DELAYING 2 STATE A HISTORICAL MISTAKE-LIVNI

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people(ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(UPROOTED ISRAELIS AND DIVIDED JERUSALEM)(THIS BRINGS ON WW3 BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED,WARNING TO ARABS-MUSLIMS AND THE WORLD).

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 11:21-23
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

Livni: Delaying 'Two-State Solution' is an Historical Mistake

Justice Minister claims that delaying the two-state solution would be a mistake on the part of those who call themselves Zionists.

By Elad Benari-First Publish: 6/4/2013, 5:16 AM-Israelnationalnews

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni-Flash 90

Delaying the so-called “two-state solution” is an historical mistake, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni claimed on Monday.Livni, who is in charge of the peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, spoke at the American Jewish Committee 2013 Global Forum in Washington, D.C. .She warned in her speech of “devastating consequences” for Israel in case U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest attempt to renew peace talks fails."Time is working against those who believe that two states is the only Zionist way to maintain our identity," Livni said. "There are those who want to postpone this decision, but it would be an historic mistake of anyone who calls himself a Zionist."The “two-state solution”, claimed Livni, “is a pure Israeli interest. It’s something we need for ourselves, not a favor to the Palestinians or to the President of the United States."She was essentially echoing the words of Kerry, who spoke before her at the same forum and who warned that if efforts to renew peace talk fail now, they may never get another chance."We are running out of time. We're running out of possibilities... If we do not succeed now, we may not get another chance," Kerry said."We can't let the disappointments of the past hold the future prisoner. We can't let the absence of peace become a self-fulfilling prophecy," the top U.S. diplomat urged in one of his most passionate speeches to date on the search for peace."The absence of peace becomes perpetual conflict," he stressed, urging the Jewish forum to reflect on what will happen if his peace bid does not work.In her remarks, Livni noted the “powerful alliance between the United States and Israel” and said that it “is critical to the success of recreating the pragmatic camp and restarting the negotiations. When the President talks about two states, he is not anti-Israeli. Even if there are disagreements between us, the United States would not endanger Israel's security.”She then called to isolate the Hamas terrorist group, which controls Gaza, and to hold talks with its rival faction Fatah, which is viewed by the West as “moderate”, despite the fact that its head, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, refuses to recognize Israel’s existence as a Jewish state and glorifies terrorists who perpetrated attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis.“We, the U.S. and the world need to isolate Hamas and hold the peace process with Fatah," said Livni. "We're trying to kickstart the process and it is not simple, but it's a necessity and a clear Israeli interest."Following their speeches, Livni and Kerry met for a one-on-one meeting, after which it was confirmed that Kerry will return to the Middle East region within days, for his fifth trip to Israel since he launched his bid to kickstart the negotiations in early February.The peace talks between Israel and the PA broke down in 2010, but not because of Israel. The talks broke down because PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas refused to negotiate with Israel even though it agreed to his precondition and froze construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem for 10 months. Instead, he has continued to impose preconditions on talks with Israel, including a demand that Israel release terrorists who were jailed before 1993, freeze construction for a second time and even present a map of the future Palestinian state before any negotiations take place.In recent weeks, Kerry has been pushing the sides to resume peace talks, and recent reports indicated that he has proposed that Israel freeze construction east of the 1949 armistice line so the talks can resume. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not responded to that suggestion.Livni began her political career in the right of center Likud party, then moved to the left-centrist Kadima party with Ariel Sharon and when voted out of her position as its head, left the Knesset to return in the last elections with a new left-leaning party formed within a few days. The party, Hatnua, won six Knesset seats.

What is the Stern Law, Anyway?

A detailed look at the bill for changing the body that selects chief rabbis.

By Gil Ronen-First Publish: 6/4/2013, 2:57 PM-Israelnationalnews

MK Elazar Stern-Arutz Sheva

The Stern Law, named for MK Elazar Stern of Tzipi Livni's Hatnua party, would change the makeup of the body that elects Israel's chief rabbis, and includes other changes that are seen as promoting the appointment of Rabbi David Stav as the next Head Ashkenazi rabbi, and religiously liberal rabbis in general.The bill's first articles determine that the justice minister is the minister in charge of appointing state rabbis, including municipal rabbis, and that this minister is also the one with whom the chief rabbis must consult regarding the appointment of 10 members of the electing body. The law originally defined the religions minister as the one who is in charge of these matters, and this was later amended to the prime minister.The present justice minister is the secular Tzipi Livni, who chairs Stern's party.Another change makes it impossible for rabbis who are respected or even world-renowned Torah scholars, but who are not serving in an official state capacity from being appointed as chief rabbis.The bill determines that the assembly that elects the chief rabbi will be made up of 200 members, 105 of whom will be rabbis and 95 public representatives. This is a change from the present situation, in which there are 150 members, of whom 80 are rabbis and 70 are public representatives.Hillel Gershuni, who teaches Talmud at Hebrew University, notes in his blog, "Stern changes the proportions so that the rabbis have only a slim advantage, and also widens the body, so that he can add more of 'the right people' to it.”
Another change regards the representation of rabbis of agricultural communities. The present law calls for eight rabbis from moshav-type communities. The new law calls for 10 moshav rabbis and another 10 kibbutz rabbis. Gershuni points to the fact that kibbutzim are leftist almost by definition.Another section calls for 10 rabbis to be appointed by the (justice) minister, in consultation with the government and chief rabbis. These are “another 10 near-automatic votes for Rabbi Stav,” Gershuni notes.When it comes to representation of municipal religious councils, Stern's law opts for reduction, instead of expansion. Their number is diminshed  from 18 to 8. Gershuni says this is a well crafted move designed to reduce Shas's influence in the assembly, since the hareidi party is very powerful in the municipal religious councils. However, that is not necessarily going to be the case now that Bayit Yehudi has the Religious Affairs Ministry.Instead of two ministers, the bill calls for four ministers to be members of the assembly – preferably women. Gershuni notes that the female ministers currently in the government are all in favor of the relatively religiously-liberal Stav.Instead of 5 MKs, the bill calls for 12 MKs to be appointed – 8 of them women.In addition, 12 representatives of the public are to be appointed – 8 of them women.Twelve more women are to be appointed “from women's organizations that operate in fields having to do with the roles of the chief rabbis.” Gershuni calls this “a whitewashed name for organizations that usually operate against the Chief Rabbinate, such as Kolech, Mavoi Satum etc.” These groups are usually funded by ultra-leftist funds like the New Israel Fund.In addition, 12 female rabbinical advocates (toanot) or female lawyers are to be appointed. “Again,” says Gershuni, “it is clear from what side of the map they will hail from.”

06/ 4/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Saying no to hypocrisy gives us the courage to speak the truth, says Francis

Pope Francis at St. Martha's House

The Pope spoke out against political correctness at this morning’s mass in St. Martha’s House, later tweeting: “Christ leads us to go out from ourselves more and more, to give ourselves and to serve others”

vatican insider staff Rome “Hypocrisy is the very language of corruption. A Christian should not use a “socially mannered language", prone to hypocrisy, but speak the truth of the Gospel with the transparency of a child,” Pope Francis said during the mass he celebrated this morning in St. Martha’s House. The president of Italian state broadcasting company, RAI, Anna Maria Tarantola and Director General, Luigi Gubitosi, attended the celebration.“From the corrupt to their language of choice: hypocrisy. Pope Francis continued his thread of thought from Monday’s homily in his reflections on the episode recounted in the Gospel of the day: The tribute due to Caesar, and the Pharisees and of the Herodians’ subtle questioning of Christ on the legitimacy of that tribute,” Vatican Radio reported."Let us think closely today: What is our language? – the Pope asked – Do we speak in truth, with love, or do we speak with that social language to be polite, even say nice things, which we do not feel? Let our language be evangelical brothers and sisters! Then these hypocrites that start out with flattery, adulation and all of that, end up, through false witnesses, with accusing the very ones they had flattered.” “Those who now approached Jesus and "seem so amiable in their language, are the same people who will go to fetch him on Thursday evening in the Garden of Olives,” Vatican Radio quoted the Pope saying.Centering his reflection on hypocrisy being the language of the corrupt, the Pope recalled how the Pharisees spoke to Jesus “with soft words, with beautiful words, with overly sweet words.”They try to show themselves his friends." But it is all false because "they do not love the truth" but only themselves, "and so they try to deceive, to involve others in their deceit, their lies. They have a lying heart, they cannot tell the truth.” 
"Hypocrisy is the very language of corruption. And when Jesus speaks to his disciples, he says: 'let your language be,' Yes, yes! No, no '. Hypocrisy is not a language of truth, because the truth is never given alone. Never! It is always given with love! There is no truth without love. Love is the first truth. If there is no love, there is no truth. They want a true enslaved to their interests. There is a love, of sorts: it is love of self, love for oneself. That narcissist idolatry that leads them to betray others, that leads them to abuse of trust,” Francis said."And the meekness that Jesus wants us to have - the Pope added - has nothing, has nothing of this adulation, this sickly sweet way of going on. Nothing! Meekness is simple, it is like that of a child. And a child is not hypocritical, because it is not corrupt. When Jesus says to us: 'Let your speech be' Yes is yes! No, is no! 'with the soul of a child', he means the exact opposite to the speech of these [hypocrites, Ed.]."

Bennett: Mark 'Settler' Products 'Made in Peace Zone'

Economics minister has novel idea regarding labeling of products manufactured in Judea and Samaria.

By Gil Ronen-First Publish: 6/4/2013, 2:14 PM-Israelnationalnews

Minister Bennett-Israel news photo: Flash 90

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett suggested Tuesday that products manufactured in Judea and Samaria be marked with the label, “Made in the Peace Zone.”This was Bennett's novel idea for counteracting the demands to mark products manufactured in Judea and Samaria, as demanded by anti-Israel forces in Europe and elsewhere.
"That way,” he said, “the world will come to Judea and Samaria and see what real coexistence and yearning for peace are.”Bennett spoke as he toured Samaria and visited Ariel University, where an entrepreneurship conference is being held. “No matter what your initiative,” he told the entrepreneurs, “or what your idea is – manpower is the first important thing to take care of in your business. That is what will determine if you rise or fall.”Bennett expressed his satisfaction at the fact that Ariel finally received recognition as a university. “It is such a joy to be able to say 'Hello to the University of Ariel in Samaria,'” he said. He added that the changes in Samaria in the last decade are no less than a revolution and vowed to do his best to support the continued development of the region.

