Notations on Our World: On #theIranDeal (The day After..with a late breaking update from the "Grid" On the View From Iran)

The Iran Deal has gone through.    As the debate in the United States is now pretty much settled, the "day after" debate continues though  as epitomized by what was noted over the week-end from the office of the US House Speaker: 

Weekly Address: Our Fight to Stop This Iran Deal Continues September 13, 2015 | View Online YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Transcript In this week's Republican address, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) vows that Republicans will continue to lead the fight to stop the president's Iran deal.  Detailing how dangerous the deal is for our security, and the security of our allies, McCaul says, "This was not a negotiation with an honest government.  It was a negotiation with terrorists, who chant 'Death to America' and stand against freedom and democracy." You can watch the address now, and check out these headlines:  “Republicans are launching fresh attacks against the Iran nuclear deal.  The deal ‘will leave Iran with the ingredients for a bomb and the infrastructure to build it,’ Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Saturday in a video. ‘Rather than stopping nuclear proliferation, this puts the Middle East at the starting line of a nuclear arms race.’  … ‘Congress has spent several weeks reviewing this agreement and listening to the American people,' McCaul, the House Homeland Security Committee chairman, said.  ‘It is now clear that this deal will not stop a nuclear Iran - but will instead endanger America and our allies for years to come.’” (CBS News) “House Republicans excoriated President Obama for his Iran deal in their weekly address… 'Unfortunately, President Obama's policies embolden Iran's leaders,' said Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, saying it puts Iran on a ‘glide-path’ to a nuclear weapon. ‘Instead of countering the regime's terrorist networks, the White House let them spread. And the President allowed Iran to get closer to a nuclear weapon.’” (Washington Examiner) “GOP rep: Iran deal starts Middle East nuclear arms race.  The President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran ‘puts the Middle East at the starting line of a nuclear arms race,’ House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Saturday.  ‘It will leave Iran with the ingredients for a bomb and the infrastructure to build it,’ McCaul said in the GOP’s weekly address. ‘And it will give Iran a cash windfall, freeing up over $100 billion to fuel the regime’s global campaign of Islamist terror.'  Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a resolution disapproving the Iran nuclear deal… But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from continuing to fight the deal, which they insist will fill Iran’s coffers while failing to create a robust nuclear inspection regime.” (The Hill) “Rep. Michael McCaul: Iran Nuclear Deal Was 'Negotiation with Terrorists'.  In the weekly Republican address, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, vowed to keep working to fight the Iran nuclear deal. … Speaking of his experience chairing a Congressional hearing at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City earlier in the week, McCaul invokes to American promise not to forget the September 11th attacks 14 years ago. ‘Iran's leaders have called for our defeat and the destruction of our close friend Israel,’ McCaul said. ‘The regime is responsible for more than 1,000 American casualties during the Iraq war, they have plotted a terrorist attack here in our Nation's capital, and launched destructive cyberattacks against American companies.’” (ABC News Radio) “US House Votes to Reject Iran Nuclear Deal.  The international nuclear deal with Iran ‘will not stop a nuclear Iran, but will instead endanger America and our allies for years to come,’ U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said Saturday in the weekly Republican address.  The House voted Friday to reject the international deal with Iran to curb its nuclear weapons, after a morning of emotional debate.” (VOA News) “McCaul: Agreement Will Not Stop Iran From Getting Nuclear Weapons.  Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, the threat from extremists is still growing, House Homeland Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said in Saturday's GOP address, adding that President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran will allow it to continue sponsoring terrorism and will not keep it from obtaining nuclear weapons.” (Newsmax)

	This is as the debate in Iran is continuing as the Majlis (Parliament) will be having a debate on it.     Iran is also continuing an aggressive diplomatic strategy as well as the Foreign Minister, Dr. Zarif, was just in China and was leaving China for Bangladesh as we went to press with this latest "Notations--It is also of note to realize this very interesting tweet that the +Al Monitor Arash Karami that Edits the Iran Pulse shared on his Twitter Feed on the mood of ordinary Iranians on the deal: From the pollsters who accurately predicted Rouhani's win. https://t.co/ezOE9zHCyk — Arash Karami (@thekarami) September 15, 2015

Notations On Our World: On the "Virtual Road" For the 2016 US Presidential Campaign

It has been a very busy 24 hours on the campaign scene.   As the polling-industrial complex has been hard at work, there is also a very pivotal event on September 16 in Simi Valley at the Reagan Presidential Library.    Republican candidates will be on stage for the second debate.

Donald Trump continues to dominate the polls although some of the polling underscores the high unfavorable ratings he's had with Women and minorities.   .   His latest target has been Carly Fiorina who will be on the stage with him Wednesday night when the debate commences.   

