tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post7153433691452384188..comments2024-03-28T21:41:52.558-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: The White House said on Tuesday that Barack Obama does not believe he needs congressional authorisation for the “next, more offensive” phase in an ongoing military campaign against jihadist militants in Iraq and SyriaDeuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-36472969208249878612014-09-11T00:19:45.068-04:002014-09-11T00:19:45.068-04:00.
"It's clear to me that we need to trai....<br /><br /><i>"It's clear to me that we need to train and equip Syrian rebels and other groups in the Middle East that need some help," Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday.</i><br /><br />Lordy, these people are dense.<br /><br />Syrian rebels and other groups?<br /><br />It was questionable as to how many 'moderate' rebels there were in Syria a few years back. If there are any left they are now so weak that we would be throwing good money after bad (assuming the CIA has been helping them right along) and probably just arming more radical groups down the road when they capture the arms from our 'moderates'. And who are these 'other groups' Reid is talking about? And who would we send over to vet them if they do exist? The CIA? Right, they have a great track record. Good job Brownie. Maybe John McCain? He has experience with terrorists. Maybe Harry can take a delegation from the Senate and nose around. My impression is that the $500 million request for arms for the 'moderates' was more than anything just a PR move to show the administration was 'doing something'.<br /><br />Every group over there is using social media to build support, or as a recruitment tool, or to beg arms from wherever they can get them, or all of the above. According to each of them, they are the only one over there with truth, justice, and the American way on their side. IMO, the post Deuce put up recently on the Kurds falls into that category. The Kurds and the Peshmerga are relatively speaking one of the better groups over there from what I can see. That being said, the film itself seemed to emphasize the role of the YPG and the PKK. The message was clear, hey we are the good guys, help us out with a little aid and some arms. I find it hard to view a terrorist group as a 'good guy'. I expect blow back here when I say I'll take their little video with a dose of salt. <br /><br />.<br /><br /><br />Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-20384951797842026962014-09-10T23:45:38.647-04:002014-09-10T23:45:38.647-04:00
{...}
But the claim that ISIS is a creation of t...<br />{...}<br /><br />But the claim that ISIS is a creation of the Obama administration has gained wide traction here. From the Iranian viewpoint, shaped by their spotty exposure to Western culture, analysts say, creating a terrorist organization opposed to Iranian interests is the obvious thing for a superpower to do.<br /><br />“These ISIS fighters, they remind me of American cowboy movies,” said Mostafa Faramazian, an employee of the Oil Ministry. He had seen clips of the Sunni fighters driving along the desert plains of Iraq and Syria, like outlaws in the wild West. “They are performing the American dream in a faraway land,” Mr. Faramazian said. “Their goal is to make us weak, like they did with the Indians.”<br /><br />Iran also has a long history of victimhood, whether to Mongol invaders or Western intelligence agencies and oil companies. Iranians, with their language and faith, often feel lonely and isolated in the world arena.<br /><br />“Where most other states in the region were formed by colonial powers, Iran is an ancient empire,” said Housang Tale, a historian and self-described nationalist. The West, he said, and especially the United States as a superpower, is well aware of Iran’s great potential and therefore has committed itself to stopping the country from progressing in any way.<br /><br />“Without groups like ISIS we can revive our empire,” Mr. Tale predicted, “and become the biggest power in the region.”<br /><br />Victimization plays an important role in the Islamic republic’s official ideology. When the shah was ousted in 1979, the same revolutionaries who ended his rule said his downfall illustrated the plots committed by the United States, dropping the king after he had lost his usefulness.<br /><br />Iranian textbooks now say that when Iranian students took over the United States Embassy in 1979, taking diplomats and other personnel hostage for 444 days, they did so to forestall a coup d’état like the one organized by the C.I.A. in 1953, which led to the toppling of a democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh.<br /><br />The list of perceived wrongdoings is so long that every major current event involving the United States is explained by the state’s ideologists as a plot to undermine Iranian interests.