JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL AND THE ENEMIES OF THE WEST
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
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,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; 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, 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.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA)(JORDAN) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
PSALMS 83:3-7 (COUNTRIES AGAINST ISRAEL)(EXCEPT JORDAN)
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
ISRAEL-WEST ENEMIES EZEK 38:4-6,15-19
4 And I (GOD) 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: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts,(RUSSIA-ARAB/MUSLIMS) thou, and many people with thee,(AFRICAN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
DANIEL 11:44 (CHINA WITH RUSSIA-MUSLIMS)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
EZEKIEL 39:1-6 ISRAELS ENEMIES DESTROYED
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 ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Donald Trump Schedules Des Moines Event Opposite GOP Debate-BY Derek Wallbank -BLOOMBERG-JAN 27,16
Donald Trump’s campaign releases details of “special event to benefit veterans organizations” that’ll be held at the same time as the Fox News Republican debate Trump said yesterday he’d boycott.Trump’s event, at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, will start at 9pm Eastern time, the same time as the main-stage debate Fox News will hold at the nearby Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.
Belgian PM urges France to solve Calais migrant 'jungle'-By EUOBSERVER-JAN 27,16
Today, 16:44-Belgian PM Charles Michel urged France to find a solution to the growing camps around Calais, known as the "jungle", and nearby Dunkirk sheltering thousands of migrants trying to reach the UK. Michel, who will meet with French PM Manuel Valls Monday, said bad conditions push migrants into neighbouring Belgium.
Greece 'seriously neglected' border controls, says EU By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 27. Jan, 18:15-Greece is unable to manage its frontiers, the European Commission has said - a move that could prolong internal border controls elsewhere in the passport-free Schengen zone for up to two years.The finding, announced on Wednesday (27 January), is part of a confidential report by the EU border agency Frontex.Speaking to reporters, commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said it could lead to member states closing some or all of their borders for rotating six-months intervals limited to two years.The draft will be sent next week to the Schengen evaluation committee, a group of experts in the Council of the EU, representing the member states.The committee needs to then adopt the report in a qualified majority vote. Once adopted, the commission will send recommendations the following week on how to plug the border gaps.Greece then has three months to implement the commission's recommendations.A failure to do so could trigger a provision in article 26 of the Schengen border code that would allow member states, like Germany, Austria, and Slovenia, to extend current border checks to up to two years.The report says Greece had "seriously neglected its obligations" and found "serious deficiencies" in its external border controls.Big outstanding issues include the reception, registration, and relocation of refugees and asylum seekers.It notes Greece has also failed to identify and register irregular migrants.Fingerprints are not being taken, as required, and IDs are not verified for authenticity or cross-checked with databases from Interpol and the Schengen Information System (SIS).Agents from the EU border agency Frontex were sent last November on a three-day mission to spot check for holes on the Greek-Turkish land border and on the Greek islands of Samos and Chios.Their conclusions fed into the draft, which includes a number of other details the Brussels-executive wants to keep from public scrutiny.A Greek government spokesperson told this website that it would first look at the report before issuing a comment.Angelos Syrigos, an assistant professor for international law at Panteion University, says part of the problem is that Eurodac, the EU system that registers migrant fingerprints, crashed last March in Greece "due to the high numbers" and wasn't operational until August.Nikos Toskas, Greece's "alternate minister" of public order and citizen protection, said earlier this week it was fingerprinting up to 90 percent of people, compared with 50 percent not long ago.Greece is also lacking staff pledged by EU states to help launch its so-called hotspots, where arrivals are supposed to be identified and registered, on the islands.The Greek coast guard last year rescued over 100,000 people crossing over the sea by boat from Turkey. More than half were Syrian refugees.-Serbia closes border with Macedonia-Dombrovskis' announcement coincided with reports that Serbia has now closed its border with Macedonia.A contact at the Skopje-based Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, a human rights NGO, said the Serbs at noon starting turning back refugees arriving from Macedonia."After 12 o'clock today, the Serbian Macedonia border was closed and the refugees are not being allowed through the Serbian side", he said.He noted people were still able to cross into Macedonia from the Greek side. Macedonia media report around 2,500 crossed on Tuesday.Frontex, for its part, has a team on the Greek side of the Macedonian border.Another 57 border guards, from EU member states, are on the Macedonian side but are not part of a Frontex operation.Slovenia's PM, Miro Cerar, said in a letter sent to the EU Commission that member states should shore up the borders between the two countries.The plan was reportedly endorsed by commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.The new bottleneck between Serbia and Macedonia could spell further trouble as people are likely to attempt to reach the EU via other routes if no other solution is available.
