Americas other Vietnam 2

Pope crushes English Catholic dissent 4

Merkel attacks city of London 5
Are Pakistans tactical nukes safe? 6
Al Gore sells TV network to Al-Jazeera 8

the TRUMPET WEEKLY

JANUARY 5, 2013

Americas New Best Friend?

by Richard palmer

ritish Euroskeptics have long dreamed of leaving the

European Union and forming a new relationship with
the Commonwealth and the United States. Unlike the EU,
this alliance would share Britains fundamental values
their laws flow from the same tradition. It would be a trade
alliance that would benefit all involved.
The problem is, Americas not interested. Its more proEuropean than most of Europe is.
Americas response to Britains growing Euroskepticism
shows that it views Britain as a bridge to Europe, rather
than an important ally in its own right. If Britain leaves the
EU, its usefulness to America is over.
The UK Independence Party is growing in popularity.
Prime Minister David Cameron recently said that a British EU exit was imaginable. Faced with this shift, U.S.
President Barack Obama himself is reportedly lobbying
Cameron to keep Britain in.
The Telegraphs diplomatic correspondent Alex
Spillius reported that
the issue was raised by
President Barack Obama
in a video-conference
call with the prime minister on December 18.
American diplomats
are also raising the issue.
It is important to
state very

clearly that a strong UK in a strong Europe is in Americas

national interest, Spillius reported a senior U.S. administration official as saying.
The sheer hypocrisy of a nation formed because it didnt
want foreign control over its affairs (no taxation without
representation) telling Britain that it must subordinate itself
to Brussels has offended many in Britain. But Americas
shift in priorities has some logic. Britain used to be a major
power, and the European Union used to be a bickering
trading organization. Now, Britain is steadily shrinking in
power and prestige while Europe is growing into a more
powerful political union (though the
bickering continues.)
see FRIEND page 12

U.S. President Obama with

EU Commission President Barroso

middle east

Taliban Likens U.S. Exit Strategy to Vietnam

Associated Press | January 2

he Taliban on Wednesday issued an end-of-year review insurgency, reduced troop numbers by about 30,000 in
that compared the impending withdrawal of U.S.-led for- 2012 and is due to end its combat mission in 2014.
eign troops from Afghanistan to Americans pullout from
The 100,000 international forces still in Afghanistan are
Vietnam, calling it a declare victory and run strategy.
training a national army and police to ensure the countrys
The insurgents
stability, while the
e-mailed stateAfghan government, titled a
ment has appointQuick glance at
ed negotiators to
2012, said coaliopen peace talks
tion forces had
with the Taliban.
completely lost
Coalition
their will to fight
leaders say that
and practically
Afghans now take
began the process
on about 75 perof withdrawal
cent of military
and retreat, afp
responsibilities,
reported.
though the United
When AmerStates is in talks
ica faced utter
over leaving a
destruction in
small force behind
Vietnam, they
after 2014.
came up with the
President
SPC Robert Isom (left) and Roman Taylor of the U.S. Armys Alpha Company
formula Declare
Hamid Karzai
4th Battalion 5th Stryker Brigade stand guard before leaving on a mission.
victory and run,
said this week that
and want to
Afghan security
utilize the formula of Transfer security and run here in
forces will take the lead in areas covering nearly 90 percent
Afghanistan, the Taliban said in the statement.
of the population under the latest transfer of security due
In reality, they want to flee from Afghanistan just as
in the coming months.
they turned tail and ran from Vietnam, it added.
Analysts have warned the country risks plunging into a
The nato coalition, fighting an 11-year Taliban
large-scale civil war after the nato force departs.

Iran Tests New

Version of Missiles
ranian forces fired what military
officers said was a new generation
of surface-to-air missiles on Monday
during a wide-ranging naval exercise
that focused on striking hypothetical
unmanned aircraft and vessels in international waters to the south of the
country, Iranian news media reported.
The missiles were fired on the
fourth day of a six-day naval exercise
that started Friday, whenIranannounced that it had begun the exercises that would test a new version of
its Thunder surface-to-air midrange

missile. They were meant to demonstrate the countrys defense of its

territorial waters, the official Islamic
Republic News Agency said.
In addition, Iran deployed warships
and helicopters to escort commercial
ships and oil tankers as part of a drill
meant to show the countrys ability
to combat piracy, the news agency
reported. The exercise also included
drills using Iranian-madedronesand
submarines.
The semiofficial Fars news agency
quoted an Iranian naval commander,
Rear Adm. Alireza Nayyeri, as saying
that the navy had boosted and upgraded the capability of its domestically manufactured drone aircraft.
The exercise was conducted in

Getty images

The trumpet weekly

New york times | December 31

JANUARY 5, 2013

theStrait of Hormuz, a strategic

waterway through which many of the
worlds oil and cargo shipments pass, as
well as in the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of
Aden and the northern Indian Ocean,
irna reported. Accounts in the staterun news media said the war games
covered a 400,000-square-mile area.

