Notes from PCG's Trumpet Weekly (2009)

Continuing on from a previous post let us continue surveying the articles within the issues of PCG's Trumpet Weekly.

During 2009 the world was still recovering from the global financial crisis. PCG's writers did all they could to say there was no hope. It seems as though they wanted readers to have no hope that things might improve unless they join PCG and pay three tithes to them for the rest of lives. Instead, five years later, things have improved. PCG's writers confidently predicted that America was bankrupt, "beyond broke", but clearly they were woefully wrong.

PCG's writers also constantly claimed that US federal debt is spiraling out of control and getting bigger and bigger and no one has ever been in so much debt before and other such things. But that is all ignorant nonsense. When one takes inflation into account the US federal debt was actually much higher in the 1940s because of World War II then is the case today. So such demagoguery that PCG's writers use is complete nonsense.

US federal debt compared with GDP 1940-2014

No government can be "forced to default on debt denominated in its own currency" so we do not need to worry about the US going bankrupt. It is not going to happen.

***

And with such thoughts in mind let us begin to look at what PCG's Trumpet Weekly had to say about things in 2009.

Some articles cited were written outside of PCG but they are still mentioned as it is PCG's writers who have added these articles to The Trumpet Weekly.

2009

January 3. This issue has of discussion regarding the violent crisis in Gaza.

"Is the Euro the New Dollar?" (Time). The answer is No.

"Right Wing Crimes Soared". (DW) PCG constantly claims that right wing violence in Germany is increasing, whether the facts warrant this claim or not.

January 10. "2009--Year of the Beast?" by Ron Fraser. No. It was not. There will be no European Empire the way HWA and his pathetic imitators say there will be.

"Prepare for Dollar Collapse". Five Years later we are still waiting.

January 17. More on the war in Gaza. Brad MacDonald dwells at length on the Muslim Brotherhood taking Egypt over.

January 24. Morley says Social Security is bankrupt. Nonsense.

February 2. Morley talks about South Africa.

South Africa increasingly finds itself under curses that are destined to grow worse in the time ahead. A vital warning and a message of hope to the peoples of South Africa is contained in our booklet South Africa in Prophecy.

That booklet, written by Ron Fraser, says that racial intermarriage is forbidden by God. Banning interracial marriage is racist.

February 14. Morley incorrectly says America is bankrupt.

The United States faces catastrophic collapse no matter what President Obama does. The scale of America’s problems goes far beyond what an ever increasing number of trillions of dollars can patch over.

Here is the sad fact: U.S. taxpayers have committed $8.7 trillion to fixing the system, and we haven’t even made a noticeable dent!

Unfortunately Morley seems unaware of the difference between private debt and public debt. Morley seems unaware that no government can be forced to default on debt denominated in its own currency, as the US federal debt is. Morley seems unaware that, when accounting for inflation, the US federal debt is actually lower then what it was in the 1940s.

February 28. Stephen Flurry.

How could it be that bad when we have a budget twice the size of the one President Clinton proposed just nine years ago? That’s how delusional our addiction to debt has made us. Teetering on the brink of economic ruin? No problem! Just triple the deficit. Problem solved.

March 7. Morley again inaccurately saying that the US government is broke.

The government is broke. It was running massive deficits before the crisis ever struck. And now it is planning the biggest borrowing binge ever to bail out the irresponsible, inefficient and incompetent. The nation’s finances have been pushed beyond the point of recovery.

Then why are the prison guards still looking after the prisoners still in jail? Clearly Morley is wrong.

March 14. Here is Joel Hilliker condemning attempts by the US to rebuild Gaza shortly after the violence and destruction in December 2008 - January 2009.

The United States is beyond broke. It is borrowing and printing hundreds of billions of dollars in a mad scramble to escape economic quicksand.

Why, then, is it offering $300 million to reconstruct the Gaza Strip? And another $600 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay its bills? That’s $900 million of other people’s money—for a cause that is profoundly flawed.

How could the US do this? Because it is not broke. Once you account for inflation US federal debt was actually higher in the 1940s because of World War II then is the case today. No government can be forced to default for debt denominated in its own currency.