Islamists, far-right on rise in Germany: security service-AFP-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
Berlin (AFP) - Germany's domestic intelligence service warned Wednesday of a rise in the number of radical Islamists, as well as of far-right extremists furious over a mass influx of mostly Muslim refugees.Around 790 Islamic extremists have now travelled from Germany to the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, and of these about one third had returned, the service said in a report.Of the total, about 130 were believed to have been killed in the conflict zone, according to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution or BfV.The service said that most of Germany's jihadist "foreign fighters" are from the ultra-conservative Salafi movement, whose numbers it put at 8,350, up from 7,900 in September.The service's chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, said that in about known 230 cases, Salafi groups had tried to make contact with asylum-seekers near refugee shelters.Heated debate over last year's 1.1 million-strong migrant influx was strongly mobilising far-right xenophobic groups, he said."There is the threat of an emerging grey zone of far-right extremists, right-wing conservatives and citizen-protesters, with considerable potential for violence," said Maassen.He said large-scale sexual assaults targeting women on New Year's Eve in the city of Cologne, blamed largely on North African men, had further "radicalised the anti-asylum-seeker agitation of far-right extremists".Maassen also said that Germany remained on high alert after the Paris jihadist attacks in November, describing the security situation as "serious".
Merkel faces court threat on refugee policy By Peter Teffer-EUOBSERVER
Brussels, 27. Jan, 09:21-German chancellor Angela Merkel is facing increasing pressure from coalition allies to cap the number of migrants entering the EU's largest country, and to help lower levels of government with the care of refugees.On Tuesday (26 January), Horst Seehofer, state premier of Bavaria and leader of Merkel's closest coalition partner, sent her a letter asking her to limit the annual intake of refugees to 200,000 per year, or face a possible legal case at the constitutional court.On Wednesday afternoon, Merkel is receiving representatives from German municipalities. They also want a reduction in the intake of refugees, but were less strict about the numbers, demanding fewer than 1 million, the number that arrived last year.“We expect the chancellor to clarify when we can finally expect a significant reduction of refugee numbers,” said Gerd Landsberg, head of the federation of German municipalities and towns, according to German newspaper Die Welt.-'Coalition rupture'-Seehofer's letter summarised earlier demands made by his party, the centre-right Christian Social Union (CSU), which is the sister party of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Bavaria - the south-eastern state where most migrants enter Germany.He demanded secure external EU borders, controls of German border, an annual cap of 200,000 refugees, and the return of refugees to the Austrian border.The letter, which was sent by fax and post, was a “letter of demands”, not a threat, according to Bavarian justice minister Winfried Bausback.But MP Thomas Oppermann from the other coalition partner in the federal government, the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), described the letter as “an announcement of a coalition rupture”, according to Der Spiegel.Oppermann, chairman of the SPD in the Bundestag, noted that the grand coalition did not need the support of the CSU to continue its rule: it has a majority with the CDU and SPD alone.But if the CDU and CSU, a combined party in the Bundestag, were to break up, that would be a political novelty not seen since 1976, in what was then West Germany.Seehofer expects an answer by Friday, otherwise the letter will be published.But first, Merkel will have to listen to the wishes of the German cities and towns on Wednesday.She is receiving three umbrella organisations of local and regional governments in her office in Berlin. They want the federal government to step in and help to resolve practical and financial problems caused by the influx of refugees.They want support for state benefits, finding jobs for migrants, and are worried about the lack of housing.The demands come on top of a plea from CDU/CSU MPs to change course on her refugee policy, and criticism from her own transport minister.
International Criminal Court to probe 2008 Georgia war-By EUOBSERVER
27. Jan, 19:10-The International Criminal Court in the Hague announced Wednesday it has opened an investigation into alleged crimes during the brief 2008 war in and around South Ossetia between Georgia and Russia. According to Dutch media, it is the first time a case is opened regarding crimes not in Africa.
