Thursday 19 November 2015
Photo, left: Wall between Ceuta and Morocco.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board & host of Opinion Journal on WSJ Video. Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents.
Hour One
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 1, Block A: Molly O'Toole, Defense One, in Manchester, New Hampshire, in re: James Comey, FBI director, in his Congressional testimony on vetting arriving refugees, along with multiple other agencies, and international intelligence. Americans see widespread bureaucratic breakdown in Washington. Over 2,000 Syrian refugees have been let in to the US since 9/11, none arrested. Gov Hassan – running against the hawk Kelly Ayotte, of NH says "halt" to receiving refugees.
See, "How Fear Slammed America's Door on Syrian Refugees," and how the politics of fear will likely shape national security decisions henceforth. http://www.defenseone.com/politics/2015/11/syrian-refugees-caught-between-political-rhetoric-and-reality-after-paris/123808/
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 1, Block B: Edward Hayes, Esq, criminal defense lawyer par excellence in re: Mayor DeBlasio. Last night, a surprise at 11:15 PM or so; JB was on the air. Bill Bratton, Commissioner of Police, and Mayor DeBlasio appear to say: "Don't worry about the Paris attacks, they won't be repeated in New York." What? After the Paris attacks, DeBlasio noticed that he'd dismantled the entire NYOD intelligence service and we're going to be hit and this is not good. John Batchelor counted the visible guns from near Grand Central to near Penn Station - there were a lot. And long guns. / Yup, "Mayor Kelly" sounds good.
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 1, Block C: Malia Politzer, free-lance journalist based in Spain, in re: Spain's attitude toward immigrants differs from others's – for one thing, immigration is new (hitherto, most migrants avoided Spain); govt now regularizes the arrivals and plugs them in to jobs. Now, a flow of sub-Saharan Africans fleeing northward. Human trafficking; esp out of Melilla and Ceuta. Camps in the mountains where migrants wait till they can get in to Spain. In February, Morocco built a secondary fence that stopped some physical pressure. First, it's definitely not safe; men, and young women; from Mali, Burkina, all countries. Most are pregnant, are controlled by a Nigerian mafia. Getting people from Morocco into Europe, there's a mix of gangs; sex-trafficking is all Nigerian. In Libya, cartels west of Tripoli run guns, drugs, people – just income sources. From Morocco, a huge amt of hashish is moved out. Cheapest route is to take a dinghy and try to get to the Strait of Gibraltar. Also, people smuggled out of car trunks. (Extremely dangerous.) In the camps, it's the law of the gun, robberies, sexual assaults. Reports of Moroccan authorities' raiding the camps, burning tents, moving refugees into the middle of the desert and leaving them there.
. . . The Moroccan-Spanish alliance around policing the borders, which has all but halted land crossings into Melilla, and severely reduced the numbers entering Ceuta, in recent months. . . . Articles in the Spanish media reporting several instances (two or three) of the Spanish counterterrorism authorities' arresting women for recruiting other Muslim women into ISIS. Most of these arrests took place in Ceuta/Melilla & Barcelona, where Spain's largest Muslim populations live. This was all over the past year or so. . . . Do the Moroccans and other refugees aim just for Spain, or are they pushing onto Northern Europe? How is the Spanish government explaining the crisis to the electorate?
Nador, Morocco, borders the Spanish enclave Melilla, where I met a number of people working on this issue. There, the issue of sub-Saharan refugees trumps Syrians -- there are camps of between 3000-6000 in makeshift communities in the mountains, where they stay until smugglers are able to get them into Europe. Many of them are also refugees, though it's much harder for them to get asylum than for Syrians.
. . . Most of the refugee camps are actually controlled by the Nigerian mafia -- who are particularly controlling of women, who basically are unable to leave by themselves and are routed into sex slavery. When I recently visited one of the camps, all of the women had small children and/or were pregnant -- apparently the MO of the gangs is to take those kids from the women when they finally get to Europe as a means of using them for collateral. They also occasionally force women to abort, if the pregnancy is inconvenient to the smuggler. Often this is done by forcing them to ingest chemicals that induce an abortion -- or failing that, horrendous birth defects.
