I do not know if there are any german readers/members except me. On this catholic and german news-site, which daily reports about catholic/religious news, it is stated that cardinal Parolin will travel to Moscow to arrange an vistit by the pope in the near future. You surely will get this message on an english news-site soon. Hopefully things are getting true, soon. Best regards, Stephan
This article discusses Cardinal Parolin's trip to Moscow, https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2...s-urgency-finding-peace-key-aim-visit-russia/ For those hoping that Parolin’s trip constitutes a preview, of sorts, of an eventual papal visit, the Vatican’s #2 answers by saying no… but yes. “Among the aims for my visit there isn’t that of preparing for a possible trip of the Holy Father in Russia,” Parolin told Italian daily Corriere della Sera. “I hope, nonetheless, with God’s help, that it may offer some contribution in this direction.”
How could it not be a preparation? Just sayin'. I mean, it sure looks like the door might be opening just a little.
Interesting. The german site also refers to the article in Corriere della Sera and quotes the Cardinal with the words: " A reason of my visit is to prepare a possible visit of the holy father." I have searched the original articel and here it is -> Corriere della Sera. The relevant passage is the quote at the end of the article. I translated it with google and it rather sounds as if the Cardinal said that it has something to do with preparation of a visit. Maybe anybody of this forum could speak italian. We will see.
Yes, Parolin mentions that he is preparing an eventual trip for Pope Francis in Russia. Remarkable. And he hopes this becomes possible.
Stephan, Thank you for your posts, it is interesting. As you have stated, now we need someone who speaks Italian. The original statement: È possibile un viaggio di Francesco in Russia? La sua visita in qualche modo lo prepara? «Dagli scopi della mia visita esula quello della preparazione di un eventuale viaggio del Santo Padre Francesco in Russia. Auspico, tuttavia, che essa, con l’aiuto di Dio, possa offrire qualche contributo anche in questa direzione». The translation to English through Google: Is it possible for a Francis trip to Russia? Does your visit somehow prepare you for it? "My purpose for my visit is to prepare for a possible trip of the Holy Father Francesco to Russia. I wish, however, that it, with the help of God, can also make some contribution in this direction. " But even with Crux's quote, it does seem as though things are moving in the direction of a Papal visit to Moscow.
More and more, Parolin’s the face of authority in Francis’s Vatican John L. Allen Jr. August 10, 2017 The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, left, and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda before a Mass that is part of Poland’s celebration of 1,050 years of the nation’s Catholicism at the 10th-century cathedral in Gniezno, considered to be the cradle of Poland’s Catholic faith, in western Poland, on Thursday, April 14, 2016. At the beginning, expectations were that "Vatican reform" under Pope Francis would mean a substantially diminished role for the Secretariat of State, traditionally the place's 800-pound gorilla. Of late, however, things have been trending in the other direction, and in Cardinal Pietro Parolin, we may be looking at the most powerful Cardinal Secretary of State since Eugenio Pacelli in the 1930s. Later this month, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, departs for a four-day trip to Moscow during which he’ll meet both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, thereby turning a neat double-play - advancing both the Vatican’s geopolitical agenda, as well as its desire for closer relations with the world’s 225-300 million Orthodox Christians. For those with eyes to see, the trip is additional confirmation that there’s no single figure in Pope Francis’s Vatican today more trusted, or more powerful, than the 62-year-old Parolin, the son of a hardware store manager and an elementary school teacher from the northern Italian province of Vicenza. In the beginning, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. When Pope Francis was elected in March 2013, the expectation inside the Vatican was for sweeping reform, beginning with cutting the all-powerful Secretariat of State down to size. Traditionally, the division of power in Rome was understood as quasi-President/Prime Minister structure, with the pope as the head of state and the Cardinal Secretary of State as the head of government. However, if your judgment was that the Vatican’s bureaucracy had become sclerotic and dysfunctional - which was the view of not a few cardinals heading into that conclave - then the Secretariat of State was probably where you lodged the lion’s share of the blame. Right out of the gate, Francis took a number of steps that seemed to indicate a diminished role for the Secretariat of State. Just one month after his election, he announced the formation of a Council of Cardinal Advisers, signaling that important decisions would be made by representatives of the local churches around the world rather than Roman bureaucrats. Pointedly, the Secretary of State at the time, Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, wasn’t invited to the party. Then in early 