THE OIL DISASTER SLOWLY SPILLS ACROSS THE GULF-AND POSSIBLY THE WORLD

I'm posting this article in its entirety because it's important to understand the possibilities for disaster presented by the oil spill. The news of containment and caps are distractions; of that I am convinced. The time lines on the reporting have smelled bad the whole way through what with Armageddon in the morning and salvation in the afternoon. This catastrophe is pushing and probably exceeding our technological capabilities so I know these reports of the simplicity of dropping an 80 ton concrete container over this thing and stopping it are just so much B.S, generated by someone that wants the truth hidden. This isn't a conspiracy, just good old fashion C.Y.A. Everyone is trying to shift blame to avoid liability, fiddling while the world burns.

We've got a major problem on our hands.

One other thing to consider. I find it interesting that in the article below this spill is likened to a volcano. There have been many prophecies of late relating to volcanic activity and the effects spreading across Europe, causing great harm. Many have thought these words referred to the Icelandic volcanic activity, and maybe they did. But, what about this? If the oil hits the Gulf Stream it will spread to Europe, potentially causing incredible damage. Could there be a connection?

The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster


Written by Wayne Madsen

WMR has been informed by sources in the US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Florida Department of Environmental Protection that the Obama White House and British Petroleum (BP), which pumped $71,000 into Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign -- more than John McCain or Hillary Clinton, are covering up the magnitude of the volcanic-level oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and working together to limit BP's liability for damage caused by what can be called a "mega-disaster."

Obama and his senior White House staff, as well as Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, are working with BP's chief executive officer Tony Hayward on legislation that would raise the cap on liability for damage claims from those affected by the oil disaster from $75 million to $10 billion. However, WMR's federal and Gulf state sources are reporting the disaster has the real potential cost of at least $1 trillion. Critics of the deal being worked out between Obama and Hayward point out that $10 billion is a mere drop in the bucket for a trillion dollar disaster but also note that BP, if its assets were nationalized, could fetch almost a trillion dollars for compensation purposes. There is talk in some government circles, including FEMA, of the need to nationalize BP in order to compensate those who will ultimately be affected by the worst oil disaster in the history of the world.

Plans by BP to sink a 4-story containment dome over the oil gushing from a gaping chasm one kilometer below the surface of the Gulf, where the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and killed 11 workers on April 20, and reports that one of the leaks has been contained is pure public relations disinformation designed to avoid panic and demands for greater action by the Obama administration, according to FEMA and Corps of Engineers sources. Sources within these agencies say the White House has been resisting releasing any "damaging information" about the oil disaster. They add that if the ocean oil geyser is not stopped within 90 days, there will be irreversible damage to the marine eco-systems of the Gulf of Mexico, north Atlantic Ocean, and beyond. At best, some Corps of Engineers experts say it could take two years to cement the chasm on the floor of the Gulf.

Only after the magnitude of the disaster became evident did Obama order Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to declare the oil disaster a "national security issue." Although the Coast Guard and FEMA are part of her department, Napolitano's actual reasoning for invoking national security was to block media coverage of the immensity of the disaster that is unfolding for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean and their coastlines.

From the Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the Environmental Protection Agency, Coast Guard, and Gulf state environmental protection agencies, the message is the same: "we've never dealt with anything like this before."

The Obama administration also conspired with BP to fudge the extent of the oil leak, according to our federal and state sources. After the oil rig exploded and sank, the government stated that 42,000 gallons per day was gushing from the seabed chasm. Five days later, the federal government upped the leakage to 210,000 gallons a day.

However, WMR has been informed that submersibles that are monitoring the escaping oil from the Gulf seabed are viewing television pictures of what is a "volcanic-like" eruption of oil. Moreover, when the Army Corps of Engineers first attempted to obtain NASA imagery of the Gulf oil slick -- which is larger than that being reported by the media -- it was turned down. However, National Geographic managed to obtain the satellite imagery shots of the extent of the disaster and posted them on their web site.

There is other satellite imagery being withheld by the Obama administration that shows what lies under the gaping chasm spewing oil at an ever-alarming rate is a cavern estimated to be around the size of Mount Everest. This information has been given an almost national security-level classification to keep it from the public, according to our sources.

The Corps and Engineers and FEMA are quietly critical of the lack of support for quick action after the oil disaster by the Obama White House and the US Coast Guard. Only recently, has the Coast Guard understood the magnitude of the disaster, dispatching nearly 70 vessels to the affected area. WMR has also learned that inspections of off-shore rigs' shut-off valves by the Minerals Management Service during the Bush administration were merely rubber-stamp operations, resulting from criminal collusion between Halliburton and the Interior Department's service, and that the potential for similar disasters exists with the other 30,000 off-shore rigs that use the same shut-off valves.

The impact of the disaster became known to the Corps of Engineers and FEMA even before the White House began to take the magnitude of the impending catastrophe seriously. The first casualty of the disaster is the seafood industy, with not just fishermen, oystermen, crabbers, and shrimpers losing their jobs, but all those involved in the restaurant industry, from truckers to waitresses, facing lay-offs.

