November 9, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/university-of-missouri-president-tim-wolfe-resigns-amid-protests-over-racism/

University of Missouri president resigns amid protests
CBS/AP
November 9, 2015

Photograph -- In a Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 photo, University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe speaks with members of Concerned Student 1950 senior Abigail Hollis, from left, senior DeShaunya Ware and junior Shelbey Parnell as they call for Wolfe's resignation outside University Hall on the University of Missouri campus, in Columbia, Mo. DANIEL BRENNER/COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNE VIA AP
Play VIDEO -- Racist incidents prompt protests at University of Missouri




COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe announced Monday he is resigning amid growing protests over the school's handling of a series of racist incidents.

Wolfe said Monday that his resignation is effective immediately. He said he is stepping down "out of love," and that he hopes people involved in the dialogue about the school's future stop yelling at each other.

The announcement came at a special meeting of the university system's governing body, the Board of Curators. He largely pre-empted that session in a halting statement that was simultaneously apologetic, clumsy and defiant.

"This is not the way change comes about," he said, alluding to recent protests. "We stopped listening to each other."

He urged students, faculty and staff to "use my resignation to heal and start talking again to make the changes necessary."

Wolfe said he takes "full responsibility for the frustration" students had expressed regarding racial issues and that it "is clear" and "real."

The complaints came to a head over the weekend when at least 30 black football players announced they would not participate in team activities until Wolfe was removed or stepped down. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Brigham Young University at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, and canceling it could cost the school more than $1 million.

For months, black student groups have complained of racial slurs and other slights on the overwhelmingly white flagship campus of the state's four-college system.

The protests began after the student government president, who is black, said in September that people in a passing pickup truck shouted racial slurs at him.

In early October, members of a black student organization said slurs were hurled at them by an apparently drunken white student. Also, a swastika drawn in feces was found recently in a dormitory bathroom.

Many of the protests have been led by an organization called Concerned Student 1950, which gets its name from the year the university accepted its first black student. Its members besieged Wolfe's car at the parade, and they have been conducting a sit-in on a campus plaza since last Monday.

Two trucks flying Confederate flags drove past the site Sunday, a move many saw as an attempt at intimidation. At least 150 students gathered at the plaza Sunday night to pray, sing and read Bible verses, a larger crowd than on previous days. Many planned to camp there overnight, despite temperatures that had dropped into the upper 30s.

Also joining in the protest effort were two graduate student groups that called for walkouts Monday and Tuesday and the student government at the Columbia campus, the Missouri Students Association.

The association said in a letter Sunday to the system's governing body that there had been "an increase in tension and inequality with no systemic support" since last year's fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, which is about 120 miles east of Columbia.

Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, was shot and killed by a white police officer during a struggle, and his death helped spawn the "Black Lives Matter" movement rebuking police treatment of minorities.

The association said Wolfe heads a university leadership that "has undeniably failed us and the students that we represent."

"He has not only enabled a culture of racism since the start of his tenure in 2012, but blatantly ignored and disrespected the concerns of students," the group wrote.

Concerned Student 1950 has demanded, among other things, that Wolfe "acknowledge his white male privilege," that he is immediately removed, and that the school adopt a mandatory racial-awareness program and hire more black faculty and staff.

One of the sit-in participants, Abigail Hollis, a black undergraduate, said the campus is "unhealthy and unsafe for us."

"The way white students are treated is in stark contrast to the way black students and other marginalized students are treated, and it's time to stop that," Hollis said. "It's 2015."

The school's undergraduate population is 79 percent white and 8 percent black. The state is about 83 percent white and nearly 12 percent black.

Wolfe, 56, is a former software executive and Missouri business school graduate whose father taught at the university. He was hired in 2011 as president of a four-campus system that includes Columbia, succeeding another former business executive who also lacked experience in academia.