2014, Pope Francis created a new department for financial administration and oversight, the Secretariat for the Economy - even the choice of name seemed calculated to remind the older secretariat it wasn’t anything special anymore - and largely lodged the Vatican’s “power of the purse” with Australian Cardinal George Pell, seen at the time as a strong figure who could face down any Secretary of State if push came to shove. Many analysts were saying that in Francis’s new-look Vatican, the Secretariat of State was destined to become no more than a foreign ministry, useful for arranging meets with other heads of state and issuing communiques on diplomatic situations, but with relatively little control over internal administration. Thus in October 2013, when Francis chose to replace Bertone with Parolin, who had been serving as the pope’s ambassador to Venezuela after a seven-year stint as the Undersecretary of State for Relations with States, expectations were not terribly high. I recall attending the receptions the Vatican always throws for new cardinals in February 2014, when Parolin got the red hat, and watching a long line of curial bureaucrats queue up to congratulate him. A veteran Italian journalist standing next to me mused aloud, “Those guys don’t yet understand they’re living in a new world.” In the three years since that day, however, it turns out that maybe those bureaucrats were onto something after all. In April 2014, just a few months later, Francis named Parolin an additional member of this Council of Cardinal Advisers, forcing a name change in the popular argot from calling it the “C8” to the “C9.” For insiders, it was a clear signal that obituaries of the Secretariat of State had perhaps been a tad premature. Later that year, Pope Francis also named Parolin to the Congregation for Bishops, giving him a key role in shaping the next generation of prelates around the world. In the months to come, Parolin would prevail in a series of power struggles with Pell over the broad direction of financial reform, largely succeeding in requiring control over the decisions that matter. The reemergence of the Secretariat of State also seemed confirmed in September 2016, when Francis issued a set of his statutes for a new Secretariat for Communications that almost seemed to bend over backwards to emphasize the role of the Secretariat of State. In Article 2, for instance, we find, “In carrying out its own functions, the Secretariat for Communication will collaborate with other competent dicasteries, in particular with the Secretariat of State.” Article 5 states, “When necessary, other offices can be established by the prefect, after consultation with the dicastery’s collegial bodies and after receiving approval from the Secretariat of State.” Article 7 says, “The prefect can propose to the Supreme Pontiff, through the Secretariat of State, the creation of other entities associated with the Holy See …” Bottom line: Read those statutes, and there’s no missing who’s really in charge. Today, everyone knows that if you want to put something on Francis’s agenda, light a fire under some project or prevent another from moving ahead, there are some back-door channels to get the pope’s attention, but in the traditional structures, there’s only one game in town, and it runs through Parolin. To be crystal clear, it’s not as if Parolin is some kind of puppet-master manipulating Francis from behind a curtain. Francis is very much his own man, and doesn’t need anyone to set directions for him. However, when Francis needs advice or a play to be executed, it’s increasingly Parolin to whom he turns. Why is this steady re-centralization of power happening? To begin, there’s the root fact that Parolin has Francis’s trust. Parolin was widely seen as the best and brightest Vatican diplomat of his generation, he’s a man of personal integrity, and plus, he’s simply a really nice guy who’s hard not to like. (Some critics would say that’s not universally true of all the people around Parolin, but on the other hand, every administration probably needs a couple of heavies to crack heads when the situation calls for it.) Beyond that, there are likely three other factors that have assisted Parolin’s rise. First, Francis is a politically and diplomatically activist pope, who cares deeply about matters such as the Colombia peace process, ending Cold War tensions between the United States and Cuba, and the unraveling situation in Venezuela. That’s Parolin’s wheelhouse, and it’s logical that in a time of dynamic papal diplomacy, the profile of his top diplomat would also grow. Second, Parolin’s erstwhile former rival, Pell, has been distracted by legal challenges in his native Australia, and is now home for an indefinite period fighting allegations of “historical sexual offenses.” Pell’s star had already dimmed inside the Vatican before those charges were announced, but clearly this hasn’t helped. Third, the traditional counter-weight to the Secretariat of State long has been the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog agency once known as La Suprema, or the “supreme” department for its critical role in bestowing (or withholding) theological approval for almost everything the place does. In the John Paul years, Cardinal Angelo Sodano was seen as a powerful Secretary of State too, but his authority was always balanced by the