Land-for-peace is a

condence game and

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