Assad is not going anywhere. E.J. Dionne is absolutely correct.

The Middle East is less about countries and more about nations of people. That is something The West can't get it's head around.

Now, if The West, as "W" thought is going to end claims on land by nations of people that have lived there for millennium they are fools. 

There is ONLY ONE enemy of The West in the middle east and that the Ba'athists from Iraq. It is the only enemy in the Middle East. The Saddam Ba'athists have formed a militia called The Islamic State. The Islamic State is fictitious, but, it is a great selling point for men too scared to die to fight the USA military when in Iraq. 

The reason the war in Syria and Iraq is so vicious and over the top by any estimate is because the Ba'athists have no place else to go. They have lost everything they once called home including Saddam's home city. 

The Shia Crescent is a fact. It has been established for millennium. There is never going to be a change in the way the HISTORIC Middle East exists. That reality is why Israel has been opposed by many countries in this region. It wasn't until the Six Day War that Israel was accepted even though there was no diplomacy yet. The diplomacy would be coming.

Syria occupies the largest slice of the Shia Crescent with an enormous variety of ethnicities and faiths. There will always be a power sharing arrangement in Syria and it is a matter of time before the peace is returned to Syria. Then the water sources have to be reestablished and rebuilding of the country has to begin. The people when they return will remember the beauty of their lives and will rebuild the temples and mosques and farmers will farm and the lives of Syrians will return to normal.

Pay attention to this. IF THERE WAS A POWER SHARING GOVERNMENT IN SYRIA, rather than just President Assad, there would have been a civil war anyway simply because of the devastation of the land caused by drought.

The Middle East is not about ownership and less about sovereignty of borders and more about the ability of nations of people to live among each other. As long as people have food in their bellies and they can go the market and purchase rugs and antiquities and wonderful beads and baubles and celebrate their long history in pilgrimages, there will be peace.

Restoring the land will restore the people and the people will restore the culture. The restoration of Syria will have to come from the generosity of the world because we value all human life and disdain genocide. 

I believe Hillary Clinton has a clear understanding of the region and it's dynamics and how to resolve the civil war after the Ba'athists of Daesh are defeated. I believe she knows if The West were to enter the civil war, it would only serve to increase the violence. It would not only increase the violence and the attraction of Islamists into Syria, it would destroy any progress the Iraqi military and the Kurdish Army has made.

Hillary Clinton knows what she is talking about.

2 degree centigrade has always been the standard and there is every reason to believe that is too generous.

I don't care what the PLEDGES are to stem the climate crisis. It has to be better than the graph below because that graph will destroy the planet. No doubt in my mind.

I posted the temperatures in Australia. And Australia is in the southern oceans near to Antarctica. I post those NOTATIONS for a very real reason. BECAUSE THEY ARE REAL. Earth's physics is not up for debate.

I am not promoting politics here, but, Hillary Clinton has promised to turn the USA into an alternative energy land. She is correct. The USA has contributed far more greenhouse gases to the troposphere than any other country on Earth. The next one is Great Britain. The USA has a responsibility to carry out the strategy to turn the corner on the climate crisis. There is no other country that can.

The climate science is completely clear. The USA has to turn this trend around. If temperatures continue to rise this planet will become parched and dead. Why do you think scientists were bringing this before the country in the 1960s? It takes time to turn it around. Hillary Clinton takes this dead seriously. Every leader in the world regardless of party has a profound mission to lead their countries to a benevolent place to live.

There is nothing else to say. The science is clear AND the challenges to maintaining sovereignty is completely obvious. If people don't have water to drink, food to eat and their farmland is rendered dead of any potential the sovereignty of a country is over. Syria is probably the most obvious example. This is NOT strange science or national security assessment. It is real and everyone needs to realize that.   

