The U.S. doesn't have to ally with anyone in Syria because Daesh is not a big enough player to justify it. They got a butt carving in Kobane and they are about to get a bigger one in northern Iraq. In Syria, attacking their oil refineries from the air should be enough to slowly but surely make them even less of a force. They've already lost momentum so it's only a matter of time.Not doing anything would have given Netanyahu one more reason to howl at the moon. Obama made a smart move and took that card off the table.
Netanyahu, many of these politicians and the media want WAR with Iran. Remember when Hillary said she would "totally obliterate" Iran if they nuked Israel? Bibi can count on her. He can count on Jeb too.
Remember when YOU said if Hillary gets elected we would have nuclear war with Russia? Today, did you see where Victoria (Fuck the E.U.) Nuland said Russia had "invaded" Ukraine?
Netanyahu is not just a "little unhinged" about Iranian nukes. He's a mental case with a messiah complex who believes it's his destiny to become the savior of Israel by going to war with Iran.
Netanyahu also believes Iran can't be stopped from developing nuclear weapons unless it is invaded, regime changed and their enrichment program rolled up. Netanyahu and his allies in Congress will not stop or even listen to reason.
Bibi's bs on Iran is contradicted by a Mossad intelligence cable which reads as follows: "Even though Iran has accumulated enough 5% enriched uranium for several bombs and has enriched some of it to 20%, it does NOT appear to be ready to enrich it to higher levels."
Iran isn't even trying to build a nuclear weapon.
Next Tuesday, Netanyahu speaks to his children in Congress, so it will be VERY interesting to hear how the media reports on his war mongering and if they let the public know the Iranian nuke story is playing out like Saddam's WMD.
American Sniper is the highest grossing war movie in history. The average American just loved the movie, but it got snubbed by the Academy because the wind in Hollywood wasn't blowing in that direction this year. So, the artists and their individual causes were able to dominate the awards.
However, if war with ISIS, Iran, or Russia really kicks in, movies like The Hurt Locker (2009) will dominate once again. Hollywood gets backed by the government and they make big money on war propaganda flicks. If a big war had been going on, American Sniper would won like Hurt Locker.
Juicy stuff. Rudy defended his initial comments as non-racist by making remarks about Obama's white family, including his mother. Rudy should have spelled it out in Nixonian terms.
"Obama's mama was such a commie she was pink right down to her panties."
I wonder if Rand Paul thinks Giuliani is an example of the "profound mental disorders" caused by vaccines? And the 2016 campaign is just getting started. Ya gotta love these Republicans. 🙂
The entire buildup to the war was a masterpiece of deception, IMO. After Brent Scowcroft wrote his "Don't Attack Saddam" op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (August 15, 2002), Judith Miller's aluminum tube story hit the NY Times in early September. In early October, Bush gave his war speech and they just waited until after the holidays to sent in the closer--Colin Powell. It was brilliant deception that worked to perfection.
I would have loved to have seen Gilda Radner as Barbara Wa Wa interviewing Colin Powell. Rosanne Rosanna Dana would have been even better.
In his October, 2002 speech in Cincinnati, George Bush was vague about the Sr. al-Qaeda leader getting medical treatment in Baghdad. Four months later, Colin Powell speaking at the UN filled in all the details about Zarqawi. That was the last nail in Saddam's coffin. America was going to war.
Not real sure, but I think it dates back to the Kurdish civil war in the mid 1990s between Barzani's Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Talabani received assistance from Iran. Barzani was aided by Saddam Hussein.
A few years ago (2007, I think), Talabani went to a fat farm in Minnesota to lose some weight. Before he went back to Iraq, he visited Tehran. They gave him a parade.
In Kobani, Turkey allowed the Peshmerga to send in fighters but not other Kurds, especially ones from Syria. I was surprised to learn Turkey and Barzani have a close business relationship.
Daesh is made up of lightweight gangsters blown way out of proportion by American politicians and the media. They are desperate for cash. Daesh is the perfect group for keeping the war fever fires boiling.. Cutting off heads will do that.
I'm beginning to have doubts the shooter had a connection to a terrorist group like ISIS or al-Qaeda. The shooter was killed more than 24 hrs. ago but details about him have remained vague, to say the least. Was he a just petty criminal known to police for previous violent, but non-terrorist related crimes?
Where is the connection to any terrorist groups? Why haven't the authorities released that information? They've had more than enough time.
Lots of blue-chip high school football players leave Texas and go play football for the HATED Oklahoma Sooners. DALLAS IS FULL OF TRAITORS TO TEXAS AND AMERICA. REMEMBER THE BOZ? .PLUS, JFK WAS ASSASSINATED IN DALLAS. Sooo, I'm thinking the Apocalypse will happen on a Sunday right after those nasty Dallas Cowboys become the only team to win SUPERBOWL #7. Pastor Jeffress is the anti-Christ. He already knows.
In the meantime, good timing and brilliant marketing means this boring flick will make a shitload of money. But despite being boring, it's a breakout film for the huge underground S&M community.
Robert Jeffress is not only a Fox contributor, he is also the Sr. Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Dallas. That church has 11,000 members. His views about Islam mirror those of other Evangelicals. Ditto for his comments condemning homosexuality. Tens of millions of Evangelicals believe homosexuality is a sin and God condemned it in the Bible. Evangelicals also believe we are are on the cusp of the Second Coming and the war in Iraq was the first step. Next month, Bibi Netanyahu will speak to Congress about taking the next step. Evangelicals believe the Apocalypse in the Book of John is about to come true.
12th Imam Shiites like al-Sadr and Ahmadinejad believe the Hidden Imam is about to reappear.
Robert Parry is very well informed. His article on nuclear conflict actually makes the case why there will be war, IMO. I doubt Putin will use nukes for the same reason Iran will never build or use them. Hillary Clinton put it like this: They would be "TOTALLY OBLITERATED."
In another article Parry talks about the snipers used during the takeover of Ukraine. You can use youtube and listen to Estonian foreign minister Umas Paet tell EU's Cathy Aston that Right Sector Nazi types were the real shooters. It's an 11 minute phone call. Fascinating, the 'lil people don't hear those type of phone calls very often. Policemen and demonstrators had entry and exit wounds from the same type of guns. They pulled a coup with a lot of help from the west.
"Considering the heavy defeats suffered by Daesh and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, we are certain these groups are nearing the end of their lives." Qassam Suleimani
I think his opinion is closer to the truth than what I've heard from the Obama administration or the media. Daesh has been taking a real beating for months. Obama's war plans might have more to do with Ukraine than Daesh. Today's Washington Post showed satellite images of Russian artillery systems and multiple rocket launchers in eastern Ukraine. Putin will fight this out until the bitter end, IMO.
Yesterday, Quds Force commander, Iranian General Qassem Suleimani said ISIS fighters were "nearing the end of their lives" because of all the recent defeats in Syria and Iraq.
This attack was beaten off with NO casualties among Iraqis. Most of the ISIS fighters died. They attacked HUNDREDS of Iraqi troops with just 25 suicide bombers.
When it leaves Canada, if the route of the Keystone pipeline is moved just a few hundred miles east so it runs through Wisconsin, a Walker-Perry 2016 ticket would be perfect.
"THE KEYSTONE KIDS" guarding both borders against illegal immigration.
"Scott Walker is currently leading in Iowa in the polls."
If Walker started talking up Darwin and evolution instead of creationism, evangelicals in Iowa would dump him in heartbeat. Walker should have said evolution happened in England and "old Europe," but there is no proof of it ever happening in IOWA.
Twelve years ago, the media would not have treated this as a hate crime. In 2003, millions of Americans wanted to invade Iraq just to mass murder Muslims. Using Saddam's WMD as a reason for war was just an excuse. Even with WMDs, Hussein did NOT have the delivery systems needed to attack the United States.Today, people blame dumb George Bush because they don't want to admit they had blood lust for all Muslims, but that is the reality.
The perp. was a hot headed, violent gun nut against ALL RELIGION, not just Muslims. Noise and problems with parking, rather than religion, seems to have been the biggest factors setting this guy off. In the video, the woman talking said her friend had spoken about the noise complaint.
If the Republicans can start WWIII, the jet fighters, tanks and aircraft carriers will need all the oil we can beg, borrow or steal. Tanks and planes don't run on solar panels. 🙂
Robert Parry writes about the 1920s but doesn't mention the KKK. The decade of the 1920s was their high water mark. The movement sparked huge rallies and even parades in Washington D.C. After WWI ended, immigration from Eastern Europe surged resulting in a counter movement among white, protestant Christians in this country. This is the main reason the KKK became so big. The pictures of KKK members in uniform marching down Pennsylvania Ave. is mind boggling.
Back then, conservatives thought immigrants from Eastern Europe were like immigrants from Latin America today. Both groups are swarthy, dark skinned Catholics. Before John Kennedy was elected president in 1960, being a Catholic was a big no no in the HOMELAND.
I can see number of disturbing developments happening.
Ukraine in 2015 is a powder keg like the Balkans were in 1914. Putin will only abide by the cease fire if it works to his advantage which means eastern Ukraine is probably gone like Crimea.
Israel and Saudi Arabia don't want to see a nuclear deal with Iran. Bibi and the Republicans will turn up the heat starting with his speech next month..
Saudi Arabia wants to see Assad gone but they also want to put some real PAYBACK on Iran and Russia for supporting him. 200,000 or so Sunnis have been killed. Why else wouldn't they cut their oil production to try and keep prices from falling 50% in the past six months?
ISIS really isn't that big of a player, but Obama's latest move can be used to send troops to hotspots wherever Washington thinks they are needed at some future date. It's a purposely vague authorization.
What will Saudi Arabia do to counter Putin's latest move? After all, Putin is a big supporter of both the Shia countries in the Middle East, Iran and Assad in Syria.
