How would you wipe out ISIS?

[Ezra]

Go load up your guns practice what your preach.

Once again Ezra, have you ever served in the military? He Muslims need not to take root here as they have other countries, why do we let things get out of control until we take action? Illegal immigration should have been stopped long ago. Common sense isn't so common.

It's easy to send other people to fight to the death. If you want war. Load your guns and do it.

If you are not willing to go yourself or send your kids then it's just a bunch of hot air.

Actions instead of words.


What you are suggesting requires permission from God. (D&c 98)

If permission or commandment has not been given then what you are suggesting is not inline with God and I will continue to call you out on it.

And its easy to sit back and enjoy the freedoms these brave men have given you, like grow your marijuana and run off at the mouth. I will continue to call you out on your lack of patriotism and a propensity to argue every subject. News flash, there is permission from God to protect liberty , freedom and families, obviously you haven't read the Book of Mormon. Try and keep up.

Read Alma 48

What freedoms? More debt? More laws. More taxes. What freedoms have been gained by any wars or foreign aggression? Honestly name one freedom we have gained. You can't. Nice straw man. Patriotism doesn't equal freedoms. Patriotism equals blind followers to tyranny. Patriot act really gained freedoms there huh.

News flash wars of foreign aggression are not self protection. And it's you who needs not only read but actually ponder and take to heart the Book of Mormon.

Every war fought was on their own soil in self protection. Anytime they went on the offensive Gods protection was removed.

Why would God give us such clear guidance on war in both the Book of Mormon and d&c 98??? Why does he say that he will give us a commandment if it's justified? When has he ever given us a commandment to go to war? Any modern war? I don't remember every hearing the moderns prophets give that commandment.

Yet we have been scolded for being a warlike people. We have been commanded in scripture (that you ignore) to renounce war and proclaim peace.

I have many friend who currently serve in the military. Who have been to Afghanistan and who went to Iraq. My feelings on war have been deepened by their disgust of wars they fought. The corruption. The pointlessness of it.

Im am prepared to do as the righteous people's of the Book of Mormon did in protecting my homes and family and friends.

The USA will be destroyed if we continue to meddle in other countries affairs.

The backlash of our foreign meddling is what has caused so much of our current grief. You think continuing to meddle will solve it??? @-)

I don't grow marijuana. I grow industrial hemp for cbd oil and fiber. Once again I see how you are trying to twist things. The founding fathers of our country grew hemp as well.

Do yourself a favor and look up what the banking industry is in every county that went to war with befor and after.

You will find that in every case the county had gold or silver backed currency or very restrictive rules that didn't allow dept before. You know like what the constitution specifies we are supposed to have. Which we don't anymore because of corruption and evil. Which we then have spread to all those countries we went to war with.

We are not spreading more freedoms or gaining more. We are loosing freedoms with every conflict.

Awake to your awful situation.

[Original_Intent]

I'd start by stopping the bombing hundreds of thousands of civilians.

I know if one of my loved ones was killed by another country dropping bombs on me, and if my country did not have the means to defend itself, it just *might* radicalize me to try to exact revenge. Based on the numbers we have killed, I'm frankly amazed that we don't have a hundredfold larger terrorist problem than we do.

I know that people make fun of presidents that go on "apology tours" but in all seriousness, there are countries that we owe an apology and then some.

I would extend the hand of friendship and trade to any nation that was willing to do so in good faith and that would respect the rights of its citizens.

I do feel that organizations that persisted in terrorism against the U.S. should be dealt with, but I think offering bounties for the leaders of these groups would be more cost effective and would have massively less collateral damage.

[eddie]

And what if your loved one was killed this way;

BEIRUT, Lebanon — One of the worst chemical bombings in Syria turned a northern rebel-held area into a toxic kill zone on Tuesday, inciting international outrage over the ever-increasing government impunity shown in the country’s six-year war.

Dozens of people, including children, died — some writhing, choking, gasping or foaming at the mouth — after breathing in poison that possibly contained a nerve agent or other banned chemicals, according to witnesses, doctors and rescue workers. They said the toxic substance spread after warplanes dropped bombs in the early morning hours. Some rescue workers grew ill and collapsed from proximity to the dead.

