Daily Headlines

There are a lot of interesting stories "out there" today:

Anti-Christian Violence Continues in Pakistan

Anti-Christian violence continues in Pakistan and police are not pursuing the perpetrators, according to news reports. May 26 article in AsiaNews.it described the gang-rape of a Christian woman and the desecration of Christian tombs in the Pakistani city of Faisalabad. The publication called it “ordinary violence visited upon Pakistan’s Christian minority.”

Bibi: UN Statehood for PA is Like Declaring the World is Flat

If the United Nations in September declares the Palestinian Authority to be a state, it might as well decide the world is flat, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Monday.

He said Israel cannot stop the resolution from going forward and has few friends n the international body, but a veto from any member of the United Nations Security Council would block the proposal from reaching the General Assembly, whose anti-Israel majority likely would approve it.

The only problem is, the fact that the U.S. is most likely the only nation who would oppose. What happens if the U.S. decides to vote for an independent "PA State"?

Gantz: Army gearing up for mass riots

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz addressed the various threats Israel faces amid unrest in the Middle East on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Gantz said that while past threats were still relevant, new ones challenge to the IDF in handling numerous fronts under a tight timetable.

There's a new player in the Middle East - the street," he noted. "The IDF has drawn lessons from the Nakba Day events and knows it may find itself facing large-scale popular protests in the coming months.

Hamas-Gaza missile stock passes 10,000 - and going up

According to updates reaching DEBKAfile's military sources, the number of missiles Hamas has managed to stockpile in Gaza passed the 10,000 mark in early May – despite Israel's partial blockade of the Gaza Strip. It is growing at the rate of some 30 new projectiles of many types smuggled in every two weeks.

On April 9, the Palestinian fundamentalists shot 133 rockets at seven Israeli cities before Israel granted a ceasefire in lieu of an operation for smashing this arsenal.
Firing at the rate of 150 missiles a day, Hamas is currently capable of keeping southern Israel under constant attack for 66 days running.

Eurozone crisis risks 'systemic' fallout, says Draghi

The debt crisis in Greece, Ireland and Portugal could have "significant systemic effects" in the eurozone, Italy's central bank chief Mario Draghi, who is set to head up the European Central Bank, said on Tuesday.

"In the eurozone, the sovereign debt crisis in three countries, which together represent six percent of the area's GDP, has the potential to exert significant systemic effects," Draghi said at a central bank conference.

"European economic and monetary union is facing its most difficult test since it was created," added Draghi, referring to Greece, Ireland and Portugal which have agreed bailout packages worth tens of billions of euros (dollars).

Mobius: 'Another financial crisis around the corner'

Mark Mobius, executive chairman of Templeton Asset Management’s emerging markets group, said another financial crisis is inevitable because the causes of the previous one haven’t been resolved.

“There is definitely going to be another financial crisis around the corner because we haven’t solved any of the things that caused the previous crisis,” Mobius said at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo today in response to a question about price swings.

Largest E. Coli Outbreak Spreading in Europe

The largest outbreak of E. coli in the world has killed 14 people in Germany. Another 300 are seriously ill, and according to scientists who spoke with the Reuters news service, the epidemic is spreading.

The deadly bacteria was originally found on a shipment of fresh cucumbers imported into Germany from Spain, although its source is still unknown.

According to the German scientists, the pathogen has been identified as hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication resulting from a type of E. coli called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).

As of Monday, the University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein in north Germany had reported 82 cases of HUS and 115 confirmed cases of E. coli, with the number having doubled within the past few days. The city of Hamburg reported 488 cases of E. coli since the outbreak began two weeks ago, and 94 cases of HUS.

The Third Intifada?

There is an interesting article from the Jerusalem Post that is worth reading:

Palestinians prepare for 'Naksa' marches on Israel's border

Hundreds of thousands join Facebook campaign to mark ‘setback’ of Six Day War; IDF to deploy larger forces along northern frontiers to avoid repeat of Nakba Day violence.

Following the example of this month’s Nakba Day marches, Palestinians and their supporters are preparing to launch another multipronged assault on Israel’s borders this week to mark the “Naksa,” or setback, of Arab defeat and territorial losses in the 1967 Six Day War.

The website “Third Palestinian Intifada” and its Facebook page, “Countdown to the Third Palestinian Intifada,” have posted detailed plans for marches on Israel’s borders with Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Gaza, as well as processions to Jerusalem’s Al- Aksa Mosque, on three separate dates before and during the war’s anniversary.

The group’s “plan of action” calls for mass rallies on June 3, 5 and 7 – the Friday leading up to the Six Day War anniversary, the date on which the war began and the date Israeli troops took Jerusalem, respectively.

This looks like a recipe for disaster.

“We will renew the memory of the Naksa, and we will make it a setback to the occupying entity,” organizers wrote on Facebook. “Thus we declare with all our strength and with our loudest voice that the seventh of June, which marks the rape of Jerusalem… is a day of allegiance to Jerusalem in all countries of the world.”

According to Third Palestinian Intifada’s “plan of action,” following prayers on Friday, Arabs in Israel, the West Bank and Jerusalem will march on the Al- Aksa Mosque to declare their “allegiance” to the holy city.

Egyptians are instructed to gather in Tahrir Square to do the same, as are residents of “the rest of the Arab, Islamic and Western capitals.” Gazans and Jordanians are encouraged to march on their respective borders with Israel.

And then comes the next wave of "protests":

Two days later, Arab residents of Israel, the West Bank and Jerusalem are again instructed to march on Al-Aksa Mosque, and to “clash with Israeli soldiers in contact areas,” while in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, protesters are to march “peacefully” to their respective border with Israel.

And finally on June 7:

On June 7, “millions of Arabs, Muslims, Christians and liberals of the world, led by university students in different places will swear allegiance to Jerusalem on the day Jerusalem fell and the mosques and churches fell to the hands of the Zionists.”

So now we can add early June to our list of potentially important dates.

September still looms ahead ominously, but this summer may have some surprises in store.

In the news:

This first story just serves to confirm what we (prophecy watchers) knew all along:

Brotherhood Sheikh to run for president in Egypt

First, the Brotherhood in Egypt said they would only contest half the seats in Parliament. It's more like 75% now. Then they said they wouldn't put up a candidate for president. They now have two.

Gosh - ya think they want to take over the country, or something?

Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail announced his intention to run in Egypt's upcoming presidential elections.
He said that if elected he would implement Islamic sharia law and cancel the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

"If I could apply sharia in Egypt, all people, including non-Muslims, would applaud me four years later," said Abu Ismail.

"We seek to apply Islamic law, but those who don't want it prefer cabarets, alcohol, dancers and prostitution, as the implementation of Islamic law will prohibit women to appear naked in movies and on beaches," Abu Ismail added.

PM: Global terror organizations strengthening in Sinai

The presence of terrorist organizations is increasing in Sinai because of Egypt's difficulty in exercising its sovereignty over the area, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday at a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting.

Netanyahu noted that Hamas is getting stronger in Egypt and has moved to run its operations from Syria to Egypt following anti-Assad uprisings there.

"Egypt has had difficulties exercising its sovereignty over Sinai. We saw this in the two gas pipe explosions that occurred there," Netanyahu said. "What's happening in Sinai is that global terrorist organizations are meddling there and their presence is increasing because of the connection between Sinai and Gaza."

Netanyahu's comments came after Al-Hayyat satellite television station on Monday reported that over 400 al-Qaida members have made their way into the Sinai Peninsula, according to a senior Egyptian security official.

IDF source: Israel bracing for clashes along its borders ahead of planned protests

The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of violent protests along its borders in the coming days, aiming to avoid a repeat of deadly unrest that erupted earlier this month, a senior military official told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Facebook-organized activists have called for demonstrations next weekend in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip east Jerusalem and Golan Heights.

The official said the army also is planning to counter possible unrest in the West Bank in September after an expected UN vote to recognize Palestinian independence.

With peace talks frozen, Palestinian activists have begun to talk about holding large, nonviolent protests throughout the West Bank after a UN vote in September.

Earlier Sunday, speaking at a conference in Eilat, incoming Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino said that that the various proclamations of a non-violent Palestinian struggle would soon give way to violent protests as soon as an independent Palestinian state would be announced.

'Delicate Moment' for Global Economy as Manufacturing Slows

Add a manufacturing slowdown to the growing risks facing the world economy.