The graph below is from the New York Times. (click here) 

Ice melt, sea level rise and Superstorms: evidence from paleoclimate data, climate modeling, and modern observations that 2 degree C global warming is highly dangerous (click here)

J. Hansen¹, M. Sato¹, P. Hearty², R. Ruedy^3,4, M. Kelley^3,4, V. Masson-Delmotte⁵, G. Russell⁴, G. Tselioudis⁴, J. Cao⁶, E. Rignot^7,8, I. Velicogna^7,8, E. Kandiano⁹, K. von Schuckmann¹⁰, P. Kharecha^1,4, A. N. Legrande⁴, M. Bauer¹¹, and K.-W. Lo^3,4
 
1Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions, Columbia University Earth Institute, New York, NY 10115, USA
²Department of Environmental Studies, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, USA
³Trinnovium LLC, New York, NY 10025, USA
⁴NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, USA
⁵Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
⁶Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China
⁷Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109, USA
⁸Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697, USA
⁹GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Wischhofstrasse 1–3, Kiel 24148, Germany
¹⁰Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, University of Toulon, La Garde, France
¹¹Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

There are eleven highly esteem and VALID climate scientists AND their organizations stating with centuries of experience when their careers are added altogether stating 2 degree celcius is the absolute limit.

continued.... 

I know Gowdy is guilty. I could not believe he and the Republicans were getting away with what they have gotten away with.

This so called Congress has used their power for political purposes and not governing. Gowdy thinks he is ENTITLED to prosecute OUR employees with impunity. This isn't Kansas or where ever is from.
 November 28, 2015
By Jean Ann Esselink
 
Major Bradley Podliska, (click here) the Air Force Reserve Officer who blew the whistle on the political aims of the House Benghazi Select Committee, has filed a federal lawsuit against the committee and its chairman, South Carolina Republican Trey Gowdy, claiming Gowdy broke the law when he told NBC news that Major Podliska mishandled classified information. The lawsuit alleges:

"Chairman Gowdy, personally and through his agents, tied these defamatory statements to Podliska’s firing to damage Podliska’s reputation and his ability to seek or secure employment in his chosen field, depriving Podliska of his rights under the Constitution of the United States.”

"This has become a partisan investigation," Major Podliska told CNN's Jake Tapper. "I knew that we needed to get the truth to the victims' families. And the victims' families, they deserve the truth whether or not Hillary Clinton was involved... The victims' families are not going to get the truth and that's the most unfortunate thing about this."...

The Republican Congress is lined with inexperience at the federal governing level. Their bluster and hubris might get them elected back home, but, doesn't and shouldn't play well to the country.

The purpose of the Republican Congress was to use the House and Senate floor for political purposes. That isn't ethical. Attempting to pass bills 50 times or more is waste of taxpayers' money.

The Benghazi Committees have soaked up millions of dollars and came with nothing. Gowdy has a lot riding on this committee he chairs. He has to come through for the party and any government employee, including military personnel, were going to BE MADE to deliver what no other Benghazi Committee could. The entire process used to establish these committees is completely outrageous. 

It is about time someone came forward to face down the hideousness of this Republican Congress. It stands to reason it would someone from our military. I congratulate Mayor Podliska. 

This sort of activity is nothing short of McCarthyism. We know where that went. Repeated bills on the floor of Congress and repeated committees to find damnable evidence regardless how long and how often it took is extremism and it fly in the face of our democracy and Constitution.

I think the Obama Administration is taking the issues seriously. I know the Bush White House was more than ridiculous after 911. Americans were chasing their tails over recommendations to use Duct Tape on windows. I mean it was bizarre.

If we got through life after 911, we can this, too. People have to have confidence in their local authorities as well as state and federal intelligence agencies. 

It is hard to watch all this upheaval in Europe, but, we need to work our way through this time in our lives and preserve our love of democracy and our right to freedom.

I am pleased to know the USA State Department has issued a travel alert.

I am sure our embassies are taking all necessary precautions and this time it includes embassies in our allies homelands.

November 23, 2015
By Alan Gomez

The U.S. State Department(click here) issued a rare worldwide travel alert on Monday, warning American travelers about the widespread threats posed by members of the Islamic State or copycat bombers.
The alert said that there were increased terror threats from al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and ISIL, the term used by the federal government for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which has claimed responsibility for the Paris terrorist attacks. The alert also said people unaffiliated with the groups may be inspired by recent terrorist attacks in France, Nigeria, Denmark, Turkey and Mali.
The alert comes as millions of Americans prepare to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, and organizers of major events like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade bolster their security preparations.
"U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using transportation," the alert said. "Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid large crowds or crowded places. Exercise particular caution during the holiday season and at holiday festivals or events."...

