Fr. Jim Borst summoned before Sharia Court? J&K pastor leaves valley

December 9, 2011

Jammu & Kashmir, December 9, 2011:

The CSF has learnt from our own activists and friends in the media that noted educationist Fr. Jim Borst, who has been in the state for the last 50 years has also been summoned by the Sharia court on proselytising charges. You will recollect that The CSF has in the past twice campaigned against the 79 year old Dutch missionary being asked to leave J & K, along with a number of activists and the Catholic Church and both times the order was rescinded.

Sharia courts have no jurisdiction on non-Muslims, but many fear a repeat of what happened to Rev K. M. Khanna, an Anglican clergyman who was summoned by a Sharia court, then arrested on allegations of forced conversions. The CSF learns that The Mufti-Azam of Kashmir, Mufti-Azam Bashiruddin has summoned  the Catholic priest who is normally at Shivpora to explain his stand today (10, December) and explain the allegations. Fr. Jim Borst is reportedly not in the state and had earlier pleaded ill-health for not visiting the Sharia court. “In case they do not respond to the summons, we will pronounce Islamic judgement, in their absence”, the Mufti-Azam is reported to have said.

For years, the Mill Hill missionary, Fr. Jim Borst, who has been the principal of the prestigious St Joseph’s School, has been the target of Muslim scholars. “The Sharia court has no jurisdiction over non-Muslims,” said Mgr Peter Celestine Elampassery, bishop of Jammu and Kashmir. “It cannot interrogate Fr Jim Borst, nor is he is under any obligation to appear.” the Catholic bishop said. As with the Church and Governement, authorities, The CSF is pursuing both these cases and will keep you updated on the same.

For some, envy and jealousy of Muslim scholars are behind the charges of proselytising against Fr Borst. The schools the Dutch missionary set up, including St Joseph’s in Baramulla and Burn Hall in Srinagar, are known for the quality of the education they dispense. What is more, their staff is 99 per cent Muslim.

Many Muslim leaders have attended these schools, including the current chief minister of the state, Omar Abdullah, one of his predecessors, Farooq Abdullah, and the founder of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

However, local Catholics are concerned by the summons. In early November, the same court had summoned Rev Chander Mani Khanna to answer for baptising seven Muslims. Although the latter had freely chosen to convert, both they and the clergyman were arrested.

Mgr Celestine spoke to Rev Khanna before he went to the Sharia court. “Such things should not happen,” he said. Muslims “should not manipulate the law. The Anglican and Catholic Churches work together for the good of society. Through our social and educational apostolate, we serve the entire population in a state where we are a tiny minority. We work for the common good and the development of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.

Meanwhile, new elements are emerging about Rev Khanna’s case. “All seven converts have explicitly declared that they had asked to be baptised,” said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC).  All the converts are prepared to say on camera that Rev Khanna is innocent and that they did not receive any money in order to be baptised”, George added.

After their arrest, the seven  converts were reportedly beaten and tortured by police, their beard ripped out and their feet beaten. One of them, a 25-year-old, said that he was arrested three days after the birth of his two twin daughters. Sadly, one of them died on Wednesday, less than 30 days after her birth. The wife of another convert is suffering from a heart condition.

No Pastor to lead Christmas prayers at All Saints Church.

There is no priest to lead Christmas prayers in the All-Saints church in Srinagar as pastor C. M. Khanna, who was arrested on charges of conversion and later released, has left the valley and there has been no replacement.

A source close to the priest said he was depressed after his arrest and was in any case retiring from the Church of North India early next year. Khanna was released on bail on December 1 on a personal bond of Rs. 20,000 and directions not to leave the state.

He was charged with forcibly converting 10 Muslim youth the Christianity on November 19. The lawyers in Kashmir valley were allegedly debarred by the bar association from representing his case.

Meanwhile, a four-member team headed by vice-chairman of National Commission for Minority (NCM) D. Sangliana, who visited the valley to take stock of the situation, said Christians there are living in fear after their pastor was arrested.

U.S.-NATO ABM Missile System “Covers” a Large Part of Russian Territory

Global Research

It is inadmissible for Russia NATO’s missile defence to cover the part of its territory, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after a session of the Russia-NATO Council on Thursday.

At the same time, Lavrov said that a new radar, which would be deployed in Turkey within missile defence, would control the most part of the Russian territory.

