Technologies designed specifically to track and monitor human beings have been in development for at least two decades.
In the virtual realm, software programs are now capable of watching us in real time, going so far as to make predictions about our future behaviors and sending alerts to the appropriate monitoring station depending on how a computer algorithm flags your activities. That is in and of itself a scary proposition.
What may be even scarier, however, is what’s happening in the physical realm. According to researches working on human-embedded microchips it’s only a matter of time before these systems achieve widespread acceptance.
Chances are you’re carrying a couple of RFID microchips now. And if you are, they’re sending out a 15-digit number that identifies you. That number can be picked up by what’s called an ISO compliant scanner. And they’re everywhere, too.
"It’s not possible to interact with society in a meaningful way by not having a mobile phone. I think human implants are likely to go along a very similar route. It would be such a disadvantage to not have the implant that it essentially becomes not optional".
Your initial reaction to this idea may be one of disbelief. There’s no way society would accept such a device. Why would anyone want to implant this in their body?
Consider for a moment where we are right now. For decades Americans rejected the notion that they would submit to being tracked or recorded.
Yet, just about every American now carries a mobile phone. They’re so prevalent, in fact, that many consider it a “right,” prompting the government to actually provide subsidies to those who can’t afford one on their own.
Embedded in every one of those phones is an RFID chip that can track our every movement via GPS or cell tower triangulation. Moreover, those microphones and cameras that come standard on every phone can be remotely activated by law enforcement surveillance systems, a capability that has existed since the early 2000′s.
But as intrusive as these devices are, they are accepted as the norm by billions of people world wide. Not only that, but no one had to “force” them on us. We are, it seems, the masters of our own enslavement. And we pay top dollar to have the best tracking device money can buy!
Granted, one can simply disconnect from “the grid” by throwing away their cell phone. But, the direction these new monitoring technologies are moving coupled with continued government expansion of surveillance suggests that microchip RFID technology will eventually be non-voluntary.
Michael Snyder of The Truth Wins asks What will you do when you can no longer buy or sell without submitting to biometric identification?
This technology is going to keep spreading, and it is going to become harder and harder to avoid it.
And it is easy to imagine what a tyrannical government could do with this kind of technology. If it wanted to, it could use it to literally track the movements and behavior of everyone.
And one day, this kind of technology will likely be so pervasive that you won’t be able to open a bank account, get a credit card or even buy anything without having either your hand or your face scanned first.
It’s difficult to imagine a populace that will freely submit to such digital bondage. But as has been the case with the degradation of personal privacy and rights in America, be assured it won’t simply become law over night.
First, the technologies will need to be generally accepted by society. It’ll start with real-time consumer based products like Google Glass. The older generations may reject it, but in a couple of years you can bet that tens of millions of kids, teens and younger adults will be roaming the streets while sporting cool shades, interactive web surfing and the capability to record everything around them and upload it to the internet instantly.
Next, as we’re already seeing from early adopters, RFID chips will be voluntarily implanted under our skin for everything from access to high security buildings to grocery store purchases.
Eventually, once the concept is generally accepted by the majority, it will become our new “social security number.”
To gain access to official services, you’ll need to be a verified human. Without verification you won’t even be able to purchase a six pack of beer, let alone get medical care or a driver’s license.
Whether we like it or not this is the future. Every purchase you make and every step you take will be tracked by a tiny 15-digit passive microchip, meaning that the only way to “turn it off” will be to physically remove it from your body.
In essence, we’ll soon live in a world of Always On Monitoring.
Our children and grandchildren – at least most of them – will likely not only submit to implantation, they’ll gladly pay the costs so that they, too, can “interact with society in a meaningful way.”
The Temple Institute’s crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the modern architectural plans for the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem came to a close on Rosh Hashanah after surpassing its $100,000 goal in 60 days. The initiative began on the first day of the month of Av, when Jews commemorate the destruction of the ancient Holy Temples. Almost 900 pledges have come in from more than 30 countries worldwide.
Crowdfunding is a new method of fundraising that leverages the power of the Internet to gather investments or contributions from around the world. The Temple Institute used the Indiegogo platform to reach out to supporters, with links to social media pages, like Facebook, where the campaign page received 10,000 shares. A promotional video on the Facebook and Indiegogo pages, which depicts a digital rendition of the Holy Temple on the modern day Temple Mount, has been viewed by over 160,000 people.
Jews have prayed to rebuild the Temple, three times daily since its destruction by Roman Legions in 70 CE. The Temple Institute's project to draw up architectural plans began three years ago with the Chamber of Hewn Stone, depicted in this video.
The funds raised from the Indiegogo campaign will be used to continue the research of the Institute and to commission additional architectural plans. The architects will fuse Jewish law with modern technology to prepare for a fully modern third Temple, Kosher to the letter of the law but including modern conveniences like underground parking, heating and computerized washing stations that minimize water waste.
Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute explained why they chose the novel approach of fund raising through crowd funding: "We are constantly looking for ways to include as many people as possible in our mission to rebuild the Holy Temple. This is not about one group or organization, it's about bringing about a spiritual reunification of mankind, today with the help of the internet our message is resonating across the globe. Our decision to use Indiegogo for this campaign was an extension of our success on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter".
A Russian fighter jet has passed within feet of a Swedish plane over the Baltic Sea in an “unusually provocative” move, according to authorities.
Sweden’s signals intelligence agency the FRA, also known as the National Defence Radio Establishment, and the country’s armed forces have documented an increase in Russian military activity in the region.
The FRA released a statement on Thursday saying Russian fighter jets had approached Swedish surveillance aircraft “on several occasions” over the past six months.
A photograph of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet has been released, appearing to show it within just feet of the Swedish plane and rotated to show its armoury of missiles.
Lena Nyberg, director of the FRA, said: “In general, the military activity over the Baltic Sea has had seen a noticeable increase in recent years.
“Among other things, it has now taken the form of Russian fighter jets on several occasions behaving in a new and more provocative way.”
The deputy director of operations for Sweden’s armed forces, Anders Grenstad, said Russian activity in the area was being closely monitored.
“They are now showing behaviour that we haven’t seen in previous years,” he added.
“It’s markedly more aggressive flying now.”
The news follows revelations last month that two Russian Su-24 fighters had been detected flying in Swedish airspace to the south of Öland, sparking outrage from Swedish politicians.
The FRA gathers intelligence from the Baltic Sea to monitor the actions of foreign militaries and support the Swedish Air Force.
Russia and Sweden have previously been involved in several disputes in the region, most notably in the so-called Catalina affair of 1952.
Russian fighter planes shot down an unarmed Swedish aircraft over international waters, killing the eight crew on board, then targeted a plane sent to search for it days later.
The Soviet Government denied any knowledge of the attacks until 1991, despite the wreckage of one plane being found with shrapnel from Russian MiG ammunition.
Russia has not commented on Sweden's allegations.
The Islamic State is preparing to wage war on Iran in order to obtain the secrets of its nuclear program, according to a manifesto attributed to a member of the Islamic State war cabinet uncovered by the Sunday Times.
The manifesto, believed to have been written by Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani, calls on ISIS militants to prepare for war against the Islamic Republic.
The document, thought to be a policy manifesto prepared for senior members of the organization's leadership, was found in the home of one of the ISIS commanders during a Iraqi special forces raid in March, the paper reported.
Western security officials believe the document to be authentic.
According to the document uncovered by the British newspaper, ISIS intends to obtain Iran's nuclear secrets through Russia. The organization will offer Russia access to Iraqi gas fields it seized in the Anbar area in return for Moscow cutting its ties with Tehran and pass on Iran's nuclear knowhow to ISIS.
Moscow must also cut its ties with the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria, and move its support to Sunni Gulf states opposing the Shiite Ayatollah regime.
Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant was built by Russian contractor Atomstroyexport as part of a contract signed between Tehran and the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy in 1995. In September 2013, operational control of the power plant was transferred from Russia to the Islamic Republic.
Al-Meshedani, responsible for recruitment of foreign fighters for ISIS, also calls for "Nazi-style eugenics" as well as the killing of shiite Iraqi officials, military leaders and members of Iranian-backed militias.
According to the document, the Islamic State aims to strip Iran of "all its power," by targeting Iranian diplomats and businessmen and profitable Iranian industries like its caviar and carpet industries.
Iran has warned that it would attack Islamic State group jihadists inside Iraq if they advance near the border.
“If the terrorist group (IS) come near our borders, we will attack deep into Iraqi territory and we will not allow it to approach our border,” the official IRNA news agency quoted ground forces commander General Ahmad Reza as saying last month.
Iran is a close ally of the Shiite-led government in Iraq and has been unusually accepting of US military action in Iraq against the jihadists, but has criticised air strikes on Syria, saying they would not help restore stability in the region.
It has provided support to both the Iraqi government and Iraqi Kurdish forces fighting the jihadists and has dispatched weapons and military advisers.
Iran and the United States were said to be discussing possible cooperation against Islamic State in September, but both countries have since ruled it out.
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Report: Islamic State to wage war on Iran for its nuclear secretsSunday Times cites manifesto written by member of ISIS war council, proposing to offer Russia control of Anbar gas fields in return for Moscow cutting ties with Tehran and handing over its nuclear knowhow. Ynetnews
The Islamic State is preparing to wage war on Iran in order to obtain the secrets of its nuclear program, according to a manifesto attributed to a member of the Islamic State war cabinet uncovered by the Sunday Times.
