Loss Of Freedom: The Stage Is Set For Massive, Draconian Persecution In America

The title could have been "The Loss Of Freedom In What Once Was America" because the foundations of this country have now been completely eroded. The article below described in more detail the recently passed bill S.1867 and this bill has enormous implications for America yet it is barely covered by the MSM.

This bill, beyond any other measure passed in America will do more to erode freedom and will do more to enhance persecution than any other bill ever passed.

Because of this bill, we, as citizens of this country have basically lost all legal rights that we ever had and have now lost the right to legal representation and any idea of a fair trial. In fact, "conviction" will be a thing of the past, as any previous legal process that we are familiar with is gone.

Any measure can be taken against any American citizen by the government without any due process. Period. Exactly what you would have expected in communist China or the old Soviet Union. It is here and it is here now.

For instance, in the future, the president or congress could declare that Christians are, by definition enemies of the state and as a result would then subsequently be rounded up and taken away, never to be seen again. No courts, no lawyers, no trial etc. Detention camps would be the order of the day.

This is no longer theoretical. It is here now. This predicted day has arrived.

This article is a must read:

The ENtire United States Is Now A War Zone: S.1867 Passes The Senate With Massive Support

This is one of the most tragic events I have written about since establishing End the Lie over eight months ago: the horrendous bill that would turn all of America into a battlefield and subject American citizens to indefinite military detention without charge or trial has passed the Senate.

S.1867, or the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year of 2012, passed with a resounding 93-7 vote.

Senator Levin disclosed and Dave Kopel reported that, “it was the Obama administration which told Congress to remove the language in the original bill which exempted American citizens and lawful residents from the detention power”.

And we know this will be used arbitrarily against American Citizens. The proof lies in the facts:

As I have detailed in two past articles entitled Do not be deceived: S.1867 is the most dangerous bill since the PATRIOT Act and S.1253 will allow indefinite military detention of American civilians without charge or trial, the assurances that this will not be used on American citizens are hollow, evidenced by the fact that the Feinstein amendment to S.1867, amendment number 1126, which, according to the official Senate Democrats page, was an attempt at “prohibiting military authority to indefinitely detain US citizens” was rejected with a 45-55 vote.

That's right. The amendment which would have protected American citizens from this bill was rejected. Period.

Additionally, just a little reflection reveals the current mind-set of the government and who will be in the crosshairs in the near future. This should send chills up the spind of any American with functioning brain cells:

1) The Department of Defense actually put a question on an examination saying that protests are an act of “low-level terrorism” (which they later deleted after the ACLU sent a letter demanding it be removed).

2) Anti-war activists and websites are deemed worthy of being treated as terrorists and being listed on terrorist watchlists.

3) We likely will never even be told how exactly the government is interpreting S.1867.

In the case of the PATRIOT Act (which is overwhelmingly used in cases that are unrelated to terrorism in every way), there is in fact a secret interpretation of the PATRIOT Act, as revealed by Senator Ron Wyden back in May.

[Section] 1031, the statement of authority to detain does apply to American citizens, and it designates the world as the battlefield including the homeland.”

And as usual, the MSM has received their marching orders and is in lockstep with the government:

The fact that the establishment media continues to peddle the blatant lie that is the claim that S.1867 will not be used on American citizens is beyond me.

The fact that the corporate-controlled establishment media is barely covering this – if at all – is just another piece amongst the mountains of evidence showing that they are complicit in the criminal conspiracy that is dominating our government.

As evidenced by the case of Anwar al-Awlaki, no trial is needed for our illegitimate government to assassinate an American citizen.

We can only assume that it is just a matter of time until American citizens are declared to be supporting al Qaeda and killed on American soil without so much as a single court hearing.

“Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., repeatedly pointed out that the June 2004 Supreme Court decision in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld said U.S. citizens can be detained indefinitely.”

ACLU Christopher Anders who said, “Since the bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent, American citizens and others are at greater risk of being locked away by the military without charge.