US: 'Revanchist Russia' is main threat to Europe By Andrew Rettman-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 27. Jan, 18:34-The US military says “revanchist Russia” is the greatest threat to European security, amid prolonged ceasefire violations in Ukraine.It said in a strategy paper, out on Tuesday (26 January) that US forces in Europe are “currently … confronting the most profound negative change in the European security environment since the end of the Cold War.”After Russia, it named “mass migration from other regions” and “foreign terrorist fighters … transiting through Europe” as elements which “jeopardise European security.”“In the east and north, Russia is the cause of much concern due to its increasingly aggressive behaviour in eastern Europe and militarisation in the Arctic,” the paper, signed by Philip M. Breedlove, the commander of US forces in Europe said.It said Russia is waging “conventional, irregular, and asymmetric … warfare” in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.It spoke of Russia’s “persistent manipulation of political and ideological conflicts - to foster instability” and of its “malign influence to weaken the Nato alliance and other Western international institutions.”Breedlove said the US will continue to help Europe to “deter Russian aggression,” by stockpiling weapons in eastern Europe, and by building a ballistic missile shield.But he voiced concern that EU defence budgets are being cut, in part due to the “lingering effects from a global financial crisis.”He warned that: “After years of force structure reductions, fewer than 65,000 US military personnel remain permanently stationed in Europe to secure and advance US national interests.”Breedlove’s typically hawkish “theatre strategy” assessment comes amid US State Department hope that Russia is ready to stop the war in east Ukraine.-Quiet optimism-The optimism comes after Vladimir Surkov, a senior Russian diplomat, spoke in detail about ceasefire compliance with his US counterpart, Victoria Nuland, in Kaliningrad, Russia, on 15 January.The main pillars of the so-called Minsk 2 ceasefire accord are: to hold local elections in east Ukraine; for all “foreign” troops to leave Ukraine; for Ukraine to get back control of its Russia border.Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko must first pass a law on the elections, but the OSCE, the Vienna-based European security watchdog, and EU diplomats fear he lacks a majority in parliament.The elections are to take place in the de facto Russia-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions.They must also be monitored by the OSCE to have credibility. But the OSCE estimates that even if the security situation stabilised overnight, the conditions for a credible vote might not be in place before July.For the time being, there is still almost-daily exchange of fire and threat of sudden escalation, however.On the exit of “foreign” forces, OSCE monitors say they have not seen Russian soldiers wearing Russian insignia. But they have seen sophisticated weapons systems which came from over the Russian border.On border control, the monitors have some access in the Donetsk area. But almost no access in the more sensitive Luhansk area, where they suspect the most violations.-Noisy exchange-The quiet diplomacy on Minsk 2 is taking place amid a noisy exchange between London, Moscow, and Washington.A British public inquiry, last week, said Russian leader Vladimir Putin “probably” ordered the killing of fugitive spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. A senior US Treasury official later said Putin is “corrupt.”Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, voiced anger and demanded proof on TV.In the latest statement, Putin’s security chief, Nikolai Patrushev, on Tuesday said the US aims to break up Russia to get its minerals.“The Russian Federation's disintegration is not ruled out … this will open access to the richest resources for the United States, which believes that Russia possesses them undeservingly,” he told the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily.
Iran says warns U.S. warship to leave waters near Strait of Hormuz-Reuters-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's navy warned a U.S. warship on Wednesday to leave waters near the Strait of Hormuz where the Iranians were testing submarines, destroyers and missile launchers, news agencies reported.The commander of Iran's fleet, Rear-Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, told Tasnim news agency the U.S. ship was trying to collect information in the Sea of Oman - an area close to the Strait, a vital oil and gas shipping route - and said it left quickly after the alert.There was no immediate reaction from Washington which this month joined other world powers in lifting sanctions on the Islamic Republic after Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear program.In the days before that deal, Iran briefly detained 10 U.S. sailors after their boats entered its waters because of what they said was a navigational error."It was predictable that the U.S. warship would approach the area to collect information on (our) military operations. So we warned them twice in the morning ... to keep their distance from the exercise area and keep clear of our missile range for their own safety," Sayyari was quoted as saying by Tasnim.He said Iran had acted in line with the international convention that a country should clear out all other military and trade ships from an area before starting any exercise."The maneuver aims to show Iranian forces' strength both in ensuring security on the seas and in defending the country's sea borders in Hormuz Strait, Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean," Sayyari was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday that Iran had given warnings to other Western ships on Tuesday, and they had all left the area.(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Andrew Roche)
US, China spar over North Korea, South China Sea-Associated Press By MATTHEW LEE and CHRISTOPHER BODEEN-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