High input prices, supply chain disruptions from the tsunami disaster in Japan and slowing demand from China have combined to brake manufacturing momentum in Europe, the United States and Asia in recent months

Just how sharp the slowdown is will become clearer this week with the release of data from factory purchasing managers in major economies across the globe.

"This is a delicate moment for the global economy, and the crisis is not over until our economies are creating enough jobs again," said Angel Gurria, secretary general of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

EU, IMF expected to judge Greece as protests swell

Tens of thousands packed a central Athens square on Sunday in a non-partisan protest to denounce the nation's entire ruling class, but they also directed their anger at the International Monetary Fund and its demands for yet more austerity.

Greeks are angry about they impunity of politicians they hold responsible for the crisis, as well as the dire state of the economy and waves of austerity demanded under international bailout.

Under that plan, Greece was supposed to resume borrowing on financial markets next year but that now seems increasingly unlikely, so the EU is preparing a new aid plan that would meet Greece's funding needs in 2012 and 2013.

Pressure continues to pile on the socialist government with the EU commission's top economics official Olli Rehn saying time was running out for Greece to secure political agreement on an economic adjustment programme to exit a debt crisis.

Short-range nukes show Pakistan targeting Indian forces: Expert

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's recent testing of NASR or Hatf-9 short range missile, coupled with its rapidly growing stockpile of low-intensity nuclear weapons, suggests that it is actually preparing to cross the nuclear threshold in case of a conflict with India.

One of world's most authoritative voices on Pakistan's nuclear strength and American nuclear expert Hans Kristensen told TOI that a nuclear-tipped NASR seemed more like a weapon intended for use against Indian forces advancing into Pakistani territory.

"While that wouldn't threaten Indian survival in itself, it would of course mean crossing the nuclear threshold early in a conflict, which is one of the particular concerns of a short-range nuclear weapon,'' said Kristensen, who is also Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project director.

This last article is just for interest only. There are a lot of rumors regarding experimentation of manipulation of the weather. Who knows. In this day and age, anything seems possible.

Climatic Change - Is it Nature hitting Back or is it Man Made?

World renowned scientist Dr. Rosalie Bertell confirms that "US military scientists are working on weather systems as a potential weapon. The methods include
the enhancing of storms and the diverting of vapor rivers in the Earth's atmosphere to produce targeted droughts or floods."

Marc Filterman, a former French military officer, outlines several types of "unconventional weapons" using radio frequencies. He refers to "weather war," indicating that the U.S. and Russia (then Soviet Union) had already "mastered the know-how needed to unleash sudden climate changes (hurricanes, drought) in the early 1980s." These technologies make it "possible to trigger atmospheric disturbances by using Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) radar [waves]."

This article does provide a summary of HAARP, which is not being hidden anymore from the public:

The High-Frequency Active Aural Research Program (HAARP) based in Gokoma Alaska-jointly managed by the US Air Force and the US Navy-is part of a new generation of sophisticated weaponry under the US Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Operated by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate, HAARP constitutes a system of powerful antennas capable of creating "controlled local modifications of the ionosphere".

Scientist Dr. Nicholas Begich-actively involved in the public campaign against HAARP-describes HAARP as: "A super-powerful radiowave-beaming technology that lifts areas of the ionosphere (upper layer of the atmosphere) by focusing a beam and heating those areas. Electromagnetic waves then bounce back onto earth and penetrate everything-living and dead."

Dr. Rosalie Bertell depicts HAARP as "a gigantic heater that can cause major disruption in the ionosphere, creating not just holes, but long incisions in the protective layer that keeps deadly radiation from bombarding the planet.

HAARP has been presented to public opinion as a program of scientific and academic research. US military documents seem to suggest, however, that HAARP's main objective is to "exploit the ionosphere for Department of Defense purposes." Without explicitly referring to the HAARP program, a US Air Force study points to the use of "induced ionospheric modifications" as a means of altering weather patterns as well as disrupting enemy communications and radar.

This article is interesting and worth reading. Here are a few of the concluding remarks:

While there is no concrete evidence of HAARP having been used, scientific findings suggest that it is at present fully operational. What this means is that HAARP could potentially be applied by the US military to selectively modify the climate of an "unfriendly nation" or "rogue state" with a view to destabilizing its national economy.

Agricultural systems in both developed and developing countries are already in crisis as a result of New World Order policies including market deregulation, commodity dumping, etc. Amply documented, IMF and World Bank "economic medicine" imposed on the Third World and the countries of the former Soviet block has largely contributed to the destabilization of domestic agriculture.

It is important to understand the linkage between the economic, strategic and military processes of the New World Order. In the above context, climatic manipulations under the HAARP program (whether accidental or deliberate) would inevitably exacerbate these changes by weakening national economies, destroying infrastructure and potentially triggering the bankruptcy of farmers over vast areas.

JERUSALEM: The Epicenter

Ultimately, almost everything we are seeing today in terms of conflict in the Middle East, peace plans, upcoming battles and wars, and even the eventual rise of the antichrist - will all hinge on Jerusalem. As Joel Rosenberg likes to say: "Israel is the epicenter of the world, Jerusalem is the epicenter of Israel and the Temple Mount is the epicenter of Jerusalem".

The prophet Zechariah characterized this fact in Zechariah 12. We've seen those scriptures enough to have them permanently embedded in our minds.

With that as a lead-in, today we see this:

Netanyahu: Jerusalem is a foundation of Israel's unity

Jerusalem is "one of the foundations of Israel's unity," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday at a special cabinet meeting at the Tower of David Museum to commemorate Jerusalem Day that will be celebrated Wednesday.

Netanyahu said that he has stressed Jerusalem's centrality recently both in the Knesset and in the US Congress. He said there is an understanding in the US of the importance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people.

"It is important that the whole world knows that the people of Israel and its friends in the world stand together in their loyalty to Jerusalem and our heritage, are determined in our positions, stand up for our security, and extend our hand for a real peace with our neighbors," he said.

Netanyahu isn't kidding around:

The first part of the plan is a NIS 145.5 million investment to strengthen the tourist infrastructure in the city. This will be augmented by a NIS 75 million allocation from the Tourism Ministry to encourage the construction of more hotel rooms in the city.

Another NIS 71.4 million is earmarked to strengthen the city as a center of research and development, with money going to grants for start ups, upgrading R & D laboratories, and grants for bio-tech initiatives.

Another NIS 70.5 million will be allocated for public buildings, student housing, academic projects, and additional measures "to attract productive residents."

'Unification of Jerusalem is a foundation of nation of Israel'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells his cabinet that the government is obligated to build in Jerusalem, as it is 'the heart of the nation.'

"The government is obligated to building Jerusalem, as [Jerusalem] is the heart of the nation," Netanyahu said.

The prime minster spoke to the U.S. Congress last week, where he said that Israel is willing to make painful concessions for peace, but Jerusalem will not be divided.

The day after the prime minister's speech in Washington, the speaker of the Knesset and several other government ministers attended a dedication ceremony for the new Jewish settlement of Ma'aleh Zeitim, in East Jerusalem's Ras al-Amud neighborhood.

And this:

Netanyahu Rallies around 'United Jerusalem'

These comments by Netanyahu and the money being allocated to Jerusalem will not go over well with the local terrorist groups and the PA. After all, we know biblically that Jerusalem remains as the "grand prize" in this entire saga of the Middle East.

With the PA essentially giving up on a negotiated settlement and in turn, hoping that a UN vote will give them a separate "contiguous PA state", now they have to watch Israel actually expand in east Jerusalem.

In the past, such actions on the part of Israel have led to violence.

It could happen again over Netanyahu's latest comments. Additionally, this latest project as led by PM Netanyahu confirms Israel's more confident stance. Unlike past negotiations in which Israeli leaders danced around the delicate topics such as the status of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, Netanyahu is declaring certain concessions will not be made in any peace efforts, and one such concession is Jerusalem.

Now we await the response by the terrorist groups in the region.

This could be interesting.

Arab League to seek UN membership for 'Palestine'

This represents a new twist: Now an Arab League committee decided to seek full UN membership for a "Palestinian State" in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Arab League panel to seek UN membership for 'Palestine'

During Doha meeting, League committee says it will request full membership for Palestinian state in Gaza and West Bank with e. Jerusalem as its capital; Abbas says he sees no hope for talks with Israel, firm on UN path.DOHA - An Arab League committee decided on Saturday to seek full UN membership for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with east Jerusalem as its capital, it said in a statement.