huge influence of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would go on to become Benedict XVI. Today, however, the CDF does not play the same role under Pope Francis, meaning that it no longer poses a serious challenge to the preeminence of the Secretariat of State. Given the intersection of those realities, today a common take in Rome is that Parolin may actually be the most powerful Secretary of State the Vatican has seen since perhaps Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who served under Pope Pius XI in the 1930s before being elected as Pius XII. (Coincidentally, Pacelli was also the only 20th century Secretary of State to be younger than Parolin when he was named to the job - Pacelli was 52, Parolin 58.) That history might suggest Parolin would have a future himself as a papal candidate, and at just 62, there could be a fairly long shelf-life for that undercurrent of speculation. What’s not speculative, however, is that in the here-and-now, when you look at Parolin, you’re basically looking at the face of authority in the Pope Francis era. https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2017/08/10/parolins-face-authority-franciss-vatican/
Member Serena posted this link to another article on this subject and the quote is a little different from the one in Crux. http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/10/17/top-cardinal-aims-to-set-up-pope-visit-to-Russia “The preparation of a possible visit to Russia by the Holy Father Francis will be among the aims of my visit,” Parolin said in an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera, published Thursday. “With God’s help, I hope to make some contribution in this direction.” This appears to match the Google translation a bit better.
I don't know what to make of this. New device can heal with a single touch, and even repair brain injuries https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...uch-and-even-repair-brain-injuries/537326001/ A new device developed at The Ohio State University can start healing organs in a "fraction of a second," researchers say. The technology, known as Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT), has the potential to save the lives of car crash victims and even deployed soldiers injured on site. It's a dime-sized silicone chip that "injects genetic code into skin cells, turning those skin cells into other types of cells required for treating diseased conditions," according to a release. In lab tests, one touch of TNT completely repaired injured legs of mice over three weeks by turning skin cells into vascular cells. And, it not only works on skin cells, it can restore any type of tissue, Chandan Sen, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies, said. For example, the technology restored brain function in a mouse who suffered a stroke by growing brain cells on its skin. This is a breakthrough technology, because it's the first time cells have been reprogrammed in a live body. Current cell therapy methods are high risk, like those that introduce a virus, and include multiple steps, a new study published in Nature Nanotechnology points out. There are no known side effects to TNT and treatment is less than a second, Sen said. .........(read the rest at the link)
I suppose this was expected anyway... China pledges neutrality - unless US strikes North Korea first August 11, 2017 http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...orea-first/ar-AApR3VE?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UE07DHP This article includes a video of Gov. Eddie Calvo of Guam speaking about the situation, note the statue of the Blessed Mother and Jesus behind him. Guam: N. Korean Missile Would Strike in 14 Minutes August 11, 2017 http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gu...14-minutes/ar-AApQS0g?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UE07DHP Trump warns N. Korea that U.S. is 'locked and loaded' August 11, 2017 http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...and-loaded/ar-AApRWM2?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UE07DHP Pyongyang Challenge: Should US Shoot Kim's Missiles Down? August 11, 2017 http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...siles-down/ar-AApQJBG?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UE07DHP And a large earthquake in the Philippines... Magnitude 6.2 quake hits Philippine island of Luzon, jolts buildings August 11, 2017 http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...-buildings/ar-AApRfL7?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UE07DHP
