November 14, 2015


News Clips For The Day


ATTACKS ON PARIS SITES


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11995227/Paris-shooting-Many-feared-dead-live.html

Paris shooting: Scores killed and injured after 'Kalashnikov and grenade attacks' across French capital with dozens of hostages taken
By Barney Henderson12:01AM GMT 14 Nov 2015
(7:13 PM November 13 in Jacksonville, FL)

Scores killed after several shootings and explosions across central Paris - follow live updates



Paris attacks: What we know so far
By Andrew Trotman11:50PM GMT 13 Nov 2015

What has happened?

There have been six shooting incidents in Paris in what appears to be a co-ordinated attack. At least two terrorists took more than 100 people hostage in a hall where a music concert was being held, with reports suggesting they were randomly killing innocent people. Five explosions were heard when police stormed the venue. Two terrorists were killed in the assault, and police have taken control of the hall.

Shooting has also been reported in les Halles in the centre of Paris, and in a restaurant by Bastille in rue de Charonne, with "many dead", including children, according to eyewitnesses. Futher incidents have been reported at Le Pompidou and Louvre.

A French police official confirmed there were two suicide attacks and one bombing near Paris' main stadium.

Casualties?

More than 40 people have died, according to French police, with many more wounded. Some media reports put the toll as high as 140, with 100 killed in the concert hall.

Where has this happened?

One of the attack sites is the Le Petit Cambodge restaurant in the 10th arrondissement (below).

Another is near the Stade de France (below). The French national football team are playing Germany in the stadium tonight, with President Francois Hollande in the 80,000-strong crowd. He is believed to have been evacuated. German Foreign Minister Steinmeier was also in the stadium.

The president of the French Football Federation has said there are three people dead and more injured after a bomb exploded at the stadium.

Gregory Goupil of the Police Union Alliance has told the LCI News channel that the two explosions near the Stade de France were suicide attacks.

A third site is believed to be a Paris music hall - the Bataclan (below) - where a hostage situation has developed. The rock group The Eagles of Death Metal were playing a show at the time.

The hall is just a few hundred yards from the former Charlie Hebdo offices, the scene of a deadly terrorist attack in January.

French police have asked people in Paris to stay indoors.

A sign in Paris telling people to remain indoors

All schools and universities in Paris will be closed tomorrow.

Who are the gunmen?

This is unknown at present as the situation is still developing. However, those responsible are believed to have been dressed in black and used Kalashnikovs and hand grenades. The deputy mayor of Paris says it is too early to conclude that attacks are coordinated acts of terror but it "looks that way".

According to French channel BFMTV, one of the gunmen at Bataclan shouted: "It's for Syria" and "Allahu Akbar".

Police at the scene following a shooting by a man with Kalashnikov near Place de la République in Paris Photo: Sky News

Reaction?

Emergency services are attending all scenes, while Special Forces were deployed to the hostage situation at the Bataclan. 200 soldiers are being sent to 11 and 10 arrondissements.

The Army has also been called in.

The President and Home Minister are holding an emergency meeting. Hollande has declared a state of emergency in the whole of France - the first time since 1958 - and closed its borders. The Paris Metro is also shut.

Hollande has cancelled his trip to the G20 meeting in Turkey this weekend to remain in France.

The front page of French newspaper Liberation.

And La Voix Du Nord.

Prime Minister David Cameron has tweeted his condolences.

As has Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

And Chancellor George Osborne.

And Hillary Clinton in the US.

US officials say they are monitoring the attacks in Paris and President Barack Obama has been briefed. The US President said: "Once again we've seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize ordinary citizens... France is our oldest ally. We stand together with them."

Angela Merkel has pledged German help for France, saying she is "deeply appalled" by the attacks.

Ban Ki-moon, the head of the UN, has released the following statement.

"The Secretary-General condemns the despicable terrorist attacks carried out today in various locations in and around Paris. He demands the immediate release of the numerous individuals reportedly being held hostage in the Bataclan theatre. The Secretary-General trusts that the French authorities will do all in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice quickly. The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. He stands with the Government and people of France."


David Cameron ✔ @David_Cameron
I am shocked by events in Paris tonight. Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.
4:57 PM - 13 Nov 2015


Jeremy Corbyn MP ✔ @jeremycorbyn
My thoughts are with the people of Paris tonight. We stand in solidarity with the French. Such acts are heinous and immoral.
5:16 PM - 13 Nov 2015


George Osborne ✔ @George_Osborne
Appalled by events in Paris. We stand with the French people tonight. Terrorism will never defeat our shared way of life
5:38 PM - 13 Nov 2015


Hillary Clinton ✔ @HillaryClinton
The reports from Paris are harrowing. Praying for the city and families of the victims. -H
5:17 PM - 13 Nov 2015



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/politicians-react-paris-attack_5646640be4b0603773491729

Politicians Across The Globe React To Deadly Attacks In Paris
Mollie Reilly
Deputy Politics Editor, The Huffington Post
Posted: 11/13/2015 06:16 PM EST


A series of attacks in Paris left dozens dead Friday night, prompting an outpouring of support from across the world.

"Once again, we've seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians," President Barack Obama said during a statement at the White House. "This is an attack not just on Paris, it's attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share."

As news of the attacks unfolded, many other U.S. politicians and world leaders weighed in on the situation and expressed their condolences.

Read their reactions below: (Go to website as 36 important politicians weigh in.)





http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/14/455991777/as-paris-remains-locked-down-authorities-hunt-for-those-responsible

Hollande Calls Attacks An ISIS 'Act Of War' As Paris Is Locked Down
Bill Chappell and Christopher Dean Hopkins
NOVEMBER 14, 2015

14 Photographs from Paris
Map of Paris


Paris is largely shut down Saturday, as investigators work to identify those behind Friday night's coordinated terror attacks, which killed 128 people and left hundreds wounded. The Eiffel Tower and other public gathering spaces are closed.

This morning, French President Francois Hollande accused the self-proclaimed Islamic State of staging the coordinated attacks, calling them an "act of war." Shortly after his remarks, the extremist group claimed responsibility.

In addition to French victims, those hit by the attack include Americans, Britons and Swedes, according to officials from those countries.

The U.S. government "is working closely with French authorities to identify American victims," says State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner.

