Monday 2 December 2013
Photo, above: Logo of the Islamic Front in Syria. Islamic Front endorses jihad, says 'the Muhajireen are our brothers'. See Hour 1, Block A, Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, on Chechens' pledging allegiance to al Baghdadi: formalize the alliance of the army of homeless with the al Q in al Shams.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Hour One
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 1, Block A: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: Chechens pledge allegiance to al Baghdadi: formalize the alliance of the army of homeless with the al Q in al Shams. No longer want to serve under Umarov of the Caucasus. Will probably stay in Syria; act as shock troops: enter and do the hardest-line fighting, known for brutality. In Latakia (Alawi stronghold), in August went in and slaughtered men, women, children for al Q. Afghan: Hakimullah killed October first. In Pakistan. drone program run by CIA; thought of turning it over to the Pentagon, but decided not.
US drones strike in Pakistan, kill 3 'militants' An unnamed Punjabi jihadist is reported to have been killed in a strike in the Miramshah area, which is administered by the Haqqani Network. Islamic Front endorses jihad, says 'the Muhajireen are our brothers' The charter of the newly formed Islamic Front indicates that the group is willing to work with al Qaeda's two branches inside Syria. Chechen-led group swears allegiance to head of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham . . . allegiance to the head of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. The group is awaiting approval from the head of the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Caucasus Emirate.
.. .. ..
The Islamic Front, a newly formed coalition of Syrian Islamist groups that cooperate with al Qaeda and is estimated at 45,000 fighters, released its charter on its official Twitter account on Nov. 26. Although the formation of the Islamic Front has been hailed as a blow to al Qaeda, the new group embraces jihad and calls for the establishment of an Islamic state and the imposition of sharia law, both of which are goals of al Qaeda. The Islamic Front's charter welcomes the "Muhajireen," or foreign fighters, as "our brothers who supported us in jihad."
The document is signed by the following groups: Ahrar al-Sham, Suqour al-Sham Brigade, Ansar al-Sham Brigades, Jaysh al-Islam, Al-Tawhid Brigade, and Al-Haqq Brigade; and is dated Nov. 22, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which provided a translation. When the group's formation was first reported, a seventh group, the Kurdish Islamic Front, was also listed among its members. [See LWJ report, Analysis: Formation of Islamic Front in Syria benefits jihadist groups.] Most of these groups have coordinated military operations with al Qaeda's two affiliates in Syria.
.. .. ..
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 1, Block B: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: Adam Gadahn, US citizen and al Q spokesman, names cities in which Al Qaeda has triumphed, incl Fort Hood, where Maj Nidal Hassan murdered 13 people in 2009. Why has he not been indicted? He's not Baghdad Bob – he's Goebbels. US has been looking for him, has been a US govt drone-strike target in the past. May have been targeted in special ops raids in Karachi.
.. .. ..
Al Qaeda propagandist Adam Gadahn has released a new video denouncing the capture of a top operative known as Abu Anas al Libi. In the video, entitled "The Crime of Kidnapping Abu Anas al Libi and its Repercussions," Gadahn seeks to portray Abu Anas as an innocent who was wrongly detained by US forces in Tripoli on Oct. 5.
Gadahn implies that Abu Anas' capture was a "Wag the Dog"-style operation intended to distract the American people from their country's many problems. Yet, he calls on Muslims to strike back as revenge for the "sheikh." "I say to the people of Libya in particular and the sons of the Ummah in general: Do not leave this criminal coward act to pass without punishment," Gadahn says in the video, which was translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. "Teach the Crusaders a lesson they will not forget. Teach them that the lands of Islam are a red line and that there is no place in them for their soldiers, forces and bases."
.. .. ..
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 1, Block C: Charles Ornstein, ProPublica, in re: 'New and Improved' HealthCare.gov Has Same Old Problems After a glowing news conference yesterday citing "night and day" progress on HealthCare.gov, ProPublica's Charles Ornstein decided to take the Web site fora test drive this morning. What he found: long delays loading pages, an endless circle of tasks (some already completed) and ultimately an error message. In the end, despite assurances from Health and Human Services officials that the site can now handle 50,000 unique visitors at one time and 800,000 in a day, Ornstein found capacity lacking. Hoping for help, he began a live chat from the site, only to be told to log off and try again in a half hour. But 30 minutes later, he couldn't even log on.
http://www.propublica.org/article/new-and-improved-healthcare-dot-gov-has-same-old-problems
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 1, Block D: Francis Rose, Federal News Radio, and Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review & Pirates fan, in re: healthcare . gov: how slow, problematic; not ready for prime time. Technical details.