Russia, Iran, Syria and China vs. the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia and NATO. Two different alliances similar to the ones leading up to WWI. I hope no one lights a match.
In his speech before Congress, Netanyahu will have to go Lindsey Graham hysterical about Iranian nukes before he gets run of the front pages by rapidly worsening events in Ukraine. Putin has the west right where he wants them AND THEY KNOW IT.
I not defending those racists and traitors in the Confederacy, but slavery in the deep south didn't take off until early in the 19th century. Spain brought Christianity to the New World almost 300 years earlier. Indians were the first victims. Spain exported the Inquisition. Christians had a nasty habit of starting wars to promote their version of justice and equality.
Southern Christians get slammed for slavery much more than Europeans Christians even though ten million Africans survived the Middle Passage on their ships. Of those ten million, about 7% (700,000) were brought to North America. Slavery and Sugar were much bigger in the Caribbean and South America than tobacco and cotton were in North America. Of the total, 4 million Africans were transported to Brazil by Portugal, 40%.
Slavery in the south didn't really take off until the cotton gin was invented in 1793, almost 200 years after African slavery started in this hemisphere. Africans had a much better chance of survival in North America because of the cooler climate.
Henry Louis Gates is the real authority on slavery. Over a 250 year period, Gates detailed where the African slaves came from, what European country kidnapped them and where they were taken. Gate's detailed, scholarly work is remarkable and stunning to read.
lol...After Hillary finally decides to make it official, Brian Williams will interview "Phycologist" Liz on NBC nightly news so she can explain how her "genuine memory" "developed things" in Bosnia like Brian's did in Iraq.
Good points. Secession and slavery were the causes of the Civil War, but Southerners really thought their culture and fighting men were far superior to the "soft" Northerners. Southerners started the Civil War thinking it would be easy.
That thinking was evident during the buildup to the war in Iraq. Americans wanted payback against Muslims and thought invading Iraq would be a cakewalk. Today, Republicans in Congress are putting the "being easy to fuck with" blame on Obama, so it will be interesting to see what happens with ISIS, Iran and Putin in Ukraine.
"Shock and Awe" is all about the U.S. putting payback on its enemies. The long history of revenge includes Muslims (fire), Japanese (fire, radioactivity), Indians (starvation) and Southerners (starvation) during the Civil War.
Obama's bombing campaign in Kobane saved the Kurds from being slaughtered, IMO. Daesh made a huge strategic blunder, finally conceded defeat and had to withdraw after heavy casualties. More importantly, judging from the comments of Lindsey Graham and Scott Walker, I think the Republicans want to paint Obama as an ineffective C-I-C so they can send tens of thousands of ground troops back to Iraq and into Syria. Civilian casualties are unfortunate but there are ONLY two choices: Obama's bombs now or U.S. ground troops and a much bigger war later. Invading Iraq didn't pan out as the neoconservatives planned, so Daesh has become very convenient plan B. If troops are sent, they can be easily used against Iran.
Iran, not this bunch of ultra-violent"pygmies," is real plan B.
Daesh said they burned the Jordanian pilot because his bombs were burning up civilians, so they made him suffer a similar death. Daesh terrifies people because they are crazy like the Manson family who also enjoyed slaughtering people for fun.
This cruel act seems like an act of desperation more than anything else. Daesh just withdrew from Kobane after months of getting pounded. Their supply lines to Mosul are shaky and the Peshmerga definitely has the upper hand. Obama's bombing campaign is paying dividends. These ultra- violent "pygmies" have no answer and they are hurting for money. So, they demand $200,000,000 for each Japanese captive and behead both. Money wasn't the motive with the Jordanian pilot. They didn't have one.
Daesh put the Jordanian pilot in a cage, doused him with petrol and burned him up. Jordan vowed REVENGE. A few days ago, Japan vowed REVENGE for the Daesh beheadings on their two citizens. Daesh still holds an American woman captured in Syria last year. They could burn her. Invading Iraq after 9/11 was all about American REVENGE. The Republicans know how to play that card.
American Sniper is the highest grossing war movie of all time passing Saving Private Ryan last weekend. The public's amazing reaction to this movie indicate Americans have put the war in Iraq behind them. The same thing happened after the Vietnam war. Antiwar movements in this country are only temporary.
For the past few months ISIS has been played up by the politicians and media as the new and greatest threat to the national security of the HOMELAND. Americans look at ISIS like they did Saddam Hussein after 9/11. Many Americans see war as the best option. It's a chicken or egg question.
Yesterday, on Face the Nation, Graham said Obama needed to send 10,000 troops to Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIS. He's an expert at combining #5. Threat Inflation with #7. The new "normal" in America is war. After Bibi's visit, Graham will be warning about Iranian nukes on Face the Nation and Meet the Press. Lindsey would have been perfect as the robot on "Lost in Space" in the early 60s.
Remember when Ron Paul got into an argument with Rudy Giuliani over the war in Iraq? Rand Paul is doing the same thing here with Iran. They both have definite links to neoconfederate groups who blame Lincoln for the Civil War, except they call it the "War of Northern Aggression." Rand's roots are showing. He believes the Southern states had a legal right to secede and Lincoln exceeded his authority. Neither one of them support the federal government starting wars back in 1861 or today.
I judged the power of the Evangelical movement in the GOP by what happens in their stronghold---IOWA. In 2008, their support caused Mick Huckabee to upset the field but today, they don't seem as powerful. The big money players like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson seem to drive Republican politics. At the recently concluded Iowa Freedom Summit neither Romney or Jeb Bush attended.
Obama's wise decision to use American air power to attack Daesh when they were over extended and most vulnerable has finally paid dividends in Kobane and Diyala province. These key strategic defeats reverse the momentum and propaganda Daesh had so carefully executed for months. Cutting their supply lines and isolating Mosul will be next.
This certainly isn't good news for the Republican war mongers in Congress, especially with Netanyahu coming the Washington in the next few weeks.Using Daesh as an example of Obama's incompetence would have been perfect for attacking any plan to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran. Graham would gone all hysterical claiming a nucular agreement with Iran is like giving Daesh nukes.
Many of the Baby Boomers were totally against the Vietnam war and washed their hands of Obama after he escalated his "war of necessity" in Afghanistan. The Boomers are far and away much more liberal than young people today.
Americans aren't as antiwar as you think. That's why Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" is doing so well at the box office. It's also the reason threats against Muslims have tripled. Netanyahu is like Julius Caesar to the Republicans in Congress. He should wear a toga when he speaks to them on Feb. 11.
The Guardian is reporting the withdrawal of ISIS from Kobane. Their ill-timed and very expensive attack on the town has resulted in a CATASTROPHE. It's also a BIG blow to the war luvin' Republicans, especially when Bibi Netanyahu is scheduled to give his lets go to war with IRAN speech before Congress in a few weeks. The timing is couldn't be worse. Bibi won't be able to point his finger at Obama for being an incompetent CIC, at least not where ISIS is concerned.
spyguy, everything you said about the state exhausting their resources in continuing wars was true and has been repeated throughout history. However, the neoconservatives follow the philosophy of Leo Strauss and don't think history applies to them. The neoconservatives believe they are superior beings.
Spyguy, are you claiming Netanyahu doesn't want war with Iran? If that is true, why is he coming and what do you think he will tell Congress?
Are you claiming the neocons do not blame Donald Rumsfeld for failing to send enough troops to Iraq? If so, then who do you think the neocons blame for the disaster and why was it a failure?
Today, wars don't have to be won like in WWII. Perpetual war makes a lot of money for people connected to Washington and the military-industrial complex. Starting a war that creates new enemies is the real goal. That's how they win.
The neocons learned one lesson from Iraq. Donald Rumsfeld's Shock and Awe didn't put near enough boots on the ground. They think that was the ONLY blunder and they blame Rumsfeld for not heeding the warning of"several hundred thousand" troops being needed for long term occupation. Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz immediately attacked Gen. Shinseki's comments. They believe with a few HUNDRED THOUSAND MORE BOOTS we can do Iran and Syria too.
Obama has less than a year before the 2016 presidential campaign really heats up and he fades away. So, Netanyahu and the war hawks in Congress can wait and slowly ratchet up the propaganda campaign aimed at war with Iran. All Netanyahu has to do is win reelection. But even if Bibi loses, plenty of powerful people here and in Israel will still have their sights set on war with Iran.
The Guardian is reporting 13 additional terrorist suspects have been arrested. Nine of those were in Sint-Jans-Molenbeck. In addition to weapons, ammunition and uniforms, the police also found walkie-talkies, radios, mobile phones and a "significant amount of money." This was a well planned, sophisticated operation....
If Birmingham was an American city, the far right would really be worried about Muslims taking over. From 2001-2011, the Muslim population increased from 14% to almost 22%. The city has 200 mosques. That's over 200,000 Muslims out of a population of just over one million in a city located in the middle of England.
A very conservative co-worker claimed Obama didn't send a high ranking representative to Paris because he is completely against all of the 19th and 20th century colonialism practiced by European countries, especially France and England. Indochina, Lebanon, Syria and Algeria were former colonies of France. The two brothers were Algerian. Kenya was an English colony who tortured Obama's grandfather during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s.
The threat of getting splattered with pigeon shit kept John Kerry and Joe Biden away from the Paris rally.
"I really think this is quibbling a little bit, in the sense that our Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria "Fuck the E.U." Nuland was there and did march." John Kerry
Ms. Nuland was seen handing out some of her famous cookies along the way.
p.s. Earlier, I read some people believe Coulibaly's real target was a Synagogue and a Jewish school about 400 meters away on the same road at the next traffic light. He only stopped his car and got out because of a traffic accident and police on the scene.
If these three weren't lone wolves, then an al-Qeada attack specifically aimed at killing Jews is a new and dangerous escalation. Amedy Coulibaly even pointed out Israel's treatment of Palestinians as one of the reasons for his attack. French authorities already have the proof of numerous phone calls between Coulibaly and the Kaouashi brothers.
