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SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 02:17 PM Sep 2014

Call me shocked. Counterterrorism Experts claim ISIS threat "distorted" and "a farce"

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/world/middleeast/struggling-to-gauge-isis-threat-even-as-us-prepares-to-act.html?_r=2

"WASHINGTON — The violent ambitions of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have been condemned across the world: in Europe and the Middle East, by Sunni nations and Shiite ones, and by sworn enemies like Israel and Iran. Pope Francis joined the call for ISIS to be stopped.

But as President Obama prepares to send the United States on what could be a yearslong military campaign against the militant group, American intelligence agencies have concluded that it poses no immediate threat to the United States. Some officials and terrorism experts believe that the actual danger posed by ISIS has been distorted in hours of television punditry and alarmist statements by politicians, and that there has been little substantive public debate about the unintended consequences of expanding American military action in the Middle East"

Daniel Benjamin, who served as the State Department’s top counterterrorism adviser during Mr. Obama’s first term, said the public discussion about the ISIS threat has been a “farce,” with “members of the cabinet and top military officers all over the place describing the threat in lurid terms that are not justified.”

Personally, I'm sure they are wrong and the only thing keeping us safe is Ted Nugent and his band of armed idiots.


122 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Call me shocked. Counterterrorism Experts claim ISIS threat "distorted" and "a farce" (Original Post) SomethingFishy Sep 2014 OP
Kick whatchamacallit Sep 2014 #1
Nuh uh! gratuitous Sep 2014 #2
Check out these simpering wimps! Who would be scared of THEM? FrodosPet Sep 2014 #34
Warning: I don't click on blind, anonymous links gratuitous Sep 2014 #39
That sounds more comfortable than sticking my head in the sand FrodosPet Sep 2014 #46
Is whatever you're wetting your pants about better or worse than this? gratuitous Sep 2014 #50
These troops are evil as well, and need to spend decades in prison FrodosPet Sep 2014 #51
Yes, they WERE court martialed for doing that. FrodosPet Sep 2014 #52
The Marine Corps DID make a recruiting video out of that gratuitous Sep 2014 #53
We are NEVER going to be safe in this universe FrodosPet Sep 2014 #60
Please explain how ISIS could start a nuclear war. JDPriestly Sep 2014 #67
Please explain how ISIS could start a nuclear war On the Road Sep 2014 #82
Thanks. A lot of ifs, but thannks. JDPriestly Sep 2014 #84
Well, It Makes Them Subject to Nuclear Attack for Certain Reasons On the Road Sep 2014 #107
Interesting. ISIS, I suspect is more like a gang than a state, but it could develop into JDPriestly Sep 2014 #112
Yes clearly we must live in fear. phil89 Sep 2014 #56
You have a good point. No need for fear. FrodosPet Sep 2014 #57
That is fucking horrific .. a caption might have helped. Lenomsky Sep 2014 #118
The threat of terrorism to the US is absolutely minimal, though it most definitely exists. MohRokTah Sep 2014 #3
Which is just what Obama said, but not the pundits. They know better! freshwest Sep 2014 #11
We didn't even get any color-coded threat levels! leftstreet Sep 2014 #4
Personally, I think they were hired by Dick Cheney BuelahWitch Sep 2014 #5
I think you're on the right track with this They_Live Sep 2014 #87
Most likely truer than any of us can imagine. freebrew Sep 2014 #121
But..but..we must DO SOMETHING!! However, stupid and self defeating it may be. Tierra_y_Libertad Sep 2014 #6
Oh man, you made me laugh... SomethingFishy Sep 2014 #10
We have to pave the way for Enthusiast Sep 2014 #15
... woo me with science Sep 2014 #23
I was wondering about that treestar Sep 2014 #7
Check out any right-wingnut source canuckledragger Sep 2014 #62
Yep treestar Sep 2014 #70
At least they are not calling them libodem Sep 2014 #8
This is all about taking out Assad...imho n/t Oilwellian Sep 2014 #9
BINGO! I think Assad is the primary target mazzarro Sep 2014 #22
Nooooo no way can't be azurnoir Sep 2014 #12
I know. Enthusiast Sep 2014 #14
Kicked and recommended a whole bunch! Enthusiast Sep 2014 #13
Well they are a threat to stability in the ME flamingdem Sep 2014 #16
How can you threaten the stability of an unstable region? FlatStanley Sep 2014 #27
IS isn't much of a direct threat to the United States. Laelth Sep 2014 #17
Respectfully, that isn't going to get me on board... SomethingFishy Sep 2014 #20
That's the nature of our republic, I suppose. Laelth Sep 2014 #21
Then the energy companies can pay for it. Let them hire blackwater directly. grahamhgreen Sep 2014 #25
And pass the costs on to us through higher energy costs NickB79 Sep 2014 #64