Reformation 500 The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of what became known as the Reformation. It has been almost 500 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in what is now Germany. No one expected the breadth of evangelical reforms in Christian teaching and practice that followed. Nearly 500 years later, the results of this evangelical confidence in God’s forgiving and liberating Word are evident today in Christian communities of all types. AREA OBSERVANCES As local plans coalesce, look here for opportunities. The Luther image indicates an event in which the synod has some sponsorship. Sun. Aug. 20, 10 a.m. – Sunday service plus potluck lunch with special guest Katie Luther (as portrayed by Cindy Swanson), Trinity Lutheran Church in North Bethesda, Md. RSVP if you wish to attend by emailing officetrinityelca.org. Sept. 14-15 – “1517-2017: Lutherans and Catholics, Then and Now” Conference at Georgetown University in NW D.C. With the cosponsorship of the Metro D.C. Synod, keynote address, panels, worship and song opportunities are being planned. Anticipated topics include: Martin Luther, Trent and Vatican II; Challenging Stereotypes from the Reformation Era & Today; and Teaching the Reformation after 50 Years of Dialogue. Brochure and registration from georgetown.edu are being finalized. Schedule at https://president.georgetown.edu/1517-2017 . INTERNATIONAL: Sept. 18-28, 2017 – “Steps of Luther” trip, hosted by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Virginia Visit the Rhine Valley, Eisenach, Erfurt, Eisleben, Wittenberg, Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Augsburg and Munich. Contact the Rev. Lynn Miller for more information at pastorlynnmillerkofk.org. Sat. Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m. – Luther Movie Night: BBC’s Martin Luther, Heretic (1983), Trinity Lutheran in North Bethesda, Md. RSVP if you wish to attend by emailing officetrinityelca.org. Wed. Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m. – “Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World” movie showing hosted by St. Paul’s Lutheran in D.C. at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema. Advance ticket purchase required. Move at http://luthermovie.link/washington. INTERNATIONAL: Oct. 13-23, 2017 – “Reunion Tour” for existing and additional singers with the Lumenaria Chorale of Washington DC, including choristers from the Lutheran Church of the Reformation Experienced singers under the direction of Paul Leavitt and non-singing music lovers are invited to join performances in Germany, Latvia and Lithuania. The Chorale will musical mark not only the 50th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation and but also the hope of Christians worldwide for the reunification of the Church. Details in flyer on “Extras” page. Sat. Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m.- Lutherfest Dinner with German dishes and desserts styled after those available during Luther’s time, Trinity Lutheran Church in North Bethesda, Md. RSVP if you wish to attend by emailing officetrinityelca.org. October 22, 2017 – “Holy Spirit Mass: Together in Hope” concert, presented by the National Lutheran Choir at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The National Lutheran Choir, a 64-voice, pan-Lutheran group from the Twin Cities led by artistic director Dr. David Cherwien, will be in our area to sing in what is certainly one of the most impressive (and acoustically live) worship spaces in town. Along with other pieces, the group will present the premiere of a specially commissioned work by the contemporary Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen. This new work, the “Holy Spirit Mass,” expresses unity and celebrates the common ground that Lutherans an Catholics have made in overcoming the issues that once divided them. October 29, 2017 – Annual synod-hosted REFORMATION SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE, at Washington National Cathedral Worship begins at 4 p.m. We will share Holy Communion. Preaching will be the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA Roanoke College Choir will sing. Tuesday, October 31, 2017 – Looking Back & Called Forward: ELCA 500, at Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in D.C. and livestreamed This open-to-the-public event begins at 9 a.m. Join ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton as she co-hosts a commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with Bishop Graham, Metro D.C. Synod; Bishop Bill Gafkjen, Indiana-Kentucky Synod; and Bill Horne, ELCA Vice President; bearing public witness to Christ who frees us to love and serve our neighbor as we look to the future to which God is calling us. Details to be shared at https://elca500.org/events/looking-back-called-forward-elca-500-washington-d-c/ . Synod office souvenir from Bishop Graham’s trip to Wittenberg https://metrodcelca.org/events/reformation-500/
CONCLUDED December 8, 2016 – “Understanding Jesus means Understanding Judaism,” sponsored by the Metro D.C. Synod and Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington At the very beginning of our anniversary activities, we addressed a sad part of our heritage, the occasionally tragic relationship between Lutherans and Jews. In a day of study that included local rabbis, we relearned and reaffirmed what it means to say that Jesus was a Jew. Bishop Graham spoke of repudiation of Luther’s late, hateful anti-Jewish writings. Presenter: Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies, Vanderbilt University Divinity School May 30-June 1, 2017 – “Luther and the Shaping of the Catholic Tradition” conference, sponsored by the Metro D.C. Synod with Catholic University of America, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany This international event brought to Washington D.C. a set of Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox speakers from all over the world to talk about the way that Luther’s revolution changed all of Christianity. Expected Lutheran presenters include Dr. Kenneth G. Appold, James Hastings Nichols Associate Professor of Reformation History, Princeton Theological