How Bad Is Egypts

New Constitution?
israel today | January 2

ow that Egyptian President

Mohammed Morsi has pushed
through a new constitution, he has
vowed to concentrate on the crippling
economy, as well as on what he called

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi

U.S. in order to minimize dependency

on Iranian funding. Hezbollah is helping the cartels in weapons, explosives
production, and training drug lords
to build elaborate tunnels under the
U.S.-Mexico border, which they could
use to smuggle humans, drugs and
weapons. Hezbollah could also use
them for its own terrorist activities in
the United States. The United States
is cursed, no longer being blessed
by God. Americas weak attempts to
curtail Iran are leading to potentially
bigger problems at home.

nIranian meddling in the

gulf triggers GCC coalition

production, work, seriousness and

effort by the Egyptian people. But
tensions remain in Cairo and other
Egyptian cities, where protesters continue venting anger over a constitution that (according to them) violates
the rights of women and minorities,
favors Islamists, betrays the prodemocracy revolution and deepens
divisions inside the country.
Morsi insists the new constitution will stabilize Egypt and secure
democracy.
It seals the Muslim Brotherhoods alliance with the military;
It provides the military with
protection against interference by
civilian institutions and powers
(read: courts);
It states that Islamic principles
shall remain the main source
of legislation, adding that their
interpretation is the responsibility of the clerics at Al-Azhar
University in Cairo, rather than
the courts (in other words, no
judicial oversight);
It underlines womens commitments to family and home; and
It gives Christians and Jews the
right to practice their religions
(as opposed to Shia Muslims,
Bahai, Buddhists, Hindus and
others who were granted the
freedom of belief, but not the
freedom of practice).
Many of the constitutions critics in
Egypt have charged that the document
European external action service/flickr,
Mohammed al-shaikh/afp/getty images

The Gulf Cooperation Council (gcc)

condemned Irans interference in
the region and is working to set up
was drafted by a panel made up ala unified, military command. At the
most exclusively of Islamists eager to
conclusion of a two-day summit on
tighten their grip over Egypt.
December 24-25, the six-member,
Ruth Wasserman Lande forSaudi-led gcc issued a statement that
mer deputy chief of mission at Israeli
slammed the continuing Iranian
Embassy in Egypt, summed up the
interference in the affairs of the Gulf
situation thus: The [Egyptian] consti- Cooperation Councils states and
tution is problematic in the sense that
called on Iran to stop these policies.
it allows a significant concentration of Iran has denied any interference in
powers in the hands of the president,
the Gulfa region that Iran clearly
without enough checks and balances
sees as its own backyard, as Reuters
as is required in a modern-day dereports. One way the Gulf Cooperamocracy.
tion Council is getting ready is by
integrating its members foreign
and security polices, and enhancing
TW i n b r i e f
defense cooperation. The gcc sumnSanctions on Iran
mit communique said the Council
bring terror closer to the U.S.
supported the creation of a unified
Curtailed funding from embargoed
military command that organizes and
Iran to its terrorist proxies may be
plans and leads the ground, naval and
causing Hezbollah to partner with
air forces. The Wall Street Journal
Mexican drug cartels to raise funds for wrote that Saudi Arabia is rallying
potential attacks in the United States.
Muslim nations across the Middle
The economic sanctions that have
East and Asia to join an informal Arab
been slapped on Iran for its nuclear
alliance against Iran.
weapons program have
caused Tehran to cut
back its funding to
Hezbollah, according
to the Israeli military. U.S. officials say
Hezbollah operatives
in Mexico are enhancing their cooperation with murderous
Bahrain Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman al-Khalifa
drug cartels, like Los
waits for dignitaries to arrive December 24, to attend the
Zetas, in the northern
annual Gulf Cooperation Council summit.
districts bordering the
The trumpet weekly

JANUARY 5, 2013

europe

Pope Brings English Church to Heel

Richard Palmer | January 2

ts hard to think of a more complete victory in the

Vaticans long-running battle with the English Catholic
Church. To fully understand the magnitude of this victory,
please bear with me while we go over some history first.
Catholic officials in Rome
have long been
frustrated by
Englands liberal
Catholic bishops.
One of the
biggest reasons
is the liberals
refusal to follow
Romes strict line
on homosexuality. Archbishop
of Westminster Vincent Nichols, the senior Catholic
leader in England, has consistently given the impression
that the Catholic Church supported homosexualsforming marriage-likeunions in theform of civil partnerships.
Perhaps more brazenly, Nichols has consistently supported theSoho Masses. These masses have deliberately
catered to homosexual Catholics. Because of their stance
on homosexuality, Nichols and English bishopshave been
accused of defying the Vatican.
The other big bone of contention between the Vatican

Portugal Warns EUIMF Troika to Back Off

and the English bishops is the bishops unenthusiastic welcome for Anglicans defecting to Rome.
Pope Benedictxvipersonally orchestratedthe creation
of a personal ordinariate to allow defecting Anglicans to
retain their traditions. He evendonated a quarter of a million dollarstoward its upkeep.
But the English bishops refuse to support it. The last
thing the English Catholics want is for the Church of
Englands most conservative priests to cross over into the
Catholic Church.
With all that in mind, appreciate the magnitude of the
English churchs January 2 announcement
TheSoho Masses will be shut down, and the building
they were held in will be given to the Anglican Ordinariate.
For the first time, Anglicans returning to Rome will
have their own church building. Its hard to think of a better sign that the Vatican is getting its way in England. If the
change translates into a more welcoming attitude toward
the ex-Anglican Catholics, many more may cross over into
the Catholic Church.
The Vatican suddenly got its way on the two issues that
have frustrated it for yearsall with one stroke.
The pope is in the process of imposing unity on the
church. Soon it will be ready for its new public role.
TheTrumpethas long forecast that the Catholic Church will
rise in power. Now that the dissenters have been defeated,
Twitter
its ready for this rise. Follow Richard Palmer:

Telegraph, Ambrose EvansPritchard | January 2

resident Anibal Cavaco Silva
called for urgent action to halt the
recessionary spiral, warning Europes leaders that the current course
had become socially unsustainable.
In a speech to the nation, he said
Portugal would honor its international obligations, but in the same
breath called for a tough line with
the European Union-International
Monetary Fund troika over the pace of
fiscal tightening under Portugals 78
billion (us$103 billion) loan package.
We have arguments, and we should
use them firmly, he said.
Fiscal austerity is leading to declining output and lower tax revenue.