“The announcement came at a special meeting of the university system's governing body, the Board of Curators. He largely pre-empted that session in a halting statement that was simultaneously apologetic, clumsy and defiant. "This is not the way change comes about," he said, alluding to recent protests. "We stopped listening to each other." He urged students, faculty and staff to "use my resignation to heal and start talking again to make the changes necessary." …. The complaints came to a head over the weekend when at least 30 black football players announced they would not participate in team activities until Wolfe was removed or stepped down. …. The protests began after the student government president, who is black, said in September that people in a passing pickup truck shouted racial slurs at him. In early October, members of a black student organization said slurs were hurled at them by an apparently drunken white student. Also, a swastika drawn in feces was found recently in a dormitory bathroom. Many of the protests have been led by an organization called Concerned Student 1950, which gets its name from the year the university accepted its first black student. …. Two trucks flying Confederate flags drove past the site Sunday, a move many saw as an attempt at intimidation. At least 150 students gathered at the plaza Sunday night to pray, sing and read Bible verses, a larger crowd than on previous days. Many planned to camp there overnight, despite temperatures that had dropped into the upper 30s. Also joining in the protest effort were two graduate student groups that called for walkouts Monday and Tuesday and the student government at the Columbia campus, the Missouri Students Association. The association said in a letter Sunday to the system's governing body that there had been "an increase in tension and inequality with no systemic support" since last year's fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, which is about 120 miles east of Columbia. …. "He has not only enabled a culture of racism since the start of his tenure in 2012, but blatantly ignored and disrespected the concerns of students," the group wrote. Concerned Student 1950 has demanded, among other things, that Wolfe "acknowledge his white male privilege," that he is immediately removed, and that the school adopt a mandatory racial-awareness program and hire more black faculty and staff.”


“Wolfe, 56, is a former software executive and Missouri business school graduate whose father taught at the university. He was hired in 2011 as president of a four-campus system that includes Columbia, succeeding another former business executive who also lacked experience in academia.” One thing I have noticed in conservative politics, and I do think being the president of a state supported college is political, is that Republicans revere business executives over academics nearly every time. The problem I have with them is that, as conservatives, they are much more likely to have and act upon a class/race/religious/economic bias in how they do their job.

Colleges have not been down through time as open as the Federal government to racial groups other than white, and still aren’t. I don’t think it’s only in the South that things like open harassment of minorities is going on. College campuses sometimes constitute a tightly knit world of their own, in which the alumni, the football team, and the President rule. It’s no accident that when 30 football players refused to play until Wolfe stepped down, he threw in the towel. Until that point however, he was apparently trying to keep the white power structure in place. I’ll bet he considered it to be only good business to please the Alumni who are most likely highly conservative if they graduated in the Deep South. I sympathize with him in his statement that “shouting” is not the best way for change to occur, but unfortunately, in bastions of conservatism it may be the ONLY way for change to occur. Sad, but I think that’s true.

Congress, police forces and the American population as a whole withheld laws giving blacks a smooth and fair path to casting a ballot in elections, going to the same schools, living in the same neighborhoods, and eliminating other Jim Crow laws until Martin Luther King and others began to make it clear that blacks would no longer be passive. My mother said that “the old folks” deep in the woods of North Carolina when she was growing up would speak in fear about black uprisings. Force is only a good way of stamping out dissent as long as the people remain totally intimidated. If they begin to fight back it becomes war instead. We whites may not like it, but blacks are not and will not again be intimidated unless the far rightists in this country do actually succeed in taking over the government. Right now they’re trying to do that by monkeying with elections (ID cards, gerrymandering, restrictive voting times), bribing political office holders, promoting a suggested list of restrictive state laws from the ALEC organization to be implemented in state governments around the country. That is because they know that if lots of Hispanic immigrants and blacks go en masse to vote the Republicans will most likely lose. They can’t even count on whites to be “conservative” anymore. My, oh my!!





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-netanyahu-voice-commitment-to-peace-process/

Obama, Netanyahu voice commitment to peace process
By REBECCA KAPLAN CBS NEWS
November 9, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Obama meeting with Netanyahu in wake of Iran nuclear deal


President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they are committed to achieving peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, even as the administration has given up on formal talks before the end of Mr. Obama's term.

The two leaders had their first face-to-face meeting in the Oval Office Monday in more than a year. Their relationship has been tense for months amid disagreements over the nuclear deal with Iran and Netanyahu's suggestion that a two-state solution is no longer viable.