He was in Texas earlier tonight and spoke at the American Airlines Arena where the Dallas Mavericks play.  For those who do not know who the Dallas Mavericks are, they are a Basketball Team owned by the Billionaire Mark Cuban who is one of the "Sharks" on Shark Tank and is as big a personality as Donald Trump is.     Cuban had an interview with CNBC where he said he would crush Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton but denied he's actually running for President.    Mr. Trump had one of the standard stump speeches on his dealing with Ford, how he cherished women and ridiculed John Kerry.  He also praised Ted Cruz as a "good guy" but said he would take it back if Mr. Cruz attacked him on Wednesday.

Mr. Trump is continuing to "steal the show" so far.   His speech in Texas began with some of the late-breaking developments of the "Peace" he achieved with NBCUniversal.   He had earlier disposed of the Miss Universe Pageant and settled out the lawsuits.    It was also announced that the new Celebrity Apprentice Host will be Arnold Schwarzenegger

This is an interesting "snapshot" of what Mr. Trump's views are:  

Ev Williams 10 Charts Show Where Donald Trump Stands on the Issues With so many interviews, debates, press conferences, tweets, Snapchats, Instagrams and Facebooks, it’s hard to keep track of where… presidential candidate Donald Trump stands on the issues. ¶ And even if you could keep track, a lot of what he says doesn’t quite make sense. To cut through the noise, here are ten charts that… It has been quite a shock for us as we have seen some of the early favorites have just simply withered away.      Rick Perry was the first to "throw in the towel" as he suspended his campaign.  It will be interesting to see who remains standing as the Media War and the Polling War continues. Jeb Bush sent out a "call to action" to his mailing list as he gears up for the CNN debate as noted below: Friend – The second GOP debate of the 2016 election is only 3 days away and before I take the stage, I want to hear from you. Will you take 10 seconds right now before this big debate to let me know what issue is most important to you? Hearing the concerns of voters is one of the most important parts about running for President. To me, it’s a big part of what leadership is all about  – identifying the challenges facing Americans across the country and then putting forward real solutions to address them. Here’s my commitment to you in advance of debate: I’m going to talk about my conservative ideas and how to move this country forward. I believe every candidate on stage owes it to the American people to provide more than the same-old political talking points. But to do that, Friend, I need to hear from you. Take our one-question survey now and let me know what issue you’d like the candidates to focus on. It takes less than 10 seconds, I promise. Get started now, only 3 days to go: Jeb2016.com/Debate-Survey/ Thank you, Jeb The Democratic Field is also just as challenging as we see it.     Hillary Clinton continues to stumble in the polls and there is a lot of talk about Vice President Joe Biden throwing his hat in the ring.    As we went to press with this edition of "Notations", we reviewed a breaking story by the Bloomberg's Jon Hollerman as he reported that the Vice President met with a very key financier in New York who is quite close to the President.    The Vice President has been publicly wrestling with this decision as exemplified by his comments at the Democratic National Committee and his appearance on Late Night with Stephen Colbert.   It is an interesting story as the Democratic Candidates continue to criss-cross the country.   Our team found the appearance by Senator Sanders at Liberty University of special interest in trying to appeal to this conservative base in underscoring that everyone had to be talked to.      As the Media Wars ensue, key issues such as Prisons seem to be falling by the wayside for the moment as well as profound challenges such as Gun Violence as exemplified by the Murder of a History Professor in Mississippi earlier today:

Project Syndicate (@ProSyn) The US has 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prison population – about 2.2 million people bit.ly/1ieNRVp

  
As we went to press, it was just simply startling that saw this on the streets of  Orange County  as the campaign season gets under way: 

We wanted to also report on an very interesting resource we'd be consulting courtesy of USA.Gov which we will be periodically visiting as part of our on-going review and assessment: 

With the 2016 Presidential Election a little over a year away, do you know how to research presidential candidates and their political parties? On The Issues has a complete list of all the current presidential candidates and includes their views on issues important to constituents across the United States.   For more information visit our Researching Candidates page on USA.gov.

Notations For the Week-End: On Honoring Life

As it is a working weekend here in #Outsiders as we plan out our new week, we wanted to report on this very deep and perceptive +TED talk we received earlier this morning--What struck us was his legs which we hope all realize: 

BJ Miller: What really matters at the end of life

19:07 minutes · Filmed Mar 2015 · Posted Sep 2015 · TED2015

At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? For many, it’s simply comfort, respect, love. BJ Miller is a palliative care physician at Zen Hospice Project who thinks deeply about how to create a dignified, graceful end of life for his patients. Take the time to savor this moving talk, which asks big questions about how we think on death and honor life.

Watch now »

On This #911Day.......

Today is Friday 9/11.   Fourteen years ago today the horrible day occurred that changed America and the World forever.   It is a day to remember and reflect on this Patriots Day as we are here throughout #Outsiders.