They are turning the United States into such a hellish police state that the world’s most infamous dictators would be green with envy.

Freedoms lost:

These Senators are not only defying their oath of office in waging war on the Constitution, they are also fighting to destroy the most critical rights we have in this country and in doing so are desecrating everything that our forefathers gave up their lives for.

Instead of British troops patrolling the streets in their red coats, it will be American soldiers who have the authority to detain you forever without a shred of evidence if they decide you’re a terrorist or supporting any organization affiliated with al Qaeda.

How they define that is anyone’s guess, but given that the entire interpretation of the PATRIOT Act is regarded as a state secret, we can assume that we will never even get to know.

You see, that is the crux of the matter. "They" (aka "the government") get to determine who is a terrorist threat using any definitions that they choose.

How hard is it to envision a future scenario in which Christians are considered as a "terrorist threat" based on biblical beliefs?

Wouldn't refusal to take the "Mark of the Beast" be considered as a "terrorist act" in the Tribulation era? Absolutely.

Is that really a stretch?

Moreover, the fact that no charges or trial are needed under S.1867, the government needs no proof of supporting, planning, or committing terrorism whatsoever.

Since no evidence will ever be presented given that no trial or charges will ever be filed, they need not worry about that pesky thing called habeus corpus or anything resembling evidence of any kind.

All they need to do is declare that you’re an enemy combatant and suddenly you’re eligible to be snatched up by military thugs and locked away never to see the light of day again.

As far as I have seen, there are no detailed requirements set forth in the bill which have to be met before the military can indefinitely detain, and torture (or conduct “enhanced interrogation” if you’d prefer the government’s semantic work-around), Americans and people around the world.

What is stopping them from manufacturing any flimsy piece of evidence they can point to, even though they never actually have to present it or have it questioned in a court of law, in order to round up American dissidents?

You see, that's the key. Since there is no formal court hearing - no "public" declaration of these arrests etc - people will simply...Disappear. No courts, no lawyers, no hearings, no public information. Just as in any good communist regime - people will vanish, never to be seen again. End of story.

The U.S. government now has all power over individuals. Period.

The grim answer to these disturbing questions is: nothing. I regret having to say such a disheartening thing about the United States of America, a country I once thought was the freest nation in the world, but it is true.

I must emphasize once again that our government considers even ideology and protest to be a low level act of terrorism, so if you’re anti-war, pro-peace, pro-human rights, pro-justice, anti-corruption, or even worse, if you’re like me and expose the criminal government in Washington that supports terrorism while criminalizing American citizens, you very well might be labeled a terrorist.

Indeed.

I do not hesitate in saying that what our so-called representatives have done is an act of treason that represents the single most dangerous move ever made by our government.

Every single square inch of the United States is now a war zone and you or I could easily be declared soldiers on the wrong side of the war and treated as such.

No proof, no charges, and no trial are required.

America: Preparing for the Tribulation. And doing a great job with that.

Headlines For A Day:

These headlines are in addition to the post below which includes an array of articles detailing the "Decline of (Free) America".

Below we see more and more evidence that the EU "crisis" is simply leading to more and more central control and power - exactly as we would expect:

Sarkozy Says Euro Risks Breakup Without Economic Convergence

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the 17-nation euro area would risk “exploding” if members fail to converge economically.

The countries sharing the currency must prepare their budgets in common, narrow competitiveness gaps and face tougher automatic penalties for rule breaking, Sarkozy said today in Toulon, France, outlining proposals to overhaul Europe’s governing treaties.

“There can’t be a single currency without economies heading toward more convergence,” Sarkozy told 5,000 supporters in 50-minute speech in the Mediterranean port.

“More solidarity means more discipline,” Sarkozy said. “It’s the first principle of a reshaping of Europe.”

France And Germany Must Take Charge Of Europe

Europe must be 'refounded' with France and Germany at its heart, Nicolas Sarkozy said last night.

