AFR's Wildmon on Prophets, Doolittle, and Christ

https://afr.net/podcasts/it-s-my-turn/2022/may/to-be-a-visionary/

In some respects I grow weary of writing these critiques and yet will no one call these people out? Will no one expose their false teachings and blatant deceit?

Israel's New Right and Ukrainian Neo-Nazis

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/3/russia-says-israel-supports-neo-nazis-in-row-over-ukraine

I'm not sure why this is a controversy. Israel has a long history of collaborating with fascistic elements – especially when its own fascist party 'Likud' entered mainstream politics. Likud forged close ties with Apartheid South Africa and the nations found a kind of camaraderie in their pariah status, alliance with the United States, and their racial problems and perspectives.

Jordan Cooper, SSPX, and the Collapse of Civilisation

https://justandsinner.libsyn.com/a-response-to-an-sspx-priest-on-luther

In this podcast Cooper provides a capable defense of Luther and his legacy and offers some helpful critiques of Roman Catholicism and the Protestant Reformation's opposition to it.

Greg Laurie: The Court Evangelical and His Gospel

Some coverage was given to Laurie's recent evangelical crusade in Idaho. It is claimed that over 3,000 people were saved. Laurie, a court Evangelical within Trumpite circles utilises the 'Invitation System' methodology popularised in the twentieth century by Billy Graham. It was built upon earlier models developed by the likes of Moody and Finney.

Military and Missions: Not a Good Match

https://www.mnnonline.org/news/why-military-and-missions-make-a-good-match/

The editorial at Mission Network News argues that military and missions make a good match. The author is sadly mistaken. Apart from being accustomed to a life overseas, they have nothing in common.

Atlanticism, McCarthyism, and Intra-German Political Struggles

https://www.politico.eu/article/blame-germany-russia-policy/

This represents an attack serving the interests of two factions. On the one hand it's a hit piece targeting elements within the German political spectrum that oppose Atlanticism and have (in some cases for years) pursued an independent agenda. First of all, it must be remembered that Politico is owned by Axel Springer SE – a company formally committed to Capitalism and the EU and will not allow even its employees to dissent on these points. In other words Politico is wed to the Atlanticist and EU Establishments, as well as long being rumoured of having ties to US intelligence.

The Real Reason the West is Condemning China's Zero-Covid Policy

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/predictions-of-supply-chain-chaos-as-shanghai-resumes-shipping

For months the media gave voice to Western governments and health authorities as they decried the social resistance and the lackluster measures being taken to curtail the spread of Covid. The rules and protocols were flouted and the disease was spreading. And yet even during the period of lockdowns, it was apparent there was always a less than fully committed element to Western intervention. From the beginning until the present, the primary concern for many has been economic. Large segments of society have been more than happy for people die in order for profits to be maintained.

A Ukraine Miscellany (VII): Proxy War, BRICS, and Roadblocks to the US Plan

It's a point that needs to be reiterated. By failing to provide any kind of context to the war, the reporting on Russia and the responses of Putin to the sanctions regime are effectively spin-jobs. His threats to cut off Eastern European gas are not cases of blackmail, but the result of him being painted into a corner. The sanctions are basically an attempt to blackmail Russia into bowing to NATO. Any resistance on his part is ironically couched as 'blackmail'.

Putin's threats regarding a quick response to outside intervention are presented as menacing and aggressive but once again he finds himself in a serious quandary. He's fighting a war against NATO and losing. He has certainly lost the propaganda war in much of the world. By means of proxy war, economic sanctions, and various other measures his regime is under severe strain and increasingly isolated. They're fighting him but he's not allowed to respond. In fact if Foreign Minister Lavrov or anyone for that matter within the context of US politics or media declares this to be a proxy war between the US/NATO and Russia, they're decried and even mocked by the mainstream media.

And yet the US Secretary of Defense has openly declared the US is in a fight with Russia and military aid to Ukraine is meant to weaken Moscow's military might. That sounds like a proxy war to me.

The Hydrogen Economy and the Geopolitics of German-Indian Cooperation

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/germany-signs-hydrogen-cooperation-agreement-with-india/

Hydrogen is in the news again. This in itself is an interesting development as two major world economies are pledging to work together. As the infrastructure is in the early stages, such agreements are going to generate a boom in shipping, ports, and possibly pipelines. The hydrogen can be transported by being converted and there are various options for this. These new technologies are opening up a new energy economy – and if it develops it's going to change the world and the world order.

Francis Tacitly Condemns NATO's Role in Fomenting the Ukraine War

https://www.politico.eu/article/pope-francis-nato-cause-ukraine-invasion-russia/

The comments of Pope Francis on Ukraine are certain to raise eyebrows. He's not following the dominant (and in many cases mandatory) narrative that the Western Establishment continues to promote.  Initially a darling of the Left, the tenure of Francis has proven to be complicated and he has alienated many. One wonders if his ambiguity on the question of Ukraine and his tacit condemnation of US-led NATO machinations in the region will not turn more of his former allies against him.

The Unionist Nightmare in Ulster

https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-to-travel-to-belfast-amid-brexit-protocol-crisis/

It's the nightmare scenario the Ulster Unionists long feared. With the recent Sinn Fein victory in the Northern Ireland elections, the unionists face the real prospect of a vote for Irish Reunification. Long feared but a distant prospect, the campaign has picked up momentum in light of the 2016 Brexit vote and now seems within the realm of possibility.

The Wit and Wisdom of Cal Thomas: Eighty Years of Obtuseness and Folly

https://calthomas.com/2022/02/bad-state-of-the-union/

John Calvin Thomas turns eighty later this year. Thankfully our regional Evangelical radio station dropped his commentaries some years ago. They had taken on a kind of deranged character that I think went too far for the erstwhile moderate posture of the network. Since then the radio station has changed. I almost expect that they would pick him up again but in their case the pendulum has swung so hard to the Right, that for the Trump era – Thomas is probably a little on the tepid side.

Dead Oligarchs in Moscow and Catalonia

https://www.newsweek.com/oligarchs-murder-suicide-1699766

These could have been Putin ordered hits but the larger story is one of a smashed machine – of fissures become chasms. The sanctions regime is pushing the Russian economy to the limits and while fortunes are made in some cases and lost in others, many actors are forced to make rash decisions. Debts are called in – sometimes they can't be paid because money was lost, squandered, or used for other means. Such trying times expose these realities and powerful men are quickly toppled.