Our team's tradition to share the Friday Musical Interlude is dedicated to America Today as we chose David Lanz' Redition of America for this day as we also feature the call to action from the Team at 9/11 Day & Good Deeds.       We also join US Senator Kristen Gillibrand of New York as she is spearheading efforts to ensure that all the first responders are taken care of.

This call to action was telling as we should heed the voice of the young who were born on this day:

Please watch this 30 second message from one child born on 9/11.

What to do this 9/11. Today we remember the victims and heroes of 9/11 by doing good deeds. Any good deed counts. Be kind to others. Put aside differences, and think of ways to help others. Remember the spirit of unity we all shared right after 9/11. Take Hillary's video message to heart. Please also share your good deed plans with others: Visit 911day.org and post your good deed on our site. (You’ll need Facebook) Go to Twitter and tweet your 9/11 good deed. Tag us @911day and use #911day. Share on your Facebook or Instagram page, tag us @911day and use #911day. Tag your friends and urge them to do good deeds, too. You can also join our Facebook orTwitter pages. Read what others are sharing. On this solemn and important 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, we dedicate our thoughts, our prayers, and our good deeds to those who lost their lives or were injured, to their families, and to the many who bravely rose in service in response to the attacks. Tragedy wasn’t the only thing born on 9/11. Hope was born too. We wish you peace on this day. David Paine                         Jay Winuk Co-Founder, 9/11 Day         Co-Founder, 9/11 Day

We close this with this David Lantz Tribute to America as we also note this from President Ronald Reagan:

Notations On Our World: On the US Political Scene

The Cruz/Tea Party Patriot Rally against the Iran Deal was one of the highlights.  It featured Glenn Beck, Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin along with Ted Cruz and the headliner:  Donald Trump.   Our team's assessment was simply this:  great entertainment. This rally occurred as  the Iran deal is done with 42 US Senators supporting the deal.    The debate will continue to be robust.    

The House leadership decided to not put the Resolution to disapprove sponsored by Congressman Ed Royce of California to a vote--and to instead put up 3 separate resolutions.    Some in the pundit class noted that this is a prelude to another lawsuit that the House may initiate against the President.     It must be noted that there is another lawsuit already that Professor Jonathan Turley of George Washington Law School is Lead Counsel and he reflected upon a major development in his blog earlier yesterday:

FEDERAL COURT RULES THAT HOUSE HAS STANDING IN HISTORIC CHALLENGE by jonathanturley The House’s entire legal team would like, first and foremost, to express its gratitude and respect for Judge Rosemary Collyer in issuing this historic and profound decision. The opinion is attached below. Read more of this post

The contention by the Conservatives in the House is that the President has not in fact presented the information and hence the trigger for the 60-day review period has not even begun.   The key date is September 17 and if the Congress does not act by then, the President is authorized to remove sanctions.     The US Congress is also slated to vote on the Federal Budget since the Fiscal Year will begin October 1.

In the meantime, the Presidential Candidates have been hard at work.   Mike Huckabee took up the cause of the jailed Kentucky County Clerk who defied A US Supreme Court order and was sent to jail by a Federal District Judge.   Ted Cruz tried to "crash" the party in Kentucky before rushing back to Washington to officiate at the Tea Party Event along with Donald Trump.    Donald Trump continued his "Trumpism" as he criticized the looks of Carly Fiorinia who hit back .    Jeb Bush was on Stephen Colbert.   Other candidates continued to criss-cross the Country and hit the political talk show circuit--including Martin O'Malley of the Democrats on Bloomberg and Jim Gillmore on All In With Chris Hayes.   Ben Carson was in our home county of Orange County speaking at the Anaheim Convention Center.   All the polls have Donald Trump and Ben Carson at the top and everyone else on the Republican Field is at 6 percent or below.   Our team was startled as we reviewed this from the National Review on one of the former stars, Governor Walker:

Scott Walker has long been a favorite for the GOP nomination in 2016, but since he announced his candidacy, things haven't gone nearly as well as expected.

National Review's Rich Lowry and Eliana Johnson write in an in-depth piece today on Walker's implosion - and what he can do to salvage his chances for 2016.

…Some formerly admiring political insiders describe his campaign as "dreadful" and "completely unworthy of Scott Walker," and wonder if he can recover.
What happened? Unaffiliated political strategists, operatives from rival campaigns, and Walker allies - almost all of whom requested anonymity to speak frankly - describe a number of challenges and mistakes.

Read the FULL STORY HERE.

As we went to press, The Daily Update here reflected the reporting courtesy of Fortune that the Fed will balk at raising interest rates because of the carnage in the markets and the uncertainty in China that our team has been reporting on daily during our daily "Twitter Roundup".   