Mr. Obama said he condemned "in the strongest terms" a spate of recent stabbings carried out by Palestinians against Israelis. He added, "It is my strong belief that Israel has not just the right but the obligation to protect itself," and said he will discuss with Netanyahu, "his thoughts on how we can lower the temperature between Israeli and Palestinians, how we can get back on a path towards peace and how we can make sure that legitimate Palestinian aspirations are met through a political process even as we make sure that Israel is able to secure itself."

Netanyahu, for his part, said Israel has not given up on hope for peace and he remains committed to a two-state solution with a Palestinian state that recognizes Israel as a Jewish state.

"I don't think that anyone should doubt Israel's determination to defend itself against terror and destruction but neither should anyone doubt Israel's willingness to make peace with any of its neighbors that genuinely want to achieve peace," he said. "I look forward to discussing with you practical ways in which we can lower the tension increase the stability and move toward the peace."

Despite the optimistic statements, administration officials who discussed Netanyahu's visit with reporters last week were blunt about the fact that there was no chance of negotiating an agreement before the end of Mr. Obama's presidency. Instead, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said the focus will instead be on keeping peace talks possible for a future administration and looking for the kinds of measures that might rebuild some trust, reduce tensions and "leave open the promise of a two-state solution."

The two leaders will also discuss long-term military cooperation between the two countries and implementation of the nuclear deal with Iran.

"It's no secret that the prime minister and I have had a strong disagreement on this narrow issue but we don't have a disagreement on the need to make sure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon and we don't have a disagreement about the importance of us blunting destabilizing activities," he said, promising to "find common ground" with Israel on the issue.

Netanyahu's objections to the deal were so strong that he accepted an invitation to address the U.S. Congress and urged lawmakers to reject the agreement the administration had negotiated.

Ultimately the deal survived an attempted vote of disapproval in Congress in spite of heavy lobbying by Netanyahu and powerful organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Mr. Netanyahu's trip appears to be aimed, in part, at restoring relations with Democratic lawmakers who were attacked for supporting the deal.

He will accept an award from the conservative American Enterprise Institute Monday evening and will speak at the liberal Center for American Progress on Tuesday.

At the beginning of his remarks in the Oval Office, President Obama addressed a shooting attack by an ex-Jordanian police officer in Amman Monday that left two Americans dead and one wounded.

"We take this very seriously and will be working closely will the Jordanians to determine exactly what happened but at this stage I want to just let everyone know that this is something we're paying close attention," the president said. He added that the U.S. will send its deepest condolences to the families once they have been notified.




“The two leaders had their first face-to-face meeting in the Oval Office Monday in more than a year. Their relationship has been tense for months amid disagreements over the nuclear deal with Iran and Netanyahu's suggestion that a two-state solution is no longer viable. …. Netanyahu, for his part, said Israel has not given up on hope for peace and he remains committed to a two-state solution with a Palestinian state that recognizes Israel as a Jewish state. …. Instead, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said the focus will instead be on keeping peace talks possible for a future administration and looking for the kinds of measures that might rebuild some trust, reduce tensions and "leave open the promise of a two-state solution." …. Ultimately the deal survived an attempted vote of disapproval in Congress in spite of heavy lobbying by Netanyahu and powerful organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Mr. Netanyahu's trip appears to be aimed, in part, at restoring relations with Democratic lawmakers who were attacked for supporting the deal.”


It seems this is an attempt by Netanyahu to mend relations with the more liberal elements here after the blatantly hostile address to Congress to reject the US agreement with Iran. He put his nose in our affairs on that occasion and didn’t win the argument. This doesn’t mean he has changed any of his views, but he doesn’t want to have an increasing breach between Israel and its’ strongest international partner. Personally I still dislike Netanyahu intensely.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/2-americans-killed-in-jordan-by-military-member-witness/

Jordanian cop opens fire on U.S. trainers in Amman
CBS NEWS
November 9, 2015


AMMAN, Jordan -- An ex-Jordanian police officer opened fire on contractors at a police training center Monday, killing two Americans and a third man and leaving many others wounded.

The shooting took place on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital, Amman, at the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center.

Jordanian governement spokesman Mohammed Momani told CBS News three trainers were killed; two Americans and one South African. Six others, two Americans four Jordanians, were injured in the attack.

Momani said the gunman, who was 29 years old, was killed during the attack.

