December 10, 2015


News Clips For The Day


Every Student Succeeds Act -- Two Articles


http://news.yahoo.com/outdated-education-law-major-makeover-senate-083346863--politics.html

Power to the states: Education law rewrite passes Congress
Associated Press
By JENNIFER C. KERR
December 10, 2015

Related Stories --
Obama signs education law rewrite shifting power to states Associated Press
Key components of education bill headed for final approval Associated Press
Congress is getting rid of No Child Left Behind. Here’s what will replace it. Vox.com
No Child Left Behind Rewrite To Be Voted On By House CBS Dallas Fort Worth (RSS)
No Child Left Behind Rewrite Passes House Easily Huffington Post
View gallery -- House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., sits down to legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday …
View gallery -- In this July 21, 2014 photo, Kelci Gouge teaches a third grade class at a summer reading academy
View gallery -- In this Feb. 12, 2015 photo, Maguire Ballard, age 13, takes part in a trial run of a new state assessment test …
View gallery -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee …
View gallery -- Graphic shows highlights of federal education bill
View gallery -- FILE - In this May 14, 2015, file photo, Education Secretary Arne Duncan visits with young student Mario County …


WASHINGTON (AP) — Those federally mandated math and reading tests will continue, but a sweeping rewrite of the nation's education law will now give states — not the U.S. government — authority to decide how to use the results in evaluating teachers and schools.

The Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly, 85-12, to approve legislation rewriting the landmark No Child Left Behind education law of 2002. On Thursday, President Barack Obama will sign it into law.

One key feature of No Child remains: Public school students will still take the federally required statewide reading and math exams. But the new law encourages states to limit the time students spend on testing, and it will diminish the high stakes for underperforming schools.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who leads the Senate Education Committee, called the legislation a "Christmas present" for 50 million children across the country. Alexander was a chief author of the bill along with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington — and in the House, Education Committee Chairman John Kline, R-Minn., and ranking Democrat Bobby Scott of Virginia.

"You'll see states taking the opportunity to serve kids better, meaning it's not just a conversation about labeling schools but also a conversation about when a school's not doing right by kids," Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, said in an interview.

The new law will give states flexibility beyond using testing results to consider additional performance measures such as graduation rates.

There are risks that states may set goals too low or not act quickly enough, said Daria Hall, vice president for government affairs and communication at the Education Trust. But she also said, "Those risks are also really opportunities for states to really step up to the plate and be leaders."

Three presidential candidates missed the Senate vote — Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida and Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders.

Cruz said the legislation doesn't go far enough to get the federal government out of the nation's schools.

Here's how the major stakeholders fare:

TEACHERS

The legislation eliminates the federal mandate that teacher evaluations be tied to student performance on the statewide tests. Teachers' unions hated that previous idea, saying the high stakes associated with the tests were creating a culture of over-testing and detracting from the learning environment. States and districts will still be able to link scores or consider them as a factor in teacher performance reviews, but they will not be required to do so.

"We will continue to be vigilant as work shifts to the states to fix accountability systems and develop teacher evaluation systems that are fair and aimed at improving and supporting good instruction," Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement.

STUDENTS

Don't start applauding yet, kids. The nation's 50 million students in public schools will still have to take the federally mandated statewide reading and math exams in grades three to eight and once in high school — so parents, teachers and others can see how they are doing against a common measuring stick. But the legislation also encourages states to set caps on the amount of time students spend on testing.

More children from low- and moderate-income families will have access to preschool through a new grant program that is to use existing funding to support state efforts.

SCHOOLS

No more Common Core — maybe.

The bill says the federal government may not mandate or give states incentives to adopt or maintain any particular set of academic standards, such as Common Core.

The college and career-ready curriculum guidelines were created by the states, but became a flashpoint for those critical of Washington's influence in schools. The administration offered grants through its Race to the Top program for states that adopted strong academic standards for students.

Already states have begun backing away from the standards.

PARENTS

The bill provides for more transparency about test scores, meaning parents and others in the community will get a better look at how students in their states and in local schools are doing.

