IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: DEMOCRATS HAVE SOLD OUT THEIR COUNTRY ...

One Citizen Speaking...

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IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: DEMOCRATS HAVE SOLD OUT THEIR COUNTRY Posted: 17 Jan 2016 12:02 AM PST In what reality, does a single political party with a radically transformative leadership sell out the United States unilaterally without a vote of Congress? Making the entire nation and its allies vulnerable to foreign military aggression and blackmail by a soon-to-be nuclear power. And, does this singular action by the leadership rise to the level of treason, the crime of betraying one's country? The background: Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of state-directed terrorism against the United States and its allies, through proxies and the provision of enhanced weaponry responsible for killing or grievously maiming United States personnel. The Obama Administration has agreed to return over $100 BILLION or more in  previously blocked funds that can be used for the development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the continental United States. Funds that can reduce the economic pressures on the current repressive regime, reduce the possibility of any internal revolt over deteriorating internal conditions in Iran, and allow the expenditure of billions in Russia for Russian arms. The side-deals to the Agreement, especially those involving the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), have never been fully disclosed to members of Congress, the public, or our allies. Iran has zero credibility and trustworthiness when it comes to keeping diplomatic accords and/or permitting the types of inspection that would reveal violations of the current nuclear agreement. Iran’s intransigence to international norms and insolence continues with the shouting of “Death to America” at the highest levels of the government and broadcast world-wide. The betrayal … U.S. lifts sanctions against Iran, says nuclear deal obligations have been met Completing a major diplomatic effort over the objections of many in Congress, President Obama lifted economic sanctions against Iran Saturday after the U.N. atomic watchdog agency determined that Tehran has complied with the deal to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. In a statement, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the sanctions termination provisions of Iran’s landmark nuclear agreement are now in effect. Mr. Obama signed the orders Saturday afternoon, saying Iran’s compliance with the deal “marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Iran’s nuclear program.” Removing the sanctions is part of the international agreement reached last year among Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers when Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Certification by the International Atomic Energy Agency will allow Iran to immediately recoup some $100 billion in assets frozen overseas. Iran will also see huge benefits from new oil, trade and financial opportunities after Western sanctions against it are lifted. IAEA director general Yukiya Amano said Saturday this means “relations between Iran and the IAEA now enter a new phase. It is an important day for the international community. I congratulate all those who helped make it a reality.” Read more at: U.S. lifts sanctions against Iran, says nuclear deal obligations have been met - Washington Times Apparently, President Obama and his advisors, most of whom appear to be naïve and incompetent when it comes to foreign policy, have decided that the risk of a belligerent Iran is an acceptable one as they appear to feel that Iran should be a co-equal nuclear power to Israel and serve to stabilize the Middle East. Unfortunately, it appears that the President of the United States and his cohort of black anti-America, anti-White, anti-Jew, anti-Israel supporters have decided to disadvantage our ally Israel in favor of a repressive religious regime whose religious beliefs include a man-made apocalypse that will result in the restoration of a Muslim-dominated world. What you may not know … Iran is facing an existential demographic threat as the birthrate is down and women are fleeing Iran. Without military-age men to defend their nation, they are relying on nuclear weaponry to protect their country. They are using the North Korea model of untouchability. In an old civilization like Persia, waiting an additional ten years to “introduce” actual weapons is meaningless. It is also possible that Iran has links with North Korea and Pakistan who are already nuclear powers. As do the Saudis who appear to be planning to purchase nuclear arms from Pakistan since they can no longer trust America – especially under the Obama Administration. This Agreement was a treaty that should have been ratified by the Senate instead of being an administrative agreement signed by the President. All of the states in the region are against an Iranian nuclear capability and will respond by purchasing weapons of their own. The Iranians have already done the heavy lifting in enriching uranium to 5% and the route to weapons-grade enrichment are much easier and require less time and energy.  There are no Americans on the inspection teams of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). And, they have large geographical spaces in which to hide weapons development facilities. The Iranians are self-reporting their “declared” weapon stocks and the Russians are doing the accounting on nuclear materials transported to Russia. A massive conflict of interest given that Iranians are purchasing weapons from Russians. Many of the new-found billions will flow to Russia to purchase air defense equipment and other arms. So the Russians have an incentive to lie about the Iranian stockpiles of nuclear material. Iran’s oil is coming on to the broader marketplace, so look to a global disruption in the markets. Look for conflict in the region to grow; especially since the United States, Canada, and Mexico are relatively energy independent. And, Russian can not afford for oil to go below $20 per barrel.   Will the special interest whores like the American defense contractors lobby Congress to go easy on Iran if American companies get some of the money. See if Boeing in selected over Airbus for domestic Iranian aircraft? Read for yourself the executive order …  Executive Order -- Revocation of Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, and 13645 with Respect to Iran, Amendment of Executive Order 13628 with Respect to Iran, and Provision of Implementation Authorities for Aspects of Certain Statutory Sanctions I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, have determined that Iran's implementation of the nuclear related measures specified in sections 15.1-15.11 of Annex V of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (JCPOA) between the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and Iran, as verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Iran's nuclear program. In order to give effect to the United States commitments with respect to sanctions described in section 4 of Annex II and section 17.4 of Annex V of the JCPOA, I am revoking Executive Orders 13574 of May 23, 2011, 13590 of November 20, 2011, 13622 of July 30, 2012, and 13645 of June 3, 2013, and amending Executive Order 13628 of October 9, 2012, by revoking sections 5 through 7 and section 15. In addition, in section 3 of this order, I am taking steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995, to provide implementation authorities for aspects of certain statutory sanctions that are outside the scope of the U.S. commitment to lift nuclear-related sanctions under the JCPOA. This action is not intended to, and does not, limit the applicability of waiver determinations or any renewals thereof issued by the Secretary of State, or licenses issued by the Secretary of the Treasury, to give effect to sanctions commitments described in sections 17.1-17.3 and 17.5 of Annex V of the JCPOA, or otherwise affect the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957, which shall remain in place, or any Executive Order issued in furtherance of that national emergency other than Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, 13628, and 13645. <Read more> What the President said to Congress … Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate   Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") revoking Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, and 13645 with respect to Iran and amending Executive Order 13628 with respect to Iran in order to give effect to the United States commitments with respect to sanctions described in section 4 of Annex II and section 17.4 of Annex V of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (JCPOA) between the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union (EU), and Iran. In addition, the order takes steps to provide implementation authorities for aspects of certain statutory sanctions that are outside the scope of the U.S. commitments to lift nuclear-related sanctions under the JCPOA. <Read more> Bottom line … Never before have the democrats so weakened the United States and made the world more vulnerable to nuclear terror. For their contribution to global instability and the increased terror threat to the United States, I believe it would be appropriate for all rational Americans to shun the democrat party in the upcoming elections and consider the prosecution of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry as traitors to the United States. In what reality do we make our sworn enemies – the people shouting “Death to America” stronger when they are still fighting against America and her allies in an undeclared war? In what reality do we turn our previous allies – even the dodgy ones – against us by empowering their traditional enemies with existential nuclear weaponry? In what reality do we sit back and watch the democrat party become the neo communist party of the United States? We are so screwed. -- steve

