All posts by Tom Hank

PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD RESOLUTION VOTED OUT BY UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL ON TUESDAY REJECTED A PALESTINIAN DRAFT RESOLUTION CALLING FOR ISRAEL TO WITHDRAW FROM PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES BY LATE 2017 AND REACH A PEACE DEAL WITHIN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.

THE PALESTINIAN RESOLUTION CALLED FOR NEGOTIATIONS TO BE BASED ON TERRITORIAL LINES THAT EXISTED BEFORE ISRAEL CAPTURED THE WEST BANK, EAST JERUSALEM AND THE GAZA STRIP IN 1967 MIDDLE EAST WAR.

THERE WERE EIGHT VOTES IN FAVOR, TWO VOTES AGAINST AND FIVE ABSTENTIONS INCLUDING THE UK.  AUSTRALIA JOINED THE UNITED STATES IN VOTING AGAINST THE MEASURES. NINE VOTES ARE REQUIRED FOR A MOTION TO BE PASSED IN THE 15 MEMBER U. N. SECURITY COUNCIL.

AMERICA  HOPES AGREEMENT CAN BE REACHED BETWEEN ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN LEADERS OVER THE NEGOTIATING TABLE, RATHER THAN BY UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTIONS.

READ MORE…….

BRITAIN GOES TO WAR

Britain is to join the war against ISIS, after the UK Parliament overwhelmingly backed air strikes targeting the terrorists in Iraq.

Prime Minister David Cameron said there was a “strong case” for extending the air strikes into Syria. He warned that the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was likely to last for “years”.

During an emergency session of Parliament on Friday, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs largely united as they voted 524 to 43 in favour of joining military action in Iraq.

The FBI said earlier this week it had identified Jihadi John, the British terrorist who has been filmed apparently beheading Western hostages.

Last night, six RAF Tornados based in Cyprus were poised to strike targets in Iraq within hours. The military intervention marks the third war in Iraq involving British personnel in the past 25 years.

Britain is now on high alert for revenge attacks after a series of arrests over the past two days. Counter-terrorist police yesterday arrested two men on the M6 near Rugby.

The Prime Minister said: “‘Is there a threat to the British people? The answer is yes. ISIL has already murdered one British hostage and has threatened to murder two more.

“ISIL is a terrorist organisation unlike those we have dealt with before. The brutality is staggering — beheadings, crucifixions, gouging out of eyes, use of rape as a weapon. All those things belong to the Dark Ages. This is about psychopathic terrorists who are trying to kill us. Like it or not they have already declared war on us.” Mr Cameron said Isil posed a direct threat to Britain, citing six plots linked to the terrorist group which had been foiled across Europe.

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GREAT BRITAIN HOSTED LARGEST GATHERING OF INTERNATIONAL LEADERS AT NATO SUMMIT IN WALES.

This month saw the first NATO summit since Chicago in 2012, and the first NATO summit in the United Kingdom since Margaret Thatcher welcomed NATO leaders to London in 1990.

President Obama, Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande attended along with leaders and senior ministers from around 60 other countries.

It was an opportunity to ensure that NATO continues to be at the forefront of building stability in an unpredictable world.

The NATO summit produced 113 paragraphs of action points beginning with “We, the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, have gathered in Wales at a pivotal moment in Euro-Atlantic security. Russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine have fundamentally challenged our vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. Growing instability in our southern neighbourhood, from the Middle East to North Africa, as well as transnational and multi-dimensional threats, are also challenging our security. These can all have long-term consequences for peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region and stability across the globe.

Finalising with….”We express our appreciation for the generous hospitality extended to us by the Government of the United Kingdom and the people of Wales. The decisions we have taken at our Summit will help to keep our nations and populations safe, the bond between Europe and North America strong, and our region and the world stable. We will meet again in Poland in 2016″.