The legislation requires that test scores be broken down by race, family income and disability status.

Parents also will be able to see how per-pupil funding breaks down by state, district and school.

STATES

It's now up to the states.

States and districts will now be responsible for coming up with their own goals for schools, designing their own measures of achievement and progress, and deciding independently how to turn around struggling schools. Testing will be one factor considered, but other measures of success or failure could include graduation rates and education atmosphere.

To make sure all children get a fair shot at a quality education, states will be required to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps.

THE DIMINISHED FEDERAL ROLE

The measure would substantially limit the federal government's role, barring the Education Department from telling states and local districts how to assess school and teacher performance.

The measure also ends the waivers the Obama administration has given to more than 40 states — exemptions granted around the more onerous parts of No Child when it became clear that requirements such as having all students proficient in reading and math by 2014 would not be met.




https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/03/fact-sheet-congress-acts-fix-no-child-left-behind

FACT SHEET: Congress Acts to Fix No Child Left Behind
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
December 02, 2015


“We are a place that believes every child, no matter where they come from, can grow up to be anything they want… And I’m confident that if we fix No Child Left Behind, if we continue to reform American education, continue to invest in our children’s future, that’s the America we will always be.”

- Remarks by the President on the No Child Left Behind Act, March 14, 2011

Kenmore Middle School, Arlington, Virginia

Today, the Obama Administration is praising action by the House of Representatives to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act, a bipartisan bill to fix No Child Left Behind, and is calling on the Senate to take swift action on the legislation so that it can be signed into law before the end of the year. The bill rejects the overuse of standardized tests and one-size-fits-all mandates on our schools, ensures that our education system will prepare every child to graduate from high school ready for college and careers, and provides more children access to high-quality state preschool programs.

The bipartisan bill passed by the House includes many of the key reforms the Administration has called on Congress to enact and encouraged states and districts to adopt in exchange for waivers offering relief from the more onerous provisions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The bill helps ensure educational opportunity for all students by:

Holding all students to high academic standards that prepare them for success in college and careers.

Ensuring accountability by guaranteeing that when students fall behind, states redirect resources into what works to help them and their schools improve, with a particular focus on the very lowest-performing schools, high schools with high dropout rates, and schools with achievement gaps.

Empowering state and local decision-makers to develop their own strong systems for school improvement based upon evidence, rather than imposing cookie-cutter federal solutions like the No Child Left Behind Act did.

Reducing the often onerous burden of testing on students and teachers, making sure that tests don’t crowd out teaching and learning, without sacrificing clear, annual information parents and educators need to make sure our children are learning.
Providing more children access to high-quality preschool.

Establishing new resources for proven strategies that will spur reform and drive opportunity and better outcomes for America’s students.

In recognition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)’s legacy as a civil rights law, the bipartisan bill upholds critical protections for America’s disadvantaged students. It ensures that states and school districts will hold schools to account for the progress of all students and prescribes meaningful reforms to remedy underperformance in those schools failing to serve all students. It excludes harmful “portability” provisions that would siphon funds away from the students and schools most in need, and maintains dedicated resources and supports for America’s vulnerable children – including students with disabilities, English Learners, Native American students, homeless children, neglected and delinquent children, and migrant and seasonal farmworker children. It also ensures that states and districts continue the work they’ve begun this year to ensure that all students – including students from low-income families and students of color – have equitable access to excellent educators.

EMBRACING THE ADMINISTRATION’S PRINCIPLES FOR REFORM

College and Career-Ready Standards for America’s Learners: The bill affirms the path taken by 48 states and the District of Columbia to hold all students to challenging academic content standards that will prepare them to graduate from high school prepared for success in college and the workforce. In 2008, America’s governors and state education officials came together to develop a new set of college- and career-ready standards for their schools. The Obama Administration supported those efforts through its Race to the Top grant program and the federal-state partnership established in its ESEA flexibility agreements.