"We are aware there are Americans among the injured, and are offering them the full range of consular assistance," Toner says, adding that the U.S. Embassy in Paris has been working around the clock.

Police say they've identified one of the attackers as a young Frenchman who was born near Paris and was known to the authorities because of his radical views, according to Le Parisien and other news outlets. Le Parisien adds that police also found two passports — one Syrian, one Egyptian — near the attackers.

Saturday afternoon, Belgian police conducted "multiple searches and arrests" related to a Belgian license plate on a car that was reportedly used in Friday night's attacks, according to Belgium's Justice Minister Koen Geens.

France's Hollande said the military will continue to patrol Paris' streets and provide security to residents. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says all personnel remain on high alert Saturday.

The attack has put security on high alert in many areas – particularly where air travel is involved. Britain's busy Gatwick airport was the scene of at least two police actions Saturday. A Frenchman is being questioned about "what appears to be a firearm," the BBC says. Earlier, a terminal at the airport was temporarily closed after a security alert over suspicious behavior.

At the Bataclan concert hall, where at least 80 people were killed by men firing automatic rifles, French authorities were working Saturday morning to remove and identify bodies.

Concertgoers described scenes of horror at the venue, TV channel France 24 reports:

"There was blood everywhere, corpses everywhere. We heard screaming. Everyone was trying to flee," said Pierre Janaszak, a radio presenter who attended the concert and hid with several others at the venue.

Relaying a description of that attack by a witness who was inside the music hall, NPR's Eleanor Beardsley says, "The gunmen shot into the crowd screaming 'Allahu Akbar.' The concert stopped and people lay on the ground and they continued to shoot them."

Eleanor adds that the authorities say eight of the assailants are dead.

Dozens of other people were shot on the sidewalks outside cafes and bars in a working-class part of central Paris.

While authorities said late Friday that they believed all of the attackers had been killed, they're encouraging Parisians to stay home. Nearly all city facilities and buildings are closed today. Sporting events are canceled, large stores are closed, and many subway stations are also shut down.

Bruce Hoffman, a national security expert at Georgetown University, told NPR's Kelly McEvers that the attacks were reminiscent of the 2008 attack in Mumbai, India, which left more than 250 dead.

Osama bin Laden urged al-Qaida fighters to stage such attacks in the West in 2010, Hoffman noted.

"They certainly weren't amateurs," Hoffman said of the gunmen in Friday's attacks. "They were battle-hardened and they knew what they were doing. They had tremendous discipline, that they could deploy and strike at exactly the same time."

Years after France (and many other nations in Western Europe) relaxed its border controls, those official restrictions and checks are now being revived, as the BBC reports:

"Border and customs officers will check people, baggage and vehicles entering and leaving France by road, train, sea or plane, said customs official Melanie Lacuire."




“This morning, French President Francois Hollande accused the self-proclaimed Islamic State of staging the coordinated attacks, calling them an "act of war." Shortly after his remarks, the extremist group claimed responsibility. …. Police say they've identified one of the attackers as a young Frenchman who was born near Paris and was known to the authorities because of his radical views, according to Le Parisien and other news outlets. Le Parisien adds that police also found two passports — one Syrian, one Egyptian — near the attackers. …. Saturday afternoon, Belgian police conducted "multiple searches and arrests" related to a Belgian license plate on a car that was reportedly used in Friday night's attacks, according to Belgium's Justice Minister Koen Geens. …. The attack has put security on high alert in many areas – particularly where air travel is involved. Britain's busy Gatwick airport was the scene of at least two police actions Saturday. A Frenchman is being questioned about "what appears to be a firearm," the BBC says. Earlier, a terminal at the airport was temporarily closed after a security alert over suspicious behavior. …. Relaying a description of that attack by a witness who was inside the music hall, NPR's Eleanor Beardsley says, "The gunmen shot into the crowd screaming 'Allahu Akbar.' The concert stopped and people lay on the ground and they continued to shoot them." Eleanor adds that the authorities say eight of the assailants are dead. Dozens of other people were shot on the sidewalks outside cafes and bars in a working-class part of central Paris. …. "They certainly weren't amateurs," Hoffman said of the gunmen in Friday's attacks. "They were battle-hardened and they knew what they were doing. They had tremendous discipline, that they could deploy and strike at exactly the same time." Years after France (and many other nations in Western Europe) relaxed its border controls, those official restrictions and checks are now being revived, as the BBC reports: "Border and customs officers will check people, baggage and vehicles entering and leaving France by road, train, sea or plane, said customs official Melanie Lacuire."


I am relieved to see that France has been able to effectively close its borders to all traffic, or at any rate screen all comers, and I am waiting for an official call for wartime status. I have been saying ever since ISIS began its’ rampage, and especially when they actually announced that they would attack European targets, that it was time for “boots on the ground” from all European countries. Shortly after Putin moved his army into Syria he stated that he wanted to kill them on their own soil and not in Russia. Even the Pope, several weeks ago, stated that he thought European nations should fight them on the battlefield. I don’t want to see WWIII, but is not far away, I’m afraid, and I do want to see radical Islamism eradicated. That is a religious form that has “no redeeming social value” as it does not promote good neighbors or an enlightened and prosperous people, no matter where it occurs. We need to differentiate between radical fundamentalism in any religion including Christianity, and a philosophy that improves human nature. Radicalism is anti-logic, anti-tolerance and anti-peace. It’s a cancer.




PEACETIME TOPICS


http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/11/13/455677565/an-ill-newborn-a-loving-family-and-a-litany-of-wrenching-choices

An Ill Newborn, A Loving Family And A Litany Of Wrenching Choices
JENNY GOLD
NOVEMBER 13, 2015

Photograph -- Anne Shamiyeh says grace before a meal with her husband, Omar Shamiyeh, and their two daughters, Zara and Malia. Anne says faith played a strong role in helping the family deal with the death of Malia's twin brother, Kai, in 2013.
Heidi de Marco/KHN
Photograph -- Omar looks through Kai's photo book. The charges for the infant's six months of care in the neonatal intensive care unit totaled about $11 million, according to the family, though their insurer very likely negotiated a lower rate.
Heidi de Marco/KHN
Photograph -- Anne Shamiyeh at home with 3-year-old Malia. Twins Kai and Malia arrived roughly two months early. Each weighed around 3 pounds at birth, but Malia was able to go home after about five weeks in the NICU.
Heidi de Marco/KHN
Photograph -- Anne Shamiyeh at home with 3-year-old Malia. Twins Kai and Malia arrived roughly two months early. Each weighed around 3 pounds at birth, but Malia was able to go home after about five weeks in the NICU.