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages;(ISRAEL) I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil,(OIL IS IN SPOIL) and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

EZEKIEL 39:1-8,11-18
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13 Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment,(NUCLEAR BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ARMIES)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye (MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL) shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.(RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS)
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.

Putin defends arms sales to Syrian regime

Russian president says Moscow is not seeking to upset region's military balance but insists sales to Assad are in line with international law

• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 4 June 2013 12.37 BST

Vladimir Putin speaks after a summit with European Union leaders. He said Moscow had not yet delivered advanced S-300 air defence systems to Damascus. Photograph: Itar-Tass/Barcroft Media

Vladimir Putin has defended Russian arms sales to the Syrian government but said Moscow had not yet delivered advanced S-300 air defence systems to Damascus.On Tuesday, the Russian president told a news conference after a summit with European Union leaders that Russia did not want to upset the military balance in the region and all its arms sales to Syria were in line with international law.Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, claimed last week the missiles were on their way but later reports in the Russian media said the first shipment would not arrive until the middle of next year.One defence source told the Kommersant daily that according to contracts signed in 2010, Moscow is due to deliver six sets of the S-300 systems by spring 2014. Another source said it would take another six months for the Syrian military to be trained to use them.
Russia's foreign ministry has been reluctant to discuss an exact time frame for the missile shipments. The deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, last week said: "I can only say that we won't cancel the contracts."

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them;(ATOMIC BOMB) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

U.N. rights team believes chemical weapons used in Syria

By Stephanie Nebehay | Reuters – 1 hr 27 mins ago JUNE 4,13

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations human rights investigators said on Tuesday they had "reasonable grounds" to believe that limited amounts of chemical weapons had been used in Syria and warned that the shattered country was in "free-fall".In their latest report, they said they had received allegations that Syrian government forces and rebels had used the banned weapons, but most testimony related to their use by state forces.Increasing reports from the battlefield of the use of chemical weapons have sounded alarm bells in the West, lending urgency to a new diplomatic push to end the war. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said last week that the use of chemical weapons was unacceptable.The U.N. commission said it examined four reported toxic attacks in March and April but could not determine which side was behind them."There are reasonable grounds to believe that limited quantities of toxic chemicals were used. It has not been possible, on the evidence available, to determine the precise chemical agents used, their delivery systems or the perpetrator," Paulo Pinheiro, who chairs the U.N. commission of inquiry, told a news conference in Geneva.

"The witnesses that we have interviewed include victims, refugees who fled some areas, and medical staff," Pinheiro said, declining to be more specific for reasons of confidentiality.President Bashar al-Assad's government and its opponents have accused each other of using chemical weapons.Syria's ambassador, Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, in a debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday, questioned the "neutrality and professionalism" of the panel.Russian Ambassador Alexey Borodavkin called for sending U.N. experts to Khan al-Assal in the northern Aleppo province, where an alleged chemical weapon strike took place on March 19, one of the four cited by the inquiry."In this connection, we should recall that Damascus is ready to accept this group," he said.A U.N. team of inspectors has so far been denied access to Syria and has been unable to establish whether chemical weapons have been used.The U.N. rights team of more than 20 investigators conducted 430 interviews from January 15 to May 15 among refugees in neighboring countries and by Skype with people still in Syria.But findings remained inconclusive and it was vital that a separate team of experts be given full access to Syria to collect samples from victims and sites of alleged attacks, the rights investigators said.In any case, atrocities committed with conventional weapons far outweighed any casualties from the use of chemical agents, Pinheiro said, noting the absence of a large-scale toxic attack.
"SYRIA IN FREE-FALL"
"The war in Syria is a major catastrophe of our time," Pinheiro told the Geneva forum. "Syria is in free-fall.
"Brutality has become a tactic of war," he said.At least 17 massacres were committed in the period under review, making a total of 30 since September, the report said.Syrian leaders must be held accountable for directing a policy that includes besieging and bombing cities and executing civilians, the independent investigators said."The documented violations are consistent and widespread, evidence of a concerted policy implemented by the leaders of Syria's military and government," they said in their fifth report on the 26-month-old war that has killed more than 80,000.Government forces and allied militia have committed war crimes including murder, torture and rape, the report said.For the past two weeks, Syrian government forces have laid siege to the border town of Qusair where aid agencies say hundreds of wounded and other civilians are trapped in dire conditions.Syrian rebels and allied foreign militants have murdered civilians as well as captured soldiers, often after "show trials" in an increasingly sectarian conflict, the report said."They continue to endanger the civilian population by positioning military objectives in civilian areas," it added.However, war crimes by rebels, including murder, torture and hostage-taking, did not reach the intensity and scale of those committed by government forces and affiliated militia.Syria's envoy Khabbaz Hamoui said the report was selective."The commission referred only casually to examples of the crimes perpetrated by the 'takfiri' (extremist) groups including extrajudicial executions, slaying of captives, tearing open the bodies of victims and eating out their guts. Some horrendous scenes that shocked the whole world," he told the talks.
The team called on the U.N. Security Council to ensure that those responsible for crimes face justice, including by possible referral of Syria to the International Criminal Court."Accountability will come," said Carla del Ponte, a former U.N. war crimes prosecutor and a member of the commission.(Writing by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alistair Lyon and Giles Elgood)

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

Death toll hits 10 in European flooding

By DAVID RISING | Associated Press – 35 mins ago JUNE 4,13

BERLIN (AP) — Germany dispatched thousands of soldiers Tuesday to help cities and towns cope with flooding from the rain-soaked Danube and other southern rivers — reinforcements that came a day after the Bavarian city of Passau saw its worst flooding since 1501.The death toll rose to at least 10, including seven in the neighboring Czech Republic, where a man was found dead in the water in eastern Bohemia. Another nine people have been reported missing in the floods that have also swept through Austria and Switzerland.

Chancellor Angela Merkel toured flooded German regions, pledging at least 50 million euros ($65 million) in immediate federal help and holding out the possibility for more. She told reporters in Passau, a city of 50,000 on the Austrian border, that the damage looked even worse than during the massive flooding that hit central Europe in 2002.Some 4,000 German soldiers were called in as well as more than 2,000 federal disaster workers and 600 federal police to sandbag areas in danger of flooding and provide other assistance. Water levels were still rising in major rivers such as the Danube and Elbe as well as tributaries.In the Czech Republic, authorities evacuated animals from the Prague zoo and closed a major bridge in the capital on Tuesday.The rain in Prague has halted but the Vltava river that runs through the city and flows into the Elbe was still raging, with currents and water levels far exceeding the norm. The famous Charles Bridge was closed as a precaution.On the outskirts of Prague, a major Staropramen beer brewery on the river bank was closed as a protective measure — as were several major chemical factories. One of them — Spolana — released dangerous toxic chemicals into the Elbe during the devastating floods of 2002.Authorities said the level of the Vltava in Prague has now begun to drop but excess water was expected to soon hit the Elba river, into which it flows downstream.This year's spike in water levels has been far less than in 2002 so far, but still forced the Prague Zoo to evacuate animals after the lower side of the park was submerged and will once again need major reconstruction.Passau, a city built around the intersection of the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz rivers, has been one of the worst hit by the flooding in central Europe.After hitting the highest level in more than 500 years in Passau on Monday, the floodwaters there had dropped by an estimated 2.5 meters (nearly 8 feet) Tuesday but cities downstream like Regensburg were bracing for the water's arrival.Peak floodwaters coursing out of the Czech Republic were expected to hit Dresden, capital of the German province of Saxony, along the Elbe in three to four days. Already, the German cities of Pirna and Meissen were reporting flooding in their historic centers.Cities and towns in the German states of Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia and Brandenburg were also hit with flooding._____Karel Janicek contributed to this report from Prague.

Egypt: Court convicts nonprofit workers

By HAMZA HENDAWI | Associated Press – 26 mins ago JUNE 4,13

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court on Tuesday convicted 43 nonprofit workers, including at least 16 Americans, of illegally using foreign funds to foment unrest in the country, sentencing them to up to five years in jail.Most of the Americans had left the country. They include Sam LaHood, son of the U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He received a five-year jail term.Present at Tuesday's hearing was American Robert Becker, who received a two-year sentence. Becker has maintained that his refusal to flee Egypt with fellow Americans who were in the country at the time of the crackdown on nonprofit groups was to show solidarity with his Egyptian colleagues.The verdict read out by judge Makram Awad also ordered the closure and seizure of the offices and assets in Egypt belonging to U.S. nonprofit groups as well as one German organization for which the defendants worked. These are the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, Freedom House, a center for training journalists and Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation.Of the 43 defendants, 27 received five-year jail terms. Another five received two years and 11 got one year. Defendants tried in absentia typically are convicted and receive the maximum sentence but also get an automatic retrial. All 43 were fined 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($143).Beside the Americans, eight other foreigners of Serbian, Jordanian, Lebanese, and other nationalities were tried.The trial began in early 2012 during the nearly 17 months of military rule that followed the ouster in the previous year of U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak. The case led to a period of tension in U.S.-Egyptian relations, with Washington warning that, unless resolved, it could lead to the loss of American aid.There was no immediate comment from the Obama administration on the verdicts, but a senior U.S. congressman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce, condemned the ruling in a statement and urged Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to allow nonprofit groups to work toward a democratic Egypt."This is another assault on Egyptian civil society. As if these trials were not bad enough, the Egyptian government is pushing a new law targeting NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that will further suffocate civil society," said Royce, a Republican from California. "President Morsi should immediately reverse course and allow for Egyptian domestic and international NGOs to work toward a democratic and secure Egypt."In Berlin, the German foreign minister said his country was outraged by the verdicts and will work for their overturn."The actions of the Egyptian judiciary are troubling. They weaken civil society, which is an important pillar of democracy in the new democratic Egypt," the minister, Guido Westerwelle, said in a statement. "The German political foundations are doing wonderful work in Egypt. They are doing exemplary work during a historical phase for Egypt, laying the foundations for democracy, rule of law, pluralism and intercultural dialogue."The former head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation received a five-year sentence on Tuesday and an employee was jailed for two.Egypt and the United States have been close allies for more than three decades, with the Egyptian military receiving more than $1 billion in aid annually. The aid is linked to Egypt's adherence to an American-mediated 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Washington's closest Middle East ally. Besides the $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid, Egypt also receives about $250 million in economic aid every year.Mubarak, the military rulers who followed him, and now Morsi's government have all been at odds with nonprofits over both their activities and their funding. Last week, the New York-based Human Rights Watch and 40 Egyptian rights groups said an Egyptian draft law regulating non-governmental organizations would restrict the funding and operation of independent groups.The contentious bill, proposed by Morsi and shortly to be debated by the country's interim legislature, would allow the state to control nonprofits' activities as well as their domestic and international funding, HRW said. The current form of the bill is a serious regression from earlier versions, it added.In a joint statement, the 40 Egyptian rights groups accused Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm of seeking to curb the freedom of rights groups through legal restrictions. They said the proposed law potentially gives Egypt's security apparatus the power to suppress rights group, drawing parallels to Egypt's recent past under Mubarak's 29-year rule.They also expressed fears foreign nonprofits would be treated with hostility and that vaguely worded legislation would hinder operations or the issuance of work permits.A spokesperson for Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign affairs chief, said Morsi's bill contained elements that would constrain the work of nonprofit groups and hinder the European Union's own capacity as a foreign donor to support their work."The draft law has to be in line with international standards and obligations of Egypt," the spokesperson said in a statement issued Sunday.Nonprofit pro-democracy groups have trained thousands of young Egyptians in political activism and organizing, an education that played a key part in the success of the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.The crackdown against the nonprofit groups began in late December 2011, when Egyptian security raided offices of 10 pro-democracy and human rights groups. Workers, including the 16 Americans, were then charged with using illegal funds and promoting protests against the then-ruling military.The groups hotly denied the charges. They insisted their financing is transparent, and all their efforts to register had been stalled by the Egyptian government.During the trial, the prosecution maintained that, between them, the four U.S. groups and one German organization illegally received about $50 million in funds, most of that in the months that followed Mubarak's ouster in February 2011. It claimed that the groups were engaged in illegal polling, training in political activism and other activity without the knowledge or the approval of authorities.Their activity, prosecutor Abdullah Yassin told the court last year, amounted to an "infringement of the sovereignty of the state of Egypt.__Associated Press reporter Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

