Tuesday, December 08, 2015

There are some reportings of security issues in Indonesia.

The international response to Daesh is uniform. Countries have experienced deaths of citizens at the hand of Daesh. There is more and more indication that the global community are moving in a unified measure to end the influence and violence of Daesh. It is clear to state the pledges made within recent weeks by the international community is becoming a priority among most countries.

December 8, 2015
By Mari Yamaguchi

Japan launched (click here) a new counterterrorism unit in an air of secrecy Tuesday, with journalists only allowed to photograph its 24 members from behind.
The country is expanding its international espionage work after being shocked by the deaths of five Japanese citizens at the hands of Islamic militants this year. The recent Paris attacks have also raised fears ahead of a Group of Seven summit in Japan next year and the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
It's mostly uncharted territory for Japan, which has never suffered a terror attack by outsiders in its modern history.
"The country is inexperienced, and its counterterrorism capability is untested," said Motonobu Abekawa, a former official at the Public Security Intelligence Agency and a terrorism studies expert at Nihon University. "People have long thought terrorist attacks are a distant problem abroad."
Japan began exploring ways to boost public safety and intelligence after the Islamic State group killed two Japanese hostages in Syria early this year. An attack on tourists at a museum in Tunisia later claimed three more Japanese lives....
Japan launched a new counterterrorism unit in an air of secrecy Tuesday, with journalists only allowed to photograph its 24 members from behind.
The country is expanding its international espionage work after being shocked by the deaths of five Japanese citizens at the hands of Islamic militants this year. The recent Paris attacks have also raised fears ahead of a Group of Seven summit in Japan next year and the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
It's mostly uncharted territory for Japan, which has never suffered a terror attack by outsiders in its modern history.
"The country is inexperienced, and its counterterrorism capability is untested," said Motonobu Abekawa, a former official at the Public Security Intelligence Agency and a terrorism studies expert at Nihon University. "People have long thought terrorist attacks are a distant problem abroad."
Japan began exploring ways to boost public safety and intelligence after the Islamic State group killed two Japanese hostages in Syria early this year. An attack on tourists at a museum in Tunisia later claimed three more Japanese lives.
- See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/08/japan-launches-anti-terrorism-unit-ahead-summit-olympics.html#sthash.tYJiExYo.dpuf
Mari Yamaguchi

Donald Trump is not making friends in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has significant financial interests in the USA including media outlets and financial companies such as Carlyle. They aren't happy with the politics of Donald Trump. That might help his ratings with the Republican base. It is unknown at this point if leaders of Saudi Arabia recognize him as a threat will enhance his favored status in the GOP. Quite frankly I am surprised at this Saudi interest, but, it does state there are meaning to words spoken in the USA.

I will say this much, Saudi leadership is astounded by Trump. Their brevity to his words may be due to his special status among Republicans in that he is independently financed. There is no influence by outside funding, including Carlyle. This is all new ground to the Saudis.

Typically, Saudis are considered inside friends of any Republican leader. We all know the famous relationship with the Bushs to the Saudi royal family. This is a complete departure from that at a time when violence has increased in the middle east.

8 December 2015
Washington: Republican frontrunner Donald Trump (click here) called Monday for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States, unleashing some of the most provocative and divisive remarks of his controversial presidential campaign.
The stunning statement followed last week’s mass shooting in California by a Muslim couple believed to have been radicalized by extremists, and landed with a thunderclap just as fellow presidential candidates were contemplating ways to improve national security.
His aides did not specify if the proposal would affect both tourists and immigrants, and did not say either if it would target American Muslims currently abroad....


Jordan is imposing new demands for visas out of Yemen. It is not unusual for Arab countries to focus on the movement of people into and out of their borders. That is also playing into the Saudi's decision about speaking out regarding Donald Trump's statements. The exclusion of certain people from moving across borders is a common practice, so Trump is hitting at the center of the religious. The counties in the middle east carry out visits to holy sites. When a country bans visas they are also prohibiting visits to holy sites and it matters.