The Arab League's peace process follow-up committee said it would request membership for the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly's meeting in New York in September.

Earlier, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said there were "no shared foundations" for peace talks with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and seeking UN recognition of Palestinian statehood was his only option.

With the peace process at a standstill, the Palestinians have said they hope to advance their national cause by seeking full membership of the United Nations in September.

US opposition means they have very little chance of success, but Israel fears the maneuvering will leave them looking vulnerable on the diplomatic front.

This particular issue regarding a UN vote for a "PA State" seems to hinge on the U.S. voting for or against this proposal. For now, President Obama is publicly stating that he is opposed to the creation of a 'Palestinian' state via a UN vote and would rather see this process take place through negotiations. With an election coming up in 2012, it is hard to imagine Obama voting against Israel in such a vote.

Only time will tell and we need to carefully watch how the U.S. Administration continues to view this situation.

In related news:

'Gaza smuggling industry booming'

As Egypt opens the Rafah border crossing for the first time since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip Israel security elements are trying to review the new situation. "Opening the crossing signifies a strategic change in Egypt-Hamas relations that warrants special attention," a security element told Ynet.

Egypt Opens Rafiah Crossing

It should be noted that the opening of the Rafiah crossing is a violation of previous Egyptian agreements with Israel.

Hamas spokesperson Abu Zaheri thanked the Egyptians for opening the crossing. “This is a step to destroying the siege on Gaza and will improve relations between Hamas and Egypt,” he said.

MK Nachman Shai (Kadima) said that “the opening of the Rafiah crossing completely upends the issue of a siege on Gaza, and removes from Israel an important tool to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza

This is a terrible failure of the government, which has lost the support of the international community and of Egypt in its attempts to isolate Hamas. Under these circumstances we should announce the complete end of the siege of Gaza, which has now been rendered toothless and ineffective,” he said.

This is just all part of the build-up to the next war. All sides are getting prepared for the inevitable.

We know these wars are coming, the only question is when. From everything we see today, it appears that it will be relatively soon.

Lessons of Netanyahu's Triumph

I keep trying to find an article by Caroline Glick that is not worth reading. No luck so far.

Lessons of Netanyahu's Triumph

This paragraph says it all:

Netanyahu was no longer going to Washington to explain where Israel will stand aside. He was going to Washington to explain what Israel stands for. Obama threw down the gauntlet. Netanyahu needed to pick it up by rallying both the Israeli people to his side and rallying the American people to Israel's side. Both goals, he realized, could only be accomplished by presenting his vision of what Israel is and what it stands for.

And Netanyahu did his job. He did his job brilliantly.

Genesis 12:3 and America

We're all familiar with the scripture seen in Genesis 12:3 - where God declared that He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. This was an absolute statement without qualifiers or caveats. It was meant for all nations, for all times. No exemptions.

We also see other, similar warnings, such as those found in Zechariah 12:3 where the warning was issued against any attempts to divide Israel/Jerusalem.

Several books have been written which relate specific attempts to divide Israel's land and then certain subsequent "events" which then occurred within hours or days - such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes.

No one can be sure if these events are coincidence or the hand of God. I certainly don't feel comfortable making assumptions regarding God's intervention - but seeing the correlation between an apparent cause and effect is sometimes hard to miss.

[Additionally, it must be pointed out that no prophecy watchers (at least that I know) consider that the unfortunate Americans who were devastated by these recent tornadoes, personally "deserved" these tragedies, or that we "hope" such tragedies occur, etc. Quite the opposite. This is merely a matter of observation and God's word. We continue to pray for all people affected by these recent events]

Maybe doomsday is near

Once again, we've seen the U.S. hit with a series of deadly superstorms following Barack Obama's pledge to return Israel to pre-1967 borders.

Just days after Obama insisted Israel must give up lands it won through military victory with its enemies, some 200 people were killed by a tornado in Joplin, Mo.

There's a pattern here.

We saw it in Katrina, when George Bush forced Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. In fact, as everyone from Israeli rabbis to U.S. senators have noted, it seems to happen every single time the U.S. pressures Israel to divide the land.

The phenomenon was best documented by Bill Koenig, author of "Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel."

There are a number of books which describe, in detail, various efforts made by the U.S. to shrink and divide Israel's land, quickly followed by 'natural disasters'. It could be coincidence, or it could be God's hand. There is no way to prove it one way or another.

But as the author said, "There's a pattern here."

Look at the facts:

Koenig points out that nine of the 10 costliest insurance events in U.S. history followed dramatic calls by U.S. officials for Israel to make land concessions in bids for peace with its neighbors. He points out with startling detail how six of the seven costliest hurricanes in U.S. history followed such events. He points out how three of the four largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history followed such developments.

Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, even terrorist attacks have hit America often within 24 hours of calls by U.S. officials for Israel to withdraw from Jewish land.

What does this have to do with prophecy?

It goes right back to Genesis and God's pledge to bless those who bless the children of Israel and curse those who curse them.

That is a prophecy that has seen every empire of the world come and go – yet Israel remains. It may be chastened by God. It may be dispersed. It may be divided according to His will. But God has punished every nation that has come against Israel. Each one has been judged.

Should this really be surprising? After all, God said it and He is usually good on His word isn't He?

You can choose to believe it or not. It won't make any difference.

But he that touches the apple of God's eye will pay a price: "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye." – Zechariah 2:8

And below are some important reminders:

In God's economy, there is Israel and then there are the other nations.

It was through Israel He chose to reveal Himself to the world – eventually through the birth, life, death and resurrection of His own Son.

And His Son is coming back to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It's no surprise where He will return and where He will reign – in Jerusalem.

Trying to understand God and His Son Yeshua apart from Israel is a tall order – because that's how He revealed Himself to us.

His ways are not our ways, and our ways are not His ways.

And this is also important to remember:

I don't know exactly what date He will be coming back.

I'm not sure exactly when He is going to call out His children.

But I do know it's near.

Amen.

Middle East Summit?

According to DEBKA we may be approaching a U.S. planned summit between Obama, Netanyahu and Abbas for restarting the peace process.

White House is set for Obama-Netanyahu- Abbas summit.

The White House is going full steam ahead with preparations for an early summit between US President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for restartng the peace process, DEBKAfile's Washington sources report exclusively.

Sources in Jerusalem and Ramallah confirm that they too are getting set for the occasion. A high-ranking US official told DEBKAfile: "Till now, we have had the curtain-raiser and opening positions: Now we are going for the real show - negotiations."

The official pointed out that although the Israeli and Palestinian leaders assert that the differences between them are too wide to bridge, both are busy preparing for the triple summit at the White House

State Department sources told DEBKAfile that, considering the Palestinian refusal for almost two years to sit down and talk to Israel, some members of the White House National Security Council and State Department as closely watching the Arab League foreign ministers' meeting in Qatar Saturday, May 28,as the key to unlocking Mahmoud Abbas' resistance to the peace track.

Those officials stress that the start of negotiations is the best way to stop Abbas turning to the UN in September for recognition of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders.

And a realistic look is given to this situation:

Sources in Jerusalem confirmed the preparations for the triple summit, but were absolutely sure that the US official was overdoing the optimism in order to squeeze Israel for more concessions...and laid down two propositions that Israel can on no account accept.

--- No Israeli military presence would remain across the new agreed borders between Israel and the Palestinians, i.e. Israel would be denied security provisions;

--- As part of the land swap, Israel would have to give up territory – or, in other words, withdraw not just to the 1967 lines but further west and give up chunks of pre-1967 sovereign land.

If Obama sticks to this position, Israeli sources stressed, the negotiations will end very soon after they begin and the distrust between Israel and Washington will only deepen.

That arrangement would pretty much guarantee Israel's destruction, as such borders would be even more indefensible than the 1967 borders.

Of course PM Netanyahu knows this all too well, and with the current lack of trust between Obama and Netanyahu, it appears that this renewed effort at peace talks will result in failure.

We really can't expect to see a covenant confirmed until the antichrist makes his appearance. Having said that, it is still possible that some sort of agreement could be signed yet not "confirmed", until later at the implementation phase which would come after the formal signing.

This could be an important distinction.