We must stop this vicious circle, he

said, cautioning the troika that there
would be no way out of the crisis until
policy was set in the interests of the
Portuguese people as well as foreign
creditors.
His somber speech was a reminder
that Europes crisis is far from over.
Portugals jobless rate has risen from
13.7 percent to 16.3 percent over the past
year, reaching 39 percent for youth, even
before the full impact of austerity hits.
In a stinging rebuke to the countrys free-market premier, Pedro
Passos Coelho, the president asked
the constitutional court to rule on
the legality of tax rises that come into
force this January as well as on further
moves to dismantle the welfare state in
the 2013 budget.
There are well-founded doubts
over whether the distribution of

Getty Images

The trumpet weekly

JANUARY 5, 2013

sacrifice is just, he said.

Cavaco Silvas broadside against
ministers from his own center-right
Social Democrat party leaves the government starkly isolated, and increasingly in danger of losing its authority.
Popular anger is building over the
troikas fiscal shock therapy, which
will push up average income tax rates
by 3.4 percentage points and bring in a
plethora of surcharges and fees.
Markets have so far brushed off worries that the country risks a Grecian
vortex as austerity bites in earnest.
Portugal has taken its medicine with
stoicism until now, winning praise
from the EU leaders for sticking to its
bailout terms. But troika officials fear
that social cohesion is fraying as the
slump deepens. The country saw the
biggest street protest this autumn since
the end of the Salazar dictatorship.

Angela Merkel Fires Warning Shot at London

Telegraph | January 1

ngela Merkel has used her New Years Eve speech to

launch an open attack on the City of London as she attempts to win a third term as German chancellor in 2013.
In a move that will be grasped by British Euroskeptics,
Mrs. Merkel told Germany that she will repress Europes
biggest financial markets and fight to strengthen the EUs
grip on banking.
German Chancellor
The chancellor
Angela Merkel
openly blames
the financial collapse of the U.S.
economy and
light-touch regulation spearheaded
by Britain for the
eurozone crisis.
Throttling
financial centers
like London would allow her to work toward her dream of
a European superstate with almost complete banking and
economic union across the Continent.
The crisis is a long way from being beaten, Merkel said
on German television [December 31].
Internationally, more needs to be done in order to
exercise control over the financial markets. The world has
not sufficiently learned the lessons of the devastating 2008
financial crisis. Never again can we allow irresponsibility like back then to happen. In a social market economy,
the state is the guardian of orderand that is something
people should be able to count on.
Germany will have a general election in September and
Mrs. Merkel wants to win a third term in the Bundeskanzleramtthe German chancellery.
Her relationship with David Cameron is fragile and the

TW i n b r i e f
n Germany approves another
armored vehicle sale to Saudi Arabia

prime minister is preparing a keynote speech this month

where he will demand that more powers are transferred
from Brussels back to London.
Financial services, based mainly in the city, make up 10
percent of the UK economy and Mr. Cameron will fight
tooth and nail to protect it.
But Germany has already signed up to a new banking
transaction tax being touted by France; however, the UK
can opt out.
In what is viewed as a speech that will kick-start the
election race, Merkel urged Germans to be more patient
even though the eurozone crisis has already dragged on for
three years. She drew a line linking German prosperity to a
prosperous European Union.
For our prosperity and our solidarity we need to strike
the right balance, Merkel said. The European sovereign
debt crisis shows how important this balance is.
The reforms that weve introduced are beginning to
have an impact, she said. Nevertheless we need to have
further continued patience. The crisis is far from over.
But in face of slowing economic growth, Merkel also
warned that conditions could be more difficult in 2013 than
in 2012.
I know that many people are naturally concerned going
into the new year, she said. And the economic environment will not in fact be easier but rather more difficult next
year. But we shouldnt let that get us down; rather it should
spur us on.
The Germans are coming back from the destruction of World
WarII in breath-taking manner. Germany is the economic and
military heart of Europe. Probably Germany will lead and
dominate the coming United States of Europe. But Britain will be
no part of it! 
Herbert W. Armstrong, 1975 in Prophecy

Germany has approved, in principle,

the sale of up to 100 Dingo 2armored
vehicles to Saudi Arabia, theBild
am Sonntagreported December 30.
The Dingos are mine-resistant and
designed to defend their occupants
against nuclear radiation, as well as
biological or chemical attacks. Citing
sources with knowledge of talks on
the deal,Bild am Sonntagreported
thatSaudi Arabiaplans to buy 30 of
the vehicles for around 100 million
(overus$130 million). Over the long
term, it plans to buy 70 more. KraussMaffei Wegmann, which makes the

Dingos along with Bruker Daltonik,

advertises the armored vehicle as the
safest and best-protected wheeled vehicle in its class, showing outstanding
performance on extremely difficult terrains and under extreme climatic conditions. Bild am Sonntagreports that
Germanys national security council
has yet to reach a final decision, but
has given the go-ahead, in principle.
This is another example of Germanys
new policy of using strategic arms
sales to build up alliances with other
nations. Germanys arms trade with
Saudi Arabia could grow very large.
According to some German media
reports, Saudi Arabia wants to buy 600
to 800 German Leopard2tanks. This

ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

The trumpet weekly

JANUARY 5, 2013

is part of a concerted effort by Germany to arm and ally with opponents

of Iran, as prophesied in the Bible.

n French Muslims run

riot on New Years Eve

French youths celebrated New Years by

burning 1193 cars. Car burnings at the
turn of the year are becoming tradition. Most of the burning took place in
Frances poor Muslim districts. Though
the mainstream media wont cover it,
it is clear that French society is bitterly
divided. The violence from Muslims is
causing many in France to oppose the
presence of Islam. Watch for tensions
to continue to build toward a clash
between Catholic Europe and Islam.