December 7, 2015
 Amman — Jordan will again regulate (click here) the entry of Yemenis to the country and implement the concerned laws regarding their residency.
A letter issued by the Yemeni embassy in Jordan, a copy of which was made available to The Jordan Times, said Jordanian authorities informed the embassy of the decision on Monday.
Entry of Yemenis to Jordan will be “restricted” as they are required to obtain a visa before entry and pay the required fees for that, as indicated in the letter.
It added, however, that Yemeni diplomats will be exempted from this condition and they will not need an entry visa as of December 15, 2015....

It wouldn't surprise me if Donald Trump makes a trip to Saudi Arabia.
AMMAN — Jordan will again regulate the entry of Yemenis to the country and implement the concerned laws regarding their residency.
A letter issued by the Yemeni embassy in Jordan, a copy of which was made available to The Jordan Times, said Jordanian authorities informed the embassy of the decision on Monday.
Entry of Yemenis to Jordan will be “restricted” as they are required to obtain a visa before entry and pay the required fees for that, as indicated in the letter.
It added, however, that Yemeni diplomats will be exempted from this condition and they will not need an entry visa as of December 15, 2015.
- See more at: http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/visa-requirement-re-imposed-yemenis#sthash.AXwPc5Jt.dpuf

Saudi Arabia is speaking out about the hatred building over attacks by Daesh.

RIYADH: The Cabinet at its weekly meeting on Monday condemned the assassination of the governor of Aden, the terror attacks in Chad and California, US....

The density of Muslim extremists are higher in the middle east than anywhere else in the world. It is questionable whether Muslims in Indonesia has problems. Currently, Indonesia is asking Saudi Arabia to increase domestic workers salaries.

December 6, 2015
Islamic State militants (click here) say they carried out a bombing that killed the governor of Yemen's port city of Aden.
Jaafar Mohammed Saad and several aides died when their convoy was hit. IS says it detonated a car laden with explosives as he drove by.
The group has established a presence in Yemen since its civil war broke out.
It is opposed to the government and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have seized much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
Earlier this year, Aden was recaptured by government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition....

This may be the first time such attacks have appeared in Yemen. Iran needs to get real about it's diaspora. What I find odd is that Daesh is stating it is responsible for this bombing. The Houthi rebels are Shi'ite. If Daesh is taking credit for this death it will be a different influence. That means the 'mix' in Yemen may be growing to resemble that of Syria. The particular denomination of Shia is Zaida.

What this claim by Daesh raises is the legitimacy of the militia. This level of violence is not typical of Daesh. They typically kill by vicious methods. If this is sincerely Daesh, it is a new method of assaulting the conscience in the middle east. It also raises Daesh to a new priority of concern. Daesh, up to now, has been understood as Sunni purists, but, this is different. It brings Daesh to a level of international criminal interested in displacing any leader in the middle east. That would result in anarchy even throughout the Shia Crescent.

IS has endeavoured to make the situation even worse, our correspondent says, by bombing mosques and killing captives in its trademark style of grotesque and horrifying showmanship.
Washington/United Nations: Iran (click here) tested a new medium-range ballistic missile last month in a breach of two UN Security Council resolutions, two US officials said on Monday.
The officials, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said the test was held on Nov. 21. One of them said the missile traveled within Iranian territory.
A Western diplomatic source said last week on condition of anonymity that the test was held near Chabahar, a port city near Iran’s border with Pakistan. He said it was a liquid-fueled missile with a 1,900 km (1,180 mile) range and was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
All ballistic missile tests by Iran are banned under a 2010 Security Council resolution that remains valid until a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers is implemented....

Monday, December 07, 2015

Can't wait. My Christmas is already merry, between "Where to Invade Next" and the new Star Wars film. YES!


I got a good laugh out of Ted Cruz today. He said he disagreed with Donald Trump on policy when it comes to allowing Muslims into the USA. Ted Cruz says all immigrants and refugees are welcome as long as they are not coming from a country with Daesh.

There are a few flaws there.