In a major speech on the future of Europe, he said the two countries would campaign together for a new EU treaty, which would deepen integration and abolish a string of national vetoes.

In other words, remove national sovereignty from the picture:

The scale of the French and German ambition for a new Europe is likely to alarm David Cameron, who travels to Paris today for talks with the French President ahead of next week's summit of EU leaders.

And he said he would hold crisis talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday to thrash out a package to save the euro from collapse. 'France and Germany, after so many tragedies, have decided to unite their destiny and look to the future together,' he said.

Where is all of this headed? The statements below are chilling:

Mr Sarkozy said it was crucial that more control was given to Brussels over national budgets as countries like France were pushed towards recession.

And he suggested that EU member states would have to be prepared to abandon many cherished vetoes in order to make Europe more effective.

Merkel Calls For Swift Fiscal Union To Save Europe

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany called today for an EU treaty change to create a fiscal union to save the euro, setting the scene for what she called a marathon among the 27 member states that will take about two years to complete.

Ms Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president will present a joint plan in Paris on Monday which would create a “stability union” for the 17 eurozone countries, with mechanisms for enforcing budget discipline and automatic punishment for countries that broke them.

The two eurozone powers expect the other 15 members to fall into line behind their project at an EU summit in Brussels next Friday that is billed as the last chance to prevent the collapse of the single currency.

For two related articles see below:

Conspiracy Theory Confirmed: Bankers Do Want To Rule The World

One of the longest running conspiracy theories in the global mindset is that the banking cartels would like nothing more than to control the economic and social domains of nations through a centralized authority, which would then be run by a select few.

On November 24th, this theory may have finally come out of the darkness and into the light as an executive member of the European Central Bank (ECB) called for nations in the Euro Zone to be willing to give up economic sovereignty to the EMU over fiscal, structural, and economic polices.

For a course of action to be considered a conspiracy, it requires plans to be agreed upon, and taken up by more than one person or coalition. Several key indicators and actions that have occurred recently fulfill this requirement of a focussed drive towards a centralized banking authority that supercedes the sovereignty of nations.

The evidence for these ideas are now clear:

First, the removal of leadership in both Greece and Italy has led to members of the banking establishment to be placed in power, and in those positions. In Greece, newly appointed Prime Minister Lucas Papademos is a former head of the Central Bank of Greece, and in Italy, Mario Monti, who was the head of the international division of Goldman Sachs and key member of the tri-lateral commission and Bilderberg group, has replaced former Prime Minister Silvio Burlusconi.

Secondly, a recent document has came out of the Vatican and Catholic Church calling for a global public authority, and central banking establishment for the greater good of the world in this continuing economic crisis.

While nations such as the United States, and governing bodies such as the European Union, downplay the consequences of massive indebtedness, the old axiom of a borrower being slave to the lender has, and always will be true.

With Americans now in bondage for over $15 trillion in debt liabilities to banks and other sovereign nations, and the EU moving headlong into a liqudity crisis and economic meltdown under the weight of $30 trillion in overall debts, the time may be right for the banking cartels to get their wish, and move out of the shadows to sieze control of the overall economic system, even at the loss of power to sovereign states.

And see this related article:

The Rockefeller World, Council On Foreign Relations, And The Trilateral Commission

In other news around the world:

Fukushima Will Not Go Away

It is hard to address the continuing nuclear nightmare happening in Japan. It is far easier to relegate the disaster to the back chambers of our minds so we do not have to get disgusted with what we and our leaders have done to our civilization and planet. The news continues to be bad and is threatening to get worse.

The molten core of several reactors is sinking through the Earth’s crust and appears to be in early stages of a “total China Syndrome meltdown.” Architect of Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor No. 3, Uehara Haruo, the former president of Saga University, admitted Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s explanation of nuclear events does not make sense and that the China syndrome is inevitable.