Exactly! Thus bringing down the cost of wind & solar further! They need to pay, we should not grahamhgreen Sep 2014 #71
Our allies can protect their own interests here. They have overwhelming air superiority TheKentuckian Sep 2014 #49
Exactly. Not our job! n/t A Simple Game Sep 2014 #63
Someone, somewhere, somehow doesn't like us!!! Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2014 #18
The NSA? L0oniX Sep 2014 #69
Not the way they trade our naked pictures. Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2014 #113
Who says this? OilemFirchen Sep 2014 #19
Oh my. Autumn Sep 2014 #24
All BS all the time malaise Sep 2014 #26
Same as always ... Scuba Sep 2014 #28
+1 Excellent deutsey Sep 2014 #31
How odd pscot Sep 2014 #41
Best description of my feelings concerning this and every other propaganda-driven adventure BrotherIvan Sep 2014 #44
You can show that to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.. Cha Sep 2014 #81
Nobody's right all the time. Scuba Sep 2014 #96
That's exactly right.. like this "expert" in the OP.. I'm going with Bernie, Elizabeth, and the Cha Sep 2014 #100
Don't agree with him at all. We're ballyhoo Sep 2014 #97
"..being conned.." Oh, you mean like Putin is Conning all the internetz Warriors for him? Cha Sep 2014 #101
There's roughly 40-45 of them here, including me, so I ballyhoo Sep 2014 #102
Get Your Red Hot Putin Propaganda Right Here.. Cha Sep 2014 #105
Yeah, I know who he is.... ballyhoo Sep 2014 #108
Exactly! ctsnowman Sep 2014 #117
Disaster capitalism. eom littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #29
That is exactly what it is. In spades. ballyhoo Sep 2014 #103
Senators Bernie Sanders and Warren agree with President Obama Cha Sep 2014 #111
Not impressed, cha. nt littlemissmartypants Sep 2014 #114
I've heard other ME experts debunk the hype growing around ISIS deutsey Sep 2014 #30
That applies to their tactical capabilities. Not to the atrocities they cause. randome Sep 2014 #32
This is bad - send in the UN toby jo Sep 2014 #33
The U.N. has some resources but not on our scale. randome Sep 2014 #35
Of course VA_Jill Sep 2014 #36
I Have Long Thought DallasNE Sep 2014 #37
Every American President in the past quarter century has now gone on television during prime time to J_J_ Sep 2014 #38
. . . ya *think*?? bvf Sep 2014 #40
Oh, who could have guessed? Atman Sep 2014 #42
K&R! G_j Sep 2014 #43
ISIL deaniac21 Sep 2014 #45
They are joined by those who hate the United States. ballyhoo Sep 2014 #110
k G_j Sep 2014 #47
I give this one the Goebbels award... L0oniX Sep 2014 #48
+1000 bobduca Sep 2014 #68
Bullshit.. you can give that to Senator Bernie Sanders, too.. Cha Sep 2014 #80
who cares if Sanders and Warren are on board? Vattel Sep 2014 #88
+10000000 ballyhoo Sep 2014 #109
Let the Iranians and Saudis solve the problem. roamer65 Sep 2014 #54
Then we can become friends with whoever is left at the end! FrodosPet Sep 2014 #59
Not a threat to the US. At least certainly not now. They are a threat to women, gay & Shiite humans pampango Sep 2014 #55
Too bad. So sad. FrodosPet Sep 2014 #58
No sh!t, Sherlock! But the MIC must be fed. And it's very, very HUNGRY!!! blkmusclmachine Sep 2014 #61
As Einstein so eloquently said... 99Forever Sep 2014 #65
Bookmarked for later Raven Sep 2014 #66
yea GummyBearz Sep 2014 #72
What a brilliant comeback! Seriously, with forward thinking like that SomethingFishy Sep 2014 #73
Sure GummyBearz Sep 2014 #86
Wow... yeah you hit that nerve people do SomethingFishy Sep 2014 #94
Great point GummyBearz Sep 2014 #95
Haskell Wexler interview maddiemom Sep 2014 #115
Does he mean the smoking gun won't come in the form of a mushroom cloud? marmar Sep 2014 #74
But they took babies out of the incubators!!! U4ikLefty Sep 2014 #75
knr Douglas Carpenter Sep 2014 #76
He also praised the drone program in his talk. KittyWampus Sep 2014 #77
The "Experts" Praised the Drone Program.. well the OP should love that. Cha Sep 2014 #79
Why would the Saudis take care of the problem Aerows Sep 2014 #91
Some days, it seems like we've become the Saudi's adjunct army suffragette Sep 2014 #119
Senator Sanders disagrees.. Cha Sep 2014 #78
News flash: Sanders and Warren not infallible! Vattel Sep 2014 #89
I agree greytdemocrat Sep 2014 #83
Iraq Invasion Part 2 bobGandolf Sep 2014 #85
Tell that to the folks in Mosul. DCBob Sep 2014 #90
Threaten to send in the police. Aerows Sep 2014 #92
Why is it our business AnalystInParadise Sep 2014 #99
I was replying to the subject of the op that the threat of ISIS is a "farce". DCBob Sep 2014 #116
Lying to us, always, is the new normal. 99Forever Sep 2014 #93
ISIS is 878,000 times worse than Hitler nikto Sep 2014 #98
K&R. lob1 Sep 2014 #104
Groundhog's Day. john kale Sep 2014 #106
It's a farce because they all wear similar Halloween costumes Amonester Sep 2014 #120
this needs a J_J_ Sep 2014 #122