Syria’s six-year-old civil war has been brutal, leading to a refugee crisis that is astonishing in its size and duration. Yet this week’s chemical attack on a village in a rebel-held area was one of the worst atrocities.

Doctors who treated the stricken and examined the dead say they were subjected to the banned nerve gas Sarin. Its use violates international law and civilized norms.

This line should not be crossed

Generally speaking, outside interference in civil wars is unwarranted and often counterproductive – no matter how well meaning.

But the use of chemical weapons crosses a line that should not be tolerated.

[harakim]

Harakim, all the evidence is against what you say. You accuse others of uncritical thinking, but either you are actually describing yourself or you have not bothered to actually look at what has happened to europe. Even the state department has finally admitted the truth and placed a strong warning against traveling to europe.

I'm not moving to Europe, so this is a moot point. I'm talking about America. We can look to a country like denmark, but we should probably be fair statistically and look to countries like Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Russia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and probably other European countries who have large minorities of muslims, but aren't in the news for it. (France is in the news and I'm sure has more Muslims per capita.)

The part that you're missing is that muslims are one of the most benign groups in America.
The US government kills way more civilians per government worker.
Police kills more people per officer than muslims in the US.
HIspanics kill people at a higher ratio than muslims in the US.
Black people kill WAY more civilians per captia. They target night clubs, gas stations, and very often, homes.
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/20 ... r_2013.xls

I would be surprised if, historically, muslims kill more Americans in America than the other way around. And one would have to be a complete imbecile to think muslims kill more americans than americans kill muslims worldwide.

I don't remember what I was saying about this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/no- ... 0ce61b4b93

Muslims ARE a threat. Statistically slight more of a threat as dying tangled in your bedsheets. You know who is a bigger threat? White people, black people, Mexicans, the government, police, dogs, horses, deer, possibly poisonous plants...

And what are you talking about with the welfare stuff? All of the muslims I have met in the US were in school for (or practicing) engineers or doctors except a few Saudis in college who were here to drink. That's obviously not 100% true, but the call center at my company is staffed with white and hispanic people, not muslims.

So I guess what I'd like is for you to explain to me how muslims in the US are more dangerous than Mexicans, whites or blacks. And don't talk about Europe since they have the EU that allows terrorists to come in indiscriminately. Talk about the US.

Do I want to let lots of muslims in to the US? NO! Do I want to let a lot of non-Americans from any country into the US? Equally, NO! But muslims are not the most dangerous element in our society by a long shot.

One last thing... your assertion that teancum was basically a suicide bomber is ridiculous too. He was nothing of the sort. He did not kill random people, he assassinated evil enemy generals/chiefs in a time of war. The book of mormon speaks highly of him because of his bravery in sneaking into lamanite camps to kill their wicked leaders, which actually saved nephite lives. He didn't go blow up a bunch of women and children or tourists, etc.

That's a good point.

[harakim]

And what if your loved one was killed this way;

BEIRUT, Lebanon — One of the worst chemical bombings in Syria turned a northern rebel-held area into a toxic kill zone on Tuesday, inciting international outrage over the ever-increasing government impunity shown in the country’s six-year war.

Dozens of people, including children, died — some writhing, choking, gasping or foaming at the mouth — after breathing in poison that possibly contained a nerve agent or other banned chemicals, according to witnesses, doctors and rescue workers. They said the toxic substance spread after warplanes dropped bombs in the early morning hours. Some rescue workers grew ill and collapsed from proximity to the dead.

Syria’s six-year-old civil war has been brutal, leading to a refugee crisis that is astonishing in its size and duration. Yet this week’s chemical attack on a village in a rebel-held area was one of the worst atrocities.

Doctors who treated the stricken and examined the dead say they were subjected to the banned nerve gas Sarin. Its use violates international law and civilized norms.

This line should not be crossed

Generally speaking, outside interference in civil wars is unwarranted and often counterproductive – no matter how well meaning.

