All the nonsense, that “Assad has to go” would somehow help defeat ISIS is more Israeli and Neocon propaganda. The only worthy coalition fighting ISIS is based on the legitimate government of Assad and the Syrian army. The magical fete of getting rid of Assad is the same slight of hand that got rid of Saddam and Ghadaffi. That was quite a successful trick indeed. It only plays into the Israeli strategy of weakening all her neighbors.
The Bush administration started this disaster and one by one, European states are going to turn against the US for the consequences that they have to suffer because of US intransigence in supporting our mythical ally and pursuing this destructive political and human catastrophe. Our government in its obsequious subordination to Israel has brought near irreparable damage to the Middle East and now Western Europe.
There is no easy political solution and a near impossible military solution. We do know what does not work, or at least some of us do. Washington, beholden to Israeli interests is not in that camp.
How much more suffering is required to get Washington to realize the obvious? I fear we will find out.
Israel was more concerned about freeing Jonathan Pollard than helping to free the West from the threat of ISIS. ISIS serves the Israeli wish to bring a complete collapse in Syria and is salivating to repeat the same in Iran.
Israel has more interest in bringing in phony Russian Jewish “Refugees” from Russia to bulk up the population of occupation than it has concern for the stark refugee crisis facing everyone else.
The more harm that comes to the US and Europe because of Islamic fanatics suits the Israeli politics of the Likud just fine.
Former spy’s attorneys went to work soon after his release, filing an appeal with a US District Court in an attempt to overturn strict monitoring conditions placed on him as part of his parole.
Mere hours after his release on Friday, Jonathan Pollard's lawyers appealed what they termed illegal restrictions placed on the Israeli spy, including an ankle bracelet with 24 hour GPS monitoring, and tracking of his and his employer's computer systems.
As part of his parole, Pollard must remain in the United States for five years, although his lawyers have asked President Barack Obama to commute his sentence, allowing him to go to Israel immediately.
US Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said Obama “has no plans to alter the forms of his parole" to allow him to leave the United States.
_--------------------------------
Where did Pollard, after 30 years in prison, get the money to make such an audacious and expensive appeal?
The (ISRAELI) government would pay for Jonathan Pollard to have “reasonable living conditions” for the rest of his life following his expected release from a prison in North Carolina November 20, according to a bill proposed in the Knesset on Tuesday.
Although the conditions for the Israeli agent’s parole after 30 years in prison have not been revealed, he is expected to be forced to remain in the United States for the next five years before he may be permitted to move to Israel. Upon his release, Pollard will seek immediate medical treatment for multiple ailments.
The bill, proposed by Knesset House Committee chairman David Bitan (Likud), would require the government to fund Pollard’s residence and medical expenses, aw well as provide a monthly stipend to support him.
“We have a moral obligation to Pollard,” Bitan said.
“He sat in jail for 30 years while the government of Israel failed to bring about his release. Due to his age and poor health, he clearly will not be able to support himself on his own in a reasonable way without the support of the government.”
Reports that the government has been allocating money to Pollard during his incarceration have been vigorously denied. His wife, Esther, lives in the small apartment of a friend in central Jerusalem.
Pollard’s lawyers, Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman, say the conditions would make it hard for their client to find employment, as no employer would agree to the tracking of their systems. Lauer said Pollard was set to work in the finance department of an investment firm in New York.
The official Free Pollard campaign and Pollard’s attorneys have declined to comment on the parole conditions, but they did encourage USA congress members to ask the Justice Department to ease them. He expressed concern that the restriction could put Pollard’s job in jeopardy.
“We rejoice in the happiness over the release of our brother Jonathan”, the place said.
She and her husband, Yaron Jackson, were parked outside of the Federal Prison in Butner, hoping for a glimpse of Pollard upon his release.
And from one USA president to the next, Pollard served as a kind of bargaining chip. Those supporters include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who applauded Pollard’s freedom.
THE GOP LIKUDS FORCE HAS BEEN RATHER SILENT ABOUT POLLARD
Republicans fall all over themselves trying to show how much they love Israel, so why are they so quiet about convicted traitor Jonathan Pollard?
Though few topics have been off-limits for the Republican presidential field this cycle, there’s one glaring issue most of them prefer to keep totally mum about: the parole of former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.
Yesterday, former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard was released from federal prison. When he served as a Navy intelligence analyst, the government of Israel paid him from $1,500 to $2,500 a month, per CNN, to covertly pass them classified information. After Pollard was convicted, he received a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years. He’s been called “one of the worst traitors of the 20th century.”
But he had many powerful and loyal advocates in Israel -- including current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- who lobbied unsuccessfully for a commutation of his sentence. And the country awarded him citizenship after his conviction. Republicans don’t often see any conflict between the goals of the Israeli government and the United States’ national security interests. But Pollard’s incarceration -- and, now, the conditions of his parole -- confront them with such a conundrum.
And some powerful Republicans were Team Pollard. Ted Olson, an attorney on George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign and then solicitor general during his first term, represented him before the D.C. Court of Appeals. And according to a Daily Beast report from 2012, Republican megadonor and king-maker Sheldon Adelson pushed for then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to call for the spy’s release. Romney didn’t.
Though Pollard is now free, his attorneys are challenging what they characterize as “onerous and oppressive conditions of parole.” Pollard -- who “passed more secrets to a foreign power (360-plus cubic feet of paper), in the shortest amount of time, than any spy before or after him,” according to a retired Navy counterintelligence officer quoted at IntelNews.org -- has to wear an ankle monitor and can’t move to Israel for at least five years.
The Daily Beast reached out to all the competitive Republican presidential campaigns (and the Democrats, too) about whether they supported Pollard’s release and thought he should be allowed to leave the U.S. for Israel. Only Ben Carson’s team provided an answer. His communications director, Doug Watts, emailed that the retired neurosurgeon is fine with what happened.
“Jonathan Pollard has done his time and therefore Dr Carson has no objection or concern with his release,” Watts said. “As for his travel restriction, Dr Carson defers to the judgement of the Parole Board.”
Huckabee’s team didn’t send an answer, but he told Israeli media outlet Arutz Sheva earlier this year that he was “delighted” by the prospect of Pollard’s release and had concerns about his health.
Jeb Bush’s team didn’t get back to us about the former Florida governor’s stance on Pollard. His brother, though, resisted Israeli efforts to secure a commutation of the spy’s sentence. IntelNews noted that a “massive campaign was conducted behind the scenes,” including tens of thousands of phone calls to the White House from his supporters, to get him out of prison.
SURELY CRUZ THE BOLD AND RUBIO THE VERBOSE HAS A COMMENT - maybe not
One Israeli paper has reported that Netanyahu is lobbying for Pollard to be allowed to travel to the country before five years of parole are up. Netanyahu’s office wouldn’t confirm that report to the AP.
Though the PM is unequivocal about Pollard, one of Netanyahu’s most vocal supporters in the Senate has stayed mum. Marco Rubio, a hawkish foe of the Iran deal and long-time critic of Obama’s handling of U.S./Israeli relations, has yet to say anything about the spy’s release. A spokeswoman for his campaign told The Daily Beast that she would let us know if they have a comment.
The Conservative Solutions Project, a pro-Rubio outside group, used video of Netanyahu in an ad touting the senator that aired in cable news networks, including Fox News.
Sen. Ted Cruz’s team also didn’t reply to a query about his views on Pollard’s release and the conditions of his parole. But this past April at the Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, he expressed openness to pardoning Pollard if elected.
“Cruz said he’d keep an ‘open mind’ about the situation, but wanted to hear from U.S. intelligence agencies before deciding,” wrote Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Steve Sebelius.
CRUZ IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT US SECURITY DON’T YOU KNOW
CIA director George Tenet threatened to resign if then-President Bill Clinton had pardoned the spy. Clinton didn’t.
And conservative Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach told The Hill in July that Cruz gave him a heads-up on Pollard’s upcoming parole.
“I was told that Sen. Cruz had met with the Justice Department and other representatives from other branches of government and they said that he was going to be paroled in November,” he told the paper.
I think the "moderate" Muslims are waiting for a strong, decisive response to the extremists for their own survival after the last bullet has been fired. Who wins this war is a very strong motivation to watch their actions while the war is still on. Islam has no forgiveness for the "Moderates". I don't hate the Muslim as a person. I do hate the individual that proclaims "We love death..."blah, blah...
Americans love the military. Thank you for your service, very much. There are more Jews in the US than Muslims by a huge margin compared to the population. Based on military service to the USA, which group is more patriotic and dedicated to the country?
There are about 1000 “Americans” serving in the IDF. There are hundreds of thousand foreign born serving in the US military. In some years, up to 100,000 foreigners in the US military, take the path to US citizenship. That sounds patriotic to me.
I contend that the US, taking in Iraqi and Syrian families by the hundreds of thousands, up to four million would do more to bring the end to ISIS and have a net increase in US security. Of course they should be vetted and there will be some bad actors, but the gratitude of the hundreds of thousand would more than compensate because they will identify who the troublemakers are.
After all, they will have lost everything to get here. The US needs to take accountability and responsibility for what was done by Bush and the Neocons. Giving home and shelter to the ultimate victims of our folly and worse is small recompense.
It would also be in US interests to bring some balance in the inordinate influence the Israeli Lobby has on the supposedly “US” representatives in the US Conga Line.
Here is the difference. Every veteran on this site wants less wars. Your team, the non-serving team, is rooting for US wars in the Middle East but has never served and never will. Do you recognize the difference?
There are many Jews and non Jews alike who are consistent in their opposition to the military and are ardently opposed to the absurd amount of US wars. I am fine with them and respect their choice.
The Israeli-firsters and the right wing blogs, overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, overwhelmingly opposed to Muslim refugees, overwhelmingly encouraging more military conflict and overwhelmingly never served in the US military.
We’ve seen this before. After 9/11, the great and dramatic attack created a legend, but then al-Qaeda was dragged down, and dogged by its adversaries. The group managed to survive the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, but, despite that, this attrition little-by-little (and sometimes big step-by-big step) damaged the brand. ISIS represented a new approach, and its victorious march across Syria and Iraq electrified the jihadi universe. But now ISIS, too, is beginning to sag.
On the ground these days, ISIS is engaged in a war of inches that will likely test its capacity to the limits, like its (lack of) ability to manage and operate supply lines, for example. The poor training and quality of its fighters will also now matter more. And the absence of dramatic victories, indeed the reality of setbacks and retreats, will reduce the enthusiasm and undercut the morale of current fighters, to say nothing of the impact on potential recruits.
This may be one reason why ISIS has apparently shifted to prioritize attacks like the Paris horror. It likely needs the acts of drama and violence to replace the revolutionary theater that its military advances once gave it. Running wild through the streets, gunning down the crowds in a night club: This is fantasy violence, video games brought into the real world. ISIS is again the coolest of jihadi brands, the cutting edge of the war against the real. The intent is not so much to terrorize the West as to galvanize the faithful.
Understanding ISIS’ methods can help us counter its aims. One key for us: to step up the grim war of attrition against ISIS on the ground. Life for the average ISIS fighter has to become a miserable affair of holing up, getting shot, running out of food, and putting up with bad medical care and low supplies even as the higher-ups live it up in the ruins of Raqqa. That word needs to filter out across the jihadi grapevine. To cut the flow of recruits and funds to ISIS, we must make ISIS look unattractive and weak—drab. If at the same time we work aggressively to reduce its ability to repeat the Paris attacks, ISIS will continue to fade.
1 July 2014 From the section Middle East Massoud Barzani is the answer -
Leader of the Kurdish region of Iraq Massoud Barzani: "The goal of Kurdistan is independence"
The president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region has told the BBC he intends to hold a referendum on independence within months.
Massoud Barzani said that Iraq was already "effectively partitioned".
While the Kurds would play a part in a political solution to the crisis caused by jihadist-led Sunni Arab rebellion, independence was their right, he added.............
July 1, 2014 Kurdish Peshmerga forces stand guard in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on June 17, 2014.
/Getty Images Kurdish Peshmerga forces stand guard in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on June 17, 2014.
President of Iraq's Kurdish region, already largely autonomous, says the country is already partitioned
More
ISIS Can Be Beaten in Weeks Says Kurdish Intelligence Chief
The partition of Iraq lurched closer to reality on Tuesday when the head of the country’s already quasi-autonomous Kurdish region publicly declared he would schedule a referendum on independence. Polls and previous votes indicate that the measure is certain to pass, leading, in all likelihood, to an independent Kurdistan on the northern and northeastern borders of Iraq.
“From now on, we won’t hide that that’s our goal,” Massoud Barzani, president of the Regional Kurdistan Government, told the BBC in an interview. “Iraq is effectively partitioned now. Are we supposed to stay in this tragic situation the country’s living? It’s not me who will decide on independence. It’s the people.”
The referendum will come in “a matter of months,” Barzani said. He said the Kurdistan parliament must first establish an independent electoral authority, then establish the date for the referendum that Barzani made clear will end with the creation of a state.
“We hope that this state will have the best of relations with all of its neighbors, and we will not be a threat to anyone at all, I’m sure.”.................
That was over a year ago. As far as I know, they got a few concessions out of Baghdad and dropped the idea.
The most influential leader among the various Kurdish groups, the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has indicated he doesn't want a Kurdish state. He's looking for autonomy and simply wants for the Kurds to be left along while avoiding the inevitable foreign entanglements that come with statehood.
I believe the Syrian Kurds feel the same.
Let me know when there is a big push for Kurdish statehood.
Whoever ends up leading the centre-right will struggle to deal with the fact that Le Pen has detoxified the Front National brand in recent years. She expelled her extremist father, Jean-Marie, because he was an embarrassment. No longer seen as a ragtag army of holocaust deniers, the FN is now changing the political landscape. A Marine Le Pen presidency might remain unthinkable for most French citizens, but there is no question that the bloodshed in Paris plays into her hands.
François Hollande hasn’t seized the moment. Marine Le Pen might The aftermath of the Paris terror attacks is looking ominously good for the Front National Jason Walsh
After KRG formally welcomes Jews back to Iraq, will their numbers increase?
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Many Iraqi Jews forced from their country or displaced following persecution and dispossession more than six decades ago still dream of returning to their homeland. They retain a nostalgia for their temples and the streets where they grew up. It may be difficult or ultimately impossible for a large number of them to turn this dream into reality, but some have begun to return thanks to a law recently passed in Iraqi Kurdistan. Last month, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced the opening of a Jewish representation office at the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, increasing the number of officially recognized religions to seven. The others are Islam, Christianity, Yazidism, Yarsanism, Alawism and Kaka’ism......................
The Fox Poll is a bad joke, meant to "pump up" the ignorant, and racist, republican base.
The ABC/Wash. Post Poll, a scientific poll that attempts to pretty much replicate the actual voting public, will probably be out in the next couple of days. It should give us some idea of where the "horserace" stands.
You should have listened to the video on the previous post. You may have learned something. You should have stayed on the farm. College was a waste of time. That last post was probably your last chance. I tried.
Diary of a Mad Voter As Terrorism Dominates, Can Trump Be Stopped? By Roger L Simon November 22, 2015
Remember the conventional wisdom that Donald Trump was no more than a faddish celebrity candidate who would soon fade and drop out? Seems like another century, doesn't it?
Ever since he announced, the billionaire businessman has been at the top of the polls and, with barely a ripple, has remained there. Right now he appears to be lapping the field and only three of his opponents -- Ben Carson, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz -- are even making it into double-digits on any of the polls. And Carson seems to be the one who is fading.
In the respected Reuters-IPSOS rolling poll from November 20, Trump is at 38.8%, Carson 14.7%, Rubio 10.3%, Cruz 7.1% with long ago supposed shoo-in frontrunner Jeb Bush 5.5%, trailing even "Wouldn't Vote" (6.3%) by .8%.
No wonder, according to this weekend's WSJ, the GOP "mainstream" is revving up to "hit Trump." Panic has set in. From the WSJ: A super PAC supporting John Kasich (3.0% in the IPSOS poll) is apparently planning to blow $2.5 million on an anti-Trump campaign (talk about throwing good money after bad -- how about giving it to cancer research, boys and girls?), Jeb is doubling down on his attacks, the Club for Growth is gearing up further assaults, and a "guerrilla campaign" is starting up by a new outfit called Trump Card LLC.
This last group, spearheaded by Liz Mair, at least has some originality to it. They're producing parodies dramatizing Trump's old not-so-conservative views (like supporting single-payer healthcare). But I would be willing to wager they will all amount to no more than the P-word: piffle. The Donald's not going anywhere, and none of these initiatives seem remotely capable of dislodging him.
Meanwhile, Comrade Trotsky -- as the events of the last few days have underscored, if we were too stupid not to know it -- we're at war. And in war, you don't look to, say, Bernie Sanders to lead you. You look to George S. Patton. You're not interested in nuance á la John Kerry, pathological dishonesty á la Hillary Clinton, or a president whose sympathy might really be for the other side. You want a real commander in chief, a fearless leader -- you want.... Donald? Well, yes, Donald. He may have to do. He won't be afraid to do what's necessary.
Recognizing that, everyone, Republican and Democrat, is piling on. They jumped to vilify a Trump answer to a question from a sneaky NBC reporter about whether Donald thought we should keep a database of our Muslim population. Donald may or may not have said yes, and he already retracted it if he did, but that didn't stop Jeb from characterizing his comment as "abhorrent." It's not even worth quoting what Hillary said (it wasn't positive). Even Ted Cruz added, "I'm a big fan of Donald Trump's, but not a fan of government registries of American citizens."
Okay, that's the polite, politically correct, way of looking at it. We all want to be "good people," right? FDR must have been off his meds the day he rounded up all those Japanese and stuck them in internment camps.
But that's far from the full story. Undoubtedly our government, even after Snowden, has all sorts of lists we don't know about, organized in ways that would make us uncomfortable -- some of them possibly saving our lives. The truth is PC doesn't hack it in war. PC is a rich liberal's plaything, a luxury item. It works best as a subject for ridicule on South Park. And it's not the way we really think. It's the way we pretend we think. So just who is it that is blowing innocent people to smithereens in Paris, Beirut, Sharm, and Mali, and who knows where else next? Zen Buddhist monks? The Little Sisters of the Poor?
Everybody knows who it is. Islam has a big problem and although people want to be polite or deliberately lie about it to look "good" to their neighbors or to their cousins at the Thanksgiving table, when they get into a voting booth, many of them are guiltily going to be pulling the lever for someone with the you-know-what to put an end to this global homicidal insanity -- and it's not going to be John Kasich or Rand Paul or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. It's going to be Donald Trump. And if not Donald, possibly Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz, both of whom seem to be able to find Raqqa on a map. And none of these people are racists, not even faintly, no matter what some NBC reporter wants to imply.
Accusations of fudging the facts in the fight against ISIS has investigators from the Pentagon and congress calling on CENTCOM.
Leaders are accused of manipulating intelligence to paint a rosier-than-reality picture of the fight against ISIS and the Taliban.
"You're never ever to report information that supports a certain political thesis or political line. It defies the professional together,” said Frank Wuco.
Wuco, a retired naval intelligence officer and CENTCOM analyst, says the allegations and investigation into CENTCOM is a huge deal.
"Our leaders in government have a vested interest in hearing the truth," Wuco said.
Centcom released this statement:
"I can tell you that CENTCOM did receive a request from Congress to provide information regarding CENTCOM intelligence assessments and -- in coordination with DoD -- responded accordingly. Because of the ongoing DoD IG investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment on the details of the inquiry or the information provided.
Gen. Austin and Central Command are taking these allegations very seriously. We welcome the DoD IG's independent oversight on this matter and will continue work with DoD to be responsive to any future congressional requests for information. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and Gen. Austin counts on the more than 1,200 exceptional intelligence professionals who support CENTCOM's mission to provide him and the command with unvarnished intelligence and key insights into the myriad issues we face every day.
And although we cannot comment on the investigation, we can speak to the intelligence process. The Intelligence Community routinely provides a wide range of subjective assessments related to the current security environment. These products and the analysis that they present are absolutely vital to our efforts, particularly given the incredibly complex nature of the multi-front fights that are ongoing now in Iraq and Syria. Senior civilian and military leadership consider these assessments during planning and decision-making, along with information gained from various other sources, to include the insights provided by commanders on the ground and other key advisors, intelligence collection assets, and their own previous experience. The multi-source nature of the assessment process purposely guards against any single report or opinion unduly influencing leaders and decision-makers," said US Air Force Col. Pat Ryder.