Also I wish there was a stronger sense of compassion for the unfortunate people who live in the Gaza strip and are at the mercy of political events beyond their control. Instead he seems to think it is better to do nothing and let the people of Gaza make do without help from the US.

If we could follow those $900 million as they make their way from America’s printing presses into Palestinian pockets, we would likely find them, in a best-case scenario, padding PA bank accounts. At worst, those dollars will reach terrorists and fund Israeli deaths. That will provoke retaliation from the new Israeli government, which will mean Palestinian deaths. And Hamas perversely views Palestinian deaths not as tragedies, but as victories in the propaganda war against Israel.

That is ultimately what those 900 million borrowed greenbacks will likely purchase.

Well, if the US does nothing for Gaza why wouldn't those people side with Hamas? Following Hilliker's idea would just make the people of Gaza conclude there is no other hope and just join Hamas anyway. This is so short sighted it is not even funny.

March 21. In a particularly venomous article Brad MacDonald claims Germany caused the global financial crisis by raising interest rates for the Euro. I have never even heard of this idea before when reading about how the financial crisis occurred. And apparently it was planned sixty year ago. It sounds utterly delusional.

"Xenophobia Widespread Among German Youth". Once again PCG promotes the idea that Germany is ready to turn Nazi at any minute.

April 4. "G20 Moves World Step Closer to a Global Currency" (Telegraph). Not a PCG article but the decision by PCG's writers to include this article shows they are pandering to those inaccurately fearful of the creation of some sort of one world currency.

April 11. "Greece Teeters on the Edge of Bankruptcy" (Der Spielgel). This terrible fate was only possible because Greece had the euro. But the euro which was controlled by the European Central Bank, not Greece. If Greece had their own currency with a national debt denominated in that currency (like the US) Greece would have been able to use other measures to protect themselves in the severe crisis and not need a bailout. But because they had the euro this was, alas, not possible.

"The Real Jesus" by Stephen Flurry.

April 18. "Will Social Security Go Bankrupt by 2010?" (TheTrumpet.com). Wrong. Four years later it is still going. Actually Social Security is in wonderful shape.

"A Summer of Rage?" by Robert Morley. Insinuates massive riots may soon occur.

"The Homeland Security Report on 'Right-wing Extremism'" (Fox News). I remember hearing when this report came out. Later on it was revealed that the author was a Republican and a Mormon. And in fact later on there was a wave of violence by right wing extremists. One instance the murder of six people and severe shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

April 25. "Keep Hope Alive" by Joel Hilliker.

"Flee the Credit Trap" by Robert Morley. Here Morley gives advice on how to manage finances.

Much of the financial trouble plaguing families today is NOT the result of low wages. It is the result of overextending a normally adequate income for luxuries and personal indulgence. ...

Your standard of living is probably already beyond the wildest dreams of the typical inhabitant of this planet. Few realize that the average person on this Earth has no shoes, little food and no fine furniture or appliances of any kind!

Is this what PCG's leaders tell their followers who tell them they have troubles paying the three tithes?

May 2. "Growing Up in the Worldwide Church of God" by Stephen Flurry.

May 9. "A Nuclear Power Is About to Fall to Islamists" by Joel Hilliker. He was talking about Pakistan. He was wrong. Pakistan overthrew President Musharraf and restored parliamentary democracy. The voters of Pakistan gave power to a left wing party. Although clearly there are many problems within Pakistan becoming radicalized like Iran in 1979 is not one of them.

May 16. "Nazis Planned a Fourth Reich" (Daily Mail). This news article cites the same Nazi era memorandum that Gerald Flurry uses in his booklet, Germany's Conquest of the Balkans, to nonsensically assert that modern day Germany is just a heartbeat away from turning Nazi.

"Europe: From Crisis to Chaos" by Ron Fraser.

Herbert Armstrong believed that global financial crisis would trigger the rise of the prophesied beast power. That crisis is here! This week’s figures indicated that the crisis has deepened dramatically in Europe.

Five years later we are still waiting.