But the use of chemical weapons crosses a line that should not be tolerated.

In case you forgot, the previous chemical attacks turned out to be US supported rebels.
Here is some more food for thought
http://reason.com/archives/2017/03/24/d ... orist-atta

I am with Ezra. If you join the military and are prepared to fight in the wars you talk about, then you have some credibility. If you don't have skin in the game, you're just looking for a handout. Why do you think you can send other people to die in war so you can have a "safe space"?

[Rensai]

Harakim, all the evidence is against what you say. You accuse others of uncritical thinking, but either you are actually describing yourself or you have not bothered to actually look at what has happened to europe. Even the state department has finally admitted the truth and placed a strong warning against traveling to europe.

I'm not moving to Europe, so this is a moot point. I'm talking about America. We can look to a country like denmark, but we should probably be fair statistically and look to countries like Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Russia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and probably other European countries who have large minorities of muslims, but aren't in the news for it. (France is in the news and I'm sure has more Muslims per capita.)

Europe is not a moot point, its an example of what bringing muslims into a western country will get you. But you want more examples..

Austria's in fear of migrants: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/758 ... ily-Vienna

russia plagued by islamic attacks: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/03 ... tacks.html

Philippines: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... -of-marawi

There is lots of news from any country with very many muslims in it.

The part that you're missing is that muslims are one of the most benign groups in America.
The US government kills way more civilians per government worker.
Police kills more people per officer than muslims in the US.
HIspanics kill people at a higher ratio than muslims in the US.
Black people kill WAY more civilians per captia. They target night clubs, gas stations, and very often, homes.
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/20 ... r_2013.xls

The part your missing is even if they are peaceful for now, which they won't remain, but even if so, they still want to overthrow our government and replace it with Sharia! I showed you a poll already, over half of them admit they want Sharia. Their ideology allows all kinds of evil and barbaric practices and they will enact it anywhere they can.

Here's more about welfare for you:
91% of muslim refugees take welfare: http://investmentwatchblog.com/usa-musl ... o-go-back/

The point being, its not just about terror attacks, they are bad for our country in many other ways too.

[eddie]

The Musings of the Big Red Car
51 years and 200,000 miles of wisdom



Syria — Messaging And Collateral Damage
Posted on April 7, 2017 by Big Red Car
Big Red Car here pondering the fallout from America’s fifty-nine Tomahawk cruise missile strike against the Syrian airbase from which Bashar al Assad launched the airborne Sarin gas attack against his people earlier this week. President Trump took it out without telegraphing the punch and without talking it to death. Ahh, that’s refreshing, no? Syria!

Last night at 8:30 EDT, the Trump administration gave the world an insight into how this President will conduct the affairs of America’s foreign policy.

Trump speech
This guy is now in charge. He is a guy who favors action over words. New foreign policy. New military awareness. New outcomes?

Today, the world will be sorting out the message delivered. The Big Red Car will help y’all with that.


Syria — how did we get here, Big Red Car?

Syrian is run by a butcher, Bashar al Assad, who has killed half a million of his own people. <<< Please read that again. 500,000 dead Syrians and the world is not doing anything to get rid of this POS.

His family has been running Syria for almost half a century. He inherited the title from his father, another ruthless butcher. Believe it or not, the son-of-a-&!@$# is a doctor who studied in London.


Thugs shaking hands. The guy on the left is the Butcher of Syria, Bashar al Assad. The guy on the right is the Devil, Vladimir Putin of Russia. This is the face of evil in the world. Remember this.

In the euphoria of the Arab Spring, the Syrians began to resist the repressive regime and the regime began to annihilate the resistance. The casualty rolls are horrific as al Assad has killed or wounded approximately twelve percent of the pre-war population of Syria. This includes almost 20,000 women and 12,000 children. This butcher makes war against women and children.

This has resulted in a flood of refugees — 5,000,000 who have fled the country and 6,000,000 who have been internally displace (meaning they are no longer in their homes but still within the territorial boundaries of Syria). All of these refugees have to be settled somewhere, right? The best solution would be to return Syria to peace and let them go home, no?