It is a perfect time for Obama to do his job and put some general’s scalps on his belt. This is fucking unbelievable if true. I can’t think about how many posts I’ve done on dramatically reducing the Pentagon budget.
Muslims living in Britain have suffered more than 100 racial attacks since the terrorist atrocities in Paris, figures prepared for ministers reveal.
A report to the Government’s working group on anti-Muslim hatred, seen by The Independent, shows a spike in Islamophobic hate crime of more than 300 per cent, to 115, in the week following the killings on November 13 in France.
Most victims of the UK hate crimes were Muslim girls and women aged from 14 to 45 in traditional Islamic dress. The perpetrators were mainly white males aged from 15 to35.
We have become a nation of cowards who are afraid of our own shadows. This is what the Neocons and the GOP, so called conservatives, has brought to the US.
Until we confront AIPAC for what they are, a shill for the agenda of Israel and expose the corrupt US Congress, we will continue to self destruct.
Typical, PJ Media bull. Trump is a loudmouthed thug who is not being held responsible for what he says.
They jumped to vilify a Trump answer to a question from a sneaky NBC reporter about whether Donald thought we should keep a database of our Muslim population. Donald may or may not have said yes...
Sneaky NBC reporter?
Trump may or may not have said?
This sounds like something written by Rick Moron.
These people who have jumped on the 'no Syrian refugee' bandwagon are not only bigoted, they are ignorant.
The terrorists in Paris weren't Syrian refugees. They were EU nationals from France and Belgium.
Since 2011, the US has accepted about 750,000 refugees. Only a couple thousand were from Syria. The UN recommended about 23,000 Syrian refugees. The US only accepted about 7,000 for further review. Of those, they accepted around 2,000 to come into the country under refugee status. None of them have committed terrorist attacks or been deported. The process to get a refugee approved takes about 18-24 months and includes the collection of biometric data, security checks, interviews and background investigations.
Despite this the sheeple and their right wing cheerleaders ask, 'But what about the fake Syrian passports?.' Again, they show their ignorance. Why would those terrorists go through all the trouble of trying to come into the US as refugees using fake Syrian passports when as EU nationals they could simply jump on a plane using their EU passports and enter the US without the need of visa.
So what is this about?
Bigotry, demagoguery, and bull from the usual suspects.
Now when you look at the majority of terrorist attacks in the United States, according to the FBI, the majority of domestic terror attacks are actually committed by white, male Christians.
Why isn't Trump asking for a watch list on these guys?
Why don't we put a hold on allowing Swedes and Irish from coming to the US?
Why don't we do something really serious and plug the holes in our visa system.
WASHINGTON, November 22, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Attack, ground-attack, fighter, bomber and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria:
-- Near Al Hasakah, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL structures, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), damaged an ISIL structure, and wounded ISIL fighters.
-- Near Al Hawl, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and wounded ISIL fighters.
-- Near Mar'a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
Strikes in Iraq
Bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Haditha, one strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.
-- Near Hit, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
-- Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
-- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL IED obstacles, two ISIL fighting positions, six ISIL heavy machine gun positions, two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL weapon caches, an ISIL staging area, an ISIL VBIED, cratered an ISIL road, suppressed an ISIL rocket position, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Sinjar, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL checkpoint.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Tikrit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL fighting position, and four ISIL vehicles.
Definition of a ‘Strike’
A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect for that location.
So, the officials said, having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike. Multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, with the cumulative effect of making that facility [or facilities] harder or impossible to use is also considered a single strike, task force officials said.
Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in each strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.
Finley: Obama fiddling while terror threat grows Nolan Finley, The Detroit News 11:58 p.m. EST November 21, 2015
France got the wake-up call. Its left-wing President Francois Hollande has transformed into a war hawk, at least for the moment, declaring the terrorism an act of war and pledging a “pitiless war” in return. Immediately he ordered an escalation in bombing runs on Islamic State strongholds, taking out key targets within hours of the Paris carnage.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin, too, has stepped up. After confirming ISIS was responsible for the bomb that brought down a Russian plane, it unleashed a relentless aerial assault against Islamic State targets in Syria, flying more than 2,000 sorties over the past week.
And the United States? President Barack Obama blustered a bit about the unacceptability of terrorism and then hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the Oval Office door. While other world leaders ramp up for the unavoidable showdown with ISIS, Obama is busy plotting the war on global warming.
The president’s behavior in the week since Paris confirms the words of one commentator, who described Obama as “living in a world of denial and naivete.”
When asked whether the United States will lead the ISIS eradication, the president mocked the assumption, saying he’s not interested “in posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning or whatever ...”
Obama has been able to be so passive because of the effectiveness of his blame Bush strategy, which says because George W. Bush started this mess, neither he nor his surrogate, Hillary Clinton, bear any responsibility for making it worse.
Leave a void in Iraq that enables ISIS to rise? Not our fault. Allow Libya to fall into chaos? Not our fault.
If our European allies cannot handle the miscreants of European society with US assistance, well, they're in worse shape than anyone thought. They would be worthless to US in a conflict with the Russians over the Ukraine.
None of the Europeans are committing troops to Syria, neither should the US. If the defea of the Islamic State is important to the world, the world should support the Syrian government.
The US allowed all those oil tankers to flourish, hundreds of them. The Russians took 'em out, denying the Islamic State million of dollars of revenue.
A New War Against ISIS How to defeat the terrorist group. By Fred Kaplan
Sixth, for this reason, among others, Obama is right to quell talk of throwing thousands of American (or other Western) combat troops into this fight. As he said at his press conference, the U.S. military could retake Mosul, Iraq, and any number of other cities, but then what? The troops—tens if not hundreds of thousands of them—would have to stay there for years, or decades, to hold and rebuild those towns; and they would be recruitment tools for a fresh crop of terrorists eager to wage jihad against imperialist unbelievers. In short, this mission would not be a sustainable mission. Not even Obama’s fiercest Republican critics, who decry him for not “doing more” in Syria, are calling for the deployment of ground troops in large numbers. (The exception, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is running for president on the pledge to send tens of thousands of troops to Iraq and Syria, is garnering less than 1 percent in polls.)
Damascus: Syrian government troops are advancing on "nearly every front" thanks to Russian air strikes that began in September, President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview released Sunday.
The embattled president also said he favoured new peace talks to be hosted in Moscow, but stressed that the Syrian conflict could not be resolved without "defeating terrorism".
In the interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix television, Assad said the situation in Syria had "improved in a very good way" since Russia began air strikes on September 30.
"Now I can say that the army is making advancement in nearly every front... in many different directions and areas on the Syrian ground," he said, speaking in English.
So "Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism" except when Republicans goad them into it. In this case, they goad them by suggesting that Christians need more "protection" than Muslims. In the Radisson Hotel in Bamako, the Christians did, indeed, need more protection - which is why they're dead and the observant Muslims are alive. In Syria and Iraq, in less than two years, the oldest Christian communities on earth have been entirely eradicated - every Christian male is dead or fled, and their prepubescent daughters are now rape slaves for the sexual inadequates of ISIS. So, whether they're "more worthy of protection", those Christians could certainly have used a little of it.
Even when you make it out of your "war-torn land" and join the great swarm of refugees yearning to breath free, a Christian can use a little "protection":
Rome (CNN)Muslims who were among migrants trying to get from Libya to Italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were Christians, Italian police said Thursday.
Italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the Christians at sea, police in Palermo, Sicily, said.
It is certainly true that, in their march to victory, ISIS and its affiliates are happy to slaughter any Muslim who gets in their way - mainly those inclined to a moderate accommodation with the sane world: Kurds, Jordanian Air Force pilots, post-Gaddafi Libyan democrats... But the willingness to kill any Muslim who gets in your way doesn't change the fact that the killing is in the name of Islam, and Islam is the way. As I wrote all those years ago in my book America Alone:
Many of the developed world's citizens gave no conscious thought to Islam pre-9/11. Now we switch on the news every evening and, though there are many trouble spots around the world, as a general rule it's easy to make an educated guess at one of the participants: Muslims vs Jews in "Palestine", Muslims vs Hindus in Kashmir, Muslims vs Christians in Africa, Muslims vs Buddhists in Thailand, Muslims vs Russians in the Caucasus, Muslims vs backpacking tourists in Bali, Muslims vs Danish cartoonists in Scandinavia. The environmentalists may claim to think globally but act locally, but these guys live it. They open up a new front somewhere on the planet with nary a thought.
The British Home Secretary, Theresa May, was a little behind the curve when she reacted to the bloodbath in Paris by insisting that "the attacks have nothing to do with Islam". This is the old spin that, although some terrorists might claim to be Muslim, there's nothing inherently Muslim about their terrorism.
But why be so modest? In the United States, the most senior members of the Democrat establishment are taking it to the next level. Secretary of State John Kerry:
It has nothing to do with Islam; it has everything to do with criminality, with terror, with abuse, with psychopathism – I mean, you name it.
As my friend Douglas Murray remarked:
So long as you don't name it 'Islam'.
Quite. Secretary Kerry doesn't care what you name it as long as you don't name it "Islam". Because the not-naming of Islam is more important than the actual naming of whatever it is. Even the qualification that many have been careful to make over the years - of course, most Muslims aren't terrorists but an awful lot of terrorists unfortunately happen to be Muslim - will no longer suffice. As President-in-waiting Hillary Clinton assures us:
Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.
It's the racist Republicans like Trump, Carson, Cruz, Rubio and Jeb! who are behind it all....
The ongoing bilateral crisis is also linked to Netanyahu’s failure to enlist American diplomatic objections to the EU decision to label goods produced in Israeli settlements. State Department spokesman Mark Toner declared Nov. 12 that the United States does not consider the EU measure to be a boycott and that the United States believes that the “settlements are illegitimate.”
There are 1.2 Billion Muslims on the face of this earth.
Some of those Muslims are trying to instigate a War between those 1.2 Billion, and the slightly more than 2 Billion Christians co-inhabitants.
It's, obviously, important to win the limited war with the renegades, but it's equally important that the President, and his Cabinet, don't succumb to the desire to engage in irresponsible actions, and rhetoric, and worsen relations with the very 1.99999999 Billion Muslims that the terrorists are trying to win over.
Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steyn, and Donald Trump aren't burdened by the weight of this responsibility; The President is.
The US has instigated many, many actions against Islamic countries, in Iran we toppled the elected government and installed a despot in its place. Then, after the despot was deposed the US shot down an Iranian civilian airliner.
The Egyptian Army, funded by the US, deposed the elected government, there, in Egypt.
The European Jews have taken Islamic lands, by force of arms. Then they built illegitimate settlements upon the land. The Israelis have invaded Egypt, Syria and Lebanon on numerous occasions since 1948.
The House bill that passed Thursday won 47 Democratic votes, including U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1st). One of the sponsors was, U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th).
The bill adds nothing to the screening process for refugees. It only forces the directors of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and National Intelligence to personally sign off on each case. In the meantime, it imposes a freeze on admitting new refugees.
"It's just a pause," Lance says.
Lance is a decent fellow who says he resisted fellow Republicans who wanted to eliminate the refugee program entirely. But when asked why a refugee wouldn't simply enter on a visa, or cross the border illegally, he had no cogent answer.
This is not a proud moment for America. Even before the Paris attacks, we agreed to take in only 10,000 refugees, while Germany expects to take in 800,000 by the end of the year.
France agreed to take 30,000, and is sticking with that commitment, even after the attacks. So yes, for the record, America is acting more rattled than France.
When this ugly story started to unfold, I bought a ticket on the ferry to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
I saw a display about bigotry towards the Irish, and wondered if my great-grandfather, Patrick, who fled the potato famine and fought in the Civil War, was among the members of the Irish Brigade that were pictured there. Other displays talked about hostility towards the Chinese, the Italians, the Jews, and so on.
Surely here, I thought, I would find inspired allies of the huddled masses gathered at America's gate.
It didn't work out that way. I found as much fear as compassion.
But my spirits were saved by a woman named Christian Grieco, who said she saw echoes from these displays in today's reaction to the refugee crisis.
"These people are suffering," she said. "This is all fear-mongering. It's awful. History is repeating itself."
What a great country this is when you drill down, I thought.
Don't know where you get that but using your figures Deuce wants to import 4 million 'Syrians' = 2,000 terrorists.
I think the Wiccans, a religion, ought to start broadcasting on high amp screech owls in Hamtramck, Michigan every time the 'call to prayer' comes on.
Drown them out.
That 'call to prayer' business ought to go to court. Not only is there some kind of horn but a human voice too......loud, five times a day, every day, year in, year out.
It is a government entity.....a City Council.....trying to establish a religion.
Look at the picture posted at the top right of this blog. Read the caption. We have responsibilities that go way beyond collateral damage. We got drunk, setoff fireworks and burned the neighbors fields that burned down the barn and spread to their house , killed their livestock, two of their children and setoff a crazy cousin bent on revenge.
Shock and awe was fun to watch. Now we have the bill.
MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. Aircraft of the Russian aviation group in Syria have made 141 sorties over the past two days and delivered airstrikes on 472 terrorist facilities in the country, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.
“Aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces have made 141 sorties and delivered airstrikes on 472 terrorist facilities in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor," he said.
According to him, over the past two days the Russian aviation group continued active additional reconnaissance of targets and delivering airstrikes on separate facilities of terrorist groups operating in Syria.
The Russians are destroying the infrastructure that the CIA and all the usual suspects put into place to destroy Syria. They have made the decision that this is a necessary first step. They asked the question: “Do you realize what you have done?”
As DR posted above,they attacked oil convoys heading to market in Turkey.
The idiots McCain and company are no longer flocking to Syria to visit the “freedom fighters”.
The IDF has lost its vigor in attacking Syrian forces.
There will be no no-fly zones in Syria, a cover to destroy the Syrian army.
Once those intermediate goals are accomplished, the focus will be in rolling back ISIS.
LATAKIA, November 20. /TASS/. Syria’s army has proof evidencing the efficiency of Russian air strikes against terrorist targets, Syrian Brigade General Ali Maihoub said on Friday.
He said the Syrian army was continuing efforts to restore security, exterminate terrorism and establish law and order in the country.(Translation: US and Saudi supplied “freedom fighters, hell bent on destroying the legitimate Syrian forces, a la Iraq and Libya)
Russia intensified its airstrikes against the Islamic State after it was reported that the crash of the Russian A321 plane in Egypt was caused by a terrorist bomb exploding on board. Russia has involved long-range aviation in its air strikes and has enforced the air grouping deployed in Syria.
The airstrikes stared on September 30 on request on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia’s air grouping involved 69 aircraft, including Su-34 and Su-24M bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-30SM and Su-27SM3 fighters and Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Ten ships of the Russian Navy are involved in the anti-terrorism operation in Syria, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
“The naval group comprises ten ships, six of them are in the Mediterranean,” the minister said.
Shoigu said the Caspian Flotilla warships on Friday launched 18 cruise missiles at terrorist positions in Syria hitting seven targets.
"On November 20, the Caspian Flotilla warships launched 18 cruise missiles at seven targets in the Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo provinces of Syria. All the targets were hit,” Shoigu said.
Sergey Yekimov, a deputy commander of the Caspian Fleet, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "the task of delivering Kalibr long-distance cruise missile strikes at Islamic State targets in Syria has been accomplished." "All 18 Kalibr missiles have been successfully fired. Results will be reported after objective control data are received," he said.
Today on CNN’s State of the Union, Representative and chairman of the permanent select committee on intelligence (R-CA), joined anchor, Jake Tapper to discuss the Obama administration’s strategy against ISIS.
Nunes on the investigation into intelligence reports:
“ Well, we are involved in this investigation. We're working closely with the House armed services committee and the defense appropriations committee and we're trying to gather all the facts. So, we have heard from a lot of whistleblowers and other informants who have given us information, and not just related strictly to the latest allegations, Jake. These go back for four years. And I'll tell you it's really from the members on the intelligence committee. We travel to many of these countries and we meet with the people on the ground. And it’s almost all the time what we hear and see on the ground, when we talk to the folks that are actually doing the work and then what we see in finished intelligence product - and I think more alarming, what we hear the president and his senior officials saying to the public, it just doesn't jive with what they're saying in public and what we see on the ground.”
(TRANSLATION: Everything is more FUBAR than you think and it is all Obama’s fault)
A gunfight between two groups erupted on Sunday in a New Orleans park where hundreds of people were gathered for a block party and the filming of a music video, leaving 16 people wounded, police said.
Circumstances surrounding the shooting in the city's Upper Ninth Ward, and details of what precipitated the violence, were not immediately clear, but New Orleans Police Department spokesman Tyler Gamble told Reuters no fatalities were reported.
Asked whether gang activity was thought to be involved, Gamble said it "was still too soon to say."
"We know, by speaking with some of the victims, that there were two groups of people shooting at each other," Gamble said.
Witnesses told police that both groups involved in the gun battle fled the park on foot immediately after the shooting, police said in a statement. No arrests were immediately reported.
According to the statement, 10 gunshot victims were taken to area hospitals by ambulance, and six more arrived at emergency rooms "via private conveyance."
Gamble said each of the 16 victims suffered either a "direct gunshot wound" or a "graze wound" and all were listed in stable condition, though the full extent of their injuries was still to be ascertained. Police said they did not have the age or genders of the victims.
The incident unfolded at about 6:15 p.m. Central Time at the Bunny Friend playground, following a community "second line" parade that ended a few blocks away earlier in the day, police said.
Several hundred people were gathered in the park at the time for an unpermitted block party and the impromptu filming of a music video, according to police.
About this project Our objective was simple: Examine America’s relationship to guns -- the lives they save, the lives they take, and the lives they define.
We’d seen the statistics. More than 32,000 people were killed by gunfire in 2011, the most recent year for which statistics are available. And, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70,000 suffered nonfatal injuries from guns.
Attention is often focused on mass shootings or high-profile cases, but gun violence affects our communities in many other ways every day. We wanted to find out what one day of gun violence looks like.
We chose July 12, 2014, because it was a normal summer Saturday. Our goal was to report every shooting that happened in that 24-hour period. We tried to track the shootings in real time, calling police stations, using social media and tapping into CNN resources across the country.
In the days and weeks that followed, we dug deeper into the incidents, which left at least 35 people dead and 74 injured. We followed up on every shooting, and we profile six incidents that were representative.
After hundreds of calls, we are certain about one thing -- we did not capture every gun incident. Despite our best efforts, our methodology is incomplete. There’s no national database of each shot fired. Not every shooting is reported to police. Suicides are rarely covered in the media and often remain private matters.
What we do know is that firearms are far and away the most-used of homicide weapons in the U.S. Of the 13,000 people slain in 2010, more than two-thirds were shot to death, according to the FBI. (Only a small fraction of homicides, around 200 or so per year, are listed as justifiable). We also know that the homicide rate has dropped substantially in the past two decades, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics.
CNN is not alone in attempting to document the impact and the role of guns in U.S. society. Our counterparts at Pro Publica, Slate, The New York Times and others have done in-depth reporting on the issue recently. We recommend you read those articles as well.
Still, the story of everyday gun violence in the United States is largely untold.
American civilians are buying as many AK47s from Russia’s top armory as the Russian military and police.
The surge in sales of Russian assault rifles and shotguns are fuelled by firearms enthusiasts who are paranoid about the weapons being banned in the United States.
The semiautomatic weapons, fitted with high-capacity magazines, are manufactured at Izhevsk Machinebuilding Plant, Russia's primary small arms factory.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2188727/Americans-buy-AK47s-Russian-military-assault-rifle-surges-popularity.html#ixzz3sJ1qpkEe Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
So much for ‘Telling It Like It Is.’ Asked about the GOP front-runner’s false claim that thousands of Muslims in Jersey City cheered the attacks, the governor decided to punt.
It seemed likely that after Donald Trump lied about the residents of Jersey City’s behavior on Sept. 11, 2001—claiming they cheered the attacks across the river in New York City—Chris Christie, New Jersey’s governor, would be first in line to repudiate him.
That was a naive assumption. It turns out a Republican presidential candidate would sooner slow-dance with Hillary Clinton than criticize the party’s frontrunner in defense of American Muslims.