Veracruz: SSP Chief Detained For Disappearances ...

Borderland Beat

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Veracruz: SSP Chief Detained For Disappearances Posted: 17 Jan 2016 07:30 PM PST Translated by Valor for Borderland Beat The Attorney General of Veracruz reported that the SSP chief in Tierra Blanca, Marcos Conde Hernández, and Officer Otoniel Cruz Linares, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the disappearances of five youths between the ages of 16 and 27, which occurred on January 11.  Their whereabouts are currently unknown.  With the arrest of the two officers, there are a total of six police officers detained. The Attorney General of Veracruz reported that a police chief of the Secretariat of Public Safety (SSP) of Veracruz and one of his officers were arrested for their alleged involvement in the “forced disappearance” of five youths in Tierra Blanca, on January 11. With the arrest of the two officers, there are a total of six officers who are detained for their alleged involvement in the January 11th disappearances of five youths in the municipality of Tierra Blanca, nestled in the center of Veracruz. In a press release, the Attorney General’s Office of Veracruz reported the arrest of the police chief in Tierra Blanca, Marcos Conde Hernández, and of Officer Otoniel Cruz Linares. Both were charged for their alleged involvement in the forced disappearances of youths who were detained by state police and whose current whereabouts are still unknown. The official report states that, based on the strength of evidence presented by the prosecution of ministerial investigations, the lower court judge located in the Judicial District of Cosamaloapan issued the requested arrest warrants. Upon completion of the court orders, the police chief and his subordinate were detained in a penitentiary in the municipality of Cosamaloapan, where they will be made available to a judge. Bernardo Benítez Herrera, father of one of the victims, denounced last week that the five youths were arrested by state police when they were filling up their gas tank.  They were last seen there by a neighbor who knew them. State and federal authorities continue to search for and locate the youths with more than 140 operational and intelligence forces. A collaboration strategy with the Mexican Army, the Mexican Navy, the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), the federal police, and the Center for Research and National Security (CISEN) has been established. On Saturday, the PGR announced the start of its investigation into the case, following a complaint received by the Specialized Prosecutor for the Search for Missing Persons. The Veracruz Prosecutor, Luis Ángel Bravo, reported on Thursday that four policemen were detained for their alleged involvement in the forced disappearances of five youths.