He has deployed soldiers with rifles and crew-served weapons (machine guns), artillery, bombs (barrel bombs), and chemical weapons.

The al Assad regime is propped up by the Russians who want to continue to use Syria for a warm water port and airfields in the Middle East. For Russia, a thuggery in its own right, it is all about sticking their finger in the world’s eye, confronting a weak American President Obama, and the strategic implications of military facilities while regaining influence in the Middle East, having been run off after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

The Iranians have also stepped up their support of the al Assad regime which really clouds things as the Iranians have more than 100,000 troops in Iraq “helping” that country. If the war widens, the potential for a regional conflict driven by the Iranians is huge. The US under President Obama has really screwed Iraq up. We might as well have given Iraq to the Iranians as part of the Iranian nuclear deal.

What else, Big Red Car?

In addition to the above, the Obama administration floundered for eight years trying to sort out what it wanted to do in Syria. They whispered they were in favor of regime change and slipped support to those rebelling against al Assad. Not enough to make any real difference, but enough to let them chatter about it on Martha’s Vineyard and pretend they were badasses.

That created a problem because some of those folks they supported were al Qaeda in new robes or the beginnings of ISIS. ISIS has their freaking headquarters in Raqqa, Syria.

Then, President Obama in one of the most ill-advised utterances ever proclaimed that any additional use of chemical weapons would cross a RED LINE. He red lined them. [This is the diplomatic equivalent of your Dad saying, “You want me to stop this car? If I stop this car, somebody is getting a licking. You

Of course, as you know, when the Syrians actually used chemical weapons, our feckless President panicked and pretended to go to the Congress for authorization to use force (not actually required as there is a longstanding AUMF (authorization for the use of military force, a declaration of war bought on the cheap over at Overstock.com) and that didn’t go well.

The whole RED LINE crap turned into an embarrassing revelation of President Obama’s ineffectiveness and cowardice. Big talker, not so much on the doing. Made the US look stupid and weak.

So, the President did nothing. President is a bullsxxxx who actually never accomplished much while giving speech after speech after speech. [Admission: At first, the Big Red Car used to love to listen to the guy speechify. Not so much when they all turned out to be crap. The BRC did like the crying. Now, that was special, y’all.]

Then, there was the head fake with Syria turning in all of their chemical weapons — haha, the US cut a deal with a butcher to turn in all of his chemical weapons, paid for it, and just took him at his word, no kidding — and the US paying for their neutralization.

Hello, America, the butcher Bashar al Assad didn’t turn in ALL of his chemical weapons as recent events indicate. How stupid and naive can an administration be?

So, there you have it, feckless American foreign policy coupled with cowardly execution begat the Syrians, Russians, and the Iranians running amok with chemical weapons. Earlier this week, the Syrians used Sarin gas — a deadly nerve agent which assures immediate death — against their own people. Again. Again. Again.

Messages delivered

In addition to the obvious message — President Trump is not going to be telling the world about any RED LINES, he is going to take action without telegraphing it to the world. Syria wants to use an airfield to bomb its citizens with Sarin gas? This President is going to destroy that airfield. Game the on.

1. The Syrians and the Russians now know there is a new Sheriff in town and the Sheriff is not going to wait for the United Nations (whereat the Russians have a veto) to sit around and gaze at their navels while talking, talking, talking. This President is going to act and act with tactical surprise and fierceness.

2. The thug-love-prom-queen-date with Putin is in the trash can. Pretty sure this is going to take the starch out of the Trump-Putin thug love conspiracy theorists. Maybe not?

Putin picture middle finger
Hey, President Trump, you bombed my boys in Syria. WTF is up with that? They’re a sovereign country and I’ve had a good run with that Obama guy. Can we talk?

