Though we’ve written about how Somali pirates have exposed America’s broken will, it’s still flabbergasting to read headlines in which America’s defense secretary is quoted as saying the “U.S. lacks intelligence to fight Somalia pirates.” In the same Associated Press story, America’s commanding officer over the Navy’s Fifth Fleet says the U.S. is having trouble identifying the pirates.

The American superpower’s next move, the Washington Times informed us on Friday, is to seek help from the United Nations. And even with the UN taking the lead, a senior administration official in Washington said we should not assume that such action would necessarily involve U.S. forces.

“Without committing more U.S. Navy ships,” the Times writes, “the Bush administration wants to tap into what officials see as a growing enthusiasm in Europe and elsewhere for more effective coordinated action against the Somali pirates.”

At present, Somalia is holding 14 ships and about 300 crewmembers hostage.

“Lisbon Is Adopted”

It was always basically a foregone conclusion, but now European leaders are talking like it has already happened. The European constitution (aka the Lisbon Treaty) will become law, despite its being stopped by the Irish having rejected it last year.

“Lisbon is adopted,” said one EU diplomat on Friday.

Thursday night, Eurocrats agreed on some concessions to Ireland in exchange for the Irish agreeing to hold another referendum. The Daily Mail reported,

They hope the Irish will deliver the “right” result when they vote again.It means the re-jigged blueprint for a “United States of Europe”—now renamed the Lisbon Treaty—could be in force by the beginning of 2010, despite being rejected by voters three times.And Britain will be fully signed up to it without the referendum Labour promised.According to draft conclusions for the two-day meeting leaked last night, Dublin “is committed to seeking ratification” of the treaty by the end of October 2009.

Minette Marrin has a devastating piece in today’s Sunday Times, “Betrayal all around from the guardians of democracy,” calling out these politicians for their bald-faced authoritarianism and deceit. Ireland’s Brian Cowen has assured the Eurocrats that he will find a way to get the Irish to say yes this time around. His European affairs minister said, “From a constitutional point of view, there’s no other choice than a second referendum.” Marrin wrote,

What can he mean? The truth is the precise opposite. Such deliberate untruth, backing Mr Cowen’s promise to ignore his people’s vote, gives new vigour to the phrase barefaced effrontery. Against such wilful, shameless betrayal of the democratic process it is useless to protest; democracy is being undermined by democratically elected governments that don’t understand a constitutional no and smile benignly, or self-importantly, at our helpless rage.

She blasts the European Commission’s Jose Manuel Barroso for his duplicity, after he asked on bbc, “Who are we to stop the Irish having a second referendum?” Marrin responds,

European leaders, far from stopping a second referendum in Ireland, have put huge pressure on its prime minister to have one or do something—anything—to deliver up an Irish yes.Barroso must have known this; his question was shamefully misleading. Yet he actually said after last week’s Brussels summit meeting that “Europe has passed its credibility test.” The truth, once again, is the opposite. With its demand for an Irish yes, the EU has passed another incredibility test ….Our own Gordon Brown, and Tony Blair before him, specializes in shameless, undemocratic effrontery, not least about the EU. Everyone knows Labour promised at the 2005 general election to hold a referendum on the proposed EU constitution. Everyone knows Blair and Brown broke that promise. Brown then sneakily signed the Lisbon treaty, knowing full well that most British voters would have said no. But Brown wasn’t having no. He wasn’t having democracy.Brown does not restrict his astonishing effrontery to matters European. One of my favorite examples was his claim, many times repeated, that he had inherited “a broken economy” from the Conservatives. He must have known that the opposite was true, but he kept saying it.I particularly enjoyed the way he and his ministers until recently went about intoning that Britain is one of the best-placed nations in the rich world to withstand the global crisis, since Britain is not overborrowed like other leading countries. The truth is the opposite. Clearly, they think they can get away with it. Perhaps they think we won’t notice or won’t care. Historians may say ’twas ever thus: all politicians lie.I am not so sure. In my adult life I think there has been a growth in barefaced lies and deception in public office, along with a loss of respect for due process and respect for the freedoms of others.

Marrin concludes her article,

The EU is all too often indifferent to procedure, indifferent to the shameful fact that the auditors have not signed its accounts for years. In ignoring, jointly, the democratic procedures of other countries, it suborns individual Europhile leaders into an equal indifference. Procedure matters: it is there to protect us from, among other things, the barefaced effrontery of totalitarianism.

The true nature of the European project is becoming plainer and plainer. Gain an understanding of the prophetic significance of this development by reading “Is a World Dictator About to Appear?”