The invasion of crude oil into estuaries like the oyster-rich Apalachicola Bay in Florida spell disaster for the seafood industry. However, the biggest threat is to Florida's Everglades, which federal and state experts fear will be turned into a "dead zone" if the oil continues to gush forth from the Gulf chasm. There are also expectations that the oil slick will be caught up in the Gulf stream off the eastern seaboard of the United States, fouling beaches and estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay, and ultimately target the rich fishing grounds of the Grand Banks off Newfoundland.

WMR has also learned that 36 urban areas on the Gulf of Mexico are expecting to be confronted with a major disaster from the oil volcano in the next few days. Although protective water surface boons are being laid to protect such sensitive areas as Alabama's Dauphin Island, the mouth of the Mississippi River, and Florida's Apalachicola Bay, Florida, there is only 16 miles of boons available for the protection of 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline in the state of Florida.
Emergency preparations in dealing with the expanding oil menace are now being made for cities and towns from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Houston, New Orleans, Gulfport, Mobile, Pensacola, Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater, Sarasota-Bradenton, Naples, and Key West. Some 36 FEMA-funded contracts between cities, towns, and counties and emergency workers are due to be invoked within days, if not hours, according to WMR's FEMA sources.

There are plans to evacuate people with respiratory problems, especially those among the retired senior population along the west coast of Florida, before officials begin burning surface oil as it begins to near the coastline.

There is another major threat looming for inland towns and cities. With hurricane season in effect, there is a potential for ocean oil to be picked up by hurricane-driven rains and dropped into fresh water lakes and rivers, far from the ocean, thus adding to the pollution of water supplies and eco-systems.

This story contributed by the Wayne Madsen Report for Oilprice.com

H/T SHTF

WHO'S WAYS ARE FAIR?

I'm posting this video because I think that it's important for people to hear this. Whether you believe what Mark Mallett says or the words of the many prophets around the world regarding our times, you need to know that these things are being heard and said. Because I believe that we are on the verge of miracles and destruction and only faith will see us through. It's good to be prepared physically but the spiritual preparation is far more important.

We must begin to rely on God for everything. Learn to do it now while we still have some time and comfort. These days are quickly drawing to a close.

Great Awakening, Great Shaking from Mark Mallett on Vimeo.

THE VISIONS AT MEDJUGORE

"This holy grace of revelation as to where we stand in the judgment of God has generally been called "The Warning" or "The Illumination of the soul." Whatever one wishes to call it, it only makes sense that it is also one of the ten secrets the Blessed Virgin Mary has given to the visionaries of Medjugorje. It can be further stated that it is conceivably one of the three warnings that will be given at Medjugorje after the apparitions cease to occur, to let the world know that this event is from God and that He is real. The first three secrets are in fact the warnings. Since it has been revealed by way of personal messages received by the visionaries in the early days of the apparitions what two of the warnings are-even if purposely ambiguous-this could conceivably be the other.

The Illumination of the Soul will be like a spiritual x-ray that will reveal to each individual which path they are on: the path to damnation or the path to salvation. Man-kind will then have the free will to decide to follow the path to God or the path to Satan. Sadly, as the Blessed Virgin Mary has stated in her messages to various seers, some will still follow the path to damnation, even though they will know without doubt that God exists and that He loves every creature.

The credibility of the Illumination of the Soul (or The Warning) comes from a number of supernatural events. It was foretold to St. Catherine Laboure in 1830 (at Rue du BAC in Paris, France place of the Miraculous medal), to St. Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s (Divine Mercy Kracow, Poland), and to the four young seers of Garabandal, Spain, to whom Our Lady appeared many times from 1961-1965. Other visionaries have since spoken of it and there is general agreement that, as a result of this happening, millions of sinners will repent and be restored to grace. With the nearly 29 years of daily apparitions at Medjugorje and the thousands of messages of calling for repentance now, the battle lines between good and evil are more clearly drawn than ever before.

According to the visionaries of Garabandal, within one year of the Warning, or Illumination, a great miracle will occur in the skies over Garabandal involving a sign that they say can be seen and photographed but cannot be touched. The same has been related by the visionaries of Medjugorje. A permanent sign is to be left on Podbrdo Hill (Apparition Hill as we call it) where the apparitions of Medjugorje began. As at Garabandal, it can not be touched; does that mean it physically can not be touched or that it is forbidden to be touched? We do not know.

This permanent sign, they say, is the third warning, or the third secret of Medjugorje. They go a step further to report that the Virgin stated that the first warning, or secret, will be a great upheaval somewhere in the world. Again, there is no revelation as to whether it will be geographic, political or something else. Regardless, if a soul is not converted to God by this time, it will be too late."
Medjugore Handmade

THE VISIONS AT GARBANDAL

You can find more infromation about the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Garabandal here.

