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September 2015
Sep 2 In the US, people who like Trump are saying there is a need to vote for people who are not politicians. People are pointing to a "do-nothing Congress" as reason to elected an outsider. A Washington Post columnist, Michael Gerson, two days ago wrote of Trump as saying the US has been betrayed by elites, that the country needs more than policy papers, it needs a savior. Gerson says Trump "will certainly fail."
Sep 4 In Kentucky, country clerk Kim Davis,has defied a court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. She has been put in jail. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky are speaking up her. Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and a candidate for president, tweets about "the criminalization of humanity." A couple of other Republican presidential aspirants, Lindsey Graham and Carly Fiorina, are urging Davis to follow the law or resign.
Sep 10 According to CNN poll Trump leads the other Republican Party presidential aspirants with support from 32 percent of those polled. Speaking behind a rostrum adorned with the words "Tea Party Patriots", Trump described President Obama as"stupid," that we are being led by "very stupid people." Pundit-journalist Fareed Zakaria describes Trump as having "outlandish ideas." George Will writes that Trumps promises are "probably as malleable as his principles," that "some of this rivals for the nomination, disoriented by their fear and envy of him, are making the GOP seem like the party of boneless wonders."
Sep 10 Scientists announce the discovery in South Africa of a previously unknown species of early human: Homo naledi, South Africa. Fossils of at least fifteen of these individuals have been excavated from the cave. The fossils were first discovered by recreational cavers Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker in 2013. Adult males are estimated to have stood around 150 centimeters (5 feet) tall and weighed around 45 kilograms (100 lbs). The thumbs, wrist and palm bones are modern-like while their fingers are curved and useful for climbing. Geologists estimate that the cave in which the fossils were discovered is no older than three million years.
Sep 11 Former Governor of Texas Rick Perry drops out of the race for the Republican nomination for president.
Sep 13 ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz asks candidate Dr Ben Carson if he is bothered by Trump describing him as a nice man but without "the energy" needed to be president. Trump is claiming that "We need people that are really smart, that have tremendous deal-making skills and have great, great energy."
Sep 15 BBC News reports that Russia's President Putin "has pledged continued military support for Syria's Bashar al-Assad." In the US, members of the Republican Party are complaining.
Sep17 Most republican candidates for president are complaining about President Obama mishandling the crisis in Syria. They say the US should have led other powers in applying force against Assad and that our allies (France, Britain and others) would have followed.
Sep 18 Automaker Volkswagen is alleged to have been involved in the rigging of diesel emissions tests, affecting an estimated 11 million vehicles.
Sep 21 Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker drops out of the Republican Party's presidential race.
Sep 22 Iran's President Rouhani has responded to a Sixty Minutes interview question about calls for "Death to America." He says that "enmity" between Iranians and Americans will not go away soon. He says what is important is which direction we are heading and that "we have taken the first step toward decreasing this enmity."
Sep 24 The Times of Israel has described speeches by Iranians at a military parade on September 22 (the 35th anniversary of the start of the eight-year Iraq-Iran war). It describes Iranian army chief Hassan Firouzabadi scoffing at Republicans in the US talking about a military option against Iran. President Rouhani's speech at the same parade was carried live on state television. He described his country's military as the most reliable force to take on "terrorists in the region" – a reference according to the Times of Israel to the Islamic State (IS). He said that Iranian troops "have helped both Iraq and Syria" in the struggle against IS, and he said that Iran has no military intentions toward other nations."
Sep 25 Stampeding Haj pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia has left 717 people dead and more that 860 injured.
Sep 27 Pope Francis speaks to the US Congress. He speaks against conceit and of the need to find a good balance between attitudinal extremes. He says:
You are the face of [the] people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics.
Sep 30 Russia beings air strikes in Syria. The Russian defense ministry says its air force has targeted IS military equipment, communication facilities, arms depots, ammunition and fuel supplies. BBC News reports that "Syrian opposition activists" describe Russian warplanes as having "hit towns including Zafaraneh, Rastan and Talbiseh, resulting in the deaths of 36 people, a number of them children."
Copyright © 2016 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.