MOAB: Whose Your Momma Now?

Just a few days ago, on April 13, 2017, the US dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb it has in its arsenal, the M.O.A.B. The M.O.A.B, which stands for Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb or GBU 43/B, is better known as the Mother Of All Bombs, is a 21,600 pound behemoth with an explosive payload equivalent to 11 tons of TNT. It is so large that the only airplane able to carry it is a C-130 Hercules. It has to be dropped out the back on a wheeled carriage or cradle which is equipped with a parachute to slow the descent for accuracy. The blast radius is approximately one mile in diameter. The shock wave can be felt 30 miles away; shattering windows, ripping off roofs, flipping vehicles and toppling some structures in ranges from just under 2 miles up to 5 miles away. The bomb was dropped in the Nangarhar mountain range near Tora Bora, made infamous as the area where Osama Bin Laden escaped with the help of our so-called Afghani and Pakistani "allies", thus allowing the war to drag on years longer with thousands more killed (Ben Laden would be later tracked down to an enclosed compound just a yards away from Pakistani intelligence headquarters and the home of the Pakistan's "West Point").

There was a vast network of reinforced concrete tunnels which ran for miles with multiple levels. The tunnels, which were built originally by the CIA during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan to aid the Afghani rebels or "Muhadeen", was designed to provide protection from Russian bombers, artillery, and make it nearly impossible to track through the concrete maze with multiple entrances, exits, and filtered air vents not only to provide like clean air but to vent off any poisonous or noxious gases or compressed aid as a result of a bomb attack. In addition to providing protection, the tunnels also served as staging areas, storage bunkers, military hospital, sleeping/rest areas, and provided meals (apparently the lessons of Vietnam and the Viet Kong tunnel systems were well learned). Approximately 96 Islamic terrorists are believed to have died in the blast, although the actual number may never be fully known since any in the immediate blast zone would have been vaporized or forever buried under tons of mountainous rubble.

The order for the drop was originally given by outgoing President Obama, but the final go ahead was given by President Trump following a review of the situation and likely outcome, with emphasis on the possibility of any civilian deaths (civilians had been ordered away from the area starting several days earlier, so the blast itself wasn't a complete surprise, though the scale likely was unexpected). Plans for MOAB had been originally designed years earlier, with the intent of using it during the initial invasion of Iraq. However, US and Allied success made its use unnecessary (plus, I'm sure, the large movement of surrendering Iraqi soldiers and the shifting civilian population also made its use unfeasible).

So, what did we gain by dropping this "Mother Of All Bombs"? Tactically, we destroyed a vast network of tunnels that Al Qaeda, Daesh, and ISIS were still using as a staging and warehouse area. Of course, the US had the plans to the tunnel system since we built it, though there's little doubt that some modification had been made in the subsequent years. The fact that we warned people too likely ensured that there would be minimum causalities, even among the bad guys, but a high body count doesn't seem like the intent of MOAB. The bombing did, however, send notice that we still have firepower and willingness to inflict considerable damage. However, is ISIS and/or the other terrorists groups are anything like the Japanese military mentality of WWII, it will take several more strikes to get their attention, especially since we are fighting them on two fronts---Iraq and Afghanistan---plus on the international stage in Europe, Asia, and the US, while supporting them in Syria. Nothing like sending mixed signals.

However, I wonder if there was something else that MOAB was meant to destroy or, at least, cover up. Recently in Syria there was a sarin gas attack. The US and some of its allies claim the attack came from an Syrian attack on a pro-rebel area of Al Shayrat, which contained a weapons storage house. Syria's President Assad and its ally, Russia, deny that Syria dropped any nerve gas. Instead, they claim that the rebel warehouse may have stored the toxic nerve agent, which the rebels were intending on using again pro-Assad forces. This isn't so farfetched. Several years ago, there was a similar incident where civilian and pro-government forces were attacked with sarin gas. Immediately the US accused the Assad Government of using sarin gas tipped artillery shells against the rebel stronghold, resulting in the deaths innocent civilians and some of their own troops. Syria immediately denied the claim. President Obama called for an immediate attack on Syria, however Russia was able to provide proof that the attack didn't come from Assad forces. This was later verified by UN inspectors (US corporate media, however, buried the story and we quickly moved on to the next "crisis").

Personally, I think the most recent gas attack was simply a replay of the previous attack. Syrian jets just happened to hit a rebel warehouse where sarin gas was being stored. The US responded the only it could in both instances in order to protect its "ally" in Syria---Al Nusra Front---and cover its butt internationally (remember that Al Nusra in Syria is ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, and Al Qaeda everywhere else). Al Nusra/ISIS is trying to overthrow Assad's government as part of its plan to establish an Islamic Caliphate. The US has been trying to destroy or destabilize Assad given Syria's close ties with Russia. All this makes me wonder if the tunnel system destroyed by MOAB contained evidence of sarin gas storage and, perhaps, possible US involvement. Thus, since we either couldn't reach or weren't sure exactly where the sarin gas was hidden in the tunnel system, the entire thing was eliminated, and the only thing we had in our arsenal capable of such a massive destruction was MOAB which had been setting and waiting to go for years now. How handy! Besides, the military had a really cool toy it hadn't played with yet. By the way, shortly after the US dropped the "Mother Of All Bombs", Russia confirmed that it had the "Father Of All Bombs" (F.O.A.B.), a thermobaric bomb with an explosive payload of 44 tons of TNT, which they claimed was four times more powerful. Great. Just great.


Afghan Official: Massive US bomb death toll rises to 96 militants

How to Mismanage a Perfectly Good Crisis

The situation in Europe with the Moslem "refugees" isn't getting any better. There continues to be attacks, though they're getting less media coverage than previously, which wasn't a lot to begin with. In some cases, social media sites have been deleting unfavorable comments or articles by individuals or news sources. It's as if "someone" or more likely a group of "some ones" are wanting to keep a lid on this. Apparently the violence; petty crimes like vandalism, thief, as well as the physical assaults, rapes, or murders don't fit the image they want the public to see. I wonder why this is?

Beginning in the late 1960's and continuing into the 1970's and 1980's, Germany encouraged immigrants, mostly from long time ally Turkey, to come to Germany. Like the rest of Europe, Germany was and is facing a significant decline of native birthrate. However, Germany's economy was booming and thus there was a serious labor shortage. These Turkish immigrants, mostly poor and uneducated, fit the bill just nicely. They took the dirty, menial low paying jobs the Germans didn't want to do. However, with the reunification of East and West Germany, and later, the fall of the Eastern Bloc, workers swarmed into the much more advanced Western Europe seeking opportunities while Western businesses looked to Eastern Europe for potential site for development as well as a sources of potential labor which shared their European culture and in many cases, languages.

As a result, Europe in general, and Germany in particular, no longer needed their lowly foreign "guest workers". However, despite repeated urgings of the German Government as well as offers of financial assistance to relocate---preferably back to Turkey or at least out of Germany, there were few takers. In fact, Germany faced a influx as friends and relatives and simply down and out individuals made their way to Germany and other parts of Europe. Many of these individuals wound up on Germany's very generous and stressed welfare system.

Some of these immigrants crossed over Germany's borders into nations like Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Scandinavia, England and France, which weren't suffering from a labor shortage, at least to the degree that Germany had been. However, what they did have was a policy of welcoming individuals who were classified as "refugees" as defined by the European Union and the United Nations, but more importantly, they provided very attractive state sponsored welfare packages which made it quite easy to start living off the system with minimum effort. Their liberal political policies also contributed to making these countries so attractive. England and France face a unique problem as well. Both were colonial empires, and as a result, had a shared history as well as an economic and in some cases, military relationship with many of their former colonies.