The Warning

"First, a World-Wide Warning that will happen in the sky...like the collision of two stars that do not fall down... it will frighten all humanity regardless of where one happens to be at the time... it will be a thousand times worse than earthquakes... like a fire that will not burn our flesh ... it will last a very short time, although to us it will seem to be a very long time ... no one can prevent it from happening ... It will be recognized as coming from God... it will resemble a punishment ... it is meant to be a purification ... like the revelation of our sins and what we will feel in our hearts will be worse than sorrow. It will not kill us, if we die it will be caused by the emotion within us. The date was not revealed only that it will happen before the announcement of the miracle."

The Miracle

"Second, A miracle is to occur in Garabandal within 12 months after the Warning... It will be on a Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on a feast-day of a martyred Saint for the Eucharist ...( not a feast-day of Our Lady or Our Lord) ... it will happen in the month of April... between the 7th and the 17th of the month but not the 7th or the 17th... it will be seen by looking up over the area of the Pines and will be visible from all the surrounding mountainside which will serve as a "natural" amphitheater. (Note: millions of people could easily fit around the mountain area.)The sick will be cured...the unbelievers will be converted...
Conchita knows the nature of the great miracle as well as the exact date and she will announce the date eight days before it happens. The means of communicating the date to the world will be a miracle in itself. It will be able to be filmed, photographed and televised.

Third , a Permanent Sign will remain at Garabandal in memory of the miracle as visible proof of our Blessed Mother's love for all humanity. It will be a "thing" never before seen upon the earth. It can be photographed by not touched."

The Punishment

"The Fourth prophecy depends on whether or not mankind has heeded the message of our lady... the vision of this "conditional punishment" brought terror and tears to the children... If it happens it will be more terrible than anything we can possibly imagine because it will be the result of the direct intervention of God. It will have nothing to do with wars, revolutions or the hardness of men's hearts. Conchita says, "If the punishment comes, and I believe it will come, it will come after the promised miracle."

A bit more detail:

A Greater Miracle to Come
Conchita has clearly said that Our Lady has promised a greater miracle in Garabandal so that all may believe the apparitions and be obedient to the message. "As the punishment which we deserve for the sins of the world is great, the miracle must also be a great one, for the world needs it." It will occur on a Thursday on the feast day of a saint devoted to the Eucharist, at 8:30 in the evening, and will last for about one quarter of an hour. It will also coincide with a great event in the Church. The sick who come to Garabandal on that day will be cured, unbelievers will be converted. There will remain a permanent sign at "The Pines" as a proof of Our Lady's tremendous love for all her children.

"The sign that will remain," says Conchita, "will be able to be seen, photographed and televised but it will not be able to be touched. It will appear clearly that it is something not of this world, but of God."

Conchita has been granted permission by Our Lady to announce the date of the miracle eight days in advance. With the present means of communication and travel, eight days are sufficient for people around the world to gather. The day of The miracle may be the last opportunity given us by God and may be also Our Lady's last effort to save the world from the punishment already threatened.

Some time ago Conchita wrote, "The Blessed Virgin will not allow me to reveal the nature of The miracle although I already know it. Neither can I reveal the date of it, which I know, until eight days before it is to happen." Before The miracle takes place Our Lady has said that all mankind will receive a warning from heaven.

The Warning
Conchita wrote: "The warning comes directly from God and will be visible to the whole world and from any place where anyone many happen to be. It will be like the revelation of our sins and it will be seen and felt by everyone, believer and unbeliever alike irrespective of whatever religion he may belong to. It will be seen and felt in all parts of the world and by every person."

It will happen in the sky, no one can prevent it form happening. We will even prefer to be dead rather than to pass through this Warning It will not kill us. It will be a "correction" of our conscience. It will cause great fear and will make us reflect within ourselves on the consequences of our own personal sins. It will be like a warning of the punishment to come. In this way the world will be offered a means of purification to prepare itself for the extraordinary grace of the Great Miracle.

Jacinta was told by Our Blessed Mother "that the warning would come when conditions were at their worst." The date was not revealed to the visionaries, however Mari-Loli does know the year; and she said that The Miracle will happen within one year after The Warning.

The Punishment
If we do not pay attention to the message, the punishment announced by Our Lady will be visited on the whole world after The miracle. During one of their ecstasies the girls were heard praying for the innocent children but, nevertheless, they shed tears at the same time. Since the day they learned about the punishment they have developed a great spirit of sacrifice. They pray very much for sinners and for priests. They often say that if priests are not what they should be many souls will be lost.

Conchita has written: "I cannot reveal what kind of punishment it is except that it will be a result of the direct intervention of God, which makes it more terrible and fearful than anything we can imagine. It will be less painful for innocent babies to die a natural death than for those babies to die because of the punishment. All Catholics should go to confession before the punishment and the others should repent of their sins. When I saw IT (the punishment), I felt a great fear even though at the same time I was seeing Our Blessed Mother. The punishment, if it comes, will come after the miracle"

When Our Lady spoke to the girls of the punishment, her face assumed a look of great sadness. The girls revealed: "We have never seen her look so serious. When she said the words 'The cup is already filling', she spoke in a very low voice."