Seminary; the Rev. Dr. Timothy J Wengert, retired professor of church history, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; and the Rev. Dr. Eero Huovinen, former Bishop of Helsinki, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and former Vice President, Lutheran World Federation Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is coming from the Vatican to present a survey of Lutheran-Catholic dialogues. Learn more about an evening concert in conjunction with this conference below. May 31, 7:30 p.m. – “The Musical Heritage of the Reformation“ at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill Open to all, this musical event is planned in conjunction with the “Luther and the Shaping of the Catholic Tradition” conference and will include a brief ecumenical prayer service and reception.tPaul Leavitt, the Reformation Church choir and others will perform in this celebration of organ and choir music. Congregations, members, synods and other institutions of the ELCA will be observing the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in a variety of events and activities. “Freed and Renewed in Christ” is the theme used by the ELCA churchwide organization in its observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. “500 Years of God’s Grace in Action” is a tagline for the theme. Many resources can be found at https://elca500.org/. ELCA500.org – The ELCA is facilitating sharing of news, events and resources to inspire conversation and participation in the 500th anniversary observance. Check out the website and FB/elca500. Video: “Luther and the Reformation” – This one-hour presentation by Rick Steves is available to congregations for streaming from http://elca.org/ricksteves . Discussion questions are also prepared, especially helpful in groups. The video “is a wonderful resource for all of us – pastors and lay people alike – to better understand our Lutheran roots and help us in our continued journey of understanding the Gospel,” says the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop. Luther Reading Challenge – An online community for reading and discussion of Luther’s theological writings as preparation for the Reformation anniversary is underway now through October 2017. Anyone can sign up for a free account and join the conversation. Lutheran World Federation – LWF’s theme for the 500th nniversary is “Liberated by God’s Grace.” Find information and resources at www.lutheranworld.org/reformation-2017. Refo500 – Refo500 is an international platform for knowledge, expertise, ideas, products and events, specializing in the 500 year legacy of the Reformation. Worldwide partners include Protestant and Catholic organizations, churches, universities, museums, cities, publishers, and so on collaborating to tell the story of the Reformation. Wittenberg Center – In Germany, a decade long series of events are leading to a jubilee celebration in 2017. This year’s focus is “Reformation – Image and Bible” and the media revolution this period ignited. Reformation 500 Sourcebook: Anniversary Resources for Congregations – a compilation with reproducible content available from Augsburg Fortress https://metrodcelca.org/events/reformation-500/
An interesting vision.... A vision: Luther in hell August 17, 2013 gloria.tv: In 1883, Sister Maria Serafina Micheli (1849-1911)was beatified in Faicchio in the province of Benevento in the diocese of Cerreto Sannita 28 May 2011, the foundress of the Sisters of the Angels, was going to Eisleben, Saxony, the birthplace of Luther. The fourth centenary of the birth of the great heretic (10 November 1483) was celebrated on that day. The streets were crowded, balconies included. Among the many personalities were expected at any time, with the arrival of Emperor Wilhelm I, who presided over the solemn celebrations. The future Blessed, noting the great hoopla was not interested in knowing the reason for this unusual animation, wanted to find a church and pray to be able to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. After walking for a while, she finally found one, but the doors were closed. She knelt on the steps for serenity prayer. As it was in the evening, she had not noticed that it was not a Catholic church, but Protestant. While praying, the angel appeared, who said to her. “Arise, because it is a Protestant church” Then he added: “But I want you to see where Martin Luther was condemned and the pain he suffered as a punishment for his pride.” After these words, she saw a terrible abyss of fire, where they were cruelly tortured countless souls. In the bottom of this hole there was a man, Martin Luther, which differed from the other: it was surrounded by demons that forced him to kneel, and all armed with hammers, they tried in vain , to shove a big nail in the head. Religious thought, if some of the people had seen this dramatic scene, they would not have made honors and other commemorations and celebrations for such a character. Later, when the opportunity arose to remind his sisters live in humility and in secret. She was convinced that Martin Luther was punished in hell especially for the first deadly sin of pride. Pride is a deadly sin, brought him open rebellion against the Roman Catholic Church. His behavior, his attitude towards the Church, and his preaching were crucial to encourage and bring many souls to eternal ruin.