The manifesto, believed to have been written by Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani, calls on ISIS militants to prepare for war against the Islamic Republic. The document, thought to be a policy manifesto prepared for senior members of the organization's leadership, was found in the home of one of the ISIS commanders during a Iraqi special forces raid in March, the paper reported. Western security officials believe the document to be authentic.
According to the document uncovered by the British newspaper, ISIS intends to obtain Iran's nuclear secrets through Russia. The organization will offer Russia access to Iraqi gas fields it seized in the Anbar area in return for Moscow cutting its ties with Tehran and pass on Iran's nuclear knowhow to ISIS.
![]() Russian-built nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Iran (Photo: Reuters)
Moscow must also cut its ties with the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria, and move its support to Sunni Gulf states opposing the Shiite Ayatollah regime.
Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant was built by Russian contractor Atomstroyexport as part of a contract signed between Tehran and the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy in 1995. In September 2013, operational control of the power plant was transferred from Russia to the Islamic Republic.
Al-Meshedani, responsible for recruitment of foreign fighters for ISIS, also calls for "Nazi-style eugenics" as well as the killing of shiite Iraqi officials, military leaders and members of Iranian-backed militias.
According to the document, the Islamic State aims to strip Iran of "all its power," by targeting Iranian diplomats and businessmen and profitable Iranian industries like its caviar and carpet industries.
Iran has warned that it would attack Islamic State group jihadists inside Iraq if they advance near the border.
“If the terrorist group (IS) come near our borders, we will attack deep into Iraqi territory and we will not allow it to approach our border,” the official IRNA news agency quoted ground forces commander General Ahmad Reza as saying last month.
Iran is a close ally of the Shiite-led government in Iraq and has been unusually accepting of US military action in Iraq against the jihadists, but has criticised air strikes on Syria, saying they would not help restore stability in the region.
It has provided support to both the Iraqi government and Iraqi Kurdish forces fighting the jihadists and has dispatched weapons and military advisers.
Iran and the United States were said to be discussing possible cooperation against Islamic State in September, but both countries have since ruled it out. |
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have ignited a "time bomb" by funding the global spread of radical Islam, according to a former commander of British forces in Iraq.
General Jonathan Shaw, who retired as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff in 2012, told The Telegraph that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were primarily responsible for the rise of the extremist Islam that inspires Isil terrorists.
The two Gulf states have spent billions of dollars on promoting a militant and proselytising interpretation of their faith derived from Abdul Wahhab, an eighteenth century scholar, and based on the Salaf, or the original followers of the Prophet.
But the rulers of both countries are now more threatened by their creation than Britain or America, argued Gen Shaw. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has vowed to topple the Qatari and Saudi regimes, viewing both as corrupt outposts of decadence and sin.
So Qatar and Saudi Arabia have every reason to lead an ideological struggle against Isil, said Gen Shaw. On its own, he added, the West's military offensive against the terrorist movement was likely to prove "futile".
"This is a time bomb that, under the guise of education, Wahhabi Salafism is igniting under the world really. And it is funded by Saudi and Qatari money and that must stop," said Gen Shaw. "And the question then is 'does bombing people over there really tackle that?' I don't think so. I'd far rather see a much stronger handle on the ideological battle rather than the physical battle."
Gen Shaw, 57, retired from the Army after a 31-year career that saw him lead a platoon of paratroopers in the Battle of Mount Longdon, the bloodiest clash of the Falklands War, and oversee Britain's withdrawal from Basra in southern Iraq. As Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff, he specialised in counter-terrorism and security policy.
All this has made him acutely aware of the limitations of what force can achieve. He believes that Isil can only be defeated by political and ideological means. Western air strikes in Iraq and Syria will, in his view, achieve nothing except temporary tactical success.
When it comes to waging that ideological struggle, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are pivotal. "The root problem is that those two countries are the only two countries in the world where Wahhabi Salafism is the state religion – and Isil is a violent expression of Wahabist Salafism," said Gen Shaw.
"The primary threat of Isil is not to us in the West: it's to Saudi Arabia and also to the other Gulf states."
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia are playing small parts in the air campaign against Isil, contributing two and four jet fighters respectively. But Gen Shaw said they "should be in the forefront" and, above all, leading an ideological counter-revolution against Isil.
The British and American air campaign would not "stop the support of people in Qatar and Saudi Arabia for this kind of activity," added Gen Shaw. "It's missing the point. It might, if it works, solve the immediate tactical problem. It's not addressing the fundamental problem of Wahhabi Salafism as a culture and a creed, which has got out of control and is still the ideological basis of Isil – and which will continue to exist even if we stop their advance in Iraq."
Gen Shaw said the Government's approach towards Isil was fundamentally mistaken. "People are still treating this as a military problem, which is in my view to misconceive the problem," he added. "My systemic worry is that we're repeating the mistakes that we made in Afghanistan and Iraq: putting the military far too up front and centre in our response to the threat without addressing the fundamental political question and the causes. The danger is that yet again we're taking a symptomatic treatment not a causal one."
Gen Shaw said that Isil's main focus was on toppling the established regimes of the Middle East, not striking Western targets. He questioned whether Isil's murder of two British and two American hostages was sufficient justification for the campaign.
"Isil made their big incursion into Iraq in June. The West did nothing, despite thousands of people being killed," said Gen Shaw. "What's changed in the last month? Beheadings on TV of Westerners. And that has led us to suddenly change our policy and suddenly launch air attacks."
He believes that Isil might have murdered the hostages in order to provoke a military response from America and Britain which could then be portrayed as a Christian assault on Islam. "What possible advantage is there to Isil of bringing us into this campaign?" asked Gen Shaw. "Answer: to unite the Muslim world against the Christian world. We played into their hands. We've done what they wanted us to do."
However, Gen Shaw's analysis is open to question. Even if they had the will, the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar may be incapable of leading an ideological struggle against Isil. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is 91 and only sporadically active. His chosen successor, Crown Prince Salman, is 78 and already believed to be declining into senility. The kingdom's ossified leadership is likely to be paralysed for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile in Qatar, the new Emir, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is only 34 in a region that respects age. Whether this Harrow and Sandhurst-educated ruler has the personal authority to lead an ideological counter-revolution within Islam is doubtful.
Given that Saudi Arabia and Qatar almost certainly cannot do what Gen Shaw believes to be necessary, the West may have no option except to take military action against Isil with the aim of reducing, if not eliminating, the terrorist threat.
"I just have a horrible feeling that we're making things worse. We're entering into this in a way we just don't understand," said Gen Shaw. "I'm against the principle of us attacking without a clear political plan."
When Education Minister Shai Piron alluded to the commentary in passing, Netanyahu urged – jokingly – for him to continue.
Rashi’s famous comment on the opening verse of Genesis – that the Torah begins with the story of Creation to rebuff the nations who say that the Jewish people has no right to the Land of Israel – figured prominently in the Bible study circle hosted Sunday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
When Education Minister Shai Piron alluded to the commentary in passing, Netanyahu urged – jokingly – for him to continue.
In his Torah commentary, Rashi (an acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, 1040-1105) quotes Rabbi Yitzhak – who Piron said was Rashi’s father – as asking why the Torah begins with “In the beginning” and the account of Creation, instead of with the verse that gives the Jewish people their first commandment.
Rashi says that the reason is that if the nations of the world say to Israel that they “are robbers, because you took by force” Canaan, Israel could reply that all the world belongs to God, he created it and can give it to whomever he wants.
Piron was one of some 24 rabbis and academics who took part in the study group, which is meeting for the sixth time since it was established two years ago in the name of Sara Netanyahu’s father, Shmuel Ben-Artzi, who was a noted Bible educator. Along with Sara, Netanyahu’s two sons – Avner and Yair – took part.
Netanyahu opened the event saying that the Bible is studied at least once a week in his home, and that his son Avner – who won the National Bible Quiz for Youth in 2010 – is his teacher.
Among the invited guests this year were the parents of the three teens – Naphtali Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah – kidnapped and murdered this summer.
One of the participants, Rabbi Rafi Feuerstein, who is affiliated with the Tzohar rabbinical group, noted that the first part of Genesis deals extensively with giving names to things. He said that the same word can have different meanings, and that in the current world, meanings are often corrupted, and “what is good is bad, and what is bad is good.”
Picking up on this theme, Netanyahu said that at the recent UN General Assembly an ambassador from one of the Latin American countries approached Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer and talked to him about the situation in the region, saying, “You know what the word Israel means? It means ‘to deceive.’” What this shows, Netanyahu said, is that there “are those who look at us differently. We are involved in a battle against endless defamation that accompanies us from antiquity.”
This defamation of the Jewish people is happening now as well, Netanyahu said, pointing to the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, and saying there is an increase in the “basic anti-Semitism that has accompanied us for thousands of years.”
He said Israel’s is a perpetual “struggle for the truth, for our rights – on the first Rashi and the last Rashi – on our very existence.”
Palestinian media outlet Ma’an has reported that officials from the Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs made ‘great efforts’ with Israel in order to obtain the necessary permits for the ministers to cross into Gaza for the first cabinet meeting of the Palestinian Unity Government this coming Thursday.
Officials received permission and will be able to cross via the Erez checkpoint in northern Gaza, marking the first time the unity government will be convened.
More than 2,000 Syrian Kurds, including women and children, are fleeing or being evacuated from border town of Kobani. Islamic State terrorists have besieged the town for nearly three weeks, and hung their black flag in the eastern part of the city on Monday.
