COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Putin’s Russia has become a major player in the Middle East

The West Is Oblivious to Russia’s Geopolitical Game in Syria



Two things about Russia under President Vladimir Putin: First, never bet too heavily on what the former KGB strongman will do next; second, things are not always what they first appear to be.
Only two weeks ago, I remarked that Russia would not withdraw from Syria till a political settlement regarding Syria’s future was achieved to Putin’s satisfaction, regardless of what his ally, beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, might wish. While I stand by what I said, I was surprised at Mr. Putin’s sudden announced withdrawal a couple of days afterward.
Checking my sources reveals more than initially meets the eye: My analysis suggests Russia’s sudden move amounts to more of a drawdown than a withdrawal because, despite news bulletins to the contrary, Putin yet maintains a certain military presence in Syria. Intelligence imagery indicates the Russian Sukhoi Su-24M bomber aircraft group is still largely in place.
Reason: Russia wants to ensure that the political outcome, whatever form or shape it may be, at least supports some of its long-term objectives. Equally important, an analysis of the imagery shows Russia is not only still expanding infrastructure and facilities around its Latakia naval base but also has deployed additional assets in the past several days.
Yes, Mr. Putin caught us all by surprise with his announced Syrian drawdown. Little wonder: Syria-led coalition forces had some momentum behind them; they were on a roll, gaining ground sometimes even without a fight. But make no mistake: This partial withdrawal does not mean that things are settled militarily. The city of Aleppo remains partially encircled by jihad forces who in turn are encircled by coalition forces headed by the Syrian regime. The objective: cut the jihadists’ supply lines.
The question now becomes: What does Russia’s drawdown mean for Syria, the Middle East and geopolitics in general? Some points to consider:
First, the unexpected reduction in forces hardly suggests Russia’s involvement in Syria is done. To the contrary, Russian aircraft remain. These are not part of the drawdown. Their mission is to attack insurgents not included in the most recent ceasefire, principally Jabhat al-Nusra (another name for al-Qaida) and the Islamic State. To quote a Russian military journalist: “The fleet remains; antiaircraft systems remain; the tanks remain; all the marines remain; the helicopters remain; some of the aircraft will remain. Only some of the aircraft and their service personnel are being taken out. And they can come back, of course, in the space of three or four hours.”
Second, it’s conceivable to view the drawdown as an excuse for maintenance of Russian aircraft after an intensive period of sorties. It’s also plausible this marks a shift in tempo aimed at metastasizing politics: pausing in what one might see as Russia’s spiraling down unknown, unfamiliar and possibly perilous paths — something this column has regularly highlighted.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is just now wrapping up a Moscow meeting with President Putin, an affair with far fewer tensions than recent years have seen between the Obama administration and Russian leaders. In fact, before discussions on expanding access to humanitarian aid and maintaining the Syrian ceasefire even began, Putin uncharacteristically kidded Kerry about his carrying his own luggage.
One assumption is that Mr. Putin’s drawdown, coinciding with the start of Geneva talks between representatives of the Syrian regime and rebels, was not aimed at the Geneva talks but instead was intended to push the Obama administration into genuine cooperation with Russia. Recall that President Putin stated from the outset his intervention in Syria had limited objectives — to “create conditions for a political compromise.” Perhaps he is now moving toward that goal.
Another salient point that continues to intrigue analysts: Russia’s drawdown will put pressure to act on both parties (Syrian regime and opposition groups) at the Geneva talks. The kicker: The burden is also on the United States to stop its own allies — Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar — from providing funding to and arming their proxies or even marching defiantly toward Damascus.
While the United States might be able to convince Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it will find Turkey a significant challenge given that its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, needs the Syrian conflict to drag on longer in order to keep his hold on power. You do not have to look far to see how Turkey is using the issue of Syrian immigrants to blackmail Europe to secure money and gain European Union membership. Shame on Turkey, a Muslim country that calls itself a secular and democratic state.
If history is any indication, this would not be the first time Mr. Putin has used a military drawdown to resolve a deadlocked political scene such as the one in Syria. It’s something we saw in the lead-up to the Minsk accords concerning Ukraine. Make no mistake: Russia’s political elites, including Mr. Putin, do not at this time seek a direct confrontation with NATO or the West over either Ukraine or Syria.
Where from here? Against all odds, Iran, Russia and the United States want to see a strong Syria emerge at the end. After all, Syria does have an identity. It’s a proud and ancient nation. And some sort of long-sought resolution could not come at a more critical time when fundamental borders and governments throughout the Middle East are eroding, giving way to more violence, floods of refugees and the uncontrollable emergence of sectarian tension along religious lines.
Whatever the outcome, Russia’s latest move — and the rush by the United States to react to this drawdown — is not just about Syria but rather the future of the global order or what these days passes for it.
Follow David Oualaalou on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Doualaalou

