Tag: War

Video: Art Thompson on Dangers of Arming ‘Moderate’ Muslims

(via JBS HQ)

On Obama’s Iraq Airstrikes

I was away on personal business and I did not have a chance to comment on what’s happening in Iraq.

Here’s the video of the announcement from President Obama: (via The White House)

Now, there are doubters. Via the Daily Beast:

Friday morning, with a humanitarian mission already underway, the United States began airstrikes on ISIS in northern Iraq. What had been the U.S. policy—to rely on local forces to contain ISIS while waiting for a new Iraqi government to reach a political solution—is finished. The new policy is still taking shape, but it may eventually lead to more involvement from the special operations troops who have been in Iraq for weeks.

President Obama said Thursday night he had authorized airstrikes to protect American personnel and the Yazidi minority group stranded by ISIS on top of Mt. Sinjar. A senior administration official later stressed to reporters that U.S. forces were not launching a “sustained campaign” against ISIS in Iraq.

But with the Kurds, America’s closest allies in the fight, recovering from heavy losses, some analysts and military veterans say that airstrikes alone may not be enough to turn the tide. A sustained—if small-scale—campaign may be the only way to achieve that.

…..and, of course, the neocon hawks:

President Obama’s limited strikes on ISIS in northern Iraq are “pinpricks” that are “meaningless” and “worse than nothing,” according to one of his fiercest foreign policy critics, Sen. John McCain.

By committing U.S. military forces to fight again in Iraq while explicitly limiting the mission to protection of American personnel and Iraqi minorities, Obama has failed to come up with a plan that has any hope of stopping the ISIS advances across Iraq and Syria, said McCain. It’s a position that puts him somewhat at odds with other Republicans, who are offering cautious support for the airstrikes in Iraq – and concern that the president doesn’t have a comprehensive strategy to combat the growing threat of ISIS..

McCain, a consistent advocate for the application of American military power around the world, has long pushed for greater U.S. involvement in Iraq. But these strikes Friday were not what McCain had in mind.

“This is a pinprick,” McCain told The Daily Beast in an interview Friday, about the two 500-pound smart bombs U.S. airplanes dropped on ISIS convoys Friday. The vehicles were approaching Erbil, the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan, were many U.S. diplomatic and military personnel reside.

Now, honestly, I am going to give the President the benefit of the doubt and I am going to hope like heck, that the President knows just what the heck he is doing. As for what the President is doing and whether it will be enough or not — I have one thing to say about it — We will soon find out.

Because if it is not enough and we do kill some of those ISIS members; and it does not wipe them out and only strengthens them, we could very well find ourselves in another protracted battle in Iraq. I would hope that this would not be the case; but I have my doubts. I will say this: I highly doubt that President Obama will be as careless and reckless in his fighting this battle, as Bush was during the Iraq War that lasted for 8 years.

I just hope that I am right; for the sake of America.

Others: The American Conservative, Hot Air, Business Insider, his vorpal sword, Washington Post,National Review, Democracy in America, Informed Comment, The Moderate Voice, The Dish, Saudi Gazette, Spectator, VodkaPundit, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo and McClatchy Washington Bureau (Via Memeorandum)

Is the US getting ready to perform a false flag to drag us into World War 3?

It sure does seem so.

Check out this video, by Susan Duclos who blogs over at Wake Up America.

Now the story via Susan Duclos over at Before It’s News:

If this is true and since the hacker group Anonymous is famous for hacking into high level documents and emails, it most likely is true, then this is a blockbuster bombshell!

 

Hacked emails to and from US Army Attache Assistant in Kiev Jason Gresh with Ukrainian General Staff Igor Protsyk, discuss plans to arrange a massive attack on transport hubs and Ukrainian military bases in order to “frame-up the neighbor,” and “create favorable conditions for Pentagon to act.”

 

The emails from Igor are in Russian, so the link is here for anyone that reads Russian but the email from US Army Attache Assistant in Kiev Jason Gresh is in English and the ramifications of it are enormous.