BEIJING (AP) — Top U.S. and Chinese officials sparred Wednesday over how to deal with North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test and ease tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met for more than four hours and said their discussions were "constructive" and "candid." But at a joint news conference, they presented sharply opposing positions on the two issues.Kerry acknowledged that "our differences will continue to test us." Still, he stressed that the world benefits when the United States and China are able to work together, including on the Iran nuclear deal and climate change.On North Korea, Kerry said the United States wanted new U.N. Security Council action that would impose "significant new measures" to punish Pyongyang for its test this month and boost pressure on the North to return to disarmament talks."There's been a lot of talk about North Korea through these past years. Now we believe is the time for action that can bring North Korea back to the table," Kerry said.Wang said China, which is North Korea's most important ally, chief trading partner and a key source of economic assistance, agreed on the need for a new resolution. But he suggested that Beijing would not support new penalties even though it has condemned the testing. "Sanctions are not an end in themselves," he said."The new resolution should not provoke new tension in the situation, still less destabilize the Korean Peninsula," Wang said.Later Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, told reporters that countries "need to accelerate progress" on negotiating a U.N. resolution.Kerry noted that sanctions had brought Iran to the nuclear negotiating table. "More significant and impactful sanctions were put in place against Iran, which did not have a nuclear weapon than against North Korea, which does.""All nations, particularly those who seek a global leadership role, or have a global leadership role, have a responsibility to deal with this threat," he said, referring to China.Kerry said the sides agreed both on the need for a strong new resolution on North Korea, but also to accelerate talks on what that would entail."It's good to agree on the goal. But it's not enough to agree on the goal, we believe we need to agree on the meaningful steps necessary to get to the achievement of the goal to the negotiations that result in denuclearization," Kerry said.Wang also took umbrage at U.S. complaints that China is not doing as much as it can with the leverage it has on North Korea. He noted that China's position has been consistent in opposing North Korea's nuclear weapons program and supporting a diplomatic resolution to the matter."For many years China has been working hard to implement these," he said. "We have delivered on our obligation."Kerry said China is North Korea's main link to the outside world, and that it could do more to limit cross-border transactions that benefit North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his government.Kerry also called on China to halt land reclamation and construction of airstrips in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Those steps have alarmed its smaller neighbors."I stressed the importance of finding common ground among the claimants and avoiding the destabilizing cycle of mistrust or escalation," Kerry said.Wang denied that China has was doing anything other than protecting its territorial sovereignty. He rejected assertions by the United States and others that China was not interested in peaceful resolutions to the disputes or militarizing the areas.In a later meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kerry hailed the "critical role" China played in the Iran nuclear agreement and on tackling global warming."The effort on climate was really historic and you made a key decision with President Obama to change the whole debate," Kerry said.Xi, who met with Kerry at the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing, described the bilateral relationship as "smooth and on the way up in the past year.""Generally speaking, when China and the United States work together we can make good things happen with win-win results for both sides and that contributes to peace, prosperity and stability in the world," Xi said.China claims sovereignty of much of the territory in the South China Sea. It rejects claims from countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam and has bristled at U.S. warnings that its activities threaten the freedom of navigation in some of the world's busiest commercial shipping lanes.Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims in the strategically vital sea, through which around $5 trillion in world trade passes each year.The U.S. says it takes no position on the claims but says developments in the South China Sea are a national security interest. It has urged that the disputes be settled peacefully and that a binding code of conduct be established for the area.Tensions have been especially high since Beijing transformed seven disputed reefs into islands, where it is now constructing runways and facilities that rival claimants say can be used militarily. China has said it built the islands primarily to foster safe civilian sea travel and fishing.In response, the U.S. sent a guided-missile destroyer close to one of the Chinese-built islands, called Subi Reef, in October in a challenge to Beijing's territorial claims, sparking warnings from China. U.S. officials vowed to continue maneuvers to protect freedom of navigation and overflight.Recent developments, including China's movement of an oil rig into a zone disputed with Vietnam and warnings against Philippines overflight of what it claims to be its territory, have raised those levels of concern.China dismisses the warnings as unwarranted, but has harshly criticized a U.S.-Philippines defense pact that allows American forces, warships and planes to be based temporarily in local military camps. China says that will "escalate tensions and undermine peace and stability in the region," echoing language the United States uses to criticize China's actions.___Associated Press writer Cara Anna at the United Nations contributed to this report.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
Opinion-Croatia joins EU's illiberal democracy club By Dejan Anastasijevic-EUOBSERVER