CONVERSATIONS


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85 comments:

  1. QuirkTue Mar 29, 01:31:00 AM EDT
    .

    Can you show me, or post any specific information that Israel supports "ISIS"?

    Information has already been posted here asserting Israel is buying oil pillaged by ISIS. Given the fact that Israel has already bought oil from Kurdistan when US and Baghdad say it was the property of the nation of Iraq, I find the charge credible.

    There were also the posts on the UN report from last year indicating that Israel was aiding the Syrian militant groups including al Nusra and ISIS.

    I don't recall seeing any statements from Israel denying that story regarding the IDF colonel caught in Iraq fighting along side ISIS troops. If they have let me know.


    there was a specific report that Assad was purchasing ISIS oil....

    SO really there is no 'there' there...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once again, my point stands.

      The Palestinians and ISIS are cut from the same cloth.

      That was the point and it's credible.

      as you say.

      misdirection excluded...

      Delete
    2. .

      there was a specific report that Assad was purchasing ISIS oil....

      SO really there is no 'there' there...


      Damn.

      This place is like dealing with a bunch of three year olds.

      In response to your bitching about the Palestinians and Isis, my question was, 'Then why does Israel support Isis?'

      Your response is, 'Assad supports them too'?

      What the f***.

      .

      Delete
    3. I seem to recall you asked "why does Israel support them"?

      You were not specific.

      But giving you the benefit of the doubt you referring to ISIS I asked you about SPECIFIC information that would back uno your specious claim...

      You stated that Israel bought oil that originally had been produced in ISIS held lands and also say that the Israelis purchased oil from the kurds.

      You offered that as "PROOF" that Israel supported Isis.

      TO WHICH I countered that Assad purchased ISIS oil directly...

      What the fuck are you really that dense??

      Stick to the the basic issue you nitwit.

      The palestinians, just like ISIS target Jewish people anywhere they can to murder, they are the same, except for the ball caps.

      You are like talking to retarded dwarf....

      But the sad thing?

      You have NO understanding of the deadly reality of which you comment on...

      NONE.

      Delete
    4. Game, set, match to WiO.

      Got to call 'em as I see 'em, Quirk.

      Can send more jerky as consolation prize if you wish.

      Delete
    5. Get glasses. You have to be a fool to think that Assad supports ISIS and that the Palestinians don’t have every reason to despise their Israeli tormentors.

      The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

      If isis starts to kill Israelis, Palestinians will be cheering in the streets.

      Why Wouldn’t they be?

      Joker justifies shooting the wounded in the head because they are Palestinian terrorists, using knives against guns.

      You have to be pretty damn desperate to take a knife to a gun fight.

      Delete
    6. THOUGHTS FROM AN INTELLIGENT JEW

      A retired IDF brigadier general said on Sunday he believes that Palestinian teens who commit violent attacks against Israelis are influenced by Islamic State terrorists.