<br /><br />Ayatollah Khamenei labeled the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a “suspicious event.” Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called them a “plot.” The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan that came after were clearly meant to create a ring of military bases around the country, officials have often said. The sanctions imposed over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program are “shackles.”<br /><br />“Our country and our revolution are oppressed, but we are powerful,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Thursday.<br /><br />On the streets, where many are openly critical of the clerical government —its economic mismanagement, widespread corruption and a lack of freedoms — threats to the nation still hit a very raw nerve, even among the educated classes.<br /><br />“America supports any group that breaks a ring of this Iran-Syria-Lebanon-Palestine chain,” said Amir Hosein Mohammadi, a radiologist. He was referring to what Iran’s leaders call the “axis of resistance,” the focal point of opposition to United States interests in the region.<br /><br />Iran’s support for Syria’s president, Mr. Assad, never gained much traction among ordinary people here, who care more about the economy than about propping up the leader of a distant land.<br /><br />But why would the United States now declare ISIS a threat to its national security and say it is ready to bomb the group inside Syria, thereby bolstering Mr. Assad by attacking his most formidable opponent?<br /><br />“The United States created a monster, even beyond their own control,” said Mr. Mohammadi. “If they don’t stop ISIS now, nobody can predict what will happen in the future.”<br /><br />NY TIMESDeuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-50580804500431431892014-09-10T23:45:30.926-04:002014-09-10T23:45:30.926-04:00TEHRAN — Iranians are as obsessed as Americans the...TEHRAN — Iranians are as obsessed as Americans these days with the black-clad gangs roaming Iraq and Syria and killing Shiites and other “infidels” in the name of Sunni Islam. At the supermarket, in a shared taxi or at a family gathering, conversations often turn to the mysterious group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and how it came to be.<br /><br />And for most Iranians, the answer is obvious: the United States.<br /><br />“Come on, you know who has created ISIS,” said the supermarket owner, winking his right eye. “Admit it,” demanded the taxi driver, hitting his steering wheel to make his point. “It is so obvious!” concluded the talkative uncle at the birthday party.<br /><br />ISIS, Iranian leaders have been saying for a long time, is made-in-the-U.S.A., a tool of terror intended by the world’s superpower to divide and conquer the energy-rich Middle East and to counter the growing influence of Iran in the region.<br /><br />Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has often said that he believes ISIS was created by the United States as a way to regain a foothold in Iraq and to fight President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, an ally of Iran.<br /><br />“We have evidence, we know,” he told an audience of clerics last week, without elaborating.<br /><br />Ayatollah Khamenei reminded them that Al Qaeda — a creation of the Central Intelligence Agency, Iran has said — and the Taliban were, in the eyes of Iranian intelligence, devised by the West as a counterweight to Iran.<br /><br />“There is no doubt that these movements are created by Western powers and their regional agents,” Mr. Khamenei has insisted.<br /><br />His words, echoed by many others in Iran, have been resonating on state television, which is the main tool for disseminating propaganda and is watched all over the country.<br /><br />On Wednesday it showed what it said were images of Senator John McCain, the hawkish Arizona Republican, at a meeting with the current caliph of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “These say more than a thousand words regarding the links between the United States and this group,” an announcer added.<br /><br />Iranians are often the first to dispute rash ideological statements by their leaders, usually creating flurries of text messaged jokes in response. And some skeptical voices could be heard.<br /><br />“It is essentially a terrorist group of the extremist Muslim sects of the region against the other sects,” Mehdi Mirzaei, 27, a student of English literature, said of ISIS. “I am pretty sure that America is not supporting ISIS. That is all nonsense.”<br /><br />{...}<br /><br />Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-49067623343162050732014-09-10T23:42:48.948-04:002014-09-10T23:42:48.948-04:00Ok, Deuce.Ok, Deuce.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-37399516995309904552014-09-10T23:35:17.577-04:002014-09-10T23:35:17.577-04:00.