As a result, in addition to the spillover from Germany, there was an influx of poverty ridden immigrants from northern and southeast Africa as well as from the Middle East and Central Asia. Certainly, the collapse of the USSR didn't help either. The former USSR maintained tight control over a number of self-styled "Anonymous Republics" along its southern border running from Turkey to Pakistan which encompassed millions of individuals who lived in tribal communities. Another key factor was a major blunder by the Soviet Union---the invasion of Afghanistan. Russian political and military leaders supported the installation of a puppet regime just as the US had done in Vietnam and elsewhere. What the Russians apparently hadn't counted on was the resistance they would met from the Afghani people. US intelligence agencies and members of Congress and the military were delighted. In fact, just as Soviet Russia and Communist China had aided the North Koreans and North Vietnamese, as well as various other guerrilla insurgents throughout the world, the US would return the favor by arming, training, and financing the Afghani rebels. Through US encouragement, the resistance to the Russian invaders morphed from a nationalist war into a religious war.

Once this occurred, thousands of devout Moslems rushed to join the fight. Of note is that the majority of these individuals were unemployed, low skilled with little or no education. These were individuals who were left out of Western supported oil and gas development which was controlled by prominent families who had originally been either installed or supported by their former colonial masters. Of course, there were exceptions. Some were quite notable exceptions in fact, such as Osama Bin Laden (Bin Laden for instance came from a very wealthy family engaged in the construction and real estate development business with connections to the royal Saudi family) as well as several sheiks and Imams who had Western educations and/or connections.

This, it seems, was the spark which ignited our present situation, which led to two Gulf Wars (the first for the liberation of Kuwaiti oil and the royal family...err...I mean the Kuwaiti People...yeah, that's it) and the second to remove a neutered Saddam Hussein and install our own puppet government to manage the flow of Iraqi oil and gas and serve as a buffer state against the Iranians. There was the invasion of Afghanistan following the cowardly 9/11 attack to remove a repressive Taliban as well as the capture of Bin Laden and Al Qaeda leadership. Following US and Allied strategic failures, another attempt at the creation of a new counter-insurgent group, ISIS, backfired. Further policy failures resulted in the destabilization of neighboring Syria and the ongoing devastation that country is still experiencing. It is out of this cesspool, that has resulted in Europe's recent troubles (and soon to be coming to a country near you. Oh joy).

Many have questioned the legitimacy of these individuals as "refugees". Under UN guidelines, refugees are supposed to be allowed to enter and settle in any stable and non-combatant country where they find food, clothing, fresh water and medical care, yet millions are bypassing such nations to enter Europe. The media claims most are families, yet reports indicate they are mostly young single men--apparently healthy, well nourished and clothed. The media claims they are diverse background, yet again reports indicate otherwise. The overwhelming majority are Moslem, some from countries not involved with the ongoing conflict, while Christian and Kurds refugees who are had been systematically refused entry at major checkpoints in Turkey and Syria. Of the roughly 2 to 3% who do make it through, almost to a person they've reported harassment, beatings, theft, and yes, rapes while the perpetrators--if found---go unpunished.

Why? Could it be for the same reason that those guilty of the attacks in Europe; the individual and gang rapes, beatings, and so forth are excused? Why is it that the German government officials in Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, and elsewhere have been quick to blame or ignore the victims? Even when the local Imams proclaim that the Western women "deserved" it because they were alone, or not dressed properly (as they define it) or were wearing perfume and so forth. Why are government officials in England so quick to bow to threats from these individuals---forcing the English to comply? Same in Germany. Why? I have no doubt the Germans or Danish, Swedes, Norwegians, Dutch, Belgians, French and others have the backbone to stand up for their countries, their families and their friends but certainly it appears their political leaders do not. I suppose if it happened to their wives, mothers, or daughters it might change their minds, but I doubt it. Liberalism works well when everyone is playing by the same rules, but clearly these individuals are not and don't intend to.

I don't want to put all the blame on Europe. The US is clearly at fault too. We helped open this Pandora's Box. Since it's opening, the US has lost its democratic republic, which has been replaced by an oligarchy. We have the deepest and widest income divide in our history. The top 1% control more assets than the bottom 1/3. Globally, the top 1% will control half of the world's economic wealth by the end of 2016. Look it up for yourself. The political system is broken beyond repair. The US economy is puttering along, but it's doing so on a wartime economy; that is, on a artificially stimulated economy thanks to all the global conflicts. Most of the well paying productions jobs have been exported to cheaper markets, sometimes involving child or prison labor. The standard of living has continued to decline while our debt continues to rise, creating a serf class in lieu of a working class; shattering the Middle Class which was once the economic and social engine of this nation.

Race relations have plummeted, often over what appears to be manufactured events in some case and gross incompetence in others, while the corporate media dictates content and the "crisis-du-jure". In today's managed world, image is everything. We are facing the dual threat of unrestricted illegal immigration, 11 million and counting, while the Obama Regime vacillates from trying to rekindle the Cold War with Russia, invade Syria, and importing thousands of so-called "refugees" instead of creating a stable area within their own countries or asking our so-called Arab allies to open their largely empty refugee facilities which are capable of holding tens of thousands of refugees. I wonder why they haven't stepped up and offered?

We've endured internal terrorists attacks (where or not the government acknowledges it as such is irrelevant) plus challenges to the Constitution and US laws such as substituting Sharia law where there are significant Moslem populations. Some of these threats will subside while others will remain or worsen. Many liberals "poo-poo" all this as just part of a changing world, yet if these extremists succeed, these same liberals-- be they feminists, the LGBT community, anti-2nd Amendment, limo-liberals or whatever---will likely find themselves hanging from trees, thrown off roofs, or sold, yes sold, into slavery. They don't want to live and let live. They don't want to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya". The majority of Moslems are good people. They oppose most if not all of this, yet they remain silent. They neither say or do anything. Unfortunately though, to these extremists their silence is seen as acquiescence.

What we need to realize and accept is that the world we knew pre-9/11 is forever gone just like Europe and the rest of the world following the end of World War One which saw the fall of three empires--Germany, Russia, Austro-Hungary, the crippling of three more---England, France, Ottoman (Turkey), the rise of the US and Japan and a restructuring of world military and economic power. We need to take stock of our values individually and as a nation just as Europe, Russia, and the rest of the world does. It's time we decide what really matters and act while there's still time.

The Suicide of Nations

Recent events in the Middle East have resulted in the largest mass exodus of refugees since the end of World War II. The vast majority of these are Muslims from Syria. The White House announced on September 11th that the United States will take in another 10,000 over the next year. With the US limiting the number of refugees to 70,000 annually, that's still a significant number. Nevertheless, Germany has agreed to accept some 800,000 while tiny isolated Iceland has offered to take in some 100,000. The US State Department has been working the Catholic Counsel of Bishops and the Lutheran Church (which alone has settled over 7600 Somalis in Minnesota while both have become experts on immigration---legal and illegal) to resettle these individuals. States like Kentucky, Vermont, Arizona, Nebraska, Idaho, Michigan, Utah, and both North and South Dakota will get the bulk while South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, Montana, and Wyoming will get the least. Of course, this will put increased pressure on these states, several of which that are struggling to meet current levels of need, to provide housing and employment, not to mention an additional drain on social and health services. In terms of jobs, many of these individuals are low skilled with little knowledge of English, making re-education a first priority. However, their low skill levels will also create a potential conflict with other, mostly illegal, immigrates, who are now holding many of those jobs.