"Creating Hate With Hate Crime Bills" by Robert Morley. Considering that PCG bans interracial marriage it is no wonder that PCG would be negative towards such proposed laws.

May 23. "Germany Not Doing Enough to Fight Right-Wing Extremism" (Der Spielgel).

May 30.

“What will it take to awaken our people? America is bankrupt. Our people just don’t know it yet.”
—Co-Worker Letter, July 22, 1997

Fourteen years later America is still not bankrupt. Actually this is impossible because the federal debt is denominated in its own currency and it is impossible for any government to be forced to default on debt denominated in its own currency.

June 6. "Obama Embraces Islam" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry criticizes President Obama for speaking of the "Islamic World" in his speech in Cairo and claims it somehow encourages radical Muslims to demand more. He cites an article from Asia Times Online.

June 13. "“Gay” Family Kids Seven Times More Likely to be Homosexual" (WorldNetDaily). You cannot catch homosexuality. It is not contagious. What lunacy.

June 20. "Is Another Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Imminent?" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald insinuates that the EU and Russia will create some sort of alliance at America's expense. Today relations between the EU and Russia have deteriorated badly, largely because of the crisis in Ukraine.

"The Truth Behind Iran's Election Protests" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker says the protests will fail and fear mongers that Ahmadinejad will be more powerful then ever after this election. Just a few years later Ahmadinejad lost favor with the Supreme Leader and got replaced.

"Finding Joy During a Recession" by Robert Morley.

June 27. "The Media's Cultic Devotion to Barack Obama" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry accuses various reporters of somehow idolatrously worshiping President Obama.

These same media types now religiously place their blind faith in a mortal man they have collectively exalted in place of God. ... There’s no shame in unabashedly endorsing their cultic leader along with his liberal worldview. They’re proud of being “in bed” with the president.

Afterwards Stephen Flurry asserts that President Obama's speech in Cairo will cause several prophesies to be fulfilled.  

In actual fact, as we highlight in our most recent print edition of the Trumpet, President Obama’s Cairo speech is, even now, beginning to violently shake the nations of this Earth! No matter what the propagandists in the media might say, that speech signaled the end of America’s standing as the world’s lone superpower, setting the stage for several end-time prophecies to ACCELERATE in their ultimate fulfillment, as we wrote about here.

"CA: Harbinger of National Doom?" by Robert Morley. Here Morley claims California is cursed to endure natural catastrophes. 

Quotes Washington Times.

July 4. On page 4 it is insinuated that Germany's condemnation of the repression of protests in Iran is a sign that Germany will become Iran's main adversary.

July 11. "America's Decline -- From Sinatra to Jackson" by Ron Fraser. This remarkably bitter article was written after Michael Jackson's death. Instead of offering comfort to those who were mourning he chose to belittle and criticize Michael Jackson's music as a sign of national decline. This article was discussed on this blog at the time.

"Why Trouble in Iran Will Lead to War" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker asserts that Germany and not the US was the nation that most stridently opposed the repression of protesters in Iran. He asserts this is a sign that Germany will become Iran's main adversary.  

July 18. "Costly Health Care Reform" by Robert Morley. Here Morley talks about health care. He ends the article with these words.

In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and with the nation encumbered with the biggest debts in the history of the world, the national healthcare bill could easily push America over the edge.

Which is completely backwards from reality. In fact the expensive, private system of health insurance before President Obama was a severe drain upon the finances of many Americans. A lot of money paid for health insurance went to overhead costs instead of providing health care. That is why health care reform was so necessary and needed to be done.

But what does Morley recommend?

However, there is a solution to the health crisis. If you are interested, request a free copy of Herbert W. Armstrong’s booklet The Plain Truth About Healing.

That booklet insists that one should not use doctors or medicine to cure illnesses. Many of his followers have died prematurely because of HWA's anti-medicine superstition.

July 25. "World Prepares to Dump the Dollar" by Robert Morley. PCG's writers constantly claim the rest of the world is waiting with baited breath to stop using the US dollar.

August 1. "America's Racial Time Bomb is Ticking" by Brad MacDonald. In this article MacDonald quotes HWA to say the Great Flood was caused by interracial marriage.

