Photo, above: Persian warriors from the Berlin Museum.  In the matter of Defense Ministers:  Darius the Great advises his successor, "If thus thou shalt think, 'May I not feel fear of [any] other,' protect this Persian kara*; if the Persian kara shall be protected, thereafter by the will of Ahuramazda happiness shall come down uninterruptedly and eternally upon this royal house."

Darius I (Old Persian: Dārayava(h)uš; New Persian: داریوش یکم هخامنشی c. 550–486 BCE) was the third king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. Also called Darius the Great, he ruled the empire at its peak, when it included much of  West Asia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria-Pannonia), portions of north and northeast Africa including Egypt, eastern Libya, coastal Sudan, Eritrea, as well as most of Pakistan, the Aegean Islands and northern Greece / Thrace-Macedonia.  Darius is mentioned in the Biblical books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Haggai, and Zechariah.

The young Iranian was schooled – in companies of fifty – in running, swimming, horse grooming, tilling the land, tending the cattle, making various handicrafts, and getting accustomed to standing at watch; he would be trained in the arts of the chase (both afoot and on horseback), archery, throwing the spear and javelin, and of sustaining forced marches in unfriendly climate. At twenty he started his military profession, which lasted till the age of fifty as a foot soldier or a rider. The elitist groups were trained for both tasks. Thus, Darius says proudly: "Trained am I both with hands and with feet. As a horseman, I am a good horseman. As a bowman, I am a good bowman both afoot and on horseback. As a spearman, I am a good spearman both afoot and on horseback." [more]  

* kara - كارها = jobs – works.   [Note: If you’re a native Farsi speaker and can correct this definition, please let us know.]

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes

Hour One

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 1, Block A: Francis Rose, Federal News Radio, in re: Was Hagel doomed from the start? - CNN.com   Chuck Hagel was doomed even before he walked into the Pentagon.   Abbott: Texas readying challenge to Obama's action  Greg Abbott says the state is preparing to challenge President Obama's immigration . . .   Heritage Foundation: Obama's Immigration Amnesty Will Cost American Taxpayers $2 Trillion  Republicans Aren't Winning the Immigration Fight. Here's Why. For laughs: Lois Lerner's 30,000 emails, including all her Chinese food orders.  Announcement from Missouri of Grand Jury's decision not to indict the police officer. (1 of 3)

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 1, lock B: Francis Rose, Federal News Radio, in re:  President Obama's announcement on the decision not to indict in Ferguson; and news of the day. Chuck Hagel was doomed even before he walked into the Pentagon. The Vietnam veteran with deep relationships on Capitol Hill shocked Washington by appearing unprepared and inarticulate before his former colleagues during a Senate confirmation hearing to become defense secretary. He never really recovered and, nearly two years later, seemed increasingly out of step with an administration facing new national security challenges everywhere from the Middle East to Ukraine. Hagel announced his intent to resign on Monday. He was pushed out by President Barack Obama, sources told CNN, but will stay in the job until a successor is named.  His departure reflects Hagel's inability to adapt to rapidly changing developments around the world or master the politics of Washington. Hagel joined the administration at a time when Obama insisted that the nation was moving beyond a decade of war only to find himself grappling with the threat from ISIS, turmoil in Iraq and aggressive moves from Russia. In fact, there were signs that Hagel was becoming increasingly critical in private of Obama's Syria strategy, which is constrained by the President's insistence that U.S. ground troops must not be dragged into a vicious civil war.

"I've heard he has been a dead man walking for a while. He just didn't prove effective" said a former Pentagon official familiar with the personal dynamics of the Obama administration's foreign policy team. . . .

(2 of 3)

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 1, Block C: Francis Rose, Federal News Radio, in re: News of the day. (3 of 3)

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 1, Block D:  Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: Exclusive: China ready to cut rates again on fears of deflation . . .
    What global markets cheered on Friday is actually troubling news.   BEIJING — A major reclamation project by the Chinese government on a tiny reef 500 miles from the mainland would enable China to land . . .    China Rate Cut May Lack Impact  China’s move to slash lending rates to help slowing growth may lack punch, as Chinese banks will likely remain reluctant to lower loan rates for fears of hurting their profits.    Stock Surge Before Rate Cut Raises Worries  Heard: Move Favors Big Fish  Essay: The End of China’s Economic Miracle?