In the mist of all of this, even the russian press confirms that Parolin's trip to Russia next week is to prepare for a potential Pope Francis trip to Moscow https://sputniknews.com/politics/201708091056319699-vatican-russia-visit/
We're going to live to regret this: rt.com China will prevent US first strike against North Korean regime – govt daily — RT News 4-5 minutes China will prevent the US and South Korea from carrying out strikes on North Korea and trying to overthrow the leadership there, but will remain neutral if Pyongyang launches missiles at American targets first, the state-run Global Times said. The warning, delivered through an editorial in the Chinese state-run newspaper on Thursday, comes as both the US and North Korea continue to exchange incendiary remarks, raising the risk of overreaction or miscalculation amid the crisis. Read more Beijing should make it clear that “if North Korea launches missiles that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay neutral,” the Global Times wrote. But if the US and its ally South Korea take on Pyongyang and try to “overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of the Korean Peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so,” the paper stressed. The widely-quoted newspaper, published by the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, also noted that the latest developments are seen in Beijing with growing frustration and deep concern. “If war really breaks out, the US can hardly reap any strategic harvest and North Korea will face unprecedented risks,” the paper cautioned. “North Korea aims to propel the US to negotiate with it, while the US wants to put North Korea in check.” Beijing was unable “to persuade Washington or Pyongyang to back down at this time,” the Global Times said, adding it primarily pursues peace and stability in the region. All sides involved in the crisis should understand that “when their actions jeopardize China's interests, China will respond with a firm hand,” the government paper explained. Read more China – North Korea’s long-standing economic partner and ideological ally – reiterated on Friday that all sides involved in the crisis must “speak and act with caution” as well as build up trust rather than “taking turns in shows of strength,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement quoted by Reuters. Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump added more fuel to the North Korean crisis, saying that his previous threat to unleash “fire and fury which the world has never seen” was perhaps not “tough enough.” Speaking on Thursday at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump said the North Koreans “better get their act together or they’re going to be in trouble like few nations ever have been in trouble in this world.” The open threat from Washington came after Pyongyang ridiculed Trump’s “fire and fury” remark as a “load of nonsense.” Pyongyang also announced that a detailed plan to launch missiles against the US Pacific airbase on Guam will be completed soon. In response, the US military signaled it could dispatch strategic B-1 bombers to target North Korea’s missile launch sites, underground facilities and other installations. Such a “reckless game” may result in dire consequences, the Global Times said. “Neither Washington nor Pyongyang really wants war, but a war could break out anyway as they do not have the experience of putting such an extreme game under control.” The stakes are extremely high as both sides seem ready for worst-case scenarios, according to respected Russian observers. Pavel Zolotarev, a retired Russian major general, told RT that decision-making in Washington goes “beyond rational logic, and … we can have consequences that are hard to foresee.” “Every country’s military has to elaborate deployment strategies for any eventuality. It is politicians – not the military – who decide on whether or not to use such plans… So, if the North Korean military talks of such plans, it means it actually has them,” he said, commenting on Pyongyang’s threat to target Guam. “The North Korean military may inflict significant damage to US forces during a conventional conflict. Though their equipment is far behind the American assets, their combat readiness and military morale are much higher,” the retired general said.
Is that a good thing? I think that I forgot one that I am not certain has been discussed already, the China and India conflict. August 11, 2017 India's military steps up operational readiness on China border http://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-china-idUSKBN1AR191?feedType=RSS&virtualBrandChannel=11563
Yeah!! Why?? While everyone here & elsewhere are babbling about Nasty Nukes there are plenty of other horrific genocidal dangers out there. Chemical, Biological ..... and Electronic. The past 12 months the "News" has been filled with 'Hacks", electronic disruptions and mysterious "loss of service" incidents .... and these are just the ones we have been allowed to know about. If you think your electric grid, water supplies and "just in time delivery systems" that provide your, food, fuel and medicines can't be "Hacked" to screeching halt.... A Perfect Storm!!!???????...... The Western World has allowed itself to become enslaved by "modern conveniences" whilst exporting our industry, agriculture, jobs and research to the likes of China and any number of other places that despise everything we stand for. "Why Was North Korea’s Head of Intelligence and Cyber-Warfare Recently Welcomed in Cuba?" https://townhall.com/columnists/hum...berwarfare-recently-welcomed-in-cuba-n2367469 GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
