The John Batchelor Show

Thursday 18 October 2012

Air Date: 
October 18, 2012

 

Photo, above: Rio Tinto mine in Austalia.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-hosts:

Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal editorial board

Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents

Thursday 905P Eastern Time: Mona Charen, NRO, and David Drucker, Roll Call, in re: Ignore the Gender Gap - Worry not about the Dems’ talking points.

Thursday 920P Eastern Time: John Roskam, Institute of Public Affairs executive director, Australia, in re:  mining boom in Australia, exporting resources to China, seems to be turning down. Govt here thought the boom wd never end; as economy slows down, prospect of taxes looms.   Screams at a 1% cut in public service jobs (reduction from 261,637 last year to 258,563 this year); critics claim it'll take a generation to recover from. Natl govt here is 40%  of the economy. Australian Broadcasting Commission (NPR, in effect) is unaffected. The wiggles are four men in brightly-colored skivvies who sing to my four-year-old on TV. Carbon tax designed to push  up the rice of electricity – Australia has the highest-costing electricity in the world. Pensioners can’t afford air conditioning. PM Gillard called the leader of the opposition a misogynist (in wrath); he's married and half his staff is female.  Redefinition of language.   Compared to Australia, the US is an ocean of niceness.

Thursday 935P Eastern Time: Lara M Brown, Villanova, and Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, in re:  Pennsylvania, the Keystone State – I'm a patriot of Pennsylvania. New poll: In a state of undecideds, Romney is suddenly up by 4 points.  Since he convention, there's been a narrowing trend since before the convention; after it, it's almost surged.  Partisans favoring Obama felt reassured by his presentation. Women: there are larger issues on the table than our particularistic concerns – Ledbetter, birth control – such as the economy and natl security.

Mongo Junction, Ohio (pop. 3,000; registration is Dem 7 to 1), woman elected official in town that's lost 600 to 800 jobs; she and the rest of the Democratic council are voting fro Romney.

Thursday 950P Eastern Time:  Larry Johnson, No Quarter, in re: once more unto the breach: the Libya lie. September 11, 2012, after 9:30PM Benghazi time: the "consulate" (no consulate; a space for CI to operate from); death of a US ambassador, a Mr Smith, and two US SEALS.   "Slight of language" – "act of terror" vs "acts of terror." Filibustering. Scrambling and flailing. The White House's statements and misstatements keep feeding this story. "We'll go after the people who did this and find them." Hunh? Can’t – the FBI was kept in Washington for 14 days; no one knows who did this. Shd  have been on the ground in =/> 48 hours.  If your approach to Libya is that you've liberated the oppressed, then you can’t see that the people attacking you work for you.   These facts have been delivered by every US intell agy incl the Pentagon; WH refused to acknowledge.   Manpads. Procurement of weapons and training of personnel, making their way to Syria to fight as jihadists: the Libya Brigade out of Hatay Province.  Pres Obama on Comedy Central: "If four American get killed, it’s not optimal." How'd he get such a tin ear?

Thursday 1005P (705P Pacific Time):  Malcolm Hoenlein, in re:  War games in Israel – Austere Challenge, was postponed, now 3500 Israelis + many American troops to focus on antimissile defense, with Israelis using Iron Dome; US ballistic missile ship, patriot batteries, simulations and live fire exercises. Head of Joint Chiefs, Dempsey, wil be present – all in anticipation of Hizballah attacks. Tunisia, Libya, Turkey (bid to change the constitution), Egypt, Gaza – so much going on at one time ad getting very little attention in the press. Lakhtar Brahimi, to be in Damascus on Saturday to offer a four-day ceasefire on Eid al-Adha. Flow of weapons is uncontrollable.  Lethal weapons from Saudi Kingdom, and Qatar. Most advanced antiaircraft and  heat-seeking missiles. Great tumult.

Thursday 1020P (720P Pacific Time): Jonathan Schanzer, FDD, in re: Palestinian elections.

Hamas' long-standing political leader Khaled Meshal was in trouble the moment Western sanctions - punishment for Iran's illicit nuclear activities - began eating into Tehran's income.

Gaza Prepares to Declare Independence (from Palestine) It’s no secret that Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist faction that controls Gaza, has long considered exchanging its underground smuggling tunnels to Egypt for a policy of above-board trade. 

