Photo, above:  Libya; by courtesy of ‪www.stripes.com, with thanks.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes

Hour One

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 1, Block A: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: US killed 2 'Arabs' in first drone strike in South Waziristan in more than a year   The US has not launched a drone strike in South Waziristan since mid-April 2013.

US drone strike kills 2 AQAP fighters in Al Jawf   The strike, the second in two days, took place in a northern province where top al Qaeda leaders have been targeted and killed in the past.

Al Qaeda official warns against Islamic State in new speech  A senior al Qaeda official known as Abu Dujana al Basha urges jihadists not to join the Islamic State, a former branch of al Qaeda that was disowned by al Qaeda's senior leaders in February.

2 AQAP commanders reported killed in Shabwa drone strike   Arabic media reports claim that two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leaders were killed in a US drone strike in Shabwa province yesterday. One was reported to have been "rehabilitated."

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 1, Block B: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: Al Nusrah Front trainer suspected of plotting against 2004 NATO summit killed in US airstrikes  One of the first reported casualties of the US-led bombing campaign earlier this week was an Al Nusrah Front commander known as Abu Yusuf al Turki. He had been training al Qaeda snipers in Syria. He was previously suspected of plotting to attack the 2004 NATO summit in Turkey.

Misunderstanding al Qaeda  The threat posed by al Qaeda remains today. The "Khorasan group" is merely al Qaeda in Syria.

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 1, Block C: Ann Marlowe, in re: a Libyan figure who has made death threats against people in Benghazi using his FB account. He uses the name "Sufian bin Qamu", a real Al Qaeda figure, but this may not be his real name. Sufian bin Qamu  is a former Guantanamo detainee, implicated in the Benghazi attack murdering US Ambassador Chris Stephens on 9/11/12:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/former-guantanamo-detainee-implicated-in-benghazi-attack/2014/01/07/c73fdf78-77d5-11e3-8963-b4b654bcc9b2_story.html

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 1, Block D:  Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re:   the promise was made that Hong Kongnese would be allowed to elect their mayor directly.  Beijing has now made it clear that it will renege and hold on to all power.  Now there are massive demonstrations in the streets, run by student who now are leading the struggle.   Beijing threatens to send in the People's Armed Police, a branch of the army.  Beijing sees the young people and students as an existential threat.    If there's a brutal move, it'll all land on Xi Jinping because everyone has an iPhone.  His model is Tien An Men 25 years ago because the West did nothing about that mass killing; that in turn emanated from Mao's, "All power comes from the barrel of a gun."  A dangerous opinion. If you allow elections in HK, cannot prevent  them in Shanghai.  Beijing cut out Instagram yesterday. Protestors use umbrellas to prevent the police for damaging them with pepper spray and tear gas.  At that point, even the elders turned off TVs and went in tot the street to join the young people.  Beijing holds that liberty is a rival to prosperity, opposite from the West. Will the future be determined by a bullet or a tweet?  May 4 demos vs the Versailles Treaty that sold China's Shandong Province off to Japan (from Germany, before WWI). Keep watching o Twitter, FB – the children are sharp.

Hour Two

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 2, Block A: John Fund, National Review Online, & David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent, in re: Liberal presidents in trouble do to Sixty Minutes; Clintons went there with a marriage disaster; Pres Obama went there last night to speak to Steve Croft , managed to persuade no one that he has any idea what he's doing.  He blamed the intell community – watch for major leaks in the coming months.  Blaming his staff makes him look worse – that he's out of the loop.  "WestWing-It situation."  Departure of Eric Holder last week: mysterious.  Dems probably decided, Looks like we'll lose the Senate, need a fresh face to defend out guys so let's move quickly; Holder being a loyal soldier jumped when asked.  Replacement to be the California AG?  I dunno why she'd destroy her bright future by taking that [awful] job. 