He stated that considering eight months have passed since March 11th without any improvement, it is inevitable that melted fuel went out of the container vessel and sank underground, which is called the China syndrome.

Haruo added, if fuel has reached an underground water vein, it will cause contamination of underground water, as well as soil contamination and sea contamination. Moreover, if the underground water vein continues to be heated for long time, a massive hydrovolcanic explosion can be caused. He also warned that radioactive debris is spreading in the Pacific Ocean. Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear agrees with Uehara Haruo also warning of the increasing threat of a nuclear explosion.

Japanese local newspapers have attributed sickness in children to Fukushima’s nuclear meltdowns, the radioactive levels now elevated throughout eastern Japan. Children over 32 miles from ground zero are suffering fatigue, diarrhea, and nosebleeds, the three most common of eight radiation sickness signs, the three in the earliest stage.

New Icelandic Volcano Eruption Could Have Global Impact

Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of an imminent volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century.

Mighty Katla, with its 10km (6.2 mile) crater, has the potential to cause catastrophic flooding as it melts the frozen surface of its caldera and sends billions of gallons of water surging through Iceland's east coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.

"There has been a great deal of seismic activity," says Ford Cochran, the National Geographic's expert on Iceland.

Katla is part of a volcanic system that includes the Laki craters. In 1783 the chain erupted continuously for eight months generating so much ash, hydrogen fluoride and sulphur dioxide that it killed one in five Icelanders and half of the country's livestock.

"And it actually changed the Earth's climate," says Mr Cochran.

"Folks talk about a nuclear winter - this eruption generated enough sulphuric acid droplets that it made the atmosphere reflective, cooled the planet for an entire year or more and caused widespread famine in many places around the globe.

Icelandic Volcano Could Cause Severe Flooding Scientist Warns

Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of an imminent volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century.

Mighty Katla, with its 10km-wide crater, has the potential to cause catastrophic flooding as it melts the frozen surface of its caldera and sends billions of gallons of water surging through the east coast and into the Atlantic ocean.

"There has been a great deal of seismic activity," says Ford Cochran, the National Geographic's expert on Iceland. "There have been more than 500 tremors in and around the caldera of Katla just in the last month, which suggests the motion of magma. And that certainly suggests an eruption may be imminent."

And lastly, we see an approaching tipping point in the Middle East (Syria) - as the foundations continue to be laid for "outside intervention":

UN Rights Chief Calls For "Urgent" Measures On Syria

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called on Friday for the international community to take action to protect the civilian population in Syria from "ruthless repression" as the country slides into civil war.

"The Syrian authorities' continual ruthless repression, if not stopped now, can drive the country into a full-fledged civil war. In light of the manifest failure of the Syrian authorities to protect their citizens, the international community needs to take urgent and effective measures to protect the Syrian people," Pillay said.

Pillay, a former UN war crimes judge, said that "the need for international accountability has even greater urgency today."

It sounds like a call for the "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine to begin soon.

The Decline Of (Free) America

It's amazing that this story is hard to find and not being covered by the MSM:

"Indefinite Detention" Bill Passes Senate 93-7

The Senate last night codified into law the power of the U.S. military to indefinitely detain an American citizen with no charge, no trial and no oversight whatsoever with the passage of S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act.

One amendment that would have specifically blocked the measures from being used against U.S. citizens was voted down and the final bill was passed 93-7.

“The bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent, American citizens and others are at greater risk of being locked away by the military without charge or trial,” said Christopher Anders, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

As Spencer Ackerman highlights, the bill completely violates the sixth amendment in that it allows American citizens to be locked up indefinitely, including in a foreign detention center, without any burden of proof whatsoever. An American merely has to be declared a terrorist and they can be abducted off the streets and never seen again.

And don't be fooled by a token, meaningless amendment:

Feinstein was able to include a largely symbolic amendment which states that “nothing in the bill changes current law relating to the detention of U.S. citizens and legal aliens,” but this measure is meaningless according to Republican Congressman Justin Amash, a fierce critic of the bill.