In Europe, this potential for conflict has already come to a head. As I mentioned above, Germany is taking in some 800,000 of these fleeing immigrants. France has agreed to take in around 100,000 despite its already heavily Moslem immigrant population. In total, some 300,000 have already fled Syria and surrounding areas, with approximately 200,000 overwhelming the financially struggling Greece along and around 100,000 making their way into Italy. According to some sources, just over 13 million souls have been displaced in

Syria alone (Afghanistan and Eritrea round out the top three nations most impacted by the violence). Two million, mostly Syrian refugees are holed up along and just in the Turkish border.

While many are calling for a return, or at least an ouster of the refugees from their countries, the 1951 UN "Refugee Convention" requires nations to accept individuals who are fleeing countries where their lives are endangered. In addition, the EU has mandated an open immigration policy, which has already heavily burden nations like Sweden and Norway and has nearly collapsed their once highly successful democratic socialist economic systems. Nevertheless, countries like Sweden have already accepted just under 68,000 refugees (Germany has thus far taken in close to 100,000). Other countries such as Hungary and Macedonia, have closed their borders to the refugees, despite the onslaught. Thus far, the Hungarian Government has been, albeit reluctantly, allowing refugees to pass through the country as they make their way to Austria (which is accepting 80,000 refugees), Germany, and other Western European nations, including the US which has agree to accept up to 10,000. The International Rescue Committee and United Nations has expressed their dismay and anger at the United States for agree to accept 100,000; apparently without consideration of the thousands the US has already accepted and the illegal immigration crisis (unlike Europe, the US is not bound by the same laws mandating acceptance of illegal immigrants---at least not yet).

Nevertheless, things have been unraveling quickly. Refugees and immigrants have been pouring in at higher than expected rates, overwhelming relief efforts with some refugee centers running low on food, water, medicine, and tents (and this doesn't take into consideration clothing, transportation, emergency needs, or sanitation needs). In addition, thousands more from Africa having been

attempting to enter Europe through Spain and southern France. These have typically been the immigrants which have been coming for years since the EU's open door policy has been in effect and have overloaded the social safety networks in many of the host countries. The result has been Germany's efforts to "reinstate" border controls (Germany's Merkel has been urging other frontline European nations to do likewise).

It also looks like many of these refugees and migrants have brought their ethnic and religious hatreds with them. Germany, Italy, and Greece have all reported violent assaults as various opposing groups have come in contact with each other. Other countries, including France and the UK are bracing for similar violent outbreaks. There is little doubt European authorities are ill equipped to handle the level of hatred and open violence that is coming their way. Also, approximately 12 ISIS operatives have been caught crossing into some of the hosts nations so far (in one instance, the suspect was carrying dozens of fake Syrian passports). How many have crossed undetected is anybody's guess, but I think we'll soon get a good idea firsthand.

Lastly, but perhaps more significantly, the overwhelming majority of the refugees entering Europe are Moslem (as have been a significant number of the Africans mentioned earlier). Yet, the most persecuted of the all those in the Middle East has been the Coptic, Assyrian, Chaldean and Syrian Christians. These were the ones whom ISIS attempted to surround and capture as they fled into the mountains with the Kurds. Meanwhile, hundreds, if not more, have been captured, tortured, and ultimately murdered in the most gruesome ways imaginable---men, women, children (including babies), the handicapped, and seniors. Even family pets weren't spared. A few young girls and women have been sold off to become sex slaves before finally being decapitated. However, these Christians seem to be having the hardest time finding sanctuary.

Some towns and communities have expressed a willingness to accept refugees or migrant families, provided they were Christian in order to preserve their local character and culture (and some have mentioned to lessen the likelihood of terrorists).The country of Slovakia, for instance, said it would accept Christian refugees only. Cyprus too has expressed an interest in Christian only refugees. Not unexpectedly, politicians all the way around have condemned this as being "racist" or "discriminatory"; claiming that Christians aren't any less persecuted than other minorities. Hogwash. Of those few Christian families who've at least made it to the refugee camps, many are intimidated, attacked and beaten by their fellow refugees who happen also to be Moslems.

I think the Europe we've always known is vanishing before our eyes. Europe has been inundated for decades by individuals who have little or no education not to mention poor work skills. Some, however, have taken the opportunities afforded them by their hosts countries to educate themselves and learn viable employment skills. However, those have been the minority. Most seem more interested to live in their homogenous enclaves while drawing on the already strained social nets instead of trying to integrate themselves into their new homeland. The once highly successful economic systems of Scandinavia---the socialist democracies so much hated by the corporate capitalists for defying their economics of greed---are failing; not because of ideological flaws, but because these new immigrants lack the education, work skills and yes, the work ethic needed to sustain a system which requires everyone to pitch in equally in order to reap the benefits equally.

With the decline in religious observance throughout Europe and a birthrate which has been in decline since the end of the Second World War, whole sections of cities, like London, Manchester, York, Paris, Marseille, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Solingen, and Lisbon have become unwelcoming Moslem enclaves thanks to higher than average birthrates as well as the recent immigration, where Sharia law is enforced. Even non-Moslem women simply walking through are harassed if their heads are uncovered or if they're unaccompanied by a male adult. Pets, especially dogs, are very much unwelcome ("unclean"). Government authorities pretend they maintain control, but in reality they can do little more than lodge complaints with the local ruling council. Meanwhile, churches are being converted into Mosques. Local traditions, foods, and customs are being supplanted. In Germany recently, girls have been instructed not to wear short skirts to schools as to avoid "offending" Moslem students and their parents. School curriculums are being changed to fit with acceptable classes for Moslems. Being overwhelming Christian for centuries, most European schools, hospitals, and so forth often display a Christian cross. Well, that too is changing as they are being asking to remove them. Why? I think you why.

While it's unlikely that any European nation will face a Moslem majority, they will see significant increases in Moslem populations and can expect a ramping up of demands for change as they seek to increase their economic and political influence. Smaller countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, as well as Sweden, Norway and Denmark will likely be the most impacted. Nevertheless, the demographics will change. There will be less of the stereotypical fair skinned blond hair blue eyed Northern European or the rosie cheeked English or the freckled red-haired Scot. Even the French will see change. Gone too will much of Europe's culture and traditions I suspect, along with its scandalous "liberal" social attitudes. In place of ringing church bells there will be calls to

prayers from converted Cathedrals. Its economy will likely struggle along while some may fail altogether as Europe will face a steep re-education and training curve while bearing a crushing influx on its social safety net. Europe may also face a healthcare crisis as possible old diseases are re-introduced into society.

Lastly, I think Americans need to pay more attention. While much of what's happening some 5000 miles away, many of these changes will be---and are---on our shores too. We are, as the Greeks are saying, becoming an "occupied" country. We have at least 12 million illegal immigrants here; many if not most of whom having no interest whatsoever of integrating into society. This influx has and will continue to drive down wages and evaporate benefits as we cope with excess demand versus availability of jobs while higher paying jobs are exported to lower pay countries. It has already strained our social net to the max. We will see an even greater entrenchment of ethnic communities as well as an increase in racial, religious, and ethnic conflicts as centuries old hatreds are brought here and the shrinking tax dollar for social services pits one group against the other while a few attempt to goad the more successful into feeling "guilty" for grievances not of their making; assuming that it's better to live off public handouts than accept responsibility for their own lack of effort as others have, starting with taking education seriously. Meanwhile, we have a government that is no longer "ours". So perhaps we are "occupied" after all.

As Bob Dylan once sang, "you don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows" and I'm feeling a chill in the air.


Why Europe's refugee crisis has reached a tipping point
http://news.yahoo.com/asylum-in-europe--the-difference-between-migrants-and-refugees-and-what-s-at-stake-183639355.html


Why is the EU struggling with migrants and asylum?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286

Archbishop of Canterbury: UK plans to take in 20,000 Syrians discriminates against Christians
https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/category/christian-refugees/

Pew Research Report: The Future Of The Global Moslem Population
http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/future-of-the-global-muslim-population-regional-europe/

Are Terrorists Hiding Under the Bed?