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UK – Southwest devastated by storms and flooding

 

The Southwest of England has had major storms over the past week, destroying railway lines, restaurant on the coastline, houses and many trees as the surging high tides and strong gale force winds devastate the area.
Around 80 metres of the sea wall was destroyed by high tides and stormy seas, causing a significant stretch of railway to collapse into the sea.
The road adjacent to the railway and several houses has also been damaged, as was Dawlish station itself and several other sites in the area.
The railway line collapse means that Devon and Cornwall, 2 counties in the far south west of UK are cut off from the rest of the country for all rail travel and damage will take at least 2 months to repair.
Parts of Somerset county have been under water since January with villages evacuated due to flood water. Crops have been ruined as fields have become lakes with the constant rainfall and flooding, and the army have been called in to help residents.
The extraordinary weather is set to continue in the South west for the coming weeks with more storms forecast for Plymouth and the surrounding area.

For more….click link

 

TEENAGERS GO ON RAMPAGE IN LOS ANGELES

Teenagers went on a crime spree in Los Angeles and 12 arrested, as Hollywood was hit by roaming bands of robbers on Wednesday night, causing mayhem when approximately 40 young people rampaged through the area.  Eight robberies have been reported, and police are investigating how the groups formed, probably using social media to send out information to the swarming groups.

Investigators are also looking into whether the group was made up of some of the same youths who were attacking people and vandalizing stores in the Crenshaw district earlier this week, when demonstrators protested the George Zimmerman murder trial verdict.

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SIMI VALLEY, CA, USA – FIREWORKS INJURE 36 AT 4TH JULY CELEBRATIONS

Simi Valley 4th July firework celebrations turned to disaster as fireworks exploded into the crowd.  Some reports say the staging holding the display collapsed, others say the fireworks were set off by accident, shooting burning darts of fire into the audience.  People ran for cover and paramedics attended the scene quickly.  Investigations continue but foul play is not suspected.

An estimated 10,000 people were watching the event, following appeals to attend professional pyrotechnic displays rather than light fireworks of their own, for safety reasons.

16-year-old Josh Antonucci, was in a large group of spectators about 500 feet from the fireworks stand, close enough to see part of the staging area tip over and see fireworks begin shooting into the crowd.

Antonucci turned to run and a projectile struck him in the back. “It felt like a punch,” he said. “I knew I just had to get away.”

The Independence Day celebration took place at the Rancho Santa Susana Community Centre and Park in Simi Valley, California, on Thursday. 36 people were reported injured, with at least 20 requiring hospital treatment.

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SANTA MONICA SHOOTINGS AS OBAMA ATTENDS FUNDRAISER IN THE CITY

Santa Monica, California, has been the scene of a shooting rampage by an unknown gunman, outside College Campus today.  In a nearby incident, two people died in a house fire, thought to be connected to the shooting incident.  Reports are still coming in, but Sky News is reporting 6 dead and 5 injured, some critically.

The sources said the gunman allegedly set the home on fire, opened fire on several cars and appeared to try to carjack two vehicles. One of the carjackings occurred near the campus library and college police station.

Nearby, President Barack Obama attended two Democratic National Committee fundraisers at the Santa Monica home of media mogul Peter Chernin. As the fundraiser was underway, there were reports of the incident at nearby Santa Monica College.

Obama lunched with about 100 people, then attended a private reception with 35 attendees. Among the Hollywood heavyweights present were Disney’s Bob Iger, J.J. Abrams, Haim Saban, Jim Gianopulos, HBO’s Mike Lombardo and Sonny Ward.

The shooting incident forced the President to depart the fundraiser by car, rather than by helicopter as originally planned, and reports are still coming in on those injured.

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Timeline of deadliest-shooting-rampages in USA published in LA Times.

FRANCE: PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE DEMANDS WORLD’S TAX HAVEN’S BE ERADICATED

The world’s tax havens must be “eradicated” and French banks must declare all of their subsidiaries, declared French President Francois Hollande today.