Former PRI chief Humberto Moreira ordered to "prison of the famous" by Spanish Judge Posted: 17 Jan 2016 12:04 PM PST By Lucio R for Borderland Beat  Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, issued a brief statement regarding the arrest in Spain of his friend former PRI party chief, Humberto Moreira Valdes.  EPN (Pena) says he is unaware of the particulars of the case, and that the Spanish government gave Mexico no forewarning of the anticipated arrest of former Coahuila governor Moreira. Moreira was arrested upon his arrival in Spain, where he is seeking  a fourth master’s degree.  He is charged with money laundering and organized crime.  He went before a Spanish judge yesterday and was ordered detained in prison without bail, prosecutors were in fear Moreira was too great a flight risk, or that he would tamper and destroy evidence. Politian Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) was very critical of EPN for once again dodging an uncomfortable situation by hiding, evading the press before leaving on a trip to the middle east. AMLO said the president should have sought information on the Spain case that could be shared with Mexicans, and he is critical of the president for not moving on the corruption case and financial improprieties alleged against Moreira, stating Moreira’s case is just one of a pile of cases he named involving Mexican politicians looting the public coffers. Moreira is incarcerated in the española de Soto Real prison,  Centro Penitenciario Madrid 5, known as the “Prison of the famous”. Named so, due to the long line of famous and powerful prisoners imprisoned there. Power convicts, from the world of politics, banking and business sectors who have embezzled big money.   Among them, one of the most famous in Spain, has been Luis Barcenas, former treasurer of the Popular Party the ruling Popular Party, who is accused of having absconded a fortune of 48.2 million euros, equivalent to 53 million dollars, which was deposited in a Swiss bank. With a conviction he will be in prison for up to 6 years in Spain, then possibility be tried  in a U.S. court. To read more on the Moreira case history, follow this link the post by Chivis and DD.

CARTOONS FROM OVERSEAS - These pretty much sum it up...

CARTOONS FROM OVERSEAS - These pretty much sum it up

 

They know something our media does not want us to know!

None of these are from U.S. newspapers >    NONE OF THESE ARE FROM USA PAPERS. HOW IS IT THAT MUCH OF THE WORLD SEES OBAMA FOR WHAT HE IS AND YET MANY HERE THINK HE'S DOING JUST FINE AND ADMIRE HIM???

Finally, somebody explained politics to me in a way I can understand it.

 

Right or left doesn't matter. It is really up or down in politics.

When top level people look down, they see only shit-heads;

When the bottom level people look up, they see only assholes.

You will never see another Flow Chart that describes politics so clearly.

 

 

Libtardian GREED or "Let them eat cake"!

GREED!!!!!