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
2. Nuh uh!
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 04:15 PM
Sep 2014

ISIS is, like, worser than a thousand Hitlers, you dirty fucking hippies! Worser than a thousand Hitlers squared, even. Worser than, um, Hitler times Stalin times Justin Bieber to the infinity!

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
46. That sounds more comfortable than sticking my head in the sand
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 03:44 PM
Sep 2014

I suppose if you close your eyes so you cannot see a predator, then he is not really there?

I am surprised you are not telling me to go join the military. Too late...been there, done that many years ago, back in Cold War I. But yes, if I was not a physical wreck, and therefore a detriment to combat operations, I would volunteer.

There are LOTS of evil assholes in this world, but this particular group of evil assholes holds a special place in endangering the entire fucking planet by potentially igniting a nuclear war.

Going lalalala I can't see you I can't hear you therefore you don't exist is naive beyond comprehension.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
50. Is whatever you're wetting your pants about better or worse than this?
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 04:20 PM
Sep 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2012/jan/12/video-us-troops-urinating-taliban

If you can't tell from the link, it's a video of some star-spangled, freckle-faced fightin' men pissing on the corpses of their vanquished foes. But I interrupted you. What were you saying about evil assholes and how to deal with them?

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
51. These troops are evil as well, and need to spend decades in prison
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 04:25 PM
Sep 2014

But I really do not believe that the U.S. military as a whole goes around shooting, decapitating, or crucifying fleeing, unarmed people. Do some sick individuals? Perhaps.

C'mon, though - try some more!

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
52. Yes, they WERE court martialed for doing that.
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 04:34 PM
Sep 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/24/us-marines-charged-dead-taliban

Two US marines are facing criminal charges for urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, after their actions were caught on a video that circulated widely on the internet, the US military said on Monday.

Staff sergeants Joseph W Chamblin and Edward W Deptola will face courts martial, the first criminal charges faced by anyone over the incident. The video prompted widespread anger in Afghanistan earlier this year; the Afghan President Hamid Karzai called the marines' actions "inhuman".

Chamblin and Deptola, were also charged with "posing for unofficial photographs with human casualties", and will face charges over failing to report or stop misconduct by junior marines, the military said. Three marines have already been disciplined over the urination incident.

