I want to warn my readers! This piece is from the Washington Times a very conservative newspaper….take it for what it is…….
It is a pretty good piece from a historical perspective……should give readers a base line from which to judge this newest war…..
Inkwell Institute
Middle East Desk
By now all America is aware that we are returning to a war footing, a air war (for now)……..I have been watching all aspects of the run up to the war……..I am old enough that I recall the days and weeks to the 1991 Gulf war…….the steps that were taken to garner all the public support for the war possible. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq….the rockets aimed at Israel……the WMDs and the possibility of nukes hiding in the sand……with all the steps in place the public was gung-ho and off we went.
The after the dastardly attacks of 9-11…..the admin started lining up the steps…….the rhetoric of “axis of evil”…..then the case for WMDs…….and then the search for uranium and finally the vision of a mushroom cloud……then the steps were in line and off we went in 2003 to invade the country of Iraq….again.
And now the year is 2014 and case is being made, yet again….and as usual step by step……….
ISIS trapped about a bazillion people on a mountaintop in Iraq…..a real humanitarian crisis….US stepped up and commenced with airdrop of supplies and a limited amount of airstrikes just to give those trapped a fighting chance……
In response of America/’s actions, ISIS beheaded an American journalist and after more concentrated airstrikes a second American was beheaded……
At this point the rhetoric ramped up among pundits and especially with the politicians…..the prez in response to ISIS brutal message began a concentrated action of more airstrikes and sending in US troops (as trainers and protection of diplomats)…….at this point America began asking its allies for help with the new battle in Iraq….the r4easponse was lackluster at best…..NO one wanted to get bogged down in Iraq (again)………
Then there was a break in the action…..ISIS beheads a British humanitarian aid worker……and Britain became a staunch supporter of the American plan (a plan which few a sure what it entails)……..
At this point the Us began a whirlwind tour of its allies to put together a coalition that will take on ISIS….this would help the American people accept a return to the sands of Mesopotamia…….Kerry got a total of 40 nations to sign onto the Obama plan and NO one is sure what these countries will be doing to assist in the fight………
Then after thump their chest about the coalition John Kerry announces…….Syria may have a hidden stash of CWs waiting to be used…….this on the heels of the congrats that Kerry announced that all Syrian CWs have been destroyed……I think this revelation comes on the heels of an Israeli report that the weapons were there in Syria (BTW, Israeli intel has proven bad in past operations by the US using their intel)………
Now recently a news bomb was dropped…….KHORASAN!
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) may be dominating the headlines and stealing attention with its prolific propaganda, but CBS News’ Bob Orr reports, another group in Syria — one few have even heard of because information about it has been kept secret — is considered a more urgent concern.
Sources tell CBS News that operatives and explosives experts from Osama bin Laden’s old al Qaeda network may again present an immediate threat to the U.S. homeland.
Sources say it’s due to the emerging threat in Syria, where hardened terrorists loyal to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri are working on new, hard-to-detect bombs.
Sources confirm that the al Qaeda cell goes by the name “Khorasan.”
Unlike ISIS, which is believed at present to be largely engulfed in its fight for territory. Khorasan is developing fresh plots to target U.S. aviation, and it’s trying to recruit Westerners who have flocked to the fight in Syria, some of whom have joined the al Qaeda franchise in the country, known as the al-Nusra Front.
Iraq joins in the case building scenario…..it seems they have found some ISIS CWs………..
Soldiers dismantled seven chlorine gas-tipped rockets in the Diyala province, Foral al-Tamimi was quoted as saying in a report by the semi-official Iranian news site Press TV.
The rockets were to be fired at civilians in the predominantly Shiite city of Muqdadiyah, northwest of Baghdad, the report said.
Still cannot find confirmation of this report…….or could it be just a story made up to be part of the steps to all out war?
The steps have been taken and taken carefully……..the admin does not want to move too quickly and possibly lose what limited support the actions have among the people…….
Every action has fallen into place so very neatly…………….This is not over….there will be other steps thrown into the mix until they get where they need to be……….and then? Nothing new here……the admin is doing what admins do………making their case–step by step!
Case Made? And NOW it begins!
The title is not meant to be contrite in any way….it is just I can hear the M-IC sniffing the air for the smell of profits………
As of early morning, our time, the ISIS Coalition has made its move against the likes of ISIS in Syria, yes I said Syria…………..
The US and five Arab countries launched airstrikes late Monday on ISIS targets in Syria, the Pentagon says. Using a mix of manned aircraft—fighter jets and bombers—plus Tomahawk cruise missiles, the strikes were part of the expanded military campaign that President Obama authorized nearly two weeks ago in order to disrupt and destroy the militants. US officials say the airstrikes began around 8:30pm EDT and were conducted by the US, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. The first wave of strikes finished about 90 minutes later, but the operation was expected to continue for several more hours, according to one official.
Some of the airstrikes were against the group’s headquarters in Raqqa in eastern Syria. Military officials have said the US would target militants’ command and control centers, resupply facilities, training camps, and other key logistical sites. “We will be prepared to strike ISIL targets in Syria that degrade ISIL’s capabilities,” Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told senators last week, using another one of the acronyms for the group. “This won’t look like a shock-and-awe campaign, because that’s simply not how ISIL is organized, but it will be a persistent and sustainable campaign.”
Now that the war has become a world war, in essence, what will Syria have to say about the action? We know that Syria has said that any action without their knowledge would be a act of aggression against the country…….
Syria’s parliament speaker said Sunday that the U.S. should work with Damascus to battle the Islamic State extremist group rather than allying with nations which he accused of supporting terrorism.
During a parliament session, Laham, the speaker, said those “who really want to combat terrorism, must cooperate with Syria in accordance with long-term plans and not by supporting terrorist organizations under false titles.”