IMF halves growth forecast for Germany

Today @ 09:08 JUNE 4,13

By Valentina Pop

Berlin - The International Monetary Fund on Monday (3 June) halved its growth forecast for Germany to 0.3 percent this year "amid still elevated euro area uncertainty" and asked the economic powerhouse not to "overperform" on fiscal consolidation."Ongoing recession" in the eurozone and declining German exports to other euro countries mean that the German economy is now expected to grown only by 0.3 percent this year compared to an April forecast of 0.6 percent, the IMF said in its yearly review on the German economy.
In Berlin, the German economy ministry still forecasts a growth of 0.5 percent this year.The longer it takes for the eurozone economy to recover, the more it will affect the German economy, as its industry will find it difficult to export and its labour market will have less jobs for all the available work force."Another important source of risk is a rise in financial stress in the region, which could interact with already weak demand and uncertainty, to amplify the impact on the German economy through both trade and financial channels," the IMF warned.The Washington-based lending institution said Germany has done all the right things in cutting its budget deficit, but should "avoid overperforming" on fiscal consolidation as it could lead to recession given the weak economic growth.Overall, however, Germany remains an "anchor of stability" for the eurozone, as investors flock to its bonds and its "strong balance sheets provide a buffer against external shocks for the region."The IMF also praised Germany's "pivotal role" in shaping policies and deepening eurozone integration."Germany can also play an important role in clearly articulating the longer-term shared vision for closer economic and financial integration among EMU countries, which would provide a crucial anchor to the expectations of households, firms, and the financial system," the IMF said.Last week, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande called for a eurozone president as part of plans for a deeper euro-integration to be discussed at a summit later this month.

Irregular border-crossings halved, says commission report

Today @ 09:28 JUNE 4,13

By Benjamin Fox

BRUSSELS - Irregular migration into the EU fell to its lowest level since 2008, the European Commission revealed Monday (3 June).A total of 13,600 irregular crossings were reported at the EU's Schengen borders in the last three months of 2012, a 52 percent reduction on 2011. The figures form part of a Schengen 'health check' covering six months from November - April 2013, by the EU executive on the functioning of the Schengen area.The Schengen agreement offers passport-free travel to more than 400 million EU citizens and 26 countries.The main fall occurred in Greece, with the commission reporting that the "situation changed in August 2012, when Greece redeployed around 1,800 border guards at its land border with Turkey". Italy accounted for 4,231 detected persons, marginally higher than the 4,035 reported by the Greek authorities.
The commission also revealed that it had opened two new cases regarding allegations that Germany and Spain had violated rules preventing governments from using national border controls Meanwhile, the number of asylum applications from countries in the Western Balkans also fell by 44 percent in early 2013. The most popular European destinations were Germany, Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg."We owe it to our citizens to make sure Schengen remains an area without border controls," said EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom in a statement.However, governments are becoming increasingly anxious to re-assert more control over their borders.EU justice and home affairs ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Thursday (6 June) in a bid to sign off on legislation aimed at amending the Schengen borders code by setting up a framework allowing governments to reintroduce controls at internal borders in exceptional circumstances. The Schengen rule-book currently allows the reintroduction of border controls when there is "a serious threat to public policy or internal security."Under the agreement struck between MEPs and ministers last week, countries unable to secure their borders would be eligible to EU financial support, as well as to additional aid from Frontex, the European Asylum Support Office or the EU police agency Europol.Meanwhile, the EU executive could propose to allow a temporary reintroduction of border controls for a limited period of time on the basis of a qualified majority vote, while governments could shut down their borders if they felt threatened by political demonstrations, high-profile political meetings, or sporting events.Ministers will also assess a regulation establishing an evaluation and monitoring mechanism to oversee the implementation of legislation related to the Schengen area.

EVEN FOREIGN LEADERS WORRIED ABOUT FORDS DRUG SCANDAL

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

ALL MY REPORTS ON THIS STORY SO FAR
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/06/duffy-and-ford-scandals-still-hot.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/some-say-rob-ford-must-resign-now.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/2nd-killer-in-rob-ford-drug-video.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/another-calls-for-fords-resignation.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/ontario-mayorcanada-senate-scandals.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/now-doug-ford-drug-selling-allegations.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/rob-ford-no-answers-to-drug-alligations.html

Rob Ford: Visiting Portuguese dignitary raised mayor’s cocaine scandal with city councillor Ana Bailao

Councillor Bailao assured visiting culture secretary from Portugal that meeting with Ford would happen despite crack video controversy

Pawel Dwulit / Toronto Star

Toronto city councillor Ana Bailão told reporters Monday that, Portuguese government official Conceição Estudantementioned the ongoing Ford turmoil during a vist to the city.

By: David Rider Urban Affairs Bureau Chief, Published on Mon Jun 03 2013

A visiting Portuguese dignitary who met with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is aware of the scandal surrounding him, says Ward 18 Councillor Ana Bailão.Bailão told reporters Monday that, at an event Saturday marking 60 years of Portuguese immigration to Canada, Conceição Estudante, regional secretary of Culture, Tourism and Transport for the Madeira region, mentioned the ongoing Ford turmoil.“She knew that we were meeting (with Ford) on Monday and she said ‘Well, hopefully, with everything that is going on the visit will still go ahead and there will be no problems,’ ” Bailão said, adding there was no doubt what she was referring to. Bailão said she assured the dignitary all would be fine.The Monday morning meeting and photos in Ford’s office, with Ford, Bailão, Estudante, Councillor Cesar Palacio and Júlio Vilela, Portugal’s consul general to Toronto, went off without a hitch or mention of the controversy, Bailão said.Ford is working hard to project an air of business as usual at City Hall despite lingering questions and calls for his resignation.But turmoil in Ford’s office, including his firing of his chief of staff and the ensuing resignation of five other staffers, have helped keep a public and media focus on the scandal.Bailão, who herself weathered controversy that ended with an impaired driving conviction in January, said Torontonians deserve some kind of resolution about the Ford video.If people manipulated a video to impugn the mayor, they need to be held accountable, she said. Asked if Ford has done enough to address the questions, she said: “I don’t think so.”Bailão did not join colleagues Jaye Robinson, a member of Ford’s executive committee, and Josh Matlow in calling for Ford to temporarily step down so that business at city hall can get back to normal. But councillors would support such a decision by the mayor.“If the mayor came and said . . . he needs time to step aside and deal with this, we would be supportive,” she said.

Rob Ford crack story: Is seeing believing?

With the video yet to surface, debate turns to journalistic ethics

CBC News Posted: Jun 3, 2013 1:51 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 3, 2013 2:16 PM ET

Both the Toronto Star and the U.S. gossip website Gawker published stories last month claiming their journalists have viewed a video of Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.The story set off a media frenzy, but it has been more than two weeks since it came to light.With the alleged tape yet to surface, questions are turning to how news organizations have covered the story.The Toronto mayor and his brother, Coun. Doug Ford, have admonished the coverage of the story while denying the tape exists. Last week, Doug Ford said the stories about his brother are proof journalism has sunk “to an all-time low.”The coverage prompted Rob Ford to call the news media a “bunch of maggots,” a statement he later apologized for.
But have news organizations fallen short of their own ethical standards in covering this story? Monday’s edition of The Current on CBC Radio One tackled the issue, with host Anna Maria Tremonti speaking to a panel that included:

• Star reporter Robyn Doolittle.
• Ivor Shapiro, chair of the Ryerson University School of Journalism.
• National Post columnist Matt Gurney.

Discussion quickly turned to the issue of whether the tape even exists.“It’s interesting to me that people believe there is some mass conspiracy between two organizations and three separate people,” said Doolittle, one of two Star reporters who claim to have viewed the video.“It’s fair that people are questioning the things that they’re reading,” she said. “The people who don’t believe it, maybe won’t believe it even when they’re confronted with the video.

News consumer want to see the goods

Shapiro said the advent of social media means news consumers now want to see material with their own eyes, instead of simply trusting reporters’ accounts.“The expectations of audiences is raised and therefore the skepticism of audiences is raised,” he said. “That’s not a bad thing in a democracy, that the public is skeptical. It raises an unfortunate situation when the video isn’t available.”Gurney agreed.“During the Boston [Marathon] bombing, media scrambled to catch up with what people were tweeting. [People] expect to see it with their own eyes and have some of the gaps filled by followup reporting.”Gurney said he believes the video does exist, adding he’s doubtful three journalists from two different organizations would falsify or get wrong a story on which their journalistic reputation hinges.

