The Swiss are famous for their neutrality and yet the nation
is also unique among its European neighbours in that it is armed to the teeth and
virtually every male citizen is required to do military service. The fact that
the nation's posture is strictly defensive is a point some would celebrate and
even those who in many cases would frown on the idea of conscription, see in
the Swiss situation a wholly different creature.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/12/11/france-augmented-soldiers/
Once these technologies are developed they won't stay static
and they won't be contained. At the very least they'll be sold on the black
market. And even if Western 'liberal democratic' governments decide to formally
reject the technology in terms of an official capacity, it is certain that they
will develop them and use them via proxies.
The news here has to be contrasted with the June 2020 Evangelical
Focus article which cast the situation in an air of optimism. Apparently the
situation isn't quite as hopeful as it seemed even six months ago.
Radio Free Europe is a well known front for US intelligence agencies and thus its news is to be taken with a grain of salt. In many ways it seems like the growing mission of the news-site is rooted in an Anti-Moscow/Anti-Putin campaign. That said, one can also learn something from the way in which it covers stories. Additionally, even taking into account a degree of 'spin' there is nevertheless a lot of helpful and interesting information.
In 2016 it was reported that 81% of Evangelicals voted for Trump. This figure has proven controversial as the Trumpites see it as embarrassingly low – an indication that Trump isn't properly supported among their Right-wing movement.
To actual political
conservatives (whose numbers grow fewer by the day) as opposed to Trumpites who
are merely Right-wing advocates, the 81% statistic was also an embarrassment but
for a different reason – it was a mark of shame and cause for alarm as Trump
was in many ways the antithesis of what Moral Majority-type Christian
politicking was supposed to be about. It was sign their movement had gone off
the rails.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/opinion/covid-19-is-putting-italys-populists-to-bed/
The Covid crisis has in more than one instance boosted the
standing and profile of Right-wing politicians as their core supporters are in
many cases Covid-deniers and sceptics.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/12/09/russia-naval-base-sudan/
Given that the US government has already demonstrated
considerable influence over the new government in Khartoum, this naval base
agreement with Russia was something of a surprise. When considers the
overwhelming pressure the US has put on its allies regarding Huawei and 5G
networks, surely Washington could have come up with enough pressures,
incentives, and even threats to dissuade the Sudanese government from cutting a
deal like this. So what happened?
Perusing the news, the Lori Laughlin story caught my eye again – something related to her being in prison. Overall I care nothing about the story. I don't know who this actress is and I really don't care either.
I recall the coverage of the story last year. It wasn't
something I was interested in but it was often in the background on BBC while I
was working or in the car.
https://evangelicalfocus.com/life-tech/4871/we-identify-with-a-feminism-with-deep-historical-roots
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Sentiments
This is tragic in so many ways. Would it have ever occurred
to these Spanish Christians to seek out, emulate, and celebrate the 1848 Seneca
Falls Convention apart from American Evangelical influence?
Attorney General William Barr's recent resignation has generated a stir within with Christian-Trumpite circles leading many to wonder if he's a traitor, or even a closet Biden supporter.
This notion is misguided and even a bit silly and it
painfully demonstrates how ill-informed and even ignorant the Trump base is.
How little they understand even about the basic workings of government and why
people do what they do.
It was a rare moment of Trump-era unity as Turkey has become the
pariah state in NATO. Democrats and Republicans, NATO allies and the
Neo-Conservative elements within Washington – everyone could rally around
Pompeo's condemnations of Erdogan.
https://www.vcyamerica.org/crosstalk/2020/11/27/we-will-not-be-silenced-2/
The episode description indicates that America isn't really
bad at all. There's nothing about America that 'we' should be ashamed about.
From the onset the pronoun confusion begins with no
distinction being made between being an American and having a conscientious
mindset about being American versus that of a Christian who has an identity
wholly separate from America and its culture – never mind the fact that the
Christian identity calls us to a different set of ethics and goals. The two
notions are wholly confused and this error dominates the interview as indeed
this theology dominates the American Evangelical world.
The Swedish connection to the story is significant because
though Sweden never joined NATO, it nevertheless played a special role during
the Cold War and the US has long been involved with its defense and
intelligence Establishment. There are still many unanswered questions from the
period including plausible suggestions of CIA involvement in the assassination
of Prime Minister Olof Palme. Only the most credulous accepted the recent
findings of the Swedish government regarding the 1986 assassination.
Media Hypocrisy on Russian Election Interference, Claims Regarding Biden and China, and Some General Comments on the Moral Spectrum of Western News Coverage
In this polarised and increasingly insane social climate it
is important (even critical) for Christians to understand what is happening.
It's affecting the Church and its testimony in the larger culture. Like it or
not we are being identified with one of the political factions involved in the
present conflagration and it would serve us well to be able to explain what is
happening and why we reject the dominant narratives.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/opinion/trump-religion-authoritarianism.html
This editorial piece
did not reveal anything new but the authoritarian theme afforded the author
(Katherine Stewart) a means of making a larger point in connection to current
strategies and trends at work within both the GOP and the larger
Christian-Right community.
Stewart is not a
Christian and is in fact hostile to New Testament Christianity – though she may
have never actually encountered it. There is still value in her writings even
if we cannot endorse her assumptions or conclusions. A Christian read of the
essay enables further points to be considered.
There's been a fair bit of news coverage regarding the situation in Ethiopia but as is often the case – little contextualisation. A quick survey will help to explain the nature of the conflict and its potential dangers to the wider region.