 

Events are moving rapidly in Crimea. Our friends in Washington expect more decisive actions from your network.
I think it’s time to implement the plan we discussed lately. Your job is to cause some problems to the transport hubs in the south-east in order to frame-up the neighbor.
It will create favorable conditions for Pentagon and the Company to act.
Do not waste time, my friend.

Respectfully,
JP

Jason P. Gresh
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
Assistant Army Attaché
U.S. Embassy, Kyiv
Tankova 4, Kyiv, Ukraine 04112
(380-44) 521 – 5444 | Fax (380-44) 521 – 5636

http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/
http://usembassykyiv.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/usdos.ukraine
http://www.youtube.com/user/USEmbassyKyiv
http://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassykyiv

Then, there’s this via KyivPost: (H/T to Before It’s News)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States General Martin Dempsey has claimed that in the case of an escalation of unrest in Crimea, the U.S. Army is ready to back up Ukraine and its allies in Europe with military actions. 

According to the Web site of the Atlantic Council, Dempsey said that “he’s been talking to his military counterparts in Russia, but he’s also sending a clear message to Ukraine and members of NATO that the U.S. military will respond militarily if necessary.”

“We’re trying to tell [Russia] not to escalate this thing further into Eastern Ukraine, and allow the conditions to be set for some kind of resolution in Crimea. We do have treaty obligations with our NATO allies. And I have assured them that if that treaty obligation is triggered [in Europe], we would respond,” Dempsey said.

According to the General, the incursion of Russian troops into the Crimea creates risks for all the countries of Europe and NATO allies.

“If Russia is allowed to do this, which is to say move into a sovereign country under the guise of protecting ethnic Russians in Ukraine, it exposes Eastern Europe to some significant risk, because there are ethnic enclaves all over Eastern Europe and the Balkans,” Dempsey said. 

If I were the MSM, I would be all over this one. I would hate to think that the Obama Administration would pull something this bone-headed; seeing that his popularity, even among liberal Americans is not that great. But, then again, stranger things have happened with this President.

 

John Podhoretz gets exposed for the intolerant Trotskyite that he truly is

This is great;  a Trotskyite Zionist goes for a debate; and the minute he sees that he is losing the debate — he storms off the stage, takes his marbles and goes home.

I am referring to the greatest Trotskyite, Zionist, Neoconservative of them all — John Podhoretz.

See here, here, here and here.

Money quote:

Bottom line: I’d had a long day and I didn’t see the point in spending more of it getting booed and shushed. So I left. So sue me.

If only we could sue you and your family for all the trillions of dollars — and the 4000+ lives that were  wasted in the Iraq War —- which you and your satanic Father were cheerleaders for, after 9/11. Actually, I would very much like to see criminal charges filed against you and few of your Trotskyite friends as well. However, as we realists know; that will never happened to a protected class as yourself.

You want to know what got wrong with Conservatism? You want to know why the GOP is in the shape that it is in? Look no further than this man here and his idiotic Trotskyite magazine that he runs. They are the true enemies of America; they are the ones who put us in the war that almost broke this Nation and ruined its standing in the world.

It is a pity that there is not true justice in this Nation of ours; otherwise, this man and his friends would be sitting in jail cells.

 

If I were the US, I would tell Afghanistan’s Karzai, “Sign the agreement or we leave in 48 hours!”

Next year?!?! How about in 48 hours?

The Story:

KABUL, Afghanistan –The White House threatened to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan next year, after President Hamid Karzai refused to sign a new bilateral security agreement.

Over the weekend, officials in Afghanistan endorsed a security deal that would keep United Stations troops in the nation beyond next year, but President Hamid Karzai denied the request. He wants the U.S. to bring more security to the country first. NBC’s Richard Engel reports.

The two countries remain deadlocked over future military involvement after an unsuccessful working dinner between Ambassador Susan Rice and Karzai at his palace in Kabul on Monday night.

