I took a break and went to see a movie
on Saturday. It's odd, but looking at the movies I have seen in the
past year or so I find that the ones I think were the best were
either based on, or inspired by, real life events. The movie I
went to see was “Bridge of Spies” starring Tom Hanks. It revolves
around the events that took place just prior to, and including, the
release of Rudolf Abel by the United States for the release of
Francis Gary Powers by the former Soviet Union and Frederic Pryor, an American college student in Berlin, by
the former German Democratic Republic. It harks back to a time when the United States and the
Soviet Union were bitter rivals and employed various tactics to spy
on one another. Hmmm...okay, while the events took place in the late
1950's I can't help but wonder if they aren't still rather current.
It is a film that delves into the
depths of human emotions and reminds us of the strength of character
that was to be found, even in our rivals. If you get a chance give
it a look. It's worth it.
142 comments:
From the last thread:
"The article explains why. It's rather long."
I don't think the article does explain why. Eric Holder, the Attorney General in the Obama administration until well into the final year of that administration, isn't even mentioned until the last paragraph, and then mentioned kinda in passing, an obligatory touché for the sake of saying they did it.
It seems those low oil prices may not be goodfor some people.
I don't think the article does explain why....
Placing the emphasis on settlements seems to have something to do with it.
"Placing the emphasis on settlements…"
That was a political decision.
It seems that Putin's reviving the ‘Hitler Youth’ concept in Russia, albeit without any reference to Hitler. LATimes Rather, the references are to Putin: "Vladimir Putin is a star in the eyes of Russian children."
"KABUL — A magnitude-7.5 earthquake hit northeastern
Afghanistan on Monday…"
NBCNews
Fatalities in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Body count just getting started.
Yes, I saw that about the earthquake in Afghanistan/Pakistan. I know they are common in that region, but for some reason I found it more disturbing then normal. I don't know why, perhaps it's just that everything seems to be falling apart, well, everywhere?
It has to be a horrible thing for people to have to go through in such a remote region. No help close at hand.
"Vladimir Putin is a star in the eyes of Russian children."
He seems to want to be the star in everyone's eyes.
Looks like they've come to a budget deal. We'll see if it passes.
ICC to probe possible war crimes in Russia/Georgia conflict
"Looks like they've come to a budget deal."
Yeah, much there to disapprove of at first glance. More for Republicans to disapprove of than Democrats though; Boehner is giving up more than he's getting to get rid of the matter before Paul Ryan has to fall on his sword over it. (I think Ryan's gonna quickly discover it to have been a mistake to have taken that job; gonna come to regret that decision.)
And, we don't know yet whether Boehner can get that through the House (or McConnell get it through the Senate).
PBS's Frontline tonight: Inside Assad's Syria; one hour:
"Correspondent Martin Smith offers detailed reporting from areas
of Syria that remain under the government's control during the ongoing
conflict as he covers conditions on the ground and sheds light on the
experiences of the nation's citizens."
A study in ingratitude and opportunism…
"Rep. Paul Ryan blasted Speaker John Boehner, Senate leadership
and the White House for cutting a budget deal behind closed doors,
saying the 'process stinks.'
"Ryan said he hasn't gone through the agreement, which was posted
last night.
"'This is not the way to do the people's business,' the Wisconsin
Republican said. 'And under new management we are not going to do
the people's business this way.'"
Politico
(I think Ryan's gonna quickly discover it to have been a mistake to have taken that job; gonna come to regret that decision.)
Lol! I'm thinking you're right. Probably for the same reason your average person doesn't enter politics.
PBS's Frontline tonight:
I've been going over to see my Mom every evening, but I'll try to catch it somewhere (she has a TV in her room). I think they usually have those on around 9:00pm our time.
"'This is not the way to do the people's business,' the Wisconsin
Republican said. 'And under new management we are not going to do
the people's business this way.'"
Good luck with that.
It looks like China was a little miffed at our sail by.
China's just wasting its money. Those islands may not be long for the sunlight.
"Good luck with that."
My thought exactly; those dogs won't stop barking, ever. (In fact, I rather suspect Boehner was in on the game where Ryan trashed Boehner there. Won't do ‘em any good.)
"Those islands may not be long for the sunlight."
China will just build them up even higher if they need to and find it useful.
I watched most(I think I fell asleep during part of the middle) of the Syria Frontline special last night.
It was sad. The one part that keeps sticking in my mind was the woman who said she would sacrifice her children for Syria. But all of her surviving children, and there were quite a few, had chosen to leave Syria. Obviously a difference of opinion on what was worth fighting for.
China will just build them up even higher if they need to and find it useful.
Hmmm...well, if that kind of sea level rise comes to pass perhaps China will have other things to spend its money on.
"Obviously a difference of opinion on what was worth fighting for."
I noticed that as well. Also that Assad's supporters are almost universally certain that the U.S.A. is ultimately to blame for the fact that the Turks and the Saudi are supporting Islamist extremist factions.
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"…perhaps China will have other things to spend its money on."
The islands' continued utility was a consideration I mentioned.
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The House has passed the budget deal. WaPo Ryan's got some breathing room. And the Republican Presidential candidates have something to bitch ‘bout tonight.
Interesting piece on Europe's refugee crisis. Worth a look; not too long.
Also that Assad's supporters are almost universally certain that the U.S.A. is ultimately to blame for the fact that the Turks and the Saudi are supporting Islamist extremist factions.
I often wonder if we weren't here, who they would blame?
That was a very good article on Europe, Lee. It just reinforces what Marcus has been saying.
The one thing the authors didn't elaborate on was exactly where native born people of the various countries mentioned were emigrating too? I think Marcus had mentioned something about Finland being his choice? But I can't imagine they are all going there.
This is something I have always thought to be a concern for Europe. But I didn't ever think, really, that they would see the numbers of immigrants that we are seeing now. I thought it would be climate change that would be forcing the mass migration of populations.
Hmmm...they're going to be selling off some of the strategic petroleum reserve? Wonder if that will affect oil prices? Or if the amount really isn't enough to be of note?
"The one thing the authors didn't elaborate on was exactly where…"
I noticed that too.
And, no, the amount of oil won't effect retail prices noticeably.
The Kurds could use some refugee assistance along with Jordan and Turkey.
China has relaxed its ‘one child’ policy into a ‘two children’ maximum. But, according to the New York Times, many young Chinese couples have been pouring so much money into the success of the one child that they have convinced themselves they can't handle a second one.
The Kurds could use some refugee assistance along with Jordan and Turkey.
It would be cheaper to assist them in the Middle East than to do so in Europe. I would think people would want to chip in.