"We can hear the sound of clashes in the street," Parwer Ali Mohamed, a translator for the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), to Reuters, over the phone, en route to Turkey.
The Islamic State continues its assault to seize the predominantly Kurdish border town of Kobani and has ramped up its offensive in recent days despite being targeted by US strikes aimed at halting its progress.
The prevalence and scope of camera surveillance seems to be rising with each passing day. A town in Michigan will soon have surveillance cameras in every neighborhood – and residents will be required to pay for the related ongoing operational expenses.
Infowars.com has recently reported that officials in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan are working with police to put surveillance cameras in every single neighborhood. Mike Radzik, the director of the Office of Community Standards, justified the program by claiming that the cameras were no different than police officers constantly standing in the neighborhood, and that “They are only in public places.”
Indications are that, far from being an isolated incident, questionable surveillance practices are now gaining momentum countrywide. Examples recently reported by Infowars.com include:
- Police in Austin, Texas are now demanding live access to surveillance cameras inside public schools, using the remote possibility of school shootings as justification.
- In Modesto, California, an armored police surveillance truck was unveiled this week, which video and audio records local residents while traveling throughout the city. The Armadillo, a refurbished armored truck, is equipped with four high definition cameras, four wide-angle lens cameras and advanced audio recording capabilities. Several other departments across the country including a precinct in Fort Lauderdale have implemented the use of surveillance vehicles as well, with real-time video footage feeding directly into police headquarters.
- The Seattle Police Department recently announced its plan to begin using a new facial recognition software program, which will analyze surveillance footage of alleged criminal activity. With the city facing mounting opposition for several other privacy issues, police were quick to claim that the software would only be used when surveillance video of a suspected crime was obtained. “An officer has to reasonably believe that a person has been involved in a crime or committed a crime,” Seattle Police Asst. Chief Carmen Best said.
Despite reassurances from the city and police, surveillance-weary residents pointed to the city’s continued abuses with surveillance technology. While promising to focus the new software on suspected criminals only, papers released by WikiLeaks in 2012 revealed Seattle’s secret participation in TrapWire, a sophisticated facial recognition program run through the city’s CCTV cameras. Given that the Seattle government willingly scanned the faces of countless innocent residents without their knowledge, few trust the new pledge to suddenly use the technology in a lawful manner. Although the city claims it will release regular reports regarding data requests made by outside agencies, several recent reports already show that the city is sharing innocent individuals’ data with Homeland Security.
Critics seem to mainly have the following issues regarding these surveillance programs:
While the government continues to expand its surveillance grid against the public, daily reports of citizens being violently attacked for legally filming police and elected officials fill the news feed.
According to infowars.com, APD’s move to monitor school children is just one more way the public school system is used to condition young Americans to accept the shackles of a prison-like culture where constant surveillance is a normal part of everyday life, and where guilty until proven innocent is standard fare.
Studies have proven that surveillance cameras do little to deter crime. For instance, The British Security Industry Authority (BSIA) estimates there are as many as 5.9 million cameras there, or one for every 11 people. Yet, despite blanket surveillance, the UK still has the highest homicide rate in all of Northern Europe. Moreover, a review by the London police department regarding the effectiveness of surveillance found, “For every 1,000 cameras in London, less than one crime is solved per year.” And furthermore, a 2005 report put out by the British government also found that surveillance cameras “produced no overall effect” on crime.
Privacy groups are quite unsurprisingly the most vocal of the critics, claiming that largely inadequate and unconvincing assurances are provided by authorities regarding privacy protection concerns. “Where does it end?” Jim Harrington, the Director of The Texas Civil Rights Project reportedly asked. “Are we eventually going to end up in a police state? And a police state is when people watch you all the time. It’s crazy.”
Nonetheless, the authorities still disagree. For instance according to a report by KEYE news, APD Chief Art Acevedo contends “…When you look at the issue of active shooters, and they come in and try to hurt our kids…the Austin Police Department, in a very short order, will be able to know what’s going on. Citizens concerned the cameras will violate their privacy needn’t worry because his department’s camera feeds “would never tap into private places.”
Really? With all the reports about lights, cars, traffic systems, cellphones, televisions and computers being programmed or “bugged” to spy on people, one would have to take those statements with a pinch of salt. The various public revelations and personal testimonies tell quite a different story about the extent of privacy violations. And that’s only what has become public knowledge – so how much else is happening out there that is still being kept secret? And is this ever-increasing trend in public surveillance hiding a much bigger and more sinister plan?
A clue may be available from a recent storyleak.com report: “This week the U.S. Army announced that it would be giving away 13,000 Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, designed for the streets of Afghanistan and Iraq, to law enforcement agencies here at home. Last August, a former Marine Corps Colonel in Concord, New Hampshire warned that the DHS was building a “domestic army” of militarized police. Only days prior, Concord’s police chief secretly told the DHS that his department needed an armored vehicle to deal with the “threat” posed by libertarians and Occupy activists.
Other agencies like the Department of Defense have unloaded countless military vehicles on police departments also, with police in Utah recently receiving armored vehicles and grenade launchers. Incredibly, even Ohio State University campus police obtained an armored vehicle last year, ignoring requests by media to explain the acquisition. While police across the country argue that such equipment will only be used against suspected criminals, burgeoning surveillance revelations have only worked to create distrust among the public.”
Perhaps such distrust is indeed warranted and reasonable in the light of previous revelations and experience. And in addition, many unanswered questions come to mind: Why would the local authorities be allowed to acquire military equipment usually reserved for U.S military use against external enemies and threats? Given the “clear and present” dangers and vulnerabilities that the U.S faces from China, North Korea, Iran and other nations, why are these critical war tools and equipment not being redeployed to counter those external threats?
Could it be that with the dire state of the U.S economy and all the doomsday predictions of an economic collapse, preparations are being made to contain massive civil unrest – due to lack of food, water and other basic necessities? It needs to be borne in mind that it isn’t just economic disasters that could provoke such responses. A successful EMP attack or various other nuclear attacks against the U.S could also have the exact same effect, prompting the activation of emergency civil unrest measures.
Or could it be that the NSA or DHS have collected information about you that profiles you as a potential terrorist and wants to protect the public from poor little you? Besides, even local departments such as the U.S post office have been stockpiling ammunition and the DHS has profiled Christians and as 2nd Amendment proponents as potential terrorists - not to mention those profiled as “libertarians and Occupy activists”.
Combining RFID/biometric technologies, extensive surveillance strategies and massive state-of-the-art military equipment, it seems that the ultimate goal will be total control: with no place to run or to hide. And while it is all being set up, you just might be required to pay for it in one way or another – just like with the Michigan surveillance cameras.
Ebola, A Nurse’s Perspective The biggest part of the discussion is how Ebola is spread. I will say two things on the topic, no, it is not airborne, and yes, basic hygiene plays a HUGE factor and one other HUGE factor…droplets….let that word really sink in. The virus may not be airborne, but the droplets are... contact also includes microscopic mucous and saliva droplets, each one chock full of Ebola.
Poll: John Boehner, Harry Reid numbers drop
Americans’ opinions of House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have worsened in recent months, a new poll says. According to a Gallup poll released Monday, 50 percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Boehner, while 28 percent have a favorable opinion.
Calls for a Second Non-Muslim Gate to Temple Mount
A document published by Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio) on Monday morning reveals that the Tourism Ministry is considering opening the Cotton Merchant's Gate to the Temple Mount for Jewish visitors and tourists.
Temple Institute Raises $100k for Third Temple Plans
The Temple Institute’s crowd funding campaign to raise funds for the modern architectural plans for the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem came to a close on Rosh Hashanah after surpassing its $100,000 goal in 60 days. The initiative began on the first day of the month of Av, when Jews commemorate the destruction of the ancient Holy Temples. Almost 900 pledges have come in from more than 30 countries worldwide.
Target Releases New Commercial Featuring Lesbian Women Preparing Room for Baby
Target has released a new promotional advertisement that features two lesbian women who are preparing a room for the arrival of a child. “We want our child to know that anything is possible, and that there’s also nothing wrong with and everything right with pursuing knowledge and learning about the world,”
Man dies of Marburg fever in Uganda
A man has died in Uganda's capital after an outbreak of Marburg, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola, authorities said..a total of 80 people who came into contact with him had been put under quarantine. Marburg starts with a severe headache followed by hemorrhaging and leads to death in 80% or more of cases in about nine days. It is from the same family of viruses as Ebola, which has killed thousands in West Africa in recent months.
Up to 80 Penn State students being monitored for Ebola after visits to outbreak areas
Experts warn right up front that the chances of any Penn State students falling ill with Ebola are very low. Penn State officials in University Park tell WJAC-TV that they have identified 80 students who traveled to areas near the Ebola Virus outbreak. These students are now being monitored by the university for virus symptoms, the TV report said.
President Ebola
What does it tell you when Britain and France have stopped flights to and from the nations in Africa where Ebola has become US Ebolaa threat and the United States has not taken a similar measure? In 1918 and 1919, there was a pandemic of the Spanish influenza that caught nations by surprise, infecting an estimated 500 million people and killing between 50 and a 100 million of them in three waves. It began in the U.S. in March 1918 at a crowded army camp, Fort Riley, Kansas.
Generals blast Obama's order of troops to fight Ebola
Two retired U.S. Army generals have blasted President Barack Obama’s decision to send U.S. troops to West Africa to battle the Ebola virus epidemic, saying the military is to fight wars, not disease. The concern is that these soldiers, who will be exposed to the environment where the virus is prevalent, could bring it to the United States and potentially spread the disease as they rotate back to the United States and are assigned to other units.