      “I strongly believe that this phenomenon of ISIS, of Daesh, has an impact on the atmosphere in Palestinian society,” Michael Herzog — an international fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy — said, during his address to AIPAC delegates in Washington, DC. “The banality of violence, the banality of death, also infiltrates the Palestinian society. Most of these young people do not swear allegiance to ISIS, don’t go and fight with them, [but] they are certainly influenced by this atmosphere and some of their terminology reminds me of what you hear and read about ISIS.”

      Talking about the thought process behind these young Palestinians committing terror attacks, Herzog — who is the brother of Israeli Labor Party and Opposition leader Isaac (Buji) Herzog — believes they feel a “sense of deep frustration” not only with Israelis, but also with their own lives. That feeling, coupled with what he called the “psychological need for self-fulfillment through what they believe is martyrdom and heroism,” results in their lashing out through violent terror attacks.

      Delete
    7. Kick a beaten dog a few times and they bite back.

      Delete
    8. .

      You two Bozos are nutz.

      What has anything that Assad does have to do with Israel supporting Isis by buying its oil?

      Or for that matter, providing support to militant groups including ISIS and al NUsra as charged by the UN observers.

      You two morons can't seem to get it through your heads that saying someone else does the same thing doesn't answer the question,

      Why does Israel support ISIS?

      It merely makes the point I have been making right along, the ME is a sewer. EVERY regime over there sucks. You continue to make the argument yourselves that they are all equivalent. Twenty years ago we had national interest being over there. Today that interest is minimal. There is no reason we should be over there. Let them all sink or swim on their own.

      .

      Delete
    9. HERZOG CONTINUES

      “They don’t mind losing their lives; they say so. They say, ‘Let’s meet in heaven, in paradise.’ They know they stand a good chance of losing their lives, yet they go and do it,” said Herzog. “I believe these people vent existential frustrations. They are disappointed with their own leadership… And they paint a black-and-white picture where they don’t see any hope. Their leadership, as far as they are concerned, does not provide any hope for them. No solutions. no statehood, no unity, no governments, no nothing.”

      Herzog also pointed to a “psychological element,” according to which Palestinian teens feel it is very “in” to go out and try to kill Jews, and they subsequently become heroes for their efforts.

      Herzog, who previously served as the chief of staff and senior military aide to the minister of defense — said the top priority in the Middle East is to calm the wave of terror currently taking place in the region, though he realizes the challenges that come with such a mission. “It’s not that simple to deter a young fellow who’s ready to die,” he said.




      Delete
    10. You two have the street smarts of two caged rabbits released on a freeway.

      Delete
    11. Go for it. Give us your best shots and we will vote on who is dumb and who is dumber.

      Delete
    12. "Twenty years ago we had national interest being over there. Today that interest is minimal."

      What has changed ?

      ******

      What I've read is that Israel has bought most of its oil from the Kurds, 3/4ths or some such.

      Since the Kurds are the only ones that have been able to defeat ISIS on a regular basis I'd say Israel is fighting ISIS, if you judge everything by oil sales.

      Delete
    13. We'll vote on who is dumb or dumber, Quirk or Deuce, in return.

      ;)

      Delete
    14. For the most part I'd says Israel has basically been staying out of it.

      Delete
  2. From the previous thread, our response to the existential threat of "Islamist Extremism:"

    ...Somebody should develop a screw on replacement head.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or a steel neck.

      Delete
    2. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b7/a6/6e/b7a66ef04ffb4d97f7efe841cec405b8.jpg

      Delete
    3. :):):):)

      hahahahaha

      Excellent.

      That should put an end to the beheadings !

      Delete
  3. .

    Forget Seattle. Now comes the Real Test (maybe).

    California’s wage plan would create a huge experiment in the effects of higher labor costs

    If passed, for good or ill, the effects could be huuuuge.


    Calif. governor announces plan to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022

    California’s plan to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 — higher than any other state in the union — would put the state in uncharted territory, carrying both hope and danger for workers in the nation’s largest economy.

    Gov. Jerry Brown (D) announced the deal with state lawmakers Monday. Under the agreement, California’s minimum wage, now $10 an hour, would climb gradually over six years.