Presenting a draft law “moralising” french public life, he also has demanded that all 37 ministers disclose their personal wealth and assets by this Monday, following the recent tax fraud scandals by leading government figures in France.

As his popularity since election last year dwindles, President Holland said French banks “will have to publish every year the full list of their subsidiaries in the world, country by country”. “They will also have to explain their business”, he said.

“In other words it won’t be possible for a bank to hide transactions carried out in a tax haven.”  In addition, “a high-level authority will be created to monitor the assets and interests of ministers, members of parliament and top elected officials“, he said.

Mr Hollande said a new national, specialist prosecutor would focus on corruption, with tougher penalties for those found guilty of fraud.

The banking system across Europe is being shaken once again, following recent banking scares in Cyprus, where Russian investors lost billions of Euros deposited in Cypriot banks. The government decided on an immediate tax on all accounts over 100,000 Euros and banks closed for a whole week while they negotiated an EU bailout deal, to prevent a run on their banks.  Some sources claimed Cyprus was a “tax haven” and a “money laundering” center, though today Cyprus announced citizenship rules are to be relaxed in Cyprus to encourage foreign investors who lost 3 million Euros under the Cyprus EU bailout deal last month.

The reaction of the french banks, and the rest of the corporate world, to Francois Hollande’s proposals will make interesting reading over the next few days.

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GERMAN ANTI-EURO PARTY FOUNDED – “ALTERNATIVE” 1ST PARTY CONFERENCE

A new German political party opposed to the single European currency is holding its first national conference.

Alternative for Germany wants the euro abolished, with states returning to their original currencies.

Opinion polls suggest the party is unlikely to win widespread support in September’s general elections.

But analysts say it could skim enough votes from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats to make it harder for her to retain power.

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HOPI TRIBE MASKS – PARIS AUCTION ORDERED BY JUDGE

Hopi tribe masks fetch record prices at Paris auction

 

A "Chof Cachina" sacred mask of the Arizona's Hopi native American tribe
The Hopi say the masks are blessed with the spirits of their ancestors

A mask from a native American tribe in Arizona has fetched 160,000 euros (£135,000) at auction in Paris, more than three times the pre-sale estimate.

Friday’s auction of 70 masks fetched some 930,000 euros after a legal challenge to stop the sale failed.

Lawyers for the Hopi tribe had asked for the auction to be cancelled on the grounds that the masks must have been stolen from the tribe.

It considers them sacred and blessed with divine spirits.

Auctioneers, however, say the masks had been bought and sold in the past and were legally acquired.

They said blocking the sale would have implications for the trade of indigenous art and could potentially force French museums to hand back collections they have bought.

‘Criminal gesture’

The masks – mysterious looking faces fashioned from wood, leather, horse hair and feathers, and painted in a vivid array of colours – are spiritual artefacts thought to have been taken from a reservation in northern Arizona in the 1930’s and 40’s.

To Hopi Indians they are sacred – tools through which the living can communicate with the spirits of the dead.

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DOMA – WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

Over the last 2 days, the Supreme Court have heard the arguments for and against the Defense of Marriage Act, 1996,  which currently defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

The main issues raised in the Supreme Court this week touched on the role of individual State decisions to allow gay marriage, (so far in 9 States), and the 1100 federal laws which affect all States and define marriage in the traditional way.

If federal law redefines “marriage”, what happens in the 41 States who have voted against same sex marriage?

Would they be forced to accept it?  The majority have not yet decided…..

Therefore, the argument to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, seen as the “problem” area in terms of the law, became the central issue.

The question raised by the judges were essentially, “How can we get around this definition, to embrace all “types” of marriage so they are all treated the same under the law”.

Simple:  If this is about money/taxes and benefits – which the court case seemed to be saying – then call “marriage” between a man and a woman “marriage” and any other type of union a “civil partnership” within the DOMA definition.  Add those words to the federal law and it’s done.

But isn’t it instead about the longer term consequences on our society, to change it beyond recognition?
…are we allowed to say “No” or “lets just wait and see” without offending somebody? Do we have a choice?