“If this radar was necessary to monitor the south and an area to the south of the territory of NATO members, such radar exists – it functions and watches the area from where the threat comes from, according to American and NATO colleagues,” the minister noted.

He stressed, “When a radar is deployed in Turkey, it will double the existing radar and watch a considerable part of Russian territory.”

Turkey and the United States signed a memorandum on the deployment of a radar in Turkey within missile defence in September. The radar will be deployed in Kurecik, south-east of Turkey. Kurecik in Malatya province lies 435 miles west of the Iranian border.

In September, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said the U.S. hoped to have the radar deployed there by the end of the year.

NATO members agreed to an anti-missile system over Europe…at a summit in Lisbon, Portugal last year…

Under the NATO plans, a limited system of US anti-missile interceptors and radars already planned for Europe – to include interceptors in Romania and Poland as well as the radar in Turkey – would be linked to an expanded European-owned missile defences. That would create a broad system that protected every NATO country against medium-range missile attack.

http://www.pakalertpress.com/2011/12/10/u-s-nato-abm-missile-system-covers-a-large-part-of-russian-territory/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pakalert+%28Pak+Alert+Press%29

FDI in retail: Who won, who lost?

FDI in retail: Who won, who lost?
December 07, 2011 05:57 PM |
Moneylife Digital Team
The face saving act by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government and the show of strength by the opposition seems to have defeated and denied consumers a chance to buy good quality items at reasonable rates

The deadlock in Parliament created on the issue of allowing 51% foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi- brand retail and 100% FDI in single-brand retail was finally broken when the Union government led by Dr Manmohan Singh decided to put on hold its decision on FDI in retail.

While the political parties may have their reasons for opposing the decision by putting it on back-burner the government has denied a fair chance to consumers to buy at reasonable price. The sad part is that the proposal comes after nearly 14 years when the government first liberalised FDI in the trade sector by permitting 100% FDI in ‘cash-and-carry wholesale trade and nine years later, 51% FDI in ‘single brand retail’ segment.

“We don’t expect the government to revive this (FDI in retail) legislation anytime soon given the lack of numbers and impending state government elections in the next 12 months. We expect the proposal to remain in cold storage and meet the same fate, which several other government proposals like the urea policy, goods and services tax (GST), direct taxes code (DTC) and land acquisition have met. We will be positively surprised if it goes through during the tenure of the current government,” said Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt Ltd in a research note.

The government’s decision not only brought forward the differences between political parties, but also showed different tones of industry bodies. Initially, the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) took a cautious approach by calling for a calibrated approach for introducing FDI in the retail sector in terms of the percentage and minimum capitalisation requirements. On the other hand, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) welcomed the decision and said that it would create big employment opportunity in the country.

Within a day CII came out strongly in support of FDI in retail. In a release, it said, “FDI in multi-brand retail will give a boost to the organised retail sector, which positively impacts several stakeholders including farmers, consumers, MSMEs and hence, the overall economy.”

FDI in retail would not only have brought more investment in the sector but would also have brought higher efficiency and more jobs. The Indian retail sector requires a new level of efficiency in the chain that will bring higher value to farmers, create millions of new jobs in the organized sector, and lower prices for the final consumer.
 
From the farmers perspective, organized retail has the potential to drive efficiencies in this chain by increasing price realization for farmers by 10%-30% through sourcing directly or closer to the farm, by reducing handling and wastage by 25%-50% through consolidation as well as investments in technology, either directly or through aggregators and by upgrading the farmer’s capabilities by providing know-how and capital. However, this would be distant dream now.

While there is a remote possibility that this decision would become reality through some give and take or appeasement of allies, watering down of the proposal, evolving a consensus amongst all stakeholders is a cumbersome process and will take its own time. Going by the fate of several other policy proposals, it would be a big surprise if the proposal goes through during the remaining term of the Manmohan Singh government.

According to a CII study, opening up of FDI in retail can increase organized retail market size to $260 billion by 2020. This would result in an aggregate increase in income of $35–$45 billion per year for all producers combined; 3-4 million new direct jobs and around 4-6 million new indirect jobs in the logistics sector, contract labour in the distribution and repackaging centres, housekeeping and security staff in the stores. The government also stands to gain by this move and can be expected to receive an additional income of $25-$30 billion by way of increased tax collection and reduction of tax slippages, the study said.