If this were the case, after the signing of a "covenant", some kind of military intervention such as UN forces or EU forces could be sent to the region in order to confirm/maintain the newly formed borders. Such actions could conceivably come months after the signing of the agreement/covenant.

To continue speculating - one has to ask - could it be possible that we could see the initial signing of a peace deal in the Middle East, and it wouldn't be the antichrist who actuallysigns the document, but he (the antichrist) could appear later as the head of a peace-keeping and border control forces?

Just some food for thought. Even if the above scenario played out, I still believe that the gathering up of the Church would occur prior to the initial signing of the document.

What is interesting to a prophecy watcher is how much intense international pressure is being applied to getting a deal done and creating a Palestinian State - as soon as possible.

Daily Headlines

Egyptian activists 'to form Nazi party', newspaper reports

Egyptian political activists have announced plans to set up a local version “of the Nazi party,” an Egyptian newspaper reported on Thursday.

Citing a leftist Egyptian news portal, the Al-Masry Al-Youm daily said that “the party’s founding deputy is a former military official,” and that the party would be aimed at bringing “together prominent figures from the Egyptian society.”Almasry Alyoum added that an Egyptian Nazi party “operated secretly under former President Hosni Mubarak, whose regime prevented party leaders from carrying out their activities freely.”

G8 leaders expected to back Obama on 1967 borders

Group of Eight leaders will give "strong support" to U.S. President Barack Obama's call for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal to be based on the 1967 borders, the French Press Agency AFP reported on Friday.

In a draft statement formulated at the G8 summit in France, leaders called on both parties "to return to substantive talks with a view to concluding a framework agreement on all final status issues".

The Kings of the East

The threat from Chinese advanced weapons, including new stealth fighters and ballistic missiles, dominated concerns expressed by senior military officers at a Senate hearing this week on the military impact of delays and problems with the new fifth-generation F-35 jet.

Two senior officers in charge of U.S. air power voiced increasing worries that U.S. forces will not be prepared for a future conflict with China, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee on Tuesday.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Herbert J. Carlisle, deputy chief of staff for operations, said China’s rollout earlier this year of a new J-20 stealth fighter, which has made two or three test flights, is very troubling, along with another joint Russian-Indian stealth jet.

In unusually candid comments on China’s growing military power, Gen. Carlisle said: “You need only look across the Pacific and see what [China] is doing, not just their air force capability, but their surface-to-air [missile] capability, their ballistic missile capability, their anti-ship ballistic missiles,” and new missiles that can reach U.S. bases in Guam and Japan.

Fukushima melt-down worse than Chernobyl

The situation at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan appears to have fit into the worst predicted scenario. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operates Fukushima, has officially admitted that fuel rods at the Fukushima reactors have partially melted, with a melt-down registered at one of the reactors

TEPCO promised that the situation would improve within 6-9 months, while radiation levels would drop to normal in three months. However, in late April Japan`s Nuclear Safety Commission raised the nuclear threat level at Fukushima up to the highest seventh level. This level previously only applied to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. This month TEPCO officials started revealing all data about the crippled Fukushima power plant.

Obama's New 'Truth Minister' Husband of 'General Betrayus' MoveOn.Orger

This week President Obama revealed his latest attempt to control the media, the Internet, and the information revealed to the people of the United States by creating a new “press” office of sorts, an Obama ministry of truth, if you will. Obama’s grandiose name for this new office is the Progressive Media & Online Response department. Also named was its new director, Jesse Lee. Lee, it turns out, has an interesting connection to one of the most outrageous anti-American, anti-military media efforts in recent memory.

Jesse Lee, you see, is married to Nita Chaudhary, one of the people responsible for the 2007 MoveOn.org newspaper ad that maligned General David Petraeus as “General Betray Us.”

That’s right, the guy that President Obama has chosen to “correct” the Internet and media and to relay the president’s “truth” is connected to one of the most anti-American, anti-military, left-wing activist groups in America. Lee and his wife are typical, hardcore, leftist extremists yet now they are in the People’s House with Lee responsible to “correct” the people themselves when they dare to question The One.

And below are two brief video links that are well worth watching - these video links represent follow-up stories from yesterday's news:

Oath Keepers Rally to Honor Jose Guerena and Oppose SWAT Searches

Special Report: Indiana Citizens Take Back 4th Amendment

The U.S. Police State and the Irrelevancy of the Constitution

The U.S. Constitution is a thing of the past - it is time to admit that.

However, I have a sinking feeling that the Constitution must be "lost" in order for the U.S. to sink into irrelevancy as we approach the Tribulation.

U.S. Police State Begins Exponential Expansion

The recent Indiana Supreme Court ruling against the US Constitution, rendering the Fourth Amendment null and void in that State by patently leftist activist judges, is only the latest unconscionable step in a series of actions designed to unravel each and every portion of the Bill of Rights.

Soon US citizens will have no rights—whatsoever—unless they are doled out by the USSA Meneur or Commandant du jour. Currently, that is the Obama/Soros syndicate which is now acting as the US‘ Dictator-and-agitator-in-chief.

As one of the first US States to pass a police-state bill, Massachusetts’ reputation as ‘all Communist all the time’ shines like a bright penny. Passing its Storm-Trooper bill (aka Massachusetts’ ‘Pandemic Act of 2009’—st02028), under the guise of some pandemic or any to be determined “suspicious event” that State requires:

Then, on lines 351-360 of Section 95 it states that whenever the appropriate authorities determine there is a “disease or condition dangerous to the public health” the “owner or occupier of the premises” MUST permit entry and “the investigation of the premises”

No Fourth Amendment rights for Massachusetts. And I still ask what is this “suspicious event?”

This is just one small example which exemplifies a general trend that grows worse by the day.

In the aforementioned Indiana case, Justice Steven David attempting to justify his position of eliminating the Fourth Amendment from Indiana wrote almost incomprehensibly: “We believe … a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth Amendment jurisprudence,”

Their decision not only eliminates a US citizen’s right to protection—under the law—from illegal search and seizure by the government but, effectively dissolves the 1215 Magna Carta!

We are in dire trouble, America. The dangers in which we find ourselves wallowing are the ways in which our founders had warned against and anticipated and planned for with our Constitution and its Bill of Rights.

You Will Respect My Authoritah!

So demandeth the DOJ and TSA in regards to Texas’ efforts to pass HB 1937, a bill that would have made invasive pat downs by TSA agents a felony. But never fear, Texas was forced to kill the bill because they did not have enough votes to pass it. And the Chicago-style thuggery and extortion goes on and on…

That fact has extreme importance - mainly in terms of how it happened:

But it wasn’t just the lack of votes at play here. Oh no… The DOJ threatened to stop all flights in and out of Texas if the bill proceeded apace. That is the real reason there weren’t enough votes.

When you threaten to basically exile an entire state and stop their citizens from traveling, you gut the economics in that state.

So let’s see if we understand the constitutional atrocity that was just foisted on probably the bravest state in the union shall we? The DOJ just stomped all over Texas’ Tenth Amendment rights to quash their Fourth Amendment rights.

If the government can do this (and they just did), what makes you think they haven’t just skirted the entire Constitution?

Making it a founding document in name only while denying what they are doing all the while. This comes at a time when a whole slew of Fourth amendment violations are happening around the country from Indiana to Kentucky and in various other states

I don’t believe in coincidence – this is planned pure and simple. We see the government now violating all our rights on a daily basis and they are getting more and more heavy handed and brazen.

What was Texas attempting with this bill?

Previous to the federal government’s threat, the Texas legislature had considered the ramifications of the bill. More importantly, they were responding to a clear need to uphold the Fourth Amendment and ensure that each person enjoys the right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures” — a right which the U.S. Constitution mandates “shall not be violated.”

You’ll no doubt remember a former Miss USA from Texas tearfully recalling how she was molested at an airport by the TSA. She isn’t the only one. There are also cases in Texas that include incidents with children, even babies. And the list could go on and on. Many people no longer fly at all because of the harassment and physical violations. But the government devil wants his pound of flesh and for all Americans to submit on bended knee to their authority, including Texans. Or else.

Rep. David Simpson gives proper perspective:

Rep. David Simpson’s office put forth that the DOJ had “thrown down the gauntlet” in using such stark language to oppose the bill.