THE MESSAGE OF AKITA

I'm posting this because I doubt that many are aware of Akita or know of the message given there by Our Lady. Whether you believe or not that Mary, the Mother of God, has been appearing around the world since the death of her Son, it doesn't hurt to consider what the Church and the seers claim she has said. So much that has been prophesied has come true and so much is in the process of it.

Personally, I take these messages under advisement, for lack of a better phrase. I'm aware of them and what they say and I watch for the signs they mention. As I see the things that were prophesied happen I at least am not surprised by them. It gives me a chance to prepare, and brace myself.

"In 1984, just before retiring at a venerable age, the diocesan Bishop of Niigata, Bishop John Shojiro Ito, in consultation with the Holy See, wrote a pastoral letter in which he recognized as being authentically of the Mother of God, the extraordinary series of events that had taken place from 1973 to 1981 in a little lay convent within his diocese, at Akita, Japan. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, in June 1988, approved the Akita events as "reliable and worthy of belief". In fact the Philippine ambassador to the Vatican, in 1998 spoke to Cardinal Ratzinger about Akita and the Cardinal: "personally confirmed to me that these two messages of Fatima and Akita are essentially the same". Hence in Akita we are dealing with a Church approved intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary as sure in this respect as Lourdes, La Salette, or Fatima.

Only a few Catholics know of Our Lady of Akita but the message, like that of Fatima, is a specific warning of worldwide chastisement. The chastisement threatened is truly terrible – far worse than the possibility of annihilation of several nations prophesied at Fatima. Akita is absolutely consistent with prophecies of Scripture.

The first message received by Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa on June 6, 1973, was a call for prayer and sacrifice for the glory of the Father and salvation of souls. The second message, August 3, 1973, was for prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices to soften the Father's anger.

The third message on October 13, 1973, the actual anniversary of the final visions and miracle of Fatima is as follows: "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day, recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their Confreres. The Church and altars will be vandalized. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.
"The demon will rage especially against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will no longer be pardon for them."

In his pastoral letter approving the events of Akita as supernatural, the Bishop of Niigata said: "After the inquiries conducted up to the present day, one cannot deny the supernatural character of a series of unexplainable events relative to the statue of the Virgin honored at Akita (Diocese of Niigata). Consequently I authorize that all of the diocese entrusted to me venerate the Holy Mother of Akita."

Concerning the messages, His Excellency said: "As for the content of the messages received, it is no way contrary to Catholic doctrine or to good morals. When one thinks of the actual state of the world, the warning seems to correspond to it in many points." His Excellency explained that he had taken eight years to give this judgment because of the importance and the responsibility in question. "The Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith has given me directives in this sense," the Bishop said, "that only the bishop of the diocese in question has the power to recognize an event of this kind."

Our Lady of the Rosary Library

WILL U.S. LIGHT THE FUSE?

Will we do it our will we get Israel to go in first? And, if Israel goes first, will we back them or will we turn on them and feed them as a sacrificial offering to the forces of Islam? In the mind of some that would be killing to birds with one stone. Either way, if Iran is attacked the game is on.

"NEW YORK, April 18 (Reuters) - The nation's top military officer said on Sunday that a U.S. strike against Iran would go "a long way" to delaying its nuclear program but that he considered doing so his "last option" right now.

"Military options would go a long way to delaying it," Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters after speaking at a forum at Columbia University in New York.

"That's not my call. That's going to be the president's call," he added. "But from my perspective ... the last option is to strike right now." (Reporting by Adam Entous; Editing by Jackie Frank)"
Alert Net

ID TATTOO RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

So the plan will be to start with the military, permanently tattooing an RFID number on to them using the excuse that it will allow for easier identification. Once it is proven there it will be brought into the general public, maybe as part of the national ID system being proposed in the Senate by Graham and Schumer.

Soon people won't be able to work, purchase or travel without their tattoo. Is any of this sounding familiar?

"A startup company developing chipless RFID ink has tested its product on cattle and laboratory rats.

Somark Innovations announced this week that it successfully tested biocompatible RFID ink, which can be read through animal hairs. The passive RFID technology could be used to identify and track cows to reduce financial losses from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (mad cow disease) scares. Somark, which formed in 2005, is located at the Center for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis. The company is raising Series A equity financing and plans to license the technology to secondary markets, which could include laboratory animals, dogs, cats, prime cuts of meat, and military personnel.

Chief scientist Ramos Mays said the tests provide a true proof-of-principle and mitigate most of the technological risks in terms of the product's performance. "This proves the ability to create a synthetic biometric or fake fingerprint with biocompatible, chipless RFID ink and read it through hair," he said.

Co-founder Mark Pydynowski said during an interview Wednesday that the ink doesn't contain any metals and can be either invisible or colored. He declined to say what is in the ink, but said he's certain that it is 100% biocompatible and chemically inert. He also said it is safe for people and animals.