Racial strife is endemic to history, long before the Obama presidency—or America—existed. This deadly infirmity has plagued the human race since before the days of Noah. In fact, as Herbert Armstrong explained in Mystery of the Ages, “the chief cause of the violence and chaos of world conditions [prior to the Flood], was racial hatreds, interracial marriages, and racial violence caused by man’s efforts toward integration and amalgamation of races, contrary to God’s laws.”

Banning interracial marriage is racist.

"Iraq's New Puppet-Master" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry asserts that Iraq will fall under Iran's influence now that US troop levels had been reduced. As evidence of this he cites clashes between the Iraqi security forces and the Mujahedin e-Khalq (MEK) based in Camp Ashraf which tragically led to the deaths of eleven residents. Actually MEK is widely regarded a cult. Noted anti-cult author Steven Hassan discusses the Mujahedin e-Khalq on his website. Also from 1997 till 2012, after this article was written, it was listed as a terrorist organization by the US State Department.

Joel Hilliker cites Hugh Ross.

This issue also quotes Press TV, an Iranian media organization.

August 8. "The Recession Is Over?" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry insists that signs the US economy is recovering should just be ignored.

Never mind what some “experts” say. Bankruptcy is inevitable. The handwriting is all over the wall.

Wrong, Steven Flurry. Yet another false prophecy by PCG.

August 15. "Who Bombed Pam Am Flight 103?" by Steven Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry asserts that Iran orchestrated that terrorist bombing. Other people have made this assertion so I am not going to comment on whether this is true or not. But it is important to keep in mind that PCG is just using this painful issue to insist that their leader, Gerald Flurry, is a prophet because he dogmatically declared back in 1994 that Iran would be the "King of the South". This article is just part of that campaign to indoctrinate people into believing that Gerald Flurry is right.

"The Riots Will Come" by Robert Morley. Here Morley insists that riots will come upon America.

When people no longer trust or respect those who rule the land, they start taking the law into their own hands. It won’t take much to set off Birmingham-type riots across America, especially when the shape of America’s recovery is proven to be more like a staircase to the cellar—that is, no recovery, only small respites on the way down.

When times are good, it is far easier for everybody to get along. Unfortunately, America is heading into the worst economic times ever. The town hall meetings are just the first sparks of a greater social powder keg ready to explode.

Five years later we are still waiting for these riots.

This issue quotes The Washington Times.

August 22. "The Biggest Heist of All Time" by Robert Morley. Here Morley says some loans given by the European Central Bank will cause Germany to conquer Europe somehow. 

It is the coup of the century. The biggest heist of all time! Germany is stealing Europe. History books will show that Germany conquered Europe without firing a shot.

Why do these words make me think of the "influencing machine" that schizophrenics often talk about?

This issue also contains this quote as part of PCG's attempt to demonize Iran in order to persuade readers that PCG's leader, Gerald Flurry, is a prophet.

“Iran is the head of the terrorist snake! The only way to win the war on terror is to either subdue or conquer Iran. America and Israel have ample power to do so, but they cower in fear because they lack the will to strike the head of the snake.”
—Trumpet, April 2008

August 29. "America The Corrupt" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser once again displays his singular ability to mangle the English language into a creative hodge podge of bitter invective as only he can.

Well, if you know your 20th-century history, the majority of the oldest of their teachers graduated from the years of a Woodstock, godless evolutionary Marxist-Leninist liberal-socialist thinking, Dr. Spock-style child-rearing, peacenik antiwar street-rebelling, civil-rights-asserting, law-breaking, gender-bending “no-absolutes” amoral pseudo-philosophizing, bearded, pot-smoking academia possessing little or no moral backbone.

Fraser ends his article with these words.

Read and study our booklet Lamentations: The Point of No Return. If ever there was a book written for our time today, it is this book. You need to at least be acquainted with its message, even if you do not agree with it at this moment. For the chances are, you will recall and agree with its message when the prophecies that it contains are fulfilled, most dramatically, in the very near future!

