Current Events
By Dr. Lee E. Warren B.A., D.D.
(c) 1998 PLIM REPORT VOL. 7 & NO. 2
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See Related Articles: SPIRITUAL REALITY OF CURRENT EVENTS
Violence in the USA
Is there an increase in school violence?
A male student, 15 years old, killed his parents and two classmates in Oregon. This is the fifth incident in the last eight months of white male students, under the age of 16, killing teachers, parents, and students in rural towns. Another male teen, aged 14, in Pennsylvania killed a teacher with a gun in April. Jonesboro, Arkansas, was the site where two boys, 11 and 13, killed 4 students and a teacher in March. Last October in Pearl, Miss. a teen killed two students and his mother. In December of last year, 3 students were killed in Heath High School during a pre-school prayer session in West Paducah, Ky. This is a total of 11 students, 2 sets of parents, and 2 teachers killed.
Ironically, none of these incidents occurred with minorities in the inner cities, but in rural areas of mostly white populations, which shows that violence does not respect color or race. Many of the inner city schools have prison metal detectors and conduct strip searches. Americans fail to see that these incidents are symptoms of a greater problem. Unfortunately, these senseless violent crimes will continue in this country and the world because the world is devoid of spiritual understanding (Gn. 6:11).
When children kill each other, it shows the society is spiritually sick. The Messiah diagnosed Israel with this same condition about 2,000 years ago. He said the following: "Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death (Mk. 13:12; see Mic. 7:4-6)."
Popes guard kills another guard and his wife
Even the Holy Fathers kingdom is not immuned to the violence that is increasing in the world. Some internal friction arose among two of the Popes Swiss guards. The Swiss guard that covered Pope John Paul IIs body during his assassination attempt in 1981 was killed along with his wife by another junior guard he had reprimanded.
World Economy: A brief overview
Currently, the US economy is the strongest in the world. Economy polls shows that both the manufacturers and consumers have a bright outlook concerning the future. Consumers fuel two-thirds of our economy. If they perceive an uncertain future, they will stop spending, bringing a close to seven years of economic expansion.
USA Budget
Does anybody believe that the US government budget is truly balanced, as one would balance their checkbook? Is this just smoke, mirrors, and voodoo bookkeeping? President Clinton and Congress are telling the people that this is the first time the budget has been balanced in 30 years.
Bank Mergers
There have been a series of banks and insurance companies merging with each other, such as Citicorp Bank and Travelers Insurance and the Bank of America and NationBank Corp, which has created the largest retail bank with $570 billion in assets. Is bigger really better? The Japanese banks are some of the largest in the world and they are having numerous problems with bad loans to Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, and South Korea. (see Asian Countries, p. 5)
Wall Street
The DOW Jones Industrial Average, went over 9,000 for the first time in its history. As corporations continue downsizing the market rose. Will 10,000 be next? Everyone is putting their money in the stock market thinking they will get a retirement nest egg. Recently polls have shown that households buying on Wall Street are at their highest participation since the Great Depression. Only time will tell if this dream will be fulfilled or if it will end in bitter disappointment. The question is how long will the market go up before the party is over?
Asian Countries
Everyone in the world financial community is holding their breath and hoping that the Asian tiger economies can recover from their economic crisis. Quiet as it is kept, these countries are a lot worst than the news media want the America and European investors to know. Simply put, these countries along with Japan hold the key to whether there will be world wide depression in the next two or three years. Current riots and protesters in Indonesia and the resignation of President Suharto reflect the dire situation these countries are in.
Japan
Japans economy is dead in the water and there is little hope that it will recover. The Japanese banks have two fold problems: loans and corporate corruption at home. Now the other problem is that the Japanese banks have lent money to these Asian tigers economies that have gone bust. Only Yahweh Elohim knows how many of these banks are solvent. Clearly, a Jubilee is not too far off. The number of suicides are up in South Korea and Japan, which is an indication that there are more surprises to come.
Asian Politics
With the end of the cold war, everyone thought the arms race was over. India surprised the world by testing five nuclear weapons in spite of the worlds great consternation and economic sanction. In retaliation Pakistan tested seven nuclear weapons in great concern about their national security. The Prime Minister said they were obligated to test. The USA and other nations are threatening economic sanctions, but no one is listening. So the arms race goes forth which shows that the nations of the world are mad as the Apostle John describes in his vision (Rv. 17:1-9).
Middle East: Iraq
War was averted between Iraq and the USA when UNs General Secretary, Kofi Annan, went to Baghdad to negotiate with President Saddam Hussein. He agreed to allow the UN inspectors to inspect his palaces. The UN inspectors found nothing and the cat and mouse game continues for the search for chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. Currently, Iraq is under sanctions for seven years.
Israel
Israel is celebrating its first 50 years as a nation which was established in 1948 and their first Jubilee. They are negotiating with the Palestinians concerning land and nationhood.
Europe: Northern Irelands Peace Accord
President Clinton asked former majority leader of the Senate George Mitchell to be an envoy for the USA. His mission, along with Prime Minister Tony Blair of England, was to bring the two warring Protestant and Catholic sides together to reach a peace accord.
Both sides tentatively agreed and their constituents voted for peace. Both sides had to compromise and give up something in order to achieve this accord. The former senator is a talented, humble peacemaker that took no credit for the peace agreement. Now the Messiah said blessed are the peacemakers (Mt. 5:9).
Clintons African tour and sex problems
President Clinton is one of the first presidents of the United States to visit Africa. Only Clinton knows whether he visited 12 countries to escape legal problems or because he really wanted to help these people. Meanwhile, back in the USA, the saga and soap opera continue with Starrs investigation of Clintons sexual affairs. Paula Jones case of sexual harassment was thrown out of court, but she said that she would appeal.
Africa
The country of Rwanda began its trial for those Hutus tribes involved in the genocide of 800, 000 Tutsi people. 12 were executed for these genocide crimes. What was even more shocking was that the UN could have prevented these crimes, but they did not have the funds to handle this situation. The world again stood by and watched a genocide as they did during the Holocaust of WW II .
Weather: El Nino
The year 1998 with its El Nino effects will set a record for the number of tornadoes it spawned and their intensity. The tornadoes that struck Alabama were a category 5, which is the highest rating for a tornado. These tornadoes were clocked at speed over 250 mile per hour. Tornadoes hit Nashville, Tennessee at about this same level. The city suffered much damage. In Peru El Nino created a very large lake in a place that was once desert. Damage in Peru as the result of El Nino is great; 5 % of all the roads were washed away and more than 250,000 people are now homeless.
Antarctica
There is a debate among scientists whether global warming is causing the earths climate to warm up. Satellites showed an ice shelf breaking up in Antarctica. This is circumstantial evidence that indicates a warming is occurring. A piece the size of the state of Connecticut broke off from the ice shelf called Larsen B.