The process developed by Somark involves a geometric array of micro-needles and a reusable applicator with a one-time-use ink capsule. Pydynowski said it takes five to 10 seconds to "stamp or tattoo" an animal, and there is no need to remove the fur. The ink remains in the dermal layer, and a reader can detect it from 4 feet away.

"Conceptually, you can think of it in the same way that visible light is reflected by mirrors," he said, adding that the actual process is slightly different and proprietary.

The amount of information contained in the ink depends on the surface area available, he said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture calls for a 15-digit number to track cattle. The first three digits are "840" for the U.S. country code. The remaining digits are unique identifiers. The numbers would link to a database containing more information.

"It can say where it has been, who it has talked to, who it has eaten with, and who else it has been in contact with," Pydynowski said.

Ranchers and others in the agricultural industry can choose a covert stamping system, which would make it impossible for cattle thieves to tell which animals have been marked and easy for those checking for stolen cattle to determine a cow's source. Pydynowski said the technology is an improvement over ear tags, which can be detached from cows and other products.

The technology could verify that cuts of meat originated in a hormone-free environment, Pydynowski said, adding that consumers would destroy the system by breaking down the ink when chewing the meat. In other words, Big Brother wouldn't know whether someone ate a Big Mac or a filet mignon, according to Pydynowski's explanation. However, the government and agricultural producers and retailers could track e-coli outbreaks in spinach, he said.

The ink also could be used to track and rescue soldiers, Pydynowski said.

"It could help identify friends or foes, prevent friendly fire, and help save soldiers' lives," he said. "It's a very scary proposition when you're dealing with humans, but with military personnel, we're talking about saving soldiers' lives and it may be something worthwhile."
Information Week

GOOD FRIDAY, SUFFERING AND THE CHURCH

"As Christians begin their celebration of the Easter season, the Catholic church seems stuck in Good Friday."
ABC News

I would say this is a fair evaluation of the state of the Church today. Just as Christ suffered and died so must the Church. And just like Christ she will rise again, in glory.

And the Lord said: Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.

Who said to him: Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

And he said: I say to thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, till thou thrice deniest that thou knowest me. Luke 22:31-34

History spins in circles as Peter is once again being tested.

"And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were sitting about it, Peter was in the midst of them.

Whom when a certain servant maid had seen sitting at the light, and had earnestly beheld him, she said: This man also was with him.

But he denied him, saying: Woman, I know him not.

And after a little while, another seeing him, said: Thou also art one of them. But Peter said: O man, I am not.

And after the space, as it were of one hour, another certain man affirmed, saying: Of a truth, this man was also with him; for he is also a Galilean.

And Peter said: Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, as he was yet speaking, the cock crew.

And the Lord turning looked on Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as he had said: Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

And Peter going out, wept bitterly." Luke 22:55-62

I am starting to believe that we will see this whole scene played out again. Just as Peter was weak so is the man sitting on his seat. He is, after all, only human. This will be seen as a victory over the Church by its enemies. But it isn't. Just as in the Bible Peter will repent and eventually reemerge to lead the Church into a new age.

But between this new age and now lies the three days of darkness. The Church will be scourged, mocked, torn to pieces and crucified. It will be wrapped in a shroud and put into the earth. Peter and the Apostles will think all has been lost. Many that believed will turn their backs and walk away. Only a handful will be left, crushed, despondent and dismayed.

But just as long ago, Easter morning will dawn. Those that remained faithful will see the dawn of a new world. As for the rest, I don't know. I assume many will be lost and some will be converted. All we can do is pray.

That was enough happiness for one day. Pray that you remain faithful through the coming storm. I truly believe it is upon us now. I hope I'm wrong.

POINTLESS FUROR OVER HOLOCAUST

"At a solemn Good Friday service, Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher likened the tide of allegations that the pontiff has covered up sex abuse cases to the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism." But within hours, facing a storm of criticism at the comparison, the Vatican felt it necessary to distance the pope from the preacher's remarks.

Both Jewish and victims' groups responded that it was inappropriate to compare the discomfort being experienced by the church leadership in the sex abuse scandal to the violence that culminated in the Holocaust. The Vatican has been on the defensive in recent days, saying the church has been singled out and collectively stereotyped for the problem of pedophilia, which it says is a society-wide issue."
Fox News

Six million Polish citizens were killed in the Holocaust—three million Jews and three million Catholics. Poland was the only country where the Germans gave official death orders for any Pole who helped a Jew. And more Poles were killed for helping Jews than anyone else in the world. The current Broadway play, “Irena’s Vow,” is a dramatic production that accurately tells how Polish Catholics risked their lives to save Jews.

The SS did not take note of the religious affiliation of its prisoners, with the exception of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. But this does not justify dismissing Catholic victims. After all, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum pays tribute to Polish Catholics, and so should all memorials.