A report worth reading as a reminder of greed and corruption.   Just think, Mary Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing China for the White House during the Civil War. And Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her personal secretary from her husband's salary.   Total Personal Staff members for other first ladies paid by taxpayers ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mamie Eisenhower:--- One-- paid for personally out of President's salary.   Total number of Personal Staff Members paid by Tax Payers.   Jackie Kennedy: -------One Lady Bird Johnson___One Pat Nixon ---------------One Betty Ford---------------One Rosaline Carter: ------ One Barbara Bush: ---------One Hilary Clinton: -------- Seven Laura Bush: ----------- One Michele Obama: ----- Twenty-two   How things have changed! If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages stocking the shelves at Wal-Mart or serving up McDonald cheeseburgers, prepare to scream and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of MS Michelle are the same as members of the national security and defense departments and the bill for these assorted lackeys is paid by YOU, John Q. Public:  Note: Look out for Hillery if she gets elected   Michele Obama's personal staff: One.. $192,200 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)   Two.. $160,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)   Three.. $133,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (White House Social Secretary for Mrs. Obama)   Four.. $122,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Director of Communications for the First Lady)   Five.. $120,000 - Winter, Melissa (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)   Six.. $110,000 Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)   Seven.. $104,000 - Lilyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)   Eight.. $95,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)   Nine.. $90,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Project for the First Lady)   Ten.. $85,000 - Burnough, Erinn (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)   Eleven.. $84,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B.(Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)   Twelve.. $82,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)   Thirteen.. $80,000 Fitz, Alan O.(Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)   Fourteen.. $77,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)   Fifteen.. $72,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)   Sixteen.. $70,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)   Seventeen.. $65,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)   Eighteen.. $63,000 - Tubman, Samantha a (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)   Nineteen.. $60,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)   Twenty.. $56,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)   Twenty-One.. $55,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)   Twenty-Two.. $55,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)   Total $2,075,200 in annual salaries - all for someone we did not vote for and apparently have no control over and 5 are Muslim and 13 are African-American   There has NEVER been anyone in the White House at any time who has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life. One wonders why she needs so  much help, at taxpayer expense. (I'm wondering why there are no guidelines or restraints for this and other activities concerning our government officials and their kin.)   Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air Force One on all ALL Trips, Europe included. Michele usually gets dropped off in another City along with her Mother and 2 Daughters Note: As of 11/15.2015 the Obama Family has spent over  1.3 Billion dollars on personal family family trips. They were personal not political or Government related. Copyright 2009 Canada Free Press:    Yes, I know, The Canadian Free Press had to publish this, perhaps because America no longer has a free press and the USA media is too scared that they might be considered racist or suffer at the hands of Obama.

White Privilege: Leftist Whiners Don’t Grasp SIMPLE ECONOMICS 101...

 

Sadly, this is EXACTLY how economically illiterate liberal, Bernie, Hillary and Obama supporters think.

 

Fact check Obama’s State of the Union

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/factchecking-the-state-of-the-union/ar-CCsR7E?li=BBnb7Kz

 

Government Software Calculates Your ‘Threat Score’ And Categorizes Citizens As Red, Yellow Or Green

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Government Software Calculates Your ‘Threat Score’ And Categorizes Citizens As Red, Yellow Or Green Posted: 12 Jan 2016 04:15 PM PST Do you know what your “threat score” is? Today, more than 90 percent of all local police departments and nearly all government agencies employ some sort of technological surveillance. One of the most common applications is called “Beware”, and it scans billions of “arrest reports, property records, commercial databases, deep Web searches” and social media postings to give authorities an idea of who they are dealing with. So the next time that police pull up in front of your home, it is likely that what you have posted on Facebook will be searched. If you have said things that could be construed as “anti-government” or “anti-police”, there is a very good chance that you will have a very high “threat score” and you will be on “the red list”. I understand that this sounds like something that comes directly out of a science fiction movie, but I assure you that it is very real. In fact, the Washington Post reported on this just the other day… While officers raced to a recent 911 call about a man threatening his ex-girlfriend, a police operator in headquarters consulted software that scored the suspect’s potential for violence the way a bank might run a credit report. The program scoured billions of data points, including arrest reports, property records, commercial databases, deep Web searches and the man’s social media postings. It calculated his threat level as the highest of three color-coded scores: a bright red warning. “Beware” was created by a corporation known as “Intrado”, and police departments around the nation began using it back in 2012. When police officers using this software roll up to your home, they will instantly know which residents are on the “green list”, which are on the “yellow list”, and which are on the “red list”. Here is more from the Washington Post… As officers respond to calls, Beware automatically runs the address. The searches return the names of residents and scans them against a range of publicly available data to generate a color-coded threat level for each person or address: green, yellow or red. Exactly how Beware calculates threat scores is something that its maker, Intrado, considers a trade secret, so it is unclear how much weight is given to a misdemeanor, felony or threatening comment on Facebook. However, the program flags issues and provides a report to the user. In promotional materials, Intrado writes that Beware could reveal that the resident of a particular address was a war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, had criminal convictions for assault and had posted worrisome messages about his battle experiences on social media. Everything that you have ever done on the Internet could potentially be used to calculate your “threat score”. So if you made some ill-advised comments on Facebook or in an Internet forum five years ago, there is still probably a record of that somewhere, and “Beware” will probably find it. The next time you get pulled over or a police officer comes to your home, things that you may have completely forgotten that you ever said may come back to haunt you. With that in mind, I would like you to read the following excerpt from an article by Matt Agorist… Imagine the following scenario: You are on your way home from work, driving down the road when you notice police lights in your rearview mirror. You are being pulled over. As you sit there, on the shoulder, adrenaline rushing, simultaneously angry and nervous, the police officer, in his patrol car behind you, is sizing you up based on an algorithm that determines your “threat rating.” The officer enters your license plate into a mobile application on his laptop. In a matter of seconds, this application crawls over billions of records in commercial and public databases, including all available social media engagement, recent purchases and “any comments that could be construed as offensive.” The application then determines if your “threat rating” is green, yellow, or red. Imagine that you are one of our informed and frequent readers and understand the importance of police accountability and are unafraid to voice your entirely peaceful, yet strong opinion about police misconduct. Imagine that you left a comment on Facebook this morning about a particular officer’s misconduct; imagine that it is this particular officer who just pulled you over. We live in a society that has become absolutely obsessed with surveillance. A “Big Brother police state control grid” is being systematically constructed all around us, and we are being watched, tracked, monitored and controlled in hundreds of different ways. So what can we do about this? Is there any hope for change? Well, John W. Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute believes that the key is grassroots activism and non-violent resistance… As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People,there is only one feasible solution left to us short of fleeing the country for parts unknown: grassroots activism that strives to reform the government locally and trickles up. Unfortunately, such a solution requires activism, engagement, vigilance, sacrifice, individualism, community-building, nullification and a communal willingness to reject the federal government’s handouts and, when needed, respond with what Martin Luther King Jr. referred to as “militant nonviolent resistance.” That means forgoing Monday night football in order to actively voice your concerns at city council meetings, turning off the television and spending an hour reading your local newspaper (if you still have one that reports local news) from front to back, showing your displeasure by picketing in front of government offices, risking your reputation by speaking up and disagreeing with the majority when necessary, refusing to meekly accept whatever the government dictates, reminding government officials—including law enforcement—that they work for you, and working together with your neighbors to present a united front against an overreaching government. So what do you think? Will we ever be able to get our privacy back, or has government surveillance become too entrenched? Please feel free to tell us what you think by posting a comment below…