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 2, Block B: John Fund, National Review Online, & David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent, in re:  Bruce Brailey in Kansas.  Tom Harkin leaves; Joni Ernst (R) comes out of nowhere, overwhelms the competition – in the Natl Gurd, a farmer, a gun owner.  The DNC looking at sft numbers nationally. Pres Obama's approval rating in Iowa is at 38% - dangerous for him.  Kansas has been the reddest state in the Union since 1854.  Greg Orman, money manager, enters as an independent, gives money to Dems, won’t identify his positions.  The problem is Pat Roberts?  Gov Sam Brownback has rubbed his fellow GOPers the wrong way; nearly lost to Obama's second cousin. 

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 2, Block C:  Michel Auslin, AEI, in re: Beijing Tightens Its Grip  Beijing slowly and steadily increases its powers of control, both at home abroad. The White House has watched Hong Kong protests, issued a statement endorsing rule of law and transparency – irony in vow of all other brutality Beijing has committed in Xinjiang and Tibet.  Beijing rips off its mask.

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 2, Block D:  Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Astrobiology, Library of Congress , in re: NASA Telescopes Find Clear Skies and Water Vapor on Exoplanet   Astronomers using data from three of NASA's space telescopes -- Hubble, Spitzer and Kepler -- have discovered clear skies and steamy water vapor on a gaseous planet outside our solar system. The planet is about the size of Neptune, making it the smallest planet from which molecules of any kind have been detected.

Hour Three

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 3, Block A:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:  In Mideast torn by extremists, PM reaches out to relative moderates ; For first time, Netanyahu names Saudis and Emiratis as possible partners, as he seeks to turn Arab Peace Initiative upside down. PM Netanyahu made a cogent speech in the UN. Pres Obama treating with the ___ is treating with the terrorists.     Netanyahu observes that Abbas crushed the possibility of a peace deal; that it’s not Islam and it's not militants – it's militant Islam.  Spoke of the Terrorists' Rights Council.  Said that global aspirations aren’t Israel's problem - they’re everybody's problem .  Lavrov: "Deadlock."  US wants 1,500 centrifuges; Iran demands 10,000; and fired new missiles, low-altitude, Khader, other powerful missiles.  Using Parchin (restricted site of nuclear fuel cycle + evidence of testing) to test eqpt. Keep shortening the breakout period – how long it'll take for Iran to construct a nuclear weapon.

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 3, Block B: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Turkish tanks deployed to Syria border as Islamic State advances jihadi forces reported to be within five kilometers of key border town, Turkish troops return fire.  Turkey tried to drive a wedge between Israel and nations supporting it; Erdogan's radicalization is not accidental. He's an actor in the Islamic State by giving members access from his border.   Trying to expand the powers of his presidency, uses Israel as a foil (supported the "flotilla") . The man in the flotilla who was violent has now been killed by a US bombing raid in Iraq.  Said to have been fighting with IS.   Kobani the Kurdish city that ISIS is closing in on is 9 miles for the Turkish border, which righty scares Erdogan.  US has delayed opposing ISIS's assault on Kobani. There are 340,00 people living in the immediate area.  Huge outflow of refugees flooding Turkey. Connection; Violence in Mesopotamia and Hamas? Reports that IS people are in Gaza and the Sinai.  Turkey wd like Israel to be drained by fighting in the south.   This radicalization doesn’t depend on the time-tested Big Man-ism; it’s an almost anonymous process where you change your name.  Mt of Olives: growing violence (esp in East Jerusalem) – oldest Jewish cemetery in the world – 40 graves destroyed, and cameras also destroyed. Violence against not only the living but against the dead. Some Biblical prophets are buried there. Revulsion. 

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 3, Block C: Dr. Ken Croswell, author, THE ALCHEMY OF THE HEAVENS:  SEARCHING FOR MEANING IN THE MILKY WAY; in re: http://news.sciencemag.org/space/2014/08/star-exploded-dawn-time

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 3, Block D: Peter Berkowitz, Hoover & Real Clear Politics, in re:  Obama and Islam: A Tale of Three Speeches

Hour Four

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 4, Block A: Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw  (1 of 4)

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 4, Block B: Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw  (2 of 4)

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 4, Block C: Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw  (3 of 4)

Monday  29 September  2014  / Hour 4, Block D: Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw  (4 of 4)

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