Organized retail share in countries of comparative development such as China and Malaysia is much higher. For instance, in China, the organized retail is estimated at 20% of the total retail sales, whereas in India, it stands at a miniscule 4%. Other South East Asian countries, too, have much larger shares with Indonesia at 30%, Thailand at around 40% and in Malaysia as high as 55%.

A doctor, an engineer, and a politician were arguing as to which profession was older. The doctor said, “Well, without a physician mankind could not have survived, so I am sure that mine is the oldest profession.” “No,” said the engineer, “before life began, there was complete chaos and it took an engineer to create some semblance of order from this chaos. So engineering is older.” “But, who created the chaos?” the triumphant politician calmly said. Chaos appears to be indeed ‘made by politicians’, as one can see.
 http://moneylife.in/article/fdi-in-retail-who-won-who-lost/22046.html

MINUSTAH by the Numbers

MINUSTAH by the Numbers

Thursday, 08 December 2011 14:19

The United Nations Peacekeeping operation in Haiti, MINUSTAH by its French acronym, has been the target of recent popular protests and a source of controversy because of its role in re-introducing cholera to Haiti, the sexual assault of a young Haitian man and other past abuses. On November 3, 2011 the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti and Bureau des Avocats Internationaux filed a legal complaint on behalf of over 5,000 cholera victims seeking damages from the United Nations. The UN has so far not responded or given a timetable for a response. Here is MINUSTAH, by the numbers: Percent of worldwide UN peacekeepers that are in Haiti, despite it not being a war zone: 12.5 Number of MINUSTAH troops (military and police) currently in Haiti: 12,552 Rank in size among the 16 UN peacekeeping operations worldwide: 3 Rank in size of Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively: 1, 2 Percent of Haiti’s annual government expenditures to which MINUSTAH’s budget is equivalent: 50 Percent of Haiti’s GDP to which MINUSTAH’s budget is equivalent: 10.7 Total estimated cost of MINUSTAH since the earthquake: $1,556,461,550 Percent of UN peacekeeping operations worldwide funded by the United States: 27 Percent the U.S. has disbursed out of its $1.15 billion pledge at the March 2010 donor conference: 18.8 Percent of the U.S.’ contributions to MINUSTAH since the earthquake that this represents: 41 Factor by which MINUSTAH’s budget exceeds the amount of funds the UN’s cholera appeal has raised: 8 Percent of MINUSTAH’s budget it would take to fully fund the UN’s cholera appeal: 1.7 Number of days operating expenses it would take to fund a cholera vaccination campaign that would cover the entire country: 18 Percent of a single day’s MINUSTAH budget that the cholera vaccination pilot program will use over its multiple-week lifespan: 40 Minimum number of people killed from cholera in Haiti since October 2010: 6,908 Number of people killed by homicide in Haiti in 2010: 689 Number of people, per 10 million (roughly the population of Haiti), killed by homicide in Brazil, the largest troop contributor to MINUSTAH: 2,270 Number of cholera victims who filed a claim with the UN seeking damages: 5,000 Number of cholera victims: 513,997 Rate per minute that Haitians were falling ill with cholera in July 2011: 1 Amount by which MINUSTAH’s budget exceeds the UN’s 2012 humanitarian appeal for Haiti: $562,517,100 Number of MINUSTAH personnel who were repatriated this year after a cell phone video emerged showing troops sexually assaulting a young Haitian man: 5 Number of successful prosecutions against over 100 MINUSTAH troops repatriated to Sri Lanka after allegations of involvement in child prostitution surfaced in 2007: 0 Number of standing claims commissions set up by the UN under Status of Forces Agreements so that local population may have means of redress from peacekeepers, historically: 0 Years MINUSTAH has been in Haiti: 7 Shortfall in trained national police officers that are supposed to take over for MINUSTAH: 10,000 Rank among Haiti’s top donors, including governments, that MINUSTAH would be if its budget went towards relief and reconstruction efforts: 3 Date on which cholera was discovered: October 21, 2010 Date the head of MINUSTAH was reported saying it was “really unfair” to accuse the UN of bringing cholera to Haiti: November 22, 2010 Distance, in miles, from the Nepalese MINUSTAH base to the location of the first reported case of cholera: .1 Date on which scientific paper confirmed that Haitian and Nepalese samples of cholera were "almost identical": August 23, 2011 Days since the cholera outbreak it has taken for the UN to accept responsibility: 413 (and counting) Date on which MINUSTAH’s mandate was extended through 2012: October 14, 2011 Percent of Haitians in a recent survey who said they wanted MINUSTAH gone within a year: 65 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/minustah-by-the-numbers