Five years later we are still waiting for that "very near future" to occur.

A previous version of that booklet was discussed in a previous post.

"Is Libya Really a Friend?" by Brad MacDonald. Today PCG's writers tend to talk of Gaddafi quite sympathetically. They did not talk of that dictator in a friendly way while he was alive. PCG's writers want something they can scare their readers. So they fear mongered about Gaddafi while he was alive. But once the Libyan people courageously stood up to him PCG's writers chose to demonize the Libyan revolutionaries as al Qaeda even while the brave revolutionaries were fighting and dying to liberate their beloved homeland. Now that Gaddafi is deceased PCG's writers use him simply as a prop to get their readers scared of the Libyans today and to say things are worse.

September 19. "Surrendering to Iran" by Stephen Flurry.

"The Solution for Afghanistan" by Joel Hilliker.

Herbert Armstrong said as far back as 1961 ... America has already won its last war.

Nonsense.

September 26. "Community Organizing the World" by Stephen Flurry.

"Japan Abandons America" by Robert Morley. PCG has long claimed that Japan is preparing to betray America. Somehow. They have been saying this for years now.

[Incorrectly observed Feast of Tabernacles break.]

October 17. "The Battle for Britain Begins" by Robert Morley.

Sixty-nine years later, London is under attack again. Only this time, the Huns are burning it economically.

Yes. Morley, in a time of peace, referred to Germans as "the Huns" in that article.

The article ends with these words.

Hundreds of thousands of British gave their lives during the war to prevent this very thing. Germany is conquering Britain without even firing a shot.

"An Advocate for Islam" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker accuses President Obama and his two immediate predecessors of being too indulgent towards Islam and claims Islam (what sort of Islam?) have a place of privilege in society. He even quotes a writer saying the US government has become a "discrete missionary" for Islam. Hilliker states:

Clearly, Muslims are using a potent mixture of political pressure and violence with extraordinary success. They have secured privileges for Islam not afforded to any other religion, including Christianity. Now, under a president who spent formative years of his life in a Muslim-dominated country, this trend is accelerating. ... Our leaders are surrendering ground to Islam, bit by bit.

Or maybe they are trying to explain to people that al Qaeda terrorists are not fighting for Islam but for their own power. Does Hilliker think al Qaeda are a true representation of Islam? That is one thing al Qaeda terrorists want.

Also which Muslims are Hilliker referring to? They are not all the same as seems to be implied in this article.

Also President Obama spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, which is a very different society compared to the Arab world.

October 24. "America’s Decline Is a Choice and a Curse" by Stephen Flurry. Once again Stephen Flurry shows his ignorance regarding the US federal debt and tries to (inaccurately) fear monger that it will somehow cripple America.

Rather than panic about the ruined economy, Washington continues spending “money” like it just won the lottery. This year’s federal budget deficit, an incomprehensible $1.42 trillion, is nearly as large as Canada’s entire economy—and three times bigger than any previous U.S. deficit. Incredibly, President Obama has pledged to reduce deficit spending only after the recession ends. The worse it gets, the more we spend!

Stephen Flurry is mocking this policy but actually it makes sense. When an economy slows down people quite understandably stop spending and keep more money for themselves in case they need it. For an individual this makes sense. But if everyone in society does this the economy becomes even worse. People spending money is like the blood flow of the economy. If everyone stops spending it is like stopping your blood flow. So someone needs to spend money to keep the economy going. The government does this. It would seem Stephen Flurry does not understand the paradox of thrift.

And Stephen Flurry is totally wrong about the federal debt. No government can be forced to default on debt denominated in its own currency, as the US federal debt is. Also the current US federal debt, when inflation is accounted for, is actually lower then what it was in the 1940s.

"Incredibly, President Obama has pledged to reduce deficit spending only after the recession ends." An actually crazy response to an economic crisis would be for the government to stop spending as well. Then even fewer people are spending money and the economy only gets worse. That is a terrible idea. The government needs to keep spending as long as the bad times continue. Once prosperity returns then the government can stop spending and cut back. That is the responsible way to deal with such things.

