Photo, left: Titanic lifeboat, 1912.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal editorial board & host of OpinionJournal.com.  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents.
Hour One
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 1, Block A: Lewis Libby and Hillel Fradkin, Hudson Institute, in re:  
The whole drift of the agreement leans toward Iran: "Iran shall have the right to ___" without commensurate text for the US.
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 1, Block B:  Edward W Hayes, criminal defense attorney par excellence, in re: vagrancy in New York. A McDonald's on Eighth Ave at 35th St, where heroin addicts hang.  Similar in front of Penn Station three block away.  Sick and deranged people sprawled on the sidewalk.  Young women with infants sitting on the concrete floors of the subways, begging.  EH: The infant often belongs to someone else, is rented out for begging.  Homeless people all over the streets.  DeBlasio has arranged this, now is in a big fight against Uber. 
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 1, Block C: Jillian Kay Melchior, National Review Online, on the ship Westerdam off the western coast of Alaska, in re: The Trump Enterprise Institute: a for-profit "university" in NY from 2005 to 2011; repeatedly warned by the Education Dept that he was running an illegal university, scamming students up to $35,000 for courses that didn't give them any benefit.  They were promisd they'd learn all of Donald Trump's signature methods. In fact, classes were taught by instructors who'd gone bankrupt; students started with a three-day course, then pressured to take the 35K course.  Told, "Donald Trump has just left" or "will drop by soon" – and were given a cardboard cut-out for photographs.  Regulators watrned him often; why didn’t they just shut him down?  Ahh – a very good question. The NY Atty-Gen, Eric Schneiderman, is aggressively pursuing Trump for a civil suit; why not a criminal suit? The Trump Institute: 5m,000 people are alleging that it was only a total scam. Trump Towers on the West Side of Manhattan: low ceilings, high prices. In El Paso today on the boorder: was that the real Donald Trump, or a cardboard cut-out?
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 1, Block D: Bruce Thornton, , in re:  colonialism and the use of that word. . . .  Wilson: configuring boundaries.   Britons overcredited the Hashemites with help during the war; decided they should have a national state; these two forces led to the states created in the Middle East.  In fact, these were not colonies. The first casualty of war: foreign policy.  "Colonialism."  Applies to the scramble for Africa in the Nineteenth Centiury, ep eopold  But the West id not have colonies in the Middle East, so the word has becoe a smear, esp under the _ of Maxism. Islamist and other anti-Wesrern regimes in the Middle East have picked up on the word, cast it to benefit their imperial designs, such as for a caliphate. Misapplication for a term, which is simplified to a smear, and mischaracterizes the roots of the regional problems.   Bin Laden and al Zawahiri in writing to the West are looking for sympathy from the disffected – bin Laden even referred to the Kyoto Treaty; skilled at manipulating our guilt and self-loathing.  "Colonial oppression" "neo-colonialism" "imperialism" -  all thrown around by tyrants only in speaking to the West.  At home and in Arabic, they don't.
 
Hour Two
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 2, Block A:  Michael Rubin*, analyst, & author, Rogue Nations, in re:  Parchin an IRGC site, mil complex 20 mi SE of Teheran where a lot of nuclear weaponry work is thought to have occurred (by IAEA, 2011, et al.). Corker (Foreign Relations Cee chair)- Carden law,  legislation which the president swore to uphold: written to erequie the WH to furnish both any agreement and any side-deal or annexes.   The more the Senate learns, the more concern; and the more Secy Kerry talks, the worse the worries.  For example, the deal says that Iran will prvide amples, the IAEA may  not collect asamples. ie a drug test whre the junkie sows up with t he testable material.  One step forward, two steps back. The IRGC refuses to acquiesce to any part of he deal, Supreme Leader: "When people say that I've congratulated the negotiating team, that would be a mistaken understanding. I have not endorsed it."  The Supreme Leader is about substance, the president of Iran is about substance, has about  as much power as the US Secy of Agriculture. 
 
Big chunks of the deal are not written down and are not yet available to the Congress, the representatives of the American citizenry.  Big question: do Senate and Congress trust the accords? If not, there's nothing acceptable.   Major concern: "No  inspection of military sites, whatsoever."  Ergo, even if Congress fails to override the president's veto, then inspections need to start that day.
 
* former Pentagon official whose major research areas are the Middle East, Turkey, Iran and diplomacy. Rubin instructs senior military officers deploying to the Middle East and Afghanistan on regional politics, and teaches classes regarding Iran, terrorism, and Arab politics on board deploying U.S. aircraft carriers. Rubin has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, both pre- and post-war Iraq, and spent time with the Taliban before 9/11.
 