Russia expanded efforts to portray itself as a neutral actor in Syria ahead of the next round of negotiations by claiming to support tailored elements of the Syrian armed opposition...

Russian Airstrikes in Syria:      January 4 - 11, 2016

By Genevieve Casagrande and Jodi Brignola    Russia expanded efforts to portray itself as a neutral actor in Syria ahead of the next round of negotiations by claiming to support tailored elements of the Syrian armed opposition. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reiterated during a press briefing on January 11 that "only joint efforts" by the Syrian regime and select Syrian opposition groups will "achieve victory over terrorism" in Syria, despite Russia's continued targeting of armed opposition factions. The Russian MoD claimed that Russian warplanes are currently conducting strikes supporting ground operations of 11 opposition factions, which the Russian MoD described as "Syrian patriotic forces." Alleged recipients of Russian air support primarily consist of groups supported by the U.S. such TOW anti-tank missile recipient Jaysh Asoud al-Sharqiya, an anti-Assad opposition faction that has previously accused Russia of targeting their headquarters in the Damascus countryside. Russia claimed to conduct strikes "in the interest of" Jordanian-backed opposition group Jaysh Ahrar al-Asha'er in the villages of al-Taf and Khosh Hammad in Dera'a Province, areas where the group is currently clashing with ISIS. Local reporting, however, did not verify Russian strikes in the area. The Russian MoD also reported strikes supporting U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces' anti-ISIS ground operations near Ayn Issa north of ar-Raqqa City. Local reporting indicated a limited number of Russian airstrikes occurred in the area, although it remains unclear if the Syrian Democratic Forces benefitted from these strikes. Russia is overstating and, in some cases, fabricating its efforts to support armed opposition groups in Syria. Russia aims to use this disinformation to obfuscate its position as the regime's guarantor against the armed opposition and present itself as a legitimate mediating actor ahead of negotiations. Russia also seeks to demonstrate that it does discriminate between opposition groups in order to position itself as an authority in determining which parties are able to participate in negotiations. In tandem with airstrikes against other armed opposition groups, these efforts also ultimately aim to disrupt the U.S.'s partnerships inside Syria. Russia continues to target critical infrastructure and inflict heavy civilian casualties in Syria. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius demanded the cessation of Russian and Syrian airstrikes on civilian locations on January 11, calling any such strike "inadmissible." Russian strikes in Idlib Province resulted in 81 casualties, at least 22 of which were civilians, in a January 9 attack against a Jabhat al-Nusra prison in the town of Ma'aret al-Nouman. Local sources also reported that Russian strikes targeting three schools in the town of Anjara in Western Aleppo on January 11 killed as many as 35 civilians, including 17 children. Russian warplanes reportedly also targeted both a hospital and a relief warehouse in the Jebel Turkman Mountains of Northwestern Syria. The Syrian opposition demanded further confidence building measures from the regime ahead of negotiations to include the cessation of Russian airstrikes in Syria, stating that talks are not feasible while "there are foreign forces bombing the Syrian people." The regime, however, remains unlikely to grant any such concession as Russian air operations have ensured the preservation of the regime and its superior position on the battlefield.   The following graphic depicts ISW's assessment of Russian airstrike locations based on reports from local Syrian activist networks, Syrian state-run media, and statements by Russian and Western officials. This map represents locations targeted by Russia's air campaign, rather than the number of individual strikes or sorties.    High-Confidence reporting. ISW places high confidence in reports corroborated both by official government statements reported through credible channels and documentation from rebel factions or activist networks on the ground in Syria deemed to be credible.    Low-Confidence reporting. ISW places low confidence in secondary sources that have not been confirmed or sources deemed likely to contain disinformation.     Read this update online   ISW will continue updating on the situation at www.understandingwar.org  as well as on our Twitter handle @TheStudyofWar