Anne and Omar Shamiyeh first learned something was wrong with one of their twins during an ultrasound, when Anne was 18 weeks pregnant.

"The technician was, like, 'Well, there's no visualization of his stomach,' " says Anne. "And I was like, 'How does our baby have no stomach?' "

It turned out that the baby's esophagus was not connected to his stomach. He also had a heart defect. At the very least, he was likely to face surgeries and a long stay in intensive care. He might have lifelong disabilities.

This was only the start of an eight-month ordeal for the Shamiyeh family.

Decisions about how much care to offer very sick family members are always challenging. But they can be particularly wrenching for parents like the Shamiyehs, who face harrowing choices during what is supposed to be a wonderful time — the start of a life.

As doctors and families consider how far to push medical care, a chasm can open between the parents' hopes and what providers consider realistic.

For the Shamiyehs, the first major decision was whether to "selectively reduce," the clinical term for aborting one fetus in a multiple pregnancy. "Omar and I were very uncomfortable with that," Anne says. "We really wanted to see what he was going to be like, and what life had to offer."

That decision meant the twins, a boy and a girl, would likely be born prematurely. As it turned out, they were delivered by cesarean section at 30 weeks — about two months early — at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, in San Francisco.

The boy was named Kai, the girl Malia. Each weighed about 3 pounds. They were rushed immediately to the neonatal intensive care unit. That night Kai had his first surgery.

Malia went home after about five weeks. But Kai was far from ready. He was on a ventilator, had to be fed through a tube directly into his stomach and was still struggling to survive. Eventually, he was diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome — a rare genetic condition that can result in severe cognitive and physical disabilities.

Omar looks through Kai's photo book. The charges for the infant's six months of care in the neonatal intensive care unit totaled about $11 million, according to the family, though their insurer very likely negotiated a lower rate.

About the time Malia went home, the doctors and nurses sat down with the Shamiyehs to discuss Kai's treatment. They needed to know whether the family wanted a tracheostomy — surgeons would insert a breathing tube directly into Kai's neck to ease passage of air into his lungs.

"It seemed awful," Anne recalls. "We were both really unhappy with that, but we understood it wasn't a choice. It was something we had to do."

But Dr. Liz Rogers, a UCSF neonatologist who cared for Kai, saw it as a significant decision.

"To be very honest," Rogers says, "for many, many of our families, the point of decision around a tracheostomy is a major, major time when families say, 'This has gone on for too long, and it's not what I want for him.' "

Anne had real hope for Kai's future, despite the pessimism of some doctors.

"I kept thinking, maybe that doctor's view of quality of life is different from mine. And maybe, for me, loving my child and having him feel love is enough," Anne says. "And it's OK if he can't talk. Maybe he'll wear a diaper until he's 5, and maybe he'll be in a wheelchair, but that's OK. Because he'll be alive, and he'll be my child."

Studies suggest that health care providers do tend to have a different view of quality of life than parents do. In Kai's case, many of his day-to-day caregivers — the nurses — felt Kai was suffering unnecessarily.

Deidre Miller, a registered nurse in the NICU, says she was one of just a handful of nurses willing to be part of his primary care team. It was clear to all of them, she says, that Kai wasn't going to make it. Miller says she felt comfortable caring for Kai, but faced pressure from other nurses.

"A lot of people thought, 'OK, well, let's just offer the Shamiyehs the opportunity to withdraw care today.' And, as a primary nurse, you knew that the Shamiyehs were never going to agree to that, and you knew that he had joy in his life," she recalls. "But you go into the break room, and everybody wants to talk about it, and everyone wants you to be the person to tell the Shamiyehs."

There's often a lag between when health care providers and parents sense a child isn't going to make it. In one study, for instance, oncologists realized that their young patients would not recover months before the parents recognized it.

"As easy as it is to say we knew Kai was going to die, and we knew he was going to have a difficult life — gosh, what if we had been wrong?" Miller says.

From Anne's and Omar's perspective, Kai had many happy moments. They visited every day, always with Malia in tow. He smiled, cooed and connected with them. But he wasn't getting better.

In May 2013, five months into Kai's stay in the NICU, the Shamiyehs and their doctors sat down to talk about whether they wanted to go forward with the heart surgery that had been on the calendar since his birth. It would have to be done if Kai was ever to leave the hospital.

The surgery wouldn't help, doctors explained, and Kai might die during the procedure. This time, Anne and Omar decided not to go forward.

"So that was the day we found out we wouldn't ever be bringing Kai home," Anne says.

Two weeks later, Kai developed an infection the doctors couldn't treat. On June 5, 2013, he died in his mother's arms.

There were real costs to Kai's long stay in the NICU. Based on billing statements, the Shamiyehs calculate that the charges for Kai's care added up to more than $11 million, though their insurer very likely negotiated a lower rate.

There were also consequences for Kai's twin sister, Malia, whose parents were mostly focused on her brother during her first six months of life. Born two months prematurely herself, she had physical and speech delays; although at age 3, she's already caught up.

Looking back, Omar says he wonders if they went too far. "It's really hard to think — for five months he was going through all this pain and all this stress," Omar says. "You wonder if you made the right decision in keeping it going, you know?"

But Anne, who is now studying to become a nurse in the NICU, says she does not regret giving their son the best possible chance at life.

She's at peace with both their decisions — to try to save Kai, and to let him go.

Jenny Gold is a reporter with Kaiser Health News and completed this story while participating in the California Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of USC's Annenberg School of Journalism.