asia

Pakistans Tactical Nukes

anxieties, but this will only reinforce the countrys longerterm isolation.
The Diplomat, Sashank Joshi | January 2
There is also a second, more serious concern. Pakistan
ctober of last year marked the 50th anniversary of the is developing a new generation of tactical nuclear weapons
1962 Cuban missile crisis. Many Asian policymakers
(tnws) that target not Indian cities, but Indian military forwill read the lessons of that harrowing episode with some
mations on the battlefield. The purpose of these, as former
self-satisfaction. The dawn of Asias nuclear age has been Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Maleeha Lodhi
calmer than that of Europe, and far calmer
explained in November, is to counterbalthan the nuclear alarmists predicted.
ance Indias move to bring conventional
But, as Paul Bracken and others have
military offensives to a tactical level. The
warned, we should not get complacent.
idea is that smaller nuclear weapons, used
When India tested its Agni-v missile in
on Pakistani soil, would stop invading
April, I and others raised a number of
Indian forces in their tracks.
potential issues: Indian scientists were
[T]actical nuclear weapons are undermaking cavalier statements of nuclear
stood to be especially credible precisely
posture best left to political leaders, and
because their forward deployment makes
the development of multiple warheads for
them so vulnerable. nato, aware of this
each missile (known as mirvs) and missile
use them or lose them dilemma, predefense technology could all be destabidelegated launch authority for at least some
lizing if not handled extremely carefully.
of its tactical nuclear weaponsspecifically,
India has legitimate deterrence requireatomic demolition munitionsin Germents vis-a-vis China, but it would be
many in the late 1950s.
counterproductive for this to become an
There is some evidence that Pakistan
Pakistani Ambassador to the
open-ended expansion.
has or will soon follow suit. In 2005, for
Pakistans nuclear trajectory is, however, United States Maleeha Lodhi
instance, Feroz Hassan Khan, a senior
altogether more worrying.
official in Pakistans Strategic Plans DiviThis issue is usually framed in terms
sion (spd), explained that partial preof numbers. Pakistan possesses what is thought to be the
delegation of weapons would be an operational necessity
fastest-growing nuclear arsenal in the world and if present
because dispersed nuclear forces as well as central comtrends continue, could equal or surpass Britains stockpile
mand authority are vulnerable. The spd is widely adwithin a decade. So far, the Western world has viewed this
mired for its professionalism, but pre-delegation inevitably
expansion as a nonproliferation issue, not a security one.
dilutes command and control of nuclear weapons, however
But, over the longer-term, that could change. As a recent
competent officials might be.
report from the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium noted,
Pakistan is the second-largest Muslim nation in the world.
EU members might have military facilities within reach of
Pakistan also has the nuclear bomb and could be taken over by
Pakistani longer-range missiles or temporary bases and
radical Islam, with plenty of help from Iran. That means it could
personnel and, in the case of a deterioration in Pakistans
become
a proxy of the Iranian mullahs. This would be the worst
relations with the West, this could be a subject of conpossible disaster! 
Trumpet, January 2008
cern. Pakistan is free to dismiss European and American

Chinas Maritime
Surveillance Fleet
Adds Muscle
The Diplomat | January 3
s China continues to harden its
stance on territorial disputes, a
recent report notes that the Peoples
Liberation Army Navy (plan) has
transferred 11 decommissioned warships, including two destroyers, to the
countrys maritime surveillance agency.

After undergoing renovation, the

vesselswhich include the twoType
051(Luda i-class) guided-missile
destroyers (ddg)Nanningand Nanjing, as well as surveillance ships, tugs
and icebreakerswere transferred to
the China Marine Surveillance (cms)
agency to alleviate the insufficiency
of vessels used to protect maritime
interests. The two 3,250-ton destroyers, which can travel at a maximum
speed of 32 knots, are to split their time
between the East China Sea, the scene

Getty Images

The trumpet weekly

JANUARY 5, 2013

of a mounting dispute with Japan and

Taiwan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, and the South China Sea, where
China has overlapping territorial claims
with a number of countries, including
Vietnam and the Philippines. Prior to
theirdecommissioninglast year, the
two 30-plus-year-old ddgs were armed
with 130mm guns with a range of
29km, as well as anti-ship missiles.
Chinas Ministry of National
Defense and the cms have yet to comment on the transfer.

However, Yu Zhirong of the Research Center for Chinese Marine Development,wrote in the Xinhua News
Agency-linkedInternational Herald
Leaderthat the capabilities of the cms
had been greatly strengthened and
that the civilian agencys capacity to execute missions was sharply improved,
providing a fundamental guarantee for
completing the currently arduous task
to protect maritime interests.
Like Japan, China has so far refrained from sending its navy ships
into contested areas to avoid escalation.
However, to some observers, the
addition of refurbished warships to
the civilian agency, which falls under
theState Oceanic Administration,
could be a worrying sign of militarization, all the more so as there are
signs indicating that Beijing is losing
patience and is ready to enter a new,
perhaps more belligerent phase, in
various territorial disputes.

missile submarine cruisers equipped

with a new generation of nuclear reactor, allowing them to dive to depths
of up to 480 meters. They can spend
up to 90 days in autonomous navigation and are almost completely silent.
The Vladimir Monomakh is armed
with 16 to 20 intercontinental ballistic
missiles, and, according to the Russia
Times, can overcome any prospective
missile defense system. By 2020, Moscow plans to have built seven more
of the Borei class submarines, bringing the total to 10. Under the reign of
President Vladimir Putin, Moscow
is laboring to recreate the geography
of the Soviet Union, and to reassert
Russias influence in the region. The
goal of reversing the demise of the
Soviet Union, which Putin called the
greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the
century underpins almost every facet
of the Kremlins foreign policy. This
weeks landmark submarine launch is
a part of this strategy.

