Wal-Mart and the Self-Checkout Swindle

Recently I have found myself in Wal-Mart on a couple of occasions. We quit shopping there in 2011 but every once in awhile I go in and walk around and observe.

The Chemical and Radioactive Legacy of the US War Machine

https://www.spiegel.de/international/globalsocieties/vietnam-s-ongoing-fight-against-agent-orange-a-1268396.html

It's right that the United States is pledging more aid but of course this must be understood in light of Vietnam's position vis-à-vis China. Washington has a new ally in Hanoi, one it could have had back in the days following World War II but that wasn't meant to be.

Capitalism, Privacy and Medical Records

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2019/06/ron-paul/medical-ids-enemy-of-privacy-liberty-and-health/

I agree with Ron Paul that a universal medical ID is a bad idea and potentially spells trouble. And yet the question of medical records has been an ongoing problem and all acknowledge the current system slows down the health care process and increases costs.

The Ukraine Conflict: Orthodoxy, Militias and Arms Smuggling

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/-Orthodox-celebrations-for-the-baptism-of-Kievan-Rus-are-at-risk-47570.html

All acknowledged that the recent creation of an autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church would heighten tensions between Kiev and Moscow and amplify the growing rift between the Moscow Patriarchate and that of Constantinople.

These conflicts are playing out on multiple fronts. The AsiaNews link explores some of the difficulties in Ukraine as its symbols, shrines, relics and properties remain divided. Small seemingly innocuous moves can mean a lot.

Additionally, a story broke this week about a weapons cache found among some Neo-Nazis in Italy. The weapons were reported as bound for the Pro-Russian and Moscow supported separatists in Eastern Ukraine's Donbass. Much has been made of this story.

Sloppy Religious Reporting From The Intercept

https://theintercept.com/2019/03/30/domestic-terrorism-donald-trump/

The Intercept has at times produced praiseworthy work but overall the news magazine continues to exhibit would I would consider a downward slide. What was once insightful and somewhat adversarial journalism has (with a few exceptions) slipped into the mainstream of the American Left and at times all but echoes the narratives of the less-than-left wing Democratic Party.

The Guaido Collapse and Perceptions of American Power

Juan Guaido's attempted overthrow of the Maduro government is rapidly losing steam. His May 2019 overreach has taken the wind out of his sails and left him looking weak and vulnerable. There's little doubt that the forces in Washington that backed him and both disappointed and even angry.

Terrorist Timing in Turkey and Sri Lanka

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-turkey-security/erdogan-says-car-explosion-in-turkey-kills-three-may-be-terrorism-related-idUKKCN1U014D

After weeks of tension the Erdogan government is going ahead and taking delivery of the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system. NATO and in particular the United States don't want to see this happen.

This will begin to detach Turkey from the NATO command structure and throw up barriers in terms of its larger strategies and even battlefield tactics.

VOM and Colombian Half-Truths

https://www.persecution.com/2019-03-colombia/?_source_code=EM1903CL2

The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) can at times be excellent and their reports moving. They are to be commended for their understanding of suffering and persecution as not being incidental or occasional aspects of the Christian life, but rather essential components of our calling.

There are times when I listen to their podcast, watch videos or read their materials and I want to empty my bank account in order to help them.

And then there are the other times when their predilection for Charismatic theology comes to the fore and I reconsider. It's really a continuation of my first encounter with Richard Wurmbrand's work Tortured for Christ which I first read in the 1990's. On the one hand it was deeply moving but on the other hand the theology was such a disastrous mess it was hard to know what to think.

Confronting War Mythology

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2019/06/laurence-m-vance/the-greatest-generation-of-whoremongers/

Reading this also reminded me of Keith Lowe's Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II. It can be safely said that war foments and breeds evil. It is a case of Providential restraint being withdrawn and depravity is put on display, even unleashed.

Haftar and Libyan Ports

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-economy-port-idUSKCN1U02CH

This development represents further US subversion of the UN recognised regime in Tripoli.

In addition to further support for Khalifa Haftar... who interestingly has threatened Turkish interests... the move ensures that China won't be able to move in and connect Libya to its larger OBOR project.

Christian Media Schizophrenia on Display

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/moms-expose-librarys-shocking-lgbt-youth-pride-event-homosexuality-transgenderism-drag-queens

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/trumps-4th-of-july-celebration-highlighted-everything-liberals-hate-about-america

On the one hand LifeSite, an Evangelical-style Catholic news outlet has done us a service in revealing the repugnant horrors of homosexual recruitment at work in connection with libraries and other public institutions. It truly was disturbing to read just how debauched and depraved these people are and how blatantly they are attempting to recruit the young into their evil sphere.

Guatemala: Evangelicals and Smugglers Together

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/27/journey-of-faith-the-guatemalan-pastors-helping-smuggle-people-into-the-us

This was a sad and unfortunate read. And what's even more disheartening is that the report should have been broken by Christian reporters but instead it takes a pro-Sodomite Anti-Christian publication like The Guardian to get the story out.