Chequebook journalism?

Also at issue is the question of whether it’s right to pay for such a video.Doolittle said the Star had been pursuing the story for weeks prior to the Gawker’s scoop about the tape that came to light May 16.
The Gawker story essentially forced the Star to publish what they had gathered the next day. According to the Star's account, Doolittle and another reporter were shown the video on a cellphone by people asking $100,000 for it, a price the Star wouldn’t pay.Gawker raised $200,000 to buy the video in an online campaign, but were unable to complete the purchase, saying it had lost contact with the person possessing it. The Star has also reported difficultly in trying to re-establish contact with the person who showed them the tape.The use of so-called “chequebook journalism," while common in other countries, is controversial in Canada.CBC does not pay sources for information related to a story. (CBC does pay fees at recognized rates to specialists for an expert report or a scientific analysis of a story).Unnamed sources a 'necessary evil'?
Doolittle said most people she has spoken to about the Ford video story are angry the Star didn’t purchase the video.“The biggest backlash that I’ve had is, ‘Why didn’t you guys buy the tape? [Why didn't you] give $100,000 to drug dealers for the greater good of the city?'”Another issue is the use of unnamed sources.
In the days following the original Gawker and Star stories about the tape, the Star dug up other details, including a story alleging the mayor knew in which apartment the video was stashed. On their weekly radio show Sunday, the Fords demanded that the Star apologize for that story.Shapiro said unnamed sources make editors uncomfortable, but said they are often an “necessary evil” for any journalist working to uncover information others want to suppress.“I’ve never met a reporter who likes to use anonymous sources,” he said. “I don’t think anyone should be expected to kill a story because their sources can’t be named.”

UN ARMS TRADE TREATY OPEN FOR SIGNATURE TODAY

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

WHEN WAR THREATENS
http://btglobalmedia.co.il/rambam/site/?Toolid=xxx&website=channel7_textlink

Op-Ed: Am I an Islamophobe?

Published: Monday, June 03, 2013 10:21 AM

Telling the stark reality is just not politically correct.

Dr. Avi Perry

The year was 2009. I was a guest at a talk show, discussing my newly released book: 72 Virgins. People in the audience called in, referring to me as an Islamophobe. It was the first time I was accused of prejudice against, hatred towards, or irrational fear of Muslims.Those who tried to characterize me as such had no idea what the book was about, but quickly jumped to conclusions, basing their judgment on the evocative title. Some even claimed mendaciously to have read the book, but turned nonverbal or entirely wide of the mark when asked to reflect on the book’s theme.

It does not matter if the Qur’an indeed calls for violence... It does not matter as long as the Jihadists claim that it does.Throughout the years that followed, I discussed the phenomenon of Islamic terror on my own talk show, whenever the subject came to the fore due to topical events covered by the major news media at the time. I always tried to emphasize, right from the outset, that I did not regard all Muslims as terrorists, and that I did recognize the fact that not all terrorists were Muslims.My approach to characterizing Islamic terror has always been based on the fact that all reasonable people attributed it to “Radical Islam”—a global movement comprising al-Qaeda, its self-regulating extensions, and even some hot-headed, radicalized individuals with no direct ties to any of the larger Jihadi organizations.I have also noted that Islam comprises 50% of the term “Radical Islam”, and that Radical Islamists commit their crimes in the name of their religion; they find proof, justification and reinforcement for their acts of terror in their sacred texts. I do not have to become a Qur’an or a Hadith expert to prove that point.It does not matter if the Qur’an indeed calls for violence (which I believe to be a true characterization). It does not matter as long as the Jihadists claim that it does; they claim to abide by their prophet’s edicts. They keep justifying their acts of terror and violence by telling us that they follow their religious beliefs. What else is the root cause for their acts of terror? Now, in the minds of many left-minded individuals, this is where I have been crossing the red line. I have been linking Islam with terror, they claim. The principal line of attack other than calling me an Islamophobe, where the term is sandwiched between some unprintable X-rated junk words, has always been consistent with my own approach. Their attack has always been packaged by:“And what about crimes and terror acts committed by Christians in the name of their religion?” and also: “I have a Muslim friend, yada, yada, yada…”Right; I guess I need to say it one more time. Not all Muslims are terrorists, and not all terrorists are Muslims. Nevertheless, there is a significant segment of people among the Muslim population who commit terror acts in the name of their religion, a larger segment who do not resort to violence, but do support it wholeheartedly, and an even larger silent segment who neither support it nor condemn it, and thus, let it continue unchallenged.Fortunately, these three segments do not take account of all Muslims—there are also Muslims who view Radical Islam as alien to their interpretation of the Qur’an and to what they see as their peaceful religion.And then, the fact that Christians—mostly in the distant past and to a lesser degree in the present—committed crimes in the name of their religion, should not be used to cover up the fact that in today’s world, a significant number of terror acts are committed in the name of Islam.If admitting to the cold reality, while steering clear of expressing hatred towards, or irrational fear of all Muslims, (simply because they happened to be born Muslim) makes me an Islamophobe, so be it.Trying to cover up facts with the aim of protecting a criminal, ruthless underdog (merely because that particular group is perceived as the underdog) is not only corrupt. It is an ideology in need of being condemned.

Psychological Warfare against Syrian Missile Threats JUNE 3,13-INN

According to Globes, Assad has declared the opening of a front on the Golan, but that is the last thing he needs. If anyone opens a front on the Golan, it will be al Qaeda-affiliated rebel groups based on villages along the border with Israel. Globes explains that those who want to open a front, shoot; they don’t boast about it on television. When deterrence is the name of the game, the whole neighborhood switches from strategy to psychology. Deterrence is chiefly a psychological concept, existing mainly in the mind, in awareness, and in hidden fears, says Globes, referring to DM Ya'alon's statement that 'Israel will know what to do', aimed at motivating Assad to avoid retaliation or further weapon transport.

Iraq Warns Israel Not to Use Its Airspace for Iran Strike

Baghdad warns Israel that it would respond to any attempts by the Jewish state to overfly Iraq for a strike against Iran.

By Arutz Sheva staff-First Publish: 6/3/2013, 2:33 PM-Israelnationalnews

Bushehr nuclear power plant-AFP photo

Baghdad has warned Israel that it would respond to any attempts by the Jewish state to use Iraqi airspace for a strike against Iran's nuclear program, a top Iraqi minister told the AFP news agency.The remarks from Hussein al-Shahristani, deputy prime minister responsible for energy affairs, mark the first time a senior Iraqi official has publicly warned Israel against entering its airspace -- the most direct route -- to hit targets in Iran.
Shahristani also said that Iraq had received assurances from Washington that the United States would not use its airspace to attack Iran, which is trying to develop a nuclear weapon. "The (Americans) have assured us that they will never violate Iraqi airspace or Iraqi sovereignty by using our airspace to attack any of our neighbors," Shahristani said in an interview in his office in Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, according to AFP."We have also warned Israel that if they violate Iraqi airspace, they will have to bear the consequences."The minister said that the issue had been discussed in Iraq's national security council, and the warning had been passed to Israel "through countries that they have relations with".Asked how Iraq would react to any Israeli attempt to target Iran's nuclear program, Shahristani responded by saying, "Obviously, Iraq wouldn't be disclosing its reaction, to allow Israel to take that into account."Western powers led by Washington along with Israel are at loggerheads with Iran over allegations that its nuclear program is aimed at developing an atomic weapon.Tehran has repeatedly rejected the allegations, maintaining that its nuclear program remains solely for peaceful purposes, all the while threatening to obliterate the Jewish state.
 
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

UN Arms Trade Treaty opens for signature Monday

By EDITH M. LEDERER | Associated Press – JUNE 3,13

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The first international treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade opens for signature Monday with some key arms sellers and buyers expected to be among several dozen nations that sign.The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the treaty on April 2. It will require countries that ratify it to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms and components and to regulate arms brokers, but it will not control the domestic use of weapons in any country.

What impact the treaty will have in curbing the estimated $60 billion global arms trade remains to be seen. The landmark U.N. treaty will take effect after 50 countries ratify it, and a lot will depend on which ones ratify and which ones don't, and how stringently it is implemented.The United Nations has organized a high-level signing ceremony at U.N. headquarters on Monday — a sign of the treaty's global importance — and several dozen countries are expected to sign, the first step to ratification.The Control Arms Coalition, which includes hundreds of non-governmental organizations in over 100 countries that promoted an Arms Trade Treaty, said it expects many of the world's top arms exporters including Britain, Germany and France to sign alongside emerging exporters such as Brazil and Mexico. It said the United States is expected to sign later this year.The coalition noted that more than 500,000 people are killed by armed violence every year and predicted that "history will be made" when many U.N. members sign the treaty, which it says is designed "to protect millions living in daily fear of armed violence and at risk of rape, assault, displacement and death.'
Many violence-wracked countries including Congo and South Sudan are also expected to sign. The coalition said their signature — and ratification — will make it more difficult for illicit arms to cross borders.The treaty covers battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms and light weapons.It prohibits states that ratify it from transferring conventional weapons if they violate arms embargoes or if they promote acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. The treaty also prohibits the export of conventional arms if they could be used in attacks on civilians or civilian buildings such as schools and hospitals.In considering whether to authorize the export of arms, a country must evaluate whether the weapons would be used to violate international human rights laws or employed by terrorists or organized crime. A country must also determine whether the weapons would contribute to or undermine peace and security.In addition, the treaty requires countries to take measures to prevent the diversion of conventional weapons to the illicit market.

JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37  For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)

ISAIAH 17:1,12-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

EZEKIEL 38:1-6
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.

