The World, War, and the Antichrist

[Baud]

I, Brian wrote the following:

The EU presidency does actually exist and has done for some time. It's a position currently occupied by Romano Prodi - a powerful Italian media magnate, who ensured that Parliament voted him immunity from prosecution while his mobster connections are investigated, and a string of colleagues are prosecuted for corruption. Funnily enough, Jaques Chirac did something very similar (he's the President of France).

Just for the sake of being a pain in the ***, I would like to submit a few small corrections:

1. The EU has a three-tier executive/legislative: The European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. The Commission could be compared to a government, while the sates' interest is represented by the Council, and the people's by the Parliament.

2. Romano Prodi is the president of the European Commission. Although he is Italian, I don't think he was ever involved in media.

3. The presidency of the Council is held in rotation by one of the member states for a period of six months. It is the state that has the presidency, not the person representing it. At the time the message was written, the presidncy was held by Italy. The prime minister of Italy is Silvio Berlusconi, he's the media magnate you were referring to, and he certainly did what you spoke of.

4. As far as I know, Chirac did not enact new laws granting him immunity. He has immunity as French president, which means that the charges against him cannot be brought forward until he steps down. Doesn't make him much less corrupt, though.

5. The proposed EU President was supposed to replace the presidency of the Council by one person instead of a (rotating) state. It is true that he would certainly not have had very much power.

Baud

[I, Brian]

Thanks for the correction - and you are quite right about my misuse of technical terms.

Also - I mentioned Romani Prodi, when I actually meant Silvio Berlusconi.

[Susma Rio Sep]

Your learning, Baud, is impressive and adds to my education. Thanks.

I am edified by your humility, Brian.

I am not favorably disposed to the posters here looking for the anti-christ.

Congratulations to those who bring out the facts that overpopulation is a myth, and war the the conspiracy of greed and power-grab by neurotic megalomaniacs.

Susma Rio Sep

[Baud]

In the end, my comments on the EU don't really matter in this forum, but well, better to correct small mistakes.

Susma, I don't think overpopulation is a myth, but I have never seen much evidence that overpopulation led to war in the latest centuries.

Baud

[Anzac]

Firstly the EU parliament:

I did read that Italian president (temporarily of the EU as Baud states) was involved as a huge media mogul in Italy, owning several huge industries before he went into politics. When he went into politics all his old adversaries dug up a load of dirt on his dodgy dealings and in order to stop them during his time in power he did enact a law that granted him immunity (now, come to think of it I probably saw it on News 24). This isn't to say that it'll be there forever, just during his stay in power.

As for overpopulation and war:

Have you ever read/heard of Thomas Malthus? He was an 18th century demographics expert and marked on exponential population growth against resource acquisition and came up with some pretty grim conclusions. Eventually the population will reach such a limit that it fights for resources to set itself ahead (personally I see this as already happening with the exploitation of oil and the third world). To me it seems a little odd that he wrote it and everyone sits around a table discussing what to do when it might happen but hasn't it already begun? Nations are grabbing whatever they can to expand their own power and within the nation the individual does it through corporations or other forms of communication (like Mr. Cheney and the reconstruction of Iraq, how much money did he make?). It's all one big spiral that will end up with people killing each other for the scraps on the table.

[Anzac]

Just thought I'd add about the EU parliament that the Italian PM in the news today has his immunity quashed in the Italian high court over charges of corruption. It's good to see that something has finally been done about the situation of his trial, political career and allegations of sleaze and fraud. A step in the right direction to make the European concept something more than a bureaucratic sprawl.

[suanni]

Very interesting thread here.
Arnie the Anti Christ? Bewilders belief. Not running the theory down or anything but if A.S is the anti-Christ, where is the reborn Christ....then again when/if(dependent on your belief) the '2nd coming' came who would recognise Him? Would the 2nd coming be male?
Interesting to note that he predicted his success. From my opinion A.S is a very hard working and determined man. He has got his position in power and his wealth through sheer hard graft.
These theories that Doomsday is approaching has gone on for centuries. We look for the signs and yes, there's war. But man is war-like and greedy. It is man's natural aggression and greed that begins wars.
Many have anticipated WWIII commencing, especially so when the superpowers seemed to detest one another. We all know that if WWIII ever begins that will be the end of the world and I doubt it will be with nuclear weapons, I think it will be biological and chemical warfare. Silent, deadly, cheaper than nuclear to produce and very effective. Maybe this is what is meant by pesitilence in the book of Revelations. We do not know. Lets hope that it never ever starts. Whilst many powers have cut their nuclear arsenal (why couldn't they have got rid of it all and the information to make them?) can't they also destroy their arsenal of chemical and biological warfare?
The world's population may well start declining with effective birth control and the unfortunate new diseases that man cannot cure. Africa is stricken with AIDs and not enough medicine for everybody. The people can't afford it. Africa and many other poorer countries still have TB running through it and from what I understand an incurrable form is developing, again through lack of money for the full course of medicine to cure it. This disease took so many before the cure was found in the latter half of the last century. If an incurable strain impacts the world, many will die. We would be back to Victorian times and before with 'comsumption hospitals' that were there simply to contain the disease from the rest of the community. And through the ease with which we travel from country it would spread with the greatest of ease.
The UK is still waiting to see if BSE is going to impact upon the UK massively.
Nature has a habit of controlling the population through famine and disease and unleashes a new micro organism regularly. Flu still takes many people yearly!!! Man has kept his numbers down through war...and war is still ongoing....he will never change.
Why do we keep on looking for the signs that the world to end?