Earlier today, one of the brothers called a French TV station and said Anwar al-Awlaki financed them. They went down by charging out of the building like Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
These two gangbangers for Muhammed went out in style.
After 9/11, 70% of the American public including many of the leading Democrats were itching to go f..k with Muslims in the Middle East. Claiming Saddam's WMD were a real threat was just a clever way the public could join the "CRUSADE" and get some PAYBACK. After invading Iraq turned into a disaster, American washed their hands by blaming dumb George for lying to them. They are free of guilt, but supporting such a BONEHEADED move will haunt this country for decades.
"You f-k with me...I f-k with you" is also called the chickens coming home to roost.
Going to Yemen and attacking a newspaper got the brothers labeled al-Qeada terrorists. That CRACKPOT in Sydney, Australia was a Shiite from Iran and made his attack on a restaurant so he wasn't considered a real terrorist even though all these loons were really just peas in a nutty pod.
I just heard on the news the brothers expected to be killed when they attacked the newspaper. After they escaped, they had NO PLANS and no idea where they were going or what they would do next.
Per The Guardian, the French had over 88,000 police and other authorities on the scene.
In 2011, over three years ago,, one of the brothers went to YEMEN and underwent some training by AQAP in small arms combat. How much training does a person need to kill unarmed people trapped in a room?
The reports I read indicate this attack was SLOPPY, to say the least.. The first building they tried to enter was the wrong one. After finding the right building they only gained entry by threatening at gunpoint a female employee arriving for work. They were lucky both policemen were caught completely off guard. Neither one got off a shot.
Last night, on The Charlie Rose Show, a journalist said the French are calling this their 9/.11. She even showed a picture of two pencils standing up like the twin towers with a jet in the background like the 9/11 attack. Both the Washington Post and the New York Times ran front page articles detailing the trip to Yemen and the al-Qeada connection. Here we go again.
Right now, the two al-Qeada terrorists seemed to be cornered in a small grocery store thirty miles outside of Paris. Both of the brothers are very violent and VERY UNEDUCATED young men. How much of an AQ connection do they really have and how much is being played up by politicians and the media as a fear mongering tactic?
"I don't believe this was a "hit" orchestrated by a larger party like al-Queda or ISIS."
Did their superiors in a terrorist group order this attack? Right now, it doesn't look like it. Training with AQ in Yemen several years ago isn't enough to call this an organized terrorist attack.
This attack is similar to the London bombings or the Boston Marathon bombings. No higher ups were involved in either attack.
Sharif and Said Kouashi are uneducated, low IQ, violent petty criminals turned lone wolves with limited connections to al-Qeada, Daesh or any other radical Islamic terror group. Yesterday, I was sure this attack was coordinated by Daesh intelligence with fighters returning from Syria but with more information that doesn't seem to be the case. Apparently, these two nutjobs decided on their own to go on a rampage. This attack makes clear how much damage can be done in just a few minutes by ONLY two people just using guns and without any bombs.
Yesterday, the Nebraska Supreme Court gave a thumbs up to Keystone. In a month or two the State Dept. will do the same. So Obama and the new Republican led Congress are about to go toe-to-toe.
Most of the demolition was probably caused by Daesh artillery and tanks rather than U.S. bombs dropping on a Kurdish controlled part of Kobane. Those Kurds singing at the start of the video would be dead, dead, dead if Obama had not intervened. Not only did Daesh make a foolish move trying to take Kobane, they also made an astounding blunder when they decided to stay and fight it out once the tide had turn against them. That decision took away their momentum. Remember when the Daesh fighter planted their black flag on a Kobane building? You won't see that again.
How long will it be before Daesh buckles in Kobane and Iraq? It's only a matter of time before Daesh gets cut off and loses control in Mosul. That will be HORRIBLE news for Lindsey Graham, John McCain and all the war mongers in Congress. No Daesh real threat in Iraq means no American combat troops on the ground which will make it much more difficult for the Republicans to start a war and invade Iran.
The Evangelical lobby is also huge in the first state to hold its primary--Iowa.In 2008, Mick Huckabee was the winner. Today, he cut ties with FOX preparing to run in 2016. The religious right still has a lot of power in the Republican party. I wouldn't think Lindsey Graham is one of their favorites mainly because of the rumors he is gay.
Graham and the Republicans will try and spin propaganda against ISIS to start a war against Iran the same way the Bush gang used the al-Qaeda 9/11 attacks to start a war with Iraq.
Saddam giving WMD to al-Qaeda is no different than Iran giving nukes to ISIS. Remember Bush talking about Saddam's nuclear holy warriors?
"The gates of hell will open when Iran gives nuclear weapons to ISIS and they use them to nuke Israel and America. Once they are moved, it will already be too late. WE MUST INVADE NOW!!!" Lindsey Graham.
Why is it necessary to defeat and eliminate Daesh in Syria? That seems almost impossible without ground troops. If Mosul falls and Daesh withdraws from Iraq they'll be isolated in eastern Syria. Then they'll just be another group slugging it out. Isolated in eastern Syria means Daesh won't be a threat to destabilize the region.
Eliminating a non-threat like the weaken Daesh will use up a lot of resources.
Invading Iraq was a total disaster for the neocons. Instead of taking over and building a brand new colony for the neocon American century and gaining over one hundred billion barrels of oil reserves, Shiites allied with Iran run the government. Plus, the Kurds are independent and ISIS controls a large chunk of the former country including Mosul.
Regime change in Iran was next up, but the neocon troop-lite invasion, 150,000 instead of "several hundred thousand," started to come apart within six months. Almost twelve years later, Iran is in a much stronger position.
So are their friends in Iraq.
William Kristol probably had dreams of being our first ambassador to the PNAC colony in Iraq.
Well, most of the day I thought this was very good news and certain to put Daesh's control of Mosul in jeopardy over the next few months. But after hearing German journalist Jurgen Tofenhofer on PBS Newshour talk about his ten day trip to Syria and Mosul, Iraq, I'm not so sure. He's the first western journalist to be allowed access to area controlled by ISIS. Tofenhofer wrote to the "caliphate" requesting a security clearance and they sent him a document authorizing his safety. So he took a chance and flew there from Germany. According to him Daesh is MUCH stronger than the west imagines.
Well, it wasn't logical to post a video of Iraqi troops complaining of no air support and then attacking me for being in favor of it. You should take the time to actually listen to the videos YOU POST.
I strongly suggest you listen to the video you posted. The Iraqi soldier says they need air support "Helicopters" and complains about the bad weather excuse being used. Then he comments on the weather being clear "now." He also says ISIS is using "tanks" while the Iraqi troops only have troop carriers.
Watch the video and listen to the soldier's comments.
p.s. Your video starts with an Iraqi troop complaining about the lack of U.S. air cover needed to stop ISIS tanks. "No air cover in the last 48 hours." The BBC reporter emphasizes that criticism.That's the big difference between what happened in Anbar and Mount Sinjar.
Other than rather vague complaints about the U.S. using "ever more military force" and referring to "Cowboys," I really don't understand why you and others object to degrading ISIS BEFORE they turn Iraq into another Syria. Bombing ISIS in Anbar would have stopped them from advancing from 20 miles out to only six. What do you think would happen if we had not acted?
Anbar province is a problem, but even if Daesh takes control will they be able to hold it if/when the Iraqi government arms Sunni tribes? What's happening in Iraq doesn't appear to a case of using "ever more military force" either. If Obama sends combat troops to Iraq--Anbar province I would be quite surprised, to say the least.
Defeating this gangster horde before they screw up the whole country is the best long term strategy, IMO. Of course, there is ALWAYS the chance that our VERY hawkish politicians will escalate. I'm aware of that but letting Daesh just run wild is a prescription for disaster and a MUCH bigger war down the line.
Informed Comment read "Kurds inflict first Major Defeat on Daesh/ISIL." BE SURE AND WATCH THE VIDEO. I'm not falling back on anything.
"We will crush the Islamic State." Masoud Barzani
We are already seeing Daesh start to crumble and lose its grip in northern Iraq. They can be flexible and adaptable, but will not be able to withstand sustained attacks from the air and with ground forces as we have just seen in Sinjar.
Obama's bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq is doing to ISIS what it was designed to do. Destroy ISIS oil refineries and
weaken them so Iraqi ground troops and Kurdish Peshmerga can take advantage and defeat them. After the latest ISIS defeat, Kurdish leader Barzani said the Peshmerga would defeat ISIS.
I'm not aware of any assassination attempts other than the one of Baghdadi. He was fortunate to survive. I've read ISIS has lost hundreds of troops in Kobani because of U.S. bombs. I also read an article claiming many Europeans fighting with ISIS have become disenchanted and want to go home.
I wasn't aware Obama was using drones in Syria and Iraq.
You know things are going good when the Republicans stop bad mouthing Obama's bombing of ISIS and started attacking him on Cuba. Give it six months and we will see how ISIS is doing in Iraq. How can they possibly hope to hold their position while being attacked from the air and on land by the Peshmerga and Iraqi army troops?
India's case against the Bangalore food company executive, Shami Witness, might be the first against the net version of a 21st century terrorist. Mehdi Masroor Biswas is just 24 and lived in a rented one bedroom apartment when he was taken into custody. Biswas defended himself and said this: "I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't hurt anyone. I haven't broken any laws. I haven't raised any war or any violence against India. I haven't waged war against the allies of India."
"I just said stuff. People follow me, I follow them back and we talk. I ONLY know what IS fighters or sympathizers said in public tweets."