IAEA concerned will find nothing at Iran site after 'clean-up'

By Fredrik Dahl | Reuters – 11 mins ago JUNE 3,13

By Fredrik Dahl

VIENNA (Reuters) - U.N. nuclear investigators may no longer find anything if granted access to Iran's Parchin military site, their chief said on Monday, in view of suspected Iranian efforts to remove any traces of illicit atomic activity there.Yukiya Amano also said his agency's talks with Iran on unblocking an IAEA inquiry into possible nuclear arms research by Tehran had been "going around in circles" for some time.Amano was airing unusually blunt criticism that reflected the mounting tension over Iran's disputed nuclear energy program that has increased fears of a new Middle East war.Israel, widely assumed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed state, sees Iran's declared civil nuclear program as the most serious risk to its security and has threatened air strikes if diplomacy and sanctions fail to rein in Tehran.Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, vented growing frustration at the lack of results in getting Iran to address international concerns. Tehran denies its nuclear energy quest is a disguised bid for atomic bombs.
In hard-hitting comments to the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors and later at a news conference, he also said Iranian advances in building a research reactor and in its uranium enrichment work were in "clear contravention" of U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for a suspension in such activities.The IAEA has been trying since early 2012 to engage with Iran over what the Vienna-based U.N. agency calls the "possible military dimensions" to the country's nuclear program.But 10 rounds of negotiations in the last 17 months have failed to achieve any breakthrough. Western diplomats accuse Iran of stonewalling the IAEA, an allegation Tehran rejects."To be frank, for some time now we have been going around in circles," Amano, a veteran Japanese diplomat, said.The IAEA's priority has been to gain access to Parchin, a sprawling military compound where it believes Iran may have carried out explosives tests applicable to developing a nuclear weapon, possibly a decade ago. Iran denies this.But Amano acknowledged for the first time that "extensive activities" by Iran - including removal of soil and asphalting - now meant inspectors may return empty-handed even if Iran were to allow them to visit. Iran says Parchin is a conventional military site and has dismissed the cleansing allegations."It may no longer be possible to find anything," he said, adding, however, that the IAEA still wanted to go to Parchin.
IRAN REACTOR WORRIES WEST
Amano spoke at a time of apparent deadlock in a broader diplomatic initiative by six world powers to find a peaceful solution to the decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Western diplomats say they are awaiting the outcome of Iran's June 14 presidential election but still do not anticipate any notable rollback from its nuclear defiance.Iran, a big oil producer now under harsh Western sanctions against its lifeblood export sector, says its nuclear program aims to meet the electricity needs of a rapidly growing population and advance some areas of scientific research.But its refusal to suspend nuclear activity with both civilian and potential military applications in defiance of U.N. Security Council demands, and its lack of full openness with the IAEA, have fuelled suspicions abroad about its ultimate goals."Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation to enable us to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities," Amano said.Western and Israeli worries about Iran are focused largely on its uranium enrichment work, as such material refined to a high level can provide the fissile core of an atomic bomb.But diplomats and experts say a heavy water research reactor being built near the town of Arak could give Iran an alternative ingredient - plutonium - for nuclear bombs, if it were to decide to build such weapons of mass destruction.An IAEA report issued to member states last month showed the Islamic Republic pressing ahead with the construction of Arak, including the delivery to the site of the reactor vessel."Iran continues to advance its heavy water-related projects," Amano said. The lack of updated design information about the plant "is having an increasingly adverse impact on our ability to ... implement an effective safeguards approach."(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Syrian doctor says 300 wounded trapped in Qusair

By BARBARA SURK and SARAH EL DEEB | Associated Press – 43 mins ago JUNE 3,13

BEIRUT (AP) — At least 300 seriously wounded residents of an embattled Syrian town near the border with Lebanon need to be evacuated for medical treatment, a doctor told The Associated Press on Monday, as fighting in Qusair raged for the third straight week.Kasem Alzein, who coordinates treatment in several makeshift hospitals in Qusair, said the wounded are being treated in private homes after the town's main hospital was destroyed during fighting between the Syrian army — backed by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas — and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.Speaking to the AP from Qusair via Skype, Alzein pleaded for help, saying evacuation efforts by local medical teams had failed after a convoy was attacked last week and 13 of the wounded were killed. He said medical supplies are running out and doctors treating the wounded most urgently need oxygen to keep the 300 people — mostly women, children and elderly — alive."The humanitarian and medical conditions are terrible," Alzein said, adding that no medical supplies have reached the town since the government launched an offensive on Qusair May 19. "We are treating people in homes in an unsterilized environment. We tried to evacuate the wounded and we can't. No one is helping us."Alzein said 50 abandoned homes around Qusair have been turned into makeshift hospitals. Four of the homes have been converted into operating theatres. He said the doctors had stocked up on medical supplies, but they are running out of antibiotics, bandages and anesthetics. Oxygen supplies are already exhausted, he added.The shelling of the town continued Monday, Alzein said. "Every day we have new wounded."Appeals by the United Nations and other aid organizations to allow humanitarian workers to enter Qusair have gone unheeded by authorities in Damascus as fighting drags on and neither side has been able to deliver a decisive blow. Syrian regime troops and fighters from Hezbollah have gained ground, but rebels have been able to defend some positions and appear to be dug in the north and west of the town.
On Sunday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem to express concern over the situation in Qusair, according to Syria's state-run news agency SANA. However, al-Moallem told the U.N. chief that the Red Cross and other aid agencies will only be able to enter Qusair "after the end of military operations there," SANA said.The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, on Monday said she was joining the U.N and the Red Cross in appealing for a safe passage for civilians in the town, describing the situation in Qusair as a "tragedy.""All right-thinking people will join me in appealing for all parties to this savage conflict to respect the fundamental rights of civilians to safe passage," she said in statement. "These appeals have been falling on deaf ears. In a moment like this we must together all raise our voices ever more loudly until our protests can no longer be ignored."Also on Monday, Hezbollah guerrillas fought Lebanese Sunni militants trying to reach Qusair to join the Syrian rebels. Residents said clashes were taking place in the Syrian village of Jousih, about 13 kilometers (eight miles) from Qusair. There were no immediate reports on casualties.Over the weekend, three rockets from Syria struck Lebanon's northeast and 18 rockets and mortar rounds hit its eastern Baalbek region, a Hezbollah stronghold.From Saturday night into Sunday, Hezbollah fighters inside Lebanon ambushed Syrian rebels and allied Lebanese fighters whom they suspected of rocketing Baalbek, a Lebanese security official said. The clashes were the worst yet inside Lebanon, where the Syrian conflict has intensified since Hezbollah's involvement in Qusair fighting has been public recent weeks.A Hezbollah fighter and several rebels were killed in Monday's clashes, which happened in a remote area near the Syrian border, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.Elsewhere in Lebanon, gunmen fired on a prominent pro-Hezbollah Sunni cleric in the port city of Sidon on Monday but failed to hit him, security officials said. The attack on Sheik Maher Hammoud increased fears that the Syrian conflict could re-ignite the country's explosive sectarian mix that mirrors the one in Syria. Lebanon's 15-year civil war ended in 1990.Hammoud was fired on by assailants in a moving vehicle as he walked from his home to the al-Quds Mosque where he preaches, the officials said. His bodyguards returned fire but no one on either side was hurt, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.Hammoud is a longtime supporter of Hezbollah, whose power base lies in Lebanon's Shiite Muslim community and which is supported by Iran. The group's role in Syria's civil war has become more apparent in recent weeks as the group buried dozens of fighters who have been in an ongoing battle for Qusair.They fight on behalf of President Bashar Assad's regime, dominated by his Alawite sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Sidon is a majority Sunni Muslim city, and many Lebanese Sunnis back Syria's Sunni-dominated rebels. It was not clear who was behind the shooting. Hammoud told Lebanon's private Al-Mayadeen TV that he assumed it was linked to his support for "Hezbollah's jihad" in Syria.Rival sectarian factions have frequently clashed inside Lebanon during the 2-year-old Syrian conflict.In the north, fighting between Sunnis and Alawites in the city of Tripoli raged overnight into the early hours of Monday. Security officials said five people have been killed and 34 wounded since Sunday. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.By daytime, fighting had largely subsided although snipers were still active in the most affected neighborhoods, Lebanon's official news service said. The army was patrolling the city, and universities, schools and business had opened, it added.___Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed to this report.

Turkish premier brands protesters extremists

By Birsen Altayli and Ayla Jean Yackley | Reuters – 1 hr 21 mins ago JUNE 3,13

By Birsen Altayli and Ayla Jean Yackley

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused anti-government protesters on Monday of walking "arm-in-arm with terrorism", remarks that could further inflame public anger after three days of some of the most violent riots in decades.Hundreds of police and protesters have been injured since Friday in the riots, which began with a demonstration to halt construction in a park in an Istanbul square and grew into mass protests against what opponents call Erdogan's authoritarianism.He has dismissed the protests as the work of secularist enemies who never reconciled to the mandate of his Islamist AKP party, which has won three straight elections, overseen an economic boom and raised Turkey's profile in the region.

"This is a protest organized by extremist elements," Erdogan said at a news conference before departing on a trip to North Africa. "We will not give away anything to those who live arm in arm with terrorism.""Many things have happened in this country, they've hanged, they've poisoned, but we will walk towards the future with determination and through holding onto our values," he added, an allusion to Turkey's murky past of military coups and covert action by militant secularist forces.The unrest has delivered a blow to Turkish financial markets that have thrived under Erdogan. Shares fell more than six percent and the lira fell to 16-month lows.Erdogan said the protesters had no support in the general population and he gave no indication he was preparing any concessions.Protesters accuse Erdogan of furthering a hidden Islamist agenda in a country with a secularist constitution. Some object to tightening restrictions on alcohol sales and other measures seen as religiously motivated. Others complain of the costs from Erdogan's support of rebels in neighboring Syria's civil war.Still others have economic grievances, viewing the disputed development project in Istanbul's Taksim Square as emblematic of wild greed among those who have benefited from Turkey's boom.Protesters gathered in Taksim again on Monday. Barricades of rubble hindered traffic along the Bosphorus waterway and blocked entry into the area. Leftist groups hung out red and black flags. Tear gas lingered in the warm, damp air.Banners called on Erdogan to resign and declared: "Whatever happens, there is no going back."Nearby walls were plastered with cartoon posters of an image borrowed from a photograph of a policeman spraying tear gas at a young woman in a red summer dress, adopted as an emblem of aggressive police conduct. The caption read: "The more they spray, the bigger we get."Istanbul police kept a low profile on Monday morning and were not to be seen around the main gathering points at Taksim and the area of Besiktas. In the capital Ankara, however, police again fired tear gas again at protesters.Erdogan appeared to reject accusations by the United States and the European Union, sensitive to Turkey's strategic position on the edge of the Middle East and bordering Syria and Iraq, of heavy handed police action."We...are behaving in a very restrained way," he said."Be calm, relax," he advised the public. "All this will be overcome."
"FUEL TO THE FIRE"

The protests had appeared to ease off on Saturday night, but were re-ignited by defiant comments by Erdogan on Sunday afternoon describing the protesters as "a few looters" driven on by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP)."Rather than try to calm the situation...some of Mr Erdogan's public statements about the protesters have added fuel to the fire," Robert O'Daly, Turkey Analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit, said. "Mr Erdogan appears to have underestimated the mood in the country.