Mr. 47 Percent is back in the headlines. The man that traded American jobs for billions.

About 911. It isn't funny to any American to have mistakes made about that time in the country. That said, there is a journalist report about issues in the country with zealotry. I don't doubt that happened, because, there were reports of Palestinians in the Middle East dancing in the street. We know that for a fact. It was all over the news. I don't recall this incident, but, there is every possibility it happened. The zealotry in Palestine was in the hundreds if not thousands. 

It was a very rough time in the USA and there were so many issues to terms with it is more than likely true. There was a report by a journalist about this. What else needs to be said? We should hide our insight into domestic concerns. It is not wise. I trust people like Commissioner Bratten who is very serious about his responsibility to the people of New York City. If he says there are areas of national security or local security that needs to be addressed, then that needs to be addressed and NOW.

November 23, 2015

by Shaquille Brewster

Like his fellow Republican (click here) presidential candidate Donald Trump, neurosurgeon Ben Carson said Monday he also has seen a video of American Muslims celebrating after the September 11th attacks, pointing to "newsreels" and saying, "I saw the film of it."
"They're going to be people who respond inappropriately to virtually everything," Carson said to reporters after a rally in Pahrump, NV. "I think that was an inappropriate response. I don't know if, on the basis of that, you can say all Muslims are bad people."
Trump raised eyebrows this weekend when he said he saw "thousands" of people cheering as the twin towers fell on September 11th....

 

There are new signs around town stated, "Foster Parents Needed." I take it there are parentless children coming. It is nice to know Average Americans are their answer. Hopefully, they will be placed before Christmas.

Every sovereign country needs to pay attention to what occurred in France.

France has always been an open and compassionate country. Then there was an attack of a few violent Islamists on a small newspaper that published Mohammad cartoons.

The French thought it was over.

Then came the incremental increase and there were attacks on the society of France.

Wiping out the Ba'athists in Syria and Iraq is necessary for those countries to rebuild, however, Daesh has been very successful in inspiring violent Islamists within it's own borders. France is carrying raid after raid and arresting people to end the advance of Daesh within it's own borders. Why? Because the advance of Daesh within French borders are completely obvious. 

France has witnessed drones flying over nuclear power plants, why? Because strategically, destroying power plants provides a failure of a layer of security. Once one layer of security is gone from France, there is more possibility (ratio of chance to failure) of attacking nuclear munitions facilities and then the world.

The outsourcing of Daesh among countries is based in small conversions of Peaceful Muslims into violence Islamists. It is time to get serious about non-proliferation and a small arms treaty to protect the sovereignty of every country on Earth.

Every successful attack within a country only inspires more of the same with people that never would have done it before. We have seen an entire community in Brussels supporting Deash. The Ba'athists have been successful in their internet campaigns.

Maybe we need to send troops to Argentina to insure a USA friendly government.

There have been Islamo terrorists across the world for a very long time. That isn't going to change. Each country has to defend against any of their influence that could result in a coupe. That is where the war is today. The best example of failed democracy is Egypt.

Non-Proliferation and the Small Arms Treaty is important and every country should treat them as important. 

In the USA, talking head generals are talking head generals because they make a lot of money being talking head generals. And the public enthusiasm for war swings both ways, I think President Obama figured that out with Libya.

The political right wing of the USA will drive sex scandals and racist fear with war attached to it because it works. The enthusiasm for war in the middle east serves the right wing political machine, if it didn't no one would hear a word about it.

Why doesn't the right wing political machine focus on the Phillipines then? Why? Because the middle east comes with an additional political bonus called Israel. Has Israel lost land and disappeared into history? No, I think it is the Palestinians that can lay claim to that issue.

By Peter Prengman

Buenos Aires, Argentina (AP) - Opposition candidate (click here) Mauricio Macri won Argentina's presidential election on Sunday, marking an end to the left-leaning and often-combative era of President Cristina Fernandez, who along with her late husband dominated the country's political scene for 12 years and rewrote its social contract.
Ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli, Fernandez's chosen successor, conceded late Sunday and said he had called Macri to congratulate him on a victory that promises to chart Argentina on a more free market, less state interventionist course.
"Today is a historic day," said Macri, addressing thousands of cheering supporters as horns were heard blaring across Buenos Aires. "It's the changing of an era."
With 98 percent of the vote counted, Macri had 51.45 percent support compared to 48.55 percent for Scioli.
The victory by the business-friendly Macri, who gained a national profile as president of the popular Boca Juniors soccer club, comes after he did better than expected in the first round on Oct. 25. The close first round forced a runoff with Scioli, the governor of the vast Buenos Aires province....