Most of the refugees who are trying to enter Spain want to go to Germany and northern Europe. The only ones I've met who want to stay in Spain are ones who have families there already, for the most part.
It's worth noting how surprisingly supportive the people of Spain have been of receiving refugees, despite consistent high unemployment and migration pressures. In fact, popular support for the refugee cause forced the Spanish government to up its acceptance of refugees from 2,749 to 15,000 in September -- largely due to pressure. This may have changed since Paris.
Welcome the specificity of the Nador, Morocco, scenario. Reporting on the human trafficking out of Zwara, Libya, where the sub-Saharan refugees are plundered and pushed into the Med by smuggling cartels. The refugee crisis is global. But the EU is particularly helpless and consternated.
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 1, Block D: Malia Politzer, free-lance journalist based in Spain, in re: Syrian refugees stuck in 'Spanish Guantanamo' Spanish NGO workers who help refugees in the city say that the Moroccan police control the flow. The Spanish border authorities are then . . . Is the UNHCR there? Yes: they have a desk there. Once they get to Spain, they may stay, they're very visible; live and let live. Tall, dark-complected males, dressed casually in sandals. Catholic Church provides medical care; MSF was there but left.
Syrian refugees stuck in 'Spanish Guantanamo' The Spanish city of Melilla, on the North African coast, is providing Syrian refugees with an alternative way into Europe. However, resources are being stretched by the new arrivals as Guy Hedgecoe reports. Nearly a year ago, Asif Duwara left his home in Sweida, in south-western Syria. The war had not reached his town, but it was getting closer and he feared for his safety. Travelling overland, the 23-year old went first to Algeria and then, with the help of people smugglers, to Nador in northern Morocco. There, he bought a Moroccan passport and crossed from Morocco to Melilla, a Spanish city on the North African coast. He is technically in Europe now, but plans to keep travelling north. "I want to study in Germany," he told DW. "My brother is there and we want to bring the whole family from Syria to Germany."
Asif is one of thousands of Syrians who have fled the conflict in their country and chosen this circuitous, overland route to Europe. But unlike the refugees who take a more direct course across the Mediterranean sea, the arrival of Syrians in Melilla is tightly controlled. Only an estimated 20 to 40 arrive in the city on an average day, although on some occasions many more cross. Spanish NGO workers who help refugees in the city say that the Moroccan police control the flow. The Spanish border authorities are then obligated to let them in as refugees.
Morocco controls the flow "Spain has reached an unofficial border agreement with Morocco on the refugee issue - it's not written down because that would be illegal - and a quota of arrivals has been set," says Jose Palazon, of the NGO Prodein. "Morocco controls the flow. That's where 20 or 30 [Syrians] are selected each day and the selection is done according to how much the Syrians can pay."
There are tight controls for Syrians arriving in Melilla Palazon says that Syrians who are unable to obtain a foreign passport have to pay as much as 3,000 euros to the Moroccan police to cross to Melilla. The political party Podemos - an ally of Greece's Syriza - has criticized the Spanish government's handling of the situation . In October, several senior members of the party visited the city and its immigrant temporary stay center (or CETI) where many refugees are staying. . . .
Hour Two
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 2, Block A: Walter Russell Mead, Bard College and Yale University, and Hudson Institute; in re: Refugees: France, Syria. In Congress, 239 to 187 in favor of temporarily stopping refugees's arrival into the US. Many people, incl Pres Obama's appointees, say that the US failure to stop the crisis back when it was possible, doing nothing as Syria turned into a charnel house, and the spread of ISIS, and all the other inaction, has led to the present disaster. Lack of meaningful policies. There are hundreds of thousands of Syrian-Americans here for a century, who've served in the US armed forces; not stigmatize them. However, Obama's offer of 10,000 refugee places during one of the great catastrophes of our time is meaningless.
It's not about taking in a few thousand refugees out of millions – that's a diversion. So much better to have set up safe havens inside Syria, where they could be safe and the intl community could care for them as we work toward a resolution. The entire EU is being convulsed by an unprecedented flow of people. For Pres Obama, he can't deal with this matter without dealing with Assad and Iran, which Pres Obama will not do. We have 427 days. Europeans are understandably worried about their future, are looking to park refugees in Turkey – where Erdogan will charge an arm and a leg, just as his domestic policies are increasingly terrifying.