    The deal came together quickly, under duress: A pending ballot initiative threatened to raise the wage more swiftly if politicians didn’t act. The state legislature still has to vote on the plan.

    Boosting the minimum to $15 would put California well above the inflation-adjusted peak for the federal minimum wage, which occurred in the 1960s. The effects are difficult to predict, many economists say, because there is little historical precedent for raising minimum wages so high on such a wide scale. By 2018, California’s minimum wage would be higher than the rate is now in France and Australia, which the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says had the world’s highest wage floors in 2015.

    “Just as the benefits of a minimum-wage increase rise with a big increase, the risk of negative costs rises as well,” said Ben Zipperer, a labor economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a liberal think tank. Particularly in lower-wage parts of the state, he said, “we don’t know what the answer will be” on how many jobs might be eliminated when the minimum goes up...


    .

    ReplyDelete
  4. Source: ISIS executes families in Fallujah and throws their bodies in Euphrates River

    (IraqiNews.com) Anbar – A local source in the city of Fallujah said on Monday, that the so-called ISIS executed the families that were trying to leave the city and threw their bodies in the Euphrates River.

    The source reported for IraqiNews.com, “ISIS is practicing these acts to spread fear among people and prevent them from leaving the city,” pointing out that, “ISIS is using the families as human shields.”

    He added, “ISIS members rumored that these families have committed suicide because of hunger in an attempt to distort the government’s image and highlight its inability to rescue the besieged families.”

    Iraqinews

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mini-"Q"Nit - California

    COPS: 17 Middle Eastern Men Detained After Firing Off Hundreds Of Rounds in CA...

    'Up All Night Chanting 'Allah Akbar'-Type Stuff'...DRUDGE


    **********


    Vote, and protect your assets by buying gold and silver from Rosland Capital

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Type stuff?

      For the ill-informed, DRUDGE is not a link.

      .

      Delete
    2. Go to Drudge then and click on -


      COPS: 17 Middle Eastern Men Detained After Firing Off Hundreds Of Rounds in CA...

      'Up All Night Chanting 'Allah Akbar'-Type Stuff'...

      and see what you come up with....


      I was joking about 'First we show the Poles..' though.

      Delete
    3. .

      Since you were joking, I won't mention Kyle Andrew Odom.

      :o)

      .

      Delete
    4. They only chant that in Hamtramck, Michigan.

      Hasn't made it to California.....yet.

      Delete
  6. 'Up All Night Chanting 'Allah Akbar'-Type Stuff'



    "First we show the Poles, then everybody else.....First we show the Poles, then everybody else...."

    ReplyDelete
  7. What's Odom got to do with it ?

    He was a Marine, a U of Idaho grad, a patriot who was only trying to awaken us all to the reality we are being invaded by Martians, indeed have Martians among us even now....some having crazy names like 'Quirk' or 'Deuce'.........

    Hint: the Martians never carry normal names, like 'Bob' or 'Doug'.......

    You can tell a lot about a man, or a Martian, by his name...........

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm heading over to Fox to see what's up.

    Cheers !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two of the beauties on 'Outnumbered' have their left leg over their right, two the right leg over the left...the male is in a classic man spread...

      Delete
  9. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-03-28/dc-madams-attorney-says-call-log-bombshell-could-upend-presidential-race

    If's there's anything to this my bet is that Ted Cruz was cruisin'....

    Cruz fits the profile. Bernie's too old, Trump's too rich, doesn't need the service...

    ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Disappearing post syndrome.

      Go to link about lawyer that has a high class whore's list of clients...

      Says he can, and will, soon spill the beans..

      Delete
  10. LEGEND HAS FALLEN 09.23.10 3:50 PM ET

    Jim Harrison Can Make You a Better Animal

    John Avlon headed out to Montana to spend a day with one of America’s greatest novelists, famous for his gutsy take on life. They talked marriage, excess, and even some politics.