“Either Texas backs off and continues to let government employees fondle innocent women, children and men as a condition of travel,” the staff wrote, “or the TSA [Transportation Safety Administration] has the authority to cancel flights or series of flights.”
“… 97 percent of people who go though the nation’s airports do not go through these offensive searches. And yet, a United States Attorney warns that flights to Texas could be shut down because TSA would not be able to ensure the safety of passengers and crew if agents could not touch genitals. Someone must make a stand against the atrocities of our government agents …”

Simpson went on to compare the struggle against the TSA to the Texas revolutionary war against Mexico:

“Gentlemen, we find ourselves at such a watershed moment today. The federal government is attempting to deprive the citizens of Texas of their constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 9, of the Texas Constitution. If we do not stand up for our citizens in the face of this depravation of their personal rights and dignity, who will?”

In summary:

The government is out in the open using criminal techniques to get their way, forcing compliance with physical and economic threats

I ask you Texans, where is your modern day line in the sand? For that matter, each state should answer that question. I think Americans have just about had enough. No amount of slick governmental propaganda will make this go away. It is shaping up to be one hell of a fight for our freedoms and Texas is the tip of the spear. The DOJ and TSA – well, you can go to hell, we’ll stand with Texas.

Truth Beware: The Ministry of Propaganda Begins

Exactly like the old Soviet Union - welcome to the new America:

Internet web sites, pundits, bloggers, commentators and denizens of the “alternative media” who are critical of Barack Hussein Obama beware, as you will now be “officially” in the crosshairs of the Obama White House.

As part of his 2012 re-election campaign, the Obama administration this week created an “online rapid response team” tasked specifically with quashing any Internet articles and news critical of Obama.

This team is headed by Internet guru Jesse C. LEE, 31 of Tacoma Park, Maryland, who was named the “Director of Progressive Media & Online Response.”

Are you kidding me? Is this really happening in America?

This is exactly what we saw in Nazi Germany and a Stalin led Soviet Union, and its now in America - we should absolutely call this by its more accurate name "Ministry of Propaganda".

With LEE’s hire inside of the White House Communications Department, the operation is now being officially funded by the American taxpayers.

To launch his campaign against Obama detractors and negative reports, LEE has already created an official White House Twitter account, featuring as his first tweet the image of “The Terminator” with the message “OK, turning on the White House Twitter machine that they issued me in 3…2…1…”

By design, the image sends a threatening message to anyone critical of the Obama administration and sends a signal that unfavorable reports about Obama and his reign will be dealt with much more aggressively.

The bottom line?

As Americans, we know that the right to a free press and public opposition to the ruling powers is integral to our freedom. What message is this White House sending to those who aspire to engage in a healthy debate or discussion of issues by affixing the image of “The Terminator” to its official White House Twitter account? We’d say that tactic is much more consistent with the Orwellian theme of Newspeak and its enforcement, rather than one actually committed to the truth.

More proof - this one strikes a cord in most Americans - an innocent citizen gunned down in cold blood:

Seventy-One Shots: The Death of Jose Guerena

This one is in the "read it and weep" category.

Dupnik’s SWAT team initially claimed that Guereña fired at them while they were serving a warrant — as he slept. They claimed that his bullets hit the bulletproof shield that the entry team hid behind, and that the barrage of bullets they fired back was in self-defense.

Only, Guereña never fired his weapon.

Awoken by his wife with screams that men with guns were invading his home and threatening his family, Jose Guereña armed himself with a AR-15 rifle and crouched in the hallway.

The SWAT team unloaded upon Guereña on sight. He apparently recognized the home invaders as police. He took 60 rounds, but never — as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department was forced to admit — took off his weapon’s safety as he was being killed.

How did this happen? In America?

Prejudice and bigotry?

It was, you’ll recall, a claim Dupnik made in the wake of Jared Loughner’s bloodly rampage at a “Congress in your Corner” event at a Safeway supermarket in Tucson, where six were killed and 14 others were injured — including, gravely, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Dupnik was attempting to blame the conservative Tea Party movement for the shooting when he made the comment. And even after it was revealed that Loughner’s few known political views had been described as “quite liberal,” and were in fact muddled at best, he refused to retract his slur.

So when Dupnik’s teams attempted a complicated four-house raid of minority families looking for drugs, perhaps bigotry and prejudice really was in play.

Details here:

Perhaps Dupnik’s officers assumed every Hispanic accused of being a drug dealer really was one, and perhaps they assumed that the tenant of a home protecting his loved ones must be a bloodthirsty cartel member waiting in ambush. Is that why they gunned down a tired, hard-working father sleeping off a night shift at the local copper mine? A Marine veteran of Iraq that had the discipline not to fire — a discipline that a trigger-happy SWAT team which has now killed three men in less than a year cannot itself exercise?

Not only has the Pima Sheriff’s Department tried to justify firing 71 shots at one man in a small hallway, hitting him (thankfully, just him) 60 times in a home where his wife and child were present.

They’ve attempted to justify their refusal to let a team of paramedics treat Guereña, who was still miraculously alive after being sprayed mercilessly with bullets.

A cynic might be tempted to suggest Dupnik’s SWAT team was waiting for the only witness to their assault to die. Considering how the Sheriff’s Department has acted since they stormed the home, a rational person might be tempted to agree.

This is what happens when the 4th Amendment is ignored.

No-knock warrants are typically used to surprise the target of raids and keep them from disposing of evidence, with possible violence from the offender cited as justification for the military-style use of heavy armor and machine guns.

Jose Guereña’s death was entirely preventable. Over-armed, over-amped law enforcement is causing far more harm to the public than other tactics and techniques possibly could.

The over-militarization of law enforcement agencies and over-use of SWAT teams is an idea that needs to be revisited in a sane society. Too many good people have been traumatized, and too many killed, under the flimsiest of circumstances.

After surviving two tours of duty in Iraq, only to lose his life in an encounter with Clarence Dupnik’s keystone cops, Jose Guereña was buried with full military honors.

But this isn't only happening in America - its a world-wide trend in loss of freedom for the average citizen:

32 Signs That The Entire World Is Being Transformed Into A Futuristic Big Brother Prison Grid

Do you want your children and grandchildren to live in a futuristic "big brother" control grid where everything they do is watched, recorded, tracked and tightly controlled? Well, that is exactly where things are headed.

We witnessed some really bad totalitarian regimes during the 20th century, but what is coming is going to be far more restrictive than any of the despots of the past ever dreamed was possible.

Today, nearly every government on earth is tightening their grip on their citizens. Paranoia has become standard operating procedure all over the planet and nobody is to be trusted.

When you read the list below, each of the 32 signs may not seem to be all that significant individually. However, when they are all taken together, they paint a truly frightening picture....

This article is worth reading. Here are just a few samples:

#1 The days of the free and open Internet are slowly coming to an end. Many nations around the world have implemented strict Internet censorship and many other nations are moving in that direction.

#3 Starting next year, all new cellphones will be required to contain a chip that will allow the president to broadcast "emergency alerts" to the cellphones whenever the president wants. Cellphone users will not be allowed to opt out of the presidential messages.

#4 The U.K. has more surveillance cameras per citizen than anywhere else in the world. In fact, according to one estimate, there are 4.8 million video cameras constantly watching every move citizens make.

#8 Today, FBI surveillance teams regularly employ warrantless GPS tracking to monitor the movements of peaceful activists - even if they are not suspected of ever committing a crime. The Obama administration is fighting in court to keep this practice legal.

#10 Federal VIPR teams are establishing a series of "internal checkpoints" all across the United States. The following is how a recent article by Paul Joseph Watson described these VIPR team activities....

The TSA has announced its intention to expand the VIPR program to include roadside inspections of commercial vehicles, setting up a network of internal checkpoints and rolling out security procedures already active in airports, bus terminals and subway stations to roads and highways across the United States.


#13 U.K. authorities are now admitting that every phone call, text message, email and website visit made by private citizens will be stored for one year and will be available for monitoring by government agencies.

#18 In Tacoma, Washington a seventh grade student was recently questioned by the Secret Service about a message that he posted on his Facebook page.

#19 According to the ACLU, state police in Michigan are using "extraction devices" to download data from the cellphones of motorists that they pull over. This is taking place even if those pulled over are not accused of doing anything wrong.

#27 A shocking document released by Wikileaks proves that high level U.S. government officials have been pushing for North American integration. According to the document, some of the goals of this integration would be to turn North America into an economic zone similar to the EU, to have one common currency for the entire continent and to have one common "security perimeter" for the entire continent.