Rigorous Accountability for All Students: Consistent with the Administration’s legislative proposals and the policies in place under the Administration’s ESEA flexibility agreements, the bill builds on the federal-state partnerships in place in over 40 states to require meaningful goals for the progress of all students, and to ensure that every student subgroup makes gains toward college and career-readiness. States must set ambitious targets to close student achievement and graduation rate gaps among subgroups of students in order to meet their goals. In schools where too many students consistently fail to reach the goals and other indicators set by the state, school districts will ensure they receive tailored interventions and supports proportionate to the needs of those schools and the students they serve.

Reform and Resources for America’s Struggling Schools and Students: The bill will target resources, attention, and effort to make gains for our students attending schools most in need of help. Consistent with the policies in place under the Administration’s ESEA flexibility agreements, the bill moves away from NCLB’s one-size-fits-all accountability and ensures that states undertake reforms in their lowest performing schools, in high schools with high dropout rates, and in schools where subgroups are falling behind. It includes provisions that would require districts to use evidence-based models to support whole-school interventions in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools and schools where more than a third of high school students do not graduate on time, and includes dedicated funding to support interventions in these schools. In schools where subgroups of students persistently underperform, school districts must mount targeted interventions and supports to narrow gaps and improve student achievement. If such schools are not showing improvement, the state will ensure more rigorous strategies are put in place. Moreover, the Department of Education has the authority it needs to ensure that states carry out their responsibilities.

New Incentives to Improve Opportunities and Outcomes for Students: The bill includes initiatives modeled after the Administration’s programs to:

Establish or expand access to high-quality, state-funded preschool for children from low- and moderate-income families, building from the Administration’s Preschool Development Grants program.

Develop, refine, and replicate innovative and ambitious reforms to close the achievement gap in America’s schools, similar to the Administration’s existing Investing in Innovation (i3) program

Expand incentives to prepare, develop, and advance effective teachers and principals in America’s schools.

Leverage resources to address the significant challenges faced by students and families living in high-poverty communities through the Promise Neighborhoods effort, supporting a full continuum of services from early learning through college.

Expand support for high-performing public charter schools for high-need students.

A Smart and Balanced Approach to Testing: The bill maintains important statewide assessments to ensure that teachers and parents can mark the progress and performance of their children every year, from third to eighth grade and once in high school. The bill encourages a smarter approach to testing by moving away from a sole focus on standardized tests to drive decisions around the quality of schools, and by allowing for the use of multiple measures of student learning and progress, along with other indicators of student success to make school accountability decisions. It also includes provisions consistent with the Administration’s principles around reducing the amount of classroom time spent on standardized testing, including support for state efforts to audit and streamline their current assessment systems.

Promoting Equity in State and Local Funding: The Administration has called repeatedly for states and school districts to more equitably distribute state and local dollars to schools with the greatest need. The bill includes a pilot program – similar to a proposal put forward by the Administration this year in the FY16 budget – that provides for weighted student funding. Under the pilot, districts must demonstrate a commitment to equitable distribution of state and local dollars—based on actual per-pupil expenditures—to their highest poverty schools. In exchange, districts would be allowed to allocate and use Title I and other federal formula funds in a more flexible manner to support comprehensive plans that improve achievement and outcomes for their neediest students. The bill also includes provisions that require reporting on actual school-level expenditures, allowing the public for the first time to see the amount of federal, state, and local funding distributed to each and every school. The bill rejects so-called “portability” provisions in the House-passed bill that would have allowed states to shift federal funds away from the schools that need them most.




“Those federally mandated math and reading tests will continue, but a sweeping rewrite of the nation's education law will now give states — not the U.S. government — authority to decide how to use the results in evaluating teachers and schools. …. The new law will give states flexibility beyond using testing results to consider additional performance measures such as graduation rates. There are risks that states may set goals too low or not act quickly enough, said Daria Hall …. States and districts will still be able to link scores or consider them as a factor in teacher performance reviews, but they will not be required to do so. …. More children from low- and moderate-income families will have access to preschool through a new grant program that is to use existing funding to support state efforts. …. The legislation requires that test scores be broken down by race, family income and disability status. Parents also will be able to see how per-pupil funding breaks down by state, district and school. …. Testing will be one factor considered, but other measures of success or failure could include graduation rates and education atmosphere. To make sure all children get a fair shot at a quality education, states will be required to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps. …. Testing will be one factor considered, but other measures of success or failure could include graduation rates and education atmosphere. To make sure all children get a fair shot at a quality education, states will be required to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps.”