“Some have asserted that Sen. Feinstein’s amendment, S Amdt 1456, protects the rights of American citizens and preserves constitutional due process. Unfortunately, it does not. It’s just more cleverly worded nonsense,” Amash wrote on his Facebook page.

Senate Wants The Military To Lock You Up Without Trial

Someone the government says is “a member of, or part of, al-Qaida or an associated force” can be held in military custody “without trial until the end of the hostilities authorized by the Authorization for Use of Military Force.” Those hostilities are currently scheduled to end the Wednesday after never. The move would shut down criminal trials for terror suspects.

So despite the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a right to trial, the Senate bill would let the government lock up any citizen it swears is a terrorist, without the burden of proving its case to an independent judge, and for the lifespan of an amorphous war that conceivably will never end.

Senate Bill 1867 Would Allow U.S. Military To Detain And Murder Anti-Government Protesters In American Cities

Those who have been burying their heads in the sand over the coming police state need to wake up and face the music.

That U.S. Senators would knowingly and willfully attempt to pass a bill that legalizes the indefinite detainment, torture and killing of American citizens with no due process whatsoever -- and on American soil! -- is nothing less than a traitorous betrayal of the once-free American people.

"The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself," says the ACLU

And YES, it has now been confirmed that the indefinite detainment and murder provisions do apply to American citizens on the streets of American cities.

As Sen. Lindsey Graham explained in plain language on the Senate floor: "...1031, the statement of authority to detain, does apply to American citizens and it designates the world as the battlefield, including the homeland."

For some related articles - see below:

A Stern Vision Of America

Yesterday, in a lengthy op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Andy Stern laid out his vision of America's future in remarkably unambiguous, and chilling, terms.

That vision hinges on state planning and government control of a kind practically indistinguishable from that practiced in communist China.

The fact that Stern, former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), holds such opinions is not really surprising.

But the fact that he has been and remains a close confidant of President Obama should sound warning bells.

Stern makes it abundantly clear that in his view, the capitalist economic model that fostered American prosperity over the last two centuries is now obsolete. The "free-market fundamentalist, shareholder-only model," as he calls it, "is being thrown onto the trash heap of history."

Yikes. That alone is pretty scary and it gets worse:

What has replaced it is the centrally planned economy, with its 5-year plans and state allocation of resources, as practiced in China and other communist states.

In particular, Stern lauds the achievements of Chinese communist hard-liner Bo Xilai, mayor of Chongqing and popular spokesman for a resurgent Chinese nationalism.

Stern seems to have swallowed the Chinese communist hype hook, line, and sinker.

Not content to laud the achievements of the state-run economy, Stern seems to go out of his way to diminish the recent accomplishments of American capitalism. He sneeringly refers to "Team USA's results" of high unemployment, stagnant wage growth, trade deficits, and income inequality. All of this, he believes, is the consequence of America's inability to emulate China and other state-planned economies.

Worse still:

It is clear that Stern's thinking has had a profound influence on President Obama. No outside adviser has visited the White House more often than Stern during Obama's presidency, and no one has had freer access to the Oval Office.

Every major policy decision coming out of the Obama administration has had to be cleared with Big Labor, and Stern has been Big Labor's point man in this regard.

It is no accident that Obama's massive stimulus spending contained such largesse for states and municipalities to reward their public-sector employees. Nor is it accidental that ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, and other administration initiatives are designed to extend state control over major sectors of the economy.

The problem with all of this is that Stern's vision of the future modeled on that of mainland China is not only fanciful, but dangerously misguided. It contains so many errors of interpretation that one hardly knows where to start.

At the risk of stating the obvious, we see this:

I find it striking that Andy Stern's paean to Chinese economic planning contains no mention of the fact that Chinese citizens do not enjoy even the most basic of human rights.

Do basic human rights matter to a communist?