The bottom line?

The entire globe is moving in the direction of totalitarianism. Our world is literally becoming a prison grid. Of course those in power say that we need more regulation and more control "for the good of humanity", but that has never worked out too well in the past, now has it?

But we are headed into the Tribulation, and during the tribulation era there will be no freedom for individuals - we already know that. What we are seeing now is the progressive build-up for the Tribulation; after all - the world that will exist during the Tribulation can't happen overnight, or with the flip of a switch. It must be a gradual movement over years - a movement which will reach its pinnacle during the Tribulation.

It appears that we're almost there.

Once the antichrist emerges, he will inherit a world that is already basically aligned with his vision.

With the Church removed, it will make things that much easier.

Soros and the Media: Part III

Today we see the third part in a series which details Mr Soros' control of the MSM:

Soros' Media Reaches More Than 300 Million Every Month

Books, newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, websites and cutting edge videos. The pieces of the George Soros media empire are as diverse as the nations of the world and just as widespread. From nakedly partisan left-wing media like Think Progress, the blog for the Center for American Progress, and a TV show on MSNBC, to the supposedly impartial National Public Radio, Soros has influence on the flow of information worldwide.

This is an undeniable fact. Mr Soros' influence is actually more extensive than previously imagined:

It gives him incredible influence. Every month, reporters, writers and bloggers at the many outlets he funds easily reach more than 330 million people around the globe. The U.S. Census estimates the population of the entire United States to be just less than 310 million.

That’s roughly the entire population of the United States with the population of Australia thrown in for good measure – every single month.

This information is part of an upcoming report by the Media Research Center’s Business & Media Institute which has been looking into George Soros and his influence on the media.

And that’s really just the beginning. That tally takes into account only a few of the bigger Soros-funded media operations.

Some specific examples, just to reveal how extensive his influence on the media is:

On April 8, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi headlined a Boston conference on “media reform.” She was joined by four other congressmen, a senator, two FCC commissioners, a Nobel laureate and numerous liberal journalists.

The event was sponsored by a group called Free Press, which has received $1.4 million from Soros.

Free Press has two major agenda items – undermining Internet freedom by pushing so-called “net neutrality,” and advocating for government-funded media to the tune of $35 billion a year. Many of those attending or speaking were affiliated with Soros-funded operations.

Free Press is just one of the better funded Soros groups. They also include the Center for American Progress ($7.3 million), which operates the heavily staffed Think Progress blog. That blog “now has 30 writers and researchers,” according to Politico.

Other well-funded operations include the investigative reporting operations at the Center for Public Integrity ($3.7 million) and Center for Investigative Reporting ($1.1 million), as well as Media Matters ($1.1 million) and the Sundance Institute ($1 million).


That’s not all. “Soros' foundations gave 34 grants from 1997 to 2010 to local NPR member stations and specific programs that have totaled nearly $3.4-million

In fact, Soros funds nearly every major left-wing media source in the United States. Forty-five of those are financed through his support of the Media Consortium.

And with so many various media outlets, the game becomes a process of repeating the same information over and over until it becomes part of the public consciousness:

A report by the Media Consortium detailed how progressives had created an “echo chamber” of outlets “in which a message pushes the larger public or the mainstream media to acknowledge, respond, and give airtime to progressive ideas because it is repeated many times.”

According to the report called “The Big Thaw,” “if done well, the message within the echo chamber can become the accepted meme, impact political dynamics, shift public opinion and change public policy.”

The list goes on and on. Project Syndicate calls itself “the world's pre-eminent source of original op-ed commentaries.” It has wide reach. “As of May 2011, Project Syndicate membership included 462 leading newspapers in 150 countries.” Its monthly circulation is 72,815,528. Naturally, “support comes from the Open Society Institute,” the primary Soros foundation.

The Soros “echo chamber” is even larger. Many of his organizations have a media component – from New Orleans, where he funds The Lens, to nations that were once part of the former Soviet Union. But he doesn’t have a media empire.

Mr Soros is undeniably one of the most influential humans walking this earth in these last days.

Will this influence be used for good or for evil?

After all, the world is rapidly dividing between these two fundamental forces as we approach the Tribulation.

We shall see.

Anas Membantah dan Sekaligus Mengakui

Komunikasi dan pemberitaan pers kadang membuat kita sebagai pembaca bingung.  Kebingungan tersebut bisa bersumber dari suatu kesalahpahaman, menangkap pesan yang disampaikan orang secara keliru.  Tetapi bisa juga bersumber dari kesalahan berucap, apa yang keluar dari mulut tidak sesuai dengan apa yang ada di dalam hati.  Maksud hati ingin mengucapkan “A”, tapi yang keluar dari mulut ternyata “A-“, atau bahkan mungkin “bukan A”.  Kesalahpahaman dan kesalahucapan tersebut  bisa membuat sesuatu yang sebenarnya remeh-temeh menjadi sesuatu yang nampak dramatis dan menegangkan.  

Berikut adalah contoh kisah Anas Urbaningrum, Ketua Umum Partai Demokrat, ketika membantah dan sekaligus mengakui berita tentang pertemuannya dengan Muhammad Nazaruddin (mantan Bendum partai Demokrat) dan Janedjri M. Ghaffar (Sekjen MK).  Bantahan dan pengakuan tersebut disampaikan dalam rangka menanggapi ucapan Mahfud MD, Ketua MK, ketika diwawancarai oleh Metro TV pada 22 Mei 2011 lalu.

Yang dibantah Anas adalah adanya “pertemuan segitiga” antara ia, Muhammad Nazaruddin, dan Janedjri M. Ghaffar.  Terlebih apabila pertemuan tersebut dikait-kaitkan dengan isu gratifikasi yang dilakukan oleh Nazaruddin.  Anas rupanya kuatir kalau masyarakat salah mencerna pemberitaan tersebut dan menganggap Anas terlibat dalam kasus Nazaruddin.  Dalam wawancara live dengan Metro TV tersebut bahkan disebutkan bahwa Nazaruddin pernah mengajak Janedjri makan untuk menemui Ketua Umum Demokrat Anas Urbaningrum.   Saat itu Mahfud  minta supaya Anas bicara jujur dan ikut berbicara mengenai kasus tersebut.  "Anda (Anas), Nazar dan Janedjri, pernah makan bertiga kan?" ujar Mahfud.  “Kredibiltas Anda dipertaruhkan,” lanjutnya.

Yang diakui Anas adalah  bahwa pada 2008 ia pernah makan bersama dengan Janedjri dan Nazaruddin, serta banyak kader Partai Demokrat lainnya, dalam acara pertemuan bersama antara MK dan DPP Partai Demokrat dalam rangka penanaman pemahaman kesadaran berkonstitusi bagi kader-kader Partai Demokrat.  “Jadi makannya rame-rame,” tegas Anas.  Tidak ada hal-hal khusus yang dibicarakan dalam pertemuan makan bersama tersebut.  Menurut Anas, adalah sama sekali tidak tepat mengkaitkan pertemuan yang terjadi pada 2008 tersebut dengan isu gratifikasi Nazaruddin pada 2010.

Sebenarnya yang dimaksud Ketua MK Mahfud adalah supaya Anas menjelaskan kepada publik bahwa ia dan Nazaruddin pernah bertemu dengan Janedjri. Penjelasan Anas diperlukan karena dalam keterangannya kepada pers, Nazaruddin membantah pernah mengadakan pertemuan dengan Janedjri.  Kepada wartawan Mahfud menegaskan, “Saya katakan, berikan keterangan bahwa Anas tahu Nazarudin kenal dengan Janed (Janedjri).  Anak buah Anda (mengaku) tidak kenal, padahal Anda tahu, mbok Anda bersuara.”  Yang agak mengherankan, hingga saat ini saya belum berhasil menemukan berita di internet yang menyatakan bahwa Nazaruddin belum kenal atau belum pernah bertemu dengan Sekjen MK Janedjri M. Ghaffar.  