The Republicans won't be able to win on that plank even though their base supports war, torture and billionaires trying buy elections. What they need is to win FLORIDA and to a lesser extent the block of southwestern states--Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada (20 electoral votes). In other words, a healthy percentage of the Latino vote. They can't win in 2016 without Florida. There is no way they can lose those 27 electoral votes--a 54 vote switch and hope to win the White House. It will be very interesting to see if the Republicans recognize this 21st century truth OR they walk into another sure defeat. Personally, I think they should be begging Jeb Bush to run.
Hillary may get challenged but she is also VERY popular with Latinos. In 2008, she won the popular vote in the Texas primary even though Obama CRUSHED her in Austin, Dallas and Houston. But she mauled him in the Rio Grande Valley and EVERY Texas city with a majority Latino population.
Whoever wins the Latino vote in 2016 will probably win the election.
Per the video--Darth kept George out of the loop. The brain-damaged alcoholic is NOT GUILTY....
It's looking like President Obama intends to sweep all the torture stuff under the rug as much as possible. His spokesman, Josh Ernest, said CIA Director John Brennan was "a decorated professional and a patriot." Ernest also said President Obama is confident the Justice Department acted appropriately in opting not to bring criminal charges against intelligent officials.
Prediction....In just two weeks, on Christmas Day, President Obama will start trying to heal the nation's wounds by giving a blanket pardon to all concerned. Darth Cheney will be at the top of the list.
"Americans are a forgiving and good people. What better day for Americans to be forgiving, good, righteous, moral etc. etc. etc. than on Christmas and reach out to your fellow Americans and say...."WE UNDERSTAND AND FORGIVE YOU."
"God BLESS AMERICA and Merry Xmas." PRESIDENT OBAMA
Risen says the "O" administration has gone much further taking away the citizens civil rights because they have expanded the Bush gang's basic outline and incorporated it into the system. Risen is all over the net.
"Toe-to-toe nucular combat." If any of them survive, they'll be tortured by RECTALLY REHYDRATING those ROOSKIES for any information about the Doomsday Machine.
John McCain, Lindsey Graham and the usual cast of war hawks aren't screaming about Daesh because Obama's air campaign is degrading them militarily and economically. The neocons wanted to use Daesh to try and show Obama was an incompetent C-I-C. They aren't doing that now for a reason.What's worse for the hawks is MSM losing interest. Once the news cycle has move on the story is usually finished. Ebola is the perfect example. So is Daesh/ISIS/ISIL whatever.
There has been a BIG change which is VERY bad news for these war mongering politicians who were drawing a bead on IRAN. If a nuclear agreement is reached with Iran then the propaganda war campaign will have to start from scratch. Even Bibi is talking nice about Iran. Anything that sets these war mongers back is a good thing and that is EXACTLY what bombing Daesh has done. How long has it been since McCain, Graham, Mike Rodgers or any of those war mongers has gone off about the dangers of Daesh?
John McCain and Lindsey Graham will have to find another war to talk up. Daesh looks Done.
Daesh takes up less space in the MSM because they can't be played up as the BIG BAD BOOGIEMAN any longer. Ditto for their librul antiwar counterparts who won't be able to keep talking about the flip side --Iraq War 3.0.
The MSM needs the Iran nuke thingy to blow up and/or the torture report to go public. I wonder how many of the detainees were tortured until they died?
2. Residential segregation is directly related to 3.Homicides concentrated in African-American neighborhoods mainly because of the prevalent gun culture. The U.S. isn't South Africa. In 2014, the police killings of blacks has more to do with the militarization of police forces and the overall us against the citizens mentality than racism, IMO. What's happening today in no way compares to the police violence against blacks during the 60s and early 70s. That was real racism. Police executions of Black Panthers and other blacks they regarded as extremists was commonplace.
Back then, US treatment of African Americans resembled Apartheid South Africa, not today.
Iran bombing ISIS doesn't fit into Englehardt's warning about the war party winning, so he left that out. If Obama let ISIS run wild, the war party and other Republicans would have conga line running for miles straight down Pennsylvania Ave.
"Boots on the ground" in Iraq aren't combat boots, but to Englehardt and others it's the same thing. Iraq is a pretty big place, so how many troops does he expect Obama to send before they can control the country?
200,000, 300,000, half a million?
Is Obama going to send 500,000 troops back to Iraq to fight the "several hundred thousand" extremely well hidden Daesh fighters?
Neocon sympathy doesn't include Iran bombing Daesh in Iraq. If John Kerry does sign a nuke treaty in Tehran, the neos would portray him as the 21st century version of Chamberlain coming back from Munich, just another naïve politician spouting "Peace in Our Time."Bibi, the lobby and the neocons want war with Iran, no substitutes allowed.
In 2003, if Donald Rumsfeld had invaded Iraq with "several hundred thousand" troops the U.S. would have already gone to war with Iran. Donald's "Shock and Awe" infantry-lite plan screwed up the neocons long range plans. They had to put regime changing Iran on the back burner.
Iran could be close friends if they keep bombing Daesh, especially if they fly with the U.S. of A. on a joint bombing run. That would be a great sendoff for John Kerry to fly to Tehran and sign a nuclear agreement with his highness, the Supreme Leader. The Republicans would be left in a state of "Shock and Awe."
Obama's Warheads on Foreheads Program is aimed at ISIS refineries and reducing their million dollar/day smuggling revenue. Lots of that goes through Turkey.
Turkey lets weapons and fighters cross into Syria and they get oil products in return.
My using the word "hopefully" had more to do with my doubts about Obama following through on his bombing campaign. IMO, Daesh has badly overextended themselves and lost a lot of revenue because of the decline in oil prices. Bombing their refineries and further reducing their revenue is the correct strategy. Daesh takes in $1 million/day from oil smuggling. That's where they are most vulnerable. They can be degraded and rolled up IF they are consistently attacked on several fronts.
It's a myth that Daesh has "several hundred thousand" fighters. The Republicans use it so American boots on the ground might be sent to Iraq and Syria. The liberals use it and claim Obama's bombing campaign is the first step to a bigger war. Daesh is much weaker than that and vulnerable right now.
If it doesn't happen by 2016, the light at the end of the tunnel will be Republicans on the warpath sounding like the Indians at the Little Big Horn. These little wars ain't their thing and Daesh is a 'lil war.
Imagine this: A Republican Congress with a Republican POTUS slowly but surely building up to a war with Iran just like they did in 2002 with Iraq. That's a BIG WAR.
Did you watch the video? I just agreed with it and think the Republicans would pounce on any weakness Obama shows so they can go on the warpath against Iran. I'm surprise more posters don't agree with me. No posters agree with me. Not one---Zero, Zilch. 🙂
Those 50,000 ghost soldiers the Bush gang paid probably started right after Paul Bremer abolished Saddam's army. That was over ten years ago. I'm sure the replacements have been on the payroll ever since.
According to Scott Ritter, when Bill Clinton bombed Baghdad in 1998, he knew Saddam had already destroyed his WMDs. That's why Ritter ALWAYS said the Bush gang wouldn't find any. The next Democratic nominee for POTUS, one Hillary Clinton, knew what Bill did back in '98, but she still was a BIG SUPPORTER of the invasion.
Informative video. The worm has turned on Daesh thanks to Obama sending 1,500 more military advisors to Iraq and his decision to launch a bombing campaign. Hopefully, in a couple of years, Mosul will no longer be controlled by Daesh and they'll be driven out of Iraq. In 2016, the Republicans won't be able to blame Obama for letting Daesh run wild and use that as an excuse to start a propaganda campaign aimed at a much bigger war with Iran.
I can almost hear Lindsey Graham getting all hysterical. "ISIS is bad but they aren't building nuclear bombs. That isn't the case with Iran. President Obama didn't confront ISIS and he let Iran play him by letting these foolish nuclear negotiations go on and on. Meanwhile, their centrifuges are spinning faster and faster."
It will be fascinating to watch the Republican 2016 hopefuls play the Iranian war card as they jockey for position before the primaries. Ze winner gets Sheldon Adelson's 100 million dollars. Hillary will counter by courting Bibi.
"Daesh has been largely contained and even slightly rolled back." Exactly.
American bombs have contained Daesh, but the Iraqi army, Shia militias, and the Peshmerga will have to be the ground forces who roll them back. If we keep bombing the Shiite out of Daesh that shouldn't be that big of problem.
It was the election, not Iraq that cause Hagel to get the boot. After the mid term debacle, Obama felt he needed to dump someone and since Hagel wasn't an insider he got the call. Chuck wasn't smooth or sophisticated enough to be a long term player on the Obama team.
Chuck had an style problem. He really needed one of those Hollywood $400 haircuts.
Obama bombing ISIS in Kobane, Syria saved the Kurds in the city from being massacred. If that would have happened, the Kurdish riots in southeastern Turkey would have been EXTREME, especially since Serena Shim had shown evidence of Turkish authorities transporting ISIS fighters into Syria. Shim was killed in a VERY murky traffic accident right after these facts became public. A couple of days later, Turkey joined our anti-ISIS coalition.
ISIS thrives on chaos and they almost hit the motherload in Kobane.If these ISIS killers run wild, they will become much bigger and able to create chaos in a wider area.--Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan...
Confronting ISIS is the right strategy. Lets just hope American politicians don't go overboard.
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The U.S. doesn't have to ally with anyone in Syria because Daesh is not a big enough player to justify it. They got a butt carving in Kobane and they are about to get a bigger one in northern Iraq. In Syria, attacking their oil refineries from the air should be enough to slowly but surely make them even less of a force. They've already lost momentum so it's only a matter of time.Not doing anything would have given Netanyahu one more reason to howl at the moon. Obama made a smart move and took that card off the table.
Jeb Bush will promise to water board Snowden if he gets elected.
"I'll do it for George."
"And Dick." 🙂
Netanyahu, many of these politicians and the media want WAR with Iran. Remember when Hillary said she would "totally obliterate" Iran if they nuked Israel? Bibi can count on her. He can count on Jeb too.