He doesn't want to remind anyone of the FUB....<br /><br />He doesn't want to remind anyone of the FUBAR that is Syria lest he be blamed for it in some way.<br /><br />.Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-89130870242541112502014-09-10T23:31:19.411-04:002014-09-10T23:31:19.411-04:00Sam Ill fix it and see you tomorrow with a correct...Sam Ill fix it and see you tomorrow with a correct addressDeuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-45998548227568313542014-09-10T22:34:02.985-04:002014-09-10T22:34:02.985-04:00The U.S. now is preparing a broader air campaign t...<i>The U.S. now is preparing a broader air campaign that could hit a wider variety of targets in Iraq, including Islamic State's logistics hubs and supply lines. U.S. Air Force and Navy planes are also likely to act more directly in concert with Iraqi and Kurdish forces on the ground.<br /><br />To improve coordination with Iraqi forces, Mr. Obama intends to send as many as 475 additional troops into Iraq. That will include two division headquarters of about 200 soldiers' total, to help coordinate operations with Iraqi forces and help oversee training efforts by the U.S. and its partners.<br /><br />U.S. military officers in Iraq have been working to identify Sunni tribal groups that could be cajoled to end their tacit support for Islamic State and instead join the fight on the side of the Iraqi government. But a senior defense official said that the tribes remain wary, reminding U.S. officials about the sectarian policies pursued by the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq at the end of 2011.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-58773003416344161232014-09-10T22:25:43.678-04:002014-09-10T22:25:43.678-04:00It looks to me as if 30 days of dicking around wit...It looks to me as if 30 days of dicking around with a bit less than 5 airstrikes / day, we have destroyed somewhere between 10% and 20% of ISIL's rolling stock in Iraq.<br /><br />Let's say that we kick it up to 25 to 30 airstrikes / day.<br /><br />In 30 days we could, potentially, attrite their equipment (in Iraq) by 50 to 75%.Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-52311849731985698132014-09-10T22:15:18.839-04:002014-09-10T22:15:18.839-04:00It's only 2.8M.It's only 2.8M.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-12031970076705590622014-09-10T22:13:19.626-04:002014-09-10T22:13:19.626-04:00This is an automatically generated Delivery Status...This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.<br /> <br />Delivery to the following recipients failed.<br /> <br /> elephant95@comcast.net<br /> samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-32449332553906744282014-09-10T22:11:09.403-04:002014-09-10T22:11:09.403-04:00in-flight.in-flight.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-55281929377993352422014-09-10T22:07:07.589-04:002014-09-10T22:07:07.589-04:00Love to see them.
Love to see them.<br />Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-37257128226565027712014-09-10T22:06:44.931-04:002014-09-10T22:06:44.931-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-4397728936984483772014-09-10T21:43:52.171-04:002014-09-10T21:43:52.171-04:00Yeah, good, thanks. Lots of work. It's tryin...Yeah, good, thanks. Lots of work. It's trying real hard to warm-up here. 64' in sunny Adelaide today.<br /><br />Wife's been in Penang for the last couple weeks for her 25-year high school reunion so I've been flying solo for a bit. Finally got bunch of junk accumulating in the garage hauled off to the dump and shit-canned. Perfect time to do it while she's gone. Garage looks a lot better. I'm going to hear about it 'though when she gets back Sunday. Oh well. Worth it.<br /><br />I still need to get those pictures to you somehow. I think you would like them. Some interesting old historic shots from all over the world.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-5003168453688192182014-09-10T21:34:45.674-04:002014-09-10T21:34:45.674-04:00No problem Sam, how you keeping?No problem Sam, how you keeping?Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-53022073024434593272014-09-10T21:34:07.030-04:002014-09-10T21:34:07.030-04:00ISIS will now play the US in Syria instead of allo...ISIS will now play the US in Syria instead of allowing the Syrians to get rid of them. Rookie error.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-11782607890366702642014-09-10T21:34:03.708-04:002014-09-10T21:34:03.708-04:00Thanks for the run-down on the speech, Deuce. I o...Thanks for the run-down on the speech, Deuce. I only managed to catch the last couple minutes.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-59400063577397053722014-09-10T21:25:04.277-04:002014-09-10T21:25:04.277-04:00he knows enough
damn Quirk and his microaggressio...he knows enough<br /><br />damn Quirk and his microaggressions are getting to me<br /><br />That might be a good term for the plan Obama has given the nation.......microaggressiveresponse.<br /><br />Air power alone isn't going to cut it.Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02337923317977922025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-62558660272578677442014-09-10T21:24:07.711-04:002014-09-10T21:24:07.711-04:00Russia is primed to help Assad and this will add a...Russia is primed to help Assad and this will add a further problem. The shot at saying Russian aggression and Ebola in the same sentence may be satisfying to Obama but it was a rookie error. Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-42399954136148318252014-09-10T21:22:19.912-04:002014-09-10T21:22:19.912-04:00Formula for defeat.