TW i n b r i e f
n Russia launches new
noiseless nuclear submarine

n Russia and China aim to fill

Central Asian power vacuum

The Russian military launched a

powerful and nearly noiseless Russian nuclear submarine on Saturday,
named the Vladimir Monomakh. The
vessel belongs to a class of strategic

Western influence in Central Asia is

on the verge of a major decline, the
Lignet intelligence group wrote on
Monday. And who will fill the power
vuccuum that Western powers will
leave as the nato-led International

Security and Assistance Force withdraws from Afghanistan? Russia and

China. The United States has experienced a string of volatile relations with
Central Asian countres. In 2005, U.S.
troops were evicted from the KarshiKhanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan. In
2011, Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan,
agreed that no future foreign military
bases could be opened in any of their
nations without the agreement from
all of those countries. Then in December of 2012, Kyrgyzstan said the U.S.
could not use the countrys Manas
base after 2014 and said U.S. troops
would leave the country by then. But
regional powers are gearing up to take
Americas place. Russia is preparing to fill a Central Asian power vacuum that looks set to emerge in 2014,
the report said. Moscow has already
signed a series of military assistance
packages with Central Asian nations,
including a $1.1 billion deal with Kyrgyzstan in November. It is expected to
take many more of such initiatives to
boost its presence in the region. China
is also bolstering its influence in the
area with key energy and resource
projects. Expect the Central Asian tip
away from Washington and toward
Moscow and Beijing to accelerate in
the year ahead.

The would-be militants were caught

following a 20-day sting operation
while they plotted to set up cells in the
eastern town of Harar and in Kemise
in the northeast .
Members of the group were recruited, trained and armed by Somalias al
Shabaab and their aim was to wage jihad
(holy war) and stage attacks inside the
country, an niss statement said, aired
by the state-run Ethiopian Television.
Addis Ababa has sent troops to Somalia to help other African countries
battling to crush al Shabaabs six-year
insurgency.
The suspects, whose nationalities
were not disclosed, were said to have
crossed into Ethiopia from Somalia

and Kenya.
Wednesdays tv report showed police displaying large amounts of arms
including rifles and grenades, as well
as black flags with Arabic inscriptions.
The report said cds and video tapes of
jihadist messages were also seized
during the operation.
On Tuesday, an Ethiopian court
convicted 10 other militants of preparing strikes on political and economic
targets in Ethiopia with the help of
Somalias al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab.
Muslims in Ethiopia staged several
mass protests last year against perceived interference in Islamic affairs.
Several leaders of a committee that led
the protests now face trial.

Africa
Ethiopia Breaks Up
Islamist Cell
Reuters | January 2

thiopian police have arrested

15 suspected militants allegedly
trained by Islamist rebels in neighboring Somalia and who were plotting
attacks in Ethiopia, the countrys intelligence agency said on Wednesday.
The arrests were the latest in a
crackdown on what senior officials
say is a growing threat from militant
Islam in Ethiopia, a Horn of Africa
nation predominantly comprised of
Orthodox Christians and a large minority of Muslims.

The trumpet weekly

JANUARY 5, 2013

anglo-america

How to Prevent Another Sandy Hook Massacre

he unimaginable scene still

all realize that the cause of violence goes far deeper than
screams for answers: 20 children
whether or not people should be able to own guns, or how
and six adults lying murdered in an
many bullets they can put into a gun clip.
elementary school. We can barely
The real issue we need to address isnt gun control, it is
comprehend that reality, yet were
character control.
already proposing solutions.
Americas foundational problem isnt guns, or its laws.
The National Rifle Association (nra)
Americas problem is people. If our leaders want to prevent
Robert Morley
demands one solution: Place an armed
another Sandy Hook massacre, they need to tell people the
guard at every American school. It will cost $6.7 billion, but it truth. It is an unpopular message, but the truth is that we
will keep our children safe in this increasingly violent world.
need to fix our depraved cultureand there is only one
Meanwhile, a strong liberal
way to do that.
movement demands this soluAmerica needs to turn to God
tion: Outlaw semi-automatic
in deep repentanceand repenfirearms. Yet the very same day
tance requires actual change!
that Adam Lanza unleashed
If we really want to keep
demonic carnage at Sandy
our children safe from harm,
Hook Elementary with a semiAmerica needs to start fixing
automatic rifle and two pistols,
its families. Instead of a ban
Min Yingjun rampaged across
on guns, how about a ban on
a school ground in Chengping,
broken homes? If we are truly
China, stabbing 22 schoolchilinterested in doing everything
Residents grieve following the December 14 shooting at
dren and one adultwith a
we can to give all the children
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn..
knife. Some children had ears
of this country the chance they
and fingers chopped off before
deserve to live out their lives in
someone restrained that monster.
happiness and with purpose, then instead of putting armed
Many are shouting for more guns. Many are shouting for
guards in every school, lets put a strong father in every home.
less. And a lot of us are looking at all of this and realizing
America needs to end its collective fetish with constantly
that the problem is so, so much deeper. There is a real, practi- making new laws and regulationsand instead actually
cal solution to gun violenceto all violencebut we continstart keeping the higher laws that mankind was given from
ue to ignore it while we bicker over this weapons ban debate.
the beginning. This is the only way guaranteed to prevent
If America really wants to keep our childrenall of
more school shootings. And it is the only way to bring real,
themsafe from harm, we need a totally different debate.
lasting, hope-filled change to America.
Twitter
If we are honest with ourselves, deep down, we should

Follow Robert Morley:

Glenn Beck Tried to

Buy Current TV
very once in a while a tweet appears thats so silly, it must be a
joke. Like this one from Glenn Beck:
Before Al-Jazeera bought Current tv,
TheBlaze looked into buying it but we
were rejected by progressive owners.
Guess what? Hes totally serious. The
Wall Street Journal caught the detail in
its coverage: Glenn Becks TheBlaze
approached Current about buying the
channel last year, but was told that the
legacy of who the network goes to is

important to us and we are sensitive to

networks not aligned with our point
of view, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
Well no kidding! Current tv is the
network founded by former Democratic Vice President Al Gore, later
anchored by progressive hero-villain
Keith Olbermann and recently featuring liberal former New York Gov.
Eliot I Do What I Want Spitzer.
This is the network that Glenn Beck
wanted to buy. Its entirely unclear
how far negotiations between Beck
and Current tv got, if anywhere
beyond Currents executives laughing
TheBlaze crew out of the room.