Oleh karena itu, untuk sementara saya menduga bahwa mungkin yang hendak dikatakan Nazaruddin adalah bahwa ”ia memang sudah kenal Janed, tapi belum pernah bertemu dengan Janed dalam kaitannya dengan pemberian uang  sebesar 120 ribu dollar Singapura tersebut.”  Dengan kata lain, yang  ingin ia katakan sebenarnya hanyalah informasi bahwa ia tidak pernah memberikan uang tersebut kepada Janedjri.  Hal tersebut sesuai dengan penjelasan Nazaruddin pada 23 Mei 2011 lalu yang meluruskan  tudingan Ketua MK Mahfud MD bahwa dirinya tidak kenal Janedjri.   "Saya kenal baik sama Janedjri, dia sering ke rumah saya.  Beberapa kali ke rumah saya.  Jadi Pak Mahfud jangan katakan saya amnesia,"  demikian ujarnya. 

Barangkali hal yang hingga saat ini masih belum jelas, bagi kita, adalah tentang kebenaran pemberian uang dalam dollar Singapura tersebut kepada Janedjri.   Walaupun bagi orang-orang tertentu, terutama anggota Dewan Kehormatan Partai Demokrat, hal tersebut mungkin sudah nampak sangat jelas.   

Lalu, benarkah kontroversi tentang pemberian uang tersebut merupakan suatu kesalahpahaman, kesalahucapan, atau merupakan sesuatu yang tidak perlu diekspose ke publik karena dikhawatirkan hal tersebut dapat mengakibatkan polemik yang berkepanjangan dan mengganggu proses hukum yang akan dan sedang berjalan?  Kelihatannya sebagian besar elite Partai Demokrat memang menghendaki hal tersebut diekspose dan diselesaikan nanti melalui jalur hukum.   Sementara kita sudah tidak sabar lagi menunggu.     

The Arrival of the 12th Imam?

Thanks to James for forwarding this link below. It may explain Ahmadinejad's erratic behavior lately:

Ahmadinejad's Team Expects Arrival of 12th Imam...on June 5

First, some background on this situation:

Increasing tensions between Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad intensified when hardline clerics exerted pressure on Ahmadinejad to obey the supreme leader as the ultimate authority.

Those tensions were exacerbated with the arrest of over 25 of Ahmadinejad’s associates and loyalists, along with a high-level member of his inner circle.

Supporters of the supreme leader are referring to Ahmadinejad’s group as “The Deviant Movement.”

We've been watching this growing divide between Ahmadinejad and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and their respective followers. But apparently Ahmadinejad's group has something 'up their sleeve':

This “group” has announced that within the upcoming weeks a monumental event will turn the tide to their advantage.

...one of the officials within “The Deviant Movement” has informed his confidants that certain sources close to the “Mahdi’s Emergence Movement” have stated that an important event will soon change the course of operations to Ahmadinejad’s favor

Apparently, this will happen in two stages:

According to interpretations offered by Ahmadinejad’s team, a high-ranking member of the Islamic Republic will meet with a climactic incident.

This in turn will build up to the announcement of the “covert emergence” of the Twelfth Imam (or Mahdi) in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

So they believe that the Madhi's coming is imminent?

Hardliners critical of Ahmadinejad maintain that his team believes a covert emergence will commence on the 14th of Khordaad (June 5) in Medina, setting the stage for the announcement of the actual emergence in the next few years.

Certain accounts have chronicled that prior to the official emergence of the Mahdi, he will appear covertly in Medina, and during a period of one to three years he will lay the foundations for the actual announcement of his appearance.

The Deviant Movement states that: “At the time of the covert emergence, his regent (i.e., the supreme leader) will be deposed from his position.”

This is interesting - and it explains why Ahmadinejad has become disloyal to Iran's "Supreme Leader". If the Mahdi makes his appearance known, then the "Supreme Leader", the Ayatollah would be rendered irrelevant. Ahmadinejad must be very confident of the Mahdi's appearance if he is taking such an aggressive stance towards the Ayatollah.

Additionally, it appears that Ahmadinejad believes that the first phase of the Mahdi's return, a "covert emergence" has already occurred.

Previously, Ali Mottahari — a pro-supreme leader member of the Islamic Parliament — criticized Ahmadinejad:

Ahmadinejad believes that the covert emergence has, in fact, occurred. Therefore, he acts like he no longer needs the supreme leader and that he can disobey him, as he is taking his orders directly from the Mahdi himself.

The article reminds us of Ahmadinejad's obsession with the return of the Mahdi:

Since Ahmadinejad’s ascent to power, talk of the emergence of the Mahdi has increased. A number of hardliners, who are installed within the halls of the presidency, are attempting to utilize the Iranian and global situation to demonstrate the signs of the emergence of the Mahdi.

As I revealed recently, a secret Iranian documentary, The Coming is Upon Us, details the last condition for the reappearance as the destruction of Israel and the conquest of Jerusalem by Ahmadinejad.

He has been portrayed as the mythical figure in centuries-old Hadiths, Shoeib-ebne Saleh, the Islamic commander who attacks Israel in the End of Times and creates the needed circumstances for the reappearance of the Shiite messiah, the 12th Imam Mahdi.

The question is: Will the rifts in the Iranian leadership push Ahmadinejad and his team to draw Israel into an unwanted war to prove that he is that mythical figure?

This scenario which involves Ahmadinejad considering himself as this "commander who attacks Israel" while creating "the needed circumstances for the reappearance of the Shiite messiah, the 12th Imam Mahdi" - could represent yet another tipping point for the entire Middle East.

If this article is correct, then Ahmadinejad believes that the first phase of the Mahdi's appearance is already underway, a phase which consists of a "covert emergence" of the Mahdi, a period in which the Mahdi is in Medina laying the foundations for his "emergence" to be followed by his announcement of a world-wide "appearance".

There is just one small problem. The Mahdi won't formally appear to the entire world until the "commander" (aka Ahmadinejad) triggers war by attacking Israel - and only then will the Mahdi emerge from Medina to lead the world into Sharia law (after defeating Israel).

It looks like we are getting close. Certainly Ahmadinejad believes this. He is already openly defying Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah under the premise that the Mahdi is present. Ahmadinejad must be very confident in his prophetic beliefs and in the presence of the Mahdi in Medina.

The next move will be Ahmadinejad's - and that move is to trigger war with Israel. Then and only then can he fulfill his self-designated Islamic end times role.

Things are getting very interesting in the Middle East as we approach yet another potential tipping point.

Kisah Perjalanan Briptu Norman Camaru

Selama dua minggu lebih di bulan April 2011 sosok Briptu Norman Camaru, polisi muda asal Gorontalo yang tiba-tiba menjadi idola baru setelah video “Polisi Gorontalo Menggila” diunggah oleh Rienal Revaldi dan beredar di Youtube, mempunyai jadwal kegiatan yang luar biasa padat di Jakarta. Bukan hanya sibuk mengisi acara hiburan dari stasiun TV yang satu ke stasiun TV lainnya, tetapi ia juga sempat masuk dapur rekaman untuk menyiapkan single albumnya yang berjudul Cinta Farhat dan mengisi acara Opera van Java Trans7 di Bali.  Bahkan ketika sedang santai menikmati rekreasi di Taman Mini dan Dunia Fantasi bersama keluarga pun ia tak bisa menolak permintaan para penggemarnya untuk menyanyi dan berjoget “Chaiyya-Chaiyya”. Para penggemarnya yang rata-rata remaja puteri dan ibu rumahtangga pun saling berebut kesempatan untuk dapat foto bersama dengan Briptu Norman.  Termasuk Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Fadel Muhammad yang sebelumnya pernah menjabat sebagai Gubernur Gorontalo pun tak mau ketinggalan mendatangkan Briptu Norman ke rumah dinasnya untuk keperluan silaturahmi bersama keluarga pak Menteri.

Lepas dari sergapan media dan para penggemarnya di Jakarta Briptu Norman ternyata masih harus menghadapi sambutan para penggemarnya di Gorontalo yang melimpah ruah di pinggir jalan mengelu-elukan dirinya seperti seorang pahlawan yang baru pulang dari medan perang. Di sepanjang jalan menuju kantor Polda Gorontalo Briptu Norman mungkin masih nampak gagah duduk di atas mobil tank barracuda sambil tetap bersemangat membalas lambaian tangan dan teriakan histeris para penggemarnya. Namun tak bisa dibohongi, staminanya sebenarnya sudah habis terkuras. Belum sempat menemui keluarganya, segera usai perjalanan, Briptu Norman pun dilarikan ke rumah sakit. Acara syukuran Polda Gorontalo, yang semula diharapkan Briptu Norman akan bisa tampil menghibur warga Gorontalo, pun terpaksa dibatalkan dan diganti dengan acara doa bersama untuk kesembuhannya.