BELGRADE, 27. Jan, 11:19-I usually enjoy reading EUobserver.But a recent op-ed, entitled, Business-minded PM could transform Croatia, by Natko Vlahovic, a lobbyist, made me wonder if I’d eaten something bad for lunch.It’s subservient to the government to a degree I’ve never seen before, even in Western Balkans press. It’s also wrong at so many levels, I hardly know where to begin.The new Croatian prime minister, Tihomir Oreskovic, might be a decent chap and a competent manager. But he’s no more than a puppet, controlled by two deputy premiers, Tomislav Karamarko and Bozo Petrov.Prior to his elevation, Oreskovic spent just two years in Croatia (in his youth). He barely speaks the language.He has publicly admitted that he first met most of his ministers after they were appointed, from a list put forward by Karamarko-Petrov.So who are Oreskovic’s masters? -Pulling strings-Let’s start with Karamarko. He’s a former head of Croatia’s intelligence service, whose time in the job was marked by mass-scale surveillance of journalists and by human rights abuses.After becoming the head of the HDZ party, the largest in Croatia, and a member of the EPP group in Brussels, he pushed it way right of centre.Karamarko himself said he aspires to rule the country in the manner of HDZ’s founder, former president Franjo Tudjman, who would have ended up in The Hague on war crimes charges if he hadn’t died first.During HDZ’s recent election campaign, Karamarko also promised to prosecute, on criminal charges, anybody who criticises Croatia’s conduct in the Yugoslav wars.“Anybody can think and say whatever they want within their four walls or backyard, but in the public domain, this won’t be tolerated,” he said.Meanwhile, Petrov’s party, Most, is a newbie on the scene.-Motley crew-It's a motley crew of, mostly, small-town politicians, some left-leaning, some right, and others who are simply opportunists.Petrov himself is a former Roman Catholic cleric. He’s heavily influenced by cardinal Bozanic, who’s about as far right as a Catholic prelate can be.In his first day in the HDZ-Most coalition government, holy water was sprinkled on the premises of the ministry of health and a crucifix was put in every office. Other government premises are expected to follow suit.Moving on: The new minister for culture, Zlatko Hasanbegovic, used to be a member of the Croatian Liberation Movement (HOP), a neo-Nazi group established by Ante Pavelic, a real Nazi, who fled to Argentina after World War II. Hasanbegovic later joined the extreme-right HCSP party.The minister of veteran affairs, Mijo Crnoja, is cut from similar cloth.He wants to remove the term “anti-fascist” from Croatia’s constitution, on grounds that it's communism in disguise.-Register of Traitors-He also called for the creation of a “Register of Traitors” - in order to lustrate anyone who, by word or deed, “worked against Croatia's national interests since 1990.”The project was retracted on Tuesday (26 January) after a public outcry: More than 7,000 people, including Jadranka Kosor, a former HDZ prime minister, volunteered to register as “traitors.”The minister of health, Dario Nakic, was recently sacked from his post at a hospital after the exposure of mass-scale embezzlement.The minister of justice, Ante Sprlje, has less than five years experience as a lawyer. He was, until 2013, an intern in a provincial court. The list goes on …The only reason why Oreskovic, the new PM, got the job is because HDZ and Most couldn’t agree on it, so they brought in an outsider.-EU club-Oreskovic has no democratic legitimacy. He didn’t take part in the election campaign. Most people don’t know who he is.If one thing is clear, it’s that he will have zero autonomy. My friends in Croatia are very worried.The Karamarko-Petrov government in Croatia is, in reality, about as pro-European as the Jaroslaw Kaczynski government in Poland, or the Viktor Orban government in Hungary.I have no doubt they’ll get on like a house on fire, because Croatia is about to become a new member of the EU’s illiberal democracy club.Dejan Anastasijevic is an award-winning Serb journalist, who writes for the Vreme weekly.
DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS
1 PET 5:8
8 Be sober,(NOT DRUGED UP OR ALCOHOLICED) be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders,(KILLING) nor of their sorceries (DRUG ADDICTS AND DRUG PUSHERS), nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE OR PROSTITUTION FOR MONEY) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
A Major Problem With Colorado's Marijuana Economy Emerged After Weed Went Legal-Mic By Zak Cheney-Rice-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
Something's rotten in Denver, and it's not the pungent stench of burnt cannabis filling the air. As Colorado's legal weed party barrels full tilt into its third year, the laws governing the state's medical and recreational marijuana businesses still haven't reckoned with the ugly racial disparities at their core.The way things are looking, they probably never will. Since Colorado Amendment 64 took effect in January 2014, legal cannabis has meant booming business for the Rocky Mountain State. By mid-June of that year, 292 people had filed notices saying they planned to apply for vendor licenses, according to the Denver Post, while the state government reported it was raking in $52.5 million in marijuana tax revenue including licensing and fees by the end of 2014.It's one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States. But who's being kept out of this lucrative new market? In Colorado, one of the requirements for getting a license to sell medical or recreational cannabis is that you don't have a controlled substance felony conviction on your record — including any involving marijuana. The irony here — that black people are far more likely to have such a conviction than any other racial group in the state — points to one of the biggest problems with legal weed trends sweeping the nation.Legalizing recreational marijuana use has been lauded far and wide as a death knell for the war on drugs. The United States' incarcerated population has risen 500% since the 1970s, much of it fueled by arrests and convictions for nonviolent drug-related crimes. Only recently have politicians and the