In a statement, the White House said Karzai had outlined new conditions for a deal “and indicated he is not prepared to sign the BSA promptly.”

“Ambassador Rice reiterated that, without a prompt signature, the U.S. would have no choice but to initiate planning for a post-2014 future in which there would be no U.S. or NATO troop presence in Afghanistan,” the statement said.

via US to Afghanistan’s Karzai: Sign security deal or we’ll pull out all troops next year – World News.

If I were the President and Susan Rice, I would simply tell Karzai that either he signs the agreement or our forces would be out of Afghanistan in 48 hours. However, before that, I would quite forcefully remind Karzai that the only reason he and his predecessor were even elected to power; was because the United States of America overran the Taliban by Military force and forced them to allow a democratically elected Government.

I would also tell him this; If we leave in 48 hours and your Government gets overran by the Taliban again and you happen to find yourselves under the Islāmic extremists again — do not call us, because the United States will NOT be coming back here at all. The United States came to Afghanistan to get Osama Bin Laden after 9/11 and in the process of that, defeated the Taliban. We got our man and our being here is now moot. Now, this idiot is playing hardball; well, I would play it right back; and tell him that either he signs or we leave — and he can deal with the fallout, we did our job as far as this writer is concerned. We really do not need to be there; but for the sake of a few kids, who we don’t want to see living under extreme Islāmic rule.

Next year… 🙄 What is that going to do? Buy Karzai some time? I think it is time that we got tough with Karzai and tell him, “Either get with the program or we’re done with you and this Nation.”

Just my opinion.

My feelings on this Iranian deal

As you all know, there is a new agreement between the rest of the world and Iran now.

There is also a good deal of partisan and racial hand wringing on the right. Especially among the neoconservative Jewish right. 🙄 Not to mention Israel’s leadership, who are almost quite literally bouncing off the walls. To be fair about it; so are the Saudis. To get a good feel for just how bad the wall bouncing is; go have a look at the round-up of neoconservative and otherwise bloggers at Memeorandum.

A good place for a non-biased and non-partisan look at the details is found at Business Insider.

Here is my official take on the Iranian deal:

Some are calling this a huge blunder. I am not so sure about how much of a “blunder” it might be. But, rather an interesting move by the Obama Administration. They have actually been able to do something that no other presidential Administration has been able to do. They actually have gotten Iran to agree to a formal written agreement on nukes and nuke enrichment.

The upside to this: The Iranians will be able to pursue nuclear energy and will be able to power their Country; that is provided they stick to the terms of the agreement. Which is great, provided they actually do this. I would like to think that they would do such a thing.

However, I am a realist; and I also happen to know Iran’s track record on telling the truth, since the time that the Shah was deposed.

Here is the downside and yes, there is always one of those:

The downside to this agreement is this; if the Iranians renege on this agreement and the US and other Country tear up this agreement, then we are going to have another problem. Iran will be considered an unstable rogue nation and then, the war drums towards Iran will be begin beating in earnest on both sides of the aisle. As it is now, the neoconservative hawks in the Republican Party want to go war with the Iranians so bad that they can taste it. If Iran welches on the agreement; then both sides are going to have the argument that Iran’s leadership must be toppled and the war must happen.

I am not so sure that such a thing would even happen under Obama’s watch, as he does want to be seen as the President that tried to reach out to the Iranians with a fig leaf. However the next President would have to come in and deal with a situation as such. If the deal is reneged on; the war hawks would have their piece of leverage that they would really need to make the case for war.

To be fair, I have seen skepticism in both parties; and that is a good thing. I think that blindly trusting Iran is a futile mistake. However, I believe that Iran has just been given their own fair shot. If Iranians play their cards right, we might be seeing a new era. However, the skeptic in me thinks that the US and the major Nations have just baited a trap of war for the Iranians and they were actually foolish enough to walk right into it. For the sake of the future of this Nation and the World, I hope like the devil that I am wrong. However, knowing things like I do; I sadly believe that I am not.