· http://www.the-american-interest.com/2015/11/17/president-obamas-cynical-refugee-ploy/
· http://www.the-american-interest.com/2015/11/16/paris-the-new-normal/
· http://www.the-american-interest.com/2015/11/09/cap-crushes-staff-revolt-against-netanyahu-appearance/
· http://www.the-american-interest.com/2015/11/06/eu-projects-three-million-refugees-and-migrants-in-2016/
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 2, Block B: David Pollock, Washington Institute, in re: violence in Israel. Kurds: Iraqi, Turkish and Syrian Kurds; also Iranian Kurds. Syrian Kurds have established a buffer against ISIS; are at war with Turkey. In all these countries, Kurds are in contact with each other and sometimes coordinate. Kurdistan Regional Govt of Northern Iraq. Syrian Kurds are the most effective militia against ISIS; eke the Iraqi Kurds: determined, disciplined, motivated, effective. I was in Erbil a couple of weeks ago, go often, know a lot of leaders and ordinary people; theyre not just effective allies but grateful. Among the few pro-West allies and they do not get their fair share. The drop I n oil prices has damaged them badly – prices down 50% in the last year. Iraqi Kurds are taking care of hundreds of thousands of refugees from all over _Christians, Yazidis, many peoples. How they're still in the fight against ISIS: they've pushed ISIS back, ; Sinjar; ISIS counterattacks somewhere. The West does not help much – we're now supporting them more than before. Kurds look to us for waeapons; avaialablel to the front-line units that need them instead of waiting for approval fromBaghdad; and need more air srikes. Need better weapons, more iintell, more air strikes. If we did these, we could liberate Raqqa , take it back. http://mosaicmagazine.com/response/2015/11/compromise-for-now-the-end-of-israel-for-later/
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 2, Block C: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents; in re: Ezra Schwartz of Massachusetts, visiting Gush Etzion south of Jerusalem, was caught in a car in a traffic jam. A Palestinian with an automatic weapon opened fire and killed him. White House can't say anything other than neutrally that a US student was killed. Failure to name names and identify the killer is reminiscent of specific European anti-Jewish mode. EU is quick to label Israeli products but not the terrorist deeds in Israel. Abbas today acknowledged having rejected a two-state solution. A stabbing in France – murder of children and a teacher in a yeshiva in Toulouse. A stabbing in Marseille (Jewish teacher is stabbed on Marseille street by attackers who shouted support for ISIS before escaping on mopeds): someone walking in the street, a motorcycle stopped: "You Jewish?" and began stabbing him, Now they have T-shirts with photos of the killing. French authorities indifferent to attacks on Jews. Now, an indiscriminate attack on Parisians: Hollande is flying around the world to create a coalition to protect France. Anti-Jewish sentiment in France is massively widespread. . . . Blood and guns in a synagogue, the police saw these and refused to do anything. Biggest Moslem city in Europe today is Moscow: 1.25 million Muslims.
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 2, Block D: Anna Borschevskaya, Washington Institute; in re: Putin picks up reins as US stays listless. Hollande asks Putin's help in bombing ISIS. As EU depends on Russian military, won't it lift sanctions against Russia? . . . Putin not much interested in fighting ISIS; is much more focused on dividing the West. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-paris-response-answering-urgent-questions-in-the-anti-isis-fight
Hour Three
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 3, Block A: Soeren Kern, Gatestone Institute, & Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos in Madrid; in re: Radical Islam in Europe. .. . lots of the immigrants into Germany essentially have no jobs skills; country may establish a special wages of 3.5. A parallel society in many German cities – pockets of poverty, radical mosques with radical imams. As new waves of immigrants arrive and see how hard it really is, will also be attracted to the imams. Two separate societies: Germans and disaffected immigrants. Middle Eastern culture based on clans; established Turks in Germany and newcomers brawl. Tehre's not a real, viable alternative to Merkel, which fact has kept her in place. "The Alternative for Germany" – a sort of tea-party of sceptics. They're normal citizens, but the media demonize them as xenophobes. Clamping down on dissent. A false-alarm at a stadium in Hannover, govt refused to discuss: "It'd shock people too much." Multiculturalism: the German (and pan-European) elite can't admit that.