Don Emmert/AFP/getty images

The trumpet weekly

Atlantic | January 2

JANUARY 5, 2013

Mississippi
Shipping at Risk
Reuters | January 2

he drought-drained Mississippi
River will rise slightly later this
week between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill.,
but later continue its decline toward
historic lows, according to a National
Weather Service forecast.
Low water, due to the worst U.S.
drought since 1956, has already impeded the flow of billions of dollars worth
of grain, coal, fertilizer and other
commodities between the central
United States and shipping terminals

A Monetary Revolution Is Underway

Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | January 1

he United States, Japan, Britain, as well as the Swiss,

Scandies, and a string of states around the world, are
actively driving down their currencies or imposing caps.
They are tearing up the script, embracing the new creed
of nominal gdp targeting (ngdp), a license for yet more
radical action.
The side-effects of this currency warfareor beggar thy
neighbor policy as it was known in the 1930sis an escalating leakage of monetary stimulus into the global system.
So dont fight the Fed, and never fight the worlds central
banks on multiple fronts.
Stock markets have already sensed this, up to a point,
lifting Tokyos Nikkei by 23 percent and Wall Street by 10
percent since June.
U.S. banking system. It is trouble waiting to happen. But
trouble can be deferred.
The more that investors come to think another cycle of
global growth is safely under way, the riskier it will be to
hold corporate bonds, $8 trillion in the U.S. alone. The
money will rotate into equities and bullion, with Chinas
central bank driving gold through $2,000 at last.
As a polar bear, I doubt that such a happy cycle is upon us.
We merely have a rally within a structural trade depression.
The headwinds of deleveraging will return with gale
force. The glut of excess global savings that lay behind the
great crisis of 2008-2009and that has kept us stuck in the
Long Slump ever sinceis still getting worse. The international trading system remains badly out of kilter.
There is chronic overcapacity across global industry and
not enough demand to carry a full cycle of economic expansion, or to reach escape velocity as they say these days.
Until that changes, every global rebound is doomed to
disappoint within a few quarters .
A string of states are tightening ferociously in concert,
disregarding the feedback effects on each other. Britain has
a fat primary deficit and needs to do so. Euroland less. It is
slashing for doctrinal reasons, in thrall to Calvinism.
Even so, there is enough monetary fuel in the global
economy to pack a punch into 2013. Japans new Premier
Shenzo Abe is sweeping into office like Roosevelt in 1933,

commanding the central bank to do whatever it takes to

defeat deflation . If he means it, Japan is about to give us
all a nuclear monetary shock.
The Fed is no slouch either. It is printing $1 trillion in
2013, even though the money supply is already catching fire.
It is has cooked up a jobless target of 6.5 percent, meaning
anything it wants.
Modern currency wars are a form of pass the parcel.

They increase global stimulus in aggregate but those left

holding the package come off worst. Europe chooses
not to play because Germany controls the machinery, and
Germany does not yet need help. So Europe will take it on
the chin, and the Latin bloc will endure another year of
slow asphyxiation.
This is the year when it will become clear to many that
Europe is in far deeper trouble than supposed .

at the Gulf of Mexico.

A further drop in river levels could
halt commercial shipping traffic entirely by this weekend, the American
Waterways Operators and the Waterways Council Inc. said in a statement
on Wednesday.
Last week, the council said the river
along the Cairo-St. Louis stretch would
be too low for navigation by January 7
but on Wednesday it said shipping may
come to a halt between January 5 and 15.

A shutdown could affect more than

8,000 jobs, cost $54 million in wages
and benefits, and halt the movement
of 7.2 million tons of commodities
valued at $2.8 billion, the two industry
groups said.
The Mississippi River gauge at Thebes fell from a reading of 4.45 feet late
last week to 4 feet late on Wednesday.
It was forecast to rise to 4.2 feet on Friday morning before slipping to 3.2 feet
by next Wednesday, the lowest level at

GA161076/istockphoto

The trumpet weekly

JANUARY 5, 2013

Thebes since 1988 and the second lowest on record.

Gun Purchasers
Set New Record
Reuters | January 3

he number of fbi background

checks required for Americans
buying guns set a record in December,
as the Connecticut school massacre

Next Crisis: Debt Ceiling

debt ceiling crisis is only the beginning.