    EDITOR’S NOTE: On Sunday, March 27, it was announced that Jim Harrison died at the age of 78. He was in his study at his home in Arizona working on a poem. The following is an interview conducted with the legend in 2010.



    Arguably America’s greatest living author—and certainly our earthiest—lives half the year in Livingston, Montana.......

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/09/23/jim-harrison-interview.html

      Delete
  11. I think the California wage goes up by fifty cents a year the first two years and then a dollar a year.
    Cleverly covering up the actual result with plenty of time for other reasons for more poor people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seattle raised wages dramatically and employment went dramatically down.

      Maybe the robots will soon be 'the working class'...

      Delete
  12. Deuce: Joker justifies shooting the wounded in the head because they are Palestinian terrorists, using knives against guns.


    Actually Deuce, the savages are bringing bomb belts to a checkpoint, restaurant, park, school, nursery, synagogue...


    Shooting a wounded savage in the head to prevent them from exploding their bomb belt? Well that's just good policy..

    Now Ameirca, is bombing ISIS folks (men women kids) form 12,000 feet...

    Is that bringing a bomber to a knife fight?

    How have these ISIS members done anything to you or America to warrant being bombed from the sky?

    Obama and the USA have drone striked thousands of civilians in their pursuit of ISIS types. 99.99% who have never been to America...

    ReplyDelete
  13. YouGov Poll: Divide on Muslim neighborhood patrols but majority now back Muslim travel ban

    Hot Air headline

    Folks are starting to make sense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *(Quirk, go to Hot Air, read headlines, click on the one cited above)

      Delete
    2. But it won't be there in a few days, whereas the address is forever.

      Deuce hasn't made 7,000 posts just to foster an attitude of laziness!

      (Dismounts his Soapbox)

      Delete
    3. Besides, you might be accused of driving Quirk to drink.

      Delete
    4. .

      Did you bother reading the article, you nitwit?

      Damn, Bob.

      It's amazing your wife allows you handle a dangerous tool like a computer.

      I'm seriously thinking of reporting her for child abuse.

      .

      Delete
    5. I used to drive Quirk to drink in bars in Vegas, where they have a very effective Police Force on the roads to keep the gamblers alive. Didn't want to see him jailed DUI and endangering himself and others.

      Delete
    6. What article ?

      I don't see no article.

      Delete
  14. VIDEO: Trump emotional moment with Former Miss Wisconsin who has terminal illness...

    'You saved me'...DRUDGE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Watch VIDEO at link below, Quirk -

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZg8CxKlt5U

      And it WAS an emotional moment. I watched the entire event. Trump was excellent in his interaction with the crowd and during the questions.

      Delete
    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOYus1BE7jk

      Delete
    3. Dang near jerked a tear out of me.

      Doesn't look like a Trump 'war on women' to me.

      Delete
    4. :)

      Yup, he had 'em rah rahing, Doug.

      Delete
  15. Graphic: https://d22r54gnmuhwmk.cloudfront.net/photos/2/tj/zi/DJTjZIzIQBtbPwc-800x450-noPad.jpg?1459150733

    In Hawaii's Democratic Presidential Preference Poll, Hawaii Democrats voted an overwhelming 70% in favor of Bernie Sanders. However, with one exception, all of Hawaii's superdelegates are either uncommitted or have committed support to Hillary Clinton. What we ask for is simple: Honor the votes of your constituents.

    https://www.change.org/p/hawaii-superdelegates-commit-to-bernie-sanders

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My district:

      District 11 (Kihei) & Precinct 10-1 (Parts of North Kihei, Maalaea)

      Bernie 79%

      Hillary 21%

      Delete
    2. North Kihei, Maalaea filled with surf bums.

      Next they'll want - DEMAND - free surf boards !

      And lots of free Doug's Wahine Juice too !!

      :)

      Delete
    3. Ply them with Wahine Juice then assist them in placing their X in the Trump Box.

      ...although Federal Subsidies for Whahine Juice would be almost as sweet as Union Dues from non-union Federal Employees.