To put all Holocaust victims on an equal plane with Jews is wrong, but it is equally wrong to pretend that Catholics, especially those of Polish descent, weren’t among Hitler’s many victims.
Catholic League

So, if somebody really wanted the Pope's preacher to say something to get everybody even more pissed off could they possibly come up with a better way to do it? What about a joke about child molestation? You know, something like, " So, a priest and a rabbi walked into a day care center...". Could the Vatican maybe sell one painting to get together enough money to hire a good P.R. guy?

Look, I understand that the Jews own the Holocaust, and for good reason. But, they weren't the only ones affected by it. Millions of Catholics were killed, too, along with Gypsies, political dissenters and anyone else that achieved a certain level of inconvenience to the state. A big percentage of my friends growing up were Jewish and I knew people with the numbers tattooed on their forearms. I'm completely aware of the price paid by the Jews and I understand the awareness that the experience built into them.

It's this awareness that prompted the letter to Father Cantalamessa. His words were based on a letter he received from a Jewish friend regarding the current attacks against the Church and their similarity to the attacks against the Jews prior to the beginning of their long, dark night.

"Cantalamessa, in his reflections for the pope on the Catholic church's most solemn day, said he was inspired by a letter from an unidentified Jewish friend who was upset by the "attacks" against Benedict.

Jews "know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms," said Cantalamessa, a Franciscan priest.

Quoting from the letter, Cantalamessa said his Jewish friend was following "with indignation the violent and concentric attacks against the church, the pope and all the faithful of the whole world."

"The use of stereotypes, the passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism," he said, quoting from the letter."
Fox News

I believe that the person that wrote the letter is right. We are witnessing a demonization of the Church with the intent of destroying her. In that regard this is a replay of not only the Holocaust but so many other times in history where the groundwork is laid before the war begins.

Somebody, somewhere, would love to see another Kristallnacht, but this time directed at the Church and her people. I know this sounds extreme but I believe it is coming. And after the Catholic Church they will go for the rest of Christianity before moving back on to the Jews once again. We are in the midst of an epic, final battle against the forces of evil. And we're all in this together. Satan knows this so he is fighting a campaign to divide and conquer.

Pointless spats such as the furor that has been generated over this comment by a priest serve the ends of the enemy. We must start focusing on the real enemy and avoid these useless distractions. If we play by the rules of our enemy we will lose the war.

CALLS TO BUILD THE THIRD TEMPLE

No comments; just found this really interesting.

"While tensions continue to simmer around the Temple Mount after riots in and around the capital’s Old City earlier this month, a new campaign calling for the construction of the Third Temple atop the holy site has made its way to the sides of 200 Egged buses in the city, which now sport posters featuring a picture of a rebuilt temple on the Mount, and nothing else.

The posters, which contain the phrase, “May the Bais Hamikdosh be rebuilt speedily and within our days,” were sponsored by the Our Land of Israel group, which is led by Rabbi Shalom Dov Volpo and activist Baruch Marzel, leave out the site’s current structures – namely the the Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

The campaign’s organizers chose to plaster the posters on buses whose routes take them through predominately Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem."
Jerusalem Post

THE SEVEN YEAR TRIAL

I've followed Mark Mallett's blog for a couple years now. He has a lot of insight. Whether he is right or not is for all of us to discern, but he's worth the read.

"Seven years shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. (Dan 4:22)


During Mass this past Passion Sunday, I sensed the Lord urging me to repost a portion of the Seven Year Trial where it essentially begins with the Passion of the Church. Once again, these meditations are the fruit of prayer in my own attempt to better understand the Church’s teaching that the Body of Christ will follow its Head through its own passion or "final trial," as the Catechism puts it (CCC, 677). Since the book of Revelation deals in part with this final trial, I have explored here a possible interpretation of St. John’s Apocalypse along the pattern of Christ’s Passion. The reader should keep in mind that these are my own personal reflections and not a definitive interpretation of Revelation, which is a book with several meanings and dimensions, not the least, an eschatological one. Many a good soul has fallen on the sharp cliffs of the Apocalypse. Nonetheless, I have felt the Lord compelling me to walk them in faith through this series, drawing together the Church’s teaching with mystical revelation and the authoritative voice of the Holy Fathers. I encourage the reader to exercise their own discernment, enlightened and guided, of course, by the Magisterium.

The series is based on the the book of Daniel’s prophecy that there will be a "week" long trial for God’s people. The Book of Revelation seems to echo this where an antichrist appears for "three and a half years." Revelation is full of numbers and symbols which most often are symbolic. Seven may indicate perfection, whereas three and a half indicates a shortfall of perfection. It also symbolizes a "short" period of time. So, in reading this series, keep in mind that the numbers and figures used by St. John may only be symbolic.