Sheldon Adelson is a blubbering idiot

Someone has to say it; so, it might as well be me. 😀

Now, why do I say this? Because this steaming pile of idiocy here, the money part comes at 5:26:

The quote from the JPost:

NEW YORK – During a panel at Yeshiva University on Tuesday evening, Sheldon Adelson, noted businessman and owner of the newspaper Israel Hayom, suggested that the US should use nuclear weapons on Iran to impose its demands from a position of strength.

Asked by moderator Rabbi Shmuley Boteach whether the US should negotiate with Iran if it were to cease its uranium enrichment program, Adelson retorted, “What are we going to negotiate about?” 

Adelson then imagined what might happen if an American official were to call up an Iranian official, say “watch this,” and subsequently drop a nuclear bomb in the middle of the Iranian desert.

“Then you say, ‘See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So, we mean business. You want to be wiped out? Go ahead and take a tough position and continue with your nuclear development. You want to be peaceful? Just reverse it all, and we will guarantee you that you can have a nuclear power plant for electricity purposes, energy purposes’,” Adelson said.

“So a tremendous demonstration of American strength?” Boteach clarified. “So that they would get the message?” 

“It’s the only thing they understand,” Adelson said.

“And do you see the current negotiations as a sign of weakness?” Boteach asked.

“Absolutely,” Adelson said.

Adelson, who donated tens of millions of dollars to defeated Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the most recent campaign, criticized the Obama administration’s willingness to engage the Iranians diplomatically.
“[It’s] the worst negotiating tactic I could ever imagine, my entire life,” he said.

“Because you can’t get anything. He’s not saying to them, Roll back your entire program and show that you’re willing to be peaceful. So, roll it all back… and we’ll roll back the sanctions…. What is that, a game of chicken, who’s going to blink first?”

Okay, now that is a good deal of stupidity to unpack; but I shall do my best here.

If the United States of America pulled something as stupid as that, the fallout would be chaos of Biblical proportions.

First off, if we dropped a nuke in the Iranian desert, the radioactive cloud from that sort of a bomb would go over into Iraq, and possibly kill half of the population. Not to mention that it would most likely kill half of the Iranians too. This would be the last thing we would need, seeing we just left that Country and our invading it, was based on some seriously bad information.

Second of all, if we did something like that; Al-Qaeda would order every last sleeper cell in the United States to activate and the result of that would be many terrorist attacks in this Country, that would make 9/11 look like a walk in the park. Furthermore, the entire arab community, would turn on us, like a rabid dog and begin attacking our interests overseas. You think things are chaotic in the middle east now? You let something like that happen; it would be utter bedlam.

This right here is why I have such an issue with neoconservatives, and basically Zionism in general. Because they simply do not think past the idea that Israel should be defended to the death. Sheldon Adelson does not give two flips about the security of the United States and the effect that doing something as stupid and reckless as this, would have on the United States. All he and his neoconservative friends care about, is Israel.

Daniel Larison is correct in his assessment that the GOP should rid themselves, of the idiots like this man, and people like Rick Santorum; who have this sort of thug mentality, when it comes to Israel, Foreign Policy and the United States of America. It is reckless, it is irresponsible and it will only cause more instability in the middle east.

Make no mistake, Iran is a Country that I would not trust further than I can throw them. However, this sort of foreign policy is what gave us Iraq twice, Korea, Vietnam and World War I. Pursuing this sort of foreign policy is a fool’s errand. We cannot afford it either. Ronald Reagan dealt with the Soviet Union in a peaceful way and brought down the iron curtain without firing a shot. I believe these reports of Iran having the bomb; to be bogus, manufactured by those who wish to take us to war with Iran. I treat them with the skepticism that I do all the neoconservative, Wilsonian propaganda.