There is also the looming sequester issuea legacy of
Robert morley | January 3
2011s debt ceiling battle. Sequester involves $110 billion
hile everyone focused on avoiding the fiscal cliff,
worth of automatic, across the board spending cuts to every
we cracked our head on the debt ceiling. On Monday, single government department. The cuts were scheduled for
the U.S. government reached the statutory limit on how
January 1, but due to an inability to agree on how to avoid
much money it can borrow. Get ready for the next big
the cuts, Congress postponed the date two months.
budgetary fightand this time expect a much bigger hit
Indebted America has few choices to deal with its budget
to your pocketbook.
issues. It can cut spendingand hurt the economy. It can
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress on
raise taxesand hurt the economy. It can increase borrowMonday that emergency measures were now in effect to
ingand hurt the economy. It can print moneyand hurt
prevent Washington from defaulting on its debt. America
the economy. Alternatively, it can do some combination of
has begun a debt issuance suspension period that would
the fourand hurt the economy. Some options hurt more
last through February 28, he said. We have less than 60
than others. Some hurt more immediately. Others hurt
days to raise the debt ceiling, which is currently set at
much more later.
$16.394 trillion. If we dont, our creditors will soon stop beBut here is the point: There is no way to avoid the conseing paid. A debt default could have drastic implications on
quences of our debt. Political attempts to avoid paying the
how much America pays to borrow money.
price will make matters worse, not better. There will be no end
Last year, due to concerns over the debt ceiling, a major
to the crisis. It will be one crisis after the other until you think
credit rating agency downgraded U.S. debt. It was a first in
they have gone on forever. This is Americas future. This is reU.S. history. It wont be the last.
ality. You can choose to prepare for it, or suffer the worst of it.
Now, after passing an unpopular last-minute fiscal cliff,
Preparing for it would involve reading: Does God Exist?,
Washington is set for the next set of crisis negotiations. The Repentance Toward God and The Song Of SongsGods
difference this time is that Republicans seem more deterGreatest Love Song.
mined to tackle government spendingand that means
Those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord, said
potential reforms to Social Security, Medicare and MedicPresident Abraham Lincoln quoting Psalm 33:12. As he indicated,
aid. Democrats are sure to oppose.
there is a direct link between morality and prosperity.
If you thought the last battle over the debt ceiling was

theTrumpet.com, January 1
bad, wait till you see what this years could bring. And the

stirred interest in self-defense and

prompted renewed talk of limits on
firearms, according to fbi data.
The fbi said it recorded 2.8 million
background checks during the month,
surpassing the mark set in November
of 2 million checks. The number was
up 49 percent over December 2011,
when the fbi performed a then-record
1.9 million checks.
Consumer demand for guns appears to have accounted for the uptick
in activity. There were no changes in
fbi background check procedures that
would have affected the December
numbers, fbi spokesman Stephen
Fischer said.
However, December is typically the
busiest month of the year for checks,
due in part to Christmas gift sales.
The figures do not represent the
number of firearms sold, a statistic the
government does not track. They also
do not reflect activity between private
parties, such as family members or
collectors, because federal law requires

background checks only for sales from

commercial vendors with a federal
license.
Someone who passes a background
check is eligible to buy multiple firearms.
fbi checks for all of 2012 totaled
19.6 million, an annual record and an
increase of 19 percent over 2011.

Australia Battles
Wildfires, Record
Heatwave
Telegraph | January 4
ustralian officials battled a
series of wildfires amid scorching
temperatures across the country on Friday, with one blaze suspected of damaging or destroying dozens of buildings
in the island state of Tasmania.
Vast swathes of central and southeastern Australia were sweltering as
temperatures in the outback hit 48
degrees (118 degrees Farenheit). The

The trumpet weekly

10

JANUARY 5, 2013

average temperature across the country

was 39 degrees (102 degrees Farenheit).
In the South Australian capital, Adelaide, temperatures exceeded 45 degrees
(113 degrees Farenheit), while Hobart
in Tasmania had a peak of 41.8 degrees
(107 degrees Farenheit), its highest temperature in 120 years of record keeping.
The previous was 40.8 degrees (105
degrees Farenheit), set in 1976.
The heat wave, due to last about six
days, prompted warnings of extreme
fire dangers.
Fires broke out across numerous
states on the mainland and destroyed
several houses in southern parts of the
island state of Tasmania.
Officials were looking into a report
that one person was killed in the blaze.
There has been significant loss of
structures, Tasmania Acting Police
Commissioner Scott Tilyard said.
Conditions were expected to ease
across much of the region on Saturday,
but fire officials warned that the danger
from some of the fires remained high.

Conservatives Lost the Culture War

The Week | January 3

ts time we conservatives accepted an alarming truth:

Americans no longer agree with us.
Late last year, I criticized the notion that Barack Obama
won re-election by buying off voters with gifts.
In case youve forgotten, many conservatives had sought
to explain away Mitt Romneys loss by reasoning that we
had finally reached a tipping point where Americans were
voting for candidates who supported the welfare state,
based solely on their own pecuniary interests. And I argued that voters do want to be given something by Republican politicians: hope, optimism and vision.
But while I dismissed that premise, there may be an
even larger fundamental problem that should alarm
conservatives even more: Too many Americans simply
no longer agree with them on the merits.
Today, conservatives are the ones in danger of
appearing out of touch with middle America. In
the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, Republicans did quite well
electorally. Simultaneously, however, our society became
coarser, more permissive, less traditional and more
socially liberal. And while politicians won elections, our
young people turned to Hollywood for guidance. For
every Republican elected, there were 10 films or songs
selling sex, drugs and violence. Of course, this all comes
down to that clichd line about the breakdown of the
family unit. Its clichd because its true.

Over 40 percent of children born in America are born

out of wedlock. How can a country survive if children are
being raised in homes where its so much harder to succeed
economically? Its five times the rate of poverty in singleparent households than it is in two-parent homes.
We can have limited government, lower taxwe hear
this all the time, cut spending, limit the government, everything will be fine. No, everythings not going to be fine.
There are bigger problems at stake in America. And
someone has got to go out there .