"The absence of an effective opposition in parliament during the ten years that the AKP and Mr Erdogan have been in power has reduced the constraints on government. As a result, Mr Erdogan and his government appear out of touch, going ahead with pieces of legislation or in this case an urban development project without much consultation."The CHP said it was being used as a scapegoat for Erdogan's failure to read the public mood."The people on the street across Turkey are not exclusively from the CHP, but form all ideologies and all parties," senior CHP member Mehmet Akif Hamzacebi told Reuters. "What Erdogan has to do is not to blame CHP but draw the necessary lessons from what happened."Erdogan has given no indication he is preparing any concessions. Certainly, with his strong support, especially in the heartland of Anatolia, he seems for now safe in his post.He said plans would go ahead to re-make Taksim Square, long a rallying point for demonstrations, including construction of a new mosque and the rebuilding of a replica Ottoman-era barracks.Protests have involved a broad spectrum in dozens of cities, from students to professionals, trade unionists, Kurdish activists and hardline secularists who see Erdogan seeking to overthrow the secularist state set up by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923 in the ruins of the Ottoman Empire.

Since taking office, Erdogan has dramatically cut back the power of the army, which ousted four governments in the second half of the 20th century and which hanged and jailed many, including a prime minister. In 1997 Turkey's first Islamist government was eased from office by the military.Hundreds of officers, including senior generals, have been jailed in the last year over an alleged coup plot against Erdogan and his AK Party. Journalists, artists and businessmen have also been locked up.Erdogan remains far and away the most popular politician, and pointed to his electoral mandate, won since 2002 on the virtual ruin of traditional parties mired in corruption and mismanagement scandals."The fact the AK Party has increased its votes at three elections in a row and has successfully won two referendums, shows how the people of this nation have embraced the AK Party," he said.Turkey remains in many ways a country divided into a more conservative religious heartland and a liberal elite wary of religious inroads. They view with particular suspicion Erdogan's moves to end restrictions on the Islamic headscarf, increase restrictions on alcohol and his enthusiastic advocacy of a huge new mosque to be built on the banks of the Bosphorus.

(Writing by Ralph Boulton; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Peter Graff)

EU arms to Syria: what, how and if

Today @ 16:27 JUNE 3,13

By Andrew Rettman

BRUSSELS - The EU officially lifted its arms embargo on Syria on Saturday (1 June).The EU hawks which pushed for it, Britain and France, promise they will not ship anything if Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad gets serious in peace talks.But if the talks - due to start in Geneva this month - fail, they will have some hard choices to make.Defence analysts say what the rebels really need are shoulder-fired anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.They listed four Western-made anti-aircraft models - the Stinger, the Mistral, the Blowpipe and the Starstreak - as potential choices.They also listed three Western anti-tank models - the Carl Gustav, the Panzerfaust and the Panzerabwehrrichtmine - as options.They said Britain and France might instead buy Russian-made equivalents on the open market.Russian choices include the Strela and Igla anti-aircraft missiles and the RPG7, RPG18 or RPG29 anti-tank weapons."Even low-tech anti-aircraft systems would make Assad's forces keep their distance. They would no longer have the free run of the battlefield," Edward Hunt, from the British defence consultancy Janes, told this website."Syria uses helicopters to rapidly deploy crack units from east to west or vice versa to hit back at rebels. Shoulder-fired missiles would make this impossible. The ability to shoot down helicopters means the Syrian military would be confined to moving its troops using [ground] convoys," Jonathan Eyal, from the UK military think tank Rusi, noted.It might make a big difference whether they send Western or Russian material.They would have to train rebels to use Western equipment and keep them supplied with ammunition and spare parts.But Assad soldiers-turned-rebels are familiar with Russian weapons and can loot ammunition from the Russian-armed regime.Eliot Higgins, who writes the Brown Moses blog on Syria, told this website the rebels have already been using high-tech Russian anti-tank weapons "in increasing numbers over the last nine months, in line with increasing captures of ammo dumps and bases."Russian arms are also better for propaganda purposes."You don't want to send material which is easily recognisable as your own," Jane's Hunt said."You don't want the Syrians to show a British rifle on TV and say: 'Look. This is what killed this poor boy's mother.' If you're trying to keep the moral high ground, you don't want your bullets showing up in the bodies of civilians," he noted.Otfried Nassauer, from the German arms-control NGO Bits, added that Western weapons are harder to get back once a conflict ends.The US supplied Stingers to anti-Russian guerrillas in Afghanistan in the 1980s. They cost $30,000-or-so brand new. But when the US tried to buy them back for more than $50,000 a piece, many Mujahideen fighters preferred to "keep them under their bed.""Whoever has one is perceived to be very important," Nassauer said.Opinion is divided on the Western/Russian-made question.Rusi's Eyal said: "Time is a factor. In practice it would be cumbersome to rely on Russian supplies in large quantities. What happened in Libya is that countries [who supplied rebels in the 2011 Libya war] rustled up whatever they could get their hands on quickly from their own arsenals."He added that the nature of the Syria war makes spare parts irrelevant."Spare parts are meaningful for an organised force with a logistics back-up line to service weapons and bring them back into battle. There's no such thing here. The rebels use weapons until they jam and then throw them away," he said.The question of which models of weapon to ship is also key to the biggest problem in the Anglo-French plan - the risk of proliferation.The main rebel group - the Free Syrian Army, described as "moderates" by British and French diplomats - has a chain of command and has pledged to create democracy.But if Islamist rebel groups - such as Ahrar al-Sham, Jabhat al-Nusra or al-Qaeda - get their hands on Western equipment they might use them against Western allies, such as Israel or Jordan.Individual extremists might also bring them back to Europe for terrorist attacks.Top-end anti-aircraft missiles - such as modern Stinger or Igla-type models - are a threat to the Israeli air force.
Top-end anti-tank weapons, such as RPG29s, are a threat to Israeli tanks.The anti-aircraft missiles also pose a danger to civilian planes on low flight paths or on take off and landing.Russian media reports that two rebel-fired missiles narrowly missed a passenger jet carrying 159 tourists from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt to the Russian city of Kazan in April.If Britain and France go ahead, analysts expect them to ship arms via the Jordanian-Syrian border.They would fly them in using military cargo planes or civilian aircraft and use ground forces to control who gets what."Some special forces would have to be deployed in Syria to ensure the material gets to the right people. You can't just dump it on the border and hope for the best," Rusi's Eyal said.The Brown Moses blogger noted that rebel groups "trade and sell" arms to one another once they get them, however.Meanwhile, even Israeli intelligence has trouble telling who is who.Alon Ben-David, a defence expert at Israel's Channel 10 broadcaster, told this website: "Israeli intelligence has tried to build a picture of who the rebels are. But it's a riddle. Every town has its own armed gangs which act independently of each other and which are impossible to identify."He said: "Just because you meet a rebel commander who speaks good English and who doesn't have a beard doesn't mean you know who he really represents."Rusi's Eyal added: "You could end up creating a parallel army … You could end up creating another Taliban [anti-Western fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan]."Amid the risks and doubts on what to send, analysts wonder if Britain and France will go ahead no matter what happens in the Geneva talks.For Eyal, the whole thing is "a bluff" designed to scare al-Assad to make concessions.For Nick Witney, an analyst at the British-based ECFR think tank, "they are hoping against hope that the Geneva talks are a success so they don't have to follow through."For Christopher Philips, from British think tank Chatham House, they are "posturing" on the world stage.He said Britain and France - former colonial powers in the Middle East - "have delusions of grandeur" and a "misplaced sense of their own importance."Philips noted that despite its tough talk, there are "divisions" inside the British foreign office on what to do."It's very questionable if they will send modern anti-aircraft missiles … The quantity and quality of weapons they might supply is negligible compared to what's coming in from [Assad's allies] the Russians and the Iranians. So it wouldn't solve anything. It would just be flooding the region with arms," he said.Julian Barnes-Dacey, another ECFR pundit, said EU countries should start talking to al-Assad and to Iran instead of playing "diplomacy-lite" and "intervention-lite."
"If they are going to intervene militarily, they should go in much more heavily, which they are clearly not willing to do," he said.Israel's Ben-David agreed."If they really want to help, they should create a safe zone in Syria where they can train the rebels and from which rebel forces can come out and fight the regime in an organised way," the Channel 10 analyst said.

Turkish Spring' tests Erdogan's rule

Today @ 09:27 JUNE 3,13

By Nikolaj Nielsen

A violent crackdown on a peaceful demonstration on Friday (31 May) against plans to demolish a park and to erect a shopping centre in Taksim Square in central Istanbul quickly prompted a larger protest.Pent-up public frustration against heavy-handed government rule and perceived lack of accountability poured out into the streets in Turkey's largest city to be met head on by battalions of police.The protest spread to 67 other cities and 81 provinces over the weekend, says the government.An estimated 1,000 people have been injured in Istanbul and another 700 in Ankara, reports the Associated Press.The streets around Taksim were on Monday littered with spent canisters of tear gas.One 23-year-old student from Istanbul Technical University lost an eye after being shot at close range by police.For her part, the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she “regrets disproportionate use of force by members of the Turkish police” in a statement on Sunday (2 June).She called for calm and restraint on all sides.Police eventually backed off on Sunday, as thousands remained in Taksim square.The mood later turned festive, with people chanting victory slogans and calling Erdogan a "dictator."But clashes were still reported late on Sunday evening in Istanbul's seaside neighbourhood of Besiktas.Protests the same day also turned violent in Ankara.The long-serving Prime Minister has won three mandates but is seen as becoming increasingly autocratic and Islamist by his critics.Erdogan had imposed the Taksim construction project without public consultation despite widespread opposition.Legislators recently enacted a controversial law banning kissing in the public and restricted the sale of alcohol.The authorities have also tightened media control.Protestors turned to social media outlets like Twitter to get word out on the demonstrations because Turkey's mass-media channels refused to give them coverage.Meanwhile Erdogan deplored the online services, calling social media society’s worst menace.
"There is now a menace which is called Twitter … the best examples of lies can be found there,” he said in a live speech on national TV.His Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has been credited with turning around the country's economy and increasing its regional influence.But it has failed to address worsening domestic human rights and a democratic deficit.A 2012 progress report on Turkey by the European Union notes the excessive use of force and ill treatment by the police often goes unabated.
The public service has no judicial oversight.The report complains about the controversial appointment of a police chief, who had faced past charges of torture and rape, to a key position in a counter-terror squad.
It also voices concern on freedom of expression.The commission paper says the legal framework of Turkey’s anti-terrorism legislation is imprecise and open to abuse.“In short, writing an article or making a speech can still lead to a court case and a long prison sentence,” it notes.More than 2,800 students are in jail on terrorism-related charges.Journalist and left-wing Kurdish scholars have also been detained.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Containment of Calif. fire doubles to 40 percent

By REED SAXON and CHRISTOPHER WEBER | Associated Press – 1 hr 0 mins ago JUNE 3,13

LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters working in darkness doubled containment of a massive wildfire north of Los Angeles to 40 percent overnight, as cool, moist air moved in Monday to replace torrid weather.