High risk Ebola could reach France, UK by end-October, scientists say
Scientists have used Ebola disease spread patterns and airline traffic data to predict a 75 percent chance the virus could be imported to France by October 24, and a 50 percent chance it could hit Britain by that date.
Shipment of medical supplies to fight Ebola in Sierra Leone reportedly delayed for weeks
According to The New York Times the shipment of hospital linens, protective suits, face masks, and other items arrived in the port of Freetown Aug. 9, but has still not been cleared by government officials.
Islam is at War with the Oldest Religions
Up to today, throughout the Fertile Crescent, despite the many wars in the region, one could find communities that bore witness to the extraordinary antiquity of the areas religious traditions. Until the arrival of the Islamic State. Like the Jews, who fled decades ago, Christians are now also all gone. A year ago there were 60,000 Christians in Mosul. Today there is only a handful.
Meteor shower, Uranus opposition, lunar eclipse to occur next week
Next week will be a significant one for celestial events, with a total lunar eclipse, a meteor shower and the brightening of a planet all expected on Oct. 8, according to the Taipei Astronomical Museum. The Draconid meteor shower — which radiates from the constellation Draco in the northern sky — will reach its peak late on the night of Oct. 8, producing up to 10 shooting stars per hour, the museum said.
Lunar eclipse to glow red on Wednesday
IT'S big. It's red. And it's coming to a night sky near you.
Sin, Homosexuality, and Fascism
At least in the beginning, we are seeking public desensitization and nothing more. We do not need and cannot expect a full “appreciation” or “understanding” of homosexuality from the average American. You can forget about trying to persuade the masses that homosexuality is a good thing. But if only you can get them to think that it is just another thing, with a shrug of their shoulders, then your battle for legal and social rights is virtually won.
Holuhraun Eruption Stable, Continued Earthquakes
The volcanic activity in Holuhraun appears to be stable, according to webcam observations, the Icelandic Met Office wrote in its update this morning. Since 7 pm yesterday, almost 20 earthquakes have been located at Bárðarbunga, of which around ten hit since midnight.
Moderate earthquake rattles Wellington
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake has been felt across the country this afternoon. GeoNet reports the quake struck 25km west of Murupara at a depth of 113km shortly before 2.15pm.
Earthquake west of Murupara
Tauranga residents are reporting a slight tremor through the city following a magnitude 5.1 earthquake west of Murupara. GeoNet reports the quake hit 25km west of Murupara, between State Highway 5 and 38, at around 2.15pm.
Deadly Typhoon Phanfone heads out of Tokyo
A powerful typhoon has brought many parts of Japan to a standstill and briefly battered Tokyo before heading out to sea. Typhoon Phanfone has killed at least one person, a US airman on Okinawa who was washed away by high waves. Thousands of households have lost power and Japan's two largest airlines have suspended many flights.
Report: Concerns mount that Hezbollah, Lebanese army could cooperate against Israel
A day after IDF soldiers opened fire on a cell trying to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon, concerns are mounting among the defense establishment over the possibility of the Lebanese army and Hezbollah operatives cooperating against Israel... In the incident in question, soldiers opened fire on men they identified crossing the border, hitting one of them. The men then fled back into Lebanese territory.
Has North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Been Toppled?
Out of sight for a month, young Kim is supposedly ill. But rumors are swirling he’s been deposed—and North Korea’s second most powerful man now feels confident enough to travel South.
Australia, Belgium launch anti-ISIS missions in Iraq
Australian and Belgian fighter jets have flown their first armed combat mission in Iraq against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), official sources said on Monday.
‘We Are Prepared to Die Here and Now’: Read What Happened When an 80-Year-Old Christian Said She Refused to Convert to Islam
An 80-year-old Iraqi Christian woman who remained in her village after most inhabitants fled an Islamic State onslaught recounted the moment the jihadists threatened to kill her for her faith. The woman, identified by her first name only, Victoria, said that she only realized the Islamic State group had taken over her town of Caramles when she went to church one morning as she does every day, but found it locked.
Sierra Leone records 121 Ebola deaths in a single day
Sierra Leone recorded 121 deaths from Ebola and scores of new infections in one of the single deadliest days since the disease appeared in the West African country more than four months ago, government health statistics showed on Sunday.
Egypt jihadist group releases video of beheadings
An Egyptian jihadist group released a video Sunday showing the execution of four men, including three being beheaded, accused of spying for the army and for Israel's Mossad intelligence service.
Hezbollah pushes back Syrian militant offensive in Lebanon
At least 16 insurgents from al Qaeda's Syrian wing, the Nusra Front, were killed in clashes with Shi'ite group Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon on Sunday after launching a major offensive, a source close to Hezbollah said.
US military officials feared dead as typhoon slams into Japan
Strong typhoon Phanfone slammed into Japan on Monday, packing gusts and huge waves that have already swept three US military officials out to sea, as it made a beeline for Tokyo.
About 2,500 years ago, during the Persian Empire, an angel told the prophet Daniel, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). We are seeing a dramatic fulfillment of this in our day. Recent inventions include the following: Scientists have encoded audio, photos, and text in DNA. Researchers at Harvard University encoded a 54,000-word book in strands of DNA, while other scientists at the European Bioinformatics Institute in England encoded an audio speech, a photograph, a scientific paper, and Shakespeare's sonnets ("Storing Digital Data in DNA," Wall Street Journal, Jan. 24, 2013). "DNA could hold vastly more information than the same surface volume of a disk drive--a cup of DNA theoretically could store about 100 million hours of high-definition video." Artificial leg can be controlled by thoughts. The first-ever artificial leg that is controlled by the person's thoughts has been developed by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The computer sensors in the prosthetic leg are attacked to nerves in the patient's leg which are rewired to his hamstring muscle ("Bionic Man," CBS Chicago, Sept. 25, 2013). This research is funded by a grant from the U.S. Army, which is seeking better prosthetic limbs. More than 1,200 soldiers have lost lower limbs from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) has developed a procedure that allows a patient to control a prosthetic arm with his own mind ("How the business of bionics is changing lives," CNBC, Nov. 28, 2013). One patient remarked, "It's amazing. I actually feel these arms are part of me, and I'm running them, and they're not a foreign object." Hydrogen bonds have been photographed for the first time using atomic force microscopy. The new technique has allowed man to glimpse the handiwork of God and to see the amazing bonds that hold our DNA together and give water its unique properties ("See the World's First Images," Business Insider, Sept. 30, 2013). A physics laboratory in Jerusalem has constructed a menorah for Hanukkah the size of a dust speck ("World's Tiniest Menorah," Arutz Sheva, Dec. 3, 2013). The Brojde Center at Hebrew University used its nanoscribe system to build the microscopic nine-lamp menorah engraved with the star of David. It is the width of a human hair. A bionic hand allows amputees to feel again ("Bionic Hand," Reuters, Feb. 6, 2014). The European device is still in prototype, but it has worked in experiments. Dennis Sorensen, who lost his left hand 10 years ago, said, "It was pretty close to having the same feeling as in my normal hand." A new device beams movies and video games directly into the wearer's eyeballs ("Meet Glyph," CNN, Feb. 5, 2014). The Glyph headset, which plugs into any mobile or entertainment device, uses a set of 2 million microscopic mirrors--1 million per eye--that reflect visuals, including 3D, into the user's eye.
Preparations toward the building in Jerusalem of the 3rd Jewish temple, together with the re-institution of the related ancient Jewish sacrifices, seem to have begun in earnest. In a recent edition of U.S News and World Report, Yuval Avivi details the practices and processes that were expected to be launched as from 10th April 2014, in an article titled ‘Israeli Institute Prepares Priests for Jerusalem's Third Temple’. The plan to rebuild the Jewish temple has significant implications with regards to end-time Bible prophecy, and as such is being viewed with interest primarily by Christians, Jews and Bible scholars, especially students of eschatology.
The timing of the gathering has been matched to the date on which the people of Israel were commanded to take a lamb and sacrifice it, before the Exodus from Egypt. Temple rites will entail slaughtering lambs, sprinkling their blood on the altar by priests dressed in kosher priestly garments and roasting the lambs with their heads, legs and innards, in the exact manner that God first prescribed to the Jewish people or ‘children of Israel’ at the first Passover.
Yuval explains that in the first stage, hundreds of Jews will gather at the Maimonides rabbinical institution plaza in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem and start learning the Jewish laws of Passover. Rabbis and experts, including Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the head of the Temple Institute in the Old City of Jerusalem, the leading body preparing for the establishment of the third temple, will teach the audience the laws of the Passover sacrifice. Alongside Ariel, the ritual slaughterer (shohet) Rabbi Yehudah Giatt will teach the audience about the unique elements of the slaughter of the Passover sacrifice. After the lessons, the real thing will start: the simulation of the Passover sacrifice.
The practice drill and re-enactment of the Passover sacrifice has been assigned to the students of the school for priests, Nezer Ha-kodesh, which started operating this year to train the hundreds of priests that would be needed to work at the third temple. According to the director of the school, Rabbi Yehoshua Friedman, to carry out the mandatory sacrifices a minimum of 13 priests in the temple, to as high as several hundred, is necessary for a fully operating temple.