Khaled Abu Toameh: ISIS Followers Plan To Take Over Gaza Strip Burak Bekdil: Turkey: Is It Religiously All Right to Lust for My Daughter?

In this mailing: Khaled Abu Toameh: ISIS Followers Plan To Take Over Gaza Strip Burak Bekdil: Turkey: Is It Religiously All Right to Lust for My Daughter? ISIS Followers Plan To Take Over Gaza Strip by Khaled Abu Toameh  •  January 12, 2016 at 5:00 am In the video produced by the pro-ISIS Palestinian Islamic Army (PIA), Hamas leaders are denounced for aligning themselves with moderate Arab leaders in the Gulf, who are described as "criminals and enemies of Islam." Apparently, Hamas has been too kind to Christians living in the Gaza Strip. The narrator blasts Hamas leaders for offering greetings to Christians on their holidays. It seems that there may be valid reasons for Egypt's reluctance to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, as well as to Israel's opposition to lifting the naval blockade on Gaza -- initiated to prevent weapons from being imported to Hamas and other extremists in Gaza. The PIA video provides proof that the Gaza Strip has become a hub for jihadi groups posing a murderous threat not only to Israel and "the West," but also to Muslims who are deemed by the terrorists as lacking in religious standards. A frame from the recent video produced in Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Army (PIA), in which the PIA followers pledge allegiance to ISIS "Caliph" Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. A new group calling itself the Palestinian Islamic Army (PIA) has popped up in the Gaza Strip, signalling incontrovertibly the growing influence of the Islamic State (ISIS) among Palestinians. A thirty-minute video put out by the PIA shows its followers pledging allegiance to ISIS "Caliph" Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, and paints Hamas leaders as "apostates" and "infidels" for failing to implement Islamic sharia law in the Gaza Strip. The video constitutes proof positive that the ISIS ideology has infiltrated Gaza -- a truth that Hamas has unsuccessfully been trying to conceal for the past year. Continue Reading Article  Turkey: Is It Religiously All Right to Lust for My Daughter? by Burak Bekdil  •  January 12, 2016 at 4:30 am The Directorate for Religious Affairs, or Diyanet in Turkish, enjoys an annual budget bigger than those of more than 10 other ministries combined -- and its president, a government-appointed cleric, enjoys a $400,000 chauffeur-driven car. Turkey accuses those who protest lusting for one's daughter of hating religiosity. "[G]ossip and holding hands, not allowed in Islam." — Fatwa from Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs. Mehmet Gormez, President of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs. (Image source: İlke Haber video screenshot) Turkey has a government agency that regulates "religious affairs" [read: Sunni Muslim Affairs]. It is run by the country's top Muslim cleric and reports to the prime minister. The Directorate for Religious Affairs, or Diyanet in Turkish, enjoys an annual budget bigger than those of more than 10 other ministries combined – and its president, a government-appointed cleric, enjoys a $400,000 chauffeur-driven car. Among its duties is to issue "fatwas," or to tell Muslim Turks what is religiously permissible and what is not. Its current president, the top cleric, also enjoys making long, doctrinaire speeches. Sometimes they sound reasonable, sometimes not. Continue Reading Article