At a rally in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, Trump said, “Hey, I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down, and I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering!”
This is, of course, incorrect. The New York Times reported that rumors of Muslims cheering in New Jersey were “discounted by police officials at the time.”
Trump then claimed on Sunday on ABC’s This Week that he had seen footage of the thousands of people cheering on TV—but no such footage seems to exist.
A request for comment from Christie, sent at around 10:30 Sunday morning, went ignored all day by his campaign. Which was curious, since the governor’s tough talk against “crazies” fear-mongering about Muslims—never mind his constant talk about 9/11 throughout the course of his presidential campaign—has been a defining aspect of his governorship.
When the body of that refugee child washed up on shore, Christie went with the crowd and demanded the US do more for the refugees.
As soon as the crowd changed to a mob with the Paris shootings, Christie did a 180 stating that it would even be too dangerous to allow refugee children into the US.
All of them are the same, the same populist demagoguery; except maybe Trump. He may just be that stupid.
Despite the increased bombardment on ISIS' positions and French President Hollande's call for a "global coalition" against the jihadists, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned yesterday that if western countries wanted a "genuinely global coalition", they would have to drop their demand for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
When Democratic officials reached out to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D) about the race, he passed, at least in part because it looked like a year in which a Democrat simply had no chance of success in a state in which Republicans have won every statewide contest for nearly a decade.
And yet, the scandal-plagued Republican got trounced, losing by more than 12 points.
Democrat John Bel Edwards won the runoff election for Louisiana governor Saturday, defeating Republican David Vitter. […]
Edwards, a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger, is the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Louisiana since 2008.
With all precincts reporting, Edwards finished with 56.1% of the statewide vote, while Vitter received 43.9%. It’s the weakest showing for any Louisiana Republican gubernatorial nominee since 1991 – nearly a quarter of a century ago – when the GOP voters nominated a former Ku Klux Klan leader as their candidate.
On a certain level, Vitter’s defeat may not seem like too much of a surprise given that all statewide polling showed him trailing Edwards, but the broader context is nevertheless important: the Times-Picayune described Edwards’ victory as “one of the biggest political upsets in the state’s history”
A failed, divisive strategy: Down in the polls, Vitter completely overhauled his campaign message the week before Election Day, seizing on anti-refugee animus in the hopes of salvaging his career. It created a test that both parties watched closely: in the wake of the recent Paris attack, could Republicans exploit fear and bigotry to win tough races through racially charged appeals? At least in this case, the answer appears to be no.
* Health care: Edwards is well to the right of the Democratic mainstream on some key issues, including reproductive rights, but the governor-elect also ran on a platform of embracing Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act. His victory will very likely bring health security to nearly 200,000 low-income Louisianans.
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes captured areas from the Islamic State group in the central province of Homs on Monday, in the latest push since the aerial campaign began nearly two months ago, state media and a monitoring group said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops backed by pro-government gunmen entered the town of Mheen and the nearby village of Hawareen after midnight Sunday and were in full control of the area hours later.
Syrian state TV also reported that Mheen and Hawareen were captured, adding that government forces are now removing the mines and explosives left behind by the extremist group to try to slow down the army's advance.
"A big victory was achieved by our heroes," said a Syrian TV reporter embedded with government troops in Mheen.
The capture of Mheen and Hawareen helps secure the highway linking the capital Damascus to the central city of Homs. The government's next push is expected to target the nearby town of Qaryatain and later the historic town of Palmyra, which was taken by IS in May.
Syrian President Bashar Assad said in remarks published Sunday that his forces are advancing on "almost" all fronts thanks to Russian airstrikes.
Russia has conducted an air campaign in Syria since Sept. 30, and the airstrikes have sharply intensified in recent days.
I can't believe the American public would vote for any of the current GOP candidates (even Rand Paul recently introduced the Chicken Little Bill formally known as the 'Sky is Falling Counter Refugee Bill' or SFCR.
But who knows, they are all better looking than Hillary.
Don't forget Egypt. A newspaper thought to be loyal to Sisi is printing cartoons depicting the US as not only the creator of ISIS but also as the dark imminence responsible for the Paris attacks.
Iran has almost as much oil as the Saudi, and have not financed any attacks upon NYCity or the Pentagon, in DC.
As for Syria, it is the most anti-Jihadist regime on the planet. Since the US is still at war with al-Qeada and its off sppring ... who better to ally with in the war against international Islamic terror?
A load of countries did not finance the attacks on 911.
It is kind of funny hearing you urge an alliance with the Assad regime when, not too long ago, you were keen on moving on to Syria after conquering Iraq. In any case there is no need for the US to form alliances with any of those ME regimes.
A serious woman says something that has been needed to be said for a long time --
Hirsi Ali slams feminism's 'trivial BS' By Ashe Schow (@AsheSchow) • 11/20/14 10:30 AM Share Tweet Reddit Digg Mail More
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a harsh critic of Islam’s treatment of women, said Wednesday that modern American feminism is focused on “trivial bullshit” and needs to be reclaimed.
Speaking at the Independent Women’s Forum Women of Valor dinner, where she received an award for courage, Hirsi Ali reminded her audience of how far feminism has strayed from its original purpose.
“I want you to remember that once upon a time, feminists fought for the access — basic right — access of girls to education,” she said.
Hirsi Ali — who despite the harsh words she said, spoke softly, almost timidly — told the story of a fight between her mother and father when she was about 11 years old. Her mother wanted to take her and her sister out of school because education would lead them to rebel against their family and “bring shame upon us.” Her father responded by saying, “If you take my girls out of school, I am going to curse you and you are going to burn in hell.”..............
November 23, 2015 Celebrated feminist author wants to know if ISIS is celebratory and joyous By Carol Brown
If ever proof positive were needed that the intelligentsia can be idiots, Joyce Carol Oates just served up a gigantic Exhibit A. On Sunday, she sent out the following tweet:
All we hear of ISIS is puritanical & punitive; is there nothing celebratory & joyous? Or is query naive?
I don’t know if Ms. Oates is suffering from a recent mental disorder or if this is indicative of her baseline state of mind. Either way, the woman seems to be vying for the Useful Idiot (and then some) Award of the Year.
This pathetic excuse for a thinking person not only wonders about the good qualities of savages who behead people, who put people in cages and burn them alive, who enslave and rape women, who dismember children, who crucify people, who cage and drown people, who run people over with tanks, who murder, maim, destroy, and threaten, and who are committing genocide against Christians in the Middle East. But she is compelled to try to balance unthinkable evil with something good.
People like this should be mocked and marginalized at every turn..........
The entire history of the universe is a story of constant change. Just because you dob’t see it in your paltry hours of existence doesn’t mean it isn’t so.
November 23, 2015 Why terrorists hit the Bataclan Theater in Paris By Arnold Cusmariu
When terrorists murdered four French Jews at a Paris deli in January 2015, President Obama, in keeping with his 2012 U.N. pledge to protect “the prophet of Islam” against “slander,” referred to the victims as “a bunch of folks” who were shot “randomly.”
We were spared a similarly absurd characterization when terrorists murdered some 90 Bataclan Theater concertgoers and injured many more on November 13, possibly because Obama may not have known that the Bataclan was a Jewish target.
The threats against the Bataclan go back several years, with the venue often being a target of anti-Zionist groups. In 2007 and 2008, the theater received threats from radical groups due to its regular hosting of the conferences and galas of Jewish organizations, including one for the Israeli border police..................
The only person posting here with even an ounce of health is Rufus - the rest of us are all white sickos -
Professor Declares ‘Whiteness’ a ‘Disease’ Preaching hate in higher education. November 23, 2015 Jack Kerwick
I had always looked upon my six-year-old son as a blessing.
But now I realize that he is a disease.
My wife, my parents, my grandparents, and every member of my family, both living and deceased, are likewise a disease.
But if you are reading this right now, and you are white, you should know that your children and all of your loved ones are also a disease.
So implies a University of Colorado education professor, Cherly E. Matias, in the most recent edition of Teaching Education, a peer-reviewed journal.
In “‘Why Do You Make Me Hate Myself?’: Re-teaching Whiteness, Abuse, and Love in Urban Teaching Education,” the author insists that “the racial achievement gap” and other racial disparities are “symptoms” of “the underlying diseases of racism and Whiteness” (italics added).
Whiteness is a disease.
Matias explains that while the “inclusion of socially just philosophies in the curriculum is indeed essential” in order “to meet the needs of a growing urban populace,” such philosophies “can mask the recycling of normalized, oppressive Whiteness.”
Thus, it is imperative, Matias maintains, to “deconstruct Whiteness, abuse, and love in teacher education.”
The problem, Matias assures us, is that by “denying race during white childhood via a color-blind ideology,” whites leave “lasting emotional scars, impressions that perpetuate the institutional silencing of race in teacher education.” Urban students of color are made to “endure a racist educational system and daily racial battle fatigue.”
But the difference between this “racism” and that faced by students and other “people of color” in the past is that the former is “color-blind racism.”
The author maintains that “until teacher education programs make confronting and exploring Whiteness a priority, they cannot truly love their urban students of color as complete beings and so deny humanity full and just consideration” (italics added).
Whiteness is a disease.
And it is a disease that whites spread through their embrace of….color-blindness. ....................
......................... It is with this, parents, that your children are being inundated. Dear taxpayer, it is for the sake of subsidizing this anti-intellectual drivel that you labor.
But let’s get even more exact: White parents and taxpayers are paying the salaries of faculty and administrators so that the latter can turn around and declare to the next generation that they are a “disease.”
November 22, 2015 Telling the Truth About ISIS and Raqqa By David Remnick
“Daily life is twenty-four-seven warplanes over your head,” another member said. “People now feel more afraid about the idea that all over the world they want to bomb this small city. People are afraid. The city of Kubani is completely destroyed. The people of Raqqa don’t want that. We love our city. The West says, ‘Let’s get the people out and bomb ISIS.’ They can’t. It’s a big prison. Women under forty-five can’t leave without special permission. It’s a tribal area, and females can’t leave without men. ISIS uses the people of Raqqa as a human shield.”
The R.B.S.S. members said the American fighter planes have dropped most of their bombs on targets on the outskirts of the city or they use drones to target leaders of ISIS. They claim that Russian planes, however, have hit a hospital, two critical bridges, and a university. “The problem we have with the air strikes,” one said, “is that their planes are very stupid. They’re not smart bombs.”
The peril for the group is unceasing. When ISIS arrests or executes a member of R.B.S.S.—or someone that they believe might be sympathetic to the group—they make a show of it on social media. One video, a member told me, showed “two friends of ours accused of working for us. And they don’t. ISIS tied them to a tree and shot them. A second video shows the execution of another friend of ours accused of working for us. They strung them up in a tree in an abandoned place and shot them in the head; they made the video to say they died ‘silently.’ They are sending us messages like this all the time.”
Hamza will soon accept an award from the Committee to Protect Journalists in the name of his comrades, living and dead. (I’m on the board of C.P.J., which arranged our meeting.) He will dedicate the award “to our martyrs,” to the “anonymous heroes” of the campaign, and to the people of Raqqa.....
Politics Backfire: Hillary Tweets All Sexual Abuse Accusers Deserve To Be ‘Believed,’ Is Reminded Of Her Husband Derek Hunter Contributor 11:37 PM 11/22/2015 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 28, 2015. REUTERS/Craig Lassig Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 28, 2015. REUTERS/Craig Lassig
On the night CNN aired a controversial and, as many legal critics call it, flawed documentary on sexual assault on college campuses, Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton tweeted solidarity with victims of sexual assault. The response could not have been what she was hoping for.
The link in her tweet went to a campaign webpage on sexual assault on campus that starts with a quote from a speech Hillary gave in September: “I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault: Don’t let anyone silence your voice. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed, and we’re with you.”
Clinton’s original tweet…
"Every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed, and supported"
…was immediately greeted with a crush of reminders of allegations against her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for sexual assault and even rape.
Kathleen Willey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Willey
Kathleen Willey is a former White House volunteer aide who, on March 15, 1998, alleged on the TV news program 60 Minutes that Bill Clinton had sexually assaulted her ...
Kathleen Willey: 'Hillary is the war on women' - WND www.wnd.com/2014/02/clinton-volunteer-hillary-is-the-war-on-women
Feb 16, 2014 · Kathleen Willey, the former volunteer aide to Bill Clinton who says she was sexually harassed by the president in the 1990s, is now sounding the alarm ...
SOUTHWEST ASIA, November 23, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Attack, fighter, ground attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Mar’a, two strikes destroyed an ISIL artillery piece, an ISIL mortar tube, and an ISIL weapons cache.
-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed an ISIL excavator and destroyed an ISIL earthen bridge.
-- Near Hasakah, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL structures and an ISIL tactical vehicle.
-- Near Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Ayn Isa, four strikes struck four separate tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and six ISIL structures.
Additionally, two previously unreported strikes occurred in Syria on Nov. 21:
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL crude oil collection point.
-- Near Hasakah and Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed 283 ISIL vehicles.
Strikes in Iraq
Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Abu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL staging area.
-- Near Rutbah, one strike struck an ISIL vehicle bomb facility.
-- Near Fallujah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and wounded two ISIL fighters.
-- Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
-- Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Makhmur, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and two ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle, eight ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL house bomb, two ISIL recoilless rifles, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL building, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL fighting position, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL bridge section.
Definition of a ‘Strike’
A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect for that location.
So, the officials said, having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike. Multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, with the cumulative effect of making that facility [or facilities] harder or impossible to use is also considered a single strike, task force officials said.
Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in each strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.
Obama’s Bad Math on Islamic Terrorism Palestinians celebrate Hamas' founding in Gaza, December 2014. (Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty) by Josh Gelernter November 21, 2015 4:00 AM
Obama says 99.9 percent of Muslims reject terrorism. Since the Paris attacks last week, a lot has been made of the Muslim world’s overwhelming disapproval of terrorism. Let me toss in my two cents: There are 3,500 Muslims in the U.S. military. Muslims have fought for our side in all of America’s major wars. There are decorated Muslim soldiers buried in Arlington. There are Muslims in the Israel Defense Forces — all of them volunteers. An Israeli Muslim officer, Major Fehd Fallah, says he became a Zionist after visiting the death camps in Poland as a teenager. Now in his 30s, he is described by an Israeli colonel as “one of the best officers in the IDF.” Muslims serve loyally in Britain’s armed forces too — as of last February, according to the Telegraph, there were 480 of them.
But, as the Telegraph points out, that’s 120 fewer British Muslims than fight for ISIS. Muslims are no more fundamentally bad than Christians or Jews. But it is not true that, as President Obama has said, “99.9 percent of Muslims” reject Islamic terrorism. Obama’s 99.9 percent figure is demonstrably false. Pew Research has polled the issue extensively. In surveys of the Muslim populations of nine majority-Muslim countries, plus Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, an average of 57 percent have an unfavorable view of al-Qaeda, not 99.9 percent.
Thirteen percent have a favorable view of al-Qaeda, not 0.1 percent
The same proportion supports the Taliban. One in four of the Muslims polled supports Hezbollah. For those who need a Hezbollah refresher: In 1984, it kidnapped the CIA’s Beirut station chief, William Buckley. For 15 months, Hezbollah slowly tortured Buckley to death. The CIA received videos from Hezbollah that showed Buckley “close to a gibbering wretch. His words were often incoherent; he slobbered and drooled and, most unnerving of all, he would suddenly scream in terror, his eyes rolling helplessly and his body shaking.” His remains were eventually discovered dumped on the side of a road. One in four Muslims in the Muslim world supports Hezbollah.
One in three supports Hamas. If you need a Hamas refresher: On March 27, 2002, the Park Hotel in the Israeli city of Netanya was holding a Passover meal for mostly elderly Jews who had no family and nowhere else to go for the holiday. Several were Holocaust survivors. A member of Hamas walked into the hotel dining room and detonated a suicide vest, killing 30 and wounding 140 others. The Palestinian Authority dedicated a soccer tournament to the bomber’s memory. One in three Muslims in the Muslim world supports Hamas.
In Turkey — which is a member of NATO — one in four Muslims believes suicide bombings are sometimes justified. More than one in two Muslims believe this in Egypt and Jordan; more than two of three believe it in Nigeria. The situation is not much different among Muslims in Western countries. In Britain and Spain, one in four Muslims believes suicide bombings are sometimes justified. One in three believes it in France. Slightly more than one in ten believes it in the United States (per a Pew poll from 2011). According to a poll conducted by a Georgetown Islamic Studies professor and a Gallup pollster, more than one in three Muslims worldwide believe that the 9/11 attacks were “somewhat,” “largely,” or “completely” justified (23.1 percent say “somewhat”; 13.5 percent say “largely” or “completely”).
According to CBS, polling shows that “almost one in four British Muslims believe that the [2005] 7/7 attacks on London were justified.” According to the Financial Times, polling shows that more than one in three British Muslims see Britain’s Jewish community as a “legitimate target as part of the struggle for justice in the Middle East.” Not Israelis but British Jews. Their Jewish neighbors. One in three. According to the BBC, more than one in four British Muslims agree with the statement: “I have some sympathy for the motives behind the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.” According to a major Turkish newspaper — the Hürriyet Daily News — one in five Turks believes Charlie Hebdo’s murdered cartoonists “got what they deserved.”
Assimilation-Resistant Muslims Are the Real Refugee Problem
When a position is held by one in five, one in four, one in three, it’s part of the mainstream. According to Gallup, one in three Americans believes abortion should be illegal even in the first trimester; one in four Americans believes it should be legal even after the first trimester. The proportion of Americans who believe abortion should always be illegal is the same as the proportion of French Muslims who believe suicide bombings are sometimes justified. The proportion of Americans who believe abortions should be legal after the first trimester is the same as the proportion of British Muslims who believe the 7/7 attacks were justified. How many pro- and anti-abortion acquaintances do you have? Which of those views is at the fringe of American society? I whole-heartedly believe that Muslim pro-terrorists are in the minority — but it’s a large and powerful minority; not a tenth of 1 percent. I whole-heartedly believe that Muslim pro-terrorists are in the minority — but it’s a large and powerful minority; not a tenth of 1 percent. Pretending otherwise, for the sake of being sanctimonious, accomplishes nothing. Imagine if Muslims did shun terrorists the way Christians shun the KKK. At the risk of sounding sanctimonious myself, a little healthy shunning would make the world a much safer and much better place. It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility — but wishing won’t make it so. (Arabic, Persian, and Urdu editions of National Review might, though. E-mail your support for the WFB Airlift Program by clicking “Connect” at the bottom of the homepage.) — Josh Gelernter writes weekly for NRO and is a regular contributor to The Weekly Standard. He is a founder of the tech startup Dittach.
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/427439/muslims-terrorism-president-obama
Much like the Prince Charles’s overhaul of Highgrove House with ‘eco toilets’, the Swedish king’s residence has been made greener with environmentally-friendly heating and low-energy lightbulbs.
‘We do what we can here at the palace. It’s an ongoing project trying to save energy, but it isn’t easy in an old property,’ he said
:)
King of Sweden calls for a ban on BATHS and admits he is now ‘ashamed’ to run one after realising how much energy they use
November 23, 2015, 12:25 pm Trump: 'It is highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely' I will use nukes
By Jesse Byrnes
Getty Images
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump suggests in a new interview that it is extremely unlikely he would use nukes should he make it into the Oval Office.
"I wouldn't be nuking anybody," Trump said in a GQ interview published online Monday when asked if he would be scared to nuke countries if he considered it justified.
Under any circumstances? "I will have a military that's so strong and powerful, and so respected, we're not gonna have to nuke anybody," Trump responded.
The real estate tycoon pushed back on the suggestion that the U.S. could get rid of its nuclear stockpile, suggesting it should keep them because other countries have their own.
"It is highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely that I would ever be using them," Trump said. Several GOP candidates have publicly questioned Trump's temperament for the White House, with rival former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush remarking last month on CNN that he had "grave doubts" about the celebrity businessman having his hand on the nation's nuclear codes.
Republicans have pointed to Trump's combativeness and controversial rhetoric on a range of domestic and international issues to argue he's unfit to be commander in chief.
Trump, who has long described himself as a "counter puncher," suggested in his GQ interview that he would be less bellicose as president.
