Image, left: La mort de la France
Hour One
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 1, Block A: Richard˽Outzen, Pensacola˽INweekly, in re: in re: Marco Rubio's Book Has a New Immigration Plan, But He Won't Apologize for His Old One.
Key excerpts from American Dreams, the Florida Republican's new book—and possible sign of an upcoming presidential run. Marco Rubio won't apologize for attempting to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But he will, in the run-up to a potential presidential campaign, offer a new, pared-down, conservative-friendly approach to immigration reform. Rubio spent a sizable chunk of his first term in Congress working to craft a massive immigration bill. Those efforts earned him the ire of the conservative base, and scorn from the same tea-party activists who fueled his upset Senate victory in 2010. Now, as he weighs a run for the White House in 2016, the Florida Republican admits that a comprehensive plan for immigration reform is "not realistic" – and is instead prescribing a "piecemeal" approach.
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 1, Block B:  Edward Hayes, criminal defense attorney par excellence, in re: assassination of two young New York City detectives, Det Ramos and Liu; bad relations between NYPD and the mayor ("The problem was not created here in headquarters, it started in City Hall,” Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said in a statement after a two-hour sitdown with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton that de Blasio did not attend. “We don’t believe there’s a willingness on the part of City Hall to solve these problems.” Also, NYPD putting out stories that DeBlasio smokes weed. "As Mayor de Blasio’s relationship with the NYPD has soured amid anti-cop demonstrations and the assassinations of two officers, the members of the nation’s most effective police force substantially abandoned law enforcement."  . . . “Cops are not assuming that there will be another round of assassinations,” the second police official said. “But cops are wondering to what extent is there a climate where people feel emboldened to shoot at the police.”
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 1, Block C: Joseph Felter (research Fellow, Hoover Institution, & Center for Intl Security and Cooperation, Stanford), in re: http://www.hoover.org/research/know-enemy-and-nature-conflict-we-face
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 1, Block D: Paul Gregory, Hoover, in re: This year will be a tough one for Vladimir Putin as the Russian people come to understand better the huge social and economic costs of his Ukraine venture. Putin has violated his pledge of growth and prosperity. He has lost Ukraine and has turned Russia into a rogue state. The sanctions combined with low oil prices have created a perfect storm of declining living standards and double digit inflation that is draining Russia of its reserves. Russia now lacks the resources for a Novorossiya campaign (which the Russian people show little interest anyway). Putin has created the opportunity for a new Ukraine and for regime change at home. We must wonder, like President Obama, if this guy is smart after all.
 
Hour Two
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 2, Block A:  Ambassador Dennis Ross, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; in re: ICC, Peace Process, Iran, ISIS.
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 2, Block B:  Soeren Kern is a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Gatestone Institute, and the Senior Analyst for Transatlantic Relations at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group; in re:  Islamization of France, Charlie Hebdo.
·         Are these terrorists the tip of the iceberg?
·         Are the French people in denial? Is the government?
·         Was this an attack on freedom of expression or does it go far beyond that?
·         What type of infrastructure do Islamists have in France?
·         The French government has sent out 1,000 foot soldiers to protect the people. This is a defensive measure, but what offensive measures can the government take?
·         10 million Muslims in France - will they become French?
·         Will France be the first European country to fall to Islamic conquest since al Tariq took the Iberian peninsula? 
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 2, Block C:  Michael Rubin is a former Pentagon official; author, Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes; in re:
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 2, Block D:  David Makovsky, Ziegler distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process; in re: Palestinians at the ICC; peace process; Israeli elections
 