      (4 to 4 at SCOTUS)

      Delete
    4. Quirk says his exclusive franchise on your juice is going 'gangbusters' in Detroit, and surrounds.

      That was very nice of you giving him a local monopoly like that.

      When he excused himself from here the other day for a 'meeting' he was meeting with his distributors, some new hires.

      Delete
    5. Struggling to keep up with demand.

      Delete
  16. WASHINGTON—World leaders are scheduled to gather here Thursday for a two-day summit hosted by President Barack Obama that will focus on global nuclear concerns, particularly the potential for a terrorist organization to obtain nuclear materials and the growing threat of North Korea.

    ...

    The meetings follow several missile launches by Pyongyang, which have raised fears in the region. The U.S. and other nations, including China, recently adopted new sanctions against North Korea in response.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Adios, America !

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHti8_guyMM

    ReplyDelete
  18. “We know that terrorists have the intent and the capability to turn these raw materials into a nuclear device if they were to gain access to them,” the White House said in a document previewing the summit, noting it was “impossible to quantify” the likelihood of a nuclear terrorist attack.

    Such an incident would “create political, economic, social, psychological and environmental havoc around the world, no matter where the attack occurs,” the administration said.

    Planning for the session began earlier this year, before the terror attacks in Brussels but after the Paris and San Bernardino mass killings.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Trump ought to file a complaint against Michelle Fields for battery for breaking through his Secret Service shield and grabbing and pulling his arm !

    That was when Trump's guy made his move with the Secret Service guys right behind.

    Michelle has been found to have filed a similar false complaint against some police agency in the past which was thrown out.

    She's a publicity seeker and a phony and the whole thing is bullshit.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Joel Pollak, Breitbart's senior editor-at-large and in-house counsel, who previously warned employees about publicly speaking out in support of Fields, on Tuesday tweeted that the surveillance footage released Tuesday changed his view of the incident. "Based on the evidence available at the time with no video and weak description.

    ...

    Pollak also wrote, "That's pretty conclusive, even with the freeze framing."
    Breitbart said it had always supported Fields, though at one point it posted a story (since updated) alleging that the case may have been one of mistaken identity, and then sent out cease and desist letters to the employees who resigned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The best video I've seen is the one taken by the Trump organization itself, from above.

      He had been speaking in our of his own properties.

      If it ever goes to a jury I think the defendant will walk.

      When she was grabbing at Trump he even tried to put his right arm up defensively to keep her away

      She was between the Secret Service men and Trump where she had no right to be.

      She should be in the dock, not Trump's guy.

      Delete
    2. He had been speaking in one of his own properties.

      Delete
  21. March 29, 2016

    Following the logic of the Obama administration on ISIS

    By Thomas Lifson


    A brilliant essay by Daniel Greenfield takes the Obama ISIS strategy’s rhetoric to its obvious conclusions and is your read of the day. Some excerpts, but you do yourself a favor and read the whole thing, at Frontpage Mag.


    If you’re keeping score, freeing Islamic terrorists from Gitmo does not play into the hands of ISIS. Neither does bringing Syrians, many of whom sympathize with Islamic terrorists, into our country. And aiding the Muslim Brotherhood parent organization of ISIS does not play into the Islamic group’s hands.

    However if you use the words “Islamic terrorism” or even milder derivatives such as “radical Islamic terrorism”, you are playing into the hands of ISIS. If you call for closer law enforcement scrutiny of Muslim areas before they turn into Molenbeek style no-go zones or suggest ending the stream of new immigrant recruits to ISIS in San Bernardino, Paris or Brussels, you are also playing into the hands of ISIS.

    And if you carpet bomb ISIS, destroy its headquarters and training camps, you’re just playing into its hands. According to Obama and his experts, who have wrecked the Middle East, what ISIS fears most is that we’ll ignore it and let it go about its business. And what it wants most is for us to utterly destroy it.