Nor does there seem to be any realization on Stern's part that the freedoms enjoyed in America, including the protection of free speech and the rights of property, evolved within a free-market economy and are to a great extent intertwined with and dependent upon the continuation of capitalism.

The freedom to engage in business, to earn and retain profits, and to decide how and where to invest capital are inextricably bound up with basic human liberties of freedom of speech and assembly, religious freedom, the free conduct of marriage and family life, and other essential liberties. The fact that neither Andy Stern nor President Obama recognizes this fact is incredibly alarming.

Andy Stern: In Praise Of Communist China

Oh, the irony! If former SEIU Thug-in-chief Andy Stern tried to set up a union independent of the Chinese government, he would be thrown in prison for a very long time.

And yet, here he is on the pages of the (just whisper it, Andy) WALL STREET Journal, praising the Chinese "model" (whatever that is) and gloating over the "death" of free market capitalism:

Of course China has a "plan" - that's what Communists do. They can dictate where to invest, who wins and who loses - and the only way you're going to win is if you join the Communist party.

There is no freedom of action, little entrepreneurship (the hoops they make you jump through to start a business in China are mind boggling), and a regimented labor force who can't strike, can't lobby for worker safety (the coal mining safety record is appalling), and are forced to take what the government gives them and like it.

The 'funny' thing is - Stern doesn't even interpret what is happening in China correctly:

Stern has been taken in by the usual blather from Communists about how great they're doing. Andy evidently hasn't been paying much attention to what's happening in the world lately. This from the LA Times 3 days ago:

Backed by data showing a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy, doomsayers have taken center stage. Unbridled optimism has given way to fears over widening cracks in the Chinese economic miracle.
The gloomy sentiment has spilled into financial markets, whose investors have been running for the exits.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises index, which tracks the stock performance of major mainland companies listed in Hong Kong, is down 26% this year , making it the worst-performing market gauge in Asia.

Now China's housing bubble is deflating. Home prices reversed in October for the second consecutive month as cash-strapped developers became desperate to unload homes. An index of 35 major cities showed 29 had experienced a decline in sales from a year ago; sales plunged more than 50% in six of them, including Beijing.

Behind China's gleaming new high-rises, freeways and bullet trains, the bears see ghost towns, empty roads and superfluous rail lines. Public debt has exploded, raising fears of an overload that could weigh on China's economy.

See the article below for his (Stern) own words :

China's Superior Economic Model

We all know something has to happen to remove America as a world power, and we are watching it happen before our very eyes. Many of us believed that the Rapture of the Church would bring down America (and it may still represent the final blow), but it is becoming rapidly apparent that America's fall could occur prior to the Rapture. Right now, it's a work in progress.

Two main questions emerge:

Who would have ever guessed that a powerful and influential member of our White House "inner circle" would be a devout communist?

And

Will this new bill ultimately be used in the coming war against Christians and Jews - as expected during the Tribulation?

We know that draconian measures will be implemented against those who refuse to worship the antichrist, namely Christians and Jews. This bill would be a very convenient means to 'round up' such 'terrorists'.

The road to the Tribulation continues to be paved. This bill is simply one more step in that direction.

More War Preparations

Report: Russia Delivers Anti-Ship Missiles To Syria

Russia has delivered anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria, the Interfax news agency cited an unnamed military source as saying on Thursday, days after a United Nations commission of inquiry called for an arms embargo on Damascus.

Moscow has spoken out against further sanctions imposed by Western and Arab League states, and it has defended its right to sell Syria weapons -- tens of millions of dollars worth last year.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in February that Moscow was pressing ahead with the deal despite Israeli concerns, indicating the missiles might have been delivered earlier this year.

Earlier this week, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that Russia planned to send its aircraft carrier and other ships to Syria.

Barak: No Iran Strike - Yet

"We have no intention of acting for the moment... We should not engage in war when it is not necessary, but there may come a time or another when we are forced to face tests," Barak said.