Btw, I see we have finally stated that we are in combat in Iraq. I would have thought it obvious with the planes flying sorties constantly. And they have finally admitted that the advisers are also playing a combat role. I don't know how anyone could think they would not if it came down to the nitty gritty of fight or die.
But, according to the New York Times, many young Chinese couples have been pouring so much money into the success of the one child that they have convinced themselves they can't handle a second one.
Possibly not a wise way to raise your kids.
"Possibly not a wise way to raise your kids."
Be that as it may… There was a lady on PBS's Newshour this evening discussing it, and she mentioned that there are historical precedents suggesting that governments that discourage childbearing usually have a serious problem getting fertility rates back up when the governments discover that they wish them to rise again. She specifically mentioned the case of Singapore (although that was the only specific case she mentioned), but she suggested it was the usual outcome of governmental suppression of fertility rates for a generation; the next generation doesn't seem to want to pump the rate back up.
(All news to me; I've never run across any data on the subject.)
Lee:
"Interesting piece on Europe's refugee crisis. Worth a look; not too long."
Lynnette:
"That was a very good article on Europe, Lee. It just reinforces what Marcus has been saying."
It was an interesting and a good piece. But it's peppered with inaccuracies, as usual with articles on this topic.
"It is little wonder, then, that both groups have taken to the streets and that violence has increased. The media has covered immigrants’ actions thoroughly, but the native population has been equally if not more aggressive."
Please. I just hope you don't take that serious. It's just utter BS and nothing else. Street violence, murders, rape, robbings, etc. are all way more likely to be immigrant on swede than vice versa. Way, way more likely.
And the media tries its very best to gloss over anything related to immigrant crime while any "racist" deed gets front pages all over. So that whole quote is the exact opposite of reality. Read that, then reverse it completely, and you'll get the truth.
"Last year, even before the Syrian influx, several mosques were torched in Sweden, of all places."
Show me ONE mosque burned by rasist swedes.
Perhaps they're talking bout the mosque in Norrköping? Police investigation found that it was "young criminals with different faiths" who were behind that. And FYI we're talking' sunni-shia here, not any atheist or christian swedes.
http://www.exponerat.net/unga-kriminella-med-olika-trosuppfattning-bakom-moskebranden/
Perhaps they're talking about the mosque in Eskilstuna? Turned out to be overheated cooking oil because the somalis in the mosque cooked food on a frier in a hallway.
http://ekuriren.se/nyheter/eskilstuna/1.3024039-sa-startade-moskebranden
Both fires were huge front page news for several days when they were decided by journalists to have been hate crimes. Politicians made speaches, denounced racism and apologised to muslims and immigrants for the behavoiur of awful, awful swedes. Once the police investigations were over and there weren't any shaven headed neo-nazi swedes to find, but immigrants fighting among themselves or immigrants unable to cook food in a safe way, no headlines, no retractions, hardly a mentioning at all.
Now, I can understand that the authors of your article got it wrong if they found their sources in swedish MSM. Because swedish MSM is not about reporting news, it's about setting the agenda.
Still, all in all your article got the tensions and the various factions involved right. Possibly they could have added that the media which is supposed to scrutinize the elites that hold power are, in this context, not doing so at all but are the tool of the elite used to browbeat, harass and intimidate those with a divergent opinion.
But, I might add, cases of blowback is starting to appear. The lid on the pressure cooker is starting to leak.
We had that lunatic dressing up as some sort of SS-ghoul attacking kids in a school with a sword. There's no doubt in my mind that he was acting with a rasist motive.
We've also seen quite a few fires recently against announced migrant housing units before they were operational. It seems in small towns and villages around the country if the people living there hear an old school building is supposed to house 50 "refugees" they'd rather torch it. There's no doubt in my mind that these are genuine anti immigration attacks.
There have been fires also in units with asylum seekers already living there, a crime a hundred times worse in my mind than torching an empty building. In one such case in Lund it does look like outside arson, which makes a racist motive likely. In several others fires have been started inside by migrant residents. But just like in the mosque cases above they are generally lumped together and blamed on swedes in our media.
But there are attacks against immigrants, I won't deny that. And I fear they're just getting started.
This sounds ominous for the Chinese:
"The question that is on the minds of most young Chinese couples isn’t
whether to have one child or two. It’s whether they should have any
children at all."
DailyBeast
We have a fairly decent piece here from David Ignatius, usually of the Washington Post, but writing for The Atlantic this time. As with many Atlantic articles, it's fairly long. As with many Ignatius articles, it's fairly detailed. My problem with it is it's underlying assumption; i.e. that:
"We’ll never know whether a more aggressive U.S. policy—arming the
moderate Syrian opposition sooner or bombing the Syrian
government’s command-and-control infrastructure after President
Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his people—could
have produced a better outcome. But it’s hard to imagine a policy that
would have done worse."
This merely illustrates one of Ignatius' persistent faults. He most often does not see that there's more to any situation than is encompassed by his own conclusion. It's only hard to imagine a worse outcome because of the complete failure of Ignatius' imagination. I have no problem at all imagining a worse policy and worse outcomes. (I imagine his preferred interventionist policy would have produced both.)
Nevertheless; it's worth a read. My disagreement with his conclusion that greater intervention could have produced a better result notwithstanding.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has pulled out of the February debate scheduled to go to NBC. Their stated reason is that CNBC botched the debate this past Wednesday.
NBCNews did not participate in that Wednesday misadventure, but the candidates have been getting together and plotting a revolt against the RNC, these past two days, and the RNC seems to be taking preëmptive action to placate their candidates. The debate may go forward on a different network (FOXNews seems a likely candidate).
"after President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his people"
As far as I know that has not been proven. Not sayin' I'm sure it never happened (although I personally doubt it) but I think the allegations that it did happen are on par with Saddams WMD:s which were a "slam dunk" according to some.
And on that topic, Tony Blair has now publicly apologised for the wrong assumptions on WMD:s that led to the war on Iraq. Too little too late would be the proper response to that "apology".
Marcus,
That article about Europe was rather vague on where native born Europeans were emigrating to. Do you know?
(In a strange twist, the February cyber-attack that targeted health insurer Anthem turned out to be conducted by Chinese hackers whose mission was to learn about the American health-care system.)
I'm thinking that if the Chinese want to emulate a health care system, ours is not a good choice.
But as for some young couples reluctance to have children at all because of questions about future quality of life, I can well understand. Sometimes I have to wonder if bringing a child into this world is wise given the problems we face for future life on this planet. It somehow seems unkind to that child.
The Ignatius piece was an interesting read, Lee.
The best hope for Syria’s survival is a political solution—jointly brokered by the U.S., Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia—that begins the transition to a new, post-Assad government.