American people started to agree this is terrible policy and a new approach was necessary. Today, 20 U.S. states have either decriminalized or legalized marijuana.But the racial disparity in who gets punished for drug crimes remains as stark as it always has been. When then-President Richard M. Nixon called for a crackdown on drug use and distribution in 1971, it was widely understood as part of his larger "tough-on-crime" initiative — itself a thinly veiled appeal to whites who felt threatened by the gains of blacks during the civil rights movement. That intent has been reflected in the numbers: 37% of Americans arrested for drug crimes are black, despite whites using drugs at comparable rates, according to the Drug Policy Alliance.And things were certainly no different in the states where marijuana is now legal. In Colorado specifically, black people were 3.1 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites from 2001 to 2010, constituting 10.5% of the state's marijuana arrestees over that period despite making up just 3.8% of the state population. Even now, blacks are 2.5 times more likely to get arrested in Colorado for marijuana-related crimes, including public consumption and possession in excess of the legally sanctioned amount, according to the Guardian. But since voters moved to amend the state constitution to allow for legal marijuana use in 2012, a celebratory zeal has infused the move toward legalization that seems increasingly out of step with its failure to redress the devastation that criminalization left in black communities. We cannot escape that history. Today, just one of Colorado's 424 certified legal marijuana dispensaries is confirmed to be owned by a black woman. (A black man named Dan Pettigrew owns an extract company called Viola Extracts — not technically a dispensary.) That woman's name is Wanda James. In the latest episode of Mic's web series The Movement, James takes aim at the inequality behind this new industry."When you start to look at the number of white males making billions off of this plant, and black males still serving time because of this plant, it does not make sense that in America, your zip code determines whether you're a millionaire or a felon," James told Mic's Darnell Moore.James' brother, Darrick "Rick" Barnes, is a prime example of these disparities. At 17, Barnes was arrested in Texas for marijuana possession and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Now that the plant is legal in Colorado, he is effectively shut out of the state's cannabis economy, even though he's demonstrated an aptitude for growing the plant as a former employee at his sister Wanda's medical dispensary. "If it's something you like to do, or want to do, or can do, they won't accept you because of [that conviction]," Barnes told Moore. He is currently the manager of his sister's restaurant, Jezebel's, in Denver.As far as whether Colorado's government is making moves to counteract these disparities, that much remains unclear. The Colorado Department of Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division did not return Mic's request for comment. But as clemency and pardons are increasingly being handed out to incarcerated victims of the war on drugs — President Barack Obama has commuted the prison sentences of 184 mostly nonviolent drug offenders since spring 2014 — it seems high time to implement reparative measures for those who've suffered the most.Until then, white Coloradans will continue reaping the benefits of the state's booming cannabis economy, while disproportionately targeted black individuals convicted of drug crimes are left in the dust. With this in mind, perhaps the most insidious legacy of the war on drugs is the one that emerged after weed went legit.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Double flu blow forces Saint Petersburg school closures-AFP By Marina Koreneva-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
Saint Petersburg (AFP) - An outbreak of swine flu has claimed some 22 lives in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg and combined with high rates of seasonal flu to force authorities to close schools and send residents flocking to pharmacies.Saint Petersburg has recorded the highest number of swine flu deaths in an outbreak that has claimed some 80 victims nationwide since the start of the winter, according to AFP calculations based on statements by regional officials.Authorities say there are treating some 12,000 people with flu symptoms every day and up to 80 percent of these cases could be swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus.To stop regular flu and the H1N1 virus from spreading, the city's primary schools will be closed for two weeks from February 1, and some parents have already taken action."I don't want to take any risks," said Lyubov Anikanova, who has refused to send her daughter to school over fears she could catch the flu."We are hearing that swine flu is very dangerous this year."Russian officials have tried to downplay the seriousness of the outbreak with health minister Veronika Skvortsova saying Monday that the swine flu situation in the country was "completely under control."The country's top doctor said on Tuesday that the recent uptick in flu figures was not out of the ordinary."The incidence of flu is above average in some regions," the country's top doctor, Anna Popova, told Interfax news agency. "But overall the number of cases does not exceed the average over many years."- Rush at the drugstore -Despite the assurance from officials the recent flu cases have seen residents of Petersburg head to drugstores to stock up on medication and masks, emptying the shelves of pharmacies across town.Some chemists have now already run-out of prescription flu medication and other flu-season essentials."We haven't had many popular medications for a week now," said pharmacist Natalia Selezneva.Health authorities have pledged to restock pharmacies with 100,000 masks and flu medication to face increasing demand."I would like to resist the panic," 67-year-old pensioner Maya Yakovleva told AFP. "But right now, the flu is everyone's favourite topic: where to buy (medicine), the number of people who have died. It seems this is all we talk about."
