Third Saturday Seminar 2017-2018

Return of the Elders, Unleash your

Session 3

“Welcome home, Mr. President. How was your trip?”

Don’t (be) Panic(ked)

Saturday, 18 November 2017 9:30AM to 12:00 NOON (3d Saturday)

Room B-102, Lone Star College – Montgomery
3200 College Park Drive – Conroe, TX – 77384 – 936.273.7000

This is the Third Session of the Third Saturday Seminar for the 2017-18 Academic Year.

As I get this meeting notice ready to go out, my TV is blaring all sorts of distractions such as Judge Roy Moore, AG Jeff Sessions testimony before the House Committee, and Congresswomen Jackie Spier and Barbara Comstock are proposing a bill to require all members of Congress and their staffs to undergo training to avoid sexual harassment, and the President’s exclusive power to launch nukes.

BUT, our president has just returned from his triumphal tour of Asia. We can expect to hear many glowing reports from the White House. Especially how Trump was impressed with the wonderful reception he had at all his stops, and how important this was.

If you were paying attention you may already be aware that that may not be the whole story, and that will be our main theme.

There are a number of good reports from various news organizations. I offer this short excerpt from a USA Today Analysis to get started. Please check out the link to “memorable moments” towards that end to the selection.

Analysis: Trump’s trip to Asia is over. Now what?

WASHINGTON – President Trump declared victory over his five-nation trip to Asia, but the work has only just begun.

Trump spent a dozen days demanding North Korea give up its nuclear weapons program, vowing to “fix” the global trading system, and wooing China. He insisted with the enthusiasm of a salesman that his international sojourn will lead to “reciprocal” trade deals, a more fruitful relationship with China, and a coordinated international effort pressure Pyongyang.

“Countries were taking advantage of the United States, more than just this region, but the world,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington, D.C., aboard Air Force One. “Those days are over.”

Despite the self-proclaimed dealmaker’s sense of triumph, the success of Trump’s trip actually depends on what he – and China, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan, among others – do in the months or years ahead.

Memorable Moments: Trump’s Asia trip: The most memorable moments, from Putin talks to North Korea warnings

For instance, Trump says he’s seeking new trade deals with Asian partners, but if he does not follow through, those countries may simply decide to trade more among themselves.

Here are two more of dozens of links about the Trump Tour that you can read if you like

After Nearly 2 Weeks In Asia, Trump Heads Home After ‘Fruitful Trip’

Trump: Asia trip ‘tremendously successful’

As usual, our world is still in “interesting times” We will start the session with Current Events (Distractions)

Our “Current Events segment will be mostly an open discussion of the wild events that continue since the newly sworn President Trump took up residence in the White House. Here are some ideas …

President Donald J. Trump will have been in office for 302 days by Saturday. There are 353 days to the next mid-term Congressional election. The “Russia” investigation seems to continue to gain traction. Mueller goes deeper and deeper following trails.

McConnell Talks Up Sessions As Write-In Candidate To Replace Roy Moore

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is getting more specific about what he sees as perhaps the best, if impractical, option for preventing an Alabama Senate seat from falling into the hands of GOP nominee Roy Moore or a Democrat. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee has pulled its financial support from Moore’s campaign.

At a Wall Street Journal event on Tuesday, McConnell said that Attorney General Jeff Sessions “would fit the profile” of someone who could run a competitive write-in bid for his old seat, which Moore is running to fill.

‘My Story Has Never Changed,’ Attorney General Jeff Sessions Tells House Committee

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday that his “story has never changed” about his and other Trump campaign officials’ connections to Russia.

“I will not accept, and reject accusations that I have ever lied,” Sessions said. “That is a lie!”

Sessions told a Democratic lawmaker he stands by earlier testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia. But at the same time, the embattled attorney general said that he now recalls telling a foreign policy aide to the campaign that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government or any other foreign government.

After Sexual Harassment Accusations, Congress Moves Toward Mandatory Training

Two female lawmakers accused sitting members of Congress of sexual harassment but did not divulge their identities, at a House hearing Tuesday.

“This is about a member who is here now; I don’t know who it is. But somebody who I trust told me the situation,” said Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., a member of the House Administration Committee, which is conducting a review of existing policies to prevent and report sexual harassment.

According to Comstock: The male lawmaker asked a young female staffer to bring some paperwork to him at home; he answered the door in nothing but a towel.

Russia Investigation: Mueller reportedly interviewed the author of the Trump-Russia dossier here’s what it alleges, and how it aligned with reality. Worth reading if you are following the Russia story GCG

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team interviewed the veteran British spy who compiled the
The timeline of major, game-changing events that unfolded in the final months of the election coincided with several of the dossier’s allegations of conspiracy and misconduct between several Trump associates and Russia.
Questions remain about whether the events — such as a change in an amendemment to the GOP platform on Ukraine and the release of hacked DNC emails — were coordinated with the Russians to maximize the damaging effects on Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

American Special Operations Forces Are Deployed to 70 Percent of the World’s Countries | The Nation

They could be found on the outskirts of Sirte, Libya, supporting local militia fighters, and in Mukalla, Yemen, backing troops from the United Arab mirates. At Saakow, a remote outpost in southern Somalia, they assisted local commandos in killing several members of the terror group al-Shabab. Around the cities of Jarabulus and Al-Rai in northern Syria, they partnered with both Turkish soldiers and Syrian militias, while also embedding with Kurdish YPG fighters and the Syrian Democratic Forces. Across the border in Iraq, still others joined the fight to liberate the city of Mosul. And in Afghanistan, they assisted indigenous forces in various missions, just as they have every year since 2001.

And whatever comes up … You can always get a quick Current Events briefing here

Bring your insights and your concerns to Third Saturday Seminar on Saturday and we will Share.

LSC-Montgomery
3200 College Park Drive, Conroe, TX 77384
ALL- Montgomery Links:
Academy for Lifelong Learning: LSC-Montgomery

Registration
Download a registration form and submit it to ALL:
· In person: LSC-Montgomery (3200 College Park Dr., Conroe, TX 77384), Continuing Education/ALL Office Building E (Room 205)
· Phone: 936.273.7446

Course Description: Third Saturday Seminars – Fall 2017- 3 Sessions
To refer to an ancient Chinese saying, “our world is in interesting times” and individual citizens are assaulted with a blinding array of propaganda from every conceivable source. The Third Saturday Seminar is about demystification of what is going on around us. Time will also be spent on current events.

Meets 9/16, 10/21, and 11/18 in B-102.

14972 Sa 9/16-11/18 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. B 102 Gibby

Schedule for other ALL Courses

Downloadable Course book PDF
Montgomery Courses start on page 36.
You can attend ALL courses on all the other campuses by registering for global membership ($55).
ALL Website: http://www.lonestar.edu/all-montgomery.htm
Registration Form

Campus Maps

“Some part of our being knows this (the universe) is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us; We’re made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” Carl Sagan

No Meeting in December