The many laws relating to the temple operations include how to use incense, how to light the holy menorah, how to sanctify hands and feet, and of course, how to sacrifice. The study course is undergoing continued development as the student priests continue to raise requests to learn one topic or another, especially since some laws are said to have faded over time. At the Temple Institute, researchers are working hard to relearn the laws as well as study the architecture, location and necessary tools, including the actual re-enactment of the required rituals. As Rabbi Friedman stated: “One of the unique elements of the course is the actual practice. In my course, they learned how to sacrifice birds, so we brought stuffed doves, so that the priests would learn how to hold them, how to execute the specific moves. We work on standing in front of the altar to demonstrate the action, so that it’ll become natural to them.”
According to journalist Arnon Segal, religious Zionism and the State of Israel are said to have long worked to focus Jewish longing on the Western Wall, in what was a seemingly deliberate attempt to “remove the Temple Mount from the Jewish mind.” Segal and his friends have been working in recent years, with growing success, to change the outlook of decision-makers: rabbis, members of the Knesset and other influential Israelis, who Segal describes as “…traditional and attached to the texts of the prayers and study of Judaism, which is full of the desire to re-establish the temple”.
The Temple Institute is said to be one of about 12 official groups working in Israel today to establish the temple, with some of them receiving funding amounting to hundreds of thousands of shekels from the State of Israel. Thousands of people visit the Temple Institute every year, and it holds various training sessions meant to educate and raise consciousness. But they also work on the pragmatic level, using such tools as:
The rabbis detailed 93 different tools that were used in the temple, and the Temple Institute also deals with them. Segal explains that “It’s based on very in-depth research done at various places…It’s an entire research project of the past 20 years.”
According to Rabbi Friedman, the architectural plan of the Third Temple will resemble that of the Second one, and will include an organized plan for the Chamber of Hewn Stone, the seat of the Sanhedrin [the ancient high court assembly]. There will be a menorah, an altar, a shewbread table, the Holy of Holies. However there will be no entryway (hall) in the sanctuary that existed in the First and Second Temples, and changes to the basin which according to the Talmud has had 12 spigots added to it. It’s unknown how many they had before that.
Friedman further explains that modern era conveniences, such as computers, legal documents, fruit mixers, electric ovens, and even that will transmit what’s happening there to the whole world. But he notes that modern advances could also create some difficulties: “The temple subsisted on the half-shekel tax. This money became sanctified when it was transferred to the temple. Today, when payments are made by direct deposit, they will only be numbers in bank accounts and there’s no actual sacred currency. It’s a nuance that needs to be considered.”
Segal and Friedman agree that everything is ready except two additional “small” matters:
However before any sacrifices take place there, the State of Israel will need to authorize Jews to ascend to the Temple Mount and allow them to conduct any specifically related activities.
For students of Biblical eschatology, the interest is more on the prophetic significance of these events: what does it all mean, especially in relation to end-time prophecies mentioned particularly in the books of Daniel and Revelation?
It is noteworthy to remember that as with most prophetic/end time prophecies, although Bible Scholars tend to agree on most prophetic Biblical themes and events specified, in some cases they also tend to differ on interpretation and timing of certain details.
He Is Near.com explains that based on Revelation 11:2 and 13:1, once a 7-year Mideast Peace Agreement is signed by the End -Time Antichrist or “man of sin”, then the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem will be built within the first three and a half years of the Tribulation and “will be a prime cause of the massive bloodshed, terror & death that will occur worldwide at that time”. Once it is completed, the Antichrist will be the ultimate world leader who will enter into the 3rd Temple at the exact Mid-7 year point of the 7-year Tribulation period. The man of sin then "takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thess.2:4; Rev.13:1-18; Dan. 9:27). This act will launch the Great Tribulation period, the most horrific & deathly three and a half year period that will ever occur in world history, all at the hands of the Antichrist.
Based on this interpretation, the other key event to watch for in addition to the rebuilding of the Temple is the signing of a peace treaty in the Middle East, which will then trigger the timetable of events prophesied to occur after that.
Nowtheendbegins.com also states that based on Daniel 9:24-27, at the time of the ‘Great Tribulation’ or the 'time of Jacob's trouble', this Temple will be taken over, as Daniel the prophet foresaw, by the Lawless One, commonly known as the Antichrist, at exactly three and one half years after the start of the Time of Jacob's Trouble. The Antichrist is also prophesied to interfere with the sacrifices being made in the Temple once it has been rebuilt:
And he shall enter into a strong and firm covenant with the many for one week [seven years]. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and offering to cease [for the remaining three and one-half years]; and upon the wing or pinnacle of abominations [shall come] one who makes desolate, until the full determined end is poured out on the desolator. (Daniel 9:27 – Amplified Version)
Clearly the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple reflects how close we are to the fulfillment of all the other Biblical prophecies relating to the end times, especially the chaotic 7 years of time commonly described as Daniel’s 70th week, and ultimately the return of Jesus Christ to rule the earth in righteousness, peace and justice, as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:6, 7).
MOSCOW, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - The militant group "Islamic State" (IS) is planning to send its terrorists to European countries in the guise of refugees, Germany's Bild reported Sunday referencing intelligence records.
According to the newspaper, the IS plans were unfolded by the American intelligence during the decoding of the talks between the leaders of the militant group.
Specifically, the monitoring of the talks revealed that the terrorist groups are not allowed to board planes due to strict controls at airports.
The newspaper stated that the terrorists, disguised as refugees, are planning to enter Turkey first and then travel to Western European countries such as Germany for the purpose of carrying out attacks.
A spokesperson for Germany's Interior Minister told Bild that Germany remains the focus of the jihadist group, posing serious threats to the internal security of the country.
No particular information is available on the IS plans of attacks discovered by the American intelligence, the newspaper stated.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, declaring a caliphate on the territories over which it had control.
MOSCOW, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - Islamic State militants have occupied the southern part of Mashtat Nour mountain near Kobani, Xinhua reported Sunday.
According to the newspaper, the mountain is of strategic importance for the jihadist group to further extend its offensive on Kobani.
Kobani is city in Syria's Aleppo Governorate, which the Kurdish People's Protection Units took control of in 2012 as a result of the civil war in Syria.
It is reported by Xinhua that violent confrontation took place between the jihadists and Kurdish fighters before the mountain was partly taken by the IS militants.
Earlier, Idris Nassan, who acts as the foreign minister of Kobani, said that the airstrikes, initiated by the United States and supported by some other countries against the Islamic State (IS) are not enough. He stated that ground support should also be in place in the battle against the jihadist group.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, declaring a caliphate on the territories over which it had control.
Three years after the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi by NATO-backed rebels, the crumbling of the government continues. At the same time Islamic factions in the country are becoming increasingly attracted to ISIS.
Armed irregular forces already hold power over some areas in Libya. Motivated by religious reasons, they have taken control of oil facilities and weapons, in addition to imposing taxes and changing school curriculums, the National Post reports.
In its campaign across northern Syria and Iraq, the jihadist group Islamic State has been using ammunition from the United States and other countries that have been supporting the regional security forces fighting the group, according to new field data gathered by a private arms-tracking organization.
The data, part of a larger sample of captured arms and cartridges in Syria and Iraq, carries an implicit warning for policy makers and advocates of intervention.
It suggests that ammunition transferred into Syria and Iraq to help stabilize governments has instead passed from the governments to the jihadists, helping to fuel the Islamic State’s rise and persistent combat power. Rifle cartridges from the United States, the sample shows, have played a significant role.
“The lesson learned here is that the defense and security forces that have been supplied ammunition by external nations really don’t have the capacity to maintain custody of that ammunition,” said James Bevan, director of Conflict Armament Research, the organization that is gathering and analyzing weapons used by the Islamic State.
An analysis by Conflict Armament Research, an organization that is collecting evidence of weaponry used by the Islamic State, suggests that militants have commandeered much of their ammunition from Iraqi and Syrian security forces.
Providing weapons to the regional proxies, Mr. Bevan added, is “a massive risk that is heightened by poorly motivated security forces that are facing great challenges.”
The Islamic State fighters have proved adept at arming themselves as they have expanded their territory. Analysts and rival rebels say the group has gathered weapons from other antigovernment groups in Syria that have joined its ranks, from purchases from Syrian rebels who receive weapons from foreign donors, from battlefield captures and from deals with corrupt members of the security forces in Syria and Iraq.
One Syrian rebel commander said the group, which is also called ISIS or ISIL, has often picked where and when to fight by measuring the potential spoils that might be gained in a local victory.
“When battling against the Syrian Army, ISIS chooses to fight in a specific battle on a specific front only when the investment is appealing: there will be warehouses to capture,” said Fouad al-Ghuraibi, commander of the Kafr Owaid’s Martyrs Brigade, in northern Syria.
After the jihadists seized a Syrian air base near Hama last year, Mr. Ghuraibi noted, they needed a fleet of heavy trucks to move their haul of captured weapons and ammunition.
He also said that a portion of the Islamic State’s ammunition had come from black-market deals with the group’s enemies, including the Syrian army, but he added that “the numbers in these deals couldn’t be high, as the officers on the regime side have had to keep it low to keep it hidden.”
Conflict Armament Research’s field survey is part of a continuing project funded by the European Union to identify the militant group’s weapons and weapon sources, and display them transparently on a global online mapping system known as iTrace. It appears to confirm and add layers of detail to what has been reported anecdotally.
Its samples included 1,730 cartridges that had been manufactured as far back as 1945 and as recently as this year. Most of the ammunition was for rifles and machine guns, though a small fraction was for pistols, too.