But such a political solution will be impossible without a strong, U.S.-backed opposition that can merge with “acceptable” elements of the Syrian army to manage a transition from Assad.
This transition process will be fostered by safe zones in the north and south, where humanitarian assistance can be directed, Syrian refugees can return, and political compromise can be rediscovered.
If these steps cannot be taken, the result will be the continuing growth of ISIS and other extremist groups, and the full collapse of a fractured Syria into a failed state and terrorist haven. Russian-Iranian military intervention can widen the boundaries of Assad’s rump state, but it cannot rebuild a united Syria.
I guess I tend to agree with his conclusions here.
My disagreement with his conclusion that greater intervention could have produced a better result notwithstanding.
I think speculating on what might have been right now is counter productive. That will be for historians years down the road to figure out. But I do tend to think American policy so far has been unhelpful. I understand that domestic politics is what rules the roost, so to speak, but there are times when one has to go beyond the polls and try to do what is best for the situation at hand. Because ultimately that is what will be best for us as well.
On another note, it is rather pathetic that people in the Middle East view Putin as a savior. It just goes to show how completely inept we have been. Or perhaps how desperate they are.
"As far as I know that has not been proven. *** I think the
allegations that it did happen are on par with Saddams WMD:s"
The thousands of dead bodies are somewhat more tangible evidence than anybody had on the WMD question.
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"I guess I tend to agree with his conclusions here."
His stated objective there is ‘Syria's survival’. (In its current incarnation, or some derivative thereof, and with its current borders.) I do not consider that to be a likely outcome, nor do I consider it a goal worth fighting for even if it were more likely. If one agrees with his objective there, he may have a point about what's the only way to get there; impose that solution on the Syrians from the outside, and against their will (however unlikely it is to ever happen with the players he mentioned; ‘the U.S., Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia’), but I do not agree with making that the goal.
"…it is rather pathetic that people in the Middle East view Putin
as a savior."
Makes fairly good sense if you're a Syrian Alawite or Christian or other minority looking at a sectarian Sunni uprising. Chances he'll save you aren't all that good, but it's still a better risk than trusting to the tender mercies of the Sunni sectarians. ethnic map
His stated objective there is ‘Syria's survival’.
Perhaps you read too much into his intent. Right now you have Syria being chopped up into little pieces of territory ruled by varying factions. As a result we are seeing a mass exodus of refugees fleeing many of those areas extremism, or violence due to the war. Perhaps he is merely referring to what it will take to stop the flow of those people and knit back together a viable country. Whether that country will retain the land mass it once knew is certainly questionable given the reach of ISIL. But right now, all Russian efforts aside, Assad remaining in power will probably not stem that flow of people.
The outside powers who are playing fast and loose with Syria while they play out their proxy war are not helping matters for he Syrian people. They need to come to some sort of agreement to stop their backing of rival groups. That is part of the political solution. The rest comes from within Syria itself, with whoever is left to make it.
I think Ignatius is right that leaving Syria to devolve down into a terrorist enclave as people who might have stabilized the region flee will not play out well in the long run. While I know it is a risk for us to send in ground forces, even as "trainers", it will take a military that is more capable than what the region has to offer at this time to turn back the tide of extremism. While I don't think a mass influx of troops would be productive, as they would only be seen as invaders again, I do think a judicious use of special ops forces might be of some positive use. It would at least give people in the region the hope that there is someone out there who has their back. Sometimes that is all that is needed for people to have the courage to stand up.
Even with all of the blood that has been spilled in the Middle East in the past ISIL is a rather unusual entity. It is drawing in people not only from the region, but from outside as well. That has given it a different characterization than you would normally find, I am thinking. It will take outside power combined with local power to defeat it. And it will take the power of a stronger, more desirable, ideology to reverse its attraction.
"In 2009, prominent Republicans, skeptical of requiring people to
buy health insurance under the legislation that became Obamacare,
proposed an alternative approach: making large employers
automatically sign employees up for health insurance, while also
allowing them to opt out.
"A version of this idea made its way into the Affordable Care Act. But
as a result of this week’s budget deal, it is now out -- and Republicans
are celebrating.
***
"There are two broader lessons. The first is…. The second is that if
an idea is associated with Obamacare, a lot of Republicans are going
to hate it -- even if it was their idea in the first place."
Bloomberg -- ‘Republicans Just Killed Their Own
Health-Care Idea’
"Perhaps you read too much into his intent."
Rather, that is his opening premise for the rest of the paragraph. I quote, you, quoting him:
"The best hope for Syria’s survival is a political solution--…"
I'm willing to discuss further some good plans to cut down on the flood of refugees, but I'm not willing to subordinate plans for handling the refugee problem to the broader goal of keeping present day Syria together. That's prioritizing the problems incorrectly.
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"I think Ignatius is right that leaving Syria to devolve down into a
terrorist enclave as people who might have stabilized the region flee
will not play out well in the long run."
ISIS is currently operating as a bit player in the broader war between the Sunni and Shia powers (as is also al-Nusra) As long as Turkey, Iran, and the Sunni oil monarchies are willing to fund jihadi to help do their dirty work such organizations will survive (or spring back up if the currently used proxies, ISIS and al-Nusra, get busted up). There will be no break in the supply of jihadi until the bigger war gets sorted out. It's a mistake to think that busting up ISIS is gonna stop the jihadi movement as long the Saudi and the rest back them. They are merely the proxies (their own grandiose broader aspirations notwithstanding). Smash ISIS and the jihadi movement will pop up somewhere else under a new name with the same old financial backers. (Or, maybe in the same place under a new name.) Accordingly, it doesn't pay to get too bent over ISIS and lose track of the broader war in which they are but a bit player.
Japan also has a shrinking population…
"TOKYO — In Japan, data show women prefer vampires and men
prefer witches―at least on Halloween. But judging by the huge
numbers of women in sexy nurse uniforms and the dearth of male
vampires we see around this time of year in Tokyo, apparently the
two sides haven’t figures this out. No wonder the population is
shrinking."
DailyBeast
Lynnette: "That article about Europe was rather vague on where native born Europeans were emigrating to. Do you know?"
There's a vibrant online debate on the topic of "where do we flee when our society breaks down" here.
The most often heard opinion is: fleeing is for cowards, we need to remain and reclaim what is ours.
Then on the debate as to where the best places to relocate are there are a few answers. Norway is often mentioned as a more sane (in the political arena) place to be and a country traditionally very close to Sweden. Denmark for some living in the south as I do. Finland has sound politics but it seems few want to actually go there.
Outside Scandiavia Australia and Canada are often mentioned. The US is mentioned less but there are those who see a future there - mainly those who envision starting a business themselves there. Australia seems to be the holy grail - hard to get to though as they have harsh immigration laws even for European caucasians.
