In the news...

Today we see more on the build-up to war and some more ominous news on the oil spill:

"Weather clears for a US strike on Iran"

This article, coming from the Asia Times Online is one of the best and most insightful pieces that I have come across. It is fairly lengthy but an excellent read. Here are a few quotes from the article:

War drums are beating in the Middle East. In a short time, the United States has increased the number of its carrier strike groups opposite Iran to three, and reports are raining down of a tightening ring of American and Israeli concentrations all around the Islamic Republic.

Everybody in the region is restless. Turkey is making spectacular diplomatic pirouettes. Egypt is quietly seething, and Saudi Arabia less quietly so. Jordan's king had ruefully predicted war if no peace was achieved by the summer [1], and summer has now
come. Syria and Lebanon are positioning themselves to weather the coming storm [2]. Yemen is in disarray. Russia, China, India, and a host of other powers are vying to make the best of the fracas. The Iranian regime itself appears to be digging in for a fight.

By most accounts, a cataclysm is approaching. The situation, according to analyst Tony Badran, is "arguably similar to the one immediately preceding the 1967 Arab-Israeli war". Some very detailed analyses of the technical details of an Israeli strike on Iran are also available, such as David Moon's Asia Times Online story "The anatomy of an attack on Iran" [3]. An Israeli expedition into Iran may well take this course; however, at this point it seems very likely that if a strike occurs, it will involve Israel and the US acting in tandem.

In all, it appears that some sort of a military showdown is all but unavoidable between the Americans, the Israelis, and the Iranians. The most important question, then, becomes to what extent the damage can be contained and what opportunities might arise in it.

We also see an update from DEBKA:

"Iran threatens oil routes as Obama signs tough new energy sanctions"

A US-Iran showdown loomed closer early Friday, July 2, when president Barack Obama signed into law a series of energy sanctions, the toughest yet, for arresting Iran's nuclear weapons program. Iran's defense minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi warned that searches of its ships or planes would have "dire consequences" for world security and the Middle East in particular.

The Speaker of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) Ali Larijani and the Revolutionary Guards commander Gen. Ali Fadavi have both threatened harsh reprisals against all vessels, including American warships and oil tankers sailing through the Persian Gulf and Straits of Hormuz, for any attempts to search ships or planes carrying cargoes to Iran.

DEBKAfile's Iranian sources have no doubt that Iran will not take the new penalties lying down and will strike back - possibly, in the first instance, by impeding Persian Gulf shipping carrying Saudi and Gulf oil out to the United States, Europe and the Far East, with immediate effect on world oil prices.

Interception of an Iranian ship suspected of carrying contraband energy products could well spin into a showdown.

As mentioned so many times before - it is just a matter of time - most experts are expecting war to break out this summer. We shall see.

In other news - we look towards the Gulf - a crisis which is expanding by the day:

"BP Oil Spill: Tourism Industry Suffering on July 4th Weekend"

There is growing fear that the oil-polluted waters could soon spread beyond the boundaries of the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the tourism industry along the eastern Florida coast.

Popular vacation spots along the Gulf Coast are empty because of the oil spill.

Government forecasters now say there's up to an 80 percent chance that the massive spill will reach the waters off Miami by the middle of August, caught in the loop current around Florida and then pushed northward up the state's east coast at a rate of 100 miles per day.

In a FAR more ominous story - a story which is not being carried by the MSM - we need to be prepared for gas shortages and long gas lines similar to what we experienced during the Carter administration (does anyone recall waiting 4-6 hours, every other day, to get a few gallons of gas during the late '70's? It looks like that's where we are headed again):

"EPA rejects air permits of 122 Texas plants"

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday invalidated the air quality permits of 122 plants across Texas, throwing out one of the state's key environmental permitting processes.

The action sparked complaints from representatives of the petrochemical industry who called the move a "backdoor" attempt to bring the facilities under federal greenhouse gas regulation.
EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz invalidated all 122 flexible air quality permits issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality since the 1990s, leaving the facilities to apply for new permits. Most were issued to oil and chemical refineries.

"The EPA's irresponsible and heavy-handed action not only undermines Texas' successful clean air programs, but threatens thousands of Texas jobs, families, businesses and communities throughout our state," Perry said in a statement. "It will also likely curtail energy supplies and increase gasoline prices nationwide."

Petrochemical industry representatives fear that a lengthy process will result in most of the permits not being issued until new EPA greenhouse gas regulations become effective in January.
"Everyone knows that's part of the game plan," said Patricia Braddock, a Fulbright & Jaworski lawyer who represents refineries in environmental lawsuits. She said if the permitting is slowed down, it will be a "backdoor" method of bringing the greenhouse gas rules into play.

And this:


"Breaking: OBAMA SHUTS DOWN 33% OF THE COUNTRY'S OIL REFINING CAPACITY"

This headline deserved all caps. The consequences of this action are enormous and will affect our daily life in a BIG way:

Whereas Obama is trying to crush Arizona by suing it into the ground to prevent it from defending itself from illegal immigration, and it is preventing any clean up efforts in Louisiana after 71 days, it has just been learned from one of our conatcts in Texas that Obama by way of the EPA has just shut down today 33% of the country’s refining capacity.


While Obama was unsuccessful at putting a moratorium on oil drilling, he was able to accomplish the same thing by putting a stranglehold on oil refining which accomplishes the same thing. With 1/3rd of the country’s oil refining gone what do you think this will do to the economy? This was the inherent threat that Obama had presented for months. Either give him Cap and Trade or we will shut everything down through the EPA.

What do you think this will do to the economy of Texas.

Let's recap what has happened in the last 90 days.

Obama is going after Arizona and trying to cut off all border security aide while suing the state even though the state of Missouri hashad the identical Arizona immigration law for the last five years.
He is making no attempt to stop the oil leak in Louisiana. This is now affecting the economies of Louisiana, Texas, Georgia and Florida.

He is going after Texas and with this double whammy of shutting down the refineries and the oil spill the state that was doing the best in the country is now being taken down.

So far Obama has completely trashed five states and is in the process of destroying their economies. What chance do you think there is of a recovery.

Hope and change! Totalitarianism is here!

I'm not so sure about the "hope" part, but the "change" part is most definitely accurate. Our way of life is in the process of changing forever and it will be unrecognizable.

It probably doesn't matter a whole lot though - the Tribulation is just around the corner and that will change things far more.
Not to mention the imminent wars in the Middle East, which will also change things quite dramatically.

From understanding biblical prophecy, we realize that the entire world sits just on the brink - the brink of dramatic, epic world changes which will not show any reversal until Jesus steps foot on the earth. If we are still here, its time to buckle the seat belts because the ride is about to get pretty bumpy. If we are here during some part of this, all we will have is our Bibles and prayer.