Hamas boycotting Palestinian Authority elections in an effort to take over control of all Palestinians, not just Gaza.  Now  have two Palestinian ministates, or nonstates. Hamas trying to becomee the voice of Palestinians and eclipse Fatah.  In Gaza, Haniyah (running for Mashal position) and others trying to incr their position to look grand, to embody the Pal cause.   Mahmoud Abbas and functionary. Will be Fatah ad PLO loyalist who vote on the West Bank – a poor showing for the 353 slots being vied for; 181 have one candidate and 78 have no candidate. Quasi-govt near collapse. Almost 100,000 Gazans are welcomed by Morsi to take Egyptian citizenship. This undermines Abbas. A political dance not viewed by genl public: Haniya wants to negotiate a new deal w Egypt, bring Gazan economy out from the tunnels, create free trade zone in Rafah.

Thursday 1035P (735P Pacific Time): Malcolm Hoenlein, in re:  Libyan brigade, a thousand strong, in Aleppo, Hatay province. 

Thursday 1050P (750P Pacific Time): Jonathan Spyer, Global Research in International Affairs Center in Herzliya, Israel, in re: rebel fighting in Syria. Aleppo: largest population in the country, second city after Damascus; last summer, the rebel side tried to bring its rebellion to Aleppo and Damascus; Assad lost about half Aleppo. If it wholly loses control there, it loses its ability to call itself the govt of Syria. Very high stakes. A lot of people are dying. Now: stalemate, neither side close to victory. We certainly cd go from frying pan into the fire. What happens hereafter depends on the West – bld-up and control of the uprising has been contracted out to Turkey, Saudi Kingdom and Qatar. Channeling support to Islamists among the rebels; however, outcome is not now predetermined.  In Aleppo, most fighters are from that region.

Thursday 1105P (805P Pacific Time):   Malcolm Hoenlein, in re: Bibi Netanyahu enjoys a majority in the coalition. Calls snap election: polls show him as having no serious challenger; Ehud Ohlmert not a problem now. Need three months' notice; will be 22 Jan 2013.   Discussion of Israeli political parties. Avidor Liberman – foreign minister, speaks Russian and English as well as Hebrew; Tzipi Livni (Kadima Party); Mofaz. Stability or instability in Jordan.

Thursday 1120P (820P Pacific Time): :  Amos Harel, military correspondent and defense analyst for Haaretz, in re: cyberwarfare against Israel.  Hizbollah managed to send a drone along he beach a s a publicity stunt. Iran made a fuss, but no real mil significance. Netanyahu finally admits that Israel is constantly under cyberattack – 1,000 attacks an hour, according to an analyst.  Formerly here was an official policy not to speak of this.Turns out that the US is, too – not anonymous individuals doing the attack, but seems to be state-sponsored. Iran has crowed about doing this. 

Thursday 1135P (835P Pacific Time): Bob Zimmerman, behindtheblack, in re: Blue Origins, Curiosity, New Horizons, and Kepler

Thursday 1150P (850P Pacific Time): Reza Kahlili, author, in re: reported deal with Iran and US on nuke enrichment - what it means for the region.

Thursday/Fri 1205A (905 Pacific Time): Mona Charen, NRO, and David Drucker, Roll Call, in re: Ignore the Gender Gap - Worry not about the Dems’ talking points.

Thursday/Fri  1220A (920 Pacific Time): John Roskam, Institute of Public Affairs executive director, Australia, in re:  mining boom in Australia, exporting resources to China, seems to be turning down. Govt here thought the boom wd never end; as economy slows down, prospect of taxes looms.   Screams at a 1% cut in public service; critics claim it'll take a generation to recover from. Natl govt here is 40%  of the economy. Australian Broadcasting Commission (NPR, in effect) is unaffected. The wiggles are four men in brightly-colored skivvies who sing to my four-year-old on TV. Carbon tax designed to push  up the rice of electricity – Australia has the highest-costing electricity in the world. Pensioners can’t afford air conditioning. PM Gillard called the leader of the opposition a misogynist (in wrath); he's married and half his staff is female.  Redefinition of language.   Compared to Australia, the US is an ocean of niceness.

Thursday/Fri  1235A (935P Pacific Time): Lara M Brown, Villanova, and Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, in re:  Pennsylvania, the Keystone State – I'm a patriot of Pennsylvania. New poll: In a state of undecideds, Romney is suddenly up by 4 points.  Since he convention, there's been a narrowing trend since before the convention; after it, it's almost surged.  Partisans favoring Obama felt reassured by his presentation. Women: there are larger issues on the table than our particularistic concerns – Ledbetter, birth control – such as the economy and natl security.

Mongo Junction, Ohio (pop. 3,000; registration is Dem 7 to 1), woman elected official in town that's lost 600 to 800 jobs; she and the rest of the Democratic council are voting for Romney.

Thursday/Fri  1250A  (950P Pacific Time): Exeunt. Francis Rose, Federal Radio, in re: cyberattacks.

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