Life Without Water a Growing Threat

Life Without Water a Growing Threat
By Eva Bartlett

Gaza's power plant still maimed by Israeli bombing in 2006. Credit:Eva Bartlett/IPS. Buy this picture

GAZA CITY, Dec 9, 2011 (IPS) - "Taking our water is not like taking a toy. Water is life, they cannot play with our lives like this," says Maher Najjar, deputy general director of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) of the recent Israeli threat to cut electricity, water and infrastructure services to the occupied Gaza Strip.

"Everything will be affected: drinking and washing water, sewage and sanitation, hospitals, schools and children," says Ahmed al-Amrain, head of power information at the Palestinian Energy and National Resources Authority (PENRA).

The Israeli Electric Company provides 60 percent of the Strip's needs, paid by Palestinian customs taxes collected by the Israeli authorities.

Gaza buys 5 percent from Egypt and tries to generate the remaining 35 percent at Gaza's sole power plant, maimed by the 2006 Israeli bombing and destruction of its six transformers.

On Nov. 26, Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, threatened to cut Israeli electricity, water and ties to Gaza's infrastructure serving the 1.6 million residents of the Gaza Strip.

"This is the true meaning of collective punishment," says Jaber Wishah, deputy director for branches affairs at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). "Children, women, elderly, patients, students, all are subject to this threat."

Following the 2006 democratic elections which brought Hamas to power, Israel has imposed an increasingly severe siege on the Strip, depriving Palestinians of most essential and basic goods, including livestock, medicines, machinery and replacement parts, and the industrial diesel needed to run the power plant.

"Israel has been steadily cutting electricity and destroying infrastructure over the years, but this is the first time they have explicitly threatened to fully cut everything," says Wishah. "It is absurd to blackmail the population with their lives because of political issues."

It is also illegal.

Wishah and Israeli rights group Gisha note that Israel continues to militarily occupy and control the Gaza Strip, despite the 2005 pullout of Israeli colonists and military bases from the Strip.

According to international law, Gisha says, Israel is responsible for the well-being of the Strip's population, including ensuring electricity, water and a functioning infrastructure.

Under its siege, Israeli has since 2007 limited the amount of fuel and industrial diesel allowed to enter Gaza, resulting in daily power outages throughout the Strip, ranging from 8 to 12 hours, and interrupting water, sanitation, health and education services.

"Palestinian electricity technicians have asked Israeli government to repair a main line recently damaged, as has the Israeli Electric company. But the Israeli government refuses to do so," says Ahmed al-Amrain.

"The lack of electricity, he says, "will oblige families to buy diesel for small generators indoors, which can lead to serious accidents and burns."

More than 100 Palestinians died in 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, Oxfam reports, from generator- caused fires and carbon monoxide inhalation.

While generators allow some vital machinery to run during power outages, other services, like laundry, are not run on generators. "There is not enough electricity," says Amrain. "They are for emergencies only and are made to run for short periods, not continuously. They are absolutely not an alternative solution for electricity in the Gaza Strip."

"It will be a complete catastrophe if Israel cuts the electricity. Half of the population would not have access to water," says Maher Najjar.

Currently 95 percent of the ground water is undrinkable according to WHO standards which reports that nitrates, believed to be carcinogenic, are over 330 mg/litre, far exceeding the 50 mg/l accepted levels.

"Since 2000 we have had plans to repair and expand water projects in Gaza, but until now only about seven of 100 projects have been completed," says Najjar.

According to Najjar, just 10 percent of Gaza's 1.6 million residents get water every day. Another 40 percent get water every two days, 40 percent get water every three days, and 10 percent get water once every four days.

"Israel has drilled over 1,000 wells around the Gaza Strip for their own use. They cut the water flow before it even reaches Gaza," says Najjar.