Not only was Obama smiling broadly after signing this bill, it should be a real improvement in the public education system. The changes as given in this CBS article and in the White House breakdown of December 2, will get rid of the onerous burden on students, teachers and schools to reach a certain benchmark or face serious consequences. Teachers won’t be fired based on their student’s overall performance, schools won’t be closed, students will have their passing of each grade based partly on the new tests, but not entirely.

I must say, though we did have standardized tests when I was going through, they weren’t every year and they DID NOT cause a kid to fail his grade. The tests were compared against a benchmark and the grades were used as information for teachers and PARENTS about their kid’s scores to improve their educational experience. They were called “achievement tests,” and measured basic skills. There was no mandatory History, Civics, Science, Literature tests; just math, vocabulary and grammar, reading comprehension, and sometimes a writing sample. In the fourth grade there was an actual IQ test, and at the end of high school the College Board exam. None of those things could prevent a child from graduating, but all of them were on their records and prospective employers and colleges had access to them.

I’m glad to see these changes, because it is my opinion that “education” doesn’t just mean the requirement of certain specific answers to specific questions, but a lifelong process, and our K-12 years should prepare us to continue to learn. In other words, vocabulary, spelling, grammar and an understanding of math were necessary as background to be built upon rather than a mark of personal acceptability. History, science, logic/philosophy, ethics and literature, while important, can be learned as the young person matures and should be. There is no end to that kind of education, and it is basic to forming what I call a “civilized” society. While this kind of education will help a citizen to get a well-paid job also, the main reward is the enlightenment of each individual. They will still have to go to college and study law, advanced science, IT, engineering and the various other specialties that will give them the six figure salaries that some think is necessary in life.

It is also important that schools whose students have done less well and which has less money to work with will mandatorily be given more money and assistance by the state, and the government money may not be used to short-change the public school system. On the other hand, states will not be coerced into teaching certain things which can be viewed as propaganda or follow the curricula of Common Core. The math, biology and history tests under that plan have been particularly hated, mainly by conservatives. I personally hate to see a school teaching religion based science or radical rightist history, but hopefully a consensus of our citizens will prevent the praise of slavery or ultranationalist ideas in our schoolbooks. Of course that may just be wishful thinking!




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/driverless-mbta-train-carrying-50-travels-through-4-boston-stops/

Runaway Boston train was tampered with, governor says
CBS NEWS
Last Updated Dec 10, 2015 12:22 PM EST

Photograph -- A train that left Braintree Station without an operator on Dec. 10, 2015.


BOSTON -- A six-car train with passengers on board that left a suburban Boston transit station without a driver Thursday and went through four stations without stopping was tampered with, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said.

None of the approximately 50 passengers was hurt, but the train's operator suffered a minor injury when he was brushed by the train, apparently as it began to move at the Braintree station, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said. CBS station WBZ-TV reports that the injured MBTA worker was transported to South Shore Hospital.

The above-ground Red Line train departed Braintree Station - the southernmost stop of the line - shortly after 6 a.m. without an operator and traveled north toward Boston, a statement from the MBTA said.

MBTA operations eventually disabled the train and brought it to a stop by cutting off power to the electrified third rail, officials said. An initial investigation indicated that a safety device within the train's cab may have been tampered with.

"This train was tampered with, and it was tampered with by somebody who knew what they were doing," Baker said during an interview on Boston Herald Radio.

Baker called it an "isolated" incident and said MBTA passengers should not be concerned.

Transit personnel boarded the train after it was stopped and drove it north to the JFK/UMass stop, where passengers disembarked. The train was taken out of service and brought to a maintenance facility in Boston, where an investigation is under way, according to Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the transit agency.