Consider this;
1.    If marriage is redefined, where will it stop?  If the criteria is sexual orientation based, rather than biological (one man/ one woman), other groups who think differently about marriage could demand  “equal rights”.

For example:  Could marriage then become legal between one man and two or more woman, as in Muslim societies?  Could they bring a challenge under Sharia Law regarding marriage in the US in States which have strong Muslim communities?

2.  Lesbian, gay, transgender relationships,  are very new to society compared to the traditional marriage set up as defined for hundreds of years.  Children are secure in families and parents try to protect them from minority group influence they may disagree with.

Events such as the Folsom Street Fair, which allows all those with “different” ideas of sexual deviance, to display their “affections” in public.  Psychologists are now suggesting pedophilia is becoming likened to homosexuality.  These developments of “freedom of expression” could become common-place in our local communities as “normal” behavior.

Will those who disagree with the same-sex marriage ruling now be penalized if they don’t comply? Will church Pastors who disagree be sued if they don’t marry same-sex couples?  This has already happened in parts of Canada.

Most of the push toward gay marriage began in San Francisco and so it is not surprising that the challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act started with Proposition 8, (the ruling of the people banning same-sex marriage) being challenged from California.

After World War II the US military dropped off it’s embarrassing gay recruits in San Francisco around Haight & Ashbury. At the same time the Hindu invasion lead by the Beatles and several Yogis entered our society. It is important to note here, this was all happening right after the fall of Hitler and his friend the Dalai Lama.

This was a spiritual invasion into western society that very few understand, but everything we are seeing is exactly what happened in Germany before “Nazi” Germany… it too was a “spiritual” invasion of these eastern deities.. This level of Occult is exactly WHY China kicked the Dalai Lama out and indeed fights anyone to this day, who promotes him.. but that’s another story.

Today in this same region of San Francisco it is normal to see naked people walking the streets in bondage and live anal sex acts performed for a world audience all streamed live to subscribers, being created and broadcast from the San Francisco Armory. NOTE: the court, government buildings and the federal reserve are all in the same neighborhood, and those who work in them, live work and play with their neighbors. Yes indeed this government sold the San Francisco Armory to the sex bondage company and were/are very aware of what they are doing in these “Upper Room” sexual debauchery events.

It is also important to note that during Arnold Schwarzenegger reign as Governor of California, Maria Shriver, under the tutelage of the Dalai Lama was brought in to influence “Woman’s Groups” and indeed first hand accounts of Maria putting the screws to Arnold, to sign Gay marriage or else… Once he did, and was no longer Governor, Maria let it fly about the child Arnold had 10 years prior and divorced to gain 250 million dollars to further invest in setting up his un-holinessines the Dalai Lama as the new Pope of the world…but this too is another story.

Harvey Milk, played by Sean Penn, was a close friend of the infamous Jim Jones, who used his sexual christian cult and black followers, to indeed, vote and re-vote, by busing them around to different precincts, getting elected those who would block the feds from investigating him. Harvey Milk indeed diverted a federal investigation away from Jim Jones. What bed fellows? forgive the pun, but facts are facts.

One person lead the movement through a relationship from San Francisco into the East Village in Manhattan NY and from their spawned the movement we see today.

Their focus were “Seats of Power”, Government, San Francisco Supreme Court, and Media Manhattan New York.

Important to note that despite the good citizens of California striking down gay marriage, out of San Francisco Supreme Court the Gay judge, involved with his neighbors and friends, as described above, over turned millions of voters in favor of the sexual deviance coming out of his neighborhood, to indeed affect the entire world.

Fox recently asked “Why do the muslims hate us?” Could it be the immorality we push via our media to an unsuspecting world?

Marriage as an institution has already suffered at the hands of historical social “norms”. In western society today we are reaping the legacy of the “progressive” 70’s and 80’s era of drug addiction and sex outside of marriage, with abortion used as the latest form of birth control today.  Where does someone’s moral opinion count?