While the amount of water supplied by Mekorot, Israel's national water company, is just 5 percent, it is the threat of Israel cutting electricity and infrastructural needs that most haunts Gaza residents. "Chlorine is vital for our water treatment. Without it, we cannot pump a drop off water," says Najjar.

Already, for want of adequate electricity and treatment facilities, up to 80 million litres of partially and non-treated sewage is pumped into Gaza's sea daily.

In 2008, the WHO reported dangerous levels of faecal bacteria along a third of Gaza's coast. By 2010, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency reported that acute bloody diarrhoea and viral hepatitis remained the major causes of morbidity among refugees in the Strip.

"We need continuous electricity to pump waste-water from homes to sewage treatment plants," says Najjar. "Generators substitute during power cuts, but without the regular supply of electricity, waste will flood the streets."

In August 2007, a sewage holding pool in Beit Lahiya overflowed, drowning five residents of the village nearby.

Hamas maintains that it would accept a Palestinian state within 1967 borders. These are borders which Israel has yet to define and continues to blur with expanding illegal Jewish settlements and occupation of Palestinian land.

"I think the Israelis are serious with their threat," says Wishah, "because they don't pay any attention to the international opinion, nor to international laws and conventions, like the Geneva Conventions, that they've signed, which forbid collective punishment. They feel they are above the law and beyond any legal pursuit." (END)

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106154

Pearl Harbor: 70 Years on, Is Iran the New Japan?

 Pearl Harbor: 70 Years on, Is Iran the New Japan?

by Finian Cunningham

Is Iran the new Japan – 70 years after the Pearl Harbour incident that led to a US declaration of war and an unspeakable nuclear nightmare? Two concurrent articles on Global Research deserve close reading because taken together they suggest that history is in danger of repeating itself, with even greater catastrophic consequences.

Firstly, Patrick Buchanan’s historical review of the run-up to the “surprise” attack by Japan on the US Navy at Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941 indicates that it was in fact no surprise to Washington planners [1]. Indeed, the evidence presented by Buchanan shows (not for the first time) that the attack by the Japanese air force was a carefully laid trap engineered at the highest level in Washington with the coldly premeditated aim of precipitating US entry to World War II.
As Buchanan notes the Japanese “provocation” at Pearl Harbour was preceded by of a series of US provocations against imperial Japan, including severing Tokyo’s oil economy and isolating the country into a diplomatic corner.
“The question was how we should maneuver them [Japan] into firing the first shot…” then US secretary of war Henry Stimson is quoted in records from November 1941.
Such contrivance of casus belli by the US is not without historical parallel, before or after: the sinking of USS Maine in Havana Harbour in 1898, triggering the American-Spanish War; the torpedoing of the Lusitania in 1915, prompting US entry into World War I; the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in 1964, escalating America’s genocidal war on Vietnam; and the 9/11 “terror attacks” in 2001, presaging Washington’s ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In this historical context of Washington’s contrived wars, the present day provocations against Iran take on a much more urgent significance.
In a separate Global Research article, Tom Burghardt makes a convincing case that the US (and Israel) are conducting a covert war inside Iran, including deadly explosive attacks on Iranian military sites – two in the past month alone which claimed the lives of more than 30 Iranian personnel. As the headline of Burghardt’s article puts it: War with Iran – a Provocation Away?
The author quotes an Iranian military official saying that Iran’s armed response to suspected US/Israeli sabotages “would not be limited to our borders”.
The latest US provocation-for-a-provocation is the intrusion of a CIA stealth drone some 140 miles inside Iran’s eastern territory [3].