One notable side story to the official resurrection of the once-dead Lisbon process: French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in trumpeting the achievement, linked the changes in the treaty to the accession of Croatia into the European Union. Euractiv.com described the move as “fast-tracking a second ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by means of an annex to Croatia’s accession agreement.” You can read about how Europe is swallowing the Balkans in our booklet The Rising Beast—Germany’s Conquest of the Balkans.

German Economics 101

“France is working on it and Germany is thinking about it,” stated Nicolas Sarkozy recently. The French president’s jab at Berlin for what he considers its sloth-like approach to solving Europe’s economic crisis is merely one indicator of the tense relations between Germany and much of the rest of the European Union.

Another occurred early last week, ahead of Friday’s European summit in Brussels, when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown invited Sarkozy and Jose Manuel Barroso—but not German Chancellor Angela Merkel—to London for pre-summit discussions on Europe’s ailing economies. “Growing annoyance with Germany inside the European Union has hardly been the best kept secret in recent weeks,” reported Spiegel on Friday.

The tension is rooted in the fundamental difference in the way Berlin and much of the rest of Europe, particularly France, Britain and the European Commission, believe European nations ought to solve the Continent’s economic crises.

While Britain, France and much of the rest of Europe seek the American-style quick-fix, billion-dollar bailout approach to Europe’s financial problems, Berlin believes such an approach is reactionary and dangerous and will only intensify Europe’s economic problems in the future. Instead of haphazardly throwing money at the problem, Germany believes the real solution lies in sound, cautious financial management that will deal with the cause of the problem.

“In a recent speech,” reported the Washington Times today (emphasis ours throughout),

Mrs. Merkel lambasted the bailout mentality gripping Western leaders and lauded financial discipline, balanced budgets and the ethic of thrift that is especially prevalent in Swabia—the German region where she spoke. She said that every Swabian housewife knows the root of this crisis: “You can’t keep on living beyond your means. … We are not going to participate in this senseless race for billions. We have to have the courage to swim against the tide.”

Although it’s arousing the ire of many Europeans, Germany’s more rational, cautionary approach is being praised by fiscal conservative leaders and commentators the world over. As the Times concluded,

In the headlong rush to find an economic panacea Mrs. Merkel is among few Western leaders keeping a cool head. As the EU moves forward on the Eastern Partnership and other platforms, she must continue to stand firm against the pressure to leverage Germany’s—and Europe’s—future with government bailout schemes.

Germany is essentially giving the world a lesson in the sound management of economic crisis. Although that lesson isn’t gaining much traction right now, it will as the financial crises in Europe and America worsen—and especially if the German economy continues to weather the economic storms better than most.

Hamas Mocks Israel During Celebration

Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters took to the streets in Gaza today to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the terror group’s establishment. During the celebration, an Arab pretending to be a captured idf soldier begged for his freedom, saying he missed his Mom and Dad.

Over the past few weeks Hamas has fired over 200 mortars and Kassam rockets into Israel. Despite these attacks, Israel transferred 100 million shekels ($25.5 million) into Gaza this week. The money came from banks in the West Bank to replace worn-out bank notes and to pay the salaries of PA workers in Gaza. Palestinian Authority officials admit they have no way to ensure that all the money ends up where it should. But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert isn’t bothered by this. He said that Israel would continue transferring funds to Gaza, even if it helps Hamas.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is also determined to “help” Gazans. According to this story, Iran is sending a ship to Gaza loaded with 1,000 tons of wheat, sugar, rice and medical supplies. Prof. Raymond Tanter, president of the Washington-based Iran Policy Committee, told the Jerusalem Post that Iran’s humanitarian aid was a cynical attempt to tighten its grip on the region. “The Iranian Red Crescent ship sailing to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip is an example of Tehran’s effort to gain political influence through social aid programs, subvert societies with intelligence agents acting as charitable officials, and encourage the Sunni Muslim street to believe that the Iranian regime is on their side, despite its Shi’ite face,” the professor said.

Another angle to this story that we will carefully monitor is the upcoming end of Mahmoud Abbas’s term in office as Palestinian Authority head. According to one poll, 64 percent of Palestinian Arabs believe that Abbas should leave in January. If he extends his term and overstays his welcome, Hamas could gain support among Palestinians outside of Gaza. On the other hand, if Abbas goes, Hamas might have one of its own elected as the next head of the Palestinian Authority. For more information, read “Will Hamas Win the Elections?”

If They Bomb You, We’ll Bomb Them

Israel’s Haaretzsays that an Obama administration will provide Israel with a “nuclear umbrella” against the possible threat of an Iranian attack. Critics, however, see this as an indication that America has now accepted a world in which Iran would have the bomb.