The ammunition was captured last summer by Kurdish fighters or collected by the organization’s investigators at recently abandoned Islamic State fighting positions. Each cartridge’s manufacturing provenance was then established by documenting its markings, known as headstamps.
Once the tallying was done, the investigators had identified 21 nations as sources of cartridges that were once possessed by Islamic State fighters, showing that these militants, like many rebel or insurgent groups, have diverse sources of supply.
A deeper look pointed to what would seem to be widespread leakage from local security forces.
More than 80 percent of the ammunition was manufactured in China, the former Soviet Union, the United States, post-Soviet Russia or Serbia. The organization’s analysis suggests that much of this ammunition was held by security forces in the region, and then commandeered by militants.
Mr. Bevan said that the aged Soviet ammunition appeared to match the contents of the storehouses of the Syrian military, which has long received equipment from the Kremlin.
Another sizable fraction of the cartridges matched ammunition that the United States supplied to Iraq’s military and police units for nearly a decade during the occupation after the American-led invasion in 2003.
“We have a lot of ammunition that comes from Iraqi security forces, which was captured on the battlefield, and a lot of ammunition that previously came from Syrian defense forces, which would be captured on the battlefield as well,” Mr. Bevan said.
Among Conflict Armament Research’s findings were that 323 of the cartridges — nearly 19 percent — were from the United States. These were typically 5.56-millimeter cartridges manufactured from 2005 to 2007 at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri.
The ammunition is the standard cartridge for American M-4 and M-16 rifles, which, along with these classes of rifles, was widely distributed by the United States to Iraqi security forces during the latter years of the occupation.
The sample also included 147 cartridges bearing the distinctive WOLF stamp used by Sporting Supplies International, an American company that sells Russian-manufactured ammunition under its own brand.
The company has provided bulk military ammunition to the United States government for distribution to security forces under its training, raising the possibility that an additional 8.5 percent of the ammunition documented in the Islamic State‘s possession was sent into the region by the United States.
Conflict Armament Research’s investigators also found a small sample of cartridges from Iran in the Islamic State’s possession, including ammunition manufactured as recently as 2013.
Iran has been a sponsor of Iraq’s beleaguered Shiite-led government. Ammunition from Iran, the organization noted, if deliberately transferred to Iraq, would be a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737, which in 2006 prohibited Iran from exporting arms.
On one matter, Mr. Bevan said, the data pointed to a familiar puzzle: the large proportion of Chinese ammunition — 445 cartridges or nearly 26 percent of the total.
This was not a surprise, Mr. Bevan noted, as “China is a massive supplier” of military-grade ammunition around the world, and the presence of its ammunition is a common feature in modern conflicts.
The Chinese ammunition used by the Islamic State fighters, he said, could have originally been provided to Syrian forces, to Iraqi forces or to any number of other countries that then retransferred Chinese-made cartridges to the region.
Determining its routes into the conflict, he said, would require further research, as China’s ammunition exports often “are not transparent in any way.”
Monday will be the earliest America will learn whether or not the Supreme Court will hear one or more appeals of decisions involving same-sex marriage. While many expected an announcement from the justices this week on whether or not the high court would hear one of seven same-sex marriage cases in which a ruling is being sought, no decision was announced.
The first day of the court's new term is Monday. If the court decides to hear one or more of the cases, this could be announced then, or even later in the year, hence the waiting game. The stakes — for supporters and opponents — are high, since a ruling might settle the question on a national basis.
The five states — including Utah — each hope to have the court decide whether or not a ban on same-sex marriage, or a definition of state-recognized marriage as being solely between one man and one woman, is constitutional. Should the justices find a "right" to marry in the Constitution, this could trigger decades of debate and protest, just as the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision did.
The issue of whether or not same-sex couples can legally marry has dogged the high court for several years. In June 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, and allowed same-sex marriages to resume in California.
The DOMA decision, longtime Supreme Court journalist Lyle Denniston wrote at SCOTUSBlog.com, "set off nearly three-dozen rulings by lower federal courts, striking down (with only one exception) state bans on such marriages."
Not deciding to hear the current appeals, Denniston notes, "would trigger the full implementation of appeals court decisions that would spread in a short period of time to 11 more states beyond the 19 (along with Washington, D.C.) that currently allow same-sex marriage. That would almost certainly add an inevitability to the campaign to win same-sex marriage rights across the nation."
It appears the question of whether or not to hear a same-sex marriage appeal might hinge on the amount of disagreement among those lower federal circuit courts.
Differing opinions among the circuit courts of appeal are what the Supreme Court looks for in situations such as this, associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said recently, according to the Associated Press. "At a forum in Minnesota, Ginsburg suggested the court might refrain from taking any action unless an appeals court were to uphold a same-sex marriage ban, which would create a split among appeals courts that typically triggers Supreme Court review."
And that could happen sooner rather than later. "Two other appeals courts, in Cincinnati and San Francisco, could issue decisions any time in same-sex marriage cases," the AP reported. "Judges in the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit who are weighing pro-gay marriage rulings in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, appeared more likely to rule in favor of state bans than did the 9th Circuit judges in San Francisco who are considering Idaho and Nevada restrictions on marriage."
Utah was the first to appeal a circuit court ruling to the high court, asking the justices to lift the "vast cloud covering this entire area of the law."
"It comes down to this: Thousands of couples are unconstitutionally being denied the right to marry, or millions of voters are being disenfranchised of their vote to define marriage," the state wrote.
Many same-sex marriage advocates also want the high court to take up the matter. An attorney representing same-sex couples in the Utah case said the case was particularly well-suited for Supreme Court review because it addresses both the right to marry and recognition of gay and lesbian marriages performed in other states.
"It's just a very straightforward, sound case that would allow the court to resolve this issue," Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the Deseret News.
Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are holding talks in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss Iran's atomic bomb research. Diplomats told Reuters last week that the IAEA is expected to make a new attempt to advance its ongoing investigation into Iran's nuclear program.
Western officials say Iran must cooperate with the IAEA if it wants to reach a diplomatic deal with additional world powers, thus putting an end to a decade-old nuclear dispute and ending crippling financial sanctions.
Iran's official news agency said that the IAEA delegation would begin talks with Iranian officials "to discuss the remaining issues about Iran's peaceful nuclear program." No further details were provided.
The folks in the drama department at Cape Fear Community College are just fine with staging productions about rape and incest. But when it comes to staging a show with Christian themes – well, that’s a problem.
So says Alliance Defending Freedom, a religious advocacy group that claims the school’s drama instructor ordered a student to “dumb down” the religious nature of an upcoming production because it might offend and anger people.
ADF attorney Travis Barham wrote a letter to the college alleging that drama instructor Jack Landry told Justin Graves he “could not support the overtly Christian show” because the Wilmington, N.C., college is a publicly-funded institution.
Justin is a 17-year-old homeschooler who has dual enrollment at the college. A Christian and an up-and-coming magician, he proposed a faith-based magic show featuring skits and illusions that “illustrate a life changed by Christ.”
“So you ordered him to minimize or ‘dumb down’ the religious content until it was not ‘obvious,’” Barham wrote in the complaint.
“You explained that the content could anger taxpayers, prompting lawsuits; that you did not want anyone to feel ‘offended,’ (although you apparently had no such concerns when the drama club sponsored productions that included rape and incest this year); and that this production would violate the First Amendment if it included religious content.”
A college spokesman confirmed that the school received a copy of the complaint.
He declined to comment and refused to let me speak with the drama instructor.
Justin is a 17-year-old homeschooler who has dual enrollment at the college. A Christian and an up-and-coming magician, he proposed a faith-based magic show featuring skits and illusions that “illustrate a life changed by Christ.”
His fellow drama club students loved the idea and unanimously approved the project. But Landry, who is also the school’s drama club adviser, overruled the students, ADF claims.
They said their client, Justin, was told the show could not go forward unless the Christian themes were dumbed down.
“It’s not the adviser’s job to dictate what a student can and can’t say in his own production,” Barham told me. “Universities seem to think they have to go on this quest to purge their campuses of all things religious.”
Justin told me he was surprised and disappointed by what happened.
“I’ve been homeschooled for most of my academic career,” he said. “But I love to get different viewpoints and ideas and discuss them with people. I thought college would be that sort of place.”
Sadly, many colleges and universities around the nation are cracking down on religious liberty. Just ask the folks at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The prominent college ministry was de-recognized by the California State University system because they refused to sign a non-discrimination document that would have put them in conflict with their religious beliefs.
Perhaps someone at Cape Fear Community College could explain specifically how Justin should “dumb down” his production.
“My faith is my life,” Justin told me. “To me, you can’t get one or the other. I can’t dumb down knowing what my God did for me.”
I’m still trying to figure out how the college can justify sponsoring plays with themes about rape and incest while banning the Christian production. Graves said the other stage productions are “House of Yes,” which includes a theme about incest, and “Tape,” a show has a theme about rape.
“It’s absurd to say that a Christian message is somehow offensive if you are allowing all this other content to be portrayed,” Barham said.
Clearly, he said, the censorship of Justin’s production is a violation of the First Amendment.
“The Supreme Court has clearly indicated that public universities cannot single out religious speech for special, detrimental treatment,” Barham wrote in the complaint letter. “Indeed, when the government targets not subject matter, but particular views taken by speakers on a subject, the violation of the first Amendment is all the more blatant.”
Barham has given Cape Fear Community College until Oct. 10 to reverse its decision and allow Justin to proceed with his show.