“It turned out that the baby's esophagus was not connected to his stomach. He also had a heart defect. At the very least, he was likely to face surgeries and a long stay in intensive care. He might have lifelong disabilities. …. . But they can be particularly wrenching for parents like the Shamiyehs, who face harrowing choices during what is supposed to be a wonderful time — the start of a life. As doctors and families consider how far to push medical care, a chasm can open between the parents' hopes and what providers consider realistic. …. "To be very honest," Rogers says, "for many, many of our families, the point of decision around a tracheostomy is a major, major time when families say, 'This has gone on for too long, and it's not what I want for him.' " Anne had real hope for Kai's future, despite the pessimism of some doctors. For the Shamiyehs, the first major decision was whether to "selectively reduce," the clinical term for aborting one fetus in a multiple pregnancy. …. "As easy as it is to say we knew Kai was going to die, and we knew he was going to have a difficult life — gosh, what if we had been wrong?" Miller says. From Anne's and Omar's perspective, Kai had many happy moments. They visited every day, always with Malia in tow. He smiled, cooed and connected with them. But he wasn't getting better. …. There were real costs to Kai's long stay in the NICU. Based on billing statements, the Shamiyehs calculate that the charges for Kai's care added up to more than $11 million, though their insurer very likely negotiated a lower rate. …. There were also consequences for Kai's twin sister, Malia, whose parents were mostly focused on her brother during her first six months of life. Born two months prematurely herself, she had physical and speech delays; although at age 3, she's already caught up.”


In earlier times, before Christianity, babies who were born with defects were often “exposed” at birth, which means they were left out in a wilderness area for nature to take its’ course. It was known even in prehistoric societies that some defects will kill a baby or make them unable to carry out adult citizenship in the society, and they simply left their future up to their gods. As heartless as that sounds, it acknowledged the fact that the situation was hopeless. Romulus and Remus were supposedly exposed, as was Oedipus. Romulus and Remus luckily were reared by a she-wolf and Oedipus, who only had a deformed foot, survived to return to his society as a hero and marry his mother!!

We don’t have stories like that anymore, but the issue of when to render medical aid is still a daily question. $11,000,000 for six months in the NICU is not a light matter, nor is the misery that will be endured by such a baby before it dies. Many fetuses abort naturally at an early stage when they have what are called lethal genes. I hate to say it, but the “romanticizing” of the matter by some religions, especially Catholicism, is not helpful, either to society or to the baby in question. That’s why healthcare professionals find themselves opposed to the will of the parents in many, many cases, and when they find a damaged fetus they, in their best professional judgment, advocate for abortion. I’m sorry for everybody concerned, but I agree with the doctors.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/where-the-2016-democratic-candidates-stand-on-gun-laws/

Where the 2016 Democratic candidates stand on gun laws
By JAKE MILLER CBS NEWS
November 14, 2015


After the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama and Democrats in Congress launched a concerted effort to strengthen gun control laws. The centerpiece of their legislative agenda was a proposal that would have closed loopholes in the background check system for purchases online and at gun shows, but other measures - like limiting the size of ammunition magazines and banning military-style semiautomatic assault rifles - were offered as well.

The proposals went nowhere. Those that came up for a vote in the Senate were killed, and none were even considered in the House.

Apart from a few executive actions taken by the president, the state of America's gun laws today is scarcely different than it was three years ago, despite a daily parade of gun deaths and a number of mass shootings in the intervening time. The three Democratic presidential candidates have put forth proposals to reduce gun violence.

They've tussled with each other over their past records on guns, and they've each offered competing plans to change gun laws. Some have vowed to renew the push for stronger background checks, a ban on assault rifles, and other legislative remedies. Mindful of GOP opposition, they have also considered the use of robust executive action to curb gun violence.

Here's a look at what the three candidates - Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley - have proposed.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton's approach would rely on a combination of legislative and executive action. She's said that she would renew the push for legislation strengthening background checks of the sort that was voted down in the Senate in 2013. Her website labels that outcome "reprehensible," and promises, "Hillary is not giving up."

If Congress won't act, Clinton has added, she will act on her own to close the loopholes in the background check system that allow people to buy guns online or at gun shows without undergoing any scrutiny. She's also said she will close the "Charleston loophole," named after the deadly shooting at a black church in Charleston earlier this year, which allows a gun sale to proceed without a background check if it takes more than three days to finish the check.

She's vowed to overturn a 2005 law that absolved gun manufacturers of any legal liability when someone uses their products during the commission of a crime. She's used the issue to take a shot at Sanders, who voted in favor of the 2005 law.

"It wasn't that complicated to me," Clinton said during the first Democratic debate after Sanders said the law was "large and complicated." "It was pretty straightforward to me that he was going to give immunity to the only industry in America. Everybody else has to be accountable, but not the gun manufacturers. And we need to stand up and say, 'Enough of that. We're not going to let it continue.'"

To crack down on illegal gun trafficking and straw purchases, Clinton has said she will increase funding for inspections of gun dealers and revoke the licenses of dealers that repeatedly violate the law. She's also said she will make straw purchases - in which someone buys a gun on behalf of an individual who would not be allowed to purchase it himself - a federal crime.

She would support new legislation to expand the ban on gun sales to domestic abusers in certain instances. And to prevent the mentally ill from acquiring guns, she would push the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to "finalize its rulemaking to close loopholes in our laws and clarify that people involuntarily committed to outpatient treatment...are prohibited from buying guns."

Finally, Clinton would support the reinstatement of the ban on military-style semiautomatic assault weapons - a bill that was originally signed into law in 1994 by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and lapsed in 2004.

Bernie Sanders

Sanders has a mixed record on gun control, and he's explained his moderation on the issue by pointing out that Vermont is a rural state with a long tradition of hunting and firearm ownership. While he's taken some heat from his fellow Democrats for some of his prior votes - like his vote against the 1993 Brady Bill, which established the national background check system, and his support for the 2005 bill that granted legal immunity to gun manufacturers - he has offered his own plan to reduce gun violence. And he's pitched his moderate approach to the issue as the best way to corral the American public behind a solution.

"Some people want to ban every gun in America and some people believe in nothing at all," Sanders said last month. "I think the vast majority of the American people, as the president indicated, including gun owners -- and I know that's true here in Vermont -- want sensible gun control legislation and they also believe that we should have more access to mental health facilities and counselors than we presently do."

Like Clinton, Sanders supports closing the gun show and online sale loopholes in the background check system. He also supports banning semiautomatic assault rifles - he voted for the original measure in 1994 and has argued it should be reinstated - and he has supported measures to limit the size of ammunition magazines.