Then there are retirees who speak of and actually do move to the Med-countries. Portugal has zero tax on pensions, Spain and France low taxes. Many old folks move there. Why pay 35% tax on your pension in Sweden when you can pay 10% in Spain and have nicer weather. These are the only ones I know are actuallt relocating, the rest is so far online chatter.
Well, apart for all out youths going to Norway to work. You go into any restaurant or cafe in Oslo and chances are 90% you'll be served by a swede. (An ethnic swede, not a "swede")
Lee:
"Japan also has a shrinking population…"
Oh, they do, do they. Then they must have a very much more dire situation than Burkina Faso which has a huge birthrate. Right?
Or could it be that growth is not always good and that adding more mouths to feed is not always a goal in itself?
"In 2009, prominent Republicans, skeptical of requiring people to
buy health insurance under the legislation that became Obamacare,
proposed an alternative approach: making large employers
automatically sign employees up for health insurance, while also
allowing them to opt out.
"A version of this idea made its way into the Affordable Care Act. But
as a result of this week’s budget deal, it is now out -- and Republicans
are celebrating.
ROFL!
One of those news of the weird moments.
"Then they must have a very much more dire situation than Burkina Faso
which has a huge birthrate."
Total non-sequitur.
"One of those news of the weird moments."
Surely you know that ObamaCare was based on RomneyCare from Massachusetts, which was itself based on a plan that the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation came up with as an alternative to Hillary Clinton's health care plan? ObamaCare was, structurally, originally a Republican proposal (which they dropped and denied as quick as a bunny, just as soon as they killed off the Hillary Clinton proposal from Clinton's first term in office).
"The best hope for Syria’s survival is a political solution--…"
What is the future for Syria? To be split willy nilly between its neighbors? Or to end up as a land mass of enclaves for every faction that is active in its territory? To have at least a portion of Syria survive as a stable country would seem preferable. I don't know if Ignatius is saying he thinks Syria as it once was could be again. That does seem unlikely. There has been too much water under that bridge. But perhaps he believes there could be some stabilization with the safe zones.
...the broader war between the Sunni and Shia powers...
Yes, this seems to be key. But how do we go about putting that genie back into the bottle?
These are the only ones I know are actuallt relocating, the rest is so far online chatter.
People can talk themselves into all sorts of things online. Picking up stakes and actually leaving is rather extreme. It is after all their home country. I could see maybe relocating within its borders.
My Aunt and Uncle moved to Mexico after they retired. It was cheaper, and they had visited there many times and really loved the area they eventually moved to. They did dodge a bit of a bullet with the last hurricane that went through, though.
Surely you know that ObamaCare was based on RomneyCare from Massachusetts,...
Yes.
ObamaCare was, structurally, originally a Republican proposal (which they dropped and denied as quick as a bunny, just as soon as they killed off the Hillary Clinton proposal from Clinton's first term in office).
They are still running true to form then.
Turkey's election goes down today. We might know who's won by tonight and have some indications of where things are headed by tomorrow.
Now that will be an interesting election to watch. It may have even more significance than the US Presidential election for that region.
It looks like the US and its partners on the ground in Iraq and Syria are beginning to move on various ISIL areas, including Sinjar.
I had 91 trick or treaters last night.
I also have tons of leaves down in the front yard. I'm going to try to make good use of that extra hour today.
Gotta run..."burning daylight".
"Now that will be an interesting election to watch."
One possibility to watch for… Erdoğan's party picks up a few votes, but not enough to make it back into a majority, so they blow off any serious attempt to form a coalition government, run out the 45 days, and call for a third election. All the while doubling down on the policies that allowed them to pick up some votes but not enough to suit ‘em.
Another thing…
Our recent uptick in matériel and air support for the Syrian rebels has been mostly targeted to the Syrian Kurds and their few Arab allies (under the umbrella name of the ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’). The inclusion of a few American ‘advisors’ along with the SDF must be considered more a political than a military statement. Common Wisdom is that the new American commando types are intended as a statement to Putin, but I'm kinda thinkin’ that Obama intends that to be read by Erdoğan.
Obama doesn't forgive and forget much, or so it seems to me. He gets ragged on a lot for supposedly being ‘weak’ on account of he's not much on beating his chest and bellowing threats. But he doesn't give up on the long game either, and he seems to remember his lessons. He wasn't much pleased when Erdoğan offered to step up the war against Islamic terrorists (and finally allowed us to use the NATO air base at Incirlik) only to effectively double-cross him and go after the Kurdish ‘terrorists’ and Syrian rebels (both Islamist and non-Islamist) instead.
So, I'm wondering if Obama's announcement wasn't intended as much as anything to strengthen the Kurd's position prior to the Turkish election, in anticipation of negotiations to be held with whomever and whatever is the new Turkish government? Journalists and pundits over here are saying it's a warning to Putin, but I'm wondering if it's not a warning to Erdoğan and a preëmptive move against him thinkin’ it's time to double down on attacking the Kurds, as much as anything else that might be intended.
News outlets are calling it. Erdoğan's AKP (Justice and Development Party) has pulled off a bit of an upset and gained an outright majority. No coalition will be necessary. The Kurdish dominated HDP has probably dropped below the 10% threshold and will likely lose all its seats in the Turkish Parliament. Early analysis says Erdoğan got an assist with moderate Turkish voters from Merkel and her promises to give visa-free status to Turkish citizens and bunches of money to Turkey. So, Merkel effectively bailed Erdoğan out of his tight spot, or so it would seem.
It further appears that the HDP has barely scraped past the 10% threshold at around 10.6% and will manage to set some members in the next Turkish Parliament. This is almost certainly a good thing, as it may, read may help keep protests by the Kurds to a minimum. They're going to be disappointed, and it's going to be hard enough for the PKK to make peace with Erdoğan now (assuming he'll want peace now that he's got a majority back). But, if they'd been shut out of the political scene entirely it probably would have been impossible to keep the violence down; now there may be a chance.
@ Lynnette,
The Republican National Committee has surrendered control over the remaining Republican debates to ‘the campaigns’. NPR Apparently ‘cause that worked out so well for them in the 2012 election season.
The AKP and Erdogan got their majority in parliament back but not the so called "super majority" that would have allowed AKP to change the Turkish constitution on their own. Erdogan wants to do just that and increase the powers of the President, of the executive branch if you will. I guess it remains to be seen if he can get some other faction on board to accomplish that aim.
Lee: "It further appears that the HDP has barely scraped past the 10% threshold at around 10.6% and will manage to set some members in the next Turkish Parliament. This is almost certainly a good thing, as it may, read may help keep protests by the Kurds to a minimum."