~ snip ~


------------------------------------------

It appears that you are desperate to see America First In Worst, but this is a bad example for you. The unauthorized actions, and subsequent punishment are not the equivalent to "Clanging Of The Swords IV". Now if the Marine Corps itself were to make a recruiting video out of urinating on fallen enemies, you may have a case.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
53. The Marine Corps DID make a recruiting video out of that
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 05:24 PM
Sep 2014

And you seem to have figured out who they recruited. So more of the same against these new recruits will surely wipe out all of them and we'll be safe-safe-safe forever and ever!

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
60. We are NEVER going to be safe in this universe
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 07:43 PM
Sep 2014

Until the final extinction of humanity, there is going to be war. We are ultimately biological creatures, mammals at that. This makes us naturally self preservationists.

By staying out of the current conflict, we MAY get lucky and everyone gets bored and goes home. Or the other nations and groups geographically closer will step up and take the hit with terrorism and internal upheavals. At least, let's hope so.

In any case, we ARE going, we ARE bombing, and unless Rand Paul gets elected, it is pretty likely the next President will keep going until ???

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)
67. Please explain how ISIS could start a nuclear war.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 11:00 AM
Sep 2014

Are they attacking countries that have nuclear weapons?

Do any countries that have nuclear weapons support them?

My opinion: ISIS is a threat. Not necessarily a military threat. They are not a large army and they thus far have no air force.

But if they succeed in taking over territory and controlling it, they are a) unlikely to install a civil, peaceful government but rather are likely to continue dictatorial, cruel, destructive rule possibly including a lot of internal intrigue and slaughter, and b) embolden groups like themselves to try to take territory in other parts of the world (this has already been going in in Africa for generations).

I do not think that ISIS presents an enormous military challenge, but they certainly are a threat to the world and therefore to us. The threat is not the traditional kind of threat. They symbolize anarchy, not admitted anarchy but rather irresponsible, disorganized and extremely undemocratic, probably successive dictatorships. They do not represent a potential future that the US should allow to happen. It probably will not take enormous military commitment to stop them and thereby stop the trend toward anarchy in the Middle East and possibly elsewhere.

On the Road

(20,783 posts)
82. Please explain how ISIS could start a nuclear war
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 04:45 PM
Sep 2014

If ISIS establishes a stable territory for any period of time, the most direct way to go nuclear would be via Pakistan. Pakistan's military has maintained tight control of their nuclear arsenal in the face of widespread extremism, but ISIS has many, many sympathizers in Pakistan, including within the military. If there is sufficient support and resolve in the right places, there are may ways that a nuclear device could be stolen or commandeered. In comparison with most rogue states, ISIS seems more inclined to actually use nukes if they can get them.

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)
84. Thanks. A lot of ifs, but thannks.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 04:48 PM
Sep 2014

Why, after all our time in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India still have nuclear capacity, I do not know. They should not feel that they need it. It makes them more vulnerable to nuclear attack. Same for all countries including our own.

On the Road

(20,783 posts)
107. Well, It Makes Them Subject to Nuclear Attack for Certain Reasons
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 11:55 PM
Sep 2014

On the other hand, if the US had destroyed its entire nuclear stock and Russia was still sitting on theirs, the balance of power would be significantly different today, and the US would probably not felt free to taunt the Russian dynamite monkey. Ukraine, Syria, and ISIS would probably have proceeded differently, much more according to Russian wishes.

Al Qaida never had much of a safe harbor except in a few backwards areas like Kandahar, Waziristan, and similar regions. The danger of ISIS is not so much in their possession of a piece of desert. It is having the apparatus of a state supporting what is basically a larger and more aggressive Al Qaida with some Baathist money, hardware, and knowhow. ISIS also provides a state-like entity which can pursue attacks and other plans with infinitely greater freedom than some terrorists hiding in caves. This would very possibly include a coordinated effort to acquire a Pakistani nuclear weapon.

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)
112. Interesting. ISIS, I suspect is more like a gang than a state, but it could develop into
Sun Sep 14, 2014, 02:14 AM
Sep 2014

a state after a lot of internal struggle over the pecking order.

We need to be very careful about what groups we decide to ally ourselves with.