"Zu Guttenburg's Rise" by Ron Fraser. PCG tried to portray Zu Guttenburg as a man who could potentially become the European dictator that HWA and his imitators have been claiming will soon arise since the 1930s.

November 7. "What Survivalists Have Right" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker tells his followers not to horde food in order to protect themselves from the calamity PCG constantly insists is just about to happen.

There is something to be admired in the clear-eyed pragmatism of those taking steps to face calamity. Unlike the far more common head-in-the-sand approach, it acknowledges the seriousness of the times.

...the preparedness Christ urged was spiritual. ... God’s challenge with each one of us is to teach us to put our trust and confidence in Him rather than in ourselves or any other human being .... Jesus warned against faithless anxiety and fretting over tomorrow’s problems .... He was not an advocate of hoarding food.

Of course Hilliker does not want you to horde food for the coming catastrophe he says will soon happen. Then you would have less money to send to PCG.

"The Iran Hostage Crisis--30 Years On" by Stephen Flurry.

November 14. "Fort Hood Attack: Accept the Truth" by Joel Hilliker. This article is truly disgusting. It completely misunderstands the situation. This article was written shortly after the mass shooting in Fort Hood. Hilliker seems offended that the murderer, Nidal Hassan, was not labeled as "a Muslim terrorist" by US officials.

Nevertheless, don’t expect many retractions from those over the past week who have insisted people not assume Hasan’s religion had any bearing on his motive in the attack. That is because they cherish some things more than the truth.

To hold fast the imagined virtues of diversity and political correctness, they have closed their eyes.

Why on Earth should the US government officials blame Islam for what he did? That is stupid. That plays into the hands of al Qaeda terrorists and their like minded ilk. It is wise for US officials to point out that the murderer acted on his own. It is also just and right to say that what he did should not be used to punish innocent people who had nothing to do with his atrocities. It is astounding that Hilliker does not seem to understand such elemental things.

"A Night to Remember" by Brad MacDonald. "Fall of the Berlin Wall" by Ron Fraser. These articles incorrectly assert that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also HWA never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they never seem to notice this. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".

December 5. "EU--Divide and Conquer" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser repeats the inaccurate claim that Germany's recognition of Slovenia and Croatia as independent states in December 1991 sparked the Yugoslav Wars.

The first official foreign policy directive of the newly reunited Germany back in 1991 was to call for the division of Yugoslavia by recognizing Slovenia and Croatia as separate nation-states. The pope quickly followed with the Vatican’s endorsement of Germany’s actions. The European Union, in turn, quickly followed suit, falling in line with the German initiative.

War was the result—terrible, destructive warfare that pitted Croat against Serb, Bosnian Muslim against Bosnian Serb, Albanian against Kosovar Serb.

It is utterly wrong to claim Germany's recognition of Slovenia and Croatia in December 1991 sparked the Yugoslav Wars.

Slovenia was already de facto independent after the Ten Day War with federal forces in June and July 1991 which caused Belgrade to withdraw federal forces in October 1991.

Croatia and the forces of Belgrade had also been fighting for months before December 1991. By December 1991 the Belgrade government had already seized Vukovar from Croatia after a three month siege which killed about 3000 people (August 25-November 18, 1991). All this occurred before December 1991.

To say an act in December 1991 started the Yugoslav Wars is a bearing false witness against thy neighbor.

December 12. "Racism at “Shocking” Levels in EU" (EU Observer).

December 19. This issue contains the following quote.

“The most powerful [Islamic] country in the Middle East is Iran. Can you imagine the power [Iran] would have if they gained control of Iraq, the second-largest oil producing country in the world?”
—Trumpet, December 1994

This article is often cited by PCG's writers to claim that they foresaw Iraq falling under Iran's influence. This conveniently hides the many false prophesies PCG has made over years, such as saying the Muslim Brotherhood would radicalize Egypt and ally with Iran. PCG never foresaw that the Muslim Brotherhood would be ousted and suppressed at the cost of at least 638 lives.

"Remember Hamas?" (TheTrumpet.com).

And so 2010 begins. But this post ends here.