Joe Biden tries to reassure supporters of Israel of U.S. commitment

Trump, Clinton, Cruz and Kasich will also address AIPAC conference

Thomson Reuters Posted: Mar 21, 2016 2:30 AM ET

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/bidel-aipac-israel-speech-1.3500206?__vfz=profile_comment%3D7284700002958

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called on Israel’s government on Sunday to demonstrate its commitment to a two-state solution to end the conflict with the Palestinians and said settlement expansion is weakening prospects for peace.

“Israel’s government’s steady and systematic process of expanding settlements, legalizing outposts, seizing land, is eroding in my view the prospect of a two-state solution,” Biden said in a speech in Washington to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a leading pro-Israel lobbying group.

Biden said he did not agree with Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that expanded settlements would not interfere with any effort to settle the conflict.

“Bibi [Netanyahu] thinks it can be accommodated, and I believe he believes it. I don’t,” Biden said.

2016-03-22 18_10_54-Joe Biden tries to reassure supporters of Israel of U.S. commitment - World - CB

2016-03-22 18_13_03-Federal budget 2016_ Liberals push deficit to spend big on families, cities - Po — Quoting “Articles on (israel) are always negative and overblown. Not under much moderation either. Inviting incitement against a group of people is illegal and shameful” — Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.

On the other hand…

2016-03-22 18_16_19-Federal budget 2016_ Liberals push deficit to spend big on families, cities - Po — Quoting “All this hoopla over a country measuring 22,000 km (sic)” — Yes. Remarkable isn’t it? How a foreign power half the size of New Jersey has such a strangle hold on our governments and institutions? (21 likes)

Apparently, Kaley Smith here is just as loose with her facts as she is with her science…

2016-03-22 18_16_01-Federal budget 2016_ Liberals push deficit to spend big on families, cities - Po — Quoting “You mean lawfare? Won’t work since the land has never belonged to the Arabs. And all western countries will never officially recognize Palestine as astate unless it’s created peacefully by negotiations with (israel). In fact it’s US and Canadian policy.” — Kaley, you see all those “likes” on the other comments? We’ve had it with endless wars, subservience and historical revisionism.

bibi-red.4jpg

And, uh, speaking of historical revisionism…

Jews of the world declare war on Germany

Ya got anything else, Kaley?

israel STFU

Justice Ian Binnie cuts senators’ expenses owed in 10 of 14 cases

‘I impute no bad motives to any of the senators,’ former Supreme Court justice says

By John Paul Tasker, CBC News Posted: Mar 21, 2016 11:43 AM ET

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justice-binnie-senate-arbitrator-1.3500650?__vfz=profile_comment%3D7284700002958

2016-03-23 03_46_30-

For the benefit of LettersToTheBeast readers outside of Canada, senators in Canada are appointed by the prime minister (technically by the Governor General, another appointee of the prime minister, but appointed nonetheless on the “advice” of the prime minister). And once appointed, they are there until age 75. As one might imagine, senators are a particularly despised group of politicians among Canadians.

It came to light last year that senators were claiming expenses that they were not entitled to, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Ian Binnie, age 76 and fresh off his “lifetime” appointment, was called in to sort things out. The result was predictable.

The majority of senators who decided to use arbitration to contest their allegedly questionable expenses have seen the amounts they need to repay reduced, some substantially.

Only four of the 14 senators — Lowell Murray, Dennis Patterson, Robert Peterson and Terry Stratton — who availed themselves of the arbitrator process overseen by retired Supreme Court justice Ian Binnie will have to repay the exact amount originally flagged by the auditor general.

“I impute no bad motives to any of the senators,” Binnie said Monday. “They acted in accordance with what they believed to be their entitlement. Our disagreement, where it exists, is as to the content of that entitlement.”

He said he didn’t see his report as “exonerating abuse.”

Of the $322,611 in expenses that the auditor general ordered the 14 current and former senators to repay, Binnie upheld about 54 per cent — or $177,898.

Senators will have 30 days to repay any outstanding payments before their salary is garnisheed. Legal action could be taken to get money back from retired senators.