3. The Chinese President Xi was sitting down to a nice steak (no cheeseburgers as Candidate Trump threatened, broken campaign promise, y’all, one of the first) at Mar a Lago with President Trump and their wives when our President leaned over and said,

“By the way, President Xi, a minute ago, I had my Navy destroy the airfield from whence that butcher Assad mounted his chemical attack against his own people. Might want to consider that when we talk about whatwe’re going to do about that Kim Il Mojo. Your steak good? Bit of bernaise, maybe? Oh, yeah, we need to talk about your “instant islands” in the South China Sea. More mushrooms, pal?”

Hello, China. North Korea? Yeah, we have a lot more Tomahawk missiles.

4. The guy who lost his dinner last night was Kim Il Mojo the leader of North Korea who thinks he can be a nuclear pain in the entire world’s xxx with impunity. Hey, Kimmie, you’re next.

Kim 2
You’re next, Fat Boy. Yeah, you and your goofy hat and your goofy hatted generals. Get ready.

5. So, yes, the relationship with Russia is on a whole different plane now. No RESET madness. Reset this, Russkis!

Reset button
Says the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, “This is way too easy. This woman is nuts. I’m going to call Vladimir and tell him to move on the Crimea. These Americans are into pussy hats.”

And, so there you have it, dear reader. We are a long way from getting the mess in Syria fixed, but the United States of America has a new leader who is going to take forceful action and not talk the world to death. We have needed a doer and not a talker for a long time. This is a good first step.

Pray for our President. Pray for America. Pray for our armed forces. Pray for the world. Pray for peace, but be ready to fight for it. We might just have a chance.

[harakim]

Almost all refugees take welfare. I think I've realized we are talking about two different things. I am talking about muslims vs other people and you are talking about migrants for US citizens. I agree almost completely with your assessment of the migrant situation. You just keep saying it's muslims that are an issue.

Your russian article is a good piece of information. I'll have to investigate the Chechen war a little more before I can figure out how I feel about that. However, those attacks mentioned in the article, which happened over a span of 20 years, constitute less murders than happen every month in the US.

I think you do have some points regarding multi-culturalism:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11559451
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzmzYUZ ... edit?pli=1

I'm just not convinced Muslims are more dangerous than any other ethnic minority.

[eddie]

Philippines: Hundreds-of-thousands flee city as ISIS terrorists “slaughter” Christians and capture churchgoers
May 26, 2017 | News |
Philippines: Hundreds-of-thousands flee city as ISIS terrorists “slaughter” Christians and capture churchgoers
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled the impoverished city of Marawi in the southern part of The Philippines amid reports that jihadis have begun slaughtering people they identify as Christians.

On Wednesday members of the ISIS-inspired Maute Islamist group stormed the Cathedral of Our Lady Help, in Marawi city on Mindanao island, and abducted church staff including Father Chito Suganob and worshipers.

‘They have threatened to kill the hostages if the government forces unleashed against them are not recalled,’ Filipino Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a statement.

The bodies of nine people, reported to be Christians, were pictured lying dead in a field just outside the city on Thursday. They had been rounded up by ISIS troops, bound by their hands and shot dead in the field. And there are reports that this is just one of many cases where Christians are being slaughtered by the terrorist group.

Jan Yamit, a 23-year-old health worker, watched in horror as the militants shot a police officer and then a security guard before storming into the building he and his brother were in. They escaped using a plank of wood as a bridge to the build next to them.

“They kill defenceless people”, he said. “Those who were killed were Christians.”

The attacks on Christians have caused hundreds-of-thousands of people to flee the city, according to the Daily Mail. The Philippines military sent hundreds of soldiers and dozens of armoured vehicles to escort the civilians as they fled the area.

Philippine forces have been battling Islamic terrorists for control of the city of Marawai since Tuesday, when security forces raided a house they believed Isnilon Hapilon, leader of the infamous Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and Philippine head of ISIS, was hiding.

The United States regards Hapilon as one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, offering a bounty of $5million for his capture.

More than 100 gunmen responded to the raid by burning buildings, including churches, schools and a hospital, and conducting other diversionary tactics, according to Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.



Security analysts say Hapilon has been trying to unite Filipino militant groups that have professed allegiance to IS.

Speaking on Friday, Solicitor General Jose Calida said: ‘What’s happening in Mindanao is no longer a rebellion of Filipino citizens.