Rather than send an email to you when the remaining parts of this series are posted, I will just repost the remaining parts, one per day, for the rest of this week. It seems appropriate that we meditate not only the Passion of Our Lord, but the coming Passion of His body, which appears to be drawing nearer and nearer…"
Mark Mallett

YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO CHOOSE

"In a 19-17 vote on Monday night, the House Budget Committee shot down the inclusion of the Stupak-Pitts amendment in the health care reconciliation bill. The amendment, which was drafted by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) last November, would prevent the use of federal funds for abortion and is likely to be addressed by the full House later this week."
Catholic News Agency

The lines are being drawn pretty clearly. It seems that the radicalization of America is serving the purpose of clarifying individual beliefs. I know that this statement is subjective but, to me anyway, some of the muddiness that usually surrounds politics is being hosed off. Even though they're trying to vote for this bill in the house without voting for it we all know what's going on. With most things political it's just the geeks that pay attention and get pissed off about the levels of corruption. This time, it's the whole country.

The same is true in the Church. The veneer of holiness is being stripped from those in the leadership that have decided to follow evil instead of Christ. Whether it's the Progressives in the USCCB or the priests molesting kids, everything is being brought into the open.

I think it likely that evil will once again gain the upper hand and much of what we are seeing will be obscured. But, for a short period of time, man is being given a great grace and a choice. You see, I believe that we are approaching the end of an era. I can feel it in the air and in my soul. Satan has been in control of the earth since the fall. If you believe in such things, which I do, he was given additional power by God to try and destroy the Church about a hundred years ago. This power was to last around a century (See The Vision of Pope Leo XIII).

The time allotted to Satan has passed and along with it a century filled with wars, plagues, famines, holocaust and the most Satanic of all political movements, Communism. We have also seen the "Smoke of Satan" enter God's Church. I read a lot of history so I'm not saying that all of this hasn't happened before. It has. Just not on such a concentrated level and with such a clear intent to destroy not only the Church but to completely disrupt salvation history and, through the attempted destruction of the Jews, man's way to redemption.

God is about to enter history again. Maybe not physically, as with the incarnation, but directly. We will all have to choose sides and because the truth has been exposed we will be held to account for our choice.

For anyone out there that hopes to sit this out and just side with the winner, your actions will serve as your decision. Inaction supports evil because it doesn't oppose it.

We are being called to arms. If we support God we have to speak out. If we support freedom we have to speak out. We can't bury our heads in the sand and hope this goes away. It won't. Everything that we know is about to collapse and our lives will never be the same.

We have the right to make a choice but along with the right comes the obligation to choose. If you don't fulfill the obligation you will lose the right. And if you lose the right to choose you lose the right to freedom along with it.

So make your choice or cower into slavery. It really has become as simple as that. The lines have been drawn clearly now. We have reached an absolutely pivotal point in history. Nothing will ever be the same again. Make your choice and act on it.

ARE WE ABOUT TO ATTACK IRAN?

So maybe we will start a war to get ourselves out of the depression. I would have put my money on China going first. Of course, if we start a war with Iran, and China supplies them with arms and munitions (probably based on the blueprints Clinton sold to them while he was in office) maybe both countries can murder their way out of economic Armageddon. The only problem is, we might find ourselves involved in the real thing.

"Hundreds of powerful US “bunker-buster” bombs are being shipped from California to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for a possible attack on Iran.

The Sunday Herald can reveal that the US government signed a contract in January to transport 10 ammunition containers to the island. According to a cargo manifest from the US navy, this included 387 “Blu” bombs used for blasting hardened or underground structures.

Experts say that they are being put in place for an assault on Iran’s controversial nuclear facilities. There has long been speculation that the US military is preparing for such an attack, should diplomacy fail to persuade Iran not to make nuclear weapons.

Although Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, it is used by the US as a military base under an agreement made in 1971. The agreement led to 2,000 native islanders being forcibly evicted to the Seychelles and Mauritius.

The Sunday Herald reported in 2007 that stealth bomber hangers on the island were being equipped to take bunker-buster bombs."
Herald Scotland

BABYLON THE GREAT MAY BE ABOUT TO FALL

Ioannes posted this chapter from the Book of Revelation at his website today and I think he may be on to something. Replace Babylon with America and think seriously about our current place in the world. Is this why there doesn't seem to be any mention of America in any of the end times scenarios? Are we about to get everything we've asked for?