I agree this is definitely a good thing. If not for any other reason then because any continued strife and protests, which there still might be, would have been many times worse if they felt entirely shut out of politics.
I suspect also that IF Erdogan can pull in some other party to go ahead with the changes to the constitution he desires that at least in the short term he'll seek peace and quiet with the Kurds.
A 10% threshold is pretty steep for a multi-party parliament to begin with. Aimed to keep the smaller political movements out, probably, and in Turkey the Kurdish question has probably been a factor when deciding on that threshold.
We have a 4% bar here. Possibly that's a bit too low as we now have 8 parties in parliament and it's questionable if so many parties make for good politics. But 10% seems too high IMO. Maybe somewhere in between, say 6% or so, would be ideal. Then again, what is "ideal" would depend on the specific country, timing, and ones own subjective views. Still, 10% is steep since a 9% share which is a large share would lack any representation. Anyway, I'd rather have the bar set at 4% than 10% in my country.
"I suspect also that IF Erdogan can pull in some other party to go
ahead with the changes to the constitution he desires…"
I think that almost certainly will not happen. I can think of nothing he can offer the other, secular right-winger parties that will overcome their suspicions of him and the Islamists. It was their support he bit into by instigating increased conflict with the Kurds; they will not be feeling amenable just now.
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Things in Turkey could still go weird ways for Erdoğan. Remember, he was trying to pull a Putin-type power grab. He gave up the job of Prime Minister to run for President, and he was going to get the Turkish Constitution changed to make the Presidency into a power position. But, he didn't get the super-majority he needed, and that he thought he'd have, to get that last move made.
So, the Turkish Presidency is currently still not a power position; it's mostly ceremonial, and now the power position of Prime Minister is up for grabs, but Erdoğan can't grab it on account of he's stuck in the Presidency. So, he very well may have outfoxed himself inside Turkish politics. He was trying to pull a Putin, and he hasn't pulled it off convincingly. His party got the majority vote this round, and a solid majority in Parliament; still not enough to make the constitutional changes Erdoğan was counting on making. Who inside his own party might be looking to supplant him after such a failure is a fair question.
Whether he's got the behind-the-scenes power to dominate the Prime Minister the way Putin dominated Medvedev, has yet to be proved. We don't even know who's gonna be new the Prime Minister (current occupant is not gonna be carrying on in that position I don't think; he's just a placeholder/nobody who was gonna quietly give up power to Erdoğan when the Constitution got changed) All that's up for grabs now.
Lots of moving pieces in Turkish government and politics right now. This may continue to be interesting for quite some spell yet.
In the meantime, Erdoğan has demanded that the ‘whole world’ must now show him more respect than he's been getting so far. NBCNews And he said the election was a message to the Kurds. Probably not an auspicious opening, given that the Kurds did manage to hold on to their first Parliamentary seats in modern Turkish history.
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Kurdish Peshmerga forces preparing to re-take Sinjar apparently include a 5,000 man Yazidi brigade. CNN They're comin’ back. They'll be comin’ back pissed.
And, as a final thought on the matter…
Erdoğan instigated violence and internal conflict which he proposed only his AKP party could successfully overcome. It would behoove him to overcome that lest the voters who gave him that chance become disillusioned with their choice. He doesn't have a lot of deep support among his recently acquired new voters; this was transactional; they expect him to produce results.
Turkey's economy is unlikely to return to the flush years of his early leadership (something else they expect to happen), and he's not likely to get a lot of peace with ISIS on his borders, Russia's hot breath wafting over the border, Iran lurking behind the panting Russians, and the PKK rather pissed off.
Man may come to regret having made promises to his constituents that he can't keep.
@ Lynnette,
Donald Trump is leading the Republican pack in Florida at 27%. Rubio is a distant second at 16%. Then Cruz at 15%. Then Bush and Dr. Carson at around 12%.
I'm seeing some speculation already that Ahmet Davutoğlu, the ‘placeholder/nobody’ who was gonna quietly give up the power position to Erdoğan's new and improved Presidency, is perhaps now having thoughts about maybe liking the idea of having himself in the power position in the Turkish government. He may decide that Erdoğan is lookin’ just fine as a ceremonial government figurehead, and he may want to stay on as Prime Minister in Charge after all. However, this idea will not please Erdoğan.
He wasn't much pleased when Erdoğan offered to step up the war against Islamic terrorists (and finally allowed us to use the NATO air base at Incirlik) only to effectively double-cross him and go after the Kurdish ‘terrorists’ and Syrian rebels (both Islamist and non-Islamist) instead.
Speaking of double cross, I was wondering just the other day about Putin's actions in Syria. Didn't he meet with Erdogan not too long ago? I have to wonder what was on that agenda, and if Putin didn't pull a bit of a fast one with his eventual attempt to prop up Assad. Something that Turkey has opposed so vehemently.
So, I'm wondering if Obama's announcement wasn't intended as much as anything to strengthen the Kurd's position prior to the Turkish election, in anticipation of negotiations to be held with whomever and whatever is the new Turkish government?
I am thinking that it was probably a nice side benefit, after Erdogan's actions, to what was always planned.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces preparing to re-take Sinjar apparently include a 5,000 man Yazidi brigade. CNN They're comin’ back. They'll be comin’ back pissed.
Yes, I saw that the other day. If there is anyone with a motivation to fight, it is the Yazidi's of Sinjar. And I don't blame them one bit for being pissed.
My condolences to the families of the passengers of the Russian plane that went down in Egypt. I may have a difference of opinion with Putin and his policies, but I regret the loss of any innocent civilian life.
Lee: "I think that almost certainly will not happen. I can think of nothing he can offer the other, secular right-winger parties that will overcome their suspicions of him and the Islamists. It was their support he bit into by instigating increased conflict with the Kurds; they will not be feeling amenable just now."
Quite possibly you're right about that. And it COULD inspire Erdogan to try for yet another election down the road. If he's adamant about those constitutional changes and he can't get them with this parliament, what's to say he won't ramp things up and escalate tensions to win that super majority in a new election?
That is IF he really is aiming for that. I must confess I know way too little about Turkish politics and Erdogan himself to form an informed guess.
I was under the impression that the main threat to Erdogan was the Turkish "deep state" that ruled by proxy until Erdogan managed to push AKP into leadership. That deep state would be the guardians of the legacy of of Kemal Attaturk and his secular state, wishing to get power back from the Islamists (moderate or not).
"That is IF he really is aiming for that."
We don't need to question that; he has made his plan public. He seems to have thought it necessary to tell his people he wanted them to amend the constitution on account of the chances of them voting to do that by accident were so small.