Hour Three
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 3, Block A:  Murad Ismael, Sinjar Crisis Group, in re: Yazidi embassy to Baghdad. Meetings with Chief of Staff of the Iraqi army; with the US ambassador to Iraq; with the Iraqi Minister of Women’s [matters].  MH: Later, we'll all owe a huge apology to  you, when others will cry crocodile tears.  . . .   The abducted and enslaved women were moved from Tel Afar then deeper into ISIL territory, to Mosul and along the way,., all the way to Raffaq. Five to seven thousand persons, including men and boys; the women are 3,500, who are being enslaved, raped, sold, brutalized. We don’t know how many have persons been killed; in the thousands. Just on the northern side of the mountain, we've found nine mass graves so far; and the southern side is worse. We expect more than 3,000. There are 350,000 Yazidi refugees around Duhoq and the north living in UN camps, and in jerry-rigged informal camps, and living rough under tarps and savaged plastic covering if that's all that can be found.  This is an especially cold winter; we heard yesterday that seven children have died from cold; I can’t confirm that, but was shown pictures.  At this point the Iraqi govt is not capable of advancing farther into ISIL territory.  We were to meet with the central military command today but they had to go to Anbar on an emergency.  One woman who was abducted and a victim of mass rape had managed to escape and return to Kurdistan – wearing the same clothes for months, has not a penny for shoes, or clothes, for food.  The 3,000 women in Syria: we met about ten of them a few weeks ago. Almost every Yazidi woman over the age of 8 [who was caught in Sinjar] has been abused and raped. A 12-year-old was mass raped; when one man decides he's had enough, he trades the girl to someone else. One child was raped by many men, including a sheikh who was over 70.  Of the many stories we heard from traumatized women and children, in one house all the men were killed, all the women taken and brutalized, some escaped, now living in a frozen abandoned bldg, lost all their family members, have nothing and are freezing. These are real stories. 
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 3, Block B: IDF Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael (Mickey) Segall, an expert on strategic issues with a focus on Iran, terrorism, and the Middle East, is a senior analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and at Foresight Prudence; in re: Israel’s north; Yemen; Iran’s activities in the region.
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 3, Block C: Ann Marlowe, Hudson Institute, in re: France will not intervene in Libya alone, but French forces will strike militants in their bases in the south of the country and those threatening neighboring countries, French President Francois Hollande said Jan. 5, Kuwait News Agency reported. According to Hollande, the situation in Libya was worsened by the failure to follow up on the military intervention in 2011. He said the conflict was now in the hands of United Nations, and if there were a clear U.N. mandate to intervene, France would consider it. France has more than 3,000 troops in countries in the region, including in Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania.
    Thirteen Egyptian Christian hostages have reportedly been freed in Libya, a tribal leader said Jan. 5, Ahram Online reported. There have been conflicting reports on who exactly had custody of the hostages. The head of the council of elders in the city of Sirte said human traffickers detained the group because of a dispute over money and travel. But a Libyan government source said members of Ansar al-Sharia kidnapped the 13 along with another seven Egyptian Christians. According to the government source, regional leaders negotiated the release. He did not mention the other seven people claimed also to have been kidnapped. Egyptians in Libya have been targeted since Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011.
    Libya's internationally recognized government addressed an emergency meeting of the Arab League, asking for more weapons to combat militias that have gained control of portions of the country, AFP reported Jan. 5. A day earlier the United Nations postponed peace talks scheduled for Jan. 5. The talks were originally meant to be held Dec. 9 but were repeatedly delayed. Libyan officials have rejected the prospect of Western intervention, saying if they need help they will ask other Arab nations.
    A Libyan warplane attacked a heavy oil tanker on its way to the port in Darnah, killing a member of the ship's crew and wounding two others, Libya TV reported Jan. 4. The tanker's oil was supposed to power the rebel-held town's generators. Security forces also prevented a cargo ship carrying grain from docking at the town's port. 
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 3, Block D:  Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re:  Ancient fossils on Mars?  A close look at features on the Martian surface seen by Curiosity suggests to one scientist the presence of ancient fossils of carpet-like microbiology.  Falcon 9 launch rescheduled for Saturday  SpaceX and NASA have now rescheduled the Falcon 9/Dragon launch to ISS for Saturday morning at 4:47 am Eastern.  Wonder if lack of light is going to affect the effort to vertically land the first stage.
 
Hour Four
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 4, Block A:  Bevin Alexander, Such Troops as These (1 of 4)
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 4, Block B:  Bevin Alexander, Such Troops as These (2 of 4)
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 4, Block C:  Bevin Alexander, Such Troops as These (3 of 4)
Thursday  8 January 2015 / Hour 4, Block D:  Bevin Alexander, Such Troops as These (4 of 4)