1. There is probably a small population of "Internet Daesh" in every country in the world. 

2. Even if Ted Cruz decides to prevent immigrants and refugees from Daesh countries coming to the USA, that would not have prevented the problem in San Bernardino. The woman violent Islamist came from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Those countries are not suffering under civil war sponsored by Daesh. 

So, Ted likes to disguise his racism by putting 'special conditions' on his policies.

Seantor Bernie Sander's campaign is not a one issue compaign. He wants to win the Presidency and has policies to support that idea.

December 7, 2015
By Chris Cilliza

One day removed (click here) from the Paris terrorist attacks last month, the three Democratic candidates running for president gathered in Iowa for a debate. The first question was, predictably, about the attacks and what they meant for both the ongoing fight against ISIS and the broader battle against terrorism.
Bernie Sanders got the first crack at it. Here's what he said:

Together, leading the world, this country will rid our planet of this barbarous organization called ISIS.
I'm running for president, because as I go around this nation, I talk to a lot of people. And what I hear is people's concern that the economy we have is a rigged economy. People are working longer hours for lower wages, and almost all of the new income and wealth goes to the top one percent.
He devoted a grand total of one sentence(!) to the attacks. He then launched into a 123-word riff on the necessity to address climate change, economic inequality and campaign finance reform....

Now, anyone can say that Republicans have a one singular issue, but, that is not the policy of Democrats.

It is amazing to watch Republicans with their single trick pony skyrocket with every mass killing in the USA. They accuse the Democrats of suddenly talking about guns and the problem in our country to remove that danger from citizens. But, rarely if ever do I hear a Republican propose an answer to gun violence in the USA, EXCEPT, to encourage more gun ownership that will escalate more gun violence. It is a hell of strategy for profits to the gun industry. What do they care if people die while their profits skyrocket along with Republican talking points.

But, it is easy to vote for Republicans, they are all about money. They want the national debt reduced, which is a good thing, but at what cost to Americans in poverty. They want a flat tax, so low income Americans have to pay their share of funding the Federal government. What does any Republican care if a reduction in 10 or 15 percent FEDERAL tax comes out of their income. What difference matters if they can no longer pay the rent? The Republicans want to reduce the size of government and therefore eliminate entire departments that process government business everyday. But, when it comes to the military get rid of the Sequaester, but, not the sequester to domestic programs that put food in the bellies of children and their families.

The Republicans have a one trick pony. It is money and wealth and their narcissistic agenda to keep every dime and never pay taxes again. What is curious to me is why would Republicans want to change the US Treasury income at all. They already don't pay taxes, so what's the problem?

The Flat Tax idea is very naive. Close all loop holes and pay a percentage of income to the USA Treasury. Is there any doubt as to why that hasn't passes yet even with a majority Republican in the House and Senate. I am dead serious. The Republicans have a one trick pony for elections and it all revolves around tax cuts, the flat tax, downsizing government and the national debt. What else to do they care about except moralizing over a woman's uterus? Oh, war. Well, I don't know of a war the Republicans have enacted that was moral and executed well. But, the fear these days in the USA is complimented by any idea of war. 

When the American public becomes fearful, it reaches for the nearest gun dealer when they have the money to spend. So, it is important to make sure there are assault weapons in the gun shops so Americans can fight their local violent Islamists.

Senator Sanders is a long time government representative be it a mayor or a US Senator. He learned a few things about how to solve problems by keeping them in the spotlight of the American people. Senator Sanders also knows that fear and the Republican rhetoric machine will seek to drive all problems identified by Democrats out of the attention of the public.

So, I can count on Bernie to be the man we all need to keep the attention of Americans on important issues that need to receive that attention. The climate crisis is one of them. I didn't have to do a thing, except, listen for Bernie Sanders to bring his campaign back into the spotlight of the American voter.