A source told CBS News the assailant was a police captain, and that the attack took place in the facility's cafeteria.

The U.S. Embassy in Amman said two American civilian contractors were killed and two injured by the policeman, who was apparently disgruntled after having been recently fired.

President Obama said the U.S. was taking the attack "very seriously," and added that the U.S. would be working with Jordan to conduct a full investigation. The presdient sent his condolences to the families of the victims.




“An ex-Jordanian police officer opened fire on contractors at a police training center Monday, killing two Americans and a third man and leaving many others wounded. The shooting took place on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital, Amman, at the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center. …. Momani said the gunman, who was 29 years old, was killed during the attack. A source told CBS News the assailant was a police captain, and that the attack took place in the facility's cafeteria. The U.S. Embassy in Amman said two American civilian contractors were killed and two injured by the policeman, who was apparently disgruntled after having been recently fired. …. President Obama said the U.S. was taking the attack "very seriously," and added that the U.S. would be working with Jordan to conduct a full investigation. The presdient sent his condolences to the families of the victims.”



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan

Jordan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Jordan (/ˈdʒɔrdən/; Arabic: الأردن‎ Al-Urdun), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية‎ Al-Mamlakah Al-Urduniyah Al-Hashimiyah), is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, and Israel and Palestine to the west. Since the dawn of civilization, the country's location at the crossroads of the Middle East has served as a strategic nexus connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.[10]

Archaeologists found evidence on inhabitance dating as far back as the Paleolithic period, later three kingdoms in Jordan emerged; Edom, Moab and Ammon. The lands were later part of several empires; most notably Roman Empire, Nabatean Kingdom and finally the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.[11] After the post–World War I division of West Asia by Britain and France, the Emirate of Transjordan was officially recognized by the Council of the League of Nations in 1922. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as The Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. The capture of the West Bank by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, has showed that the Arab Legion forces known today as the Jordanian Armed Forces were the most effective among the Arab troops involved in the war.[12] The same year, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan. The name of the state was changed to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 1 December 1948.[13]

It is a major tourist destination in the region and is especially popular with expat westerners seeking to live or study in its capital Amman.[14] Not only is the Kingdom considered the safest country in the Middle East, but also considered as the safest Arab country.[15] In midst of surrounding turmoil it has been greatly hospitable, accepting refugees from almost all surrounding conflicts as early as 1948, with most notably the estimated 2 million Palestinian refugees and the 1.5 million Syrian refugees residing in the country.[16] Jordan continues to demonstrate hospitality, despite the substantial strain the Syrian refugees are holding on national systems and infrastructure.[17] It is also the only safe refuge available to thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing the Islamic State.[18] Pope Benedict described Jordan during his 2009 visit to the Holy Land as a model for Christian-Muslim co-existence.[19] 30% of population was Christian in 1950, however, due to many reasons mainly the high rates of Muslim immigration, this percentage plummeted down to 6% in 2015.[20]

Although Jordan is a constitutional monarchy, the king holds wide executive and legislative powers. Jordan is classified as a country of "high human development"[9] by the 2014 Human Development Report. Jordan has an "upper middle income" economy.[21] Jordan enjoys "advanced status" with the European Union since December 2010,[22] and it is a member of the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area. It is also a founding member of the Arab League[23] and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Jordan has a well developed medical sector, making it a medical tourism destination. Also it has one of the world's highest life expectancies, over 80 years ranking it as the second highest in the entire MENA region.[24] Although Jordan has very few natural resources, it has large investments, the reason behind this is the country's highly skilled workforce.[25]



I hope Jordan is not becoming inflamed as a hostile nation to the West. Shootings like this by police and armed services in Iraq and Afghanistan, and seem to me to be a sign of worse to come. Compared with Palestinian areas it is prosperous, has a highly educated population, and an “upper middle income” economy. Also unlike Palestine it has a well-established diplomatic and trade relationship with Europe and the Mediterranean. The life expectancy is 80 years. At any rate, they are not one of the most dangerous Middle Eastern areas for those who dwell there, nor for Western interest.

The term “aceramic” which is used to describe Jordan in the Wikipedia article above means “Pre-pottery Neolithic A,” “however recent findings in Japan and China have pushed the origin of ceramic technology there well back into the Paleolithic era.”