Michigan governor names panel to fix Flint's contaminated water system-Reuters-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
(Reuters) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Wednesday appointed a group of government officials, health and other experts to implement long-term fixes for Flint's lead-contaminated water system, which has become a national scandal.The 17-member committee would recommend ways to help people exposed to lead, study Flint's water infrastructure and determine possible upgrades. The members includes Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and county and state officials.Snyder, a Republican, also said he wanted the Medicaid social health care program to be expanded to cover all Flint children. In an interview airing on CNN Wednesday evening, Snyder said that officials expect a higher tally of children affected than blood tests have shown so far."There could be many more," Snyder said. "And we're assuming that."Democrats in the U.S. Senate were preparing to unveil legislation as early as Thursday aimed at aiding Flint, but would not provide details. It could be debated on the Senate floor next week as part of an unrelated energy bill, aides said.Activists in Flint plan to present petitions with almost 20,000 signatures to Weaver and Snyder on Thursday calling for a moratorium on water bills.Snyder's team includes two people who helped focus attention on the water crisis - Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Marc Edwards, a civil engineering professor at Virginia Tech who would oversee all state and federal water testing.Snyder is asking for $3 million in state funds for water bills."Flint residents should not have to pay for water they did not and are not using," Weaver said.Also on Wednesday, a coalition of Flint residents and national groups filed a lawsuit asking a Detroit federal court to compel city and state officials to replace all lead water pipes promptly and at no cost to residents.The National Resources Defense Council, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and Flint residents asked for relief for any medical harm suffered. Lead is a neurotoxin that can damage the brain and cause other health problems.Snyder has repeatedly apologized for the delay in addressing Flint's problems, which have led some critics to call for his censure or arrest. Residents of the city of 100,000 people had complained for months about elevated readings of lead in drinking water and the blood of some children.Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette named a special prosecutor to look into possible crimes in the crisis.(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Richard Cowan in Washington, D.C.; editing by Ben Klayman and Grant McCool)
Ferguson, Missouri releases details of proposed consent decree-Reuters By Julia Harte-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The city of Ferguson, Missouri, released details on Wednesday of a tentative deal with the U.S. Justice Department to reform its police department and resolve a federal probe following the 2014 fatal shooting of a black teenager that ignited national protests.The shooting of 18-year-old, unarmed Michael Brown by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson exposed tension between the city government and the largely black community outside St. Louis that erupted into violent protests after a grand jury chose not to indict the officer.It was one of a series of highly publicized killings of black men mostly by white police officers that set off a nationwide debate about the use of police force, especially against minorities.The Justice Department issued a scathing report last year that documented discriminatory actions by Ferguson police and the municipal court system, particularly against African-Americans. The department also launched a probe into whether the city systematically violated citizens' rights.Under the terms of the proposed agreement, which were posted on the city's website, the Ferguson police department would be required to give its officers bias-awareness training, implement a "robust" accountability system and ensure that police stop, search and arrest practices do not discriminate on the basis of race or other protected characteristics.The settlement would require the city to change its municipal code, including sections that impose prison time for failure to pay certain fines and an ordinance used against individuals who do not comply with police orders.Ferguson's city council plans to vote on Feb. 9 on whether to accept the agreement and will accept public comments in writing and at public meetings before the vote.The proposal "simply encapsulates the elements that any small- to medium-size police department can and should put in place to ensure that its officers conduct themselves in a manner that is constitutional and effective,” the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta, wrote in a Tuesday letter to city council members.Gupta also said in the letter that she hoped the city council would approve the agreement so that the department would not have to “resort to contested litigation," which she said would divert resources and delay implementation of the police and court reform.The Justic Department is also investigating the police departments of Baltimore and Chicago to determine whether they carried out similar systematic violations of citizens' civil rights.(Reporting by Julia Edwards; Additional reporting by Julia Harte in Washington and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)
Oregon occupation leader Bundy urges remaining protesters to go home-Reuters By Peter Henderson-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