So consider this the end of Act I. I’ll let you know what happens after intermission.
In March, Brendan Eich was appointed as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Mozilla. Two weeks later, he resigned his position, following pressure from the board of directors and amid complaints from his subordinates. In fact, during his short tenure, half of Mozilla's board resigned from their positions and some of his employees made comments on Twitter and other social media sites intimating that they could not work with Eich.
Normally, when there is this much upheaval over an executive, leading to his dismissal, it is brought on by a serious act of misconduct on his part. So, upon learning of Mr. Eich's summary ouster from his position, the obvious question is: what did he do to justify short tenure?
Brendan Eich was one of the co-founders of Mozilla, which makes the popular Firefox internet browser. He had been with the company since its founding, and was certainly well-known by the board of directors. There is no question that he was knowledgeable about the company. He also created JavaScript, and is well-known in the technology industry as a whole.
Mr. Eich's "crime" was to donate $1000 for the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Proposition 8 was a ballot initiative to write into California law that which should be obvious: a marriage is between a man and a woman. This ballot initiative passed in the very liberal state of California, having the support of the majority of voters of the state in 2008. At this point, President Obama was stating his support for marriage defined the same way. Yet, six years after the fact, Mr. Eich was punished by the board at Mozilla (a company he co-founded) by being forced out of his position as CEO due to the outcry over giving money he earned as a private citizen to a cause in which he believed.
Nowhere in the outcry against Eich was it ever stated that he tried to proselytize others into believing as he did. He was not accused of any discriminatory practices against homosexuals. In fact, Mozilla has a "same-sex partners" provisions written into their insurance policies, and Eich even stated that he would enforce these provisions, even though he apparently didn't believe in them.
Mitchell Baker, the chairman of the board, stated after the dismissal that people had a right to be angry (at Eich's appointment as CEO) because they "haven't stayed true to ourselves". This is rather ironic, given that he and the others on the board forced Eich out of office because his views differed from their own. In other words, they were opposed to Eich being allowed to "be true to" himself and his principles. Of course, it also speaks volumes about the way Mozilla values the loyalty of long-term service, even of a co-founder of the company.
Unfortunately, Brandon Eich's story is not an isolated incident, but rather symptomatic of the way the homosexual activists are aggressively going after anyone who even remotely disagrees with their agenda of recognition of their actions and lifestyle. Last year, former NFL football player Craig James was fired after a week from Fox Sports Southwest, where he worked as a commentator. Like Eich, he was not fired for anything he said or did on the job. He was fired because of a statement he made during an earlier run for the U.S. Senate in 2012.
During a debate that year, James was asked his position on homosexual "marriage". His response was direct and clear. He said he opposed "leaders" who participate in "gay" parades, and that he opposed so-called "marriages" on biblical grounds.
What likely led to hysterics among the left, however, was when he said that homosexuality is a choice. The left has long sought that elusive gene that will prove that homosexuals are "born that way", and have promoted this notion, seeking to destroy anyone who would disagree with this opinion. He stated clearly that he believes, just as the Bible teaches, that homosexuals will "have to answer to the Lord for their actions". This statement, while certainly true to what is taught in the Bible, goes against what many of the more liberal denominations of "churches" teach today.
Fox fired James, claiming that his statements would not "play in our human resources department", and that "he couldn't say those things here". Of course, he never did say those things on the job, and was never accused of doing so. Fox fired a man who they never showed to be incapable of doing his job, but because they were afraid of something he said on an important issue a year earlier.
This attack on free speech, and specifically on Christian free speech, is not unique to the United States. In April, Peter LaBarbera, who is a Christian and American citizen, was asked to speak in Regina, Saskatchewan. Mr. LaBarbera is the director of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, but was called to Canada to speak to the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association in early April.
At the Canadian airport, LaBarbera's passport was seized and he was subjected to hours of interrogation. He explained that he was asked about the content of his speech, while the customs agents went through his luggage, his laptop, a DVD of an earlier speech he made, and went over his organization's website with a fine-tooth comb.
Apparently, LaBarbera's appearance was opposed by a pro-homosexual group called Intolerance Free Weyburn, which referred to him as a "purveyor of 'hate'". They opposed his presence in Canada, arguing that it would violate Canada's "Hate Propaganda" law, designed supposedly to prevent incitement against homosexuals. Of course, like all "hate crime" laws, it has been used for the purpose of silencing speech that the left doesn't like.
Mr. LaBarbera was going to speak on the link between homosexual and pro-abortion activist policies. He was ultimately denied entry into the country under the authority of the country's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, contending that the content of his website "targets" people based on their "sexual orientation", and was not allowed to speak at the event.
Academia has long been the bastion of Marxist thought, and most of the colleges across the country have adopted the homosexual agenda, with the addition of "LGBT" clubs and organizations having a prominent position at many of these universities, even in areas that are deep within the Bible belt.
In 2010, Julea Ward was a masters psychology student at Eastern Michigan University, which has a policy that students in their masters provide counseling to students in a way that is "affirming" to the student. This is a graduation requirement for the masters program at that university. Miss Ward, a Christian, sought an exemption that would prevent her being forced to counsel homosexual students in a way that would affirm their homosexuality. Instead of accepting that Miss Ward had a legitimate religious reason for not counseling these types of students, they kicked her out of the masters program under the claim that she was trying to skirt the academic requirements.
After being kicked out of the masters program for her religious objection, she filed suit against the university. A federal judge sided with the university, and an appeals court in the sixth circuit (which covers Michigan) found that there were grounds for the suit to continue, partially finding in Miss Ward's favor, citing the fact that she had a religious objection to counseling students in this manner and that she had stated she would refer such students to other counselors.
In Canada, Trinity Western University is seeking recognition and accreditation for its law school. There was opposition to the university because of its ban on homosexual acts on the campus. Trinity is a private Christian university that is planning on opening its law school in 2016. The Law Society in British Columbia, after much discussion, decided not to blacklist the school, which allows for the accreditation process to go forward however two other provinces are refusing to recognize any degree's from the school, including Canada's largest province Ontario.
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington was recognized as the second most liberal public university in the state of North Carolina. They have a LGBT group prominently displayed at the university union, and certainly have several Marxist policies. At the orientation for students in August 2013, a mandatory event featured a lesbian speaker, who attacked white Christian males as a group and talked about the need for "tolerance".
Mike Adams, a professor in the Criminology department of the university, was hired by the university in 1993 and became an associate professor in 1998. At the time he was hired by the university, he was an atheist and a liberal. However, when he became a born-again Christian in 2000, he started writing for Townhall.com and other publications from a decidedly conservative, Christian perspective. Needless to say, his opinions and articles soon earned the disdain from the heavily liberal staff at the university, including Kimberly Cook, who is the chair of his department and an avowed liberal feminist. Cook, in fact, reprimanded Adams for his political columns, but said that her ideal candidate for a teaching position at the university was a "lesbian with a dog collar".
Professor Adams related numerous problems that started to develop with the university, including numerous incidents where he was singled out by Cook and was consistently denied tenure. It should be noted that Adams was praised by Cook's two predecessors, and Adams has a 4.4 (out of 5.0) rating on ratemyprofessor.com.
After Adams filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination against him because of his Christian and political viewpoint in 2007, a seven-year battle continued until April. A federal judge ruled that the university acted inappropriately in denying Adams tenure and awarded him with $50,000 in back pay. They also ordered that Adams had to be immediately promoted with full tenure.
There are numerous incidents that have come to the forefront that are indicative of an atmosphere hostile towards Christianity. A growing movement for speech codes that extend past the university to public life, with sanctions against people who do not accept the homosexual agenda. "Hate crime" laws have been adopted in several states, and liberals in Congress have long been lobbying for federal "hate crime" legislation, which would punish those who speak out against sodomy.
A recent case involving a photographer who refused to work on a lesbian "wedding" ceremony, and a bakery that refused to make a cake in a similar "wedding" are illustrative of the strategy that is being enlisted by homosexual activists, who find Christians and specifically target those businesses with frivolous lawsuits to "punish" them for holding firm on their beliefs. These high profile cases, and the federal government's refusal to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act (passed during the Clinton administration) show the troubling direction in which the country is headed.
Homosexual activists are employing a new brand of McCarthyism, "calling out" those that disagree with them and seeking to shut down their businesses or otherwise silence viewpoints with which they disagree. If this trend continues unabated, the United States may find itself in the same position as countries in Europe, where pastors have found themselves incarcerated for preaching sermons that included biblical admonitions against homosexuality.
This would have been unthinkable twenty years ago, but seems far closer to reality today. Christians will be left with the choice of accepting a watering down of their beliefs or being punished for defending them. This punishment may include loss of jobs, destruction of their reputation, or even imprisonment. While the McCarthyism so often spoken of from the 1950s was more hype than reality, the situation that conservative Christians find themselves in today is very real. The only way to defend against it is to first acknowledge that it exists. The situation as it exists did not happen overnight; nor will it be overturned immediately. If Christians are prepared to defend their beliefs, however, the process must start quickly before any more ground is lost.
The British Parliament will hold a vote next week on whether to recognize the Palestinian state. Reuters reported that it was a symbolic vote with no immediate practical consequences and that there is a great chance for the resolution to be approved.
Organizers of last night's march in Tel Aviv against the High Court's decision to reject the "Infiltrator Law" have warned the area is on the brink of "an explosion" due to rising tensions over unchecked illegal immigration, and rejected left-wing criticism of their campaign as cynical and politically-motivated.