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
57. You have a good point. No need for fear.
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 07:27 PM
Sep 2014

I am never going to leave the United States, I am staying away from retail locations and large crowds, and I suspect that if Islamic extremists ever tried anything like what is in the video in my neighborhood, they would be outmatched in firepower by the residents.

But for people who are anything other than a Sunni, a totally observant one at that, in the controlled areas of Iraq or Syria, ya, sux to be them. Their problem, their fight.

Lenomsky

(340 posts)
118. That is fucking horrific .. a caption might have helped.
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 09:36 AM
Sep 2014

Warning: don't click the link it's un-necessary just use your imagination - yes it's that awful!

 

MohRokTah

(15,429 posts)
3. The threat of terrorism to the US is absolutely minimal, though it most definitely exists.
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 04:18 PM
Sep 2014

It can be handled at the current time entirely by our international intelligence gathering agencies and domestic law enforcement, which is no different than any other international terrorist threat out there.

The threat to our allies in Europe is somewhat more than to us, mostly due to the fluid border between Iraq and Turkey, given the number of European citizens caught up in the middle of ISIL.

They_Live

(3,231 posts)
87. I think you're on the right track with this
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 06:56 PM
Sep 2014

and I thought the same thing about Benghazi. It's either Cheney or perhaps Sheldon Adelson. Any number of .01% sociopaths. It's actually cheaper than buying elections here. What's to stop them?

freebrew

(1,917 posts)
121. Most likely truer than any of us can imagine.
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 11:19 AM
Sep 2014

Too bad there wasn't any real investigation of 911. What led to it, what * knew and when he knew it.

Did cheney order 93 shot down? Why was bin Laden killed instead of captured and interrogated?

Many, many questions. It's only a conspiracy theory until it's proved right, then it's a crime.

Follow the money.

 

Tierra_y_Libertad

(50,414 posts)
6. But..but..we must DO SOMETHING!! However, stupid and self defeating it may be.
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 04:23 PM
Sep 2014

See Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, and Afghanistan (not to mention the dozens of others) for precedents.

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
10. Oh man, you made me laugh...
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 04:34 PM
Sep 2014

You can always count on the good ole USofA to do something stupid and self defeating!


Glad to see this thread got a little attention.. thought it was gonna drop without a reply..

treestar

(82,383 posts)
7. I was wondering about that
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 04:25 PM
Sep 2014

ISIL seems more interested in taking over the ME, so far I have not seen much information that they are planning terror attacks here.

canuckledragger

(1,636 posts)
62. Check out any right-wingnut source
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 08:17 AM
Sep 2014

Or the trolls in the comments section on any liberal page and they'll tell you that there are millions of ISIL/ISIS members waiting to storm across the mexican border any moment now!

libodem

(19,288 posts)
8. At least they are not calling them
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 04:28 PM
Sep 2014

Al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq. I think the CIA still works for Cheney and they want to drum up business for the MIC and Halliburton. The Arms Cartels need to push some products.

mazzarro

(3,450 posts)
22. BINGO! I think Assad is the primary target
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 05:56 PM
Sep 2014

Much as they try to hide their aim, I believe that they want a way to get at Assad especially now that Russia is essentially preoccupied with Ukraine.

flamingdem

(39,313 posts)
16. Well they are a threat to stability in the ME
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 04:56 PM
Sep 2014

And that means US interests. We're the only country that can stop ethnic cleansing etc - this is not the same war and a vote should decide if and how it happens.

 

FlatStanley

(327 posts)
27. How can you threaten the stability of an unstable region?
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 07:40 AM
Sep 2014

And what evidence exists that we have ever successfully stablized that region in the past to suggest we can succeed in stabilizing it now?

Laelth

(32,017 posts)
17. IS isn't much of a direct threat to the United States.
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 05:02 PM
Sep 2014

But it is a direct threat to our allies because it could disrupt the flow of energy resources from the Middle East to Western Europe.

That's why we're getting involved. More HERE.

-Laelth

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
20. Respectfully, that isn't going to get me on board...
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 05:19 PM
Sep 2014

It has become the norm to shoot first and try to find a better solution later. It hasn't worked and it will not work. The US is being goaded into attacking ISIS. We are doing exactly what they want us to. And recruitment will go up.