The fire, which has fed on old brush that hasn't burned in decades, did grow, but the moderating weather conditions gave crews the opportunity to make major gains, U.S. Forest Spokesman Matt Correlli said.

Firefighters were able halt the progress of the fire's northeastern front, which had been moving into unoccupied desert lands north of Angeles National Forest.Crews remained in place to protect structures in the rural hamlets of Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth, but flames were moving away from residential areas.
"The flames really laid down overnight," said Nathan Judy, also of the Forest Service.The blaze has burned about 46 square miles in mountain and canyons areas, destroying at least six houses and damaging 15 more.
The fire was fueled in part by chaparral that was "extremely old and dry" and hadn't burned since 1929, U.S. Forest Service Incident Commander Norm Walker said Sunday at a news conference.More than 2,800 people and 700 homes were under evacuation orders that were expected to last until late Monday or Tuesday.About 2,100 firefighters took on the flames, aided by water-dropping aircraft, including three helicopters that stayed aloft through the night."We're putting everything that we have into this," Walker said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. Three firefighters had minor injuries, but no one else was hurt.
Winds of about 25 mph and gusting as high as 40 mph had created "havoc" for firefighters for much of Sunday, LA County Deputy Chief David Richardson said.Propelled by the strong winds, the fire jumped an aqueduct west of Lancaster, officials said.George Ladd, 61, said among the structures burned was a cabin at Lake Hughes his family had owned since 1954 but sold just last week. He said he expected it may go up in flames sooner."We had always worried about that thing going off like a bomb," Ladd said.He walked through the ashes of his former cabin and the other destroyed homes Sunday."All of them are nothing," Ladd said by phone from his home in nearby Palmdale later Sunday night. "A few scraps, a few pieces of wood with nails sticking out, but mostly just broken up concrete."Also in the West, two major wildfires are burning in northern New Mexico, though increased humidity and cloud cover has improved conditions.The Thompson Ridge fire near Jemez Springs remains at nearly 3 square miles, according to a Monday morning status report. Forty to 50 houses were evacuated late last week.The Tres Lagunas fire north of Pecos in the Santa Fe National Forest had grown by Sunday evening to nearly 12 square miles, causing smoke to spread across much of the region. It prompted the evacuations of about 140 homes, most of them summer residences.
Gov. Susana Martinez will attend a briefing Monday in Pecos on the Tres Lagunas fire.___Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton also contributed to this story from Los Angeles.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

Worst storms over in East, South but more coming

By CLARKE CANFIELD | Associated Press – 1 hr 39 mins ago JUNE 3,13

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The remnants of a violent storm that claimed 13 lives in Oklahoma sent punishing winds and torrential downpours to northern New England and a tornado to South Carolina. And there could be more coming, though meteorologists say the worst is over.The National Weather Service said the work week could begin with storms bringing showers to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic and large hail and high winds to the Great Plains.But it won't be like Sunday, when storms flattened trees and utility poles in parts of northern New England, delayed flights in New York City and caused a tornado to touch down in South Carolina.The weather service issued a rare tornado warning as a line of thunderstorms raced through New Hampshire into western Maine. It said a tornado warning was issued as radar indicated a possible tornado moving from Kingfield, Maine, to Bingham, Maine. The tornado was not immediately confirmed.

By early Monday, nearly 12,000 customers were still without power in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, down from more than 40,000 outages at the peak.Weather service meteorologist Bill Goodman said a slow-moving cold front across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic could bring more rain on Monday. "We could get repeat showers over the same areas. It's a recipe for flooding," he said.In northwestern South Carolina, a tornado knocked a home off its foundation and blew part of the roof off, said Taylor Jones, director of emergency management for Anderson County. Some trees were blown down and there was heavy rain, but no widespread damage. No injuries were reported."It was an isolated incident," Jones said.
The stormy weather in the New York City region shortened the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees game to 5½ innings and produced backups at major airports. But by early Monday, delays were down to 15 minutes or less at airports on the East Coast.Patrick Herb, 34, was traveling from Washington Dulles International Airport with his 1- and 3-year-olds to his home in Wisconsin, and had his departure time for a connecting flight in Detroit moved back three times. He described the mood at Dulles as "frustration and fatigue."In other parts of the South, thunderstorms, high winds and hail rolled through as part of a slow-moving cold front.In Texas, the Coast Guard said its crews saved or helped rescue 17 people caught in storms along the Gulf Coast. Lt. Matthew J. Walter of Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston cited "the devastating effects of strong winds and heavy rains" as the reason for three separate boats capsizing.
Meanwhile, residents in Oklahoma cleaned up after the storms there killed 13 people, including three veteran storm chasers. Tim Samaras; his son, Paul Samaras; and Carl Young were killed Friday. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said the men were involved in tornado research.Authorities said five children and two adults remained missing and aren't expected to be found alive.Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin toured damage in El Reno, about 30 miles from Oklahoma City. She said the death toll could rise as emergency workers continue searching flooded areas for missing residents.The state Medical Examiner's Office spokeswoman Amy Elliott said the death toll had risen to 13 from Friday's EF3 tornado, which charged down a clogged Interstate 40 in the western suburbs. Among the dead were two children — an infant sucked out of the car with its mother and a 4-year-old boy who along with his family had sought shelter in a drainage ditch.In Arkansas, five people died in flash flooding late Thursday and early Friday in the rugged Ouachita Mountains near Y City, 125 miles west of Little Rock, authorities said Monday.In Missouri, areas west of St. Louis received significant damage from an EF3 tornado Friday that packed estimated winds of 150 mph. In St. Charles County, at least 71 homes were heavily damaged and 100 had slight to moderate damage, county spokeswoman Colene McEntee said.Northeast of St. Louis, the town of Roxana, Ill., also saw damage from an EF3 tornado. Weather service meteorologist Jayson Gosselin said it wasn't clear whether the damage in Missouri and Illinois came from the same twister or separate ones.Five tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City metro area on Friday, the weather service said. Fallin said Sunday that 115 people were injured.The storms formed out on the prairie west of Oklahoma City, giving residents plenty of advance notice. When told to seek shelter, many ventured out and snarled traffic across the metro area — perhaps remembering when a tornado hit Moore on May 20 and killed 24 people.Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph said roadways quickly became congested with the convergence of rush-hour traffic and fleeing residents."They had no place to go, and that's always a bad thing. They were essentially targets just waiting for a tornado to touch down," Randolph said. "I'm not sure why people do that sort of stuff, but it is very dangerous."___Associated Press writers Thomas Peipert in Denver, Jim Suhr in St. Louis, Sean Murphy in El Reno, Okla., Tom McElroy in New York and AP Radio correspondent Julie Walker contributed to this report.

TORAH PORTION FROM JUNE 2-8,2013

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

TORAH PORTION FROM JUNE 2-8,2013
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2011/06/parshah-korach-numbers-161-1832.html 

DUFFY AND FORD SCANDALS STILL HOT

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

ALL MY REPORTS ON THIS STORY SO FAR
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/some-say-rob-ford-must-resign-now.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/2nd-killer-in-rob-ford-drug-video.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/another-calls-for-fords-resignation.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/ontario-mayorcanada-senate-scandals.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/now-doug-ford-drug-selling-allegations.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2013/05/rob-ford-no-answers-to-drug-alligations.html

ITS 1:37PM SUN JUNE 2,2013.AND DOUG AND ROB SET THE RECORD STRAIT ON THE TORONTO STAR.DOUG AND ROB INSISTED THE TORONTO STAR DID FALSE ALLEGATIONS ABOUT THE CITY STAFF AND THE MAYORS OFFICE DELETING E-MAILS.THE FORDS ESPECIALLY ROB INSISTED THE TORONTO STAR APPOLOGIZE TO THE CITY STAFF AND THE MAYOR.I SAY MAYOR WE NEED INFO ABOUT YOUR ALLIGATIONS OF DRUG USE.YOU NEED TO APPOLOGIZE TO ALL TORONTONIANS AS WELL AS ALL THE CITY HALL STAFF FOR NOT ANSWERING QUESTIONS WHICH COULD MAKE THIS SCANDAL OR YOU DISAPPEAR INTO HISTORY.DEPENDING IF YOUR CONCIENCE FORCES YOU TO TELL THE TRUTH OR LIE FOR THE LUST OF POWER.IF YOU WOULD ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THIS SCANDAL COULD GO AWAY.THEN THE TORONTO STAR WOULD NOT HAVE TO PUBLISH SO CALLED APPOLOGETIC STORIES ABOUT YOU.IF YOU WERE TRUELY INNOCENT YOU WOULD GLADLY ANSWER QUESTIONS TO GET THE MEDIA OFF YOUR CASE.I MYSELF THINK YOU ROB FORD LOVE LEADING ON THE MEDIA WITH THIS SCANDAL.YOUR LUST FOR POWER AND CONTROL CAN GET FILLED BY NOT ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND YOU CAN BE THE PUPPET MEDIAS STRING PULLERS TILL-AND IF THE TRUTH COMES OUT.THEN THE MEDIA CAN USE YOU ROB AS A PUPPET IF YOU TRUELY ARE GUILTY.WHICH TIME WE KNOW NOT WILL COME ABOUT.DOUG SURE IS STICKING UP FOR ROB.ACTUALLY DOUG IS ROBS PUPPET.DOUG DOES THE TALKING POINTS AND ROB FOLLOWS.ROB IS A FOLLOWER AND NOT A TRUE LEADER EXCEPT IN MANIPUALTION AND POWER CONTROL FREAKNESS.