That is a great relief to someone like me and many of my friends who work for a living in conservation to have someone who understands, believes in the morality and puts forward that morality as a piece of his agenda for policies. We can count on Bernie to keep important issues before the electorate. He never forgets income inequality, healthcare, wealth distribution, women's rights and the climate crisis. He has a clear understanding of what the problems are for the USA and he makes those issues important to his policies. He makes the lives of American Conservationists much easier so they can concentrate on their work and contributing real information about the effects of the climate crisis to peers in their journals.

Senator Bernie Sanders is relable and not hopping from one foot to the other to find the 'hot spot' in the USA media. I deeply appreciate it, otherwise, I have far more work to do.

The Supreme Court is not suppose to be ideological.

December 7, 2015
By Lawrence Hurley

The U.S. Supreme Court (click here) on Monday rejected a challenge by gun rights activists to a Chicago suburb's ordinance banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, handing a victory to gun control advocates amid a fierce debate over the nation's firearms laws.
The 2013 ordinance passed by the city of Highland Park, Illinois will remain in place. By opting not to hear an appeal of a lower-court ruling that upheld the measure, the justices declined to take up what would have been a high-profile gun rights case following a succession of mass shootings including the one last week in San Bernardino, California.
The Highland Park measure bans various semi-automatic weapons, including well-known guns such as the AR-15 and AK-47, in addition to magazines holding more than 10 rounds of bullets....

Thailand needs a human rights commission.

December 7, 2015
By Josephine Tovey

...A lawyer of almost 50 years experience, (click here) who had also previously been a Dean of Law at the University of Sydney, Professor Triggs believed the commission's detailed inquiry into children in detention was sound. This confidence was only reinforced by the personal nature of the attacks on her.
"It was very hard for them to attack the substance of what we were saying, so the next best thing was to allege that I was politically biased."
But Professor Triggs knew retaining her composure was critical to the work she was doing.
"I knew if I went too far and showed emotion, I could be very quickly dismissed as a sort of, emotional woman who didn't have a grasp of the political realities, and who could be easily pushed over."
It was this ability to continue in her role, to refuse to back down either on the issues or over her own position, in the face of extraordinary pressure, that saw eminent voices in the legal profession rally around her, and earned Professor Triggs the admiration of many in the Australian public, including the readers of Daily Life. Hundreds nominated her their Woman of the Year for 2015, and the judges agreed she was the worthy choice....

When most politicians are seeking to end the career of a standing authority it becomes obvious, her work struck something men believe is better off not said.
General Mills has a "Star Wars" cereal on the market. Depending the character portrait purchased there are different marshmallow icons. 

The marshmallow icons are similar to Lucky Charms.

They thought of everything so the release of the film will be saturated with Star Wars culture.

Another coup that lies to the people of Thailand.

I don't know what this number this coup is, but, it has to be a half of a dozen in the past two decades. The coups are carried out to end the corruption of the government. Hello? It's not working. 

But, who's counting?

December 7, 2015

Bangkok (AP) " Thailand's military government (click here) blocked an anti-corruption protest Monday, detaining about three dozen students and other activists who were headed to a park honoring past kings that was allegedly built with money from shady dealings involving several senior officers.
The military's efforts to quash the protest included detaching the railway car on which the protesters were traveling to Rajabhakti Park, near the seaside town of Hua Hin, before taking them into custody. Officials abruptly announced that the park, on army land, was closed for the day for renovations.
The case has become a major scandal in Thailand, largely because the junta that has run the country since staging a coup last year has vowed to reform the country's political system to stamp out corruption, which it blames on politicians....

NPR is counting.


May 22, 2014

Thailand has a beloved king. (click here) The country has had one of the more prosperous economies in Asia. It's a magnet for Western tourists. Its history is largely peaceful. By most measures, Thailand has been very successful.
So why has the country now had a dozen coups, plus many more attempted coups, since it ended its absolute monarchy and became a constitutional monarchy in 1932?
The country is so coup-prone that this week's military takeover marked the second time in eight years the armed forces have ousted a leader from the same family.
Deposed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra suffered the same fate as her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in 2006....

It would appear wealthy Americans want to end the wall at the southern border of the USA.