Hour Two

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block A:  John Fund, National Review Online, & David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent, in re: 1. Hagel resigns.  Kerfuffle.  2.  Immigration.  Brouhaha.  3.  Executive orders. Palaver.  4.  Obama without Justice and Defense.  State next?  5.  In sum, elections have consequences. (1 of 2)

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block B: John Fund, National Review Online, & David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent.  (2 of 2)

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block C:  Gregory Copley, StrategicStudies director; GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs; & author, UnCivilization, in re: Tony Abbott tells G20 leaders he backs coal, despite pleas ...  Exclusive: PM robustly defends Australia's position as a coal exporter in closed meeting on energy with world leaders.   Keystone pipeline delays symbolic of strained Canada-U.S. ... Canada's dealings with the United States seemed full of ... the Harper government undermined its own pro-Keystone position by not . . .

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 2, Block D:  Jed Babbin, American Spectator, in re: Was Hagel doomed from the start?  ,   Chuck Hagel was doomed even before he walked into the Pentagon. The Vietnam veteran with deep relationships on Capitol Hill shocked Washington by appearing unprepared and inarticulate before his former colleagues during a Senate confirmation hearing to become defense secretary. He never really recovered and, nearly two years later, seemed increasingly out of step with an administration facing new national security challenges everywhere from the Middle East to Ukraine. Hagel announced his intent to resign on Monday. He was pushed out by President Barack Obama, sources told CNN, but will stay in the job until a successor is named.  His departure reflects Hagel's inability to adapt to rapidly changing developments around the world or master the politics of Washington. Hagel joined the administration at a time when Obama insisted that the nation was moving beyond a decade of war only to find himself grappling with the threat from ISIS, turmoil in Iraq and aggressive moves from Russia. In fact, there were signs that Hagel was becoming increasingly critical in private of Obama's Syria strategy, which is constrained by the President's insistence that U.S. ground troops must not be dragged into a vicious civil war.  "I've heard he has been a dead man walking for a while. He just didn't prove effective" said a former Pentagon official familiar with the personal dynamics of the Obama administration's foreign policy team. . . .

Hour Three

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block A:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block B: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block C:  Mark Oppenheimer, NYT, in re: the UU's:  Unitarian Universalists in an uncharacteristic snit; "You may not be graduated until you send us all your emails from last year."   http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/us/inquiry-focuses-on-leaked-documents-at-starr-king-school-for-the-ministry.html

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 3, Block D:   Claire Curry, Bloomberg, in re: EPA Won't Finalize Renewable Fuel Standard in 2014, Cites ...  Instead, the EPA plans to issue a new rule in 2015 to set standards for 2014 . . . in advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, they viewed the EPA's action as . . .  the fuels Americans need with so much regulatory uncertainty.

Hour Four

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block A:  Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: More jihadist training camps identified in Iraq and Syria  Four new training camps in Iraq and Syria, three of them operated by the Islamic State, have been identified, including one used by a so-called jihadist "special forces" unit. The Long War Journal has identified 46 jihadist training camps in Iraq and Syria.

Ex-Gitmo 'poet' now recruiting for the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan  Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost was once held at Guantanamo. Today, he is recruiting for the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dost claims he had a vision at Guantanamo predicting the coming caliphate.

5 transferred Gitmo detainees served al Qaeda, leaked files allege  The Defense Department announced the transfer of five Guantanamo detainees yesterday. According to leaked threat assessments prepared by Joint Task Force Guantanamo, all five served al Qaeda. Four of the five were deemed either "high" or "medium to high" risks.

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block B:  Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: AQAP rejects Islamic State's 'caliphate,' blasts group for sowing dissent among jihadists  Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, directly responds to a Nov. 13 speech by the Islamic State's Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Nadhari says that Baghdadi's caliphate is illegitimate and criticizes him for trying to split the jihadists' ranks around the world.

AQIS announces death of 2 senior leaders in US operation Adil Qudoos was a former major in the Pakistani Army; Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, planner of the 9/11 attacks, was arrested at Qudoos' home in 2003. The second jihadist leader, Dr. Sarbaland, served as a surgeon and senior propagandist for al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block C:  Henry I Miller, M.D., Hoover & Forbes.com, in re: "Why Organic Isn't 'Sustainable'"

Monday  24 November  2014  / Hour 4, Block D: Victoria Stilwell, Bloomberg News, in re:   U.S. RECOVERY: Lower-Wage Workers See Bigger Pay Gains—Fatter paychecks bode well for economic growth as families at the lower end of the wage scale are more likely to spend extra cash than their wealthier counterparts, who tend to squirrel some of it away. That means the luxury categories such as private jets that dominated sales last year are giving way to the more mundane, including televisions and restaurant meals.  [more]

 

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