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"Oba...Formula for defeat.<br /><br />..................<br /><br />"Obama takes exception to the term “Islamic” in the name ISIL"<br /><br />Of course he does. Being a Muslim Brotherhood supporter himself, he knows even to shy away from bad vibes on national TV.<br /><br />But we all know what the Koran actually says, we all know what the Hamas Charter actually says.....<br /><br />He did shy away from the "I" word. There wasn't so much of that.<br /><br />CdA Casino time here....<br /><br />Cheers !<br /><br /><br />Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02337923317977922025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-25083920629196139092014-09-10T21:21:48.346-04:002014-09-10T21:21:48.346-04:00This will take a long time. It will not be a slam ...This will take a long time. It will not be a slam dunk. It will get complicated and it will be ugly. I believe that ISIS has embedded itself deeply and has allies in Turkey. As usual Saudi is talking out of both sides of its mouth. Israel will be whatever it can to focus more on Assad than ISIS. Obama has made a huge mistake with Syria involvement and this will make it longer and uglier.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-85527842032233875062014-09-10T21:17:28.344-04:002014-09-10T21:17:28.344-04:00For some reason Obama uses the term ISIL over ISIS...For some reason Obama uses the term ISIL over ISIS.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-46236149128174663702014-09-10T21:16:17.829-04:002014-09-10T21:16:17.829-04:00Obama takes exception to the term “Islamic” in the...Obama takes exception to the term “Islamic” in the name ISIL. He sees a possible threat against the US as thousands of foreign fighters including Americans are part of the organization.<br /><br />In claiming 150 US arial attacks, Obama says we have saved thousands. He is satisfied that Iraq has formed a more perfect union and now the US will expand the air attacks with Iraqis on the ground. He will follow ISIL into Syria.<br /><br />An additional 475 US troops to go to Iraq for ground support. Obama says he will support the Syrian opposition “against ISIL”. (There is no way that can be directed only at ISIL. It is a ruse to drive out Assad). <br /><br />Kerry in the Middle East to rally support for Sunni confrontation to ISIL.<br /><br />Obama says this time will be different using US air power supporting partners on the ground.<br /><br />Obama reflects back to 911, thirteen years ago. Touts economic and technological expansion and the mission of the US to support Ukraine against Russian aggression and ebola.( that out to get Putin’s attention!)<br /><br />Freedom, justice, dignity and the American way. <br /><br />Will consult with Congress but he does not really need to do so.<br /><br />Vanquish our enemies with God blessing outré troops and God blessing America.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-85002365124537018112014-09-10T20:37:01.640-04:002014-09-10T20:37:01.640-04:00"It's clear to me that we need to train a...<i>"It's clear to me that we need to train and equip Syrian rebels and other groups in the Middle East that need some help," Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday. "The president has tried to get that from us and we should give it to him.<br /><br />...<br /><br />A senior GOP aide said Republican leaders were keeping an open mind on the subject but noted that lawmakers in both parties have expressed reservations about the administration's lack of follow-up details to earlier requests for assistance to Syrian rebels.<br /><br />Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson said Reid may opt to press the idea as legislation separate from the government-wide funding bill. That's also an option for the GOP-led House.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-20388725914212422072014-09-10T19:59:16.147-04:002014-09-10T19:59:16.147-04:00Live Slow and Die Last
Humans Could Be In The Mid...Live Slow and Die Last<br /><br />Humans Could Be In The Middle Of A Huge Evolutionary Transition<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /><br />Christina Sterbenz<br /><br />Sep. 10, 2014, 6:11 PM<br /> <br />Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/future-human-evolution-2014-9#ixzz3Cxb8AwXN<br /><br />>>>Mankind is undergoing a major evolutionary transition comparable to the shifts from prosimians to monkeys, monkeys to apes, and apes to humans, according to Cadell Last, an evolutionary anthropology Ph.D. student and researcher at the Global Brain Institute.<br /><br /><br />Human life expectancy has already increased from about 45 at the start of the 20th century to 80 today. Last predicts it will increase to 120 as soon as 2050 — a concept known as radical life extension — through a combination of new technology, behavior, and natural selection.<br /><br /><br />In addition to longer lives, humans will demonstrate delayed sexual maturation and biological reproduction, according to Last. Taken together, these changes could signify a new type of human. <<<<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02337923317977922025noreply@blogger.com