Despite the criticism, Sanders has not disavowed his vote on the 2005 bill that granted immunity to gun manufacturers, but he's said he's open to adjustments that clarify its intent.

"Here's the reason I voted the way I voted: If you are a gun shop owner in Vermont and you sell somebody a gun and that person flips out and then kills somebody, I don't think it's really fair to hold that person responsible, the gun shop owner," he told NBC News last month. "On the other hand, where...there is evidence that manufacturers, gun manufacturers, do know that they're selling a whole lot of guns in an area that really should not be buying that many guns. That many of those guns are going to other areas, probably for criminal purposes. So can we take another look at that liability issue? Yes."

Martin O'Malley

Many of the legislative measures Martin O'Malley has offered to reduce gun violence are similar to Clinton's proposals, but he has also detailed a number of executive actions he would take in addition to pushing Congress to act.

Like Clinton, he would close loopholes in the background check system that allow people to purchase guns online or at gun shows without scrutiny. He would close the "Charleston loophole" that allows a gun sale to proceed if the background check takes more than three days. And he would push states to be more assiduous in sharing information about people who are prohibited from obtaining guns.

He would push to repeal the 2005 law that granted immunity to gun manufacturers, and he supports the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. He also supports raising the minimum age for gun ownership to 21 years. And like Clinton, he would push to ban unmarried domestic abusers and convicted stalkers from purchasing a gun.

To crack down on gun trafficking, O'Malley would increase ATF funding to empower the government to inspect gun dealers more frequently revoke the licenses of dealers that violate the law. He would also increase federal penalties for gun trafficking.

One of O'Malley's more ambitious proposals involves the creation of a national firearms registry, which is actually explicitly banned under current law, to make it easier to trace guns involved in crimes back through their chain of ownership. Conservatives and Second Amendment advocates have vehemently opposed the creation of such a system, because they fear it would be a step toward federal confiscation of firearms.

Under O'Malley's proposed executive actions, gun manufacturers seeking federal contracts would be required to make their products safer through design changes, such as assigning hidden serial numbers to firearms that can't be defaced. O'Malley would also ban the manufacture and sale of so-called "cop-killer" ammunition, which is coated and more effectively penetrates hard surfaces.

In order to track those who attempt to buy firearms but don't pass required background checks, O'Malley will also propose creating an electronic alert system which informs local law enforcement agencies of failed sales. The system would then identify individuals who should be prosecuted further.

So what's the problem?

As the failed push for gun control in the wake of Newtown and the absence of any action in the wake of Charleston attests, getting new gun control measures through Congress is extraordinarily difficult.

The Republican Party, with the support of the powerful National Rifle Association, is almost unanimously opposed to anything that smacks of gun control - GOP candidates have instead emphasized the need expand mental health services in the U.S. to prevent unstable people from obtaining firearms. Where restricting gun ownership is concerned, they don't believe we need new laws, they argue we simply need to enforce the laws that are already on the books.

To the extent that the Democrats' solutions to curb gun violence require legislative action, they should be pressed on how they are going to achieve that. If dead schoolchildren and dead churchgoers did not impel Congress to act, gun control advocates have wondered, what will? What makes these Democrats think the political landscape will be any friendlier to a push for gun control in 2017 than it was in 2013?

And in the case of proposed executive actions, like Clinton's proposal to unilaterally close loopholes in the background check system or O'Malley's proposal to force design changes on gun manufacturers, candidates must be pressed on whether the actions will stand up to judicial scrutiny.

Republicans are already up in arms over Mr. Obama's unilateral moves on immigration, the environment, and other issues, arguing that they've contributed to a lack of trust that makes legislative cooperation unlikely. Is it possible that a Democratic president taking executive action on gun control could poison the political environment and make it even more difficult to force a bill through Congress?




CLINTON -- “The centerpiece of their legislative agenda was a proposal that would have closed loopholes in the background check system for purchases online and at gun shows, but other measures - like limiting the size of ammunition magazines and banning military-style semiautomatic assault rifles - were offered as well. …. If Congress won't act, Clinton has added, she will act on her own to close the loopholes in the background check system that allow people to buy guns online or at gun shows without undergoing any scrutiny. She's also said she will close the "Charleston loophole," named after the deadly shooting at a black church in Charleston earlier this year, which allows a gun sale to proceed without a background check if it takes more than three days to finish the check. She's vowed to overturn a 2005 law that absolved gun manufacturers of any legal liability when someone uses their products during the commission of a crime. …. .She's also said she will make straw purchases - in which someone buys a gun on behalf of an individual who would not be allowed to purchase it himself - a federal crime. She would support new legislation to expand the ban on gun sales to domestic abusers in certain instances. And to prevent the mentally ill from acquiring guns, she would push the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to "finalize its rulemaking to close loopholes in our laws and clarify that people involuntarily committed to outpatient treatment...are prohibited from buying guns." …. Finally, Clinton would support the reinstatement of the ban on military-style semiautomatic assault weapons….”

SANDERS -- “…he has offered his own plan to reduce gun violence. And he's pitched his moderate approach to the issue as the best way to corral the American public behind a solution. …. want sensible gun control legislation and they also believe that we should have more access to mental health facilities and counselors than we presently do." …. Like Clinton, Sanders supports closing the gun show and online sale loopholes in the background check system. He also supports banning semiautomatic assault rifles - he voted for the original measure in 1994 and has argued it should be reinstated - and he has supported measures to limit the size of ammunition magazines. …. "On the other hand, where...there is evidence that manufacturers, gun manufacturers, do know that they're selling a whole lot of guns in an area that really should not be buying that many guns. That many of those guns are going to other areas, probably for criminal purposes.”

O’MALLEY -- . And he would push states to be more assiduous in sharing information about people who are prohibited from obtaining guns. …. He also supports raising the minimum age for gun ownership to 21 years. And like Clinton, he would push to ban unmarried domestic abusers and convicted stalkers from purchasing a gun. To crack down on gun trafficking, O'Malley would increase ATF funding to empower the government to inspect gun dealers more frequently revoke the licenses of dealers that violate the law. He would also increase federal penalties for gun trafficking. …. One of O'Malley's more ambitious proposals involves the creation of a national firearms registry, which is actually explicitly banned under current law, to make it easier to trace guns involved in crimes back through their chain of ownership. …. gun manufacturers seeking federal contracts would be required to make their products safer through design changes, such as assigning hidden serial numbers to firearms that can't be defaced. O'Malley would also ban the manufacture and sale of so-called "cop-killer" ammunition, which is coated and more effectively penetrates hard surfaces. …. In order to track those who attempt to buy firearms but don't pass required background checks, O'Malley will also propose creating an electronic alert system which informs local law enforcement agencies of failed sales. ….