Mengamati kisah perjalanan Briptu Norman di dunia selebriti yang cukup fenomenal tersebut saya tertarik pada dua hal. Pertama, perubahan sikap pejabat Polri di Jakarta yang semula akan memberikan sanksi kepada Briptu Norman dan kemudian berubah menjadi mengapresiasinya.  Bahkan tak lama kemudian pimpinan Polri justru memberikan kesempatan kepada Briptu Norman untuk mengunjungi Jakarta dan tampil sebagai polisi selebriti yang berperan menghibur masyarakat. Tentunya dengan harapan aksi menghibur Briptu Norman tersebut dapat memperbaiki citra Polisi di mata masyarakat.

Saya yakin sekali ketika video “Polisi Gorontalo Menggila” mulai beredar luas di Youtube dan disiarkan oleh sejumlah stasiun TV nasional, maka hal yang pertama kali terlintas di kepala pimpinan Polri adalah bahwa Briptu Norman telah melakukan pelanggaran disiplin kepolisian.  Menurut ketentuan, bercanda berlebihan dan melepas baret dinas saat piket memang tidak diperbolehkan. Itulah sebabnya, menurut pengakuan Briptu Norman, pimpinan Polri menelpon dan memberikan teguran lisan kepadanya.  Ada rasa khawatir dari pihak institusi Polri bahwa tindakan indisipliner Briptu Norman yang diekspose secara luas di hadapan publik akan membuat citra Polisi semakin terpuruk di mata masyarakat.

Kekhawatiran pimpinan Polri tersebut ternyata meleset. Justru penyataannya yang akan memberikan sanksi kepada Briptu Norman menuai kritik dari publik.  Dukungan dari masyarakat kepada Norman pun meluas. Memberikan sanksi kepada Norman karena menyanyi dan berjoget “Chaiyya Chaiyya” saat piket dinilai masyarakat sebagai berlebihan. Mereka berdalih bahwa polisi juga manusia. Ia bisa merasa jenuh ketika sekian lama harus terus-menerus duduk berdiam diri, seperti patung, di pos jaga.  Oleh sebab itu, menurutnya, sekali-kali ia berhak untuk menghibur diri. Bahkan Wakil Ketua DPR Pramono Anung pun turut memberikan dukungan kepada Norman. Menurutnya, saat melakukan kunjungan kerja ke sejumlah daerah, Presiden SBY saja boleh bernyanyi untuk menghibur masyarakat. Mengapa Norman tidak boleh?  Bukankah aksi nyanyi dan joged Norman yang menghibur masyarakat tersebut justru dapat mendekatkan Polisi kepada masyarakat?   

        

Barangkali setelah melihat peluang untuk lebih mendekatkan Polisi kepada masyarakat itulah yang membuat institusi Polri tertarik untuk menghadirkan Briptu Norman di Jakarta dan mengijinkannya tampil mengisi acara hiburan “Chaiyya Chaiyya” di stasiun-stasiun TV.  Dan kita pun akhirnya menyaksikan aksi-aksi menghibur Briptu Norman yang mendapat sambutan luar biasa antusias dari masyarakat dan tak bisa disangkal pula telah membuat bangga pimpinan Polri, baik yang di Mabes Polri Jakarta maupun yang di Polda Gorontalo.  Dan rewards pun mengalir ke Norman bukan saja dari stasiun-stasiun TV dan studio rekaman yang telah mengundangnya tetapi juga dari institusi Polri yang merasa bangga karena Norman telah berhasil menjalankan tugasnya dalam rangka mendekatkan Polisi kepada masyarakat.

Namun, saya sungguh ingin mengajak kita semua untuk menggunakan akal sehat kita. Mungkinkah pimpinan Polri akan memberikan sanksi yang berat kepada Norman seandainya reaksi masyarakat ternyata bukan mendukung, melainkan mencemooh dan menghujat Norman yang telah melakukan tindakan indisipliner, bernyanyi dan berjoged-ria pada saat ia harus berjaga?  Pantaskah bila putusan apakah reward atau punishment yang akan diberikan kepada Norman tergantung pada apakah publik suka atau tidak suka?  

          

Hal lain yang menarik perhatian saya adalah munculnya kesadaran, termasuk dari pimpinan Polri, bahwa eksploitasi terhadap Briptu Norman sudah melampaui batas-batas kewajaran. Hampir dapat dipastikan, kalau dibiarkan, hal tersebut dapat merusak citra Polisi di masyarakat.  Mengapa hal tersebut bisa terjadi?

Satu hal yang harus kita sadari bahwa eksploitasi yang dilakukan oleh media terhadap Briptu Norman adalah untuk mendukung kepentingan bisnis media. Bagi media, sukses bisnis akan diperolehnya ketika popularitas Norman mampu menyedot perhatian semakin banyak orang yang kemudian diikuti oleh semakin banyak aliran iklan yang masuk ke media tersebut.  Oleh sebab itu, sepanjang masih ada peluang, media akan terus berusaha menggali dan menggali informasi menarik tentang Norman untuk mendukung kepentingan bisnisnya. Imbalan yang menggiurkan biasanya disediakan sebagai umpan oleh media atau pihak manapun yang ingin memanfaatkan popularitas Norman.

Membiarkan Briptu Norman masuk ke dalam jebakan infotainment (mengikuti selera bisnis media) selama lebih dari dua minggu, saya kira, merupakan hal yang di luar batas-batas kewajaran. Terlebih karena Norman adalah seorang polisi (bukan selebriti) yang masih terikat aturan jam-jam dinasnya sebagai polisi. Mereka yang sudah lama menggeluti profesi selebriti saja masih bisa menjadi bulan-bulanan gosip infotainment karena melakukan suatu kekhilafan. Padahal rata-rata mereka sudah mempunyai tim manajemen yang profesional. Lalu bandingkan dengan Norman, polisi muda yang penghasilannya hanya pas-pasan, yang hanya ditemani oleh atasannya AKBP Anang Sumpena, dan sama sekali belum punya pengalaman untuk menghindar dari jebakan. 

Dan apa yang dikhawatirkan oleh sebagian orang itu pun sudah terekam di mata kita.  Beberapa waktu lalu, kita tahu, telah beredar foto-foto Norman di dunia maya yang sedang beradegan “syur” dengan seorang perempuan. Kita juga menyaksikan berita-TV “ribut-ribut” seputar kontrak rekaman lagu-lagu Norman. Walaupun dalam dunia “bisnis selebriti” dua hal tersebut sudah merupakan bagian dari tradisi, tetapi citra dan popularitas Norman harus selalu dijaga supaya tidak berubah menjadi bahan ejekan. Hal tersebut perlu dilakukan karena Norman saat ini bukan lagi Norman yang dulu. Ia telah berubah menjadi bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari institusi Polri. Pujian atau cemoohan yang ditujukan pada Norman pasti akan berdampak sama pada Polisi. Oleh karena itu keputusan Polri untuk mengakhiri “Kisah Perjalanan Norman di Jakarta”, walaupun agak terlambat, perlu diapresiasi.      

                           

Lalu, bagaimana kisah perjalanan Briptu Norman Camaru berikutnya? Benarkah Norman akan mendapatkan beasiswa pendidikan sarjananya dan akan berhasil menjadi Perwira Polisi?  Mungkinkah ia akan tampil kembali di stasiun TV di Jakarta, mengisi acara panggung hiburan dengan memperkenalkan kreasi (lagu dan joged) terbarunya, “Chaiyya Chaiyya jilid Dua”?

Sebaiknya kita tunggu saja kisah perjalanan Briptu Norman Camaru berikutnya. Yang jelas, Norman kini harus rela mengurbankan sebagian privasinya untuk para pengemarnya.  Kini ia harus merelakan dirinya diawasi, dipelototi, atau bahkan diteriaki oleh para penggemarnya, pada saat ia sedang jalan (sendiri atau berduaan) di mall, supermarket, atau ruang-ruang publik lainnya. Karena sesungguhnya merekalah yang telah “membayar” semua rewards yang telah diberikan kepada Norman dari stasiun-stasiun TV, studio rekaman, dan juga dari institusi Polri.