Hour Two
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 2, Block A: David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Sr Congressional correspondent, and John Fund, National Review Online, in re: It's one thing to declare victory, anther to succeed. The site is so liable to hackers that the Federal govt isn’t responsible. Have to ask your private carrier to find out if you've been hacked. In Europe, two tiers: if you earn less than $80K, you're in the national health service; over that, you're allowed to buy your own insurance. Mitch McConnell built his political machine from scratch and controls it well. the Senate Conservatives Fund – Jim de Mint's old PAC, which he relinquished, is now controlled by Matt Hoskins. SCF, Heritage for America and the Club for Growth often think alike and endorse the same candidates; SCF has gone after McConnell with a vengeance.
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 2, Block B: David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Sr Congressional correspondent, and John Fund, National Review Online, in re:
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 2, Block C: Nathan Gonzalez, Roll Call, in re: Open Your Mind to the Possibility of Another Midterm Mess for Democrats. Democrats might want to consider opening their minds to the potential of another midterm nightmare. I remember dozens of conversations with GOP candidates and strategists prior to the 2012 elections. Republicans simply couldn’t wrap their minds around the possibility that 2008 could ever be repeated. That failure in comprehension contributed to inaccurate polling and wrong assumptions as the two electorates ended up being remarkably similar. Now, I’m starting to feel a sense of déjà vu when talking with Democrats. Any time 2010 comes up in a conversation, it is quickly dismissed as an aberration. Most Democrats can’t even imagine another election cycle where President Barack Obama is as unpopular and as much of a drag on Democrats as he was in his first midterm. But I’m not sure we can rule out the possibility that next November will be a very bad year for Democrats.
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 2, Block D: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: New air defense identification zone: Xi hasn't yet consolidated his power domestically, is building up this crisis to do so. Princelings are called Xi's "faction," but span multiple views so are not really a faction. Instead, the PLA is increasingly on his side; that does constitute a faction. Deng Xiao-ping told Jimmy Carter: "Yes, we'll teach the Vietnamese a lesson" – and he lost a fight, using his 200,00 men, while bullying his small neighbor. Will this recur as China bullies Japan? It could , but it could become regional or even global, because this is potentially large. Even Iran could get involved.
The Chinese regime is in such trouble as the economy begins the long slide down. "Suggests growth remains solid at around 7.5% to 8%. No boom, but no bust either."
Anomalies such as the simultaneous creation of massive amounts of liquidity and the absence of fast growth. Amid unprecedented credit creation in China, Chinese bond issuers are having a hard time raising money.
.. .. ..
BBC: David Cameron has promised to create a "partnership for growth and reform" as he visits China on a trade mission with more than 100 UK business leaders. The prime minister also pledged to put his "full political weight" behind a proposed agreement to free up trading between China and the European Union. He is due to hold talks with premier Li Ke-qiang on a separate China-UK deal said to be worth £1.8bn a year. Some EU states fear a flood of cheap imports if a wider pact is approved.
.. .. ..
Hour Three
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 3, Block A: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: P5+1: an agreement to work on an agreement, with provocative statements from Iran: Rouhani, the "moderate": "Iran will continue to enrich indefinitely." A second reactor, not Arak, capable of dvpg plutonium. Stil at the pre-negotiating stage, discussing context and arrangements. Large businesses (Renault, GM, oil companies) reaching out for meetings in early 2014; once business relations start they'll won't easily be stoppable. Iran says, ""We'll determine the terms on which you return."
Iranians are telling the truth: Rouhani to FT, said "100% we'll continue enriching" while another official says the same and another Arak needs to stay a heavy-water reactor, and told Financial Times that the bargain is ambiguous and Iran has no obligation to live up to it. The lesson of history is: they’re telling the truth. Take their word! Hitler, Stalin. Khamenei calls the US "the epicenter of evil." Lead story in Teheran Times today: Michael Hayden said, "The US has in effect accepted Iran as a nuclear state." Iran has given up nothing, guaranteed nothing; the sanctions have been relaxed and he framework is created for the sanctions to be dropped: both psychological and economic barriers reduced or gone. Canadians are skeptical and will remove no sanction on Iran. The interim agreement is in place but barely exists.