THE CITY ON NEWSTALK 1010 WITH THE FORDS
http://www.newstalk1010.com/shows/robford.aspx 

Mayor Ford tackles critics, ignores crack scandal on The City

Posted By: Newstalk 1010 · 6/2/2013 3:16:00 PM

Toronto's mayor has passed up another chance to directly address allegations of a video in which he appears to be smoking crack cocaine, but he had plenty to say about his critics.On Newstalk 1010's The CIty, Rob Ford instead took a swipe at Ontario's governing Liberals and media pundits who have questioned his ability to govern amid the video scandal.Ford and his brother, a fellow city councillor, again slammed Premier Kathleen Wynne, who has expressed concern about the "personal issues" that have garnered much attention at city hall.in recent weeks,In discussing Wynne's governance, Ford said she "couldn't organize a two-card funeral" and told the premier to "straighten up" her act.Ford also lashed out at the Toronto Star, one of the two publications that first reported on the alleged crack video, saying he would ``have a stroke'' if the newspaper apologized for its.recent reporting, which his brother claimed was "gutter journalism".Ford answered few questions about the scandal last week, which erupted last month when two separate reports claimed someone described as a drug dealer was trying to sell the alleged footage of the mayor.
Ford, who has said he does not use crack cocaine, has lost several staffers over the last week and half.
(With files from the Canadian Press)

ITS 12:18PM SAT JUNE 1,13 AND THERES A PUBLIC PEACEFUL PROTEST IN TORONTO FOR ROB FORD TO RESIGN OR TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS DRUG ALLEGATIONS. THIS DRUG THING WILL JUST RUN ON AND ON AS FORD IS INTOXICATED BY POWER IF NOT DRUGS ALSO(UNCONFIRMED)-WHICH WOULD BE CONFIRMED IF THAT VIDEO WAS REVEALED TO THE WORLD.BUT SINCE THINGS HAPPEN.PEOPLE AND VIDEOS DISAPPEAR.IN SCANDALS.SO WE MIGHT NEVER KNOW.AND BUSINESS AS USUAL WILL GO ON AT TORONTO WITHOUT ANY ACCOUNTABILITY.MAYOR ROB FORD-GET THE TRUTH OUT-SO YOUR OUT OR IN FOR SURE.QUIT THE COVERUP PLEASE AND THANK YOU. 

Anti-Rob Ford rally takes over Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto

By Staff, Global News

Global News has not seen and cannot verify the authenticity of the alleged video.One Ford supporter who braved the crowd to defend the mayor wound up in a heated argument, but was quickly drowned out by anti-Ford chants.Derek Hill said many people are jumping to conclusions about the purported video, which has not been publicly released.“This is not due process. No matter how you feel about Ford, it’s un-Canadian,” he said.Ford has refused to answer questions about the video scandal at news conferences he has held the past two days.The mayor has also said he will not step aide and plans to seek re-election.
Meanwhile, Ford hired three new staffers just as he lost another Friday, making it six employees who’ve left in the past two weeks.Michael Prempeh left the mayor’s staff Friday afternoon, the day after a policy advisor and an executive assistant resigned and 8 days after the mayor fired former chief of staff Mark Towhey. Prempeh had worked in the mayor’s office as a special assistant since September, 2012.The mayor said he was informed over a month ago that Prempeh was planning to leave to open his own business.Mayor Ford confirmed Friday that he had hired the new office staff but did not provide their names.- With files from Global’s Nicole Bogart and James Armstrong, and the Canadian Press. 

Respectful' protest will call for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to resign The Canadian Press

Posted: Jun 1, 2013 10:21 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 1, 2013 11:46 AM ET  

Two protesters with their signs asking Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to resign. (Shannon Martin/CBC)

A noon-hour rally is planned for today at Toronto city hall to call on scandal-ridden mayor Rob Ford to step down.Organizer Chris Wright says on the event's Facebook page it's hoped those who show up will shout and cheer when a nearby courthouse clock chimes out at 12 o'clock.The page for the "positive, respectful and upbeat" protest encourages attendees to bring sticks of chalk to scrawl their opinions in the concrete at Nathan Phillips Square, turning it into a political "canvas."More than 3,000 people have pledged on the Facebook page to show up.For more than two weeks Ford has been bombarded with questions about reports of an alleged video showing him smoking what appears to be crack cocaine — a drug he says he does not use.He has refused to answer questions about the video scandal at news conferences that he has held the past two days.

Duffy emails ask to invoice Conservative Party for 'fees'

P.E.I senator said when appointed he wasn't partisan, but soon became party cheerleader

By Leslie MacKinnon, CBC News Posted: May 31, 2013 5:41 PM ET Last Updated: May 31, 2013 9:50 PM ET

(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

When Mike Duffy was first picked to be a senator by Prime Minister Stephen Harper he said he wasn't partisan and wasn't even a Conservative.But emails obtained this week by CBC show that within months of his appointment, Duffy was discussing what he called "an expanded role in the party," speaking at party fundraisers and Conservative associations across the country — and looking for ways the party could pay his expenses and "fees" for this work.Emails obtained by CBC Thursday seem to show Duffy, seven months after he was appointed a senator, suggesting to an unidentified Conservative Party insider that he be named to cabinet as a minister without portfolio so he could have a car and driver, and extra staff. Or, failing that, "That the Cons fund hire my private company, and I use the cash to hire additional staff to assist with these gigs?"A series of emails obtained Friday and dated three months later, in September 2009, show Duffy writing to Dan Hilton, the executive director of the Conservative Party. In one email, Duffy asks, "Dan: Shud I send you a one page note re fees and expenses?"In another email, one of his staffers asks Duffy if Hilton confirmed whether Conservative Party "HQ would cover the cost of some of your travel? For example, one of the events they asked you to participate in is coming up next week (Nova Scotia Campus Conservatives). I'd like to book your flights soon, but need to know who's covering for it."In another email, Duffy writes to Hilton and Tracey Loosemore, director of fundraising. In the email, he says he just got back from Hamilton, Truro and South West Nova, and, "Everywhere I went, people told me they had responded to our email appeal." People were asking him what he thought of their emails, Duffy wrote, "I am starting to think we had better find a way of dealing with this mail before people get pissed off that we haven't responded." He finishes by suggesting to "have a staffer assigned to work with me."In a reply, Hilton says, "I have arranged to set funds aside where it makes sense and I have discussed this with Jenni Byrne." He adds, "She can review the schedule from your assistant to see if their ridings are of influence in the area."Jenni Byrne was the director of political operations for the Conservative Party, and was the party's national campaign director during the 2011 general election.Hilton also says, "I know that she has asked for a data dump of email responses. I'll get her to call you so we can get on them quickly," indicating that Duffy would receive some help with the email correspondence from supporters.

Expenses for party business

There is nothing illegal or unethical about a political party paying the expenses of someone who has to travel and incur expenses on party business. It is also not unusual for senators to campaign for their party during an election, or speak at party fundraisers, although in those circumstances they cannot charge any expenses to their Senate office budget.It is questionable if a person employed by the Senate, as Duffy's assistant would be, is working on party business during regular office hours. However, the emails indicate Duffy was asking the party for extra staffers to help him with his party work.In an interview with CBC Charlottetown, on Dec. 29, 2008, shortly after his nomination to the Senate was announced, Duffy said, "The prime minister called me and I said, you know I'm not really much of a partisan. He said, we've got lots of partisans, we want people to go in there, shake that place up and when we get the critical mass, pass legislation to reform the senate."However, as the interview continued, he said, "There was no way that the Liberals were ever going to vote for change. They wanted to keep it as the old pork barrel, where they could reward their friends and the people who had done the party favours."Asked whether the Conservative Party would pay Duffy a fee for appearances at party events, spokesperson Fred DeLorey said in an email to CBC News, "Any events Mr. Duffy participated in on behalf of the party or local EDAs [electoral district associations] would have been paid for by the party or local EDAs. The party does not pay Mr. Duffy compensation."

Duffy at 'the shore' this weekend

Duffy flew to P.E.I. Friday, and told CBC Charlottetown in an interview at the airport it would be inappropriate for him to comment, considering there are, he said, three different investigations going on. "When that work is done, I think Canadians will agree, as the independent auditors at Deloitte, found that criticism of my expenses are largely without merit."The Deloitte audit found that rules defining a senator's primary residence are "unclear," but did not comment on the merit of his expenses, except to report Duffy claimed Senate expenses when he was in Florida. Duffy paid back those expenses, as well as money he claimed for living expenses in Ottawa, with a cheque for $90,000 he received from the prime minister's top aide, Nigel Wright, who has since resigned.Asked if he would be going to a provincial Progressive Conservative event Friday evening, Duffy said he was going to "the shore". He said, "Where would you sooner be on a night like this?". Asked if he'd been invited to the event, he said, "Of course."A Postmedia story Friday reported that Duffy only spoke to Harper once about his expenses at a Feb. 13 caucus meeting. Andrew MacDougall, spokesperson for the prime minister, told CBC in an email, "Following a caucus meeting, Mr. Duffy approached the PM in the caucus room regarding the situation with his expenses. The PM was adamant that he should repay any inappropriate expenses."At some point after that meeting and before Feb. 22 when Duffy publicly announced he'd repaid his expenses, Nigel Wright gave Duffy the cheque for $90,000. The prime minister has said repeatedly he didn't find out about the cheque from Wright until May 15.Conservative Senator Don Plett, speaking to Rosemary Barton on CBC News Network's Power & Politics Friday, described himself as a friend of Duffy's, but said he found Duffy's request for a cabinet appointment "very, very strange." However, he added, "That's not to say I wouldn't stand by him today."Plett went on to say Duffy had done "a yeoman's job" on behalf of the Conservative Party, and deserves due process. "I'm not going to call for his resignation," he said.