It is now clear that the sophisticated RQ-170 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – which can fly at 50,000 feet undetected by radar – was on a deliberate spying mission over Iranian territory, most probably with a view to target Iranian installations for the preemptive air strikes – the very kind of air strikes that Washington and its allies have for months been threatening the Islamic Republic with.
The Washington Post described the revelation of the latest CIA drone intrusion of Iranian territory as marking the Obama administration’s “shift toward a more confrontational approach – one that includes increased arms sales to Iran’s potential rivals in the Middle East as well as bellicose statements by US officials and key allies”.
Included in the category of “bellicose” statements is that from US defence secretary Leon Panetta who last week cited contingency plans for “a wide range of military options” against Iran.
Bear in mind that the decade-long confrontation with Iran is premised on the wholly unproven assertion that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons – a claim that Iran has repeatedly denied and which years of intrusive inspections of its legitimate civilian nuclear energy facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency have failed to verify, even in spite of Western intelligence and mainstream media manipulation.
The Washington Post again tells us: “The sharpened [US] tone [against Iran] comes against a backdrop of increased diplomatic efforts in ratcheting up the economic pain for the Iranian regime, as Washington enlists European and Asian allies in coordinated efforts to choke Iran’s economy.”
Reading that last paragraph again and we could easily, and frighteningly, substitute Japan in 1941 for Iran in 2011.
Then the words of secretary of war Henry Stimson echo with sinister contemporary meaning: “The question is how we maneuver them into firing the first shot.”
And recall too that Washington’s war machinations with Japan led to a conflagration that engulfed the Asia-Pacific hemisphere and the unleashing of perhaps history’s single worst barbarity – a nuclear holocaust.
Only this time around, the much more advanced technological means to utterly destroy would make that nuclear barbarity appear as a mere shadow of what could be unleashed in the present day.
http://www.pakalertpress.com/2011/12/09/pearl-harbor-70-years-on-is-iran-the-new-japan/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pakalert+%28Pak+Alert+Press%29

What Is The Best Country In The World For Americans To Relocate To In Order To Avoid The Coming Economic Collapse?

What Is The Best Country In The World For Americans To Relocate To In Order To Avoid The Coming Economic Collapse?

Posted on truther on December 9, 2011

Millions of American citizens have already left the United States in search of a better life.  As the economy continues to crumble and as our society slowly falls apart, millions of others are thinking about it.  But moving to another country is not something to be done lightly.  The reality is that there are a vast array of social, cultural, economic and safety issues to be considered.  If you have never traveled outside of North America, then you have no idea how incredibly different life in other parts of the world can be.  For those that are unfamiliar with international travel, it can be quite a shock to suddenly be immersed in a foreign culture.  In fact, no matter how experienced you are, choosing to relocate to a new country is never easy.  But things have gone downhill so dramatically in the United States that picking up and moving to a foreign nation is being increasingly viewed as a viable alternative by millions of Americans.  A lot of people have decided that they simply do not want to be in the United States when the excrement hits the fan.  So what is the best country in the world for Americans to relocate to in order to avoid the coming economic collapse?

For each person, that answer may be different.  A lot depends on how much money you have and what your career situation is.  A lot depends on what stage of life you are at and what your family situation is.  Moving to another country can be very complicated and it can be a lot of work, but there are millions of people that have found it to be very rewarding.

When it comes to leaving America, a lot of people out there have some really strong opinions.

Many people believe that leaving the United States at this time would be abandoning our country in its hour of greatest need.  They are convinced that virtually everyone should stay and fight to turn this country around.

Others believe that there is no hope for the United States at all and that leaving this country is the only rational thing to do.  A lot of Americans have decided that the best future for their children and their grandchildren is going to be found in another part of the globe.

Still others are waiting to see what is going to happen during this next election.  Most people would agree that 2012 is going to represent a huge turning point for the United States, and if the election goes the wrong way it could move America down a road from which it will never recover.

But whatever you believe, the reality is that more Americans than ever seem to be interested in relocating overseas.  This appears to be particularly true of younger Americans.

A recent CNBC article contained the following amazing statistics….

*According to the U.S. State Department, 6.3 million Americans are either working or studying overseas.  That is the highest number that has ever been recorded.

*According to one recent survey, “the percentage of Americans aged 25 to 34 actively planning to relocate outside the U.S. has quintupled in just two years, from less than 1 percent to 5.1 percent.”

*That same survey found that 40 percent of all Americans in the 18 to 24 age group are expressing interest in relocation outside of the United States.  Two years ago that figure was only at 15 percent.

So why are so many Americans looking to relocate?

Well, our economy continues to get worse and worse.  If you have not heard yet, it has been announced that an all-time record 46 million Americans are now on food stamps.

How much worse can it get?

We just keep setting new record after new record.  Shouldn’t the government just put us all on food stamps and get it over with?

A lot of Americans want to escape this country before they get sucked into the vortex of poverty that has trapped so many other American families.  2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.  In addition, according to the U.S. Census Bureau the percentage of Americans living in extreme poverty today is higher than has ever been measured before.