“What is the significance of such guarantee when it comes from those who hesitated to deal with a non-nuclear Iran?” a senior Israeli security person asked. “What kind of credibility would this [guarantee have] when Iran is nuclear-capable?”

Besides that, it’s hard to see how residents in Haifa or Tel Aviv will find comfort and security in the “if they bomb you, we’ll bomb them” strategy. Even one of the more “moderate” leaders in Iran views the “umbrella” defense as a victory for the Islamic world. Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani recently said, “A single atomic bomb has the power to completely destroy Israel, while an Israeli counterstrike can only cause partial damage to the Islamic world.”

Americans Don’t Care About the Iranian Bomb

In an interview with Spiegel Online, prominent professor Norman Birnbaun analyzed some of President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet picks and policies. He said that Obama

knows that he must focus on the domestic front. He can’t spend his time calling world leaders, he must get a grip on the domestic agenda because he knows: The American voters currently do not care about the Iranian bomb, they care about the money they need to send their kids to college.

Sadly, his sense about the average American is right. According to the results of a 2007 poll, most Americans are ignorant of world events. The Trumpet has reported,

As Americans grow more insulated from and less interested in world events, those events are quickly rising to a boil. With Islamic terrorism and belligerency increasing, the European Union growing in power, and Russia and China building an eastern empire, one could argue now is the worst time for Americans to be ignorant of and disinterested in the dangerous world around them.

“Can’t They See What’s Coming?”

In this column from last week, Jeremy Clarkson says the senior bankers he has talked to don’t compare our worsening financial crisis to 1992 or even 1929. “They talk about a total financial meltdown. They talk about the End of Days.” People, he says, have been deceived into thinking governments have everything under control. Clarkson intones,

I was in Dublin last weekend, and had a very real sense I’d been invited to the last days of the Roman Empire. As far as I could work out, everyone had a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a coat made from something that’s now extinct. And then there were the women. Wow. Not that long ago every girl on the Emerald Isle had a face the colour of straw and orange hair. Now it’s the other way around.Everyone appeared to be drunk on naked hedonism. … And as I careered from bar to bar all I could think was: “… Can’t they see what’s coming?”

To read the dire warnings of numerous other commentators, see what we wrote here.

The Demise of Dating

When he first heard about “hookups” years ago, New York Times columnist Charles Blow thought it would be a passing fad. Not anymore. “Hooking up is here to stay,” Blow wrote yesterday.

Under the old model, you dated a few times and, if you really liked the person, you might consider having sex. Under the new model, you hook up a few times and, if you really like the person, you might consider going on a date.

To read what we have written about this appalling trend and the demise of dating, go here and here.

China-Taiwan “Breakthrough”

For the first time since 1949, the Chinese mainland and Taiwan will begin direct air, sea transport and postal services on Monday. Xu Shiquan, executive vice president of the National Society of Taiwan Studies, said the realization of “direct links” is a “breakthrough” in cross-strait relations and has “landmark significance.” “It will greatly boost cross-strait trade and civilian exchanges,” he told Xinhua.

Taiwan-based Central News Agency reported Sunday that Taiwan leader Ma Ying-Jeou will attend a ceremony at Kaohsiung, one of the two harbors on the island, where the ships would sail out to cut across the narrow strait on Monday.

Earlier this year, we wrote,

Beijing, which has previously threatened Taiwan with invasion if the self-ruled island ever declared independence, is zealously taking advantage of Taiwan’s new pro-China stance to draw the island as close to the mainland as possible. While Ma Ying-jeou and the new Taiwanese government may think they can secure their home by negotiating with their Communist rival, the fact remains that while Taiwan may have given up its hopes of ruling over mainland China, mainland China has never renounced its ambition to rule over Taiwan. In this light, the current negotiations between Taiwan and China are but the first steps toward a coming annexation of Taiwan to Communist China.

Elsewhere on the Web

Here’s a thought worth pondering. Thomas Sowell mused this past week, in the wake of the carnage in Mumbai, about what an achievement it is that America has avoided a second terrorist attack in the seven years since 9/11. But don’t expect that to last, he wrote: “There are growing numbers of things that can destroy us. The Roman Empire lasted a lot longer than the United States has lasted, and yet it too was destroyed. Millions of lives were blighted for centuries thereafter, because the barbarians who destroyed Rome were incapable of replacing it with anything at all comparable. Neither are those who threaten to destroy the United States today.”

And Finally …

As world conditions worsen, the sheep are again flocking to the shepherd in search of answers. “Bad times are good for evangelical churches,” the International Herald Tribunewrites. “[S]ince September, pastors nationwide say they have seen such a burst of new interest that they find themselves contending with powerful conflicting emotions—deep empathy and quiet excitement.”