Passengers are among those being interviewed, the T said.

Passenger Fernanda Daly told WBZ-TV that when the lights went out on the train, riders knocked on the booth but found no conductor inside.

"The whole train started going slow, the lights went off and everything just stopped down between Quincy and JFK and we stayed there for about 30 minutes," the female passenger said.

"It was all dark, everything was quiet. It was just us. We had no idea what was going on," Daly said.

The woman said at first, passengers believed there was a gunshot and someone was injured, but that was not the case.

Some people attempted to break windows, while others attempted to pry open the doors, according to Daly.

"It was just kind of scary," she said.

Each train has only one operator.

The MBTA described the conductor involved in the incident as a "longtime employee."

Kristen Setera, a spokeswoman for the Boston office of the FBI, said in an email that the agency was aware of the incident and was in contact with transit police, but provided no other information.

Pesaturo said an initial examination showed no problems with the "functionality" of the train's equipment.




“MBTA operations eventually disabled the train and brought it to a stop by cutting off power to the electrified third rail, officials said. An initial investigation indicated that a safety device within the train's cab may have been tampered with. "This train was tampered with, and it was tampered with by somebody who knew what they were doing," Baker said during an interview on Boston Herald Radio. Baker called it an "isolated" incident and said MBTA passengers should not be concerned. …. The train was taken out of service and brought to a maintenance facility in Boston, where an investigation is under way, according to Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the transit agency. …. The MBTA described the conductor involved in the incident as a "longtime employee." Kristen Setera, a spokeswoman for the Boston office of the FBI, said in an email that the agency was aware of the incident and was in contact with transit police, but provided no other information. Pesaturo said an initial examination showed no problems with the "functionality" of the train's equipment.”


I wonder if the disclaimer that the event was a onetime thing will be satisfying to those who get on it every day. The person who tampered with the settings “knew what he was doing.” I think if somebody isn’t fired and then charged with a crime there will be an outraged outcry. This isn’t a bomb, but it is certainly a malicious act, and if the electricity in the third rail hadn’t been cut who knows what might have happened.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/san-bernardino-shooter-syed-farook-cell-phone-fbi-uncovers-high-school-photos/

Massacre gunman's cell phone photos prompt bomb sweep of schools
CBS NEWS
December 10, 2015

Play VIDEO -- FBI: San Bernardino shooters were radicalized for years
15 PHOTOS -- San Bernardino shooters
20 PHOTOS -- San Bernardino shooting victims


San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Rizwan Farook reportedly had photos of a local California high school in his cell phone.

School officials say the FBI was able recover photos of the exterior of Carter High School in Rialto.

Farook inspected schools as part of his job, but the school said it was unusual for him to keep photos of its exterior.

After last week's attack, police used bomb-sniffing dogs to search schools Farook had inspected as part of his job.

This is just one of several chilling details that have been disclosed about Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, who together opened fire at a social services center, killing 14 and wounding 21 people.

Speaking before lawmakers Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey confirmed the couple shared radical, extremist views long before they shared wedding vows - going back as far as two years.

"As early as the end of 2013, they were talking to each other about jihad and martyrdom before they became engaged," Comey said.

That would have been months before Farook brought his bride-to-be into the U.S. from Saudi Arabia in 2014, using a fiancé visa.

Officials believe Malik was radicalized before she came to America, having lawmakers now questioning how thoroughly she was vetted before being granted that visa.

Another "and whether her marriage to Farook could have been part of a terrorist plan all along.

In response to a question by Sen. Lindsey Graham about whether Malik's marriage to Farook may have been arranged by a terrorist organization, Comey said he "did not know the answer" yet, but did not rule out the possibility.

"It would be a very, very important thing to know." The FBI is also zeroing in on Farook's friend and neighbor, Enrique Marquez -- also related to Farook by marriage -- who investigators say purchased the rifles the couple used in their attack.

CBS News has learned that Marquez told investigators that he and Farook were planning an attack in 2012, but they didn't follow through. Still, Marquez has not been arrested, as the role he may have played in the San Bernardino attacks remains unclear.