As poverty and despair spread across the United States, the fabric of our society is breaking down.  As I have written about so many times, the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted is starting to disappear.

Mob violence is becoming increasingly common in America.  The following example from earlier this week comes from a story in the Blaze….

New York City firefighters came to the rescue of two NYPD cops who were outnumbered and getting pummeled by 50 angry female teenagers on Tuesday.
The Firefighters  from the FDNY opened up on the violent crowd with a “deluge gun”– which is a high-powered, truck-mounted water cannon–finally causing the mob to disperse.

As society breaks down, the government is becoming even more repressive in an attempt to maintain control.  Paranoia has become standard operating procedure and we are all considered to be potential terrorists.  Sadly, the United States is rapidly being turned into a totalitarian “Big Brother” police state.  Millions of Americans are not excited about living in a giant prison and they are starting to look for alternatives.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government continues to pile up the biggest debt in the history of the world and spend money on some of the most ridiculous things imaginable.  If you can believe it, over the past 10 years the U.S. government has actually spent almost a quarter of a billion dollars on genital pumps for old men.

Our government is drowning in debt, our businesses are drowning in debt and American consumers are drowning in debt.  At some point this entire house of cards is going to come crashing down.

Are you sure that you want to be living in the United States when that happens?

If you do plan to move outside of the United States, there are a lot of things that you need to consider….

Money

It is a lot easier to move to another country if you are independently wealthy.  Since most of us are not, you will likely have to consider how you will pay for the lifestyle that you plan to have once you move.

There are some countries (like many of the nations of northern Europe) where the cost of living is extremely high.  If you plan to move to Europe that is something that you will need to plan for.

There are other nations where the strength of the U.S. dollar is a huge benefit (at least for now).  If you have a sufficient bankroll saved up there are some areas of the world where you can literally live like a king.

Jobs

Unless you are retired, you will need to consider what kind of job you are going to work once you move.  If you do not speak the language of the country that you are moving to that is going to really limit your career options.

Also, you will need to keep in mind that wages in many areas of the world (especially in the third world) are much lower than in the United States.

Laws

Americans are often shocked to learn that the rights that we enjoy in the United States do not apply in the rest of the world.

You need to evaluate whether or not you can live with the laws that will be imposed upon you in the country that you choose to relocate to.

For example, I would not have the same freedom of speech to write the things that I do in a lot of other countries.  There are many countries that actually hunt down and arrest bloggers like me.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that huge taxes or huge fees are often imposed on those moving to a new country.  You may actually have to pay a tax on whatever possessions you bring with you.

Security

In many areas of the world you will not be able to count on the police coming to help you if a crime is committed.

Even if police are available where you choose to live, that does not mean that they will not be corrupt.

So it is imperative that you come up with a security plan.  Keep in mind that in many countries the ownership of guns is either banned or is severely limited.

Family

If you choose to relocate overseas without the rest of your family, you probably will not get to see them very often at all anymore.

It will be important for you to evaluate whether you will be able to take long-term separation from your family or not.

Also, it can be very lonely living overseas in a foreign nation where you do not know the language.  In many countries Americans are deeply hated so you may find it difficult to make friends.

Culture Shock

This is something that should not be underestimated.  Moving into the middle of a foreign culture can be absolutely shattering for many people.  A lot of Americans have absolutely no idea what life is like on the other side of the globe.

If you are thinking of moving to another country, it might be a really good idea to visit it first so that you can get a feel for what you are getting into.

So what is the best country in the world for Americans to relocate to?

I am not going to answer that question myself.  Instead, I want to ask my readers to help me answer that question.

Over the next couple of days, I am going to take comments that readers on my site leave and I am going to post them at the end of this article.  Many of them are extremely knowledgeable, and hopefully they can help all of us learn more about what life is like on the other side of the world.

So if you would like to participate in this debate, please post a comment at the end of this article on The Economic Collapse Blog with your opinion.  Please tell us what country you think is best for Americans to move to and the reasons why you think that it is the best.

This should be a fun debate, and I am looking forward to hearing what you all have to say.

http://www.pakalertpress.com/2011/12/09/what-is-the-best-country-in-the-world-for-americans-to-relocate-to-in-order-to-avoid-the-coming-economic-collapse/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pakalert+%28Pak+Alert+Press%29