Remember when YOU said if Hillary gets elected we would have nuclear war with Russia? Today, did you see where Victoria (Fuck the E.U.) Nuland said Russia had "invaded" Ukraine?
Hillary or Jeb, a big war is coming.
Netanyahu is not just a "little unhinged" about Iranian nukes. He's a mental case with a messiah complex who believes it's his destiny to become the savior of Israel by going to war with Iran.
Netanyahu also believes Iran can't be stopped from developing nuclear weapons unless it is invaded, regime changed and their enrichment program rolled up. Netanyahu and his allies in Congress will not stop or even listen to reason.
Bibi's bs on Iran is contradicted by a Mossad intelligence cable which reads as follows: "Even though Iran has accumulated enough 5% enriched uranium for several bombs and has enriched some of it to 20%, it does NOT appear to be ready to enrich it to higher levels."
Iran isn't even trying to build a nuclear weapon.
Next Tuesday, Netanyahu speaks to his children in Congress, so it will be VERY interesting to hear how the media reports on his war mongering and if they let the public know the Iranian nuke story is playing out like Saddam's WMD.
American Sniper is the highest grossing war movie in history. The average American just loved the movie, but it got snubbed by the Academy because the wind in Hollywood wasn't blowing in that direction this year. So, the artists and their individual causes were able to dominate the awards.
However, if war with ISIS, Iran, or Russia really kicks in, movies like The Hurt Locker (2009) will dominate once again. Hollywood gets backed by the government and they make big money on war propaganda flicks. If a big war had been going on, American Sniper would won like Hurt Locker.
Juicy stuff. Rudy defended his initial comments as non-racist by making remarks about Obama's white family, including his mother. Rudy should have spelled it out in Nixonian terms.
"Obama's mama was such a commie she was pink right down to her panties."
I wonder if Rand Paul thinks Giuliani is an example of the "profound mental disorders" caused by vaccines? And the 2016 campaign is just getting started. Ya gotta love these Republicans. 🙂
The entire buildup to the war was a masterpiece of deception, IMO. After Brent Scowcroft wrote his "Don't Attack Saddam" op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (August 15, 2002), Judith Miller's aluminum tube story hit the NY Times in early September. In early October, Bush gave his war speech and they just waited until after the holidays to sent in the closer--Colin Powell. It was brilliant deception that worked to perfection.
I would have loved to have seen Gilda Radner as Barbara Wa Wa interviewing Colin Powell. Rosanne Rosanna Dana would have been even better.
In his October, 2002 speech in Cincinnati, George Bush was vague about the Sr. al-Qaeda leader getting medical treatment in Baghdad. Four months later, Colin Powell speaking at the UN filled in all the details about Zarqawi. That was the last nail in Saddam's coffin. America was going to war.
Thank you, Gen. Powell.
Not real sure, but I think it dates back to the Kurdish civil war in the mid 1990s between Barzani's Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Talabani received assistance from Iran. Barzani was aided by Saddam Hussein.
A few years ago (2007, I think), Talabani went to a fat farm in Minnesota to lose some weight. Before he went back to Iraq, he visited Tehran. They gave him a parade.
In Kobani, Turkey allowed the Peshmerga to send in fighters but not other Kurds, especially ones from Syria. I was surprised to learn Turkey and Barzani have a close business relationship.
Everything is so fluid.
Daesh is made up of lightweight gangsters blown way out of proportion by American politicians and the media. They are desperate for cash. Daesh is the perfect group for keeping the war fever fires boiling.. Cutting off heads will do that.
The Manson family +Al Capone= DAESH.
I'm beginning to have doubts the shooter had a connection to a terrorist group like ISIS or al-Qaeda. The shooter was killed more than 24 hrs. ago but details about him have remained vague, to say the least. Was he a just petty criminal known to police for previous violent, but non-terrorist related crimes?
Where is the connection to any terrorist groups? Why haven't the authorities released that information? They've had more than enough time.
Lots of blue-chip high school football players leave Texas and go play football for the HATED Oklahoma Sooners. DALLAS IS FULL OF TRAITORS TO TEXAS AND AMERICA. REMEMBER THE BOZ? .PLUS, JFK WAS ASSASSINATED IN DALLAS. Sooo, I'm thinking the Apocalypse will happen on a Sunday right after those nasty Dallas Cowboys become the only team to win SUPERBOWL #7. Pastor Jeffress is the anti-Christ. He already knows.
In the meantime, good timing and brilliant marketing means this boring flick will make a shitload of money. But despite being boring, it's a breakout film for the huge underground S&M community.
Old fashion marriage will never be the same.
Robert Jeffress is not only a Fox contributor, he is also the Sr. Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Dallas. That church has 11,000 members. His views about Islam mirror those of other Evangelicals. Ditto for his comments condemning homosexuality. Tens of millions of Evangelicals believe homosexuality is a sin and God condemned it in the Bible. Evangelicals also believe we are are on the cusp of the Second Coming and the war in Iraq was the first step. Next month, Bibi Netanyahu will speak to Congress about taking the next step. Evangelicals believe the Apocalypse in the Book of John is about to come true.
12th Imam Shiites like al-Sadr and Ahmadinejad believe the Hidden Imam is about to reappear.
Robert Parry is very well informed. His article on nuclear conflict actually makes the case why there will be war, IMO. I doubt Putin will use nukes for the same reason Iran will never build or use them. Hillary Clinton put it like this: They would be "TOTALLY OBLITERATED."
In another article Parry talks about the snipers used during the takeover of Ukraine. You can use youtube and listen to Estonian foreign minister Umas Paet tell EU's Cathy Aston that Right Sector Nazi types were the real shooters. It's an 11 minute phone call. Fascinating, the 'lil people don't hear those type of phone calls very often. Policemen and demonstrators had entry and exit wounds from the same type of guns. They pulled a coup with a lot of help from the west.
NEITHER SIDE BACKING DOWN MEANS WAR.,
"Considering the heavy defeats suffered by Daesh and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, we are certain these groups are nearing the end of their lives." Qassam Suleimani
I think his opinion is closer to the truth than what I've heard from the Obama administration or the media. Daesh has been taking a real beating for months. Obama's war plans might have more to do with Ukraine than Daesh. Today's Washington Post showed satellite images of Russian artillery systems and multiple rocket launchers in eastern Ukraine. Putin will fight this out until the bitter end, IMO.
Yesterday, Quds Force commander, Iranian General Qassem Suleimani said ISIS fighters were "nearing the end of their lives" because of all the recent defeats in Syria and Iraq.
This attack was beaten off with NO casualties among Iraqis. Most of the ISIS fighters died. They attacked HUNDREDS of Iraqi troops with just 25 suicide bombers.
When it leaves Canada, if the route of the Keystone pipeline is moved just a few hundred miles east so it runs through Wisconsin, a Walker-Perry 2016 ticket would be perfect.
"THE KEYSTONE KIDS" guarding both borders against illegal immigration.
"Bedtime for Bonzo" made Reagan doubt the theory of evolution for the rest of his life.
"There he goes again. That chimp is so smart."
"Scott Walker is currently leading in Iowa in the polls."
If Walker started talking up Darwin and evolution instead of creationism, evangelicals in Iowa would dump him in heartbeat. Walker should have said evolution happened in England and "old Europe," but there is no proof of it ever happening in IOWA.
Twelve years ago, the media would not have treated this as a hate crime. In 2003, millions of Americans wanted to invade Iraq just to mass murder Muslims. Using Saddam's WMD as a reason for war was just an excuse. Even with WMDs, Hussein did NOT have the delivery systems needed to attack the United States.Today, people blame dumb George Bush because they don't want to admit they had blood lust for all Muslims, but that is the reality.
The perp. was a hot headed, violent gun nut against ALL RELIGION, not just Muslims. Noise and problems with parking, rather than religion, seems to have been the biggest factors setting this guy off. In the video, the woman talking said her friend had spoken about the noise complaint.
If the Republicans can start WWIII, the jet fighters, tanks and aircraft carriers will need all the oil we can beg, borrow or steal. Tanks and planes don't run on solar panels. 🙂
Robert Parry writes about the 1920s but doesn't mention the KKK. The decade of the 1920s was their high water mark. The movement sparked huge rallies and even parades in Washington D.C. After WWI ended, immigration from Eastern Europe surged resulting in a counter movement among white, protestant Christians in this country. This is the main reason the KKK became so big. The pictures of KKK members in uniform marching down Pennsylvania Ave. is mind boggling.
Back then, conservatives thought immigrants from Eastern Europe were like immigrants from Latin America today. Both groups are swarthy, dark skinned Catholics. Before John Kennedy was elected president in 1960, being a Catholic was a big no no in the HOMELAND.
On August 1, 1966,Charles Whitman, an ex-marine was the first white terrorist to commit mass murder.
I can see number of disturbing developments happening.
Ukraine in 2015 is a powder keg like the Balkans were in 1914. Putin will only abide by the cease fire if it works to his advantage which means eastern Ukraine is probably gone like Crimea.
Israel and Saudi Arabia don't want to see a nuclear deal with Iran. Bibi and the Republicans will turn up the heat starting with his speech next month..
Saudi Arabia wants to see Assad gone but they also want to put some real PAYBACK on Iran and Russia for supporting him. 200,000 or so Sunnis have been killed. Why else wouldn't they cut their oil production to try and keep prices from falling 50% in the past six months?
ISIS really isn't that big of a player, but Obama's latest move can be used to send troops to hotspots wherever Washington thinks they are needed at some future date. It's a purposely vague authorization.
What will Saudi Arabia do to counter Putin's latest move? After all, Putin is a big supporter of both the Shia countries in the Middle East, Iran and Assad in Syria.
Russia, Iran, Syria and China vs. the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia and NATO. Two different alliances similar to the ones leading up to WWI. I hope no one lights a match.