BURNS, Ore. (Reuters) - The leader of the month-long armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon urged remaining protesters on Wednesday to leave the site and go home, a day after his arrest and the death of a supporter."To those remaining at the refuge, I love you. Let us take this fight from here. Please stand down. Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. ... Please go home," Ammon Bundy said in a statement through his attorney read to the media following a court hearing.One protester who remained at the refuge following Bundy's arrest on Tuesday told Reuters by phone that some of the protesters were leaving the refuge through checkpoints set up by authorities, but rejected the word "surrender.""I don’t know what surrendering looks like," Jason Patrick said. "They’re walking through the checkpoint and going home. That's what I've heard unless I'm being lied to."Patrick added: "It's getting emptier over time, some people leaving, some people still there holding onto what they’re holding onto."Law enforcement surrounded the refuge and blocked off access roads on Tuesday evening, after Bundy and his group were taken into custody at a traffic stop along Highway 395.Citing the investigation, authorities declined to say what led to the fatal shooting of one member of Bundy's group, identified by activists as Robert LaVoy Finicum, a rancher who acted as a spokesman for the occupiers. Bundy's brother, Ryan, was wounded in the incident.The arrested protesters were each charged in U.S. District Court in Portland with conspiracy to use force, intimidation or threats to impede federal officers from discharging their duties.During a brief hearing on Wednesday afternoon, the defendants were ordered held without bail until a detention hearing set for Friday.(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Daniel Wallis in Denver, Dan Cook in Portland, Jonathan Allen, Melissa Fares, Amy Tennery and Ed Tobin in New York and Andy Sullivan and Julia Edwards in Washington Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bill Trott and Peter Cooney)
Authorities urge remaining Oregon occupiers to quit after killing-Reuters By Peter Henderson-JAN 27,16-YAHOONEWS
BURNS, Ore. (Reuters) - State and federal authorities pleaded with the armed men still occupying a U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon to leave on Wednesday, a day after an attempt to resolve the standoff peacefully by detaining their leader ended with one man shot to death.But one of the remaining occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Oregon told Reuters in an interview that he would not give up until the group's grievances over federal land rights were addressed.Law enforcement surrounded the refuge and blocked off access roads on Tuesday evening, after occupation leader Ammon Bundy and his group were taken into custody at a traffic stop along Highway 395.Citing the investigation, authorities declined to say what led to the fatal shooting of one member of Bundy's group, identified by activists as Robert LaVoy Finicum, a rancher who acted as a spokesman for the occupiers. Bundy's brother, Ryan, was wounded in the incident.At a news conference in Burns, Oregon, on Wednesday morning Greg Bretzing, FBI special agent in charge of the agency's Portland office, said that authorities wanted a peaceful end to the situation and that the remaining occupiers were "free to leave" the refuge."Let me be clear: It is the actions and choices of the armed occupiers of the refuge that have lead us to where we are today," Bretzing said. "They had ample opportunity to leave the refuge peacefully and as the FBI and our partners have clearly demonstrated, actions are not without consequences."Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, his voice breaking, said at the news conference: "I'm disappointed that a traffic stop yesterday that was supposed to bring peaceful resolution to this ended badly. Multiple law enforcement agencies put a lot of work into putting together the best tactical plan they could, to take these guys down peacefully ..."If it was as simple as just waiting out some folks down there to get out of some buildings, we could have waited a lot longer," Ward said. "But this has been tearing our community apart. It's time for everybody in this illegal occupation to move on. There doesn't have to be bloodshed in our community."-"THIS CAN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE"-Ward said if the occupiers had legitimate grievances with the government, they should use the "appropriate manner" to address them."This can't happen anymore. This can't happen in America and it can't happen in Harney County," he said.One of the remaining occupiers at the reserve, Jason Patrick, told Reuters by phone they would stay until the "redress of grievances."“I've heard 'peaceful resolution' for weeks now and now there’s a cowboy who is my friend who is dead – so prepare for the peaceful resolution,” Patrick said.On Wednesday morning an occupier posted what appeared to be a live feed from the refuge on a YouTube page called "DefendYourBase." In it, a few occupiers, some dressed in camouflage, were seen in front of what appeared to be a heavy-duty 320D excavator, at least two of them carrying firearms.One man spoke on a phone with a person he identified as his mother and offered her reassurance."If I die, I died for my country, I died a free man," he said. "That's how I want to die." The man added that his group had "food and everything for the long haul."The Malheur takeover, which started Jan. 2 with at least a dozen armed men, was a flare-up in the so-called Sagebrush Rebellion, a decades-old conflict over federal control of millions of acres in the West.Bundy's father, Cliven, was a key figure in a 2014 armed standoff with federal officials over unpaid grazing fees in Nevada.The arrests and shooting have angered anti-government protesters across the country, said Mike Vanderboegh, a gun-rights activist active in self-proclaimed militia circles. "It's all I can do to keep people from going and shooting feds right now," he told Reuters.Vanderboegh said the FBI had acted too quickly to end a situation that was already headed toward peaceful resolution.Amid concerns that Finicum's killing could escalate into further violence, the Pacific Patriots Network, Oath Keepers and the Idaho III% - all self-styled militia groups sympathetic to the occupiers - said in a joint statement they were issuing an immediate “stand by” order to followers."During this time, cooler heads must prevail," the statement said. "We do not wish to inflame the current situation and will engage in open dialogue until all of the facts have been gathered."Federal officials say they had probable cause to arrest Finicum, who told NBC News earlier this month that he would rather die than be detained.Those arrested face federal charges of conspiracy to use force, intimidation or threats to impede federal officers from discharging their duties, the FBI said. They were scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Wednesday afternoon.(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Jonathan Allen, Melissa Fares, Amy Tennery and Ed Tobin in New York and Andy Sullivan and Julia Edwards in Washington, D.C.; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bill Trott)