"I would imagine I would be quite a bit different. I would feel differently about things as a president. Right now, I'm fighting a lot of people. As a president I would be more measured," Trump said.
"I wouldn't change much, but I think I would probably tone down the rhetoric, perhaps. And perhaps not. Depends on who it was that I was speaking about. We have some bad dudes out there," he added.
Many parts of the Middle Easy are becoming uninhabitable in the summer and desertification has been on a steady increase.
Climate change deniers received a stunning blow this year from none other than Pope Francis, who announced a papal encyclical calling for action on global warming in 2015. But even if the world’s billion-plus faithful heed him, stop flying in planes and start walking to work, global warming will continue to gain traction. And the forecast for the Middle East is frightening: It will be hotter, drier and probably more dangerous as burgeoning populations struggle over dwindling resources, warns geostrategist Arnon Soffer, professor emeritus from the University of Haifa.
Soffer declines to look more than 20 years into the future on the grounds of pointlessness: Who, for instance, foresaw the Holocaust, which changed world history? Though when pressed to peer into a more distant future, he does point out that if global warming continues on its present trajectory, life in the Middle East and possibly the planet as a whole could become unsustainable for humans: We will fry. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for one predicts that unless humanity takes drastic action to amend its climate-changing ways, the average global temperature will rise by 11.5 degrees by the year 2100. (If humanity does take drastic action, the EPA projects a temperature increase of 2 degrees by that same year. )
Temperatures in the Middle East have not changed much yet, but they will; and the region is already experiencing weather extremes and, generally, an accelerated process of desertification.
Too hot to go outside
In the short run the natural life, flora and fauna, in the existing deserts will be less affected by climate change than plants in the semi-arid regions of the Middle East, which include Israel. Also, Middle Eastern plants and animals evolved to be “climate copers,” long used to wildly varying precipitation from year to year.
But, barring drastic action, within the lifetimes of today’s children, it will be impossible to leave shelter during the heat of the day, Soffer predicts. Being outside in the sun will be deadly. And plants and animals will face the same stresses as the region’s people.
Nor need we look 50 or 100 years into the future to see acute danger. The Middle East, says the professor, who among other things advises the Israel Defense Forces and government on demographics, is already reeling from the double whammy of climate change and growing populations. These factors are combining and are already exacerbating the struggle over resources – water, food and energy. When people think about the world’s growing populations, they usually think of India and China. But demographically speaking, what has been happening in the Middle East has no precedent, Soffer notes. Take the population of Egypt: It doubled in the 30 years before 1958, and then by 1981 it doubled again. But a poor nation like Egypt can’t double its resources in less than 30 years: “It’s mission impossible.
The entire Middle East is in a state of chaos,” says the professor. And meanwhile, the Blue Nile is running low on water. Much of the Middle East is hot and arid to begin with, and it’s becoming even drier. Plus, many scientists predict further desertification as precipitation in the region becomes rarer, and its patterns change too.
Forecasts for rain are a lot iffier than for temperature. Generally, the forecast for a warming world is actually for more precipitation, as the hotter climate causes more water to evaporate from the oceans – and what goes up must come down. But that rainfall won’t be evenly distributed around the world. Some countries used to heavy precipitation will apparently get more: Britain, for instance, is bracing for torrential rains.
Meanwhile, the entire Fertile Crescent has already been getting less and less rain. In Israel, the winter (rainy season) of 2013-2014 was the driest in its recorded history.
“Countries on the boundaries of the desert will be more desert-like and the desert countries will, within decades, become practically unfit for human habitation,” Soffer and Berkovsky predict in their book “Geopolitics and Climate Change in the Middle East.”
As less rain falls, aquifers will dwindle and the quality of their water will deteriorate. Desalination is all right for rich countries like Israel, where a weekend’s worth of water might cost as much as a cup of coffee, says Soffer drily. But that is no solution for the third world: “They can’t afford it,” he says bluntly. Nor is it even possible. “The entire amount of water the world desalinates in a year is about what Egypt needs in a month,” he explains. Ergo, desalination is not the answer.
And thus, as water becomes scarcer and its cost rises, the countries of the Middle East will increasingly resort to struggling over this diminishing resource. Will? Soffer says this has actually been happening for years. With all due respect to egalitarian cravings, he associates the Arab Spring and even the rise of the Islamic state, or ISIS, less with vile tyrants and more with climate change.
The “Mediterranean zone” is characterized by dry summers, which may last as long as nine months, and a wildly variable winter rainy season. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change actually predicts that as the planet warms, winter precipitation may slightly increase but overall, the soil will be drier because the hotter temperatures will drive more evaporation.
Israel is in the region that will undergo desertification, which the IPCC foresees encompassing North Africa, the countries around the Mediterranean basin, and swathes of Asia as well. Meanwhile, IPCC figures indicate that temperatures in the Middle East did not substantially change from 1901 to 1996, though if one includes Asia, the increase is 0.7 degrees Celsius. But the global trend is unarguable and the Middle East will not be spared. In any case, the average temperature isn’t the point, argues Soffer: We need to look at extreme events and this region is suffering those in spades.
“The winter of 2013-2014 brought us that crazy snowstorm,” Soffer recalls, adding that even Cairo was blanketed in white. Israeli highways were blocked by thousands of cars simply abandoned in snowdrifts, and whole towns were cut off for days. Some areas of Syria saw the heaviest snowfall in decades, which further exacerbated the misery of citizens already suffering from civil war.
Of course the GOP is appalled by science. It dwells in ignorance. But try and pretend you are not a doctrinaire GOP fool and read on:
Not one single drop of rain fell on the border of Syria and Turkey last winter, adds the professor, driving home the point. The villagers there have no desalination plants or water tankers.
“When it doesn’t rain and they have no water, like our patriarch Abraham – they have to migrate,” says Soffer. The upshot is that from North Africa to Syria, decades-old autocratic regimes have been weakened. Leadership voids were created he adds, and since nature abhors a void – enter ISIS, a magnetic force for people disenfranchised and growing increasingly desperate for solutions that their own governments cannot provide.
1) The original data was badly fudged 2) We don't have nearly enough reliable data 3) We don't know enough to have a competent computer program to analyze what data we have
I believe that was the gist of a lecture on the subject I attended here by Professor Quirk.
I think highly of his scientific expertise.
Also, there's a lot of money in 'climate change'.
It used to be called 'global warming' but the data didn't fit so they changed the label on the product.
The Pope has a masters degree in chemistry. It will come as a shock to the majority of the GOP that the universe is a study of change and that change results in chemistry and has done so since the first instant the universe began. The chemical changes on earth have an affect on the weather and the biology.
It's looking like word came down from the top to fudge the figures about ISIS - "political pressure from Washington" -
Here we go: Centcom analysts who took negative view of progress against ISIS were told in e-mails to “cut it out” posted at 6:01 pm on November 23, 2015 by Allahpundit
I thought we already knew this, or at least knew the basics of it — defense analysts at Centcom were apparently pressured by their superiors to take a rosier view of the progress against ISIS than was actually warranted. Who precisely wanted the books cooked to suggest things were going well is the key question, which this story doesn’t answer.
Great thinking, though, by the guilty parties in lying to the public about a jihadi threat, knowing that one major attack in the west would destroy their credibility instantly.
Analysts at U.S. Central Command were pressured to ease off negative assessments about the Islamic State threat and were even told in an email to “cut it out,” Fox News has learned – as an investigation expands into whether intelligence reports were altered to present a more positive picture.
Fox News is told by a source close to the CENTCOM analysts that the pressure on them included at least two emails saying they needed to “cut it out” and “toe the line.”
Separately, a former Pentagon official told Fox News there apparently was an attempt to destroy the communications. The Pentagon official said the email warnings were “not well received” by the analysts…
Among the complaints is that after the U.S. air campaign started in August 2014, the metrics to measure progress changed. They were modified to use measures such as the number of sorties and body counts — a metric not used since the Vietnam War — to paint a more positive picture.
“The cancer was within the senior level of the intelligence command,” one analyst told the Daily Beast in September. But why was the intelligence command so eager to tweak the data? Another Daily Beast story, this one from August, suggested an answer:
Two defense officials said that some felt the commander for intelligence at CENTCOM failed to keep political pressures from Washington from bearing on lower-level analysts at command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. That pressure, while described as subtle and not overt, is nevertheless clear, the analysts said: Assessments on ISIS should comport with “the leadership consensus,” that is, top policymakers’ view, that the U.S.-led campaign against the group is paying dividends.
Obama declared war on ISIS informally on September 10 of last year. Maybe the thought was that some good press in the first few months of the mission would help Democrats in the midterms. (Which, if true, was stupid. How often does foreign policy matter to any vote, let alone a midterm vote, especially when the other party’s cheerleading the intervention?) Beyond that, I don’t get it. Eventually, after watching Putin enter the war on Assad’s side to prop him up against the Sunni rebels and reading stories about ISIS mass-murdering Yazidis or bulldozing ancient ruins, the public would figure out that the jihadis have been operating with near impunity. The lie about progress here was always destined to be exposed. So why lie?
While you think about that, read Byron York’s report on the Pentagon’s Friday press conference, in which a spokesman was asked why it took so long to take out some of ISIS’s oil trucks. That’s their economic lifeline; if you want to starve them of resources, one of your first priorities should be to cut them off from their confiscated oil well. Watch the response below at 16:45. It’s beyond belief:
Warren explained that American officials were deeply worried about harming the truck drivers, who were working for ISIS but might not be ISIS themselves. U.S. officials settled on a plan to drop leaflets on the trucks about 45 minutes before the raid, warning the drivers that an attack was coming, while U.S. pilots flew low passes over the area. Planning all that took time…
“We have not struck these trucks before,” Warren said. “We assessed that these trucks, while although they are being used for operations that support ISIL, the truck drivers, themselves, [are] probably not members of ISIL; they’re probably just civilians. So we had to figure out a way around that. We’re not in this business to kill civilians, we’re in this business to stop ISIL — to defeat ISIL.”…
Finally, when all the work had been done, 300 ISIS trucks were found in one place. It was an inviting target.
“These trucks were queued up,” Warren said. “They were sitting sort of on flat desert. There wasn’t really anything recognizable as a road around. It was just out there on the desert floor in the vicinity of one of these oil fields, one of these oil facilities that we’ve been striking. So they were queued up there waiting to take on their illicit oil…So these trucks were — they were just sitting there, not moving.”
I don’t know where to start. For one thing, the U.S. has frequently targeted jihadis in drone strikes notwithstanding the risk of civilian casualties. (In a “signature strike,” the drone operator isn’t even sure that the target is a jihadi.) The logic, of course, is that by taking the shot and neutralizing a threat, you end up saving more civilians in the long run. The same logic applies here: Wipe out ISIS’s fleet of oil trucks, even at the price of killing the drivers, and suddenly the barbarians who are rampaging across Syria and Iraq have a financial crunch on their hands. If that ends the war more quickly, more civilians end up being spared from ISIS’s depredations. Beyond that, imagine how ISIS is going to treat a truck driver who caught one of the dropped fliers and ran away to save himself without taking his truck. How many civilians on the scene that day will actually end up being spared? (And how many trucks that might have been destroyed without the warning did in fact speed away before the attack?) Also, how can it be that this is the first U.S. strike on ISIS’s oil distribution network 14 months into the campaign? If the fear is that ISIS will use attacks on the trucks as propaganda to claim that Americans have declared war on the Syrian people, I think we’ve probably already crossed that bridge. If you’re waiting for a fair shake from the ISIS messaging team, you’ll be waiting a long time.
And finally: If you were targeting 300 trucks, why would you only supply your planes with enough explosives to destroy 116? Because that’s what happened. More than half the trucks got away because … U.S. planes simply ran out of bombs on their mission.
Why are we fighting this war if we’re going to fight it like this?
Update: Now that’s more like it. AFP headline: “U.S. warplanes destroy 283 fuel trucks in Syria.”
All the nonsense, that “Assad has to go” would somehow help defeat ISIS is more Israeli and Neocon propaganda. The only worthy coalition fighting ISIS is based on the legitimate government of Assad and the Syrian army. The magical fete of getting rid of Assad is the same slight of hand that got rid of Saddam and Ghadaffi. That was quite a successful trick indeed. It only plays into the Israeli strategy of weakening all her neighbors.
ReplyDeleteThe Bush administration started this disaster and one by one, European states are going to turn against the US for the consequences that they have to suffer because of US intransigence in supporting our mythical ally and pursuing this destructive political and human catastrophe. Our government in its obsequious subordination to Israel has brought near irreparable damage to the Middle East and now Western Europe.
There is no easy political solution and a near impossible military solution. We do know what does not work, or at least some of us do. Washington, beholden to Israeli interests is not in that camp.
How much more suffering is required to get Washington to realize the obvious? I fear we will find out.
Israel was more concerned about freeing Jonathan Pollard than helping to free the West from the threat of ISIS. ISIS serves the Israeli wish to bring a complete collapse in Syria and is salivating to repeat the same in Iran.
ReplyDeleteIsrael has more interest in bringing in phony Russian Jewish “Refugees” from Russia to bulk up the population of occupation than it has concern for the stark refugee crisis facing everyone else.
The more harm that comes to the US and Europe because of Islamic fanatics suits the Israeli politics of the Likud just fine.
CASE IN POINT
ReplyDeletePollard lawyers appeal ‘illegal’ terms of release
Former spy’s attorneys went to work soon after his release, filing an appeal with a US District Court in an attempt to overturn strict monitoring conditions placed on him as part of his parole.
Mere hours after his release on Friday, Jonathan Pollard's lawyers appealed what they termed illegal restrictions placed on the Israeli spy, including an ankle bracelet with 24 hour GPS monitoring, and tracking of his and his employer's computer systems.
As part of his parole, Pollard must remain in the United States for five years, although his lawyers have asked President Barack Obama to commute his sentence, allowing him to go to Israel immediately.
US Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said Obama “has no plans to alter the forms of his parole" to allow him to leave the United States.
_--------------------------------
Where did Pollard, after 30 years in prison, get the money to make such an audacious and expensive appeal?
IS DEUCE SHITTING YOU ABOUT THE MONEY? READ ON:
DeleteThe (ISRAELI) government would pay for Jonathan Pollard to have “reasonable living conditions” for the rest of his life following his expected release from a prison in North Carolina November 20, according to a bill proposed in the Knesset on Tuesday.
Although the conditions for the Israeli agent’s parole after 30 years in prison have not been revealed, he is expected to be forced to remain in the United States for the next five years before he may be permitted to move to Israel. Upon his release, Pollard will seek immediate medical treatment for multiple ailments.
The bill, proposed by Knesset House Committee chairman David Bitan (Likud), would require the government to fund Pollard’s residence and medical expenses, aw well as provide a monthly stipend to support him.
“We have a moral obligation to Pollard,” Bitan said.
“He sat in jail for 30 years while the government of Israel failed to bring about his release. Due to his age and poor health, he clearly will not be able to support himself on his own in a reasonable way without the support of the government.”
Reports that the government has been allocating money to Pollard during his incarceration have been vigorously denied. His wife, Esther, lives in the small apartment of a friend in central Jerusalem.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Pollard-funding-bill-proposed-432605
THIS IS CHOICE
ReplyDeletePollard’s lawyers, Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman, say the conditions would make it hard for their client to find employment, as no employer would agree to the tracking of their systems. Lauer said Pollard was set to work in the finance department of an investment firm in New York.
The official Free Pollard campaign and Pollard’s attorneys have declined to comment on the parole conditions, but they did encourage USA congress members to ask the Justice Department to ease them. He expressed concern that the restriction could put Pollard’s job in jeopardy.
ReplyDelete“We rejoice in the happiness over the release of our brother Jonathan”, the place said.
She and her husband, Yaron Jackson, were parked outside of the Federal Prison in Butner, hoping for a glimpse of Pollard upon his release.
And from one USA president to the next, Pollard served as a kind of bargaining chip. Those supporters include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who applauded Pollard’s freedom.
http://www.voicechronicle.com/87803-22-israel-welcomes-release-of-spy-jonathan-pollard-in-us/
THE GOP LIKUDS FORCE HAS BEEN RATHER SILENT ABOUT POLLARD
ReplyDeleteRepublicans fall all over themselves trying to show how much they love Israel, so why are they so quiet about convicted traitor Jonathan Pollard?
Though few topics have been off-limits for the Republican presidential field this cycle, there’s one glaring issue most of them prefer to keep totally mum about: the parole of former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.
Yesterday, former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard was released from federal prison. When he served as a Navy intelligence analyst, the government of Israel paid him from $1,500 to $2,500 a month, per CNN, to covertly pass them classified information. After Pollard was convicted, he received a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years. He’s been called “one of the worst traitors of the 20th century.”
But he had many powerful and loyal advocates in Israel -- including current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- who lobbied unsuccessfully for a commutation of his sentence. And the country awarded him citizenship after his conviction. Republicans don’t often see any conflict between the goals of the Israeli government and the United States’ national security interests. But Pollard’s incarceration -- and, now, the conditions of his parole -- confront them with such a conundrum.
And some powerful Republicans were Team Pollard. Ted Olson, an attorney on George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign and then solicitor general during his first term, represented him before the D.C. Court of Appeals. And according to a Daily Beast report from 2012, Republican megadonor and king-maker Sheldon Adelson pushed for then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to call for the spy’s release. Romney didn’t.
Though Pollard is now free, his attorneys are challenging what they characterize as “onerous and oppressive conditions of parole.” Pollard -- who “passed more secrets to a foreign power (360-plus cubic feet of paper), in the shortest amount of time, than any spy before or after him,” according to a retired Navy counterintelligence officer quoted at IntelNews.org -- has to wear an ankle monitor and can’t move to Israel for at least five years.
The Daily Beast reached out to all the competitive Republican presidential campaigns (and the Democrats, too) about whether they supported Pollard’s release and thought he should be allowed to leave the U.S. for Israel. Only Ben Carson’s team provided an answer. His communications director, Doug Watts, emailed that the retired neurosurgeon is fine with what happened.
“Jonathan Pollard has done his time and therefore Dr Carson has no objection or concern with his release,” Watts said. “As for his travel restriction, Dr Carson defers to the judgement of the Parole Board.”
Huckabee’s team didn’t send an answer, but he told Israeli media outlet Arutz Sheva earlier this year that he was “delighted” by the prospect of Pollard’s release and had concerns about his health.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/21/why-is-the-gop-so-silent-over-pollard.html
Jeb Bush’s team didn’t get back to us about the former Florida governor’s stance on Pollard. His brother, though, resisted Israeli efforts to secure a commutation of the spy’s sentence. IntelNews noted that a “massive campaign was conducted behind the scenes,” including tens of thousands of phone calls to the White House from his supporters, to get him out of prison.
ReplyDeleteSURELY CRUZ THE BOLD AND RUBIO THE VERBOSE HAS A COMMENT - maybe not
ReplyDeleteOne Israeli paper has reported that Netanyahu is lobbying for Pollard to be allowed to travel to the country before five years of parole are up. Netanyahu’s office wouldn’t confirm that report to the AP.
Though the PM is unequivocal about Pollard, one of Netanyahu’s most vocal supporters in the Senate has stayed mum. Marco Rubio, a hawkish foe of the Iran deal and long-time critic of Obama’s handling of U.S./Israeli relations, has yet to say anything about the spy’s release. A spokeswoman for his campaign told The Daily Beast that she would let us know if they have a comment.
The Conservative Solutions Project, a pro-Rubio outside group, used video of Netanyahu in an ad touting the senator that aired in cable news networks, including Fox News.
Sen. Ted Cruz’s team also didn’t reply to a query about his views on Pollard’s release and the conditions of his parole. But this past April at the Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, he expressed openness to pardoning Pollard if elected.
“Cruz said he’d keep an ‘open mind’ about the situation, but wanted to hear from U.S. intelligence agencies before deciding,” wrote Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Steve Sebelius.
CRUZ IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT US SECURITY DON’T YOU KNOW
CIA director George Tenet threatened to resign if then-President Bill Clinton had pardoned the spy. Clinton didn’t.
DeleteAnd conservative Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach told The Hill in July that Cruz gave him a heads-up on Pollard’s upcoming parole.
“I was told that Sen. Cruz had met with the Justice Department and other representatives from other branches of government and they said that he was going to be paroled in November,” he told the paper.