"Our position has not changed on three points: a nuclear Iran is unacceptable, we are determined to stop that, and all options are on the table," he added.

Barak said he was confident that military action against Iran would not be devastating for Israel. His comments came just one day after former Mossad chief Meir Dagan warned striking Iran would have catastrophic consequences for Israel's home front.

Barak stressed Israel would do what was necessary to protect itself.

"It must be understood that Israel is sovereign. The government, the army and the security services are the only ones responsible for the security and the existence of Israel," he said

Are The West And Iran Headed For War?

EU officials are also said to be considering an oil embargo on Iran, preventing the shipping of Iranian oil to the West. The idea has been slowly gaining support since the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran's drive for nuclear weapons.

Now, the occupation and sacking of the British embassy has pushed the idea to the forefront of the EU's agenda.

Analysts say the move could be the first step towards open military confrontation between Tehran and the West. Were Tehran to view strong sanctions on its critical oil exports as an "act of war," which is how some Iranian officials are already defining such a move, it could lead to a dramatic escalation.

And below we see the scenario that many have predicted:

Should that happen Tehran might seek to drive up oil prices in retaliation by moving to close the Straits of Hormuz, through which 40% of the world's oil supplies flows into the global market. Such an eventuality, analysts say, is something Iranian military planners have long-been preparing for.

If so, the West and its Gulf Arab allies will find themselves forced to open the Straits of Hormuz up by force – which could spread into a broader war in the Gulf region.

Meanwhile:

Muslim Brotherhood Takes Elections By Storm

Judges overseeing the vote count in Egypt's parliamentary elections say Islamist parties have won a majority of the contested seats in the first round. The judges spoke on condition of anonymity because official results are expected to be released later Thursday.

The liberal Egyptian bloc coalition and the ultra-fundamentalist Nour party are competing for second place.

Together, Islamist parties are expected to control a majority of parliamentary seats by March. This week's vote was the first of six stages of parliamentary elections that will last until then.

Continued success by Islamists will allow them to give Cairo's government and constitution a decidedly Islamist character. It could also lead Cairo to shift away from the West towards the Iranian axis.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which birthed the virulently anti-Israel Hamas terror militia, might also seek to effectively annex Gaza. Should Hamas be triumphant in future PA elections, they would also gain a foothold in Judea and Samaria.

It's all lining up exactly as we would expect.

Holocaust Survivor: "It's Happening Again"

And how sad that realization must be for a holocaust survivor.

Holocaust Survivor: "It's Happening Again"

Renowned international speaker Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis warns that once again, "the dark days" are returning and Jews are surrounded by those who want to destroy us -- "and they don't hide it."

Speaking at the recent Long Island New York Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Dinner, the Holocaust survivor and renowned educator and speaker said it’s very easy to forget what it was like when the Jews were singled out for torture, murder, and slaughter.

"The whole world was ready to consume us, and today… once again, we are surrounded on every side by those who want to destroy us - and they don't hide it", she noted.

This is accurate and exactly as the prophet Zechariah foretold.

Jungreis bemoaned the fact that Iranian President Ahmadinejad was invited to Columbia University campus by students: “Do you understand this? We are seeing it even with our own eyes. The world has become dark again.”

Nily Falic, National Chairman of the FIDF and the driving force behind it, explained in simple words what the magic of the organization is in attracting such a variety of Jews: “For us, FIDF is actually synonymous with the State of Israel. There is no State of Israel without the IDF, and there is no IDF without the State of Israel. This is of primary importance in all of our lives.”

In other news from around the world:

Iran is a rabid rogue state that could tip the world into a new dark age

As Britain orders the closure of Iran’s embassy in London and expels its diplomats after frenzied mobs attack the UK’s diplomatic compounds in Tehran, MICHAEL BURLEIGH sees in Iran a desperate regime that is lashing out - and dangerous.