 December 8, 2015

San Diego (AP) " The U.S.-Mexico border (click here) is one of the world's most fortified international divides. Starting Wednesday, it will also be one of the only that has an airport straddling two countries.
An investor group that includes Chicago billionaire Sam Zell built a sleek terminal in San Diego with a bridge that crosses a razor-wire border fence to Tijuana's decades-old airport. Passengers pay $18 to walk a 390-feet (119-meter) overpass to Tijuana International Airport, a springboard about 30 Mexican destinations.
Target customers are the estimated 60 percent of Tijuana airport passengers who come to the United States, about 2.6 million last year. Now they drive about 15 minutes to a congested land crossing, where they wait up to several hours to enter San Diego by car or on foot. The airport bridge is a five-minute walk to a U.S. border inspector.
"It seems so much easier, so liberating," said Daniela Calderon, who flies from Tijuana four times a year to visit family in the central Mexican city of Morelia and has a friend drive her across the border from Riverside, California.
The only other cross-border airport known to industry experts is in the European Union " between Basel, Switzerland, and France's Upper Rhine region " but it carries none of the political freight of San Diego and Tijuana.

Who is going to defend Europe if the USA is fighting every terrorist group in Syria?

December 8, 2015

Berlin (AP) The number of people registered (click here) as asylum-seekers in Germany this year hit 965,000 by the end of November, well above a forecast for the whole year that was made less than four months ago, the country's interior minister said Monday.
Some 206,000 new arrivals were registered in November. That pushed the total for 2015 well above the 800,000 that Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere forecast for the full year in mid-August, a few weeks before the flow of people arriving via Turkey, Greece and the Balkans accelerated.
With few other European countries prepared to share the burden, the influx has stretched Germany's capacity to find housing for migrants and process asylum applications. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, which the government is beefing up amid mounting criticism of a backlog of paperwork, decided on 35,422 applications last month.
De Maiziere said that the pace of new arrivals has slowed over the past week or two, with some 2,000-3,000 now arriving daily rather than 8,000-10,000 as was often the case in recent months....

Rand Paul is the only candidate that has a long history of being correct regarding privacy standards and sending soldiers into random war.

Is there anything Richard Hass can say other than war?

That was the most fast talking bullshit I have ever heard.. There must be the perfume of a Bush in the air.

When are white men like Hass going to live the in the real world other than a world of violence? 

Let's hear the lies. The NSA never violates privacy rights. What is the next one?

Did Bush say President Obama is using the strong man argument or the straw man argument? 

Quick and Dirties 

Political ads and analysis (click here) are reaching a fever pitch, so it seems like a good time to talk about the phrase “straw man.” What does it mean when two people are debating and one accuses the other of putting forth a straw man argument?

What Is a Straw Man Argument?

I always think of the Straw Man from the Wizard of Oz, but that's not where the term comes from. In its simplest definition, it's the name of a logical fallacy, which means that if you carefully dissect the argument or statement, it doesn't make sense. Debaters invoke a straw man when they put forth an argument--usually something extreme or easy to argue against--that they know their opponent doesn't support. You put forth a straw man because you know it will be easy for you to knock down or discredit. It's a way of misrepresenting your opponent's position.
Political ads and analysis are reaching a fever pitch, so it seems like a good time to talk about the phrase “straw man.” What does it mean when two people are debating and one accuses the other of putting forth a straw man argument?

What Is a Straw Man Argument?

I always think of the Straw Man from the Wizard of Oz, but that's not where the term comes from. In its simplest definition, it's the name of a logical fallacy, which means that if you carefully dissect the argument or statement, it doesn't make sense. Debaters invoke a straw man when they put forth an argument--usually something extreme or easy to argue against--that they know their opponent doesn't support. You put forth a straw man because you know it will be easy for you to knock down or discredit. It's a way of misrepresenting your opponent's position.
- See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/what-straw-man-argument?page=all#sthash.aA54RGJl.dpuf

Opps, "you know what" Bush stated Donald Trump, at times, talks like an adult and Bush will never insult any one except the intelligence of Americans. The next thing we know Bush will bring duct tape to hush others who say "hell" due to the First Amendment laws. Oh, yeah, I forgot the Patriot Act.