In his speech before Congress, Netanyahu will have to go Lindsey Graham hysterical about Iranian nukes before he gets run of the front pages by rapidly worsening events in Ukraine. Putin has the west right where he wants them AND THEY KNOW IT.
I not defending those racists and traitors in the Confederacy, but slavery in the deep south didn't take off until early in the 19th century. Spain brought Christianity to the New World almost 300 years earlier. Indians were the first victims. Spain exported the Inquisition. Christians had a nasty habit of starting wars to promote their version of justice and equality.
Southern Christians get slammed for slavery much more than Europeans Christians even though ten million Africans survived the Middle Passage on their ships. Of those ten million, about 7% (700,000) were brought to North America. Slavery and Sugar were much bigger in the Caribbean and South America than tobacco and cotton were in North America. Of the total, 4 million Africans were transported to Brazil by Portugal, 40%.
Slavery in the south didn't really take off until the cotton gin was invented in 1793, almost 200 years after African slavery started in this hemisphere. Africans had a much better chance of survival in North America because of the cooler climate.
Henry Louis Gates is the real authority on slavery. Over a 250 year period, Gates detailed where the African slaves came from, what European country kidnapped them and where they were taken. Gate's detailed, scholarly work is remarkable and stunning to read.
lol...After Hillary finally decides to make it official, Brian Williams will interview "Phycologist" Liz on NBC nightly news so she can explain how her "genuine memory" "developed things" in Bosnia like Brian's did in Iraq.
Hillary is covering all the bases this go round.
Good points. Secession and slavery were the causes of the Civil War, but Southerners really thought their culture and fighting men were far superior to the "soft" Northerners. Southerners started the Civil War thinking it would be easy.
That thinking was evident during the buildup to the war in Iraq. Americans wanted payback against Muslims and thought invading Iraq would be a cakewalk. Today, Republicans in Congress are putting the "being easy to fuck with" blame on Obama, so it will be interesting to see what happens with ISIS, Iran and Putin in Ukraine.
"Shock and Awe" is all about the U.S. putting payback on its enemies. The long history of revenge includes Muslims (fire), Japanese (fire, radioactivity), Indians (starvation) and Southerners (starvation) during the Civil War.
Obama's bombing campaign in Kobane saved the Kurds from being slaughtered, IMO. Daesh made a huge strategic blunder, finally conceded defeat and had to withdraw after heavy casualties. More importantly, judging from the comments of Lindsey Graham and Scott Walker, I think the Republicans want to paint Obama as an ineffective C-I-C so they can send tens of thousands of ground troops back to Iraq and into Syria. Civilian casualties are unfortunate but there are ONLY two choices: Obama's bombs now or U.S. ground troops and a much bigger war later. Invading Iraq didn't pan out as the neoconservatives planned, so Daesh has become very convenient plan B. If troops are sent, they can be easily used against Iran.
Iran, not this bunch of ultra-violent"pygmies," is real plan B.
Daesh said they burned the Jordanian pilot because his bombs were burning up civilians, so they made him suffer a similar death. Daesh terrifies people because they are crazy like the Manson family who also enjoyed slaughtering people for fun.
This cruel act seems like an act of desperation more than anything else. Daesh just withdrew from Kobane after months of getting pounded. Their supply lines to Mosul are shaky and the Peshmerga definitely has the upper hand. Obama's bombing campaign is paying dividends. These ultra- violent "pygmies" have no answer and they are hurting for money. So, they demand $200,000,000 for each Japanese captive and behead both. Money wasn't the motive with the Jordanian pilot. They didn't have one.
How long can they last?
Daesh put the Jordanian pilot in a cage, doused him with petrol and burned him up. Jordan vowed REVENGE. A few days ago, Japan vowed REVENGE for the Daesh beheadings on their two citizens. Daesh still holds an American woman captured in Syria last year. They could burn her. Invading Iraq after 9/11 was all about American REVENGE. The Republicans know how to play that card.
American Sniper is the highest grossing war movie of all time passing Saving Private Ryan last weekend. The public's amazing reaction to this movie indicate Americans have put the war in Iraq behind them. The same thing happened after the Vietnam war. Antiwar movements in this country are only temporary.
For the past few months ISIS has been played up by the politicians and media as the new and greatest threat to the national security of the HOMELAND. Americans look at ISIS like they did Saddam Hussein after 9/11. Many Americans see war as the best option. It's a chicken or egg question.
Yesterday, on Face the Nation, Graham said Obama needed to send 10,000 troops to Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIS. He's an expert at combining #5. Threat Inflation with #7. The new "normal" in America is war. After Bibi's visit, Graham will be warning about Iranian nukes on Face the Nation and Meet the Press. Lindsey would have been perfect as the robot on "Lost in Space" in the early 60s.
"WARNING!!! WARNING!!! WARNING!!!"
Remember when Ron Paul got into an argument with Rudy Giuliani over the war in Iraq? Rand Paul is doing the same thing here with Iran. They both have definite links to neoconfederate groups who blame Lincoln for the Civil War, except they call it the "War of Northern Aggression." Rand's roots are showing. He believes the Southern states had a legal right to secede and Lincoln exceeded his authority. Neither one of them support the federal government starting wars back in 1861 or today.
I judged the power of the Evangelical movement in the GOP by what happens in their stronghold---IOWA. In 2008, their support caused Mick Huckabee to upset the field but today, they don't seem as powerful. The big money players like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson seem to drive Republican politics. At the recently concluded Iowa Freedom Summit neither Romney or Jeb Bush attended.
Obama's wise decision to use American air power to attack Daesh when they were over extended and most vulnerable has finally paid dividends in Kobane and Diyala province. These key strategic defeats reverse the momentum and propaganda Daesh had so carefully executed for months. Cutting their supply lines and isolating Mosul will be next.
This certainly isn't good news for the Republican war mongers in Congress, especially with Netanyahu coming the Washington in the next few weeks.Using Daesh as an example of Obama's incompetence would have been perfect for attacking any plan to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran. Graham would gone all hysterical claiming a nucular agreement with Iran is like giving Daesh nukes.
Many of the Baby Boomers were totally against the Vietnam war and washed their hands of Obama after he escalated his "war of necessity" in Afghanistan. The Boomers are far and away much more liberal than young people today.
Americans aren't as antiwar as you think. That's why Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" is doing so well at the box office. It's also the reason threats against Muslims have tripled. Netanyahu is like Julius Caesar to the Republicans in Congress. He should wear a toga when he speaks to them on Feb. 11.
The Guardian is reporting the withdrawal of ISIS from Kobane. Their ill-timed and very expensive attack on the town has resulted in a CATASTROPHE. It's also a BIG blow to the war luvin' Republicans, especially when Bibi Netanyahu is scheduled to give his lets go to war with IRAN speech before Congress in a few weeks. The timing is couldn't be worse. Bibi won't be able to point his finger at Obama for being an incompetent CIC, at least not where ISIS is concerned.
spyguy, everything you said about the state exhausting their resources in continuing wars was true and has been repeated throughout history. However, the neoconservatives follow the philosophy of Leo Strauss and don't think history applies to them. The neoconservatives believe they are superior beings.
Spyguy, are you claiming Netanyahu doesn't want war with Iran? If that is true, why is he coming and what do you think he will tell Congress?
Are you claiming the neocons do not blame Donald Rumsfeld for failing to send enough troops to Iraq? If so, then who do you think the neocons blame for the disaster and why was it a failure?
Today, wars don't have to be won like in WWII. Perpetual war makes a lot of money for people connected to Washington and the military-industrial complex. Starting a war that creates new enemies is the real goal. That's how they win.
Bibi Netanyahu would be more than happy if we just started dropping bombs. Boots later, Bombs NOW.
The war will take off from there.
The neocons learned one lesson from Iraq. Donald Rumsfeld's Shock and Awe didn't put near enough boots on the ground. They think that was the ONLY blunder and they blame Rumsfeld for not heeding the warning of"several hundred thousand" troops being needed for long term occupation. Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz immediately attacked Gen. Shinseki's comments. They believe with a few HUNDRED THOUSAND MORE BOOTS we can do Iran and Syria too.
Their dream will never die.
Obama has less than a year before the 2016 presidential campaign really heats up and he fades away. So, Netanyahu and the war hawks in Congress can wait and slowly ratchet up the propaganda campaign aimed at war with Iran. All Netanyahu has to do is win reelection. But even if Bibi loses, plenty of powerful people here and in Israel will still have their sights set on war with Iran.
"American Sniper" took in $90.2 million opening weekend.
The Guardian is reporting 13 additional terrorist suspects have been arrested. Nine of those were in Sint-Jans-Molenbeck. In addition to weapons, ammunition and uniforms, the police also found walkie-talkies, radios, mobile phones and a "significant amount of money." This was a well planned, sophisticated operation....
Birmingham was a heavy duty hippie music town. Black Sabbath, Traffic and two members of Led Zep come from there.
If Birmingham was an American city, the far right would really be worried about Muslims taking over. From 2001-2011, the Muslim population increased from 14% to almost 22%. The city has 200 mosques. That's over 200,000 Muslims out of a population of just over one million in a city located in the middle of England.
A very conservative co-worker claimed Obama didn't send a high ranking representative to Paris because he is completely against all of the 19th and 20th century colonialism practiced by European countries, especially France and England. Indochina, Lebanon, Syria and Algeria were former colonies of France. The two brothers were Algerian. Kenya was an English colony who tortured Obama's grandfather during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s.
The threat of getting splattered with pigeon shit kept John Kerry and Joe Biden away from the Paris rally.
"I really think this is quibbling a little bit, in the sense that our Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria "Fuck the E.U." Nuland was there and did march." John Kerry
Ms. Nuland was seen handing out some of her famous cookies along the way.
It's ironic that a black guy killing four Jews is helping Islamophobes and racists on the European Far Right spread their message.