That rampaging mob of ‘students’ storming the British Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday, lobbing petrol bombs, ransacking the building, burning the Union Jack and threatening to hold hostage terrified members of staff inside the compound, was a deeply worrying spectacle for those of us who have studied the Iranian regime over the years.

These protesters were clearly orchestrated by the Iranian regime, for the mayhem could never have taken place without sanction in a country where secret police stalk the streets, torture is endemic, criminals are executed in public and foreign embassies are closely guarded and monitored.

Far from being students, many of the thugs involved were elite members of Iran’s paramilitary Basiji brigades, a hard-core volunteer outfit under the control of the country’s Revolutionary Guards, who answer to the country’s top cleric, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The reasons for this assault on the embassy?

The fact is that Iran is furious about Chancellor George Osborne’s order for all British credit and financial institutions to cease trading with Iranian banks, including the nation’s Central Bank.

What we are witnessing is a desperate and sclerotic regime which feels increasingly cornered and is lashing out

Indeed, many believe that Iran’s behaviour is so outrageous, and its nuclear capability now so dangerous, that a military strike is the only option left to the international community to bring the renegade nation into line.

The worrying truth is that, today, Iran is a rabid rogue state.

Unless the international community acts in concert to neutralise this danger, there will sooner or later be an Israeli strike to frustrate Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

If that happened, the world really would be in a new dark age.

Iran is developing low-flying cruise missiles

Iran is developing an advanced low-flying cruise missile that could potentially carry a non-conventional warhead, Arieh Herzog, director of the Defense Ministry's Homa Missile Defense Agency, said on Wednesday.

"The Iranians are developing a capability that within several years, they will have cruise missiles that can fly at low altitudes and carry non-conventional warheads," Herzog said.

"We can't wait until Iran declares it has a nuclear bomb"

Major US-Israel differences surfaced suddenly Thursday, Dec. 1, over the timing and circumstances of an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, when Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint US Chiefs of Staff, said:

"I don't know whether Israel would alert the United States ahead of time if it decided to take military action against Iran." Three hours later, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak maintained US policy would enable Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon without the possibility of attacking it.

Barak added: “The difference between us and the Americans is this: We say that because the Iranians are busy moving their nuclear program to underground facilities, they can announce this (that they have a nuclear weapon) after it is no longer possible to attack it."

He went on to warn that If Israel is pushed into a corner, “it will have to act.”

In other words, Israel is not willing to wait, as the Obama administration proposes, until diplomatic moves and sanctions against Iran have achieved their aim, mostly because Israel is not ready to let Iran complete the transfer of its nuclear facilities to underground facilities and so make them safe from attack.

According to DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources, Israel gives Iran no more than six to eight months to complete this transfer, i.e., by June to August, 2012.

This is very interesting - it appears that for the first time, we have a definitive timeline from Israel.

And below, we see more news that is completely consistent with biblical prophecy (as usual):

In his interview Thursday, Defense Minister Barak also answered former Mossad chief Meir Dagan's persistent arguments against an Israeli military strike against Iran on the grounds that it would immediately trigger a regional war: Syria, Hizballah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad would launch attacks on Israel, seriously battering the country and inflicting heavy casualties, in Dagan's view.

The defense minister concluded this comment by saying: I have no idea what may happen tomorrow morning in Syria, or in Egypt.” DEBKAfile’s military sources interpret this as meaning that the danger of a new Middle East regional war is already present - unrelated to a possible Israeli attack on Iran, but rather as a result of the volatility set up by the uprising in Syria and the predicted rise to power in Egypt of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi Islamists

This scenario described is coming; it's just a matter of time. We know this from the prophetic scriptures.

The pieces of the puzzle are all in place, the coalitions have formed, the arms build-up is complete, the motives for war are in place and the world-wide hatred of Israel has occurred.

There is nothing left at this point in terms of the "set-up", as everything is in place. All that is needed now - is for the match to be lit in the powder-keg also known as the Middle East.