"After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth became illumined by his splendor. He cried out in a mighty voice: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a haunt for demons. She is a cage for every unclean spirit, a cage for every unclean bird, (a cage for every unclean) and disgusting (beast). For all the nations have drunk the wine of her licentious passion. The kings of the earth had intercourse with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her drive for luxury." Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Depart from her, my people, so as not to take part in her sins and receive a share in her plagues, for her sins are piled up to the sky, and God remembers her crimes. Pay her back as she has paid others. Pay her back double for her deeds. Into her cup pour double what she poured. To the measure of her boasting and wantonness repay her in torment and grief; for she said to herself, 'I sit enthroned as queen; I am no widow, and I will never know grief.' Therefore, her plagues will come in one day, pestilence, grief, and famine; she will be consumed by fire. For mighty is the Lord God who judges her." The kings of the earth who had intercourse with her in their wantonness will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her pyre. They will keep their distance for fear of the torment inflicted on her, and they will say: "Alas, alas, great city, Babylon, mighty city. In one hour your judgment has come." The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her, because cargo of gold, silver, precious stones there will be no more markets for their cargo: their, and pearls; fine linen, purple silk, and scarlet cloth; fragrant wood of every kind, all articles of ivory and all articles of the most expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble; cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human beings. "The fruit you craved has left you. All your luxury and splendor are gone, never again will one find them." The merchants who deal in these goods, who grew rich from her, will keep their distance for fear of the torment inflicted on her. Weeping and mourning, they cry out: "Alas, alas, great city, wearing fine linen, purple and scarlet, adorned (in) gold, precious stones, and pearls. In one hour this great wealth has been ruined." Every captain of a ship, every traveler at sea, sailors, and seafaring merchants stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her pyre, "What city could compare with the great city?" They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning: "Alas, alas, great city, in which all who had ships at sea grew rich from her wealth. In one hour she has been ruined. Rejoice over her, heaven, you holy ones, apostles, and prophets. For God has judged your case against her." A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone and threw it into the sea and said: "With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down, and will never be found again. No melodies of harpists and musicians, flutists and trumpeters, will ever be heard in you again. No craftsmen in any trade will ever be found in you again. No sound of the millstone will ever be heard in you again. No light from a lamp will ever be seen in you again. No voices of bride and groom will ever be heard in you again. Because your merchants were the great ones of the world, all nations were led astray by your magic potion. In her was found the blood of prophets and holy ones and all who have been slain on the earth."
Revelation Chapter 18

IS BRAZILIAN SEER THE REAL THING?

On January 7 a reputed seer named Pedro Regis in Brazil claimed the Blessed Mother told him that "in the great final tribulation, those who consecrate themselves to Me will be protected. I suffer because of My poor withdrawn children. The land of the mountain will be shaken, and mountains will come down in many places. Those who were faithful to the end will not experience defeat (A terra da montanha será abalada e em muitos lugares montanhas descerão)."

That was interesting because less than a week later, on January 12, a quake causing massive damage hit the country of Haiti -- known as "the land of the mountains."

It seemed (but for the plural for mountain) like a direct prophetic "hit."
Spirit Daily

I'm one of those crazy Catholics that believes mankind does receive messages from God. Most seem to be the normal day to day prompts and proddings we all feel if we just pay attention and listen for them. Do this, do that, turn right, help here. I hear and feel these little pushes all the time. I'm blessed that I know what they are. I keep my Guardian Angel working overtime.

Because I believe in these minor messages I see no reason not to believe the world as a whole is receiving the same grace. I believe that there are people with a gift of prophecy and that some are given messages directly from God and through Mary. The question is, which are legitimate?

"Ye shall know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:16

That's the rule that the Church uses in determining whether a vision is true or not. We should do the same thing. We need to look carefully at what the seers say they are told. Does anything contradict Church teaching? Are we being told something that "feels" wrong? I still am reluctant to accept Medjugore because some of the things I've read in the messages just don't "feel" right. However, I know that I could be wrong so I listen to the messages and, I guess, take them under advisement.

Pedro Regis, the seer mentioned above, has had some uncanny success in what he has said will happen. Does this mean he's the real thing? I don't know. You can read the messages here.

The thing that I've noticed in the messages he says he is receiving is the sense of doom. Most of the other seers have always said they are being told that we still have time and that we can change the future through prayer and holiness. Regis' messages are much darker. They say that the die is cast, that mankind has moved past the point of redemption and has entered into a time of judgement. That our prayer should now be focused on growing closer to Jesus to strengthen ourselves for the events to come, events that are already in motion and cannot be stopped. He claims that he is being told we've made our choice and now must suffer the consequences.

This "feels" right to me. I've been having the same exact sense of the future for the last year or so. It seems as though Satan has seen his plan come to fruition. Our society is broken and disconnected from the truth. We have become a people of the self, putting everything else to the rear. We search for pleasure and comfort at any cost. The only truth we recognize is the "truth" we create to justify our actions. We are running at full speed and expending all our energy to get the first seat on the bus to Hell.

So is Regis right? Is he truly being given messages straight from God through our Holy Mother? I don't know but I think he bears watching. See if the things he is saying come true. His predictions are far more specific than most so they will be easy to verify. And that makes me think he may be the real thing. God knows we're dummies so it would make sense to give us prophets that we can't deny without denying the truth; especially as it becomes absolutely imperative that we know what is coming.

EU ICONOGRAPHY - SIGNPOSTS TO THE FUTURE?

"The Lisbon Treaty, which came into full effect on December 1st, basically ended the national sovereignty for most European nations. Most of the important decisions for the citizens of Europe will now be made by a small group of European elitists - many of them totally unelected. But for the global elite, the consolidation of the EU is just one step towards a larger goal. You see, the ultimate desire of these elitists is to merge regional alliances such as the EU into a world government. In fact, in symbols used on official European coins, posters and artwork, the elite have sent us a message telling us exactly what they are planning to do to all of humanity - if anyone out there is willing to listen."

Signs of the Last Days