The video released yesterday connected Amedy Coulibaly to ISIS rather than al-Qaeda in Yemen.
p.s. Earlier, I read some people believe Coulibaly's real target was a Synagogue and a Jewish school about 400 meters away on the same road at the next traffic light. He only stopped his car and got out because of a traffic accident and police on the scene.
If these three weren't lone wolves, then an al-Qeada attack specifically aimed at killing Jews is a new and dangerous escalation. Amedy Coulibaly even pointed out Israel's treatment of Palestinians as one of the reasons for his attack. French authorities already have the proof of numerous phone calls between Coulibaly and the Kaouashi brothers.
Earlier today, one of the brothers called a French TV station and said Anwar al-Awlaki financed them. They went down by charging out of the building like Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
These two gangbangers for Muhammed went out in style.
After 9/11, 70% of the American public including many of the leading Democrats were itching to go f..k with Muslims in the Middle East. Claiming Saddam's WMD were a real threat was just a clever way the public could join the "CRUSADE" and get some PAYBACK. After invading Iraq turned into a disaster, American washed their hands by blaming dumb George for lying to them. They are free of guilt, but supporting such a BONEHEADED move will haunt this country for decades.
"You f-k with me...I f-k with you" is also called the chickens coming home to roost.
Going to Yemen and attacking a newspaper got the brothers labeled al-Qeada terrorists. That CRACKPOT in Sydney, Australia was a Shiite from Iran and made his attack on a restaurant so he wasn't considered a real terrorist even though all these loons were really just peas in a nutty pod.
I just heard on the news the brothers expected to be killed when they attacked the newspaper. After they escaped, they had NO PLANS and no idea where they were going or what they would do next.
Per The Guardian, the French had over 88,000 police and other authorities on the scene.
88,000!!!
In 2011, over three years ago,, one of the brothers went to YEMEN and underwent some training by AQAP in small arms combat. How much training does a person need to kill unarmed people trapped in a room?
The reports I read indicate this attack was SLOPPY, to say the least.. The first building they tried to enter was the wrong one. After finding the right building they only gained entry by threatening at gunpoint a female employee arriving for work. They were lucky both policemen were caught completely off guard. Neither one got off a shot.
Last night, on The Charlie Rose Show, a journalist said the French are calling this their 9/.11. She even showed a picture of two pencils standing up like the twin towers with a jet in the background like the 9/11 attack. Both the Washington Post and the New York Times ran front page articles detailing the trip to Yemen and the al-Qeada connection. Here we go again.
Right now, the two al-Qeada terrorists seemed to be cornered in a small grocery store thirty miles outside of Paris. Both of the brothers are very violent and VERY UNEDUCATED young men. How much of an AQ connection do they really have and how much is being played up by politicians and the media as a fear mongering tactic?
"I don't believe this was a "hit" orchestrated by a larger party like al-Queda or ISIS."
Did their superiors in a terrorist group order this attack? Right now, it doesn't look like it. Training with AQ in Yemen several years ago isn't enough to call this an organized terrorist attack.
This attack is similar to the London bombings or the Boston Marathon bombings. No higher ups were involved in either attack.
Sharif and Said Kouashi are uneducated, low IQ, violent petty criminals turned lone wolves with limited connections to al-Qeada, Daesh or any other radical Islamic terror group. Yesterday, I was sure this attack was coordinated by Daesh intelligence with fighters returning from Syria but with more information that doesn't seem to be the case. Apparently, these two nutjobs decided on their own to go on a rampage. This attack makes clear how much damage can be done in just a few minutes by ONLY two people just using guns and without any bombs.
Yesterday, the Nebraska Supreme Court gave a thumbs up to Keystone. In a month or two the State Dept. will do the same. So Obama and the new Republican led Congress are about to go toe-to-toe.
Most of the demolition was probably caused by Daesh artillery and tanks rather than U.S. bombs dropping on a Kurdish controlled part of Kobane. Those Kurds singing at the start of the video would be dead, dead, dead if Obama had not intervened. Not only did Daesh make a foolish move trying to take Kobane, they also made an astounding blunder when they decided to stay and fight it out once the tide had turn against them. That decision took away their momentum. Remember when the Daesh fighter planted their black flag on a Kobane building? You won't see that again.
How long will it be before Daesh buckles in Kobane and Iraq? It's only a matter of time before Daesh gets cut off and loses control in Mosul. That will be HORRIBLE news for Lindsey Graham, John McCain and all the war mongers in Congress. No Daesh real threat in Iraq means no American combat troops on the ground which will make it much more difficult for the Republicans to start a war and invade Iran.
Time for Republican War Plan B.
The Evangelical lobby is also huge in the first state to hold its primary--Iowa.In 2008, Mick Huckabee was the winner. Today, he cut ties with FOX preparing to run in 2016. The religious right still has a lot of power in the Republican party. I wouldn't think Lindsey Graham is one of their favorites mainly because of the rumors he is gay.
Graham and the Republicans will try and spin propaganda against ISIS to start a war against Iran the same way the Bush gang used the al-Qaeda 9/11 attacks to start a war with Iraq.
Saddam giving WMD to al-Qaeda is no different than Iran giving nukes to ISIS. Remember Bush talking about Saddam's nuclear holy warriors?
"The gates of hell will open when Iran gives nuclear weapons to ISIS and they use them to nuke Israel and America. Once they are moved, it will already be too late. WE MUST INVADE NOW!!!" Lindsey Graham.
Why is it necessary to defeat and eliminate Daesh in Syria? That seems almost impossible without ground troops. If Mosul falls and Daesh withdraws from Iraq they'll be isolated in eastern Syria. Then they'll just be another group slugging it out. Isolated in eastern Syria means Daesh won't be a threat to destabilize the region.
Eliminating a non-threat like the weaken Daesh will use up a lot of resources.
Invading Iraq was a total disaster for the neocons. Instead of taking over and building a brand new colony for the neocon American century and gaining over one hundred billion barrels of oil reserves, Shiites allied with Iran run the government. Plus, the Kurds are independent and ISIS controls a large chunk of the former country including Mosul.
Regime change in Iran was next up, but the neocon troop-lite invasion, 150,000 instead of "several hundred thousand," started to come apart within six months. Almost twelve years later, Iran is in a much stronger position.
So are their friends in Iraq.
William Kristol probably had dreams of being our first ambassador to the PNAC colony in Iraq.
Well, most of the day I thought this was very good news and certain to put Daesh's control of Mosul in jeopardy over the next few months. But after hearing German journalist Jurgen Tofenhofer on PBS Newshour talk about his ten day trip to Syria and Mosul, Iraq, I'm not so sure. He's the first western journalist to be allowed access to area controlled by ISIS. Tofenhofer wrote to the "caliphate" requesting a security clearance and they sent him a document authorizing his safety. So he took a chance and flew there from Germany. According to him Daesh is MUCH stronger than the west imagines.
Well, it wasn't logical to post a video of Iraqi troops complaining of no air support and then attacking me for being in favor of it. You should take the time to actually listen to the videos YOU POST.
I strongly suggest you listen to the video you posted. The Iraqi soldier says they need air support "Helicopters" and complains about the bad weather excuse being used. Then he comments on the weather being clear "now." He also says ISIS is using "tanks" while the Iraqi troops only have troop carriers.
Watch the video and listen to the soldier's comments.
My next to last sentence should have read...." What do you think would have happened if we had not acted in the Mount Sinbar area?"
p.s. Your video starts with an Iraqi troop complaining about the lack of U.S. air cover needed to stop ISIS tanks. "No air cover in the last 48 hours." The BBC reporter emphasizes that criticism.That's the big difference between what happened in Anbar and Mount Sinjar.
Other than rather vague complaints about the U.S. using "ever more military force" and referring to "Cowboys," I really don't understand why you and others object to degrading ISIS BEFORE they turn Iraq into another Syria. Bombing ISIS in Anbar would have stopped them from advancing from 20 miles out to only six. What do you think would happen if we had not acted?
I question the logic of your position.
Anbar province is a problem, but even if Daesh takes control will they be able to hold it if/when the Iraqi government arms Sunni tribes? What's happening in Iraq doesn't appear to a case of using "ever more military force" either. If Obama sends combat troops to Iraq--Anbar province I would be quite surprised, to say the least.
Defeating this gangster horde before they screw up the whole country is the best long term strategy, IMO. Of course, there is ALWAYS the chance that our VERY hawkish politicians will escalate. I'm aware of that but letting Daesh just run wild is a prescription for disaster and a MUCH bigger war down the line.
Informed Comment read "Kurds inflict first Major Defeat on Daesh/ISIL." BE SURE AND WATCH THE VIDEO. I'm not falling back on anything.
"We will crush the Islamic State." Masoud Barzani
We are already seeing Daesh start to crumble and lose its grip in northern Iraq. They can be flexible and adaptable, but will not be able to withstand sustained attacks from the air and with ground forces as we have just seen in Sinjar.
Obama's bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq is doing to ISIS what it was designed to do. Destroy ISIS oil refineries and
weaken them so Iraqi ground troops and Kurdish Peshmerga can take advantage and defeat them. After the latest ISIS defeat, Kurdish leader Barzani said the Peshmerga would defeat ISIS.
I'm not aware of any assassination attempts other than the one of Baghdadi. He was fortunate to survive. I've read ISIS has lost hundreds of troops in Kobani because of U.S. bombs. I also read an article claiming many Europeans fighting with ISIS have become disenchanted and want to go home.
I wasn't aware Obama was using drones in Syria and Iraq.
You know things are going good when the Republicans stop bad mouthing Obama's bombing of ISIS and started attacking him on Cuba. Give it six months and we will see how ISIS is doing in Iraq. How can they possibly hope to hold their position while being attacked from the air and on land by the Peshmerga and Iraqi army troops?