· http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6753/germany-migrants-demands
· http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6893/france-politically-correct-war-on-islamic-terror
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 3, Block B: Benjamin Weinthal, FDD in Central Europe; in re: violence in Israel. EU boycott, Iran. A lot of rain in Israel in the past few days: the desert will bloom. fench amb to Israel spoke to the J Post conference: condemned terrorism and made good points – but said "there'll still be diplomatic differences": the BDS, the de facto boycott of Palestinian-made goods in the West bank. Europeans pretend this boycott is "consumer education" – it's a modern form of "do not buy from Jews" program of Nazi Germany. Iran is the leading sponsor of genocidal activities against Israel. As the kid from Massachusetts was murdered, Iran's minion Hamas tweeted, "Continue the attacks." Swedish FM tried to explain the Paris attacks as an outgrowth of the Israeli-Palestinian issue! Not even ISIS does that. France must decide if it wants to invoke Article V of NATO; also has not outlawed Hezbollah. France's counterterrorism policy is half-hearted. A French Jew was stabbed in Marseille.
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/benjamin-weinthal-europe-has-billions-of-reasons-to-let-iran-cheat/
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/benjamin-weinthal-label-europe-anti-israel/
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 3, Block C: Dan Henninger, WSJ, in re: From Missouri to Paris The left should be held accountable for the alternative moral orders it creates.
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 3, Block D: Josh Rogin, Bloomberg View, in re: The Pentagon's Lonely War Against Russia and China http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-11-11/the-pentagon-s-lonely-war-against-russia-and-china
Hour Four
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 4, Block A: Richard A Epstein, Chicago Law, NYU Law, Hoover; in re: Unfortunately, Yale University President Peter Salovey does not believe in the importance of freedom of expression. In his message to the Yale community responding to the Christakis affair, he claimed that Yale had somehow failed and that “we must act to create at Yale greater inclusion, healing, mutual respect, and understanding.” Further, “Yale must be a place where each person is valued automatically, without having to demand or labor for that recognition.” So much for the idea that respect must be earned. At the end of his politically correct tribute to sensitivity and inclusion, Salovey tipped his hat to free speech, writing, “Our community also shares a commitment to free expression and an open exchange of ideas free from intimidation.” The “also” says it all. There are two major problems with his announcement. The first has to do with the issue of freedom of speech. The second concerns the moral leadership needed in times of racial tension… http://www.hoover.org/research/spineless-leadership-yale (1 of 2)
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 4, Block B: Richard A Epstein, Chicago Law, NYU Law, Hoover; in re: Unfortunately, Yale University President Peter Salovey does not believe in the importance of freedom of expression. In his message to the Yale community responding to the Christakis affair, he claimed that Yale had somehow failed and that “we must act to create at Yale greater inclusion, healing, mutual respect, and understanding.” Further, “Yale must be a place where each person is valued automatically, without having to demand or labor for that recognition.” So much for the idea that respect must be earned. At the end of his politically correct tribute to sensitivity and inclusion, Salovey tipped his hat to free speech, writing, “Our community also shares a commitment to free expression and an open exchange of ideas free from intimidation.” The “also” says it all. There are two major problems with his announcement. The first has to do with the issue of freedom of speech. The second concerns the moral leadership needed in times of racial tension… http://www.hoover.org/research/spineless-leadership-yale (2 of 2)
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 4, Block C: Charles Ortel, Newport Value Partners and CharlesOrtel.com, in re: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/us/politics/reviews-reveal-divisions-within-the-clinton-health-initiative-starting-at-the-top.html?_r=0 ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/clinton-money/ (1 of 2)
Thursday 19 November 2015 / Hour 4, Block D: Charles Ortel, Newport value Partners asnd CharlesOrtel.com, in re: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/us/politics/reviews-reveal-divisions-within-the-clinton-health-initiative-starting-at-the-top.html?_r=0 ; https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/clinton-money/ (2 of 2)
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