alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours. They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more on Friday, the monitor said. Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters have advanced steadily since January 20 when they launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The Syrian government deployed fighters to the enclave a month later after the Kurds appealed for help. The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 percent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin on Saturday. They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said. Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state. The YPG has been a key component of a United States-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria. The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties. Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since the start of the operation, either to the town of Afrin or to nearby government-controlled areas.