WELL IF RABBI SHMULEY SAYS IT IS SO...
Every launch code, All of our targeting information - We should have executed the son of a bitch.
ReplyDeleteIsrael is a cancer, and it's probably too late to cut it out.
Dump the GOP
ReplyDeleteBreak up the US Media Cartels
Force public financing of political campaigns with a special tax on the US Media
Dump the GOP is an excellent idea.
ReplyDeleteOutlaw all "Political Parties" and let the best ideas come from the People.
Then let the voters decide.
I think the "moderate" Muslims are waiting for a strong, decisive response to the extremists for their own survival after the last bullet has been fired. Who wins this war is a very strong motivation to watch their actions while the war is still on. Islam has no forgiveness for the "Moderates".
ReplyDeleteI don't hate the Muslim as a person. I do hate the individual that proclaims "We love death..."blah, blah...
Pro 8:36
DeleteBut he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
That's all for the Sunday service gentlemen. That wasn't so bad, was it?
DeleteI didn't much like the part about dumping the GOP.
Delete;)
The established politicians are for themselves and their party, imo.
DeleteTerm limits for all.
Think about it though Bob.
DeleteIf there were no "Others" then the Dems wouldn't have a boogieman to point their fingers at.
As of May 30, 2005, over 15,000 Muslims were serving in the United States Armed Forces. Jews make up abut 4500 members.
ReplyDeleteAmericans love the military. Thank you for your service, very much. There are more Jews in the US than Muslims by a huge margin compared to the population. Based on military service to the USA, which group is more patriotic and dedicated to the country?
ReplyDeleteYou've said, basically, that one would have to be an idiot to join the US Military these days, and would not urge anyone to do so.
DeleteThey may agree with you, which should make you happy.
I think a lot of the Jews are in PhD programs somewhere, myself.
There are about 1000 “Americans” serving in the IDF. There are hundreds of thousand foreign born serving in the US military. In some years, up to 100,000 foreigners in the US military, take the path to US citizenship. That sounds patriotic to me.
DeleteI contend that the US, taking in Iraqi and Syrian families by the hundreds of thousands, up to four million would do more to bring the end to ISIS and have a net increase in US security. Of course they should be vetted and there will be some bad actors, but the gratitude of the hundreds of thousand would more than compensate because they will identify who the troublemakers are.
After all, they will have lost everything to get here. The US needs to take accountability and responsibility for what was done by Bush and the Neocons. Giving home and shelter to the ultimate victims of our folly and worse is small recompense.
It would also be in US interests to bring some balance in the inordinate influence the Israeli Lobby has on the supposedly “US” representatives in the US Conga Line.
Here is the difference. Every veteran on this site wants less wars. Your team, the non-serving team, is rooting for US wars in the Middle East but has never served and never will. Do you recognize the difference?
DeleteWhat I've said, time and again, is we should support the Kurdish desire for a state, and support Israel.
DeleteI've never said put US troops back in Iraq.
ISIS? I have no idea what to do about ISIS.
Obama screwed the pooch, and what to do ?
?
I hope the Russians make some headway...
You certainly did state you wanted US troops on the ground, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.
DeleteYou referred to the "1st Airborne Division" as the troops the US should deploy.
Quit denying your previous positions, "Draft Dodger".
There are many Jews and non Jews alike who are consistent in their opposition to the military and are ardently opposed to the absurd amount of US wars. I am fine with them and respect their choice.
ReplyDeleteDo you see the difference?
DeleteI absolutely would discourage anyone to join the US military today.
DeleteI agree with you on that, Duece.
DeleteI don't trust the Commander in Chief to have their interests in mind while in service, and especially after.
The bastard is a traitor.
Oops, I meant "Deuce".
DeleteFOX News General Election
ReplyDeleteTrump (R) 46, Clinton (D) 41
Carson (R) 47, Clinton (D) 42
Rubio (R) 50, Clinton (D) 42
Cruz (R) 45, Clinton (D) 41
Bush (R) 45, Clinton (D) 39
Trump (R) 46, Sanders (D) 41
I would take Sanders over any one of them.
ReplyDeleteHillary is stuck in the very low 40's all the way through.
ReplyDeleteI'd take nearly anybody over her. She doesn't deserve it.
Carson is fading in Iowa, some of his voters seem to be going to Cruz
The Israeli-firsters and the right wing blogs, overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, overwhelmingly opposed to Muslim refugees, overwhelmingly encouraging more military conflict and overwhelmingly never served in the US military.
ReplyDeleteISIS, or the Alawites ?
ReplyDeleteIf you're a Christian, by all means choose the Alawites, it will go much better for you.
after paris
ReplyDeleteHow to Beat ISIS: The President Is Partly Right
Walter Russell Mead
We’ve seen this before. After 9/11, the great and dramatic attack created a legend, but then al-Qaeda was dragged down, and dogged by its adversaries. The group managed to survive the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, but, despite that, this attrition little-by-little (and sometimes big step-by-big step) damaged the brand. ISIS represented a new approach, and its victorious march across Syria and Iraq electrified the jihadi universe. But now ISIS, too, is beginning to sag.
On the ground these days, ISIS is engaged in a war of inches that will likely test its capacity to the limits, like its (lack of) ability to manage and operate supply lines, for example. The poor training and quality of its fighters will also now matter more. And the absence of dramatic victories, indeed the reality of setbacks and retreats, will reduce the enthusiasm and undercut the morale of current fighters, to say nothing of the impact on potential recruits.
This may be one reason why ISIS has apparently shifted to prioritize attacks like the Paris horror. It likely needs the acts of drama and violence to replace the revolutionary theater that its military advances once gave it. Running wild through the streets, gunning down the crowds in a night club: This is fantasy violence, video games brought into the real world. ISIS is again the coolest of jihadi brands, the cutting edge of the war against the real. The intent is not so much to terrorize the West as to galvanize the faithful.
Understanding ISIS’ methods can help us counter its aims. One key for us: to step up the grim war of attrition against ISIS on the ground. Life for the average ISIS fighter has to become a miserable affair of holing up, getting shot, running out of food, and putting up with bad medical care and low supplies even as the higher-ups live it up in the ruins of Raqqa. That word needs to filter out across the jihadi grapevine. To cut the flow of recruits and funds to ISIS, we must make ISIS look unattractive and weak—drab. If at the same time we work aggressively to reduce its ability to repeat the Paris attacks, ISIS will continue to fade.
Let's hope so.
http://www.the-american-interest.com/2015/11/16/how-to-beat-isis-the-president-is-partly-right/
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ReplyDeleteWhat I've said, time and again, is we should support the Kurdish desire for a state...
What Kurdish leader is politicking for a Kurdish state?
.
The held a vote on the idea some time ago and it passed overwhelmingly.
DeleteI read about another referendum supposed to be held one of these days, but don't know if it has been held so far.
I really don't know the names of the Kurdish politicians.
I imagine the vast majority would wish for a place in the sun for themselves, a state.
Gassed by Saddam, hated by ISIS, what would you wish for yourself after all that ?
Iraq Kurdistan independence referendum planned
Delete1 July 2014
From the section Middle East
Massoud Barzani is the answer -
Leader of the Kurdish region of Iraq Massoud Barzani: "The goal of Kurdistan is independence"
The president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region has told the BBC he intends to hold a referendum on independence within months.
Massoud Barzani said that Iraq was already "effectively partitioned".
While the Kurds would play a part in a political solution to the crisis caused by jihadist-led Sunni Arab rebellion, independence was their right, he added.............
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28103124
Iraqi Kurds to Vote on Independence
DeleteJuly 1, 2014
Kurdish Peshmerga forces stand guard in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on June 17, 2014.
/Getty Images Kurdish Peshmerga forces stand guard in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on June 17, 2014.
President of Iraq's Kurdish region, already largely autonomous, says the country is already partitioned
More
ISIS Can Be Beaten in Weeks Says Kurdish Intelligence Chief
The partition of Iraq lurched closer to reality on Tuesday when the head of the country’s already quasi-autonomous Kurdish region publicly declared he would schedule a referendum on independence. Polls and previous votes indicate that the measure is certain to pass, leading, in all likelihood, to an independent Kurdistan on the northern and northeastern borders of Iraq.
“From now on, we won’t hide that that’s our goal,” Massoud Barzani, president of the Regional Kurdistan Government, told the BBC in an interview. “Iraq is effectively partitioned now. Are we supposed to stay in this tragic situation the country’s living? It’s not me who will decide on independence. It’s the people.”
The referendum will come in “a matter of months,” Barzani said. He said the Kurdistan parliament must first establish an independent electoral authority, then establish the date for the referendum that Barzani made clear will end with the creation of a state.
“We hope that this state will have the best of relations with all of its neighbors, and we will not be a threat to anyone at all, I’m sure.”.................
http://time.com/2945035/iraqi-kurds-to-vote-on-independence/
I believe there was an earlier vote which passed by a big margin.
" Polls and previous votes indicate that the measure is certain to pass"
Delete.
DeleteThat was over a year ago. As far as I know, they got a few concessions out of Baghdad and dropped the idea.
The most influential leader among the various Kurdish groups, the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has indicated he doesn't want a Kurdish state. He's looking for autonomy and simply wants for the Kurds to be left along while avoiding the inevitable foreign entanglements that come with statehood.
I believe the Syrian Kurds feel the same.
Let me know when there is a big push for Kurdish statehood.
.
Here's a chuckle -
ReplyDeleteWhoever ends up leading the centre-right will struggle to deal with the fact that Le Pen has detoxified the Front National brand in recent years. She expelled her extremist father, Jean-Marie, because he was an embarrassment. No longer seen as a ragtag army of holocaust deniers, the FN is now changing the political landscape. A Marine Le Pen presidency might remain unthinkable for most French citizens, but there is no question that the bloodshed in Paris plays into her hands.
François Hollande hasn’t seized the moment. Marine Le Pen might
The aftermath of the Paris terror attacks is looking ominously good for the Front National
Jason Walsh
http://new.spectator.co.uk/2015/11/francois-hollande-hasnt-seized-the-moment-marine-le-pen-might/
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DeleteYea, funny as heck.
.
After KRG formally welcomes Jews back to Iraq, will their numbers increase?
ReplyDeleteBAGHDAD, Iraq — Many Iraqi Jews forced from their country or displaced following persecution and dispossession more than six decades ago still dream of returning to their homeland. They retain a nostalgia for their temples and the streets where they grew up. It may be difficult or ultimately impossible for a large number of them to turn this dream into reality, but some have begun to return thanks to a law recently passed in Iraqi Kurdistan. Last month, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced the opening of a Jewish representation office at the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, increasing the number of officially recognized religions to seven. The others are Islam, Christianity, Yazidism, Yarsanism, Alawism and Kaka’ism......................
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/iraq-jews-return-kurdistan-representation-office.html#ixzz3sFhXL1sY
250,000 Americans are expected to get Healthcare as a result of the execrable republicans being kicked out of the La. statehouse, last night.
ReplyDeleteThe Fox Poll is a bad joke, meant to "pump up" the ignorant, and racist, republican base.
ReplyDeleteThe ABC/Wash. Post Poll, a scientific poll that attempts to pretty much replicate the actual voting public, will probably be out in the next couple of days. It should give us some idea of where the "horserace" stands.
Abe Lincoln freed the slaves.
DeleteDeuce thinks it wasn't worth the cost.
Abe was a Republican.
You may not know that, being an ignorant racist swamp hick.
You should have listened to the video on the previous post. You may have learned something. You should have stayed on the farm. College was a waste of time. That last post was probably your last chance. I tried.
DeleteDiary of a Mad Voter
ReplyDeleteAs Terrorism Dominates, Can Trump Be Stopped?
By Roger L Simon November 22, 2015
Remember the conventional wisdom that Donald Trump was no more than a faddish celebrity candidate who would soon fade and drop out? Seems like another century, doesn't it?
Ever since he announced, the billionaire businessman has been at the top of the polls and, with barely a ripple, has remained there. Right now he appears to be lapping the field and only three of his opponents -- Ben Carson, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz -- are even making it into double-digits on any of the polls. And Carson seems to be the one who is fading.
In the respected Reuters-IPSOS rolling poll from November 20, Trump is at 38.8%, Carson 14.7%, Rubio 10.3%, Cruz 7.1% with long ago supposed shoo-in frontrunner Jeb Bush 5.5%, trailing even "Wouldn't Vote" (6.3%) by .8%.
No wonder, according to this weekend's WSJ, the GOP "mainstream" is revving up to "hit Trump." Panic has set in. From the WSJ: A super PAC supporting John Kasich (3.0% in the IPSOS poll) is apparently planning to blow $2.5 million on an anti-Trump campaign (talk about throwing good money after bad -- how about giving it to cancer research, boys and girls?), Jeb is doubling down on his attacks, the Club for Growth is gearing up further assaults, and a "guerrilla campaign" is starting up by a new outfit called Trump Card LLC.
This last group, spearheaded by Liz Mair, at least has some originality to it. They're producing parodies dramatizing Trump's old not-so-conservative views (like supporting single-payer healthcare). But I would be willing to wager they will all amount to no more than the P-word: piffle. The Donald's not going anywhere, and none of these initiatives seem remotely capable of dislodging him.
Meanwhile, Comrade Trotsky -- as the events of the last few days have underscored, if we were too stupid not to know it -- we're at war. And in war, you don't look to, say, Bernie Sanders to lead you. You look to George S. Patton. You're not interested in nuance á la John Kerry, pathological dishonesty á la Hillary Clinton, or a president whose sympathy might really be for the other side. You want a real commander in chief, a fearless leader -- you want.... Donald? Well, yes, Donald. He may have to do. He won't be afraid to do what's necessary.
DeleteRecognizing that, everyone, Republican and Democrat, is piling on. They jumped to vilify a Trump answer to a question from a sneaky NBC reporter about whether Donald thought we should keep a database of our Muslim population. Donald may or may not have said yes, and he already retracted it if he did, but that didn't stop Jeb from characterizing his comment as "abhorrent." It's not even worth quoting what Hillary said (it wasn't positive). Even Ted Cruz added, "I'm a big fan of Donald Trump's, but not a fan of government registries of American citizens."
Okay, that's the polite, politically correct, way of looking at it. We all want to be "good people," right? FDR must have been off his meds the day he rounded up all those Japanese and stuck them in internment camps.
But that's far from the full story. Undoubtedly our government, even after Snowden, has all sorts of lists we don't know about, organized in ways that would make us uncomfortable -- some of them possibly saving our lives. The truth is PC doesn't hack it in war. PC is a rich liberal's plaything, a luxury item. It works best as a subject for ridicule on South Park. And it's not the way we really think. It's the way we pretend we think. So just who is it that is blowing innocent people to smithereens in Paris, Beirut, Sharm, and Mali, and who knows where else next? Zen Buddhist monks? The Little Sisters of the Poor?
Everybody knows who it is. Islam has a big problem and although people want to be polite or deliberately lie about it to look "good" to their neighbors or to their cousins at the Thanksgiving table, when they get into a voting booth, many of them are guiltily going to be pulling the lever for someone with the you-know-what to put an end to this global homicidal insanity -- and it's not going to be John Kasich or Rand Paul or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. It's going to be Donald Trump. And if not Donald, possibly Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz, both of whom seem to be able to find Raqqa on a map. And none of these people are racists, not even faintly, no matter what some NBC reporter wants to imply.
https://pjmedia.com/diaryofamadvoter/2015/11/22/as-terrorism-dominates-can-trump-be-stopped
And no matter what Rufus 'thinks', too.
DeleteCAN YOU BELIEVE THIS CRAP?
ReplyDeleteAccusations of fudging the facts in the fight against ISIS has investigators from the Pentagon and congress calling on CENTCOM.
Leaders are accused of manipulating intelligence to paint a rosier-than-reality picture of the fight against ISIS and the Taliban.
"You're never ever to report information that supports a certain political thesis or political line. It defies the professional together,” said Frank Wuco.
Wuco, a retired naval intelligence officer and CENTCOM analyst, says the allegations and investigation into CENTCOM is a huge deal.
"Our leaders in government have a vested interest in hearing the truth," Wuco said.
Centcom released this statement:
"I can tell you that CENTCOM did receive a request from Congress to provide information regarding CENTCOM intelligence assessments and -- in coordination with DoD -- responded accordingly. Because of the ongoing DoD IG investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment on the details of the inquiry or the information provided.
Gen. Austin and Central Command are taking these allegations very seriously. We welcome the DoD IG's independent oversight on this matter and will continue work with DoD to be responsive to any future congressional requests for information. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and Gen. Austin counts on the more than 1,200 exceptional intelligence professionals who support CENTCOM's mission to provide him and the command with unvarnished intelligence and key insights into the myriad issues we face every day.
And although we cannot comment on the investigation, we can speak to the intelligence process. The Intelligence Community routinely provides a wide range of subjective assessments related to the current security environment. These products and the analysis that they present are absolutely vital to our efforts, particularly given the incredibly complex nature of the multi-front fights that are ongoing now in Iraq and Syria. Senior civilian and military leadership consider these assessments during planning and decision-making, along with information gained from various other sources, to include the insights provided by commanders on the ground and other key advisors, intelligence collection assets, and their own previous experience. The multi-source nature of the assessment process purposely guards against any single report or opinion unduly influencing leaders and decision-makers," said US Air Force Col. Pat Ryder.
OBAMA BETTER LEARN HOW TO FIRE A WHOLE BUNCH OF THESE SON’s OF BITCHES
ReplyDeleteMORE:
ReplyDeleteWhile Wuco admits he doesn't know if ISIS information was changed, he does know the analysts who are making the accusations.
"These particular people are without a doubt the most principled and honest intelligence analysts that I've seen," Wuco said.
A bad time for a fight within CENTCOM, while a war rages around the world.
It is a perfect time for Obama to do his job and put some general’s scalps on his belt. This is fucking unbelievable if true. I can’t think about how many posts I’ve done on dramatically reducing the Pentagon budget.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/11/21/investigation-into-whether-centcom-intelligence-was-manipulated/76199562/
ReplyDelete’Do you realize what you’ve done?’ Vladimir Putin
ReplyDeleteIt looks like they know exactly what they have done.
DeleteMaybe Obama slipped 'em the word to make things look good.
DeleteTHE ASSHOLES ARE OUT IN FORCE TO HELP ISIS
ReplyDeleteMuslims living in Britain have suffered more than 100 racial attacks since the terrorist atrocities in Paris, figures prepared for ministers reveal.
A report to the Government’s working group on anti-Muslim hatred, seen by The Independent, shows a spike in Islamophobic hate crime of more than 300 per cent, to 115, in the week following the killings on November 13 in France.
Most victims of the UK hate crimes were Muslim girls and women aged from 14 to 45 in traditional Islamic dress. The perpetrators were mainly white males aged from 15 to35.
We have become a nation of cowards who are afraid of our own shadows. This is what the Neocons and the GOP, so called conservatives, has brought to the US.
ReplyDeleteUntil we confront AIPAC for what they are, a shill for the agenda of Israel and expose the corrupt US Congress, we will continue to self destruct.
Open your eyes.
.
ReplyDeleteAs Terrorism Dominates, Can Trump Be Stopped?
Typical, PJ Media bull. Trump is a loudmouthed thug who is not being held responsible for what he says.
They jumped to vilify a Trump answer to a question from a sneaky NBC reporter about whether Donald thought we should keep a database of our Muslim population. Donald may or may not have said yes...
Sneaky NBC reporter?
Trump may or may not have said?
This sounds like something written by Rick Moron.
These people who have jumped on the 'no Syrian refugee' bandwagon are not only bigoted, they are ignorant.
The terrorists in Paris weren't Syrian refugees. They were EU nationals from France and Belgium.
Since 2011, the US has accepted about 750,000 refugees. Only a couple thousand were from Syria. The UN recommended about 23,000 Syrian refugees. The US only accepted about 7,000 for further review. Of those, they accepted around 2,000 to come into the country under refugee status. None of them have committed terrorist attacks or been deported. The process to get a refugee approved takes about 18-24 months and includes the collection of biometric data, security checks, interviews and background investigations.
Despite this the sheeple and their right wing cheerleaders ask, 'But what about the fake Syrian passports?.' Again, they show their ignorance. Why would those terrorists go through all the trouble of trying to come into the US as refugees using fake Syrian passports when as EU nationals they could simply jump on a plane using their EU passports and enter the US without the need of visa.