‘It has transmogrified into invasion by foreign terrorists, who heeded the call of the ISIS to go to the Philippines if they find difficulty in going to Iraq and Syria.’

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has imposed martial law in the region, said on Friday that he is willing to talk with militants in order to resolve the crisis.

‘My message mainly to the terrorists on the other side is we can still solve this through dialogue,’ he said.

Despite wanting to resolve this issue through dialogue, Duterte is not shy of using military force against the terorrists. Backed by tanks and helicopters, Philippine government forces launched “precision attacks” Thursday to clear terrorists.

There are reports that around 11 government troops and 32 terrorists have been killed in the fighting.

The Philippines has the fourth largest Christian population in with world, with more than 92% of its 100 million people being Christian, mainly Catholic. Despite its large Christian population, the southern part of the country has long had trouble with Islamic terrorist groups.

[Fiannan]

These two Kurdish women have the right idea. One ISIS member + a bullet to the head = no problem.

[larsenb]

One researcher's take on the origin of ISIS, located at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/america-cr ... up/5402881

Extract:

America Created Al-Qaeda and the ISIS Terror Group
By Garikai Chengu
Global Research, May 23, 2017
Global Research 19 September 2014
Region: Middle East & North Africa
Theme: Intelligence, Terrorism, US NATO War Agenda

Incisive article originally published by GR in September 2014.

Terror attacks in Western cities (Manchester, Paris, Brussels, Nice) allegedly perpetrated by Al Qaeda-ISIS.

Following the tragic events in Manchester, public opinion should be informed as to who is behind the Islamic State.

The question that should be asked: who are the State sponsors of Al Qaeda and the ISIS? (M.Ch. GR Editor, May 23, 2016)

* * *

Much like Al Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) is made-in-the-USA, an instrument of terror designed to divide and conquer the oil-rich Middle East and to counter Iran’s growing influence in the region.

The fact that the United States has a long and torrid history of backing terrorist groups will surprise only those who watch the news and ignore history.

The CIA first aligned itself with extremist Islam during the Cold War era. Back then, America saw the world in rather simple terms: on one side, the Soviet Union and Third World nationalism, which America regarded as a Soviet tool; on the other side, Western nations and militant political Islam, which America considered an ally in the struggle against the Soviet Union.

The director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan, General William Odom recently remarked, “by any measure the U.S. has long used terrorism. In 1978-79 the Senate was trying to pass a law against international terrorism – in every version they produced, the lawyers said the U.S. would be in violation.”

During the 1970’s the CIA used the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as a barrier, both to thwart Soviet expansion and prevent the spread of Marxist ideology among the Arab masses. The United States also openly supported Sarekat Islam against Sukarno in Indonesia, and supported the Jamaat-e-Islami terror group against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Pakistan. Last but certainly not least, there is Al Qaeda.

Lest we forget, the CIA gave birth to Osama Bin Laden and breastfed his organization during the 1980’s. Former British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, told the House of Commons that Al Qaeda was unquestionably a product of Western intelligence agencies. Mr. Cook explained that Al Qaeda, which literally means an abbreviation of “the database” in Arabic, was originally the computer database of the thousands of Islamist extremists, who were trained by the CIA and funded by the Saudis, in order to defeat the Russians in Afghanistan.

America’s relationship with Al Qaeda has always been a love-hate affair. Depending on whether a particular Al Qaeda terrorist group in a given region furthers American interests or not, the U.S. State Department either funds or aggressively targets that terrorist group. Even as American foreign policy makers claim to oppose Muslim extremism, they knowingly foment it as a weapon of foreign policy.

The Islamic State is its latest weapon that, much like Al Qaeda, is certainly backfiring. ISIS recently rose to international prominence after its thugs began beheading American journalists. Now the terrorist group controls an area the size of the United Kingdom.