    ***

    Because terrorism has no religion. Even when it’s shouting, “Allahu Akbar”.

    ***

    Obama initially tried to defeat ISIS by ignoring it. This cunning approach allowed ISIS to seize large chunks of Iraq and Syria. He tried calling ISIS a JayVee team in line with his recent claim that, “We defeat them in part by saying you are not strong, you are weak”. Unimpressed, ISIS seized Mosul. It was still attached to the old-fashioned way of proving it was strong by actually winning land and wars.

    Then Obama tried to defeat ISIS by arming the Islamist allies of Al Qaeda and now a lot more American weapons are in the hands of Islamic terrorists. Some of them are even in the hands of ISIS.

    Europe and the United States decided to prove that we were not at war with Islam by taking in as many Muslims as we could. Instead of leading to less terrorism, taking in more Muslims led to more terrorism.

    ***

    Islamic terrorism has followed an entirely intuitive pattern of cause and effect. There’s a reason that the counterintuitive strategies for fighting Islamic terrorism by not fighting Islamic terrorism don’t work. They make no sense. They never did. Instead they all depend on convincing Muslims, from the local Imam to Jihadist organizations, to aid us instead of attack us by showing what nice people we are. Meanwhile they also insist that we can’t use the words “Islamic terrorism” because Muslims are ticking time bombs who will join Al Qaeda and ISIS the moment we associate terrorism with the I-word.

    The counterintuitive strategy assumes that Islamic terrorism will only exist if we use the I-word, that totalitarian Jihadist movements just want democracy and that our best allies for fighting Islamic terrorism are people from the same places where Islamic terrorism is a runaway success. And that we should duplicate the demographics of the countries where Islamic terrorism thrives in order to defeat it.


    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/03/following_the_logic_of_the_obama_administration_on_isis.html#ixzz44LFevobZ

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nigerian troops have freed hundreds of hostages held by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram in recent counter-terrorism efforts in the country’s northeast. About 900 hostages were rescued in over a dozen villages in the last week, but an unknown number remain captive.

    ReplyDelete
  23. .

    Taking a break between periods of the hockey came, I switch over to CNN for their Town Hall and I see Anderson Cooper questioning Ted Cruz. Man what a sleazeball. Ted Cruz that is.

    Cooper asked Cruz to explain what he meant by 'patrol and secure' Muslim neighborhoods. Cruz went off on some rant about Obama not being willing to utter the words 'militant Islam'. Cooper once again tried to get Cruz to answer the question. What did he mean by the his statement. What would Cruz' monitoring of Muslim neighborhoods involve? Cruz then went off at length on a rant about Belgium and the the problems in the EU thus showing his ignorance of the differences between the EU and the US. Cooper tried again an Cruz, again refusing to answer the question, went off on another rant about Obama being in Cuba at the time of the Brussels attack. The answer had zero to do with the questioned ask but Cruz did get a round of applause.

    Giving that he obviously wasn't going to get an answer out of Cruz, Cooper tried another tack. He pointed out that the NY program that Cruz has suggested was a good example of what he was talking about has been called totally unsuccessful by everyone in NY including the guy who ran the program. Cruz said that they were just denying its value due to political correctness. Then he went back to berating Obama for refusing to use the term 'militant Islam'. And once again he received a round of applause.

    Cooper, failing to get anything substantive out of Cruz, then moved on to another question.

    Normally, I would call Cruz and idiot; but I don't think he is. He is a clever though slimy pol who is playing on the fears and bigotry of his base.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard to say who's worse - Cruz or Trump. It's truly a sad state of affairs.

      Delete
    2. Neither of you would be hard on Trump today if you'd seen him interact with that young woman he helped.

      "You saved my life" she said.

      And it wasn't a planted question, as Trump at first had trouble recalling who she was.

      How many people have YOU helped today, Ash ?

      Delete
    3. Here it is, Ash -

      http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/274624-ex-miss-wisconsin-tears-up-thanking-trump-at-rally

      When Hillary really interacts with young women it's only to harass them into silence over their being raped and sexually abused by BillyGoat.