Other news and notes

How Gratitude Can Improve Your Life

LiveScience | January 2

ositive emotions are challenging to study, because

they are difficult to define, and anything that is hard
to define is hard to study, said Emiliana Simon-Thomas,
science director at the University of CaliforniaBerkeleys
Greater Good Science Center.
In spite of the challenges, psychologists have begun
collecting evidence of the benefits of positive emotions,
including gratitude. Psychologist Robert Emmons of the
University of CaliforniaDavis has studied gratitude and
defines it in two parts: First, gratitude is an affirmation of
goodness in the world, and second, gratitude requires the
recognition that the sources of this goodness exists outside
of individuals.
Emmonss work suggests not only that gratitude is associated with greater well-being, but that the sentiment
and those benefits can be cultivated. For instance, a study
he and a colleague published in 2003 showed that those

EMMANUEL DUNAnD/afp/GETTY IMAGES

The trumpet weekly

11

who recorded things that had made them grateful had an

improved sense of well-being, slept better and more, felt a
greater sense of optimism and connectedness to others.
In general, research has associated the regular practice
of gratitude with physical benefits, such as a stronger immune system, and higher levels of broad positive emotions
as well as social benefits, such as being more forgiving, outgoing and feeling less lonely and isolated, Emmons writes.
(The list of benefits compiled by the center is long.)
Sharing with others is an important aspect of gratitude, other research indicates. Sonja Lyubomirsky, of the
University of CaliforniaRiverside had people write letters
expressing thanks to someone who had a positive impact
on them. Some sent their letters to the person; others kept
their letters. Those who shared their letters experienced
stronger mental-health benefits than those who just wrote
the letter, Simon-Thomas said.

JANUARY 5, 2013

FRIEND from page 1

Britain doesnt have the clout that it used to, so America

is looking for a new ally that does.
The fact is, the U.S. administration no longer sees Britain as its friend. Its friend is Europe. The administrations
European track record proves it.
Washington-based foreign affairs correspondent Nile
Gardiner details this track record in a blog post for the
Telegraph. In January 2011, Americas ambassador to the
UK, Louis Susman, said, I want to stress that the UK
needs to remain in the EU.
Stronger British participation in Europe is crucial if, together, we are going to meet all the global challenges facing
us, including climate change and security, he said. But
lets be clear: All key issues must run through Europe.
In 2010, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Brussels could
claim the title of capital of the free world. He praised steps
toward closer integration, like the signing of the Lisbon
Treaty. The Obama-Biden administration has no doubt
about the need for and strongly supports a vibrant European Union, he said. We believe its absolutely essential to
American prosperity and long-term security.
Now, Americas support for Europe could be set to move
beyond rhetoric. Many commentators expect a new U.S.EU trade initiative to be announced early this year.
Despite approving noises from both sides of the ocean
over the years, a comprehensive EU-U.S. trade deal has never
seriously been attempted, wrote the Wall Street Journal last
month. That could be about to change, and a good thing too.
Both sides see a transatlantic free-trade deal as a costfree way to boost the economy.
European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht
recently said that Perhaps not a marriage, but certainly
a closer partnership between the EU and the U.S. was in
order. De Gucht is still discussing the feasibility of such a
plan with U.S. authorities, but said, I am confident we will
be able to deliver it very soon.
The idea also has strong support in the U.S. In November,
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported the idea,
saying, If we work at it, and if we get this right, an agreement
that opens markets and liberalizes trade would shore up our
global competitiveness for the next century, creating jobs and
generating hundreds of billions of dollars for our economies.
President Obama, European Commission President Jos
Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman
Van Rompuy called for a bold initiative to expand trade
and investment in a joint statement earlier in the year.
2013 presents the best moment for a serious U.S. trade
initiative since Mr. Obama was first elected, wrote Edward
Luce in the Financial Times just over a week ago. Most European governments, including the French and particularly
the Germans and British, are also enthusiastic.
Luce sees the deal as more than an economic partnership. He heralded the geostrategic benefits to what is likely
to be called the transatlantic partnership.
By 2030, Asias economy will be larger than that of
the U.S. and EU combined according to the U.S. National
Intelligence Councils Global Trends report, he wrote.
Cover: GETTY IMAGES

The trumpet weekly

12

By acting now when they still account for half the

worlds economy, the U.S. and EU still possess the leverage
to set the global standards that others, including China, are
likely to follow, he continued. Five years on, it may be too
late. In the words of a senior EU official, the round would
be strategic not tactical, global not bilateral.
Such a free-trade deal would not be easy. It would
require many compromises, which Brussels may not be
willing to make. But the recent surge in interest in a transatlantic free-trade partnership shows that America is keen
on pursuing an alliance with Europe.
Even Americas so-called Asian pivot is pushing it
toward this alliance. Its a little counterintuitive, but if
America wants to focus more attention on Asia, then it
must have a strong, reliable partner across the Atlantic to
cover for it. This is why America is trying to persuade EU
countries to spend more on defense, rather than relying on
the U.S. The U.S. seems like it would even favor a strong
military union in Europe.
Its still a bit of an exaggeration to say the EU is now
Americas new best friend. Its the direction transatlantic
relations are heading, not a destination that has already
been reached.
But they will get there. Two important trends the Trumpet has watched for years are the breakdown in relations between Britain, America and Israel, and Americas growing
love for Europe, and especially Europes leader, Germany.
America can see that its global power is diminishing.
But rather than addressing the cause, it is trying to build
up a new power in Europe.
The loss of Americas power ultimately gets back to
individual morality and a refusal to trust God for deliverance. This loss of power isnt causing the U.S. to turn back
to God in repentance; instead America is turning to its new
European ally.
Bible prophecy reveals that this trust will be betrayed in
a frightening and horrible way, but it will teach America a
vital lesson. The American people will ultimately learn to
trust God, not other nations, for protection.
For more information on how America will learn this
lesson, see Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurrys article A
Special Warning: Germanys Long History of Deadly Deceit.
Twitter

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This week
on television
Check local listings or visit
www.keyofdavid.com.

How Jeremiah Endured to the End

The Prophet Jeremiah suffered much persecution. Yet
even in his hardest trial, his love of Gods Word pushed
him to endure. Is Gods Word a fire in your bones?

JANUARY 5, 2013