As the FBI continues to comb through evidence, it says it has an estimated 900 active investigations involving ISIS sympathizers and other extremists nationwide.

Comey said his greatest fear following last week's terrorist attack is "what we don't know, what we can't see."

Survivors and family members of the San Bernardino victims returned to the scene of the shootings Wednesday to meet privately with investigators who answered their questions.

Thursday marks the first funeral for a victim of the massacre, 27-year-old Yvette Velasco who was one of the youngest killed in the attack.




“School officials say the FBI was able recover photos of the exterior of Carter High School in Rialto. Farook inspected schools as part of his job, but the school said it was unusual for him to keep photos of its exterior. After last week's attack, police used bomb-sniffing dogs to search schools Farook had inspected as part of his job. …. "As early as the end of 2013, they were talking to each other about jihad and martyrdom before they became engaged," Comey said. That would have been months before Farook brought his bride-to-be into the U.S. from Saudi Arabia in 2014, using a fiancé visa. Officials believe Malik was radicalized before she came to America, having lawmakers now questioning how thoroughly she was vetted before being granted that visa. …. Comey said his greatest fear following last week's terrorist attack is "what we don't know, what we can't see."


Tonight’s TV news spoke about the heavy use of inscription devices by ISIS. Our computer hackers can only do so much. There may be legislative action posed to outlaw that kind of technology, but people who for legitimate reasons want to keep their communications private will undoubtedly object. I personally would prefer allowing the police, CIA, etc. to break inscription codes in this time of need. This is beginning to look as though we are not only about to be in a hot war, we already are.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/swiss-police-geneva-paris-attacks-suspects-investigation-europe-terrorist-cells/

Hunt for Paris suspects expands in Switzerland
AP December 10, 2015

Photograph -- United Nations security officers stand guard outside the U.N. European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, December 10, 2015. REUTERS
Photograph -- Handout picture shows Belgian-born Abdeslam Salah seen on a call for witnesses notice released by the French Police Nationale information services on their twitter account November 15, 2015. REUTERS
Photograph -- eagles1.jpg, (L-R) Jesse Hughes, Dave Catching, Matt McJunkins and Julian Dorio, members of Eagles of Death Metal, mourn in front of the Bataclan concert hall to pay tribute to the shooting victims in Paris, France, December 8, 2015. REUTERS


GENEVA -- Geneva police were "actively searching" for suspects in connection with an investigation into the Paris attacks last month, Swiss security officials said Thursday.

Geneva's security department said that city authorities received word on Wednesday that Swiss federal authorities had flagged "suspicious individuals who could be in Geneva or the Geneva region."

Police were also increasing their counterterrorism vigilance level, and were working with international and national authorities to locate the suspects, the statement said. It didn't specify how many people were being sought or provide their identities.

Authorities were increasing police deployments in Geneva. The U.N. office in Geneva was also increasing its security precautions in connection with the enhanced measures by city police.

The Nov. 13 attacks on Paris, claimed by the Islamic State group, left 130 people dead and hundreds of others wounded. Salah Abdeslam, a fugitive suspected in the deadly attacks in Paris, is still at large. Several arrests were made in Belgium following the attacks.

Meanwhile a key committee of EU lawmakers has voted in favor of a new scheme to track extremist fighters, paving the way for the long-delayed system to be approved early next year.

The European Parliament Civil Liberties committee voted 38-19 Thursday to approve the airline passenger information system, with two abstentions. It means that an endorsement in the plenary session in January or February is now a formality.

The lawmaker who chaperoned the plan through parliament, Timothy Kirkhope, said: "now we have to get this implemented."

The system has been held up in the assembly for more than two years but the deadly attacks last month in Paris brought new urgency to the process. The plan grants law enforcement agencies access to information about air travelers for at least six months.