Over the past few days my inbox has been hit with a barrage of emails claiming that southern Texas (or in some cases, various parts of northern Mexico) were crawling with ISIS members. Some of the articles cites certain "officials" with the US Border Patrol, or ICE agent, a mayor, or best of all, a "unnamed government source". The one I enjoyed the most claimed there was an actual ISIS terrorist training camp in Anapara according to an "undisclosed Mexican official", which is just southwest of Ciudad Juarez in the Mexican State of Chihuahua. This also happens to be just eight miles from the US/Mexican border and ground zero for one of Mexico's most successful drug cartels, the Juarez Cartel (they are estimated to bring in $200 million per week in profit). All of the stories, of course, point to another "9/11" type of terrorist attack, with the US Army base, Ft. Bliss, in El Paso or the Marine bases in Corpus Christi or Yuma Arizona as being the likely targets. Even some political bigwigs, including Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ), Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) got snookered into believing the stories were true.

The fact is, there is no current ISIS or other terrorist threat in Texas or Mexico. However, the stories, and the apparent readily acceptability, seem to go to the point that Americans are afraid. We're not only afraid that the war unleashed by George "Dubya" Bush will find its way to our shores as the 9/11 attack showed were clearly possible. I think Americans are also just as afraid (and angry) that our border with Mexico remains open despite decades of empty promises to the American People that the border would be made secure. Instead, we've seen the ICE and the Border Patrol basically emasculated as any form of deterrent, with their enforcement duties all but stripped. We've seen the current US President blatantly blow off the citizens of this country and move ahead at full steam to find and use every backdoor and non-constitutional means to circumvent our immigration laws so that deporting illegal immigrants is next to impossible to implement and actually rewarding those already here with various forms of "near citizenship". In some states, illegal immigrants can practically do everything an actual citizen can do except vote, and, frankly, I wouldn't be to surprised to see that happen.

Nevertheless, the readily acceptance of the ISIS story on our border, I think, goes to the fact that Mexican criminal gangs routinely cross over into the United States, bringing with them not just drugs which ruins human lives while perpetuating poverty, school dropout rates, and unemployment, but also murder, theft, extortion, kidnapping, and an entire culture which has no respect for the law and most certainly no remorse for any lost and damaged lives in their pursuit of money and power. Therefore, if drug gangs can cross our southern border with near impunity, and illegal immigrants can cross it with a not so subtle wink and nod from this presidential regime, then why not Islamic terrorist groups?

ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban appear to have the financial wherewithal to acquire the logistics to make the journey and connections once in this hemisphere. They would certainly be able to acquire the weapons and "coyotes" to get them across the largely empty desert and into safe houses on the American side of the border (given their preponderance for explosions, getting back across the border may be a non-issue). While ISIS and these drug cartels share elements in common such as open and public murder of absolutely anyone, I suppose that if there's an upside to this, it's that ISIS and other extremists wouldn't go out of their way to befriend these drug cartels since they, more than anything else, represents everything they oppose---sex, drugs and liquor. Plus, let's not forget that, as surprising as it seems, they are also religious in their own twisted way. In short, they wouldn't betray their Catholicism for a radical interpretation of Islam that would murder them solely because of their religion. So then, does the adage, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" hold here? Can these two groups who, at least on the surface, cooperate long enough to make something happen?

My personal opinion is yes; yes they can, however, with some provisions. First, as long as the terrorists are paying in cash or willing to make to drug deal (certain parts of the Middle East is known for its opium production), an agreement could be reached. And let's not forget that these gangs have large swaths of the Mexican government (federal and local) in their pockets, not to mention the Mexican police force and military. With Obama's gutting of the Border Patrol, it seems like an easy enough proposition. Any chaos triggered by the terrorists on US soil could play into the cartel's hands since it would allow them a short window of opportunity to expand their influence across the border. However, it would also bring attention to the border area which would quickly become militarized, and that would be bad for business. Even the Mexican government would be forced to act (and let's not forget that there is absolutely no reason these same Moslem terrorist wouldn't attack Mexican targets. After all, Mexico, along with the rest of Latin America, is a very strong Catholic country with close ties to the Vatican---the arch enemy of militant Islam). Secondly, any agreement between the two groups would almost certainly be short term given their ideological differences. The gang bangers and their cohorts are strictly interested in profit while the terrorists are strictly interested in their prophet and imposing Sharia law, which is counter to everything the drug lords espouse.

To sum up, while there are no Islamic terrorist on or near our southern border, the fact that Americans (and Mexicans) are keenly

aware of the potential threat should tell both the Mexican and American governments that there needs to be a way to control and restrict the flow of individuals back and forth. Although the transnational corporations and one percenters who now make up the oligarchy which controls the US government want to create an open border and free trade world whereby the economic serfs...err...I mean employees..can follow the jobs, there are reasons---terrorism being just one of them---to restrict the free flow of populations, at least for the time being, and until these individuals are brought to heel and accept the wisdom of corporate commercialization.




Tijuana Transfer
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/isismexico.asp


US State Dept call reports on ISIS training camps in Mexico 'unfounded"
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/04/17/us-state-dept-calls-report-on-isis-training-camps-in-mexico-unfounded/


Is ISIS in Mexico and planning to cross the border?
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/sep/17/trent-franks/isis-mexico-and-planning-cross-border/

Like Ancient Nimrud--Are We Consigned for Rubble Too?

As just about everyone knows, I love history, especially ancient history. In fact, I consider myself a amateur historian. Ancient history tells us so much about ourselves; our origins; what motivated us; how we adapted and survived. It reminds us of our greatness and our weakness. In history too we see great leaps of knowledge, from reading and writing, to the use of the wheel and development of chariots, ways to harness nature such as improved ways to farm or animal husbandry. When reading about an ancient culture, I occasionally wonder who was the first person to come up with some unique idea? Was he a leader or perhaps a warrior? Perhaps some outcast or misfit? Maybe it was a woman who came up with the idea. Certainly they had more "free time" while the guys were out hunting or warring. What provoked the idea? Was it a survival need which had to be met or was it while relaxing and laying around daydreaming? Was it some group brainstorming? Maybe it was something like today. The guy get home after a week to two on the road pillaging and plundering, and the wife says "hey we have to find a way to do this or fix that, here's what I came up with" and the man goes off to tinker with it. He gets some of his pals over for a few beers and between them, they come up with a solution. Maybe it's true that nothing really ever changes.

I think that if I had it to do all over again, I would have been an archeologist, focusing on my two favorite historical epochs,

Mycenaean Greece (think Trojan War and the legendary epics of the "Heroes" like Jason, Achilles, Odysseus and Hercules) and the corresponding early Biblical period (think Moses and the Exodus up to the split between Judah and Israel). Most historians will tell you these people or events were real, at least partially real. Every myth contains at least a kernel of truth to it. But history, especially ancient history tells us something else. It tells us who we are. It is a reflection of our collective souls. That's why it really bothered me when I recently read about ISIS destroying some ancient sites and museum pieces recently. I couldn't help but think about what all those places and things had witnessed down through the centuries; what they had endured; the people and events which passed by them, only to be erased from history by a bunch of religious psychopaths.

One of the places destroyed was the ancient city of Nimrud, named after the mythical hunter and king, Nimrod and located about 20 miles outside of modern Mosul. According to legend, Nimrod built the foundations of the city. The city was enlarged by the historical king Shalaneeser 1 (1274 BCE - 1245 BCE) during the Middle Assyrian Empire. It was to remain the capital and royal residence of the Assyrian Empire until around 700 BCE when the Assyrian capital was moved to Nineveh. Nevertheless, it remained a principal city for several more centuries. The ancient Israelites, Greeks, Romans, and many others wrote about Nimrud. The site contained some of the best known statutes and other Near Eastern artifacts, with many ending up (thankfully) in the most exclusive museums in the world. Today, it's a thriving city and the region is, or rather, was the home of many of Iraq's Christians.