Not withstanding the rhetoric of the candidates, what happens beyond the shores of the United States matters       The war in Yemen is continuing with no clear end in sight as Egypt announced a contingent of 800 Soldiers will be deployed.   Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have soldiers on the ground already as the war seems to see no end.   Syria is also just as challenging as ever especially as the Russians have begun a major deployment.  

It is ever so a challenging World.....

Notations On our World: A Brief Update On US Election Watch, Climate Change & Other thoughts

Our team has been on the "Virtual Prowl" as it has been assessing the latest on the US Political Front. It was of note how Hillary Clinton came out with an apology and also this email late last night as her poll numbers continue to slide:

Mike -- I wanted you to hear this directly from me: Yes, I should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and one for my work at the State Department. Not doing so was a mistake. I'm sorry about it, and I take full responsibility. It's important for you to know a few key facts. My use of a personal email account was aboveboard and allowed under the State Department's rules. Everyone I communicated with in government was aware of it. And nothing I ever sent or received was marked classified at the time. As this process proceeds, I want to be as transparent as possible. That's why I've provided all of my work emails to the government to be released to the public, and why I'll be testifying in public in front of the Benghazi Committee later next month. I know this is a complex story. I could have -- and should have -- done a better job answering questions earlier. I'm grateful for your support, and I'm not taking anything for granted. I understand that you may have more questions, and I am going to work to keep answering them. If you want to read more, including my emails themselves, please go here: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/emails/ Thank you, Hillary It is quite a read.   This is as Republicans are trying to gain traction through the media as he Ted Cruz and Donald Trump (and others including Sarah Palin) teamed up to rally against the Iran Nuclear Deal.    Ted Cruz noted that Iran can create an EMP attack that would directly impact the Eastern United States.        Beyond the US election scene, another more crucial event is coming up.    Itis the climate change in Paris coming up later on this month.   Our team will be on the "Virtual Road" as we assess the proceedings.   The team @350.Org sent this advisory out with a key advisory on an event they have planned for tomorrow:

Friends,

To be honest, I'm not much a fan of big climate summits. None so far have done hardly anything to solve the problem, and this year's Paris talks may be no different.

But if they're good for anything, it's that for a few weeks at least, the world tends to focus a little more on the state of the climate and our attempts to save it.

And so with the big Paris talks on the horizon, our job is to focus that attention on what it will really take to get serious: keeping at least 80% of fossil fuels under ground and getting to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

What may be different this time is that getting there is actually quite possible. The cost of solar panels is lower than ever and falling, and a big movement has sprung up to oppose new fossil fuel projects from Keystone XL to the Galilee Basin coal reserves in Australia.

We have a whole plan for the coming months: from local workshops this September, to a global day of action at the beginning of the Paris talks, to a mass action to have the final word after they end. And to cap it all off, April of next year we're planning the most ambitious wave of global action yet.

And tomorrow night in New York City, we're kicking it off with an event co-hosted by Naomi Klein, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, and a ton of activists from around the world -- and we're livestreaming it out around the world.

We're going to try and lay out the road ahead for the climate movement -- how we're going to use mass action and divestment to keep turning off dirty energy, and turn on cheap, clean renewable power all over the world. We'll lay out a roadmap past the Paris talks and straight to one of the biggest days of resistance we've ever engaged in. Also, there will be good music!

So if you can't be there in the room, be in the virtual room on your computer. Just click here at 7 PMEastern time tomorrow when the show gets underway, and press play: 350.org/off-on-live

In short, it's a night not to miss. Oh, and tweet in ideas/comments if you're watching; I'll be trying to monitor them during the show. Just use the hashtag #offandon.

With gratitude for all your work,

Bill

Notations On Our World: On the Eve of 9/11 (A Day of Service & Remembrance)

We wanted to report on this For the Community that we received.  The Call to Action is self-explanatory as we shall never forget:

Join us for the 2015 September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance Dear Community Volunteer,  We wanted to get your attention before the Labor Day Weekend, especially because making a difference is important to you. September 11, 2015 marks the annual National Day of Service and Remembrance, a day to honor the lives of those who were lost and commemorate the spirit of compassion and generosity that followed.  On this anniversary, we will unite in service in the same remarkable way that so many have come together for the last 14 years. The photo in this message shows the President and First Lady last year volunteering alongside members of the military and AmeriCorps members to build a playground for a Washington, DC school that lacked an outdoor area for students to exercise. You can join us in honoring this day in three ways:  Organize a service project in your community for September 11. Please post your event on Serve.gov and visit the September 11th website to find tools to help you plan and promote your project. Visit Serve.gov to find a volunteer project near you on September 11. Share your photos and stories on social media. Join us on Twitter at @NationalService and use #911Day to promote your service event. Also, you can visit 911Day.org for additional resources and ways to get involved.  Thank you for your upcoming September 11 efforts in honoring the victims and their families through service.  In service,  Ted Miller Chief of External Affairs Corporation for National and Community Service