Netanyahu: Iran deal insubstantial ‘political theater’
Unnamed Israeli officials pan Obama’s lack of ‘political stomach’ for addressing nuclear program; PM urges Western powers not to compromise on demands. Likud MK: Iran deal makes Israeli strike more likely. If temporary agreement turns permanent, Jerusalem might be forced to act, says Netanyahu confidant Tzachi Hanegbi.
Four menorahs vandalized in spate of Budapest attacks. Three vandals turn themselves in after seemingly coordinated action; two Chabad menorahs damaged in US
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 3, Block B: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: "a juggernaut of senior senators want severe sancitns placed on Iran now" – yes, but the president is on an all-out offensive to stop it. Senators may agree a bill with increased sanctions to go into effect when the Iranians break the deal, or reach a new accord, or at the end of six months. Lots of credit to Sen Menendez. Today is the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport when 10,000 German, Dutch and their children under Nazi occupation were sent to England. At least 10,000 survived the war. Celebrations in many places today. JB: "When they speak against Jews, they're coming for all of us."
Israel has been systematically discriminated against. Today it was admitted into a sector group, Western European and Others Group, WEAOG; credit to Samantha Power for her help in this. One UN claim blames Israel fro its treatment of Syrian refugees, which is nuts, as Israel has led in the effort to provide medical and other support. This will be a record year for Christian tourism in Israel – 2 million. Shimon Peres, Israeli president, was invited to be lead speaker to 29 Arab foreign ministers in the Gulf; did so by satellite; was applauded. The Teheran ayatollahs have to be thanked for his shift, as Arab countries are now uncomfortable with the US and look to Israel to help save them.
Obama Administration denies that Pres Obama intends to go to Iran. Nixon/China moment, long a deep aspiration of Pres Obama.
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 3, Block C: Bruce Webster, and still I persist. com Potemkin website – works marginally well, but not substantively better Completed enrollment and paid the insurance company, and the insurance company acknowledges receipt? Not many. Need full suite of regression testing. Obamacare and Healthcare. gov: How We Got Here Stephen Covey was fond of saying, “You teach what you are.” Regardless of what platitudes you speak, all you really teach is what you actually live and practice. It should not be surprising, then, that the same political and philosophical mindset that produced the Affordable Care Act and pushed it through Congress in spite of [. . .]
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 3, Block D: Conrad Black, NRO, in re: Iran: Not That Bad a Start The agreement is a sign of progress. I've long advocated military intervention in Iran, but this Administration simply won’t. I gave up on them; in that context, this deal has a bit of promise. Here, there's a chance that the Iranians, having got so close to going nuclear, that they'll . . . Iran is a much more serious country than northern Sudan or North Korea. We're trying to encourage moderation in this regime rather than evict it. If Iran simply ignores his agreement, then the Turks, Egyptians and Saudis would all feel they had to equip themselves, and they along with Pakistan would all be nuclear – a grenade with the pin pulled. Kerry said that Syria would destroy chem. weapons – this is rubbish, as all processes they propose can easily be reversed. Except for Jimmy Carter, no other American president would have put up with this Iranian foolish for more than a few weeks. Truman? Eisenhower? Reagan?
.. .. ..
In a rare event two weeks ago, President Shimon Peres appeared before 29 foreign ministers from the Gulf States, Arab League countries and other Muslim nations. The king of Saudi Arabia's son was also among those present. The historic event took place at the Gulf States Security Summit in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The foreign ministers of Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen and Qatar were present, as well as foreign ministers from the Arab League and other Muslim countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh.
.. .. ..
Hour Four
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 4, Block A: The Last Days of Kim Jong-il by Bruce Bechtol (1 of 4) One- to four-kiloton weapon.
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 4, Block B: The Last Days of Kim Jong-il by Bruce Bechtol (2 of 4)
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 4, Block C: The Last Days of Kim Jong-il by Bruce Bechtol (3 of 4)
Monday 2 December 2013 / Hour 4, Block D: The Last Days of Kim Jong-il by Bruce Bechtol (4 of 4)
.. .. ..
Music
Hour 1: Empire Total War. Uncharted.
Hour 2: Game of Thrones. Inception. Shaolin.
Hour 3: Sin City. Crysis.
Hour 4: Shaolin.
`