India's case against the Bangalore food company executive, Shami Witness, might be the first against the net version of a 21st century terrorist. Mehdi Masroor Biswas is just 24 and lived in a rented one bedroom apartment when he was taken into custody. Biswas defended himself and said this: "I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't hurt anyone. I haven't broken any laws. I haven't raised any war or any violence against India. I haven't waged war against the allies of India."
"I just said stuff. People follow me, I follow them back and we talk. I ONLY know what IS fighters or sympathizers said in public tweets."
The Republicans won't be able to win on that plank even though their base supports war, torture and billionaires trying buy elections. What they need is to win FLORIDA and to a lesser extent the block of southwestern states--Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada (20 electoral votes). In other words, a healthy percentage of the Latino vote. They can't win in 2016 without Florida. There is no way they can lose those 27 electoral votes--a 54 vote switch and hope to win the White House. It will be very interesting to see if the Republicans recognize this 21st century truth OR they walk into another sure defeat. Personally, I think they should be begging Jeb Bush to run.
Hillary may get challenged but she is also VERY popular with Latinos. In 2008, she won the popular vote in the Texas primary even though Obama CRUSHED her in Austin, Dallas and Houston. But she mauled him in the Rio Grande Valley and EVERY Texas city with a majority Latino population.
Whoever wins the Latino vote in 2016 will probably win the election.
Per the video--Darth kept George out of the loop. The brain-damaged alcoholic is NOT GUILTY....
It's looking like President Obama intends to sweep all the torture stuff under the rug as much as possible. His spokesman, Josh Ernest, said CIA Director John Brennan was "a decorated professional and a patriot." Ernest also said President Obama is confident the Justice Department acted appropriately in opting not to bring criminal charges against intelligent officials.
Prediction....In just two weeks, on Christmas Day, President Obama will start trying to heal the nation's wounds by giving a blanket pardon to all concerned. Darth Cheney will be at the top of the list.
"Americans are a forgiving and good people. What better day for Americans to be forgiving, good, righteous, moral etc. etc. etc. than on Christmas and reach out to your fellow Americans and say...."WE UNDERSTAND AND FORGIVE YOU."
"God BLESS AMERICA and Merry Xmas." PRESIDENT OBAMA
"Pay Any Price" James Risen...
Risen says the "O" administration has gone much further taking away the citizens civil rights because they have expanded the Bush gang's basic outline and incorporated it into the system. Risen is all over the net.
"Toe-to-toe nucular combat." If any of them survive, they'll be tortured by RECTALLY REHYDRATING those ROOSKIES for any information about the Doomsday Machine.
John McCain, Lindsey Graham and the usual cast of war hawks aren't screaming about Daesh because Obama's air campaign is degrading them militarily and economically. The neocons wanted to use Daesh to try and show Obama was an incompetent C-I-C. They aren't doing that now for a reason.What's worse for the hawks is MSM losing interest. Once the news cycle has move on the story is usually finished. Ebola is the perfect example. So is Daesh/ISIS/ISIL whatever.
There has been a BIG change which is VERY bad news for these war mongering politicians who were drawing a bead on IRAN. If a nuclear agreement is reached with Iran then the propaganda war campaign will have to start from scratch. Even Bibi is talking nice about Iran. Anything that sets these war mongers back is a good thing and that is EXACTLY what bombing Daesh has done. How long has it been since McCain, Graham, Mike Rodgers or any of those war mongers has gone off about the dangers of Daesh?
John McCain and Lindsey Graham will have to find another war to talk up. Daesh looks Done.
Daesh takes up less space in the MSM because they can't be played up as the BIG BAD BOOGIEMAN any longer. Ditto for their librul antiwar counterparts who won't be able to keep talking about the flip side --Iraq War 3.0.
The MSM needs the Iran nuke thingy to blow up and/or the torture report to go public. I wonder how many of the detainees were tortured until they died?
2. Residential segregation is directly related to 3.Homicides concentrated in African-American neighborhoods mainly because of the prevalent gun culture. The U.S. isn't South Africa. In 2014, the police killings of blacks has more to do with the militarization of police forces and the overall us against the citizens mentality than racism, IMO. What's happening today in no way compares to the police violence against blacks during the 60s and early 70s. That was real racism. Police executions of Black Panthers and other blacks they regarded as extremists was commonplace.
Back then, US treatment of African Americans resembled Apartheid South Africa, not today.
Iran bombing ISIS doesn't fit into Englehardt's warning about the war party winning, so he left that out. If Obama let ISIS run wild, the war party and other Republicans would have conga line running for miles straight down Pennsylvania Ave.
"Boots on the ground" in Iraq aren't combat boots, but to Englehardt and others it's the same thing. Iraq is a pretty big place, so how many troops does he expect Obama to send before they can control the country?
200,000, 300,000, half a million?
Is Obama going to send 500,000 troops back to Iraq to fight the "several hundred thousand" extremely well hidden Daesh fighters?
Where is Shakespeare when we need him?
Neocon sympathy doesn't include Iran bombing Daesh in Iraq. If John Kerry does sign a nuke treaty in Tehran, the neos would portray him as the 21st century version of Chamberlain coming back from Munich, just another naïve politician spouting "Peace in Our Time."Bibi, the lobby and the neocons want war with Iran, no substitutes allowed.
In 2003, if Donald Rumsfeld had invaded Iraq with "several hundred thousand" troops the U.S. would have already gone to war with Iran. Donald's "Shock and Awe" infantry-lite plan screwed up the neocons long range plans. They had to put regime changing Iran on the back burner.
Iran could be close friends if they keep bombing Daesh, especially if they fly with the U.S. of A. on a joint bombing run. That would be a great sendoff for John Kerry to fly to Tehran and sign a nuclear agreement with his highness, the Supreme Leader. The Republicans would be left in a state of "Shock and Awe."
Serena Shim and Iran were right about Turkey.
Obama's Warheads on Foreheads Program is aimed at ISIS refineries and reducing their million dollar/day smuggling revenue. Lots of that goes through Turkey.
Turkey lets weapons and fighters cross into Syria and they get oil products in return.
My using the word "hopefully" had more to do with my doubts about Obama following through on his bombing campaign. IMO, Daesh has badly overextended themselves and lost a lot of revenue because of the decline in oil prices. Bombing their refineries and further reducing their revenue is the correct strategy. Daesh takes in $1 million/day from oil smuggling. That's where they are most vulnerable. They can be degraded and rolled up IF they are consistently attacked on several fronts.
It's a myth that Daesh has "several hundred thousand" fighters. The Republicans use it so American boots on the ground might be sent to Iraq and Syria. The liberals use it and claim Obama's bombing campaign is the first step to a bigger war. Daesh is much weaker than that and vulnerable right now.
If it doesn't happen by 2016, the light at the end of the tunnel will be Republicans on the warpath sounding like the Indians at the Little Big Horn. These little wars ain't their thing and Daesh is a 'lil war.
Imagine this: A Republican Congress with a Republican POTUS slowly but surely building up to a war with Iran just like they did in 2002 with Iraq. That's a BIG WAR.
Did you watch the video? I just agreed with it and think the Republicans would pounce on any weakness Obama shows so they can go on the warpath against Iran. I'm surprise more posters don't agree with me. No posters agree with me. Not one---Zero, Zilch. 🙂
Those 50,000 ghost soldiers the Bush gang paid probably started right after Paul Bremer abolished Saddam's army. That was over ten years ago. I'm sure the replacements have been on the payroll ever since.
According to Scott Ritter, when Bill Clinton bombed Baghdad in 1998, he knew Saddam had already destroyed his WMDs. That's why Ritter ALWAYS said the Bush gang wouldn't find any. The next Democratic nominee for POTUS, one Hillary Clinton, knew what Bill did back in '98, but she still was a BIG SUPPORTER of the invasion.
Informative video. The worm has turned on Daesh thanks to Obama sending 1,500 more military advisors to Iraq and his decision to launch a bombing campaign. Hopefully, in a couple of years, Mosul will no longer be controlled by Daesh and they'll be driven out of Iraq. In 2016, the Republicans won't be able to blame Obama for letting Daesh run wild and use that as an excuse to start a propaganda campaign aimed at a much bigger war with Iran.
I can almost hear Lindsey Graham getting all hysterical. "ISIS is bad but they aren't building nuclear bombs. That isn't the case with Iran. President Obama didn't confront ISIS and he let Iran play him by letting these foolish nuclear negotiations go on and on. Meanwhile, their centrifuges are spinning faster and faster."
It will be fascinating to watch the Republican 2016 hopefuls play the Iranian war card as they jockey for position before the primaries. Ze winner gets Sheldon Adelson's 100 million dollars. Hillary will counter by courting Bibi.
"Daesh has been largely contained and even slightly rolled back." Exactly.
American bombs have contained Daesh, but the Iraqi army, Shia militias, and the Peshmerga will have to be the ground forces who roll them back. If we keep bombing the Shiite out of Daesh that shouldn't be that big of problem.
It was the election, not Iraq that cause Hagel to get the boot. After the mid term debacle, Obama felt he needed to dump someone and since Hagel wasn't an insider he got the call. Chuck wasn't smooth or sophisticated enough to be a long term player on the Obama team.
Chuck had an style problem. He really needed one of those Hollywood $400 haircuts.
Obama bombing ISIS in Kobane, Syria saved the Kurds in the city from being massacred. If that would have happened, the Kurdish riots in southeastern Turkey would have been EXTREME, especially since Serena Shim had shown evidence of Turkish authorities transporting ISIS fighters into Syria. Shim was killed in a VERY murky traffic accident right after these facts became public. A couple of days later, Turkey joined our anti-ISIS coalition.
ISIS thrives on chaos and they almost hit the motherload in Kobane.If these ISIS killers run wild, they will become much bigger and able to create chaos in a wider area.--Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan...
Confronting ISIS is the right strategy. Lets just hope American politicians don't go overboard.