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 2, Block B:   Mark Randall Meadows  (NC-11), on the House Foreign Affairs Committee  and others; in re: Yesterday's Stop Iran rally, surrounded by many Democrats. Are you confident that you're getting the best information from ht White House?  In fact, news of htat rally reached Washington and reated a quite a buzz. As for if, we’re getting talking ponts but not ecessarily all the [requisite] information. People who showed up at thaeh rally hav every reason to be caustous This is about the security of the US, as well as of Israel.  Susan Rice, Secy Lew: release "only" $100 billion in sancitns; nothng to stop it from going to Hezbollah, amas – which Teheran already funds, A Congressional bill working through the House.  Unbelievable stimulus money being handed over to Iran.  Odd that the US president wasn't ready to wait for the US Congress to read the document before submitting  the agreement to the UN. Troubling that that's the first stop. Was designed to put pressure on Congress. Ciizenry can call their Congressmen and Senators to override the veto. A little Russian and Chinese influence in the deal.  "This iwill make the Middlea East and Israel more secure" – if so, whiy did the president immed start discussing addtl arms to augment Israel's capability? Ashton Carter already there negotiating extra Israeli defense.  The substance needs to be more transparent. So far, spin and talking points.
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 2, Block C:  Col Richard Kemp*,  , in re: The Secy of State began presentatin to COngres of the Iran deal, claim that it makes htMiddle East more secure, less unstable. If so, why has ScDef Ash Carton instantly flown to Israel to sell arms/  In th UN SC this morning,  Israeli amb said: if the Gulf Arab states and Israel share concerns, an anomaly, the world should listen.his deal dramaticallyireases the danger from Iran, gives greater power than we’ve seen to Iran, which posies a serious threat to the Midle East and he rest of the world.  Recall tha British peope have been conditioned over recent years to resiste confrontatin rather than stand up whenneeded.  Demoralized by Afghanistan, plus we have a significant Islamic populatin which peope try to appease.  Britain and Europe are supine over this. Britain derives most of its world authority from it relations with the US, so must be seen to ally with the US. In this deal, that's a wrong decision.  Russia derives a lot of income from arms deals; moreover, it's hellbent doing al it can to oppose the US, sees arms sales to Iranas a ay of gaining regional leverage and weakening US power.   The MOPs: if Iran  abrogates, will MOPs help? In the near term Iran has carte blanche, esp discreet violations, but also blatant.   Ira n is currently conducting four civil wars. Ha sacnctions been left in bplace it wold have been overextended; but Alerica and the P5+1 have backed down and bowed to Iran.  This kind of appeasement  has never, ever contained any tyrannies.  The Gaza conflict of 2014 could never have happened withut Iran. Iran will not let Hamas rest, including hen it wants to; Iran will force Hamas to send rclets into Israel. Similar Hezbollah. Foregone conclusion that ______ - Saudis, Egypt,Turkey, planning to obain nuclear arms. The world fighting to prevent this since 1945.  Region terrified of a nuclear, of an embolddened, Iran, and are turingin swiftly to Israel.
 
* Colonel Richard Justin Kemp CBE (ret.) British Army officer served 1977 – 2006, was Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, infantry battalion Commanding Officer, worked for the Joint Intelligence Committee and COBR and completed 14 operational tours of duty around  the globe.
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 2, Block D: Omri Ceren, TIP news; in re: IAEA and Iran’s missile program
Hour Three
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 3, Block A: Malcolm Hoenlein, in re:  King of Jordan faces multiple security issues, esp ISIS at its border, so Israel is providing 16 Cobra helos to Jordan to fight ISIS.  Israeli opposition against Netanyahu sides strongly with him agaist this deal – Herzog, leader of the opposition, said strongly and drectly that all parties oppose the Obama deal. 
 
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 3, Block B: Dore Gold, , in re: :  the Viennna Accord, the Iran deal:  the PMD, possiblemilitary dimensions (what Iran has already accomplished uinnukes): iAEA says "missile reentry design activity:" incl how to remove the high expl warhead from Sheahb 3 to replace it with a spherical (nuclear) warhead. Whre are hteames f he stes whre this is beig done? What warehaeds. / Who?  How can you cease activity not yet clarified? The fact that w don't kow this is a ver beig hols inh te agree,emt.    The touted 5- and 8-year restrictins on arms sals and missile work can, in fact, be suspended in the first year if Iran is found to be in compliance.  Ballistic missiles are a big deal. You'd expect that the missile program would be stopped.  Cf. similar agreement with Saddam Hussein.  Here it's all vague, which is deeply disturbing.   Disturbs the living daylights out fof Iran's neighbors!  Iranian foreign minister addressed the Majlis in Farsi: "This agreement does not creaate for Iran any binding agreement to halt its missile program," so the defense minister immediately announced work on its missile program.
Military build-up all across the region in reaction to Iran –where Iran is activiely running major military operations  in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. However, with the $150 bil to be released to Iran, its ablity to engage in terrorism and war will be much anmplified. Hezbollah's large rocket forces are being given perecision guidance, so the missiles can hit local targets with much more accuracy.
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 3, Block C: Murad Ismael, Yazda.org, in re: Yazidis: ongoing crisis, UN, abductions, ISIS cruelty, European coverage of the matter; British Parliament is concerned. Iraqi govt has given Yazidis no money at all. USAID is present in the camps but there are hundreds of thousands of people living rough.   
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 3, Block D: Bill McGurn, Hoover, in re: Uber & DeBlasio
Hour Four
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 4, Block A: Richard A Epstein, Hoover Institution, Chicago Law, in re: Iran deal (1 of 2)
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 4, Block B: Richard A Epstein, Hoover Institution, Chicago Law, in re: Iran deal (2 of 2)
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 4, Block C: Alan Meltzer, Hoover, in re:  redistribution
Thursday  23 July 2015 / Hour 4, Block D:   Seb Gorka, Marine Corps University & Breitbart, in re: the Chattanooga shooter