“Geneva's security department said that city authorities received word on Wednesday that Swiss federal authorities had flagged "suspicious individuals who could be in Geneva or the Geneva region." Police were also increasing their counterterrorism vigilance level, and were working with international and national authorities to locate the suspects, the statement said. It didn't specify how many people were being sought or provide their identities. …. Salah Abdeslam, a fugitive suspected in the deadly attacks in Paris, is still at large. Several arrests were made in Belgium following the attacks. Meanwhile a key committee of EU lawmakers has voted in favor of a new scheme to track extremist fighters, paving the way for the long-delayed system to be approved early next year. …. The European Parliament Civil Liberties committee voted 38-19 Thursday to approve the airline passenger information system, with two abstentions. It means that an endorsement in the plenary session in January or February is now a formality. The system has been held up in the assembly for more than two years but the deadly attacks last month in Paris brought new urgency to the process. The plan grants law enforcement agencies access to information about air travelers for at least six months.”


“At least six months” doesn’t sound very helpful to me. Of course, maybe the EU was nervous about the kind of data collection system that Snowden blew the whistle on in the US. Another article on this same subject said that the plan has been under discussion since 2007, which is a LOT more than two years, with the balance of individual rights and security being the holdup. ISIS emerged as a powerful force in Syria and Iraq just a few years ago, and then in the last year began attacking other areas. I think the Western powers were taken by surprise, perhaps because of a naïve belief that we in the First World are impervious to such foes. Of course, after al Qaeda that shouldn’t have been the case.

Donald Trump’s rabble rousing will make the possibility of much more intense war in those countries a reality, I’m afraid. It is true, however, that a few bombing raids isn’t and won’t be enough to stop ISIS, so a war may be necessary. The presence of Russian forces there is a problem, however. They simply can’t be trusted, as their straying across the border into Turkey numerous times before the shoot-down demonstrates. At least Turkey claims they did.

An interesting article today is on the subject of a poll of US Millennials who are much more in favor of the US sending ground troops into the ISIS areas now, but are not as interested in volunteering to go themselves. See the following article on that poll. Their political views are very interesting also. That’s not surprising. We may soon be seeing the all-volunteer army go the way of the dinosaurs as a need for more specialized soldiers such as Navy Seals comes into the picture. We need to mobilize more men, and then winnow out the ones who can’t keep up with the rigorous training.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-after-paris-millennials-want-ground-troops-to-fight-isis/

Poll: After Paris attacks, millennials want ground troops to fight ISIS
By REBECCA KAPLAN CBS NEWS
December 10, 2015

Photograph -- U.S. soldiers with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment patrol a ditch they have dug to protect the base from attack on July 19, 2011 in Iskandariya, Babil Province Iraq. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Play VIDEO -- Obama on decision to send ground troops to fight ISIS


The terror attacks in Paris last month appear to have sparked a groundswell of support for ground troops to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) among Americans age 18 to 29, according to a new poll from the Harvard Institute of Politics.

The poll found that support for a more involved U.S. military campaign to fight the jihadist group had dropped by nine percentage points in the past eight months and millennials - the name used to refer to that age group - were evenly split on the question of sending ground troops in the early fall. Forty eight percent supported it and 48 percent opposed.

But after the attacks, the percentage of millennials supporting the use of ground troops rose to 60 percent, with just 40 percent opposing.

The kicker: Young Americans aren't so eager for a ground campaign that they want to carry out the fight themselves. Just 16 percent of poll respondents said they already had served in the military, or would definitely or strongly consider joining.

This age group also has some unique political preferences from older generations. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, polls ahead of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic primary voters, netting 41 percent support to her 35 percent. It's a meteoric rise for Sanders, who got just 1 percent support in Harvard's spring poll. Two-thirds of the respondents in this group say it makes no difference to them that Sanders self-identifies as a Democratic socialist, and nearly a quarter (24 percent) said it makes them more likely to support him.

Twenty-two percent of likely Democratic voters are still undecided, and less than 1 percent support former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

The likely Republican voters are more representative of all ages. Businessman Donald Trump leads with 22 percent support. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson still gets 20 percent support among the group, although polling was conducted between October 30 and November 9, just before Carson's poll numbers began to sink.

Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, who have been on the rise in recent weeks, both netted 7 percent support, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush get 6 percent support. Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum got 2 percent support each, Ohio Gov. John Kasich got 2 percent, and everyone else in the GOP field got 1 percent or less.

Regardless of which candidate they would prefer, 43 percent of likely Republican voters said Carson is qualified to be president (17 percent say he is not qualified), and 38 percent said Trump is qualified (39 percent said he is not).

As a group, millennial voters still lean slightly Democratic with 56 percent saying they would prefer to see a Democrat elected in 2016. A little more than a third, 36 percent, say they want to see a Republican.

"Young people look more like the rest of Americans which means that in the last four or five years we've seen them become more polarized," said John Della Volpe the polling director at the Harvard Institute of Politics. "Democrats are moving further to the left, Republicans are moving further to the right."

Other major findings include:

People are split on whether they still believe in the "American Dream." Forty-nine percent said it was alive; 48 percent said it was dead. However respondents with more education are more likely to say the American dream is still alive: 58 percent of college graduates said so versus just 42 percent of those who are not in college or have never enrolled. The belief that the American dream is dead runs particularly strong among Trump and Sanders supporters: 61 percent of likely Trump voters say it is dead, and 56 percent of likely Sanders voters.

The trait most valued in a presidential candidate is integrity, not political experience. Fifty-one percent of respondents said integrity is the most important characteristic, followed by 33 percent who chose level-headedness and 26 percent that said authenticity. Just 18 percent said political experience matters most, and 11 percent said business experience is the most important.

Immigration tends to break down among party lines for millennials just as it does for adults: Seven in 10 millennial Republican voters support building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, versus just 31 percent of millennial Democrats. That breaks down to less than half of young voters (43 percent) who want a wall built at the border, and 43 percent who don't.

Engagement is still low: Just two in 10 people said they were "political engaged and active." In the fall of 2012, ahead of the last election, 25 percent called themselves politically engaged. A majority (52 percent) said they were not following the 2016 presidential campaign at all; 46 percent said they are following it "very" or "somewhat" closely.

The poll surveyed 2,011 18- to 29-year-old U.S. citizens between October 30 and November 9, 2015. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. It was conducted online with the Government and Academic Research team of GfK.




“Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, polls ahead of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic primary voters, netting 41 percent support to her 35 percent. It's a meteoric rise for Sanders, who got just 1 percent support in Harvard's spring poll. Two-thirds of the respondents in this group say it makes no difference to them that Sanders self-identifies as a Democratic socialist, and nearly a quarter (24 percent) said it makes them more likely to support him. …. As a group, millennial voters still lean slightly Democratic with 56 percent saying they would prefer to see a Democrat elected in 2016. A little more than a third, 36 percent, say they want to see a Republican. "Young people look more like the rest of Americans which means that in the last four or five years we've seen them become more polarized," said John Della Volpe the polling director at the Harvard Institute of Politics. "Democrats are moving further to the left, Republicans are moving further to the right." …. However respondents with more education are more likely to say the American dream is still alive: 58 percent of college graduates said so versus just 42 percent of those who are not in college or have never enrolled. The belief that the American dream is dead runs particularly strong among Trump and Sanders supporters …. Fifty-one percent of respondents said integrity is the most important characteristic, followed by 33 percent who chose level-headedness and 26 percent that said authenticity. Just 18 percent said political experience matters most, and 11 percent said business experience is the most important.”


I, being a Sanders supporter, am pleased to see younger adults lining up behind a noticeable political change toward a better economic and social balance in this country rather than four more years of lukewarm Democratic control, in a time when the far right is on the rampage. I am afraid that Hillary will not be as liberal as I want. She is, of course, far more likely to get the presidential nomination for the Democratic party in 2016, simply because she probably does seem more “safe” to non-Democratic voters. I can't imagine there are many, if any, liberalish voters who will actually vote for Donald Trump. He is considering, according to one article, a run as a third party candidate, which would almost certainly give the presidency to us rather than the Republicans remaining in the party after the Trump supporters pull out.