Laelth

(32,017 posts)
21. That's the nature of our republic, I suppose.
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 05:25 PM
Sep 2014

The people don't have to be "on board" any longer in order for us to go to war.

That said, I think our allies and energy matter a great deal. The President seems to agree.



-Laelth

NickB79

(19,233 posts)
64. And pass the costs on to us through higher energy costs
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 08:23 AM
Sep 2014

Despite the recent (and likely short-lived) oil and gas boom in the US, we still import lots of oil here.

We're fucked either way.

 

grahamhgreen

(15,741 posts)
71. Exactly! Thus bringing down the cost of wind & solar further! They need to pay, we should not
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 01:05 PM
Sep 2014

subsidize their dying industry any more.

TheKentuckian

(25,023 posts)
49. Our allies can protect their own interests here. They have overwhelming air superiority
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 04:17 PM
Sep 2014

for the situation as do others right there in the region.

I also notice that our allies have not only the military capacity but the economic ability to secure their resources and their citizens are not liable for a fucking penny but WE are responsible for the cost at the expense of our own economic security and justice.

Fuck that! A bunch of flimsy rationalizations that are weak, short sighted, and self defeating even accepting the premise.

The most impacted nations have more than enough ability to deal with the situation and being the ones closest to the problem are less likely to entirely screw the pooch.

We are talking some of the most powerful countries in the world in this mix. We are talking nuclear powers. I call bullshit on the whole line of argument.

OilemFirchen

(7,143 posts)
19. Who says this?
Thu Sep 11, 2014, 05:11 PM
Sep 2014
...with claims that the nation is honeycombed with sleeper cells, that operatives are streaming across the border into Texas or that the group will soon be spraying Ebola virus on mass transit systems — all on the basis of no corroborated information,” said Mr. Benjamin, who is now a scholar at Dartmouth College.

Oh. Right-wing lunatics.

What does this have to do with the Administration's rationale?

deutsey

(20,166 posts)
31. +1 Excellent
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 08:55 AM
Sep 2014

"If By 'Funny' You Mean "Tragic and Appalling'"

That got a bitter, jaded laugh out of me.

BrotherIvan

(9,126 posts)
44. Best description of my feelings concerning this and every other propaganda-driven adventure
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 02:27 PM
Sep 2014

I would add "weary, futile, and forlorn" and that would be just about right.

Cha

(297,138 posts)
81. You can show that to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders..
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 04:41 PM
Sep 2014

Bernie stands with the President on this "Enormously complicated issue".. as he calls it. He disagrees with staying out of ISIS like some around are clamoring on about.



As he stated it's an "International effort" and guess what.. "they have to put money in it too."

Hartman and he talked about one republiCon saying.. they'll "blast him if it doesn't work and ask why he didn't do it sooner if it does." Sounds like a familiar whine.

Senators Warren and Sanders are on board with the President..

FrodosPet http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5527989

Cha

(297,138 posts)
100. That's exactly right.. like this "expert" in the OP.. I'm going with Bernie, Elizabeth, and the
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 11:35 PM
Sep 2014

President.

 

ballyhoo

(2,060 posts)
97. Don't agree with him at all. We're
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 10:32 PM
Sep 2014

being conned and for us to accept this con after being conned so many times is ignominious.

Cha

(297,138 posts)
111. Senators Bernie Sanders and Warren agree with President Obama
Sun Sep 14, 2014, 12:58 AM
Sep 2014

Bernie stands with the President on this "Enormously complicated issue".. as he calls it. He disagrees with staying out of ISIS like some around are clamoring on about.



As he stated it's an "International effort" and guess what.. "they have to put money in it too."

Hartman and he talked about one republiCon saying.. they'll "blast him if it doesn't work and ask why he didn't do it sooner if it does." Sounds like a familiar whine.

Senators Warren and Sanders are on board with the President..

FrodosPet http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5527989

I think it's a little more complicated than "capitalism", Lmsp.

deutsey

(20,166 posts)
30. I've heard other ME experts debunk the hype growing around ISIS
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 08:52 AM
Sep 2014

They don't downplay the danger of this group, but they also encourage keeping the real threat in perspective.