On March 5th, the terrorist group ISIS blew several locations at Nimrud, and then bulldozed the rest. Among the sites also destroyed was the Mosque and burial site of Jonah (as in the whale), Mosque of the Prophet Seth, and the Mosque of the Prophet Jirjis, located in Mosul along with thousands of ancient manuscripts and rare one-of-a-kind books. Earlier, in February, ISIS attacked a museum in Mosul, and using sledgehammers, destroyed even more ancient artifacts belonging to the Akkadian Kingdom, the first known kingdom in the world along with other ancient Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hellenists artifacts. ISIS also announced that it would destroy the famed gates of Nineveh. Meanwhile ISIS went on to destroy the ancient Parthian city of Hatra.

Hatra is located about 180 miles northwest of Baghdad and about 68 miles southwest of Mosul. Most people would recognize some of the monuments of Hatra from the opening scenes from the 1973 movie "The Exorcist", however, its ancient structures can be seen in just about any decent book about the Near East. The city itself was founded around the latter half of the second century BCE by one of Alexander the Great's generals, Seleucis 1 Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Dynasty. It was later capture by the Parthians around the 1st Century ACE, where it became one of the great cities of antiquity, known as an important religious and trading center. The city withstood countless assaults down through the ages, including those by the Roman generals Trajan and Septimius Severus. In time, Hatra became known as the "Alexandra of the East" for its peaceful infusion of regional cultures and religions.

I wonder if it was this reputation, as ancient as it might be, for tolerance that lay at the core for ISIS destroying it. Nimrud

too became a city known for its infusion of cultures and religions. Perhaps there's something to that after all since tolerance is not a word to be found in their lexicon. However, I think it's best to hear what ISIS itself said about the destruction of all these site. They claim that their Prophet Mohammed order the destruction of all "idols", and that includes all places where they are to be found they say. One has to wonder if they gave any consideration to the fact that other Moslem figures, and those much closer in both time and relationship to Mohammed, visited many of these very same places and did nothing. In 2001, members of the Taliban destroyed two of the oldest and tallest statutes of Buddha. Not reported by the corporate media was the destruction of Hindu and Buddhists statutes and sites in the Maldives in 2012 by Moslem extremists. In October of the same year, 19 Buddhist temples were vandalized by Moslem mobs in Bangladesh not to the mention terror attack on Mumbai in 2008.

In June 2014, a Moslem Saudi student, visiting Japan vandalized a Buddhist Temple and destroyed many of its statutes. Dozens of Hindu temples and shops have been attacked and burned in recent years as well. From 2007 until recently, dozens of Christian religious sites have been looted, burned, and destroyed, with the promise that "all non-Moslem sites and idols will be destroyed". None of this includes the thousands of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and others who have been murdered, robbed, raped, and kidnapped and forced to convert and then sold into slavery---yes slavery. Some girls, as young as nine, have been reportedly kidnapped and forced into so-called "marriages" with men as old as 60. Most end up dead or worse.

Let's not forget the promise of ISIS to do the same to the Vatican and eventually all churches and temples, or for that matter, even the White House. You may think they are just mouthing off, but recent history has shown that not to be true. They mean what they say. This brings me to another interesting point---where is the outcry from liberals in the US or anywhere else? After all, these extremists do not tolerate 'free thinkers", no "free speech", or smoking---of anything, nor do they accept booze, drugs, no going out alone...especially with guys, and no way will there be sex before marriage. Gay? Bi? Transgendered? How do you feel about being roasted alive on a stake or crucified? That's the punishment for not being strictly hetero. And women, you will be covered head to toe. No shorts, crop tops, no going topless and certainly, no bikinis! Think of how your movies, TV shows, sports, video games, and basically, your entire life will be fundamentally changed. Hell, no sausage, pork chops, hotdogs or bacon! If anyone should be at the forefront it is the liberals. If they think they're going to somehow be exempt, they may just get their heads handed to them...literally. And while I'm at it, where are voices and actions of those Moslems who condemn this perversion of their religion in private; in hush whispers? Are they afraid to act? If so, then who will save them because sooner or later, they will come for them too.

So, here's the rub everyone. ISIS has demonstrated its intent to deny the people of Syria, Iraq, and we might as well say the entire Near East, Africa, and Asia and eventually the West, their past as well as their future. By destroying their history, which in a way is also our history, it is attempting to cast civilization adrift; to alienate humanity from itself. They have promised us the same destruction they have imposed on others. All we have to do is nothing. Set back. Be silent. Practice a little "political correctness". Argue about whether they "really mean it" while they load their rifles, build their bombs, and prepare their suicide vests. I'm not saying Islam is evil. True Islam is not. It's a very peaceful religion, but what we're seeing is not Islam as it was intended to be. We're seeing a perverted version of it being allowed to run amuck. It destroys to gain attention and inspire fear for fear engenders obedience. It is purposefully threatening the World and each one of us individually. It is demanding Armageddon-- Ragnarok--because it loves death more than life. Tolerance is what it fears. Freedom in all its forms is what it hates. Strength of Will is to it what light is to cockroaches. So, what's it going to be folks? Forget about Washington. It's is hopelessly broken. What can we do as a united People--as Americans?



ISIS Has 'Bulldozed' Ancient Nimrud Archeological Site
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/iraq-says-isis-bulldozed-ancient-site-near-mosul-n318266

ISIS Militants Destroy Iraq's Ancient Hatra City
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/07/isis-destroy-hatra_n_6822106.html

ISIS militants destroy ancient statutes, relics in Iraq
http://rt.com/news/235859-isis-video-destroy-statues/

35 Invaluable Hindu and Buddhists Statutes Destroyed in Maldives
http://www.chakranews.com/invaluable-hindu-amd-buddhist-statues-destroyed-in-maldives-by-extremist-islamic-group/2224

Japan: Muslim Saudi university student vandalizes, destroys ancient Buddhist statutes
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/06/japan-muslim-saudi-university-student-vandalizes-destroys-ancient-buddhist-statues

Does Obama 'Love' America?

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani recently remarked that he wasn't sure that President Obama truly 'loves' America in the same way he (and presumably) others like him do. Giuliani, a Republican, is not regarded as one of those run-of-the-mill social and economic conservative Republicans or ultra Right Wing religious zealot types. In fact, he is usually seen as one of the few remaining moderate voices coming from the Right (what others on that side of political aisle refer to as a "RINO"---Republican In Name Only for their refusal to fully partake of the red Kool-Aid. Apparently, most of these "RINOs" opted for the more moderate "Purple Punch" brand of common sense politics that many on the Right have rejected which examines issues and people as they are, not the morally delinquent lazy hedonists or even the tried and true pinko commie perspective.

I don't know if I would agree with the former mayor's assessment of Obama, but I have noticed
his tendency to not to assert the level

of leadership one would expect for an American President (or for that matter, the skill set one would expect from someone in is position). Perhaps that stems from his lack of prior experience in either the real world or politics. I've noticed too that Obama always seems to be long of rhetoric (he still gives upbeat speeches with catchy sound bites ), but his follow through is almost always short on results. In fact, although he's nearly through his second term, I still can't get the images of his "world apology" tour from his first term out of my mind. Nor, it would seem, that I can easily forget seeing him refuse to put his right hand over his heart during a Pledge of Allegiance moment, or his stumbling over those Benghazi and "Operation Fast and Furious" cover-ups.