Is the USA going to send troops to the Phillpines as well?

November 23, 2015

A Kiwi beauty queen (click here) has ditched a pageant in the Philippines because of concerns about her safety.
Christchurch's Nicole Harding, 22, who has been in Manila representing New Zealand at the Miss Pancontinental pageant, told fans on social media she had to leave the competition a week before it ended.
"Due to my safety and security the New Zealand Embassy has decided that it is best if I fly back to New Zealand," she wrote.
"I'm saddened that this has to come to an end as I have worked so hard to get here but with the lack of organisation, climate and security it is unsafe for me to be here any longer."
After comments from some of her Facebook fans and friends, Harding said the trip had been a "complete nightmare".
"It's awful over here have been through hell and back. Just trying to get home safely."
Harding is believed to be making her way back to New Zealand. A government official in the Philippines suggested leaving the country, she said.
Ashley Clark, who was representing the United States, said she was leaving on the advice of her Government.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said the New Zealand embassy in the Philippines did not provide the advice to leave the area. 
Its safe travel advisory for central and western Mindanao is set at extreme risk, and high risk for the rest of Mindanao. There is some risk to security elsewhere in the Philippines, including in Manila, due to the threat of terrorism, risk of kidnapping and violent crime and it advises "caution".

November 18, 2015

Kuala Lumpur, Manila (Reuters) - A small al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group (click here) has executed a Malaysian businessman held captive since May on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, the Malaysian government said on Wednesday.
The Philippine military earlier said it was investigating credible intelligence reports that Abu Sayyaf militants had beheaded Bernard Then on Tuesday.
On his Facebook page, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said he was shocked and sickened at the killing and demanded the perpetrators be brought to justice. Asked by Reuters if the man was beheaded, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed would only say his death was "violent".
Philippine Brigadier-General Alan Arrojado, army commander on Jolo, said the Malaysian was killed in the town of Indanan.
While the execution is far to the south of the capital Manila, where world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama are attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, it is a reminder of the security challenges small Islamist groups still pose to the Philippines....

While Australia bakes, Auckland, New Zealand experiences intense lightning and storms.

November 22, 2015

More than 2000 Auckland (click here) homes lost power overnight as the region was battered by strong thunderstorms and wind overnight.

MetService meteorologist Rob Kerr said the storm was "very, very intense".

The northern region was hit by more than 10,000 lightning strikes on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, with over 1300 occurring in the Auckland area. The storm also affected the Coromandel, Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas....

Spring in Australia is bring record heat, 40.0 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

And this is only Spring, Summer doesn't arrive until December 21, 2015.

Carpenter Buddy Kirner cools off in Brisbane. Photo: Robert Shakespeare

November 23, 2015
By Peter Hannam

...Sydney's break (click here) from late-spring heat will be short-lived with slow moving high-pressure systems likely to steer inland warmth into Australia's south-east this week and next.

The city's maximum will climb from an expected 25 degrees on Tuesday to 29 degrees on Wednesday although western suburbs, without the benefit of cooling sea breezes, will likely warm to the mid-30s.

Thursday, though, will see temperatures ranging from 34 degrees in the city to 38 in the west as a hotter air mass sweeps in, said Tristan Meyers, a meteorologist with Weatherzone....

While models give varying estimates of the timing and strength of an expected southerly change, Thursday will likely fall well short of the 40.9 degrees - Sydney's second-hottest November day - set last Friday, Mr Meyers said. The city's average November top is 23.6 degrees....

Realize the change in temperature across Australia is in Celsius and not Fahrenheit.

2015 is providing record setting temperature across Australia.

As a side note: Australia's military in training soldiers in Iraq ended less than a month ago. All Australian soldiers are home without involvement in Afghanistan either.