Bush has a limited vocabulary that tells Americans they are stupid and without knowledge of what he speaks. He said nothing. 

He followed Hass in a media attempt to put fear back in the gut of the American public. The media should have real questions like, "Do you believe there will ever be peace for the USA and how are you going to go accomplish it. You know, Peace Mission Accomplished. Perhaps when Bush actually knows his own policies he can say something other than, "Something like that."

There is a small arms treaty the United Nations have, how do you see that ending the violence globally? 

There a many schools of etiquette in the USA but I've heard of a school of the fast talker. They must let Americans know where they can go to learn the skill, maybe if Americans spoke Bush and Hass language they might actually hear us. 

June 1, 2015
Rand Paul

Congress (click here) will this week force the president to end his illegal collection of all American phone records. This is a victory for defenders of privacy.

The Fourth Amendment requires that government searches be individualized. Collecting all Americans' phone records all the time indiscriminately is what our Founders fought against when they objected to general warrants....

It is obvious Rand Paul THINKS and does just run at the mouth.

I really wish politicans would not lie. If nothing else it gets boring.

I was actually sleeping in when the television I left on started a rant of Richard Hass. God works in strange ways. My mother is right. 

In the spirit of openness and transparency, (click here) here is a partial list of current and planned future data collection targets:

  • internet searches
  • websites visited
  • emails sent and received
  • social media activity (Facebook, Twitter, etc)
  • blogging activity including posts read, written, and commented on 
  • videos watched and/or uploaded online
  • photos viewed and/or uploaded online
  • mobile phone GPS-location data
  • mobile phone apps downloaded
  • phone call records
  • text messages sent and received
  • Skype video calls
  • online purchases and auction transactions
  • credit card/ debit card transactions
  • financial information
  • legal documents
  • travel documents
  • health records
  • cable television shows watched and recorded
  • commuter toll records
  • electronic bus and subway passes / Smartpasses
  • facial recognition data from surveillance cameras
  • educational records
  • arrest records
  • driver license information

Political ads and analysis are reaching a fever pitch, so it seems like a good time to talk about the phrase “straw man.” What does it mean when two people are debating and one accuses the other of putting forth a straw man argument?

What Is a Straw Man Argument?

I always think of the Straw Man from the Wizard of Oz, but that's not where the term comes from. In its simplest definition, it's the name of a logical fallacy, which means that if you carefully dissect the argument or statement, it doesn't make sense. Debaters invoke a straw man when they put forth an argument--usually something extreme or easy to argue against--that they know their opponent doesn't support. You put forth a straw man because you know it will be easy for you to knock down or discredit. It's a way of misrepresenting your opponent's position.
- See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/what-straw-man-argument?page=all#sthash.aA54RGJl.dpuf=
Political ads and analysis are reaching a fever pitch, so it seems like a good time to talk about the phrase “straw man.” What does it mean when two people are debating and one accuses the other of putting forth a straw man argument?

What Is a Straw Man Argument?

I always think of the Straw Man from the Wizard of Oz, but that's not where the term comes from. In its simplest definition, it's the name of a logical fallacy, which means that if you carefully dissect the argument or statement, it doesn't make sense. Debaters invoke a straw man when they put forth an argument--usually something extreme or easy to argue against--that they know their opponent doesn't support. You put forth a straw man because you know it will be easy for you to knock down or discredit. It's a way of misrepresenting your opponent's position.
- See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/what-straw-man-argument?page=all#sthash.aA54RGJl.dpuf

"Good Night, Moon"

The waning crescent

25.6 day old moon

16.5 percent lit

December 4, 2015
By Geoff Gaherty

On Monday, December 7, (click here) the planet Venus will do a vanishing act behind the moon, but, you will have to have the right place on Earth to view it without interference with the sun...