Of course there is also his blatant lying to the American People about the costs and affects of Obamacare, or his repeated and gross miscalculation of events in Iraq and Afghanistan, while hard selling an invasion of Syria to a reluctant American Public. Ultimately, he called for a reduction of US military strength to pre-World War II levels (yes, you read that right-pre WWII levels, when we were considered woefully unprepared even by those standards), and we still have no coherent plan for dealing with the Middle East, except if you want calling the terrorists everything but what they actually are and downplaying their threats a plan. At the same time, his repeated violations of his Constitutional authority when it comes to granting amnesty or his gutting much of the enforcement power of our border agents and ICE regarding illegal immigration.

Who can forget his ordering of then US Attorney General Eric Holder's office to sue the State of Arizona for enforcing existing US

federal immigration laws, and then, in a unprecedented move, allowing a foreign power--Mexico-- to join in the lawsuit? Speaking of immigration, Obama has opened the door to allow immigrants from the places like Syria and Iraq into the US while admitting that some could in actuality be terrorists (in fact, if these terrorists can be believed, they claim to already be here thanks to Obama. And as an aside, many conservative pundits claims that the Obama Regime is "full" of closet members of the extremist Moslem Brotherhood). Of course, he's gone the full Monty on surveillance and monitoring of US citizens, but I don't want to "drone" on. I will say, however, that if you're not on some government watch list by now you should be ashamed of yourself!

Then there was, of course, his bailouts of Wall Street for being "too big to fail" while denying ordinary American homeowners and small business owners the same chance at financial relief. Why did the already cash strapped US taxpayers have to bailout Wall Street for their bad business decisions which were largely based on greed? Why did he fail to act---even say anything---when some of this money when to pay overpaid executives additional cash bonuses while ordinary homeowners were losing their homes? I should add at this point that the American People--regardless of their political leanings---were very vocal in their opposition to these bailouts. We can't forget that the 2005 Supreme Court "Citizens United" mis-decision happened on his watch too. This allowed corporations to come out of the shadows and openly buy elections by removing all financial shackles on them in the name of "free speech" and affording them the same...actually greater...rights than flesh and blood human beings. Of course the corporate media, irrespective of Left or Right, soft-pedaled most all of any of this. It seems they could support or oppose the President's actions within limits by either downplaying or ignoring it or simply glossing over it like a can of Pledge.

For the record too, none of what Obama has done was to initiate or advance "socialism". I think those who advocate that arguement are guilty of either being misinformed or trying to throw everyone off the track. Obama is as far from actual socialism as he can get despite his alleged past associates. Socialism is about public ownership and control for the benefit of the people (Communism is where the State owns everything). I don't see weaker corporate power or Wall Street going away do you? I do see an America which have become an oligarchy. I do see an America with a nearly dead middle class while the top 1% own the majority of the nation's wealth--42% while the bottom 80% controls just 7%. I do see an income and wealth gap greater and deeper than at nearly any time in US history---something that wouldn't exist under socialism. This is a prelude to fascism plain and simple. Fascism borrows from the Left and the Right. While it varies from country to country, based on its history and traditions, the end goals is a ruling partnership between the political class and the most powerful corporations and financial elites. It usually starts with an oligarchy, and using a militarized Police State and some defined or undefined "enemy", gradually morphs into a fascist nation...for your own good of course.

So, back to the top---I don't know if I would fully agree with Mayor Giuliani's assessment that President Obama doesn't "love America" as perhaps he thinks he should. I think Obama does, in his own way, love America. The trouble, however, is that his America is not ours.


Rudy Giuliani: Obama 'Doesn't Love' America
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/19/rudy-giuliani-obama-love-america_n_6712428.html?1424356358

Rudy Giuliani: I Received Death Threats In Wake of Obama Comment
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/21/rudy-giuliani-obama-death-threats_n_6726772.html

How Unequal We are
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/10/03/334156/top-five-wealthiest-one-percent/

A Matter of Perspective

When you think of poverty, what comes to mind? Is it some third world country, perhaps in Africa. or Asia, or maybe even in Latin America? Perhaps too you think about cardboard shacks, raw sewage, dirt for roads, no indoor plumbing, filthy water for washing and drinking, and little kids---barely clothed if at all---playing around garbage dumps while slightly older children rout through recently discarded refuse for anything of use. Electricity, if there is any, consists of a few bare bulbs dangling for a cord, sporadically dimming or blinking going out, leaving its occupants huddled in the dark. And almost always, just a few miles away, live the obscenely rich in their townhouses and walled estates; who throw out more food in a day than some of these people see in a week. If they're lucky, some of the poor are employed by these individuals, not that they actually make much money, but they at least have jobs which provides some relief from the misery of their poverty, and they earn at least something. If they're lucky, some can sneak some of the scraps and throw outs back home. The city where many live, just a few miles away, glows throughout the night. No brownouts there. No cold nights or oppressively hot days, not in their climate controlled condos or mansions, or in their chauffeur driven luxury cars. This was what income inequality looks like for the vast majority of the world's population.

While the United Stated sends billions of dollars and in-kind aid overseas, much of it goes to corrupt petty warlords, generals, so-called "Presidents" and their cronies in exchange for American access to their airspace, or refueling fields, or securing favorable conditions for US corporations, all under the auspices of a "positive foreign policy" of course. Most of the these wannabe dictators personally despise the US and everything it supposedly stands for, but they sure love our handouts. Only a small percentage of US aid actually makes it to the people. Most of it is squirreled away in private bank accounts, or skimmed off as bribes or sold on the black market. Is there any wonder rampant famines continue to exist? Why, with the billions not just the US exports, but the UK or Europe send every single year for decades, is there still inadequate drinking water, disease, insufficient or even no housing, let alone schools or proper irrigation and farming.

A very good friend of mine once told me that Communism doesn't arrive with tanks and warships. Communism comes with hunger and a sense of hopelessness. To bring that more current, one could argument that fanatical religious extremists don't arrive with massive

armies or navies, but with zealous fervor to stamp out what they see as corruption of their religious ideals in the face of inequality. Religion is a powerful weapon. It always has. It offers comfort in exchange for control. After all, how you argue or compromise with God? Even our so-called allies are hedging their bets and quietly financing and arming these black clad "psychopaths for God" with the same foreign aid dollars we giving them! Of course, it too is based on fear. Perhaps a great deal of fear. If you look at the history of West, you will find the expansion of our ideals alien to the native inhabitants. Alien in the sense that they are often treated as inferior; of where they are dispossessed in their own land; of where there is vast inequality.

We've overthrown democratically elected governments that we didn't agree with (or to be more accurate, that certain corporate interests couldn't work with). In exchange for overthrowing these governments (or assassinating or jailing their leaders), we've helped to install brutal military juntas who conveniently grant special "concessions" to a few privileged corporations in the name of "free trade" while the US government quietly continues to prop them up as they go about torturing, imprisoning, and murdering their own people. While Communism may not come with tanks and warships, it appears the corporate capitalism does.

Hard words to hear, but every word is true. I know you know it too. Just about every military venture from the 1890's to present day has been about using US taxpayer's dollars and blood of our US military service men and women in order to boost the bottom line for some corporation (with the possible exceptions of WWI, WWII, and the Korean War, but you can bet great sums of money was made supplying all sides). We did in Cuba, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Yeah, I know we weren't and aren't the only ones, but those other countries aren't my concern. This country is. Our Founding Father's warned us repeatedly about "foreign entanglements". They also tried to teach us about a limited government and the perils of allowing a powerful centralized government to emerge, not to mention the potential danger of banks and artificial entities that we call corporations today (they also warned us about the folly of political parties too but did we listen?). We grew lazy as a nation. Instead of being vigilant of our freedoms, we trusted government to protect them---something akin to letting the wolves guard the henhouse...and likely with the same expected results.