So what is this about?
Bigotry, demagoguery, and bull from the usual suspects.
.
.
DeleteNow when you look at the majority of terrorist attacks in the United States, according to the FBI, the majority of domestic terror attacks are actually committed by white, male Christians.
Why isn't Trump asking for a watch list on these guys?
Why don't we put a hold on allowing Swedes and Irish from coming to the US?
Why don't we do something really serious and plug the holes in our visa system.
.
Swedes, Irish....... and Poles, I'll go for that.
DeleteThe Swedes should stay in Sweden and defend their women from the moslems, whose pastime it is to rape blond Swedish women.
Syrian refugees are EU nationals ?
DeleteI didn't know that.
If I was a Syrian refugee EU national, I'd just stay in Europe.
DeleteProbably better welfare benefits.
Read what was written, Robert, what you wrote does not pertain to what our Legionnaire Q posted.
DeleteBest retire from blogging, Draft Dodger, at least until you can comprehend what other post.
WASHINGTON, November 22, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
ReplyDeleteOfficials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Attack, ground-attack, fighter, bomber and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria:
-- Near Al Hasakah, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL structures, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), damaged an ISIL structure, and wounded ISIL fighters.
-- Near Al Hawl, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and wounded ISIL fighters.
-- Near Mar'a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
Strikes in Iraq
Bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Haditha, one strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.
-- Near Hit, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
-- Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
-- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL IED obstacles, two ISIL fighting positions, six ISIL heavy machine gun positions, two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL weapon caches, an ISIL staging area, an ISIL VBIED, cratered an ISIL road, suppressed an ISIL rocket position, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Sinjar, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL checkpoint.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Tikrit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL fighting position, and four ISIL vehicles.
Definition of a ‘Strike’
A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect for that location.
So, the officials said, having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike. Multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, with the cumulative effect of making that facility [or facilities] harder or impossible to use is also considered a single strike, task force officials said.
Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in each strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.
DOD
Any news on the Russian efforts?
DeleteI didn't see any, Rat.
DeleteFinley: Obama fiddling while terror threat grows
ReplyDeleteNolan Finley, The Detroit News 11:58 p.m. EST November 21, 2015
France got the wake-up call. Its left-wing President Francois Hollande has transformed into a war hawk, at least for the moment, declaring the terrorism an act of war and pledging a “pitiless war” in return. Immediately he ordered an escalation in bombing runs on Islamic State strongholds, taking out key targets within hours of the Paris carnage.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin, too, has stepped up. After confirming ISIS was responsible for the bomb that brought down a Russian plane, it unleashed a relentless aerial assault against Islamic State targets in Syria, flying more than 2,000 sorties over the past week.
And the United States? President Barack Obama blustered a bit about the unacceptability of terrorism and then hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the Oval Office door. While other world leaders ramp up for the unavoidable showdown with ISIS, Obama is busy plotting the war on global warming.
The president’s behavior in the week since Paris confirms the words of one commentator, who described Obama as “living in a world of denial and naivete.”
When asked whether the United States will lead the ISIS eradication, the president mocked the assumption, saying he’s not interested “in posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning or whatever ...”
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/nolan-finley/2015/11/21/opinion-obama-terrorism/76177722/
Obama has been able to be so passive because of the effectiveness of his blame Bush strategy, which says because George W. Bush started this mess, neither he nor his surrogate, Hillary Clinton, bear any responsibility for making it worse.
DeleteLeave a void in Iraq that enables ISIS to rise? Not our fault. Allow Libya to fall into chaos? Not our fault.
If our European allies cannot handle the miscreants of European society with US assistance, well, they're in worse shape than anyone thought. They would be worthless to US in a conflict with the Russians over the Ukraine.
DeleteNone of the Europeans are committing troops to Syria, neither should the US.
If the defea of the Islamic State is important to the world, the world should support the Syrian government.
In the last year, the U.S. has carried out over 8,000 strikes, hitting probably over 20,000 separate targets, and killing in excess of 25,000 Daesh.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, we have somewhere between 3,500 and 5,000 troops on the ground, acting as trainers, advisers, and logistics expediters.
Hollande, and Putin can blow me.
And, Putin can take pictures of his troops writing messages on dumb bombs, all day long - They're still Dumb Bombs.
DeleteAnd, we found out what Cruise Missiles are good for, the first day. They kill a lot of civilians, but not necessariy all that many Headcutters.
The US allowed all those oil tankers to flourish, hundreds of them.
DeleteThe Russians took 'em out, denying the Islamic State million of dollars of revenue.
Oil is the mother's milk of the Islamic State
I gotta give you that one.
DeleteA New War Against ISIS
ReplyDeleteHow to defeat the terrorist group.
By Fred Kaplan
Sixth, for this reason, among others, Obama is right to quell talk of throwing thousands of American (or other Western) combat troops into this fight. As he said at his press conference, the U.S. military could retake Mosul, Iraq, and any number of other cities, but then what? The troops—tens if not hundreds of thousands of them—would have to stay there for years, or decades, to hold and rebuild those towns; and they would be recruitment tools for a fresh crop of terrorists eager to wage jihad against imperialist unbelievers. In short, this mission would not be a sustainable mission. Not even Obama’s fiercest Republican critics, who decry him for not “doing more” in Syria, are calling for the deployment of ground troops in large numbers. (The exception, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is running for president on the pledge to send tens of thousands of troops to Iraq and Syria, is garnering less than 1 percent in polls.)
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2015/11/how_to_defeat_isis_a_military_and_diplomatic_plan.html
Damascus: Syrian government troops are advancing on "nearly every front" thanks to Russian air strikes that began in September, President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview released Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThe embattled president also said he favoured new peace talks to be hosted in Moscow, but stressed that the Syrian conflict could not be resolved without "defeating terrorism".
In the interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix television, Assad said the situation in Syria had "improved in a very good way" since Russia began air strikes on September 30.
"Now I can say that the army is making advancement in nearly every front... in many different directions and areas on the Syrian ground," he said, speaking in English.
Syria Troops Advancing Thanks to Russia Strikes: Bashar Al-Assad
ReplyDeleteThe Week in Nothing to do with Islam
by Mark Steyn
Steyn on America
November 21, 2015
So "Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism" except when Republicans goad them into it. In this case, they goad them by suggesting that Christians need more "protection" than Muslims. In the Radisson Hotel in Bamako, the Christians did, indeed, need more protection - which is why they're dead and the observant Muslims are alive. In Syria and Iraq, in less than two years, the oldest Christian communities on earth have been entirely eradicated - every Christian male is dead or fled, and their prepubescent daughters are now rape slaves for the sexual inadequates of ISIS. So, whether they're "more worthy of protection", those Christians could certainly have used a little of it.
Even when you make it out of your "war-torn land" and join the great swarm of refugees yearning to breath free, a Christian can use a little "protection":
Rome (CNN)Muslims who were among migrants trying to get from Libya to Italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were Christians, Italian police said Thursday.
Italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the Christians at sea, police in Palermo, Sicily, said.
It is certainly true that, in their march to victory, ISIS and its affiliates are happy to slaughter any Muslim who gets in their way - mainly those inclined to a moderate accommodation with the sane world: Kurds, Jordanian Air Force pilots, post-Gaddafi Libyan democrats... But the willingness to kill any Muslim who gets in your way doesn't change the fact that the killing is in the name of Islam, and Islam is the way. As I wrote all those years ago in my book America Alone:
Many of the developed world's citizens gave no conscious thought to Islam pre-9/11. Now we switch on the news every evening and, though there are many trouble spots around the world, as a general rule it's easy to make an educated guess at one of the participants: Muslims vs Jews in "Palestine", Muslims vs Hindus in Kashmir, Muslims vs Christians in Africa, Muslims vs Buddhists in Thailand, Muslims vs Russians in the Caucasus, Muslims vs backpacking tourists in Bali, Muslims vs Danish cartoonists in Scandinavia. The environmentalists may claim to think globally but act locally, but these guys live it. They open up a new front somewhere on the planet with nary a thought.
http://www.steynonline.com/7308/the-week-in-nothing-to-do-with-islam
I always like reading Mark Steyn. He's very good at bringing out the contradictions and absurdities of things.
The British Home Secretary, Theresa May, was a little behind the curve when she reacted to the bloodbath in Paris by insisting that "the attacks have nothing to do with Islam". This is the old spin that, although some terrorists might claim to be Muslim, there's nothing inherently Muslim about their terrorism.
DeleteBut why be so modest? In the United States, the most senior members of the Democrat establishment are taking it to the next level. Secretary of State John Kerry:
It has nothing to do with Islam; it has everything to do with criminality, with terror, with abuse, with psychopathism – I mean, you name it.
As my friend Douglas Murray remarked:
So long as you don't name it 'Islam'.
Quite. Secretary Kerry doesn't care what you name it as long as you don't name it "Islam". Because the not-naming of Islam is more important than the actual naming of whatever it is. Even the qualification that many have been careful to make over the years - of course, most Muslims aren't terrorists but an awful lot of terrorists unfortunately happen to be Muslim - will no longer suffice. As President-in-waiting Hillary Clinton assures us:
Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.
It's the racist Republicans like Trump, Carson, Cruz, Rubio and Jeb! who are behind it all....
The ongoing bilateral crisis is also linked to Netanyahu’s failure to enlist American diplomatic objections to the EU decision to label goods produced in Israeli settlements. State Department spokesman Mark Toner declared Nov. 12 that the United States does not consider the EU measure to be a boycott and that the United States believes that the “settlements are illegitimate.”
ReplyDeleteRead more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/israel-us-netanyahu-obama-bilateral-relations-damage-repair.html#ixzz3sHAMZd8D
There are 1.2 Billion Muslims on the face of this earth.
ReplyDeleteSome of those Muslims are trying to instigate a War between those 1.2 Billion, and the slightly more than 2 Billion Christians co-inhabitants.
It's, obviously, important to win the limited war with the renegades, but it's equally important that the President, and his Cabinet, don't succumb to the desire to engage in irresponsible actions, and rhetoric, and worsen relations with the very 1.99999999 Billion Muslims that the terrorists are trying to win over.
Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steyn, and Donald Trump aren't burdened by the weight of this responsibility; The President is.
Oh, bullshit. The moslems are always instigating war with whomever is nearby:
DeleteThe Hindus
The Jews
The Russians
The Europeans
The Chinese
The Americans
The Filipinos
The Nigerians
etc etc etc
The US has instigated many, many actions against Islamic countries, in Iran we toppled the elected government and installed a despot in its place.
DeleteThen, after the despot was deposed the US shot down an Iranian civilian airliner.
The Egyptian Army, funded by the US, deposed the elected government, there, in Egypt.
The European Jews have taken Islamic lands, by force of arms. Then they built illegitimate settlements upon the land.
The Israelis have invaded Egypt, Syria and Lebanon on numerous occasions since 1948.
.
ReplyDeleteThe House bill that passed Thursday won 47 Democratic votes, including U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1st). One of the sponsors was, U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th).
The bill adds nothing to the screening process for refugees. It only forces the directors of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and National Intelligence to personally sign off on each case. In the meantime, it imposes a freeze on admitting new refugees.
"It's just a pause," Lance says.
Lance is a decent fellow who says he resisted fellow Republicans who wanted to eliminate the refugee program entirely. But when asked why a refugee wouldn't simply enter on a visa, or cross the border illegally, he had no cogent answer.
This is not a proud moment for America. Even before the Paris attacks, we agreed to take in only 10,000 refugees, while Germany expects to take in 800,000 by the end of the year.
France agreed to take 30,000, and is sticking with that commitment, even after the attacks. So yes, for the record, America is acting more rattled than France.
When this ugly story started to unfold, I bought a ticket on the ferry to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
I saw a display about bigotry towards the Irish, and wondered if my great-grandfather, Patrick, who fled the potato famine and fought in the Civil War, was among the members of the Irish Brigade that were pictured there. Other displays talked about hostility towards the Chinese, the Italians, the Jews, and so on.
Surely here, I thought, I would find inspired allies of the huddled masses gathered at America's gate.
It didn't work out that way. I found as much fear as compassion.
But my spirits were saved by a woman named Christian Grieco, who said she saw echoes from these displays in today's reaction to the refugee crisis.
"These people are suffering," she said. "This is all fear-mongering. It's awful. History is repeating itself."
What a great country this is when you drill down, I thought.
"Where are you from?" I asked, notebook ready.
"Toronto," she said.
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/11/on_refugees_a_fake_terror_threat_moran.html#incart_2box_opinion
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When the French declare a state of emergency, it seems to amount to something...
ReplyDeleteThey can detain on suspicion (except for lawyers, lawmakers and......journalists!)
Closed the borders
Can enter your home, knock down your door, without a warrant.....
Grab your computer, search it.....
Fraternite' Egalite'
but not much Liberte' right now
For every 2,000 Muslims, there are about One (1) that is involved in some type of terrorist/war activity.
ReplyDeleteDon't know where you get that but using your figures Deuce wants to import 4 million 'Syrians' = 2,000 terrorists.
DeleteI think the Wiccans, a religion, ought to start broadcasting on high amp screech owls in Hamtramck, Michigan every time the 'call to prayer' comes on.
Drown them out.
That 'call to prayer' business ought to go to court. Not only is there some kind of horn but a human voice too......loud, five times a day, every day, year in, year out.
It is a government entity.....a City Council.....trying to establish a religion.
If the church bells must go silent too, so be it.
How many sympathetic moslems does each terrorist have ?
DeleteIn Paris, a total of 30 came out to protest against the atrocity.
They are afraid.
DeleteYou are afraid.
DeleteLook at the picture posted at the top right of this blog. Read the caption. We have responsibilities that go way beyond collateral damage. We got drunk, setoff fireworks and burned the neighbors fields that burned down the barn and spread to their house , killed their livestock, two of their children and setoff a crazy cousin bent on revenge.
DeleteShock and awe was fun to watch. Now we have the bill.
MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. Aircraft of the Russian aviation group in Syria have made 141 sorties over the past two days and delivered airstrikes on 472 terrorist facilities in the country, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.
ReplyDelete“Aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces have made 141 sorties and delivered airstrikes on 472 terrorist facilities in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor," he said.
According to him, over the past two days the Russian aviation group continued active additional reconnaissance of targets and delivering airstrikes on separate facilities of terrorist groups operating in Syria.
The Russians are destroying the infrastructure that the CIA and all the usual suspects put into place to destroy Syria. They have made the decision that this is a necessary first step. They asked the question: “Do you realize what you have done?”
ReplyDeleteAs DR posted above,they attacked oil convoys heading to market in Turkey.
The idiots McCain and company are no longer flocking to Syria to visit the “freedom fighters”.
The IDF has lost its vigor in attacking Syrian forces.
There will be no no-fly zones in Syria, a cover to destroy the Syrian army.
Once those intermediate goals are accomplished, the focus will be in rolling back ISIS.
LATAKIA, November 20. /TASS/. Syria’s army has proof evidencing the efficiency of Russian air strikes against terrorist targets, Syrian Brigade General Ali Maihoub said on Friday.
ReplyDeleteHe said the Syrian army was continuing efforts to restore security, exterminate terrorism and establish law and order in the country.(Translation: US and Saudi supplied “freedom fighters, hell bent on destroying the legitimate Syrian forces, a la Iraq and Libya)
Russia intensified its airstrikes against the Islamic State after it was reported that the crash of the Russian A321 plane in Egypt was caused by a terrorist bomb exploding on board. Russia has involved long-range aviation in its air strikes and has enforced the air grouping deployed in Syria.
The airstrikes stared on September 30 on request on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia’s air grouping involved 69 aircraft, including Su-34 and Su-24M bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-30SM and Su-27SM3 fighters and Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Ten ships of the Russian Navy are involved in the anti-terrorism operation in Syria, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
ReplyDelete“The naval group comprises ten ships, six of them are in the Mediterranean,” the minister said.
Shoigu said the Caspian Flotilla warships on Friday launched 18 cruise missiles at terrorist positions in Syria hitting seven targets.
"On November 20, the Caspian Flotilla warships launched 18 cruise missiles at seven targets in the Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo provinces of Syria. All the targets were hit,” Shoigu said.
Sergey Yekimov, a deputy commander of the Caspian Fleet, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "the task of delivering Kalibr long-distance cruise missile strikes at Islamic State targets in Syria has been accomplished." "All 18 Kalibr missiles have been successfully fired. Results will be reported after objective control data are received," he said.
MEANWHILE
ReplyDeleteToday on CNN’s State of the Union, Representative and chairman of the permanent select committee on intelligence (R-CA), joined anchor, Jake Tapper to discuss the Obama administration’s strategy against ISIS.
Nunes on the investigation into intelligence reports:
“ Well, we are involved in this investigation. We're working closely with the House armed services committee and the defense appropriations committee and we're trying to gather all the facts. So, we have heard from a lot of whistleblowers and other informants who have given us information, and not just related strictly to the latest allegations, Jake. These go back for four years. And I'll tell you it's really from the members on the intelligence committee. We travel to many of these countries and we meet with the people on the ground. And it’s almost all the time what we hear and see on the ground, when we talk to the folks that are actually doing the work and then what we see in finished intelligence product - and I think more alarming, what we hear the president and his senior officials saying to the public, it just doesn't jive with what they're saying in public and what we see on the ground.”
(TRANSLATION: Everything is more FUBAR than you think and it is all Obama’s fault)
MOVE ON NO TERROR HERE
ReplyDeleteA gunfight between two groups erupted on Sunday in a New Orleans park where hundreds of people were gathered for a block party and the filming of a music video, leaving 16 people wounded, police said.
Circumstances surrounding the shooting in the city's Upper Ninth Ward, and details of what precipitated the violence, were not immediately clear, but New Orleans Police Department spokesman Tyler Gamble told Reuters no fatalities were reported.
Asked whether gang activity was thought to be involved, Gamble said it "was still too soon to say."
"We know, by speaking with some of the victims, that there were two groups of people shooting at each other," Gamble said.
Witnesses told police that both groups involved in the gun battle fled the park on foot immediately after the shooting, police said in a statement. No arrests were immediately reported.
According to the statement, 10 gunshot victims were taken to area hospitals by ambulance, and six more arrived at emergency rooms "via private conveyance."
Gamble said each of the 16 victims suffered either a "direct gunshot wound" or a "graze wound" and all were listed in stable condition, though the full extent of their injuries was still to be ascertained. Police said they did not have the age or genders of the victims.
The incident unfolded at about 6:15 p.m. Central Time at the Bunny Friend playground, following a community "second line" parade that ended a few blocks away earlier in the day, police said.
Several hundred people were gathered in the park at the time for an unpermitted block party and the impromptu filming of a music video, according to police.
PUTTING THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE
ReplyDeleteAbout this project
Our objective was simple: Examine America’s relationship to guns -- the lives they save, the lives they take, and the lives they define.
We’d seen the statistics. More than 32,000 people were killed by gunfire in 2011, the most recent year for which statistics are available. And, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70,000 suffered nonfatal injuries from guns.
Attention is often focused on mass shootings or high-profile cases, but gun violence affects our communities in many other ways every day. We wanted to find out what one day of gun violence looks like.
We chose July 12, 2014, because it was a normal summer Saturday. Our goal was to report every shooting that happened in that 24-hour period. We tried to track the shootings in real time, calling police stations, using social media and tapping into CNN resources across the country.
In the days and weeks that followed, we dug deeper into the incidents, which left at least 35 people dead and 74 injured. We followed up on every shooting, and we profile six incidents that were representative.
After hundreds of calls, we are certain about one thing -- we did not capture every gun incident. Despite our best efforts, our methodology is incomplete. There’s no national database of each shot fired. Not every shooting is reported to police. Suicides are rarely covered in the media and often remain private matters.
What we do know is that firearms are far and away the most-used of homicide weapons in the U.S. Of the 13,000 people slain in 2010, more than two-thirds were shot to death, according to the FBI. (Only a small fraction of homicides, around 200 or so per year, are listed as justifiable). We also know that the homicide rate has dropped substantially in the past two decades, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics.
CNN is not alone in attempting to document the impact and the role of guns in U.S. society. Our counterparts at Pro Publica, Slate, The New York Times and others have done in-depth reporting on the issue recently. We recommend you read those articles as well.