Who is paying the price?  Our children of course !

The court mentioned that this was very much in the experimental stage –  to see the affects long term requires a 40 year span of time before the affects on children and family could be measured effectively.

So,…..will we see more mentally mixed up and abused children grabbing guns and mass shootings?  Who can tell…

Where is the nurturing mother in a sodomite male on male union who adopt children?  Nature made women nurturers……so how will this work?

Our future generations are at stake, and therefore the Supreme Courts decision will be life changing for us all .

3.   The country is already in crisis from a financial recession and on the verge of breakdown – Has the cost of this decision really been calculated?

In financial terms – who will pay the extra benefits and cover the loss of revenue, if this opens the floodgates for every “type” of “challenge” to federal law, decided by a minority group?

Note: California is on the verge of collapse and it is the largest economy in the USA. Depending on how this case goes, it could take California over the edge…
Has the cost been counted?

Isn’t this case about more than discrimination to a minority group who wish to achieve benefits for themselves?

Isn’t the real issue brought before the Supreme Court fundamentality challenging the solid principles of our society?

Legal discussions take no account of the implications on our society in general, because they decide on the individual outcome on a case by case basis usually. However, with the DOMA question, their vital decision will rule over the desires of ALL individual States, (the majority of whom have not embraced gay marriage), and shows clearly that the Law will not protect our nation from erosion and harm, where moral or spiritual issues are at stake. Let us hope they make a decision for the greater good, rather than just the legal dilemma brought before them.

 

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? – DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT V FIFTH AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION


View Supreme Court of the United States in a larger map

This week in Washington DC, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday March 27, for and against the Defense of Marriage Act 1996 (DOMA) and Proposition 8 in 2 separate cases, before 9 Supreme Court Judges, who will listen to 50 minutes of arguments from both sides and then make a final decision over the coming months.

Tuesday 26th – at 10am – Hollingsworth v Perry, which is the California Marriage Proposition 8 discussion, brought by the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER).

Wednesday 27th – at 10am – Windsor v. United States brought by the ACLU, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP with super lawyer Roberta Kaplan from their New York office leading the arguments.
For more information about Windsor click here

The Gay, & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders group (GLAD), located in Boston, MA,  under the direction of Civil Rights Project Director Mary L. Bonauto, have coordinated the amicus strategy, (meaning  sympathisers of the strategy write to support the legal case arguments), for the challenge to DOMA in the Supreme Court.

Essentially the arguments will revolve around the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA), which is being challenged in separate individual cases as not standing up to higher scrutiny, and therefore controversial to the principles of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution on equal rights and protection under the law.

The Fifth Amendment has an explicit requirement that the Federal Government not deprive individuals of “life, liberty, or property,” without due process of the law and an implicit guarantee that each person receive equal protection of the laws”.

The challenge appears to have been brought as a result of cases where gay and lesbian individuals have not had the same protection under the law as married heterosexual couples, in the event of death of a partner and their right to inherit their estate.

On Tuesday morning, lawyers will present their arguments challenging the constitutionality of California’s ban on same-sex marriage for support/opposition of Proposition 8 in the case of Hollingsworth v Perry.

On Wednesday morning lawyers  for Windsor v United States will argue before the 9 Supreme Court Justices on the brief:

“Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines the term “marriage” for all purposes under federal law, including the provision of federal benefits, as “only a legal union between one man and one wom- an as husband and wife.” 1 U.S.C. 7. It similarly defines the term “spouse” as “a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.” Ibid.

The question presented is:

Whether Section 3 of DOMA violates the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws as applied to persons of the same sex who are legally married under the laws of their state.

The Justices final decision is expected in June, though some opinion is expected by their initial private vote this Friday.

GLAD has two other challenges to DOMA, Gill v. OPM and Pedersen v. OPM, which will be held pending a ruling on Windsor.

Read more….