The march was organized by local activists calling to overthrow the "dictatorship" of the High Court - known by its Hebrew acronym, "Bagatz" - after the decision to overrule the law, which means police can no longer detain illegal immigrants and must release those currently being held at a security facility in Holon. Residents of south Tel Aviv - a largely working-class area which is currently home to at least 18,000 illegal African immigrants - say their lives have been made a misery by the high-crime and general lawlessness brought in the wake of the flood of illegals, and accuse the High Court of abandoning them for political reasons.
The march gained a lot of negative publicity due to the use of black flags emblazoned with the word "Bagatz", which resembled the emblem of the brutal Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group. The PR prop - along with the decision by some organizers, such as right-wing activists Baruch Marzel and ex-MK Michael Ben-Ari, to explicitly draw the comparison between the two - drew a hail of negative reactions and criticism from observers, particularly on the Left.
But May Golan, a resident of south Tel Aviv and a rising star among campaigners for the rights of local residents, dismissed the criticism as a cynical attempt divert attention away from the legitimate grievances of working-class Tel Avivians. She said that she had not in fact meant for the flags to represent ISIS but rather to signify the "destruction" of Tel Aviv by the High Court, which was rapidly turning some southern neighborhoods into "no-go areas".
"It's about raising a black flag, just like the one the judges have put on us by canceling the law," she said.
"What is a black flag? When I was a little girl - before there was any ISIS - when I went to the beach and I saw a black flag I knew that meant 'don't enter'. When the Bagatz ruled the way they did they put a black flag on the entrance to south Tel Aviv - no coming out, no going in. It's a no-go area."
'We've been abandoned'
Golan said that despite being "totally our of touch with reality", the High Court judges were perfectly aware that what they were doing would cause the residents of south Tel Aviv to suffer. She accused the High Court of acting like a "dictatorship", and embarking on a campaign of social engineering which members of the left-wing elite could watch play out from a convenient distance, since their wealthy neighborhoods remained unaffected - a world away from the tension and poverty they were perpetuating just a few miles south.
Crime, particularly violent and sexual crimes, has skyrocketed in neighborhoods with large concentrations of illegals in recent years, and countless illegal businesses have sprung up which operate openly, apparently with complete impunity.
"They abandoned us to the terror and the horror, the hell that is going on here," she said of the High Court. "This country is being left without any tools to protect itself... You can't use the word 'democracy' to make life hell for others."
"Even Edna Arbel, one of the judges who voted down the law, said she realized that the south Tel Aviv residents will suffer - she knows that! She is basically approving the fact that the residents of south Tel Aviv should suffer so she can fulfill her political vision. She doesn't care.
"If the Bagatz wants to put a black flag on us then we will go all the way and put it on the actual territory here, until the government decides to replace the Israeli flag," Golan declared.
She lamented the fact that just as the government was finally waking up to the problem - which began under former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's watch, she noted - the High Court stepped in to make sure there would be no change to the status-quo. The decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu to build a fence (which was recently completed) along Israel's southern border was a very positive step, but would be rendered totally ineffective if the legal tools to enforce the law against illegal immigrants are taken away from law enforcement agencies, Golan warned.
"No fence is high enough or strong enough to deter any infiltrator if there is no 'legal fence' behind it," she says. "The only reason there aren't thousands of infiltrators at the fence now is because they know there is a law."
She said the ISIS comparison was an emotional act of protest provoked by a sense of despair and frustration by residents, and defended it as a legitimate act of free speech.
"These people are crying out in pain. They have been abandoned - you honestly don't know what we are going through."
As for those who used the flags as a pretext to attack campaigners: "People who have an agenda against the people of south Tel Aviv... people who want to keep the infiltrators in Israel, will always find things to use against us. They already say we're racist, inhumane, whatever. I really don't care if people think it's bad PR."
"Even if people did say they used the black flag because they feel like the High Court is acting 'like ISIS' - they are talking out of pain," she emphasized. "I'm not going to apologize. We are living in a dark reality, we are living in terror, we are living in a way that no one should live."
'Fake' human rights groups
Golan warned the situation on the ground was "on the verge of an explosion", now that the Infiltrator Law had been shot down by the courts without offering any alternative to alleviating the social pressure cooker in neighborhoods such as her's.
"It's worse than ever now," she lamented. "The infiltrators were already basically acting above the law, openly operating illegal businesses, defecating and urinating in public, drinking and holding loud parties on the street, having fights, attacking and robbing people.
"Now they're under the impression that even crimes against us are above the law. They know they can do whatever they want against us and that the police are basically powerless against them, because the Bagatz is on their side."
"You can recognize the Jewish homes by the extra gates they have. This is the reality in south Tel Aviv," she added grimly.
But what of those immigrants who were genuine refugees?
Golan accepts that some Sundanese immigrants - who make up a small minority of the illegal immigrant population - may well be legitimate refugees and deserved to have their status looked into. But she insists that is not representative of the vast majority of infiltrators - some 85% of whom are from Eritrea - who are simply economic migrants.
She also claimed that technically, since those who crossed Israel's southern border had first arrived in Egypt - which is a signatory to the UN's 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, and houses the largest UNHCR office in the Middle East - their legal status as refugees upon choosing to move on to Israel was highly questionable in the first place.
Deriding the current refugee verification process as "a joke", Golan noted that by allowing the problem to fester for so long the government had gifted an opportunity to radical left-wing groups to "manipulate" the situation for their own political purposes, including funding and organizing expensive political campaigns and even coaching the illegals on the "right things" to say in order to both play to the media and claim asylum despite not really having a legitimate claim. Earlier this year saw mass rallies by illegal immigrants which were organized and funded by a variety of left-wing NGOs, and which made global headlines.
The ironic result, she said, was that those "fake human rights groups" had made it all but impossible to tell who was a genuine refugee and who was not.
"After being here for seven years, being guided by leftist organizations on what to say and what to do, how to play the system... It's a joke. The court system won't be able to sustain the requests - it will cost millions."
She blamed the far-left Meretz party, as well as radical NGOs funded by the New Israel Fund - including the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the Hotline for Refugees and Migrant Workers in Israel, Kav LaOved Workers' Hotline, Assaf – Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel - for leading such efforts, and accused them of ignoring the human rights of local residents.
Some leftist activists were even helping infiltrators to set up businesses illegally under false Israeli names, Golan alleged.
"Now they're even telling them 'don't leave Israel' - even those signing up to leave voluntarily - because the Bagatz is going to cancel the law!
"They tell them to stay in south Tel Aviv because they know that they won't suffer from it - only the poor people here will suffer while they can go home and sleep soundly at night."
Far from being motivated by human rights, she charged leftist NGOs were using the infiltrators as "pawns" to dilute the Jewish character of the State of Israel.
"Before all this, they said they cared about the Filipinos," she said, referring to the sizable number of foreign workers from the Philippines in Israel. "But now the Filipinos are getting raped by the infiltrators and are not serving their interests - and suddenly they don't care about them any more!
"These fake human rights people want a 'country of all its citizens'... of all its infiltrators... not a "Jewish state", and they will do whatever they can to achieve that. The last thing on their mind is human rights."
That charge is regularly leveled at the NIF by nationalist groups, particularly after a confidential cable leaked three years ago by Wikileaks revealed a conversation between a senior NIF figure and a US government official, in which the former predicted Israel would eventually lose its Jewish majority, and said it would "not be a tragedy" if that happened.
Yet despite the extensive campaigning and mobilization by leftist NGOs, Golan notes only 2,000 asylum requests were even made out of tens of thousands of infiltrators.
"And how many were actually accepted? 18! That tells you what proportion of these people are legitimate."
Asked to respond to the allegations, a New Israel Fund spokesperson dismissed Golan and other campaigners as "right-wing extremists", and accused protesters themselves of playing politics and engaging in "incitement" against the group.
"It is unfortunate that the organizers of the right-wing extremist demonstration are trying to gain political capital at the expense of the New Israel Fund and the residents of southern Tel Aviv," spokeswoman Adi Adamit countered.
It was equally "unfortunate", she said, that "the State of Israel has decided to concentrate most of the refugees in the southern suburbs of Tel Aviv, creating overcrowding and placing great strain on the services they receive."
But she insisted that the High Court ruling was just, since detaining illegals until they were deported was "contrary to all human values and inhumane."
Adamit added that the NIF had in fact tried to help Israeli residents "through several different programs", including - bizarrely - joint patrols of both residents and illegal immigrants "to strengthen residents' sense of security."
But despite the feelings of frustration, Sunday night's protest marks a watershed moment, according to Golan, due to the sheer breadth of support protesters received from across the country.
Despite the short notice, "hundreds" of demonstrators of all ages were present - and not just from southern Tel Aviv. Supporters came from as far and wide as Eilat, Ashdod, Netanya, Arad, Rishon Letzion and even Hevron.
"We really felt the empathy of the Israeli public for our plight," she said. "This is not about the success of one demonstration but an attempt to get the message across."
"Unless the government establishes a new law or minimizes the authority of the High Court to intervene in the democratic process it will take us to a very, very dangerous place.
"They're basically neglecting one of the most deprived areas in the country as it is. By putting more pressure on the people of south Tel Aviv, who are already living a very difficult existence, they are taking things to a very bad place and the Israeli government should know that.
"The Israeli government is very good at waking up too late - we're letting them know that it's already too late and if they don't act now it will explode in their faces."