"… what's to say he won't ramp things up and escalate tensions to
win that super majority in a new election?"
He'd be putting himself at risk of getting the blame. He can only pull that a certain number of times before his citizens get wise to the fact that he's the one instigating the escalations.
I did a little checking. He started out with 326 AKP members in the National Assembly back in June (needed 330 minimum to start the amendment process). After this ‘comeback’, he now has only 316 AKP members in the National Assembly.
Would you press it further?
And, he's already got his governing majority back (if slightly diminished in the process). If a solid majority can't produce results (peace at home, an improving economy) why would they want to give him a super-majority? He can already pass whatever laws the AKP agrees upon. This is all his now; he's responsible for results, unless he tries to lay the blame off on Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. And that'd risk a major pushback by Davutoğlu.
ISIS sends message to Putin.
My mom is coming home this weekend, so I've been running around like crazy making arrangements and moving furniture in my book room for her to take up residence (hopefully only temporarily).
@ Lynnette,
It appears that the Republicans have finally run out of ways to pretend they're really investigating Benghazi related stuff, and the Benghazi committee will likely fade away into obscurity.
They're now discussing how to force an IRS audit of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (a spin-off of the Clinton Foundation), and they've got another effort going to find some other committee to continue to investigate Hillary's e-mails as soon as they can figure out some reason to give for why that could be investigated further. Politico 1 Politico 2
Try again on the second link. Politico 2
Lee:
"We don't need to question that; he has made his plan public. He seems to have thought it necessary to tell his people he wanted them to amend the constitution on account of the chances of them voting to do that by accident were so small."
then
"And, he's already got his governing majority back (if slightly diminished in the process). If a solid majority can't produce results (peace at home, an improving economy) why would they want to give him a super-majority? He can already pass whatever laws the AKP agrees upon. This is all his now; he's responsible for results, unless he tries to lay the blame off on Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. And that'd risk a major pushback by Davutoğlu."
Of course the there's the question of whether Erdogan is content by ruling the AKP but not getting the increased preesidential powers. OK, he's probably a bit pleased but not content, but will he go for all?
Difficult to say. I can't say I have that much insight into turkish politics nor a good take on Erdogan. We'll see I guess.
IF he wants to go for it all and gain a super majority I would assume some IS, or "IS", attacks on Kurds inside Turkey would be the starter. Scare folks with IS and when the Kurds rally in outrage at the attacks on them scare people with the Kurds too. Something like that.
"IF he wants to go for it all and gain a super majority…"
When he went for the 330 seats for the express purpose of getting the 3/5ths necessary to begin the amendment process, the Turkish people responded by stripping him of his majority. He only got that back by the subsequent appeal to ‘security’, and he didn't get all of it back.
If he tries for the amendments again the general population will likely respond by slapping him down again.
Here's how it works. If he wants the amendments and wants to avoid having them submitted to a general popular vote (a referendum) he's gotta get 367 votes in the National Assembly, up from the 330 minimum. We already know what the general popular opinion on this was the last time; so does he.
He's got four years 'til the next regularly scheduled election. Not bloody likely he'll try calling an election any time sooner than that. He'll wait it out unless he discovers that he cannot Davutoğlu the way Putin dominated Medvedev.
If Erdoğand and Davutoğlo have a falling out, I don't know where it'll go.
Fix a typo while I'm at it:
"…unless he discovers that he cannot dominate Davutoğlu the
way Putin dominated Medvedev.
"If Erdoğand and Davutoğlo have a falling out, I don't know where
it'll go."
But, I think we can reasonably assume Erdoğan won't go back to trying to amend the constitution while they're still fighting that one out.
An article by an Army Lieutenant Colonel (retired) attacking the standard Republican and neo-con Conventional Wisdom that had Obama kept 10,000 troops in Iraq they could somehow have cured what ails Iraq and prevented the rise of ISIS.
Man's got a point. Might well extend the logic to folks who still have a case of the ‘do somethings’ over Syria.
I've been telling people for almost a year now that there's a very good chance that the Republicans could wind up getting to their nominating convention and not yet have picked a nominee. That's not happened since Goldwater's nomination in 1964 I think (Reagan almost pulled the nomination out from under Gerald Ford in 1976, but that would have required that some ostensibly pledged delegates reneg on their commitments).
Well, now I got Karl Rove agreeing with my assessment. For whatever that's worth…
Lee: "He's got four years 'til the next regularly scheduled election. Not bloody likely he'll try calling an election any time sooner than that."
Like I said, I know way too little (honestly next to nothing) about the inner works of Turkish politics to try and call that one in advance. I was not making an informed guess, merely pointing out possibilities.
A bomb, or not?
Too early to call I think. It makes it even harder to call that the Russians and Egyptians are doing the investigations and they are even less inclined to tell inconvenient truths than is the U.S. military, considerably less inclined in fact.
Predictions on the future path of Turkey vis the PDY and the U.S. war plan in Syria.
I don't know of this guy and don't think I'll vouch for his competence, but he carries on with an air of self-assurance. Short piece; worth the read I think. If his predictions work out maybe I'll remember his name next time.
YPG not PDY.
My mom is coming home today.
Good luck with that. (At least you won't have to make the back and forth to the hospital.)
@ Lynnette,
It appears that Hillary may have dodged a bullet on that e-mail thing. I was particularly amused at the one incident in which ‘intelligence officials’ claimed that Hillary's e-mails contained ‘top secret’ information taken from their top-secret classified report, only to discover that Hillary had sent the e-mail days before they ever wrote that report. (There was an earlier dust-up over supposedly classified information which turned out she was quoting from the pages of the New York Times.)
Good luck with that. (At least you won't have to make the back and forth to the hospital
Well, it hasn't turned out quite like I expected. I had rearranged my book room, which is behind the garage, for her to sleep in, as it only had one step to climb to get into. But for some reason her allergies were horrible down there so she decided to vacate the premises within a few hours of arriving. With the assistance of her PCA she managed to climb the steps up into the kitchen/living room level of the house. (The doctor had given the okay for her to bear weight on the leg that was broke as long as she keeps the brace on and uses a walker.) There she has remained. So in a sense it is good news. She appears to be stronger than we thought. Physical therapy is coming tomorrow, so she should get a work out. :)
Yeah, that running over to rehab every night was getting exhausting. Plus, I couldn't get anything done around the house. But with a PCA around for a few days I may actually get caught up on some house work. She has to have something to do while she hangs around to help my mother. :) She wants to keep busy so the time goes quickly. She's a very nice person.,
Sheesh! She just asked for a hotdog, cheese & a Ritz cracker. I wonder, is it usual to have strange food cravings after leaving rehab?
Hmmm...thinking about baking an apple pie tomorrow...