In order to understand why the Islamic State has grown and flourished so quickly, one has to take a look at the organization’s American-backed roots. The 2003 American invasion and occupation of Iraq created the pre-conditions for radical Sunni groups, like ISIS, to take root. America, rather unwisely, destroyed Saddam Hussein’s secular state machinery and replaced it with a predominantly Shiite administration. The U.S. occupation caused vast unemployment in Sunni areas, by rejecting socialism and closing down factories in the naive hope that the magical hand of the free market would create jobs. Under the new U.S.-backed Shiite regime, working class Sunni’s lost hundreds of thousands of jobs. Unlike the white Afrikaners in South Africa, who were allowed to keep their wealth after regime change, upper class Sunni’s were systematically dispossessed of their assets and lost their political influence. Rather than promoting religious integration and unity, American policy in Iraq exacerbated sectarian divisions and created a fertile breading ground for Sunni discontent, from which Al Qaeda in Iraq took root.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) used to have a different name: Al Qaeda in Iraq. After 2010 the group rebranded and refocused its efforts on Syria.

There are essentially three wars being waged in Syria: one between the government and the rebels, another between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and yet another between America and Russia. It is this third, neo-Cold War battle that made U.S. foreign policy makers decide to take the risk of arming Islamist rebels in Syria, because Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, is a key Russian ally. Rather embarrassingly, many of these Syrian rebels have now turned out to be ISIS thugs, who are openly brandishing American-made M16 Assault rifles.

America’s Middle East policy revolves around oil and Israel. The invasion of Iraq has partially satisfied Washington’s thirst for oil, but ongoing air strikes in Syria and economic sanctions on Iran have everything to do with Israel. The goal is to deprive Israel’s neighboring enemies, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestine’s Hamas, of crucial Syrian and Iranian support.

ISIS is not merely an instrument of terror used by America to topple the Syrian government; it is also used to put pressure on Iran.

The last time Iran invaded another nation was in 1738. Since independence in 1776, the U.S. has been engaged in over 53 military invasions and expeditions. Despite what the Western media’s war cries would have you believe, Iran is clearly not the threat to regional security, Washington is. An Intelligence Report published in 2012, endorsed by all sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies, confirms that Iran ended its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Truth is, any Iranian nuclear ambition, real or imagined, is as a result of American hostility towards Iran, and not the other way around.

America is using ISIS in three ways: to attack its enemies in the Middle East, to serve as a pretext for U.S. military intervention abroad, and at home to foment a manufactured domestic threat, used to justify the unprecedented expansion of invasive domestic surveillance.

By rapidly increasing both government secrecy and surveillance, Mr. Obama’s government is increasing its power to watch its citizens, while diminishing its citizens’ power to watch their government. Terrorism is an excuse to justify mass surveillance, in preparation for mass revolt.

The so-called “War on Terror” should be seen for what it really is: a pretext for maintaining a dangerously oversized U.S. military. The two most powerful groups in the U.S. foreign policy establishment are the Israel lobby, which directs U.S. Middle East policy, and the Military-Industrial-Complex, which profits from the former group’s actions. Since George W. Bush declared the “War on Terror” in October 2001, it has cost the American taxpayer approximately 6.6 trillion dollars and thousands of fallen sons and daughters; but, the wars have also raked in billions of dollars for Washington’s military elite.

In fact, more than seventy American companies and individuals have won up to $27 billion in contracts for work in postwar Iraq and Afghanistan over the last three years, according to a recent study by the Center for Public Integrity. . . . . . . . . . . .

In 1997, a U.S. Department of Defense report stated, “the data show a strong correlation between U.S. involvement abroad and an increase in terrorist attacks against the U.S.” Truth is, the only way America can win the “War On Terror” is if it stops giving terrorists the motivation and the resources to attack America. Terrorism is the symptom; American imperialism in the Middle East is the cancer. Put simply, the War on Terror is terrorism; only, it is conducted on a much larger scale by people with jets and missiles.

Garikai Chengu is a research scholar at Harvard University. Contact him on [email protected]
The original source of this article is Global Research

[brianj]

These two Kurdish women have the right idea. One ISIS member + a bullet to the head = no problem.

I wish I could date one of them. Since that's unlikely, I wish I could send them ammo.