Still, the story of everyday gun violence in the United States is largely untold.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/12/us/cnn-guns-project/24-hours.html
In 2011, 92,000 Americans were shot. 32,000 Americans, shot to death, in the USA. Repeat One year, 92,000 shot, 32,000 of them died.
ReplyDeleteIn the USA? by ISIS?
No, by other Americans.
32,000 of them died and that is just in one year.
How many of the shooters were ISIS?
NONE
“Do you realize what you have done?”
ReplyDeleteThe US is reneging on taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees because it is afraid of violence from potential terrorists.
ReplyDeleteAmerican civilians are buying as many AK47s from Russia’s top armory as the Russian military and police.
ReplyDeleteThe surge in sales of Russian assault rifles and shotguns are fuelled by firearms enthusiasts who are paranoid about the weapons being banned in the United States.
The semiautomatic weapons, fitted with high-capacity magazines, are manufactured at Izhevsk Machinebuilding Plant, Russia's primary small arms factory.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2188727/Americans-buy-AK47s-Russian-military-assault-rifle-surges-popularity.html#ixzz3sJ1qpkEe
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Crawl back under the bed.
ReplyDeleteFAT MAN AND BAT MAN
ReplyDeleteSo much for ‘Telling It Like It Is.’ Asked about the GOP front-runner’s false claim that thousands of Muslims in Jersey City cheered the attacks, the governor decided to punt.
It seemed likely that after Donald Trump lied about the residents of Jersey City’s behavior on Sept. 11, 2001—claiming they cheered the attacks across the river in New York City—Chris Christie, New Jersey’s governor, would be first in line to repudiate him.
That was a naive assumption. It turns out a Republican presidential candidate would sooner slow-dance with Hillary Clinton than criticize the party’s frontrunner in defense of American Muslims.
At a rally in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, Trump said, “Hey, I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down, and I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering!”
This is, of course, incorrect. The New York Times reported that rumors of Muslims cheering in New Jersey were “discounted by police officials at the time.”
Trump then claimed on Sunday on ABC’s This Week that he had seen footage of the thousands of people cheering on TV—but no such footage seems to exist.
A request for comment from Christie, sent at around 10:30 Sunday morning, went ignored all day by his campaign. Which was curious, since the governor’s tough talk against “crazies” fear-mongering about Muslims—never mind his constant talk about 9/11 throughout the course of his presidential campaign—has been a defining aspect of his governorship.
.
DeleteChristie is a pol.
When the body of that refugee child washed up on shore, Christie went with the crowd and demanded the US do more for the refugees.
As soon as the crowd changed to a mob with the Paris shootings, Christie did a 180 stating that it would even be too dangerous to allow refugee children into the US.
All of them are the same, the same populist demagoguery; except maybe Trump. He may just be that stupid.
.
Despite the increased bombardment on ISIS' positions and French President Hollande's call for a "global coalition" against the jihadists, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned yesterday that if western countries wanted a "genuinely global coalition", they would have to drop their demand for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhen Democratic officials reached out to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D) about the race, he passed, at least in part because it looked like a year in which a Democrat simply had no chance of success in a state in which Republicans have won every statewide contest for nearly a decade.
And yet, the scandal-plagued Republican got trounced, losing by more than 12 points.
Democrat John Bel Edwards won the runoff election for Louisiana governor Saturday, defeating Republican David Vitter. […]
Edwards, a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger, is the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Louisiana since 2008.
With all precincts reporting, Edwards finished with 56.1% of the statewide vote, while Vitter received 43.9%. It’s the weakest showing for any Louisiana Republican gubernatorial nominee since 1991 – nearly a quarter of a century ago – when the GOP voters nominated a former Ku Klux Klan leader as their candidate.
On a certain level, Vitter’s defeat may not seem like too much of a surprise given that all statewide polling showed him trailing Edwards, but the broader context is nevertheless important: the Times-Picayune described Edwards’ victory as
“one of the biggest political upsets in the state’s history”
Scandal-plagued Republican loses big in key statewide election
A failed, divisive strategy:
DeleteDown in the polls, Vitter completely overhauled his campaign message the week before Election Day, seizing on anti-refugee animus in the hopes of salvaging his career. It created a test that both parties watched closely: in the wake of the recent Paris attack, could Republicans exploit fear and bigotry to win tough races through racially charged appeals?
At least in this case, the answer appears to be no.
* Health care:
DeleteEdwards is well to the right of the Democratic mainstream on some key issues, including reproductive rights, but the governor-elect also ran on a platform of embracing Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act. His victory will very likely bring health security to nearly 200,000 low-income Louisianans.
ReplyDeleteDAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes captured areas from the Islamic State group in the central province of Homs on Monday, in the latest push since the aerial campaign began nearly two months ago, state media and a monitoring group said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops backed by pro-government gunmen entered the town of Mheen and the nearby village of Hawareen after midnight Sunday and were in full control of the area hours later.
Syrian state TV also reported that Mheen and Hawareen were captured, adding that government forces are now removing the mines and explosives left behind by the extremist group to try to slow down the army's advance.
"A big victory was achieved by our heroes," said a Syrian TV reporter embedded with government troops in Mheen.
The capture of Mheen and Hawareen helps secure the highway linking the capital Damascus to the central city of Homs. The government's next push is expected to target the nearby town of Qaryatain and later the historic town of Palmyra, which was taken by IS in May.
Syrian President Bashar Assad said in remarks published Sunday that his forces are advancing on "almost" all fronts thanks to Russian airstrikes.
Russia has conducted an air campaign in Syria since Sept. 30, and the airstrikes have sharply intensified in recent days.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/11/23/world/middleeast/ap-ml-syria.html?_r=0
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ReplyDeleteSix months ago it appeared Assad's days were numbered. Now, it's kinda up in the air.
.
.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the American public would vote for any of the current GOP candidates (even Rand Paul recently introduced the Chicken Little Bill formally known as the 'Sky is Falling Counter Refugee Bill' or SFCR.
But who knows, they are all better looking than Hillary.
.
Assad now has a battle tested army, the Russian navy and air force along with a new air defense system. It has allies in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon.
ReplyDeleteThe game has changed. The Neocon dream may have been body checked.
We on the other hand are stuck with Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.
ISIS is losing its infrastructure and support from our team of shitbirds. If ISIS cracks, it will break fast.
.
DeleteDon't forget Egypt. A newspaper thought to be loyal to Sisi is printing cartoons depicting the US as not only the creator of ISIS but also as the dark imminence responsible for the Paris attacks.
.
More importantly, the political winds in Europe are changing in Syria and Russia’s favor.
ReplyDeleteCould anyone possibly end up with a more useless gang of “allies” than Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.?
ReplyDeleteIs it possible?
ReplyDeleteyeah, having Iran and Syria as allies would suck big time too!
DeleteIran has almost as much oil as the Saudi, and have not financed any attacks upon NYCity or the Pentagon, in DC.
DeleteAs for Syria, it is the most anti-Jihadist regime on the planet.
Since the US is still at war with al-Qeada and its off sppring ... who better to ally with in the war against international Islamic terror?
A load of countries did not finance the attacks on 911.
DeleteIt is kind of funny hearing you urge an alliance with the Assad regime when, not too long ago, you were keen on moving on to Syria after conquering Iraq. In any case there is no need for the US to form alliances with any of those ME regimes.
At least, two of them have Oil (S.A.,) and Gas (Qatar.) One has a bit of Geographic usefulness, sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThat 4th one, though . . . . . .
I don't know what can be said about that one.
Anyone up for a joint French, Russian, USA effort to destroy Raqqa?
ReplyDeleteDrop leaflets giving them 10 days to vacate, then carpet bomb the place from each nation's heaviest bombers.
No capital for the Caliphate. Big psychological blow. Dries up the recruits.
The French have already cut off the power and water to Raqqa.
PRINCE CHARLES: 'Climate change' root cause of Syrian war.............Drudge
ReplyDeleteLord, is that guy a dunce.
Poor Princess Di put up with it as long as she could.
Biggest mistake of her life.
It is not as stupid as you make it. Human history is replete with environmental changes affecting history.
ReplyDeleteA serious woman says something that has been needed to be said for a long time --
ReplyDeleteHirsi Ali slams feminism's 'trivial BS'
By Ashe Schow (@AsheSchow) • 11/20/14 10:30 AM
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a harsh critic of Islam’s treatment of women, said Wednesday that modern American feminism is focused on “trivial bullshit” and needs to be reclaimed.
Speaking at the Independent Women’s Forum Women of Valor dinner, where she received an award for courage, Hirsi Ali reminded her audience of how far feminism has strayed from its original purpose.
“I want you to remember that once upon a time, feminists fought for the access — basic right — access of girls to education,” she said.
Hirsi Ali — who despite the harsh words she said, spoke softly, almost timidly — told the story of a fight between her mother and father when she was about 11 years old. Her mother wanted to take her and her sister out of school because education would lead them to rebel against their family and “bring shame upon us.” Her father responded by saying, “If you take my girls out of school, I am going to curse you and you are going to burn in hell.”..............
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/hirsi-ali-slams-feminisms-trivial-bs/article/2556419#.VlFV6NuOfmx.twitter
She is a remarkable woman. Of course she gets death threats from the moslems all the time.
Exhibit A :
DeleteNovember 23, 2015
Celebrated feminist author wants to know if ISIS is celebratory and joyous
By Carol Brown
If ever proof positive were needed that the intelligentsia can be idiots, Joyce Carol Oates just served up a gigantic Exhibit A. On Sunday, she sent out the following tweet:
All we hear of ISIS is puritanical & punitive; is there nothing celebratory & joyous? Or is query naive?
I don’t know if Ms. Oates is suffering from a recent mental disorder or if this is indicative of her baseline state of mind. Either way, the woman seems to be vying for the Useful Idiot (and then some) Award of the Year.
This pathetic excuse for a thinking person not only wonders about the good qualities of savages who behead people, who put people in cages and burn them alive, who enslave and rape women, who dismember children, who crucify people, who cage and drown people, who run people over with tanks, who murder, maim, destroy, and threaten, and who are committing genocide against Christians in the Middle East. But she is compelled to try to balance unthinkable evil with something good.
People like this should be mocked and marginalized at every turn..........
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/11/celebrated_feminist_author_wants_to_know_if_isis_is_celebratory_and_joyous.html
European settlers in the American west tried to irradiate the buffalo because they recognized the Indian tribes depended on them.
ReplyDeleteMankind moved out of Africa following herds of migrating animals who changed their habits due to climate change.
The Ice Ages allowed animals and men to migrate to other continents.
.
DeleteIrradiate the buffalo?
Wouldn't a Sharps .50 caliber have worked better than a sun lamp?
.
I plead Apple spell correction and my failure to review.
Delete:)
DeleteI think 'climate change' got the buffalo.
The entire history of the universe is a story of constant change. Just because you dob’t see it in your paltry hours of existence doesn’t mean it isn’t so.
ReplyDeleteWhen have I ever denied change, or evolution ?
DeleteThe Hindu word for 'the world' translates as 'it moves, changes'.
I've seen plenty of changes right here in the paltry hours of my existence.
Much of it not for the better.
I don't want to see things get any worse.
No more muslims, please.
If you find yourself yearning for the 'call to prayer' by all means move to Hamtramck, Michigan.
November 23, 2015
ReplyDeleteWhy terrorists hit the Bataclan Theater in Paris
By Arnold Cusmariu
When terrorists murdered four French Jews at a Paris deli in January 2015, President Obama, in keeping with his 2012 U.N. pledge to protect “the prophet of Islam” against “slander,” referred to the victims as “a bunch of folks” who were shot “randomly.”
We were spared a similarly absurd characterization when terrorists murdered some 90 Bataclan Theater concertgoers and injured many more on November 13, possibly because Obama may not have known that the Bataclan was a Jewish target.
But the terrorists knew. Here’s the background.
The Bataclan Theater opened in 1865 and was best known originally for vaudeville acts. Buffalo Bill Cody performed there in 1892. Maurice Chevalier had his first big success at the Bataclan, and Edith Piaf also performed there. In 1926, the building became a cinema. A fire broke out in 1933, and it wasn’t until after WWII that the building was brought into compliance with fire safety regulations. By the 1970s, the theater was booking rock acts. The Police, Prince, Jerry Lee Lewis, Metallica, Phish, Alice Cooper, Cyndi Lauper, Emmylou Harris, and Snoop Dogg are some of the performers who played the Bataclan. Last May, the theater hosted a Who Is Malcolm X? event, featuring devout Islamic French rappers Kery James, Faada Freddy, Disiz, and Médine.
So, who has owned the Batclan Theater over the past 150 years?
André Martin Paris managed the theater when it opened in 1865. The singer Paulus purchased it in 1892. It passed through various hands in the intervening decades until 1975, when Pascal and Joel Laloux bought it.
Yes, these gentlemen are Jewish.
Israel’s i24 news reports:
The threats against the Bataclan go back several years, with the venue often being a target of anti-Zionist groups. In 2007 and 2008, the theater received threats from radical groups due to its regular hosting of the conferences and galas of Jewish organizations, including one for the Israeli border police..................
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/11/why_terrorists_hit_the_bataclan_theater_in_paris_.html
The only person posting here with even an ounce of health is Rufus - the rest of us are all white sickos -
ReplyDeleteProfessor Declares ‘Whiteness’ a ‘Disease’
Preaching hate in higher education.
November 23, 2015
Jack Kerwick
I had always looked upon my six-year-old son as a blessing.
But now I realize that he is a disease.
My wife, my parents, my grandparents, and every member of my family, both living and deceased, are likewise a disease.
But if you are reading this right now, and you are white, you should know that your children and all of your loved ones are also a disease.
So implies a University of Colorado education professor, Cherly E. Matias, in the most recent edition of Teaching Education, a peer-reviewed journal.
In “‘Why Do You Make Me Hate Myself?’: Re-teaching Whiteness, Abuse, and Love in Urban Teaching Education,” the author insists that “the racial achievement gap” and other racial disparities are “symptoms” of “the underlying diseases of racism and Whiteness” (italics added).
Whiteness is a disease.
Matias explains that while the “inclusion of socially just philosophies in the curriculum is indeed essential” in order “to meet the needs of a growing urban populace,” such philosophies “can mask the recycling of normalized, oppressive Whiteness.”
Thus, it is imperative, Matias maintains, to “deconstruct Whiteness, abuse, and love in teacher education.”
The problem, Matias assures us, is that by “denying race during white childhood via a color-blind ideology,” whites leave “lasting emotional scars, impressions that perpetuate the institutional silencing of race in teacher education.” Urban students of color are made to “endure a racist educational system and daily racial battle fatigue.”
But the difference between this “racism” and that faced by students and other “people of color” in the past is that the former is “color-blind racism.”
The author maintains that “until teacher education programs make confronting and exploring Whiteness a priority, they cannot truly love their urban students of color as complete beings and so deny humanity full and just consideration” (italics added).
Whiteness is a disease.
And it is a disease that whites spread through their embrace of….color-blindness. ....................
......................... It is with this, parents, that your children are being inundated. Dear taxpayer, it is for the sake of subsidizing this anti-intellectual drivel that you labor.
But let’s get even more exact: White parents and taxpayers are paying the salaries of faculty and administrators so that the latter can turn around and declare to the next generation that they are a “disease.”
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260875/professor-declares-whiteness-disease-jack-kerwick
You gotta make a buck in academia somehow.
DeletePublish, even total bull shit, or perish.
.
DeleteTranslated: Even if you are color blind, if you don't feel guilty for being white you are a racist.
Ya just can't win.
.
November 22, 2015
ReplyDeleteTelling the Truth About ISIS and Raqqa
By David Remnick
“Daily life is twenty-four-seven warplanes over your head,” another member said. “People now feel more afraid about the idea that all over the world they want to bomb this small city. People are afraid. The city of Kubani is completely destroyed. The people of Raqqa don’t want that. We love our city. The West says, ‘Let’s get the people out and bomb ISIS.’ They can’t. It’s a big prison. Women under forty-five can’t leave without special permission. It’s a tribal area, and females can’t leave without men. ISIS uses the people of Raqqa as a human shield.”
The R.B.S.S. members said the American fighter planes have dropped most of their bombs on targets on the outskirts of the city or they use drones to target leaders of ISIS. They claim that Russian planes, however, have hit a hospital, two critical bridges, and a university. “The problem we have with the air strikes,” one said, “is that their planes are very stupid. They’re not smart bombs.”
The peril for the group is unceasing. When ISIS arrests or executes a member of R.B.S.S.—or someone that they believe might be sympathetic to the group—they make a show of it on social media. One video, a member told me, showed “two friends of ours accused of working for us. And they don’t. ISIS tied them to a tree and shot them. A second video shows the execution of another friend of ours accused of working for us. They strung them up in a tree in an abandoned place and shot them in the head; they made the video to say they died ‘silently.’ They are sending us messages like this all the time.”
Hamza will soon accept an award from the Committee to Protect Journalists in the name of his comrades, living and dead. (I’m on the board of C.P.J., which arranged our meeting.) He will dedicate the award “to our martyrs,” to the “anonymous heroes” of the campaign, and to the people of Raqqa.....
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/telling-the-truth-about-isis-and-raqqa
So much for the idea of telling them all to get out before the bombing begins.
The West isn't into the firebombing of Dresden mood, yet.
heh :)
ReplyDeletePolitics
Backfire: Hillary Tweets All Sexual Abuse Accusers Deserve To Be ‘Believed,’ Is Reminded Of Her Husband
Derek Hunter
Contributor
11:37 PM 11/22/2015
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 28, 2015. REUTERS/Craig Lassig Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 28, 2015. REUTERS/Craig Lassig
On the night CNN aired a controversial and, as many legal critics call it, flawed documentary on sexual assault on college campuses, Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton tweeted solidarity with victims of sexual assault. The response could not have been what she was hoping for.
The link in her tweet went to a campaign webpage on sexual assault on campus that starts with a quote from a speech Hillary gave in September: “I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault: Don’t let anyone silence your voice. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed, and we’re with you.”
Clinton’s original tweet…
"Every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed, and supported"
…was immediately greeted with a crush of reminders of allegations against her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for sexual assault and even rape.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/11/22/backfire-hillary-tweets-all-sexual-abuse-accusers-deserve-to-be-believed-is-reminded-of-her-husband/#ixzz3sLMmECrE
Field day for Kathleen Willey.
Kathleen Willey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Willey
Kathleen Willey is a former White House volunteer aide who, on March 15, 1998, alleged on the TV news program 60 Minutes that Bill Clinton had sexually assaulted her ...
Kathleen Willey: 'Hillary is the war on women' - WND
www.wnd.com/2014/02/clinton-volunteer-hillary-is-the-war-on-women
Feb 16, 2014 · Kathleen Willey, the former volunteer aide to Bill Clinton who says she was sexually harassed by the president in the 1990s, is now sounding the alarm ...
SOUTHWEST ASIA, November 23, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
ReplyDeleteOfficials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Attack, fighter, ground attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Mar’a, two strikes destroyed an ISIL artillery piece, an ISIL mortar tube, and an ISIL weapons cache.
-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed an ISIL excavator and destroyed an ISIL earthen bridge.
-- Near Hasakah, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL structures and an ISIL tactical vehicle.
-- Near Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Ayn Isa, four strikes struck four separate tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and six ISIL structures.
Additionally, two previously unreported strikes occurred in Syria on Nov. 21:
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL crude oil collection point.
-- Near Hasakah and Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed 283 ISIL vehicles.
Strikes in Iraq
Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Abu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL staging area.
-- Near Rutbah, one strike struck an ISIL vehicle bomb facility.
-- Near Fallujah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and wounded two ISIL fighters.
-- Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
-- Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Makhmur, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and two ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle, eight ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL house bomb, two ISIL recoilless rifles, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL building, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL fighting position, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL bridge section.
Definition of a ‘Strike’
A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect for that location.
So, the officials said, having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike. Multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, with the cumulative effect of making that facility [or facilities] harder or impossible to use is also considered a single strike, task force officials said.
Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in each strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.