First, to O’Malley, why in heaven’s name would you only ban the sale of guns to “unmarried” domestic abusers? Do you by any chance buy into the old “conservative” viewpoint that when a woman makes the mistake of marrying a man she becomes his property to do with as he will??? Probably not, and yet that statement did appear in this news article. You should speak up to correct the record. Many readers, not just me, are very attentive to details like that, and may make a decision based on it. I like several of O’Malley’s suggestions, such as: making guns safer through design change, putting the serial number inside the barrel, a greater level of information sharing among states on gun sales, a national firearms registry, a ban on cop killer ammo, and an electronic system to alert authorities when a gun sale permit is disallowed.

Actually all the candidates except perhaps Sanders had liberal views on the way guns should be manufactured and sold to ordinary citizens. My favorite bugaboo is the sale to ordinary citizens of automatic rifles with large magazines and the horrid “Charleston” rule that if a personal background check takes longer than three days to go through the gun can be bought with NO check! I had never heard of that one, and it is sooo cynical. Sanders’ suggestion that the sale of large numbers of guns in an area where that many “shouldn’t be sold” (he should define his reasoning on where lots of guns are actually appropriate) was interesting. I would go way beyond that, though, to the banning of private gun collections over 10 at the max, after which in my view it has become an arsenal, and those which are held in the collection should be of differing kinds such as hunting guns as opposed to semi-automatic guns of any kind.

As for what Clinton said, her proposal of banning all straw purchases and making that a federal crime is a great idea. Some of these really young shooters can’t possibly be buying them in person and that alone is therefore automatically suspect. Sadly, if the news article is correct, she has advocated the ban of sales to domestic abusers “in certain circumstances, which makes me cringe. Why can’t these politicians do the right thing and not the expedient thing? Don’t say that “felons” shouldn’t be able to buy a gun, but rather that violent people of all stamps shouldn’t be allowed that privilege. I know, it’s a “right,” but none of our guaranteed rights are allowed when some kind of harm, due to either intent or negligence, occurs. Perhaps these people who have their gun stored in such a way that a child is able to get his hands on it and cause a problem should also be banned. We tend in this society to give parents lots of “rights,” but not enough responsibilities. Likewise, people who have been shown to have an ungovernable temper, whether they are insane or not, should NOT be allowed to buy a gun. I agree with her that any serious mental disorder should make buying a gun impossible, rather than merely an “inpatient” commitment. Even depressed individuals often turn the gun on others right before they publically shoot themselves with it. Many of them have admitted that they did such shootings to get attention. It’s sick and sad, but it occurs.

All of these candidates made some kind of stand in favor of gun control, but some are more courageous than others. O’Malley may be the most creative of the three, but Clinton also makes good recommendations. Sanders disappointed me. He is by far the most liberal economically, but not so much in social issues. I have to remind myself that he is a registered Independent rather than a Democrat. It isn’t in his rebellious nature to toe any party line, I imagine. He had made no stand against police brutality until demonstrators from Black Lives Matter took the mike from him to make their statement. A couple of days later he got in step with that and spoke against that hot button issue. Of course he has fallen too far behind Clinton in the last few weeks to make up the distance, probably. Still polling numbers are not votes, and “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” I’ll vote for whichever candidate wins the nomination. I look forward to the debate tomorrow on CBS. The issues and the people are really interesting and exciting this presidential year, and I’m enjoying it tremendously.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-authorities-evacuate-gatwick-airport-terminal-london/

U.K. authorities arrest man, evacuate airport terminal
CBS/AP
November 14, 2015


British police arrested a man and blew up a suspicious item they say he discarded at an airport south of London that prompted authorities to evacuate one of the airport's terminals.

A 41-year-old man from Vendome, France, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of firearms offenses, police said in a statement. Authorities evacuated Gatwick's North Terminal, which has been reopened.

"The man is being interviewed as we try to determine the circumstances of the incident, but at this time it is too early to say what his intentions, if any, were," Detective Superintendent Nick May said in the statement. "However, given the events in Paris on Friday evening, there is heightened awareness around any such incident and it is best that we treat the matter in all seriousness.

The police said that explosive specialists were called in and carried out a small, controlled explosion on the item the man allegedly discarded at Gatwick. The police didn't provide other details about the item.

Another item that appeared to be a firearm was recovered from the man, police said. It was going to be examined.

Police said they arrested the man before he had checked in or passed through any passport or security checks.

Gatwick is Britain's second busiest airport.

The incident happened as law enforcement services in Britain, the rest of Europe, and major U.S. cities remained on heightened states of alert following the apparently well-coordinated attacks carried out in Paris on Friday evening.

At least eight well-armed militants besieged restaurants, a concert hall and other public places in Paris, leaving at least 127 people dead in an "act of war" the French president blamed squarely on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).




“A 41-year-old man from Vendome, France, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of firearms offenses, police said in a statement. Authorities evacuated Gatwick's North Terminal, which has been reopened. "The man is being interviewed as we try to determine the circumstances of the incident, but at this time it is too early to say what his intentions, if any, were," Detective Superintendent Nick May said in the statement. "However, given the events in Paris on Friday evening, there is heightened awareness around any such incident and it is best that we treat the matter in all seriousness. …. Another item that appeared to be a firearm was recovered from the man, police said. It was going to be examined. Police said they arrested the man before he had checked in or passed through any passport or security checks.”


Western nations are on notice, I think we should assume, and correctly are applying greatly increased security measures. I think we will see a strongly diminished number of refugees of an Islamic background coming into Europe and the US, and I think it’s time that happened. It would be interesting if the people of Syria and Iraq and other such countries would stay home and band together against ISIS or other fundamentalist Islamic groups who are trying to take over the territory of other cultural groups. Fight them if necessary, or better still, approach a peaceful concord that allows for mutual toleration and therefore local peace. People should be SAFE in their local environment. That should include those within Islam who are besieged over the matter of whether or not they are Sunni or Shia.

