On An Interesting Day....and Watching Sri Lanka From the International Space Station......

It has been a very unfortuante day on the political front in the United States.  Donald Trump came out calling for a total ban on Muslim Immigration to the United States.    It was welcome that Jeb Bush called it "unhinged" along with others--this is right after President Obama's call for Tolerance.  The Speech last night was attacked by the Republicans--but Donald Trump went one step further.    Although Ezra Klein called it grotesque on his Facebook Page, I prefer to call it simply inhumane.   More than that, it is unconstitutional.  

Throughout my visits on "The Grid", I was lamenting how we were lacking our Generation's Edward R. Murrow and Joseph Welch who both stood up to Joseph McCarthy--whose views Trump epitomizes today in many ways.   It then occured to me--#Outsiders was launched to try to change th narrative and transform it.   Yes there are those like Vox, BuzzFeed and others who are also workign through it--but there needs to be a different way.   Whether the journey is successful is another question.

Our team has been "virtually pounding the pavement" will have some thoughts over the ensuing days.    What I took comfort in what Scott Kelly sent out as he bid good night to those of us on this Earth which I took my queue as I "go dark" for the night which I released to my Personal Twitter Feed earlier:

Ending my "Brief run" before on this high note....hope all enjoy #quote & Daily Update...have a fab night..... https://t.co/tgKfzj76nJ

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) December 8, 2015

On the Late Prowl for the Night: Brief Notations & Remembering a Valiant Soul......

It has been a busy weekend throughout Outsiders.   The team ran across one of the periodic thoughts that it features on #Outsiders and decided to feature one on all #outsider properties on dreams--we are chasing a dream to transform the conversation about our World.

As I was working away, I ran across this.    The Poet/Songwriter Yaghma Golrouee has been detained in Tehran by Ministry of Intelligence Agents and is now at Evin Prison.   This clip (which I released to my personal Facebook earlier tonight) is dedicated to the Women of Iran and how he ends is just powerful beyond Words as he noted, "...at the end of the story, we will be free..." as he ends the video with a clip of Jafar Panahi's niece accepting Germany's top prize for his film, Taxi.   As all watch the clip, some will notice leading Iranian Women such as the actress Golsifteh Farahani, The Math Whiz Maryam Mirzakhani and the Enterpeneur and Astronaut Anousheh Ansari.    This is as he does such a maginficent job to feature the ordinary who make it all possible.

Onward to the New Week.....

On Our World: Reflections As A New Week Dawns (#Guns & #Refugees & #Hope)

It has been quite a few days in our World.    It was of note as our team came down firmly in support of the Front Page Editorial in the New York Times.     

I saw the Erick Erickson stunt yesterday and my first reaction was:  Get a life dude!!!   If you have that much time to pick up your gun and shoot up a newspaper article, you really don't have a life.   Beyond that, though, the disturing nature of his email really was of profound concern--and he's still one of the more mainstream elements within the conservative movement.   I have not visited oathkeepers or the Gun Owners of America to see what their views are, yet.   

I caught a glimpse of the debate on this as CBS interviewed Donald Trump.    What was so disturbing about Trump's views was that he basically said the entire 3 Million Estimated Muslims in the United States must be subject to "tracking"--something I am very pleased that more mainstream Republicans have condemned.  What is striking is how he continues to be leading the polls.    He was also "gung ho" on the 2nd Amendment (never mind he was for Gun Control before he was against it) and talked about if folks were armed in Paris the carnage would not have occured.   The culture of "every person for himself" is quite problematic to say the least.

I was shocked by this I saw on the Guardian of London that I released to my personal Grid within the past hour--but not too shocked as I stepped back to think about Erick Erickson's stunt and then a report that Iowa is beginning to issue Gun Permits to the legally Blind:   

This the perception that the World has--America can do better than this. What I find problematic is how facts and reality seem not to matter in the current political narrative that is before us.    #Outsiders has been an attemp to work to change the narrative one notation at a time--whether we can do it in light of the profound noise is a struggle.

As I was supporting #Outsiders throughout the day, I took a little time to catch Gandhi.   There is a scene it as he decides on the next phase of the campaign that led to the indepedence of India and he reflects on a song at his temple and reflected upon this, "...He bows to all and despises none...".   It was a lesson to be remebered by us all.

I continue to remain hopeful though beyond words.   I was witness to the geneorsity of spirit this past Saturday as I along with the youth of Aliso Niguel High School was at The @Second Harvest Bank of Orange County to plant, prepare field and thereafter join the Adopt-A-Pantry sponsored by the Indian Southern California Basketball League assisting with serving some 249 Families with their weekly meals.    It is such that continues to give me hope that we can and will overcome this level of "noise" as a dose of reality was again noted by Nicholas Kristoff earlier today: 

"785,000 refugees have been admitted to the United States since 9/11 and not one has been convicted of killing a person...
Posted by The New York Times on Sunday, December 6, 2015