Yeah, I kind of figured that email thing was overblown.
I see they are 99.9% sure that the Russian plane was taken down by a bomb. I think the Russians need to up their security. As does everyone else.
"I kind of figured that email thing was overblown."
It will continue to be overblown. Glenn Hannibaugh and friends at FoxNews aren't gonna give up on it that easy. However, they'll not get much traction with people outside their own echo chamber I don't think without the FBI coming in with a complaint, and that's lookin’ rather far-fetched just now.
"I think the Russians need to up their security."
I think the Russians have suspended flights out of Sharm-el-Sheikh to Russia, and are looking for alternate ways to get their people home.
Russians have apparently grounded all flights to and from Egypt, all of Egypt, and not just Sharm el-Sheikh.
Gotta figure that at some near point in time the Russians will be obliged to publicly accept the conclusion that ISIS sneaked a bomb onto their civilian airplane in Sharm el-Sheikh. At that point Putin's gonna be compelled to make a choice. Either he ramps up the attacks on the Syrian rebels and pretends they're ISIS targets he's attacking, or he has to go to actually attacking ISIS.
I can't quite figure out which of those options he's more likely to choose. He'd probably prefer the first option, but that's not likely to work out well; the Western nations will rat him out. Maybe he tries to spit the difference and ramps up against both, but that doesn't seem likely to work out well for him in the end either. In fact, I'm not sure he's got any good options here.
So, this could be interesting to watch.
(I don't think ratcheting things down is an available choice for him in view of his domestic audience's expectations.)
NYT Op-Ed. Erdoğan is already doubling down on suppression of the Kurds, and it's not likely to help.
"KABUL — Three women and a child were among seven people
beheaded by suspected ISIS-linked militants in southern Afghanistan,
officials told NBC News on Monday. …all members of the Hazara minority…
***
"‘We are not sure who beheaded them, but they were abducted ... by
foreign militants loyal to Daesh,’ Bakhtawar said, using an alternate
name for ISIS."
NBCNews
In fact, I'm not sure he's got any good options here.
His good options passed him by a while back. The good option was to back off supporting Assad. Now he's stepped into the same hornets nest that we have been in.
... he has to go to actually attacking ISIS.
His choice is the same as ours. He can stand and fight or let ISIS crawl into the nooks and crannies of society and try to pick it apart.
So, this could be interesting to watch.
Yes, indeed.
Erdoğan is already doubling down on suppression of the Kurds, and it's not likely to help.
No. But, like Putin, he has a single focus.
Three women and a child were among seven people
beheaded by suspected ISIS-linked militants in southern Afghanistan,
officials told NBC News on Monday. …all members of the Hazara minority…
Extremism will find the weaknesses.
Norway to Afghan migrants from Russia: You may be sent back to Kabul
Apparently the welcome mat is being pulled back for some.
"A majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents —
59 percent to 39 percent — say it’s more important to have a
candidate who stands for conservative principles than one who can
win."
McClatchy-Marist Poll
Okay. That explains a lot.
Afghans ain't gettin’ a lotta love from Germany either.
Let's back up a bit and reconsider somethin’:
"Gotta figure that at some near point in time the Russians will be
obliged to publicly accept the conclusion that ISIS sneaked a bomb
onto their civilian airplane in Sharm el-Sheikh."
Lee C. @ Mon Nov 09, 01:05:00 a.m. ↑
Could be I's wrong ‘bout that; instead…
"…Russian state media did what came naturally: They blamed the
West."
The Atlantic
(It's fairly short, certainly worth the time.)
They blamed the
West."
That does seem to be the answer for everyone's problems. :(
"Afghans ain't gettin’ a lotta love from Germany either."
Guess where they will aim for instead?
The inmates are truly running our asylum and I have given up any hope I might have had about this ending in anything else than a complete societal system faliure, and soon.
10.200 asylum seekers last week. 2.200 on monday alone this week so we seem to be heading for yet another weekly record. You can multiply those figures by 30 to get an idea about what the impact would be on the US, which has a 30 times larger population. That would have meant for you to get 306.000 asylum seekers in one week. Or 15.3 million on a yearly basis. You'd have to build 2 neew New Yorks every year.
Wanna guess how that will play out in Sweden? Every hotel is full, every old school has been converted to refugee housing, military barracks are being converted, tent cities are being put up, the offices at Migrationsverket have people sleeping on the floor temporarily, and the flow is just increasing and increasing and winter is soon to arrive. Take a wild guess. Success? Systemic faliure? Civil war even?
I am now watching in disbelief. I have zero empathy left for any refugee. I have zero feeling for any swede other than those in my personal sphere. I feel utter contempt and outright hatred towards the politicians, journalists and do-gooders who got us here, and I wish for them to be severely hit by the storm to come but I fear that they will be the ones who manage to get out ahead while the little man suffers, as usual.
Then there's stuff that's so insane it's hilarious. Sweden isn't the only asylum even if we have the craziest one on the block. Norway are at least trying to compete.
There's a new route for syrians and "syrians" actually going through Russia all the up to the arctic Murmansk region where they have sniffed out a border crossing with Norway.
The Norwegians will stop them if they arrrive by car and arrest the driver for hhuman trafficking. There's an old Russian law, probably from Soviet days that aimed to keep their own people in, that forbids foot traffic across the border. So what to do?
Well, you ride a bike. And since a kids bike is the cheapest and you only really need it for the short stint across the border you buy a kids bike. 1100 arabs rode kids bikes across the border from arctic Russia to arctic Norway just last week:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3287172/The-border-crossing-bike-Hundreds-migrants-cycling-Russia-Norway-officials-banned-travelling-foot.html
If you can't beat them with guns you can always invade on toy-bicycles.
"Wanna guess how that will play out in Sweden?"
Well, on the bright side, Sweden is fairly sparsely populated compared to say…, Great Britain, or Germany, or France or those sorts of places. So, ya'll got room (comparatively) even if you're a little short on current facilities.
Ya'll got room too. You take 'em. There runnin' from your wars.
We already got illegal immigrants. Ya'll ain't nowhere near caught up yet. (‘Sides, Syria ain't our war; we steered clear of that one. Nor are the Afghans fleeing the American invasion; "our war" as you put it; that was over many years' ago and they stayed put all through that.)
Conventional Wisdom is that Jeb! managed to stop the bleeding with a decent performance in last night's Republican debate. Didn't exactly launch a recovery; wasn't a sparkling performance, but he did manage to not bleed to death on the floor in front of everybody during the two hours he was out there, and that's an improvement over what he was doing in the debates up ‘til now.