If Israel and the Saudi’s want to go after the Iranians; let them. But keep the United States out of it. We have had enough war to last us a good lifetime. What did we get out of Iraq? A mountain of debt, that President Obama added to; and an middle east that is a powder keg ready to blow.

Enough is enough, the Wilsonians have to go. Period, end of story.

 

 

More black on white crime in Brooklyn, NY

More Black on white crime; and this time, it actually made the media.

The Story:

A group of 10 black youths — one of them a 12-year-old girl — surrounded a white couple’s car in Brooklyn, viciously beating the husband and yanking the wife to the pavement by her hair as they peppered the two with racial slurs, authorities said.

“Get those crackers!” some of them screamed, according to court papers. “Get that white whore!”

The confrontation erupted about 7 p.m. Monday, as the marauding group crossed Avenue U at E. 58th St. near Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Mill Basin.

Ronald Russo, 30, and his wife, Alanna, apparently had the green light and the husband honked at the group to get out of the way. The rowdy kids started kicking the car, according to the criminal complaint. Ronald Russo got out to check on potential damage to his vehicle.

And that’s when all hell broke loose.

RELATED: BROOKLYN PIPE ATTACKER EYED IN MIDTOWN BRICK BEATING

Ronald Russo was dragged to the ground. Then he was punched and kicked in the head. He felt more blows all over his body, investigators said. He suffered a fractured nose, a broken septum, a blood clot and abrasions to his shoulder. He was treated and released from Beth Israel Medical Center.

In the midst of the attack, there was a steady chorus of epithets. “White motherf—–!” screamed the attackers, who ranged in age from 12 to 18.

Alanna Russo, 30, was calling 911 when the 12-year-old girl pulled the woman’s hair and threw her to the ground. The victim’s head slammed into the concrete. She suffered a black eye, bleeding and difficulty breathing, prosecutors said, but she refused medical attention.

Her husband’s iPhone was stolen during the melee, according to cops.

via Brooklyn group of black youths blocks white couple’s car, bloody victims in racial attack: cops – NY Daily News.

Weasel Zippers reports:

Kashawn Kirton, 18, has been charged with gang assault, harassment and menacing charges, all as hate crimes.

Daehrell Finch, 17 has been charged with gang assault, assault, menacing and harassment but does not face hate-crime charges.

Two more teens, a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, have also been arrested, but their names have not been released.

Urbangrounds has very good posting and gives some good advice:

The lesson here is obvious: If your car is ever surrounded by a mob of black youths, no matter what they say or do to your vehicle, DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. Drive away. Drive over them if you have to. But do not get out of your car. Oh, and it should go without saying, but ALWAYS keep a loaded and readily-accessible hand-gun in your car. Because you never know where or when evil will raise it’s ugly head.

You can also too move away from areas where blacks tend to live too. Which is what I want to do so very bad. I wanna go live in the woods, and away from the city. I intend to get there; one day. Since Obama took office, there has been an noticeable uptick of black on white crime. Just Obama’s people doing what he told them to do, is the way I see it.

Previous black on white crime:

Best take down of Bill Keller ever!

I am, of course, referring to the idiotic op-ed piece by Bill Keller over at the NYT.

Here is the best part:

The truth is that America’s role in the world will not be significantly altered by refusing to attack Syria, and its truly vital interests will not be harmed. It is possible that the attack on Syria could end up being just as “unbelievably small” as John Kerry says it will be, but if there’s one thing Americans ought to have learned over the last decade it is that official promises that military action will be “limited” and of “short duration” are unreliable. This is partly because administration officials consistently underestimate the difficulty and risk of what they propose to do, and partly because launching attacks on other countries inevitably has effects and consequences that they fail to foresee. Instead of reassuring the public of their limited goals, administration efforts to downplay the significance of the attack they are proposing tells us that they may be oblivious to the risks of military action.

via Keller and the “New Isolationism” | The American Conservative.

So very true; and seeing how our men came back from Iraq, do we really want to do that again?