Moderate, intelligent, and peaceful Islamic people should speak out against the push for fundamentalism which is not only threatening the women among them, but everyone who disagrees with them over religion. The reason for a “secular” government is to see that NO religion can take over and abuse or kill other groups. It isn’t to deny God, as many American fundamentalist Christians think. I pray that our society doesn’t end up like Islam. Whenever we get as many as fifty people in a room together some disagreements will emerge, and we all need to “get along.” The problem with humans is that we are intelligent enough to become wealthy and build monuments and amazing machines such as driverless cars, but not intelligent to achieve and maintain a civilized society for more than a few hundred years.





5:25 PM PARIS REPORT


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paris-attacks-teams-extremists-france-prosecutor/

Prosecutor: 3 teams of extremists carried out attacks
CBS/AP
November 14, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Parisians react in aftermath of devastating terrorist attacks
Play VIDEO -- Paris remains on lockdown after terror attacks
Photograph -- French fire brigade members aid an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris, France, Nov. 13, 2015. REUTERS/CHRISTIAN HARTMANN
Play VIDEO -- Hollande: Paris attacks an "act of war"
Play VIDEO -- Manhunt underway in France as troops deploy in wake of Paris attacks


PARIS -- Three teams of extremists carried out the coordinated gun-and-suicide bombing attacks across Paris that left 129 people dead and 352 injured, a French prosecutor said Saturday.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said 99 of the injured were in critical condition after the "act of barbarism." He said the attackers in the Bataclan concert hall, where 89 people died, mentioned Syria and Iraq during their deadly rampage.

French President Francois Hollande has vowed that France will wage "merciless" war on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, after the jihadists claimed responsibility for the attacks Friday night.

Grief, alarm and resolve spread across Europe on Saturday as officials raced to piece together information on the seven attackers. Officials said one was a young Frenchman known to the authorities. In addition, a Syrian passport found near the body of another attacker was linked to a man who entered the European Union through a Greek island last month.

A U.S. intelligence official told CBS News that a name and picture were recovered from the Syrian passport and the individual was not known to intelligence officials.

A U.S. law enforcement source told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton French law enforcement officials were taking DNA and fingerprints from the dead terrorists. The test results were being run through databases as part of effort to identify the terrorists and their networks.

A U.S. Intelligence source told Milton investigators have so far seen no insider knowledge in the chatter or communications that is being intercepted to verify who was involved. While there have been people saying glowing things about the Paris attack, no one has revealed information about the attack that only the attackers would have knowledge of, the source said.

Friday night, attackers launched a series of coordinated, nearly simultaneous attacks: opening fire at Paris cafes, detonated suicide bombs near France's national stadium and killing hostages inside a concert hall during a rock show - an attack on the heart of the pulsing City of Light.

"These places are the places we visit every week," said Ahsan Naeem, a 39-year-old filmmaker who has lived in Paris for seven years. "Streets we walk every day ... All those places will have been full of my people. My friends. My acquaintances."

Hollande, who declared three days of national mourning and raised the nation's security to its highest level, called the carnage "an act of war that was prepared, organized, planned from abroad with internal help."

The president said France would increase its military efforts to crush ISIS. He said France - which is part of a U.S.-led coalition bombing suspected ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq and also has troops fighting militants in Africa - "will be merciless toward the barbarians of Islamic State group."

ISIS claimed responsibility in an online statement in Arabic and French circulated by supporters.

The statement mocked France's involvement in air attacks on suspected ISIS bases in Syria and Iraq, noting that France's air power was "of no use to them in the streets and rotten alleys of Paris."

Many of Paris' top tourist attractions closed down Saturday, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and the Disneyland theme park east of the capital. Some 3,000 troops were deployed to help restore order and reassure a frightened populace.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced that all public demonstrations would be banned until Thursday and local governments would have the option to impose nightly curfews.

The attacks, on an unusually balmy November Friday evening, struck at the heart of Parisian life: diners in cafes, concertgoers watching a rock band, spectators at a soccer match.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the places attacked are ones Parisians love - and ones where they celebrate diversity.

"It is this Paris that was hit. Probably because this example of living together, which is so strong in our city, is unbearable for fanatical people," she said.

Parisians expressed shock, disgust and defiance in equal measure. Some areas were quiet, but hundreds queued outside a hospital near the Bataclan concert hall to donate blood. As a shrine of flowers expanded along the sidewalk, a lone guitarist sang John Lennon's peace ballad "Imagine."

Authorities said seven attackers died in suicide bombings, a new terror tactic in France. Police said they shot and killed the other assailant.

Molins, the prosecutor, said all the suicide attackers wore identical explosives vests.

Authorities in Belgium conducted raids in a Brussels neighborhood Saturday and made three arrests linked to the Paris attacks. Justice Minister Koen Geens told the VRT network that the arrests came after a car with Belgian license plates was seen close to the Bataclan theater.

Officials in Greece said the Syrian passport found in Paris had shown its owner entering in October through Leros, one of the islands that tens of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in Syria and elsewhere have been using as a gateway into the European Union.

If the attack does involve militants who traveled to Europe amid millions of refugees from the Middle East, the implications could be profound.

Poland's prospective minister for European affairs, Konrad Szymanski, said that in light of the attacks, Poland would not comply with an EU plan to accept refugees unless it received "guarantees of security."

The attack brought an immediate tightening of borders as Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced renewed border checks. Germany also stepped up border checks.

The militants launched six gun and bomb attacks in rapid succession on apparently indiscriminate civilian targets.

Three suicide bombs targeted spots around the national Stade de France stadium, in the north of the capital, where Hollande was watching a France-Germany soccer match. Fans inside the stadium recoiled at the sound of explosions, but the match continued.

Around the same time, fusillades of bullets shattered the clinking of wine glasses in a trendy Paris neighborhood as gunmen targeted a string of crowded cafes.

The attackers next stormed the Bataclan concert hall, which was hosting the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal. They opened fire on the panicked audience and took members hostage. As police closed in, three detonated explosive belts, killing themselves, according to Paris police chief Michel Cadot.

Another attacker detonated a suicide bomb on Boulevard Voltaire, near the music hall, the prosecutor's office said.