      She said 'you saved me' rather than 'you saved my life'.

      Delete
    4. I agree.

      Ever since he pulled that one on Dr. Ben Carson.

      I hope he gets outed for visiting that 'escort service' I posted about.....fits his personality....

      Delete
    5. I imagine Cruz might have been using that escort service right along, and it drove his wife into her deep depression.

      Delete
    6. Michelle Fields took the side of Bill Ayers, MoveOn.org and Black Lives Matter after the Chicago Trump speech was shut down by the above mentioned lovers of the 1st Amendment.

      Delete
    7. I know all these important interesting things because I listen to Fox News.

      Delete
    8. .

      An old farmer's mind is a terrible thing to waste.

      .

      Delete
    9. I've been told by those that know that the only book you ever read is 'The Old Farmer's Almanac'. You turn to it to put some order in your daily affairs, they say.

      Delete
  24. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper grilled Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday over his assertion last year that Donald Trump is “terrific.”

    ...

    Cruz spent much of last year painstakingly refusing to criticise Trump, but that détente melted in the weeks leading up to the February 1 Iowa caucuses. With only three candidates left in the race, Cruz is now backed by much of the anti-Trump Republican establishment.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Former Cuban president Fidel Castro slammed US counterpart Barack Obama's historic visit to Cuba, saying the communist island doesn't need any "gifts from the empire."

    ...

    Mr Castro remained out of sight during Mr Obama's visit, which aimed to cement the thaw announced in December 2014 by the US president and Raul Castro, who has proven more reform-minded than his older brother.

    Mr Castro waited a month and a half to publicly give his blessing to the US-Cuban rapprochement, and then gave it only a lukewarm embrace.

    ReplyDelete
  26. More players are entering into the scene as South China Sea tensions continue to escalate. According to reports, Taiwan is now part of the power struggle while Japan is continuously preparing to deter Chinese aggression in the region.

    Is China pushing too many buttons? China has been continuing to provoke other countries into making a move over the disputed region of the South China Sea following its breach of international waters.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Japan on March 28, 2016 switched on a radar station in the East China Sea, giving it a permanent intelligence gathering post close to Taiwan and a group of islands disputed by Japan and China, drawing an angry response from Beijing

    The new Self Defence Force base on the island of Yonaguni is at the western extreme of a string of Japanese islands in the East China Sea, 150 km (90 miles) south of the disputed islands known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Japan's parliament has approved a record 96.72 trillion yen ($A1.13 trillion) state budget for fiscal 2016.

    ...

    Most economists expect a return to growth in the first quarter, albeit at very modest levels but data released so far this year has been generally weak.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that new security laws that took effect Tuesday will strengthen Tokyo’s ability to defend itself amid increasing threats as opponents took to the streets to say they risk hurling the country into war.

    ...

    Many lawyers and constitutional scholars still view the laws as violating the country’s war-renouncing constitution, put in place after Japan’s defeat in World War II. Article 9 of the charter prohibits the use of force to settle international disputes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Japan’s elderly turn to life of crime to ease cost of living

      Japan's prison system is being driven to budgetary crisis by demographics, a welfare shortfall and a new, pernicious breed of villain: the recidivist retiree. And the silver-haired crooks, say academics, are desperate to be behind bars.

      Crime figures show that about 35 per cent of shoplifting offences are committed by people over 60. Within that age bracket, 40 per cent of repeat offenders have committed the same crime more than six times.

      There is good reason, concludes a report, to suspect that the shoplifting crime wave in particular represents an attempt by those convicted to end up in prison — an institution that offers free food, accommodation and healthcare.

      http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/27/japans-elderly-turn-to-life-of-crime-to-ease-cost-of-living.html

      Delete
  30. Did you know that that you can make cash by locking selected sections of your blog / website?
    Simply open an account on AdWorkMedia and add their content locking tool.

    ReplyDelete