Sweden is a member of the ‘Schengen Agreement’, which commits Sweden to unrestricted travel for persons already in Europe. Visit Sweden dot Com
They're closing the borders anyway. Not a complete lockdown, but certainly restricted travel. Ya get checked first, and then ya get in if they let ya in. So much for the ‘Schengen Agreement’, which had already been tossed by Germany and Austria, among other major players.
As I understand it even Norway is trying to shut off the route via Russia. They are starting to send them back if they have been living in Russia. On a side note, all of those Russian bicycles that the immigrants have been riding in on are of such poor quality they don't meet Norwegian standards, so they are being junked.
My Mom is home, but my Dad has pneumonia and is now in the hospital. *sigh*
While I don't wish him ill, I have to say it has been a little easier on me at home. One less person to do for.
Every hotel is full, every old school has been converted to refugee housing, military barracks are being converted, tent cities are being put up, the offices at Migrationsverket have people sleeping on the floor temporarily, and the flow is just increasing and increasing and winter is soon to arrive.
Sounds overwhelming. I heard, or read, somewhere that they have set up some kind of system where refugees/migrants are being flown from Greece to the other European countries to try to eliminate them having to walk.
...he did manage to not bleed to death on the floor in front of everybody...
Well, maybe that's the best he can hope for. And, you never know, maybe just surviving will see him to the end. The election is still a ways away.
"…so they are being junked."
Ought to be a business opportunity there, getting them back to Russia.
"One less person to do for."
You don't have to do the nightly back and forth to the hospital?
Lee: "They're closing the borders anyway. Not a complete lockdown, but certainly restricted travel. Ya get checked first, and then ya get in if they let ya in. So much for the ‘Schengen Agreement’"
All in accordance with the agreement. Every schengen country can unilaterally decide to impose border controls for up to 30 days for reasons of security or order. We've even imposed border controls in the past for such small things as high risk football games. Or in 2001 when the globally hated George W Bush came to Gothenburg and protesters from the continent were on their way up here. So that we have imposed 10 days of border controls that may (will, most likely) be extended is no strange thing and ceartanly no breach of the agreement.
This period of 30 days can then be extended in steps for up to 6 months. I'm a bit unclear on what the reasons must be beyond the initial 30 days or if you have to somehow get some approval from other Schengen countries. But the first 30 days is no biggie.
My opinion is that the agreement should be scrapped. I remember when I was a kid when my family went on roadtrips across Europe. We had our passports with us and when we went from one country into another we had them ready. Very rarely we had to even present them and most often we were just waved through. No problem at all. Those "walls" politicians speak of were no problem and I never noticed any improvement when the "open borders" came.
It did benefit some though. Gun-runners, drug-rings, human traffickers, smugglers of all sorts, and of course recently economic migrants and illegal immigrants disguised as refugees.
F-ck Schengen! Give us back our borders.
"Give us back our borders."
What's the likelihood of that happenin’? (Low I'd reckon.)
The Peshmergu have moved on Sinjar. CBSNews
Lee: "What's the likelihood of that happenin’? (Low I'd reckon.)"
It's close to zero I'd say. The only realistic way for that to happen would be for the EU project to be dismantled or seriously re-negotiated. Possibly a Brexit could lead down that road but, as I said, the likelihood is low.
Lynnette: "Sounds overwhelming. I heard, or read, somewhere that they have set up some kind of system where refugees/migrants are being flown from Greece to the other European countries to try to eliminate them having to walk."
It wasn't so much about them having to walk as about relieving Greece and Italy of the burden of being first arrival spots.
The "agreement" was that 160K "refugees" now stuck in Greece and Italy, but unwilling to try to be processed there (because the money and opportunity there is not as good), should be distributed by quota across all EU countries. About 500 have been re-distributed so far.
The insane asylum with the craziest inmates swiftly brought in the 300 they had promised to take in then the "agreement" predictably stopped in its tracks when less insane nations started dithering, delaying and moving for national advantage instead.
Message to Nasrallah: We know where you live.
As best I can tell, the FBI has been offended by the DoJ telling them that the Hillary e-mails they've been investigating weren't highly classified after all, and so they're now trying to expand their investigation to pursue charges for making "materially false statements" to investigators. This is the ‘Martha Stewart’ criminal statute, the one that got Martha Stewart jailed, i.e. failing to confess to an underlying crime that was never actually committed (or, at least, one that can't be proven) FoxNews
You don't have to do the nightly back and forth to the hospital?
No, I don't want to leave my mother alone, so I am going during the day over my lunch break. Although usually I end up using vacation time anyway as it runs longer than my lunch break. Today it was like Grand Central station in his room as everyone wanted to talk to me to get information.
That going at night is tiring.
As best I can tell, the FBI has been offended by the DoJ telling them that the Hillary e-mails they've been investigating weren't highly classified after all, and so they're now trying to expand their investigation to pursue charges for making "materially false statements" to investigators.
I'd be rather irritated too if I wasted my time.
Message to Nasrallah: We know where you live.
Not a good sign. The sectarian war seems to be widening.
Hmmm...apparently the US has went after Jihadi John with a drone attack.
Sweden, specifically Malmö, Sweden even, made the PBS NewsHour this evening. Seems the Danes are all irate about the Swede's putting out the welcome mat to Sweden, and then pulling it up without warning, leaving a whole bunch of Sweden bound Muslims in transit in Denmark. Had shots of Malmö on the TV, including the retired chief of police (not his actual title, but he was the ex- superintendent or ex- supervisor of some such) talking about how bad the crush of Muslims has become, and then shots from Denmark with Danish people saying bad things about the Swedes for springing the surprise upon them.
"...apparently the US has went after Jihadi John…"
Pentagon says they got him, ‘clean hit’. ABCNews
This is why I write "refugees" and not refugees:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td3VNr7ZJvs
^They actually made that video thinking it would get them sympathy. I hear the term "demand-machines" used more and more often.
"‘The Attacks Will Be Spectacular’
"An exclusive look at how the Bush administration ignored this warning
from the CIA months before 9/11…
"‘They're coming here’!"
Chris Wipple
The Kurds have re-taken Sinjar. NYT
Not to put too fine a point on it, but ISIS' forces cut and ran; didn't put up a real fight. Apparently this was acquiesced to by ISIS' central planning. The Kurds were comin’; writin’s on the wall.
This is a significant loss to ISIS; this cuts the road from Raqqa to Mosul. Mosul is already experiencing shortages.
But…, the Kurds were comin’ back; and they were comin’ back pissed.
"They actually made that video thinking it would get them sympathy."
And you showed it thinking it would get you what?
All I can make out is there's no food. Well, that and no friggin’ way those folks are 90% military aged males.
Rough night in Paris, but it appears that it's over for the night.
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