 

randome

(34,845 posts)
32. That applies to their tactical capabilities. Not to the atrocities they cause.
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 09:00 AM
Sep 2014
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2014/09/don_t_watch_isis_s_murder_of_steven_sotloff_honor_him_by_remembering_the.html

Start with Monday’s testimony before the U.N. Human Rights Council. The documented incidents include 1,700 captives executed in Tikrit, Iraq, and 650 in Mosul, Iraq. Some 1,000 Turkmen massacred, including 100 children. More than 2,000 women and children kidnapped. “Systematic hunting of members of ethnic and religious groups.” Women raped and sold. Young boys executed. Girls enslaved for sexual abuse. Children recruited as suicide bombers. More than 1 million refugees, half of them kids.

You want to hide your head in the sand, fine. But I'm on board with stopping this shit.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.
[/center][/font][hr]
 

toby jo

(1,269 posts)
33. This is bad - send in the UN
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 09:16 AM
Sep 2014

We need to stop massaging the pentagon with every crisis that arises. It's global military bloat that's killing us.

 

randome

(34,845 posts)
35. The U.N. has some resources but not on our scale.
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 09:24 AM
Sep 2014

I agree we spend an ungodly amount of money on the military but this expenditure is likely a drop in that huge bucket.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.
[/center][/font][hr]

VA_Jill

(9,965 posts)
36. Of course
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 10:34 AM
Sep 2014

It's the new "Commies under the bed". How many of us are old enough to remember THAT? Or at least Dylan's "Talking John Birch Blues":

I looked up in my chimney hole
Looked down in my toilet bowl
Just missed 'em…

DallasNE

(7,402 posts)
37. I Have Long Thought
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 11:40 AM
Sep 2014

That people need to stop the testosterone injections because all we ever hear is from the penis gallery.

 

J_J_

(1,213 posts)
38. Every American President in the past quarter century has now gone on television during prime time to
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 12:48 PM
Sep 2014

Tell the nation and the world that he has decided to bomb Iraq.


If that doesn't expose this whole load of BS, I don't know what will.

Atman

(31,464 posts)
42. Oh, who could have guessed?
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 02:13 PM
Sep 2014

A trumped up war promoted by the Military Industrial Complex? Say it ain't so!

deaniac21

(6,747 posts)
45. ISIL
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 03:17 PM
Sep 2014

seems to be pretty nice people to me and they deserve to have a country. They will help stabilize the region. They have to have something going or people wouldn't come from all over the world to join them.

Cha

(297,138 posts)
80. Bullshit.. you can give that to Senator Bernie Sanders, too..
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 04:40 PM
Sep 2014

Bernie stands with the President on this "Enormously complicated issue".. as he calls it. He disagrees with staying out of ISIS like some around are clamoring on about.



As he stated it's an "International effort" and guess what.. "they have to put money in it too."

Hartman and he talked about one republiCon saying.. they'll "blast him if it doesn't work and ask why he didn't do it sooner if it does." Sounds like a familiar whine.

Senators Warren and Sanders are on board with the President..

FrodosPet http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5527989

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
59. Then we can become friends with whoever is left at the end!
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 07:33 PM
Sep 2014

Since we stayed out of it, they will start to like us.

pampango

(24,692 posts)
55. Not a threat to the US. At least certainly not now. They are a threat to women, gay & Shiite humans
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 05:45 PM
Sep 2014

who were not born in the USA.

We can certainly ignore them. They are not threat to us personally or nationally.

ISIS is not coming for us,
they are coming for Iraqi and Syrian women,
they are coming for Iraqi and Syrian gays,
they are coming for Iraqi and Syrian Shiites,
they are coming for Iraqi and Syrian minority religions,
they are not coming for us.

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
58. Too bad. So sad.
Fri Sep 12, 2014, 07:31 PM
Sep 2014


When in Rome (I mean Mosul), do as the Romans do. Start praising Allah as hard as you can, hide as much as you can, run as fast as you can, and hope you get lucky.

99Forever

(14,524 posts)
65. As Einstein so eloquently said...
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 08:50 AM
Sep 2014
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

The War Machine demands blood and treasure and will NEVER stop finding the next "worst boogeyman EVER" and pounding the war drum.