Video shot posted by newspaper Le Monde Saturday captured some of that horror as dozens of people fled from gunfire outside the Bataclan.

At least one person lies writhing on the ground as scores more stream past, some bloodied or limping. The camera pans down the street to reveal more fleeing people dragging two bodies along the ground. A woman and two others can be seen clinging to upper-floor balcony railings in a desperate bid to stay out of the line of fire.

Le Monde said its reporter Daniel Psenney filmed the scene from his apartment balcony, and was shot in the arm when he went downstairs to help someone who had collapsed.

A tall, sturdy 38-year-old concert-goer named Sylvain collapsed in tears as he recounted the attack, the chaos and his escape during a lull in gunfire.

"First I heard explosions, and I thought it was firecrackers," he said.

"Very soon I smelled powder, and I understood what was happening. There were shots everywhere, in waves. I lay down on the floor. I saw at least two shooters, but I heard others talk. They cried, 'It's Hollande's fault.' I heard one of the shooters shout, 'Allahu Akbar,'" Sylvain told The Associated Press.

He spoke on condition that his full name not be used out of concern for his safety.

The Paris carnage was the worst in a series of attacks claimed by ISIS in the past three days. On Thursday, twin suicide bombings in Beirut killed at least 43 people and wounded more than 200, and 26 people died Friday in Baghdad in a suicide blast and a roadside bombing that targeted Shiites.

The militant group also said it bombed a Russian plane that crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31, killing 224 people.

ISIS also suffered significant reversals this week, with Kurdish forces launching an offensive to retake the strategic Iraqi city of Sinjar and the U.S. military saying it had likely killed Mohammed Emwazi, the masked British-accented militant known as "Jihadi John" who is seen in grisly ISIS beheading videos.

France has been on edge since January, when Islamic extremists attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which had run cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, and a kosher grocery. Twenty people died in those attacks, including three shooters.

French authorities are particularly concerned about the threat from hundreds of French Islamic radicals who have traveled to Syria and returned home with skills to mount attacks.

"The big question on everyone's mind is: Were these attackers - if they turn out to be connected to one of the groups in Syria - were they homegrown terrorists or were they returning fighters?" said Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert.




“Three teams of extremists carried out the coordinated gun-and-suicide bombing attacks across Paris that left 129 people dead and 352 injured, a French prosecutor said Saturday. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said 99 of the injured were in critical condition after the "act of barbarism." He said the attackers in the Bataclan concert hall, where 89 people died, mentioned Syria and Iraq during their deadly rampage. …. Grief, alarm and resolve spread across Europe on Saturday as officials raced to piece together information on the seven attackers. Officials said one was a young Frenchman known to the authorities. In addition, a Syrian passport found near the body of another attacker was linked to a man who entered the European Union through a Greek island last month. …. A U.S. law enforcement source told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton French law enforcement officials were taking DNA and fingerprints from the dead terrorists. The test results were being run through databases as part of effort to identify the terrorists and their networks. …. Hollande, who declared three days of national mourning and raised the nation's security to its highest level, called the carnage "an act of war that was prepared, organized, planned from abroad with internal help." A U.S. Intelligence source told Milton investigators have so far seen no insider knowledge in the chatter or communications that is being intercepted to verify who was involved. …. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced that all public demonstrations would be banned until Thursday and local governments would have the option to impose nightly curfews. …. Parisians expressed shock, disgust and defiance in equal measure. Some areas were quiet, but hundreds queued outside a hospital near the Bataclan concert hall to donate blood. As a shrine of flowers expanded along the sidewalk, a lone guitarist sang John Lennon's peace ballad "Imagine." …. Poland's prospective minister for European affairs, Konrad Szymanski, said that in light of the attacks, Poland would not comply with an EU plan to accept refugees unless it received "guarantees of security." The attack brought an immediate tightening of borders as Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced renewed border checks. Germany also stepped up border checks. …. I saw at least two shooters, but I heard others talk. They cried, 'It's Hollande's fault.' I heard one of the shooters shout, 'Allahu Akbar,'" Sylvain told The Associated Press. …. "The big question on everyone's mind is: Were these attackers - if they turn out to be connected to one of the groups in Syria - were they homegrown terrorists or were they returning fighters?" said Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert.”


“If the attack does involve militants who traveled to Europe amid millions of refugees from the Middle East, the implications could be profound.” While I hate to see what amounts to a pogrom against Islamic refugees, it clearly is a terrible mistake for sufficient screening of EACH individual’s background to be overlooked. It’s tedious, time consuming and undoubtedly expensive to do that kind of vetting, but the time has come to do it.

I think one of the problems France has is that like America they have been a very open society, at least after WWII. That’s great, but it allows speech that is literally too free, like the Charlie Hebdo cartoons which are openly against Islamic people, not to mention anti-Semitic materials or anti-black. On the Internet I have seen cartoons of Obama, the President, showing him in a very disrespectful Jim Crow style of drawing. Perhaps there could be a law that does not allow that kind of harassment of a group. I personally believe freedom is good only when it does no harm, and something that causes hatred and rebellion is indeed harmful.

Both the US and European countries, if we are going to accept outsider groups within our borders, need to try harder than we have so far to integrate them into our society rather than shunting them off into ghettoes. In our country we allow that to develop with Blacks and Chinese, and in Europe it has in the past at least been done to Jews and Islamic people at least. There was one article some four or five years ago about Islamic communities being the source of societal discord, and in France for one, a law was made outlawing the Islamic female head scarfs.

In the US we have people in all sorts of foreign national clothing. In my collection of photographs from over the years is one of an African woman in a large, ankle-length dress of some kind in a combination or red, green and other colors in a geometrical print. She understood that I just thought her dress was beautiful, and gave me a big smile. Of course if a woman’s face is covered up, it makes it impossible to identify her (or him, if he is an impostor who is up to no good). In particular, concerning foreign clothing, I remember one news report in one of our major cities of an Islamic woman raising a complaint because she wasn’t allowed to get a driver’s license in her burqa, or whatever body covering she was wearing. Islamic people need to use a little common sense in these things, after all. I can only hope for the best on this matter, in particular that we as Westerners can avoid an outright war over this attack, but that may not be possible. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more articles. Enough for now. It’s 6:28 PM.