So, now we're faced with illegal immigrants pouring in from Latin America and a government either unable or unwilling to doing anything it; hoping they can ignore the American People long enough the problem becomes so severe that it can't reversed and the invasion of America become a fait accompli, with corporations getting a overabundance of potential workers to fill a limited number of jobs, which will, of course, drive down wages and benefits while also decreasing the likelihood of employee unrest (after all, with union representation at an all time low, everyone could be easily replaced by the next warm body standing in line for failing to toe the corporate line). However, with unions largely left impotent these days thanks largely backwards looking and greedy leadership, they see only the potential to fill their nearly empty coffers with low skilled worker's dues without offering them any real power.

Overseas, we're fighting wars where we should not be involved, but to a large degree were responsible for starting so that our new oligarchy could make a killing...figuratively and literally. Those who attacked us on 9/11 were originally US trained and financed to fight the Russians when they invaded Afghanistan; they were even celebrated in the media as "freedom fighters", and then we abandoned them. Those who attacked us on that fateful day in September planned and operated from Afghanistan. That should have been our one and only target. Iraq had no "weapons of mass destructions", but Saddam Hussein was holding together a tender box and keeping a troubling Iran at bay (besides, we overthrew the previous Iraqi government and put him in power. He also supplied us with cheap oil and secure bases. We counted Hussein as a "key regional ally" for decades just like we did for the Shah of Iran, Noriega and Batista). We implicitly gave him the go ahead to invade Kuwait, and then "liberated" it amid public promises of government reforms for its citizens after oil profits dropped, while privately obtaining special concessions for its oil and removing a potential regional military threat for Saudi Arabia, again, in exchange for further oil concessions.

Such is the world we now live in, where individual lives and fates of nations are dictated by potential profits. In the end, a few,

secreted away in private boardrooms, has reaped a whirlwind of profit and power while the rest of us has reaped the whirlwind. Is it any wonder that corporate capitalism is so despised by the majority of the world's population? Even here at home, corporate capitalism is increasingly looked down on by the next generation, the Millennials, not to mention some of the graying Babyboomers. Our democratic republic has been replaced by an oligarchy and we're on the short track toward fascism. This is not what our Founding Fathers wanted for us. This is not what we wanted for ourselves. It sure isn't what we want for our children and grandchildren. The only real question of any substance is what are we prepared to do about it?

Radical Islam: Coming to a City or Town near You Soon?

Welcome to the war America. What war you ask? Or did ask which war---Afghanistan or Iraq? Or was it Syria, Gaza, or perhaps the invasion along our Southern border? It really doesn't matter. They are all wars and we're hip deep in all of them although the Commander-in-Chief has no plans; no national strategy; nor does he have an agenda except, perhaps, drawing another "red line" in some imaginary stretch of sand in some Godforsaken country. An imaginary line to match his imaginary foreign policy. He promised the Government of Ukraine there will be Allied troops on the ground should Russian Prime Minister Putin do anything; pick whatever you want. We still haven't done anything about the seizure of Crimea, nor about the shot down airliner and the hundreds of passangers who lost their lives. He orginially promised to solve our border crisis like Bush did, but like unlike Bush, he's totally undermined America. Just recently, the Farce-in-Chief promised to come to the aide of Estonia, along with troops from the EU. Don't believe it Estonia. He has no grand strategy for you either, except perhaps to dither while your government falls should Russia invade. If the situation is really bad, he might head out for a fundraiser or if it becomes a humanitarian crisis, then he'll likely go golfing.

Anyway, back to the point I set out to make originally. I was referring to the war declared on us by extremist Islam and its latest incarnation, ISIS or ISIL if you'd prefer. This too is a war Obama has chosen to ignore. Just because the bad guys have declared war on you, if you look the other way and ignore them, then just maybe they'll go away and with it, the war. Well, it didn't go away when they beheaded journalist James Foley or his family. And it didn't go away for journalist Steven Sotloff or his family either. For that matter, it hasn't gone away for thousands of Christians in Mosul who have been forced from their homes along with other religious minorities. It sure hasn't gone away for the hundreds of men, women, children, or Syrian soldiers who've been beheaded and had their heads put up on pikes in market squares, nor did it go away for all those publically hanged for being Christian or not being a radical enough Moslem. Nor have we forgotten those beaten and abused women who have literally had crucifixes rammed down their throats (go ahead and Google them. I won't show them here).

I have a lot of liberal friends. I love my liberal friends; they make life interesting. Groups like ISIS don't care how "politically correct" you all are. They don't care if you're interested in trying to "understand" them, or that you're willing to let them speak openly about what they intend to do to the West, and to our nation, or to us. It's not empty rhetoric like the kind you're used to hearing from Washington. They aren't just mouthing off. They really meant it--cross their hearts and hope you die. Atheist, agnostics, and Humanists like Drs. Stephen Hawkins, Bill Nye, or Neil Degrasse Tyson, I enjoy your work (I really loved "Cosmos" Dr. Tyson), but they don't care that you do or don't believe in a god or that we're just cosmic dust. The point is, they do. And you will bleed and beg for mercy just like anyone else, and like anyone else, you won't find it; not from them.

As for my pagan and Wiccan friends, I admire you. I've had pagan and Wiccan friends for most of my life. I really like what you have to say; I really do. There's a comforting sensibility to the relationship one has with Nature; not overly different from agnostics or Humanists if you think about it. But (and here's the rub), no spell, potion, or charm is going to save you from machete wielding murders intent on your dying for their god. They don't even mind dying for their god so long as they take some non-believers like you with them. What path you follow means nothing to them.

As for my many Hindu and Buddhist friends, I've enjoy learning about faith and becoming long time friends with several of you. I love the peacefulness your faith brings; the calmness and serenity. If only others could experience that, I truly believe the world would be a better place. However, there's a bunch of psychos out there who are totally committed to your complete and utter destruction. No matter the number of times you spin your prayer wheels or bathe in the Ganges, nothing will stop that. They intend to remove every trace of your existence, and they've already started by removing your sacred temples and statutes. Zoroasterists, I'm sorry to say that I've never met any of you. Your religion is one of the oldest and most interesting in the world. I bet you have much you could teach us, but you're faced with the same problem as the rest of us are, only greater. Same for you Shamans and Taoists. For the Kurds, Turkmen, Coptics, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Yazidis, Mandaeans and others small in number, you already know the lessons I am attempting to impart here. I wish you much strength and courage.

To my LGBT friends, I've known you all for years; hell, decades and you're some of the craziest cool people I've ever met. You may hope for acceptance; you might even think you've earned it or that its due you. Will, sorry to burst your pretty pink balloons, but this group of extremists I speak of see you as nothing but so much human waste to be eliminated as quickly and brutally as possible. My fellow veterans both here at home in America, and around the world, we are indeed comrades-in-arms. We share a bond few will ever know. It's an honor serving with each of you in one fashion or another. But know this---the enemy is here. It's breeched the gates---our gates and yours. We are a threat because we understand it; we know how to fight it; and we know how to win.

Now for all my Christian and Jewish buddies, regardles of whether you dunk, sprinkle, or tinkle, we have a deep problem here. We have an extreme element of a religion alledgedly known for being "peaceful" (and at one point, one of the intellectual lights of the world), which wants to butcher us all and destroy thousands of years of Western Civilization (not to mention most aspects of Eastern Thought). Now, I don't know about you all, but I can't accept that. I am quite proud of our Western Heritage and what it had created over the eons...things like liberty, freedom, democracy, equality under the law, philosophy, public debate, social experimentation, and increasingly equality of gender...of races...of sexual orientation...and religions. Sure, we've screwed up a lot of things over the centuries too (the Crusades, Inquisitions, Holocaust, a few genocides here and there come to mind), but we've sure have done a whole lot of things right too like science, exploration, trips to the moon, technology, medicine, social equality, and even moderate forms of capitalism. I also appreciate much about the Eastern World too, like medicine, technology, and philosophy. It's taken us awhile, but given how long Man has been around based on the cosmic calendar, we're not doing too bad for a bunch of upstarts.