DOD
Obama’s Bad Math on Islamic Terrorism
ReplyDeletePalestinians celebrate Hamas' founding in Gaza, December 2014. (Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty) by Josh Gelernter November 21, 2015 4:00 AM
Obama says 99.9 percent of Muslims reject terrorism. Since the Paris attacks last week, a lot has been made of the Muslim world’s overwhelming disapproval of terrorism. Let me toss in my two cents: There are 3,500 Muslims in the U.S. military. Muslims have fought for our side in all of America’s major wars. There are decorated Muslim soldiers buried in Arlington. There are Muslims in the Israel Defense Forces — all of them volunteers. An Israeli Muslim officer, Major Fehd Fallah, says he became a Zionist after visiting the death camps in Poland as a teenager. Now in his 30s, he is described by an Israeli colonel as “one of the best officers in the IDF.” Muslims serve loyally in Britain’s armed forces too — as of last February, according to the Telegraph, there were 480 of them.
But, as the Telegraph points out, that’s 120 fewer British Muslims than fight for ISIS. Muslims are no more fundamentally bad than Christians or Jews. But it is not true that, as President Obama has said, “99.9 percent of Muslims” reject Islamic terrorism. Obama’s 99.9 percent figure is demonstrably false. Pew Research has polled the issue extensively. In surveys of the Muslim populations of nine majority-Muslim countries, plus Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, an average of 57 percent have an unfavorable view of al-Qaeda, not 99.9 percent.
Thirteen percent have a favorable view of al-Qaeda, not 0.1 percent
The same proportion supports the Taliban. One in four of the Muslims polled supports Hezbollah. For those who need a Hezbollah refresher: In 1984, it kidnapped the CIA’s Beirut station chief, William Buckley. For 15 months, Hezbollah slowly tortured Buckley to death. The CIA received videos from Hezbollah that showed Buckley “close to a gibbering wretch. His words were often incoherent; he slobbered and drooled and, most unnerving of all, he would suddenly scream in terror, his eyes rolling helplessly and his body shaking.” His remains were eventually discovered dumped on the side of a road. One in four Muslims in the Muslim world supports Hezbollah.
DeleteOne in three supports Hamas. If you need a Hamas refresher: On March 27, 2002, the Park Hotel in the Israeli city of Netanya was holding a Passover meal for mostly elderly Jews who had no family and nowhere else to go for the holiday. Several were Holocaust survivors. A member of Hamas walked into the hotel dining room and detonated a suicide vest, killing 30 and wounding 140 others. The Palestinian Authority dedicated a soccer tournament to the bomber’s memory. One in three Muslims in the Muslim world supports Hamas.
In Turkey — which is a member of NATO — one in four Muslims believes suicide bombings are sometimes justified. More than one in two Muslims believe this in Egypt and Jordan; more than two of three believe it in Nigeria. The situation is not much different among Muslims in Western countries. In Britain and Spain, one in four Muslims believes suicide bombings are sometimes justified. One in three believes it in France. Slightly more than one in ten believes it in the United States (per a Pew poll from 2011). According to a poll conducted by a Georgetown Islamic Studies professor and a Gallup pollster, more than one in three Muslims worldwide believe that the 9/11 attacks were “somewhat,” “largely,” or “completely” justified (23.1 percent say “somewhat”; 13.5 percent say “largely” or “completely”).
According to CBS, polling shows that “almost one in four British Muslims believe that the [2005] 7/7 attacks on London were justified.” According to the Financial Times, polling shows that more than one in three British Muslims see Britain’s Jewish community as a “legitimate target as part of the struggle for justice in the Middle East.” Not Israelis but British Jews. Their Jewish neighbors. One in three. According to the BBC, more than one in four British Muslims agree with the statement: “I have some sympathy for the motives behind the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.” According to a major Turkish newspaper — the Hürriyet Daily News — one in five Turks believes Charlie Hebdo’s murdered cartoonists “got what they deserved.”
RELATED: France’s No-Go Zones:
DeleteAssimilation-Resistant Muslims Are the Real Refugee Problem
When a position is held by one in five, one in four, one in three, it’s part of the mainstream. According to Gallup, one in three Americans believes abortion should be illegal even in the first trimester; one in four Americans believes it should be legal even after the first trimester. The proportion of Americans who believe abortion should always be illegal is the same as the proportion of French Muslims who believe suicide bombings are sometimes justified. The proportion of Americans who believe abortions should be legal after the first trimester is the same as the proportion of British Muslims who believe the 7/7 attacks were justified. How many pro- and anti-abortion acquaintances do you have? Which of those views is at the fringe of American society? I whole-heartedly believe that Muslim pro-terrorists are in the minority — but it’s a large and powerful minority; not a tenth of 1 percent. I whole-heartedly believe that Muslim pro-terrorists are in the minority — but it’s a large and powerful minority; not a tenth of 1 percent. Pretending otherwise, for the sake of being sanctimonious, accomplishes nothing. Imagine if Muslims did shun terrorists the way Christians shun the KKK. At the risk of sounding sanctimonious myself, a little healthy shunning would make the world a much safer and much better place. It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility — but wishing won’t make it so. (Arabic, Persian, and Urdu editions of National Review might, though. E-mail your support for the WFB Airlift Program by clicking “Connect” at the bottom of the homepage.) — Josh Gelernter writes weekly for NRO and is a regular contributor to The Weekly Standard. He is a founder of the tech startup Dittach.
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/427439/muslims-terrorism-president-obama
Robert Byrd was a proud member of the KKK and the US Senate.
DeleteNot many Christians ever shunned him.
Mostly they voted for him.
I don't think there has been any real 'climate change' in north Africa and the mid east since the Sahara Desert developed.
ReplyDeleteUsed to be a big river out in the desert there, not the Nile, another one. Under the sands now. The Sahara Desert area used to be a big game park.
But that was long ago.
Therefore I reaffirm that Prince Charles is bonkers.
So is the King of Sweden.
DeleteMuch like the Prince Charles’s overhaul of Highgrove House with ‘eco toilets’, the Swedish king’s residence has been made greener with environmentally-friendly heating and low-energy lightbulbs.
‘We do what we can here at the palace. It’s an ongoing project trying to save energy, but it isn’t easy in an old property,’ he said
:)
King of Sweden calls for a ban on BATHS and admits he is now ‘ashamed’ to run one after realising how much energy they use
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3329759/King-Sweden-calls-ban-BATHS-admits-ashamed-run-one.html
The whole thing stinks.
Relax -
ReplyDeleteNovember 23, 2015, 12:25 pm
Trump: 'It is highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely' I will use nukes
By Jesse Byrnes
Getty Images
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump suggests in a new interview that it is extremely unlikely he would use nukes should he make it into the Oval Office.
"I wouldn't be nuking anybody," Trump said in a GQ interview published online Monday when asked if he would be scared to nuke countries if he considered it justified.
Under any circumstances? "I will have a military that's so strong and powerful, and so respected, we're not gonna have to nuke anybody," Trump responded.
The real estate tycoon pushed back on the suggestion that the U.S. could get rid of its nuclear stockpile, suggesting it should keep them because other countries have their own.
"It is highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely that I would ever be using them," Trump said.
Several GOP candidates have publicly questioned Trump's temperament for the White House, with rival former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush remarking last month on CNN that he had "grave doubts" about the celebrity businessman having his hand on the nation's nuclear codes.
Republicans have pointed to Trump's combativeness and controversial rhetoric on a range of domestic and international issues to argue he's unfit to be commander in chief.
Trump, who has long described himself as a "counter puncher," suggested in his GQ interview that he would be less bellicose as president.
"I would imagine I would be quite a bit different. I would feel differently about things as a president. Right now, I'm fighting a lot of people. As a president I would be more measured," Trump said.
"I wouldn't change much, but I think I would probably tone down the rhetoric, perhaps. And perhaps not. Depends on who it was that I was speaking about. We have some bad dudes out there," he added.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/261086-trump-it-is-highly-highly-highly-highly-unlikely-i-will
Many parts of the Middle Easy are becoming uninhabitable in the summer and desertification has been on a steady increase.
ReplyDeleteClimate change deniers received a stunning blow this year from none other than Pope Francis, who announced a papal encyclical calling for action on global warming in 2015. But even if the world’s billion-plus faithful heed him, stop flying in planes and start walking to work, global warming will continue to gain traction. And the forecast for the Middle East is frightening: It will be hotter, drier and probably more dangerous as burgeoning populations struggle over dwindling resources, warns geostrategist Arnon Soffer, professor emeritus from the University of Haifa.
Soffer declines to look more than 20 years into the future on the grounds of pointlessness: Who, for instance, foresaw the Holocaust, which changed world history? Though when pressed to peer into a more distant future, he does point out that if global warming continues on its present trajectory, life in the Middle East and possibly the planet as a whole could become unsustainable for humans: We will fry.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for one predicts that unless humanity takes drastic action to amend its climate-changing ways, the average global temperature will rise by 11.5 degrees by the year 2100. (If humanity does take drastic action, the EPA projects a temperature increase of 2 degrees by that same year. )
Temperatures in the Middle East have not changed much yet, but they will; and the region is already experiencing weather extremes and, generally, an accelerated process of desertification.
Too hot to go outside
In the short run the natural life, flora and fauna, in the existing deserts will be less affected by climate change than plants in the semi-arid regions of the Middle East, which include Israel. Also, Middle Eastern plants and animals evolved to be “climate copers,” long used to wildly varying precipitation from year to year.
But, barring drastic action, within the lifetimes of today’s children, it will be impossible to leave shelter during the heat of the day, Soffer predicts. Being outside in the sun will be deadly. And plants and animals will face the same stresses as the region’s people.
Nor need we look 50 or 100 years into the future to see acute danger. The Middle East, says the professor, who among other things advises the Israel Defense Forces and government on demographics, is already reeling from the double whammy of climate change and growing populations. These factors are combining and are already exacerbating the struggle over resources – water, food and energy.
When people think about the world’s growing populations, they usually think of India and China. But demographically speaking, what has been happening in the Middle East has no precedent, Soffer notes. Take the population of Egypt: It doubled in the 30 years before 1958, and then by 1981 it doubled again. But a poor nation like Egypt can’t double its resources in less than 30 years: “It’s mission impossible.
The entire Middle East is in a state of chaos,” says the professor. And meanwhile, the Blue Nile is running low on water.
Much of the Middle East is hot and arid to begin with, and it’s becoming even drier. Plus, many scientists predict further desertification as precipitation in the region becomes rarer, and its patterns change too.
{...}
{...}
ReplyDeleteSpreading deserts and ISIS
Forecasts for rain are a lot iffier than for temperature. Generally, the forecast for a warming world is actually for more precipitation, as the hotter climate causes more water to evaporate from the oceans – and what goes up must come down. But that rainfall won’t be evenly distributed around the world. Some countries used to heavy precipitation will apparently get more: Britain, for instance, is bracing for torrential rains.
Meanwhile, the entire Fertile Crescent has already been getting less and less rain. In Israel, the winter (rainy season) of 2013-2014 was the driest in its recorded history.
“Countries on the boundaries of the desert will be more desert-like and the desert countries will, within decades, become practically unfit for human habitation,” Soffer and Berkovsky predict in their book “Geopolitics and Climate Change in the Middle East.”
As less rain falls, aquifers will dwindle and the quality of their water will deteriorate. Desalination is all right for rich countries like Israel, where a weekend’s worth of water might cost as much as a cup of coffee, says Soffer drily. But that is no solution for the third world: “They can’t afford it,” he says bluntly. Nor is it even possible. “The entire amount of water the world desalinates in a year is about what Egypt needs in a month,” he explains. Ergo, desalination is not the answer.
And thus, as water becomes scarcer and its cost rises, the countries of the Middle East will increasingly resort to struggling over this diminishing resource. Will? Soffer says this has actually been happening for years. With all due respect to egalitarian cravings, he associates the Arab Spring and even the rise of the Islamic state, or ISIS, less with vile tyrants and more with climate change.
The “Mediterranean zone” is characterized by dry summers, which may last as long as nine months, and a wildly variable winter rainy season. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change actually predicts that as the planet warms, winter precipitation may slightly increase but overall, the soil will be drier because the hotter temperatures will drive more evaporation.
Israel is in the region that will undergo desertification, which the IPCC foresees encompassing North Africa, the countries around the Mediterranean basin, and swathes of Asia as well. Meanwhile, IPCC figures indicate that temperatures in the Middle East did not substantially change from 1901 to 1996, though if one includes Asia, the increase is 0.7 degrees Celsius. But the global trend is unarguable and the Middle East will not be spared. In any case, the average temperature isn’t the point, argues Soffer: We need to look at extreme events and this region is suffering those in spades.
“The winter of 2013-2014 brought us that crazy snowstorm,” Soffer recalls, adding that even Cairo was blanketed in white. Israeli highways were blocked by thousands of cars simply abandoned in snowdrifts, and whole towns were cut off for days. Some areas of Syria saw the heaviest snowfall in decades, which further exacerbated the misery of citizens already suffering from civil war.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-1.641785
Of course the GOP is appalled by science. It dwells in ignorance. But try and pretend you are not a doctrinaire GOP fool and read on:
ReplyDeleteNot one single drop of rain fell on the border of Syria and Turkey last winter, adds the professor, driving home the point. The villagers there have no desalination plants or water tankers.
“When it doesn’t rain and they have no water, like our patriarch Abraham – they have to migrate,” says Soffer. The upshot is that from North Africa to Syria, decades-old autocratic regimes have been weakened. Leadership voids were created he adds, and since nature abhors a void – enter ISIS, a magnetic force for people disenfranchised and growing increasingly desperate for solutions that their own governments cannot provide.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-1.641785
As Professor Quirk has pointed out:
Delete1) The original data was badly fudged
2) We don't have nearly enough reliable data
3) We don't know enough to have a competent computer program to analyze what data we have
I believe that was the gist of a lecture on the subject I attended here by Professor Quirk.
I think highly of his scientific expertise.
Also, there's a lot of money in 'climate change'.
It used to be called 'global warming' but the data didn't fit so they changed the label on the product.
ReplyDelete"Temperatures in the Middle East have not changed much yet"
Therefore, 'climate change' didn't cause the Syrian war, or any of the other chaos going on.
Much more accurate to blame it all on Obama.
The Pope has a masters degree in chemistry. It will come as a shock to the majority of the GOP that the universe is a study of change and that change results in chemistry and has done so since the first instant the universe began. The chemical changes on earth have an affect on the weather and the biology.
ReplyDeleteContext. Do you understand context?
ReplyDeletePlease go outside and shoot something.
I read we're going into a solar minimum and it's most likely to get cooler in the next decade.
ReplyDeleteWhat does a Master's Degree in Chemistry have to do with Climatology ?
Quirk's in Climatology and he thinks we don't have the info or the computer programs to handle the question.
I'll go with that, for now.
If it should get cooler, and Prince Charles is right that climate change is causing the mid east wars, maybe the wars will 'cool down' too ?
DeletePray for a big solar minimum.
It's looking like word came down from the top to fudge the figures about ISIS - "political pressure from Washington" -
ReplyDeleteHere we go: Centcom analysts who took negative view of progress against ISIS were told in e-mails to “cut it out”
posted at 6:01 pm on November 23, 2015 by Allahpundit
I thought we already knew this, or at least knew the basics of it — defense analysts at Centcom were apparently pressured by their superiors to take a rosier view of the progress against ISIS than was actually warranted. Who precisely wanted the books cooked to suggest things were going well is the key question, which this story doesn’t answer.
Great thinking, though, by the guilty parties in lying to the public about a jihadi threat, knowing that one major attack in the west would destroy their credibility instantly.
Analysts at U.S. Central Command were pressured to ease off negative assessments about the Islamic State threat and were even told in an email to “cut it out,” Fox News has learned – as an investigation expands into whether intelligence reports were altered to present a more positive picture.
Fox News is told by a source close to the CENTCOM analysts that the pressure on them included at least two emails saying they needed to “cut it out” and “toe the line.”
Separately, a former Pentagon official told Fox News there apparently was an attempt to destroy the communications. The Pentagon official said the email warnings were “not well received” by the analysts…
Among the complaints is that after the U.S. air campaign started in August 2014, the metrics to measure progress changed. They were modified to use measures such as the number of sorties and body counts — a metric not used since the Vietnam War — to paint a more positive picture.
“The cancer was within the senior level of the intelligence command,” one analyst told the Daily Beast in September. But why was the intelligence command so eager to tweak the data? Another Daily Beast story, this one from August, suggested an answer:
DeleteTwo defense officials said that some felt the commander for intelligence at CENTCOM failed to keep political pressures from Washington from bearing on lower-level analysts at command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. That pressure, while described as subtle and not overt, is nevertheless clear, the analysts said: Assessments on ISIS should comport with “the leadership consensus,” that is, top policymakers’ view, that the U.S.-led campaign against the group is paying dividends.
Obama declared war on ISIS informally on September 10 of last year. Maybe the thought was that some good press in the first few months of the mission would help Democrats in the midterms. (Which, if true, was stupid. How often does foreign policy matter to any vote, let alone a midterm vote, especially when the other party’s cheerleading the intervention?) Beyond that, I don’t get it. Eventually, after watching Putin enter the war on Assad’s side to prop him up against the Sunni rebels and reading stories about ISIS mass-murdering Yazidis or bulldozing ancient ruins, the public would figure out that the jihadis have been operating with near impunity. The lie about progress here was always destined to be exposed. So why lie?
While you think about that, read Byron York’s report on the Pentagon’s Friday press conference, in which a spokesman was asked why it took so long to take out some of ISIS’s oil trucks. That’s their economic lifeline; if you want to starve them of resources, one of your first priorities should be to cut them off from their confiscated oil well. Watch the response below at 16:45. It’s beyond belief:
Warren explained that American officials were deeply worried about harming the truck drivers, who were working for ISIS but might not be ISIS themselves. U.S. officials settled on a plan to drop leaflets on the trucks about 45 minutes before the raid, warning the drivers that an attack was coming, while U.S. pilots flew low passes over the area. Planning all that took time…
Delete“We have not struck these trucks before,” Warren said. “We assessed that these trucks, while although they are being used for operations that support ISIL, the truck drivers, themselves, [are] probably not members of ISIL; they’re probably just civilians. So we had to figure out a way around that. We’re not in this business to kill civilians, we’re in this business to stop ISIL — to defeat ISIL.”…
Finally, when all the work had been done, 300 ISIS trucks were found in one place. It was an inviting target.
“These trucks were queued up,” Warren said. “They were sitting sort of on flat desert. There wasn’t really anything recognizable as a road around. It was just out there on the desert floor in the vicinity of one of these oil fields, one of these oil facilities that we’ve been striking. So they were queued up there waiting to take on their illicit oil…So these trucks were — they were just sitting there, not moving.”
I don’t know where to start. For one thing, the U.S. has frequently targeted jihadis in drone strikes notwithstanding the risk of civilian casualties. (In a “signature strike,” the drone operator isn’t even sure that the target is a jihadi.) The logic, of course, is that by taking the shot and neutralizing a threat, you end up saving more civilians in the long run. The same logic applies here: Wipe out ISIS’s fleet of oil trucks, even at the price of killing the drivers, and suddenly the barbarians who are rampaging across Syria and Iraq have a financial crunch on their hands. If that ends the war more quickly, more civilians end up being spared from ISIS’s depredations. Beyond that, imagine how ISIS is going to treat a truck driver who caught one of the dropped fliers and ran away to save himself without taking his truck. How many civilians on the scene that day will actually end up being spared? (And how many trucks that might have been destroyed without the warning did in fact speed away before the attack?) Also, how can it be that this is the first U.S. strike on ISIS’s oil distribution network 14 months into the campaign? If the fear is that ISIS will use attacks on the trucks as propaganda to claim that Americans have declared war on the Syrian people, I think we’ve probably already crossed that bridge. If you’re waiting for a fair shake from the ISIS messaging team, you’ll be waiting a long time.
And finally: If you were targeting 300 trucks, why would you only supply your planes with enough explosives to destroy 116? Because that’s what happened. More than half the trucks got away because … U.S. planes simply ran out of bombs on their mission.
Why are we fighting this war if we’re going to fight it like this?
Update: Now that’s more like it. AFP headline: “U.S. warplanes destroy 283 fuel trucks in Syria.”
http://hotair.com/archives/2015/11/23/here-we-go-centcom-analysts-warning-of-expansion-of-isis-were-told-in-e-mails-to-cut-it-out/