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
73. What a brilliant comeback! Seriously, with forward thinking like that
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 03:12 PM
Sep 2014

it's amazing we are losing the War On Terrorism!

And it wasn't me that made the claims. It was Obama's counterterrorism experts. But what do they know, they are only in possession of all the classified data. Where as you have your chair and your PC and the internet.

 

GummyBearz

(2,931 posts)
86. Sure
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 05:02 PM
Sep 2014

Sure hit a nerve with that simple statement I see. Btw, if Obama's experts dont consider IS a threat, why is Obama building a coalition to go bomb them? hurrrrr...

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)
94. Wow... yeah you hit that nerve people do
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 08:12 PM
Sep 2014

when they have no idea what they are talking about but continue to flap their gums.

If you need me to explain how politics works and how there is an election coming up and how Democrats can't afford to look weak then you best do some research before you ask me another question you should already know the answer to.

Have a nice day.

 

GummyBearz

(2,931 posts)
95. Great point
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 09:01 PM
Sep 2014

Great reasoning... We have an election coming up, so we better fucking bomb someone to rally support!! Bush would be proud

maddiemom

(5,106 posts)
115. Haskell Wexler interview
Sun Sep 14, 2014, 09:31 AM
Sep 2014

Seems you haven't see Foley's interview with Haskell Wexler from a few years back. Check it out: more food for thought.

 

KittyWampus

(55,894 posts)
77. He also praised the drone program in his talk.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 04:29 PM
Sep 2014

Both Benjamin and Townsend praised the drone program, noting that drone strikes had been highly precise and vital in taking out terrorist leadership.

http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2014/09/11/counterterrorism-experts-debate-isis-threat-foreign-policy

I thought it pretty clear ISIL is seen as a regional threat for now.

Last Edit- wouldn't be nice if Saudis etc stepped up and took care of this on their own?

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
91. Why would the Saudis take care of the problem
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 07:08 PM
Sep 2014

that they caused when they can just get us to do it for them?

If we wanted to destabilize the area we ought to just send in the Ferguson police department. Keep the military at home, send in the police. If that doesn't scare the shit out of terrorists, nothing will.

suffragette

(12,232 posts)
119. Some days, it seems like we've become the Saudi's adjunct army
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 10:25 AM
Sep 2014

Deploying when, where and how they decide.

Cha

(297,138 posts)
78. Senator Sanders disagrees..
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 04:34 PM
Sep 2014

Bernie stands with the President on this "Enormously complicated issue".. as he calls it. He disagrees with staying out of ISIS like some around are clamoring on about.



As he stated it's an "International effort" and guess what.. "they have to put money in it too."

Hartman and he talked about one republiCon saying.. they'll "blast him if it doesn't work and ask why he didn't do it sooner if it does." Sounds like a familiar whine.

Senators Warren and Sanders are on board with the President..

FrodosPet http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5527989

bobGandolf

(871 posts)
85. Iraq Invasion Part 2
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 04:53 PM
Sep 2014

The ingredients are all the same:

Isis, threat to civilized, and uncivilized world
Invasion of U.S. imminent
Promises of strong international support
U.S. will pay all participating countries

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
92. Threaten to send in the police.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 07:10 PM
Sep 2014

If Barney Fife behind the wheel of an MRAP doesn't scare the ever living crap out of them, nothing will.

 

AnalystInParadise

(1,832 posts)
99. Why is it our business
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 10:56 PM
Sep 2014

what happens in Mosul. I did my time there, I have no wish to see any American waste another drop of blood for it.

DCBob

(24,689 posts)
116. I was replying to the subject of the op that the threat of ISIS is a "farce".
Sun Sep 14, 2014, 09:37 AM
Sep 2014

Its clearly not a farce.

99Forever

(14,524 posts)
93. Lying to us, always, is the new normal.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 07:13 PM
Sep 2014

I had hoped that it would have changed with the Democratic victory in 2008 or even 2012, but the War Machine demands to be fed.

It doesn't have to be like this.

Amonester

(11,541 posts)
120. It's a farce because they all wear similar Halloween costumes
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 11:09 AM
Sep 2014

So these comic yahoo's won't know what hit them went their apocalypse will be served to some of them

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