Sure, we see things different when it comes to God, or gods, or simply the cosmic mystery, but that's ok isn't it? Because thanks to our collective thought, we've come to accept that we don't...we can't...know everything. Maybe we're not supposed to. I know I question whether we have the wisdom to grasp what we think we know now. But as we come to know more, and understand more, our collective understanding of nature, the universe, and yes, even of the Divine, will change too. It should. It's part of our evolutionary process. We cannot---must not---as the leading species on this planet---the "Crown of Creation"---attempt to hold back the hands of time. Yes, they once held validity. They represented those things we understood and those things we didn't. In looking at all of our diverse faiths, we must accept that there are many paths to the Ultimate Truth--call it whatever you will. We can and should embrace certain core articles of faith or truisms, and follow them wherever they led. How do we know they're true or not? Simple. Truths do harm to none. If what you're preaching and teaching causes harm, you're teaching and preaching the wrong stuff dude (or dudette as the case may be).

As for the Bummer-in-Chief, you need to get your act together. You're need to step up and lead this country and the "Free World" or someone else will, and it may not be to your liking or to anyone else's either. I personally don't think you were cut out for the job. I don't think you have the personal or professional experience or mental acuity for the job, but I was willing to give you a chance. Frankly Barack, you've repeatedly dropped the ball. The US Presidency is no place for on-the-job training. If you can't handle it, and I mean right now, get out of the way. There's lots of real Americans out there who are ready and willing to step up to the plate. America is, after all, a nation of leaders in case you've missed that memo while you were "out of the office".

The New Crisis in Iraq

In what can only be described in terms of Vietnam, thousands of US trained, financed, and equipped Iraqi soldiers tucked tail and ran in face of the onslaught of "The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISSI). Those of us old enough to have fought in Vietnam, or at least remember the unwhitewashed version of events will recall how, after announcing the gradual withdrawal of US combat troops from Vietnam, the US military undertook what was called the "Vietnamization" of the South Vietnamese troops ("ARVN"), starting with the development of a core of group leadership within the South Vietnamese military, followed by upgrading of equipment, which included weapons, tanks, artillery, helicopters, and training of regular soldiers. However, as North Vietnamese regulars ("NVA") and Viet Cong, the guerrilla irregular forces also known as the "NLF", advanced, the South Vietnamese military crumbed and fled; throwing away weapons and uniforms along the way. Not much different here.

The ISSI is an extremist Sunni Moslem guerrilla force with a history of fighting in Syria's long and bloody civil war, which makes them battle hardened. It's goal is to create a strictly interrupted Sunni oriented Islamic state. What sets them apart from other Islamic groups, including Al Qaeda, is their brutality; so much so that even Al Qaeda (which is also Sunni) has disavowed them and Iran, which is predominately Shiite, may intervene. When Al Qaeda and Iran are nervous, that's worth noting. With Obama's announcement of a US withdrawal timetable from Iraq, a tactical mistake, groups are rushing in to fill the void in light of a highly unstable, untested, and corrupt government (much like Afghanistan). You will recall that the US trained Iraqi (and Afghani) soldiers have proved to be unreliable, especially in light of their sudden attacks on fellow US soldiers, much like the Viet Cong did after infiltrating the South Vietnamese military (in both cases, usually reported by the corporate media as "friendly fire").

In quick succession, the ISSI has overrun towns and cities that took months for US forces to bring under control, not including the hundreds if not thousands of US and Coalition troops wounded, maimed, and killed in the attempt. Thus far, thousands of retreating and deserting of Iraqi soldiers and civilians have been executed or wounded, with hundreds of young girls and women reportedly raped. United Nations observers report a stream of some 300,000 refugees pouring into neighboring countries, which are already overflowing with refuges from previous wars. Their economies are already stretched to the breaking point (the US had previously taken in some 85,000). And, as in all situations such as this, food, water, shelter, medicine, and sanitation become very real life or death issues. Meanwhile, the ISSI have captured several weapon depots full of US military equipment and material; much of it expected to see action in the seizure of Baghdad and the rest of Iraq and perhaps even in Syria or against neighboring Iran or Jordan;. While their goal is nothing short of establishing a strict Sunni oriented Islamic State, the Shiite majorities in Southern Iraq and neighboring Iran may still have something to say about this. However, if there's one positive in all of this, the much maligned Kurds have use this opportunity to seize areas long claimed in the north.

While many will be quick to jump on the Obama Administration for this latest crisis, let's not forget that it was George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who got us into the quagmire in the first place. Under the guise of "weapons of mass destruction", Bush decided to pick up where his daddy, George Bush Sr. left off in the first Gulf War ("Desert Storm"). There was no need to invade Iraq as we all now know. Saddam Hussein had no "weapons of mass destruction". His ground and air defenses had been decimated previously by coalition troops. There was an effective "no fly" zone in place, and what's more important, Hussein, for the tyrant he was, kept the religious extremists in check. He ruled Iraq with an iron fist. He had demonstrated repeatedly that he could be far crueler than his enemies; an important treat in a maniacal dictator. The main reasons I suspect were to install a regime friendly to US and Western corporate interests and to gain some measure of control of Iraqi oil facilities, and to be able to put US troops on the doorstep of Iran. Hussein, the US installed strongman, had become to unreliable. The invasion of Iraq and subsequent death of Hussein will long be remembered as a tremendous intelligence and political blunder and perhaps the turning point in US global dominance. As the old saying goes, "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know".

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently said that the ISSI and its rapid success was a total surprise. If she really means that, then her competence in strategic analysis is truly lacking. Given the history and instability of the region, there was no way a political void would be tolerated. The Iraqi (and indeed, the Afghani and Syrian) government is ineffective. It has little to no credibility with the majority of the people. While the West and other nations may think the democracy is the greatest thing since sliced bread, democracy is not for everybody. In fact, of the nations around the world that have embraced democracy, not a single one has embraced the American form of democracy. Instead, they adopt the English form of proportional representation . Some societies, however, prefer a "strong arm" government. They feel secure. Crime is not much of an issue since these types of governments have a serious "zero tolerance" attitude toward crime (except their own). The economy is generally stable and they're free from fear of the types of uncertainty that a democracy can bring. Theocracies, on the other hand, have often proven to be the most oppressive and retardant forms of government.

Of course, I'm not praising dictatorships. Not at all. But what I am saying is that we have to have a foreign policy which respects the traditions and desires of other peoples. Too many times the US has intervened to overthrow a democratically elected government because it didn't fit with our foreign policy objectives (but ironically, we've usually supported the installation of right wing military juntas; most of which have proven to be very brutal), which is more often than not dictated by corporate interests rather than humanitarian interests.

As of this writing, Obama is trying to figure out how to salvage the situation. It should be an interesting decision for him. Obama's Presidency has been, up to now, a near complete failure (he's likely to go down in history as America's worse, and perhaps most divisive President). He desperately needs "something" to show that he can be a tough and effective leader (he could learn much from Russia's Vladimir Putin in that regard). This crisis in Iraq may well be that "something". He didn't start the war. It was something he inherited from the previous administration. But how he resolves it may show whether or not this rather politically inexperienced former community organizer has the right mettle. But, as always in such matters, at what costs to the American People will his legacy be forged?

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