Never fear the Coalition has that covered……
Did Syria get a heads up? It says it did. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that the US informed Damascus’ envoy to the UN that strikes would be launched against ISIS in Raqqa. In the past, Syrian officials have insisted that any strikes against ISIS in the country should come only via coordination with Damascus, but US officials have ruled out direct coordination with Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Now all the “i”s have been dotted and the “t”s crossed……..its on…..and the finally outcome will be on America’s head…….I sincerely hope we are truly prepared for the reaction.
The military-industrial complex has got what it desired the most….all out war ! The fun…..has begun!
I have been hard on my state because of their inconsistency in their patterns of voting……they are always voting against their best interests…..something I cannot understand…..either it is stupidity or they just do not acre enough to keep up with the issues of the day………I am thinking the later……
Then after bitching about Mississippi voters I read several pieces that illustrate the Mississippi is not an isolated example…..it appears Americans, in general, are not that sharp either…….
Annenberg Public Policy Center released a survey on Constitution Day that reveals Americans know very little about their government.
Some of the findings are:
• While little more than a third of respondents (36 percent) could name all three branches of the U.S. government, just as many (35 percent) could not name a single one.
• Just over a quarter of Americans (27 percent) know it takes a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate to override a presidential veto.
• One in five Americans (21 percent) incorrectly thinks that a 5-4 Supreme Court decision is sent back to Congress for reconsideration.
And it gets worse…
Read more
I do believe that education should emphasize Civics more than it does today…….the American voter is ill-informed and it shows in their voting habits……
Then there is Scotland…..it recently voted against independence….in other words they were trying to secede from the United kingdom………what do Americans think of secession……..
Could the US see a Scotland-like secession vote of its own? Nearly a quarter of Americans wouldn’t have a problem with that, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Some 23.9% of us strongly or somewhat support secession for our states, Reuters reports. That’s compared to 53.3% who strongly oppose, or tend to oppose, the idea. The idea of leaving the country is most popular among Republicans and rural Americans in the Western US, and President Obama’s policies are a major reason for it. But plenty of Democrats—some 21%—would also lean toward seceding.
“When I say secede, I’m not like (ex-NRA head) Charlton Heston with my gun up in the air … It’s more like we could do it if we had to,” and it’s a way of getting Washington to listen up, says a Texas Democrat. Some 29% of Republicans, meanwhile, back the idea. “I have totally, completely lost faith in the federal government, the people running it, whether Republican, Democrat, independent, whatever,” notes one. Geographically, Americans in the Southwest are most supportive of the idea, with some 34.1% of people backing it; New England is least supportive, at 17.4%.
Do Americans think about the consequences?
A change of pace today…….
Everybody should be proud of their state when it reaches the top of the lists that tell the tale of what it is like to live in that state…….unfortunately Mississippi is NOT one of those states.
It is my state and I have been writing about the damage that conserv politics has done to the state…..even under a Democratic governor and legislature…….for many long decades the voters of Mississippi have bought into the conserv talking point of small government and lower taxes and the world will be a brighter place…….
After decades of these failed policies Mississippi is number 1 in diabetes, obesity, poverty, etc…..and number 50 in things like education, health care, etc……and the voters keep believing that these lower taxes and small government will change things……..the only change it has brought about is the Mississippi is at the top of another list…….dependent on the federal government for its existence……..
1. Mississippi
- Return on Taxpayer Investment: $3.07
- Funding as Percentage of Revenue: 45.8 percent
- Federal Employees Per Capita: 8.67
Along with its neighbors Louisiana and Alabama, Mississippi is heavily assisted with federal dollars. So much so, that WalletHub’s calculations place them at the top of the list for the most dependent on Washington for subsistence. Mississippi suffers from some serious socio-economic issues, including having the highest poverty rate and one of the lowest income rates in the country.
These are issues that have plagued the state for a long time, and there doesn’t appear to be any hope for change in the near future. There are a few things that capture federal funding that add to the state’s total, including several military bases, but the major issue appears to be the lack of jobs and opportunity suffered by the state’s citizens.
This is what I am always going on about…..Mississippi depends heavily on the Fed government for ots existence and yet the voters want to destroy the “Big Government” in DC…….at what point do these morons realize they would be cutting off their nose in spite of their face?
Who are the people that will come to the aid of the world in the war on ISIS?
We hear on every channel about this so-called coalition……it is everywhere and yet we have no idea who is involved and what will their duties be…..I have a list to share….
This came to me via Twitter….I have yet to confirm the list……but I will continue to get at the truth of the matter……
Kerry has gone to the Hill to explain the Obama Plan for dealing with ISIS……….Hagel has gone to the Hill for the same purpose……….Generals have shown up to testify before Congressional committees to also explain……Amb. Power has taken to the airways in an explanation tour of the Obama Plan……everyone is explaining the plan.
The problem is that after everyone has had their say as far as the explanation goes…..there are more questions to be asked…..NO one has any idea what the plan is or what the stated objectives are…..at this point…….other than to “degrade and destroy”…..a cute turning of a phrase that explains NOTHING.
My briefings are aimed at keeping the American people abreast of the background noise that will lead the armed conflict….the noise from the candy ass politicians is a diversion……the real story is platyed out in the shadows……
Good Morning.
Item 1–The House and the Senate have given their approval to part of the plan that will defeat ISIS……so now it is official…Congress has given its permission to return to a war footing……
273-156 vote the House of Representatives approved President Obama’s plan to train, fund, and arm “moderate” Syrian rebels. The bill included a handful of limitations aimed at placating disturbed rank-and-file Democrats and Republicans.
The measure passed easily, 78-22, but the Hill notes that some potential presidential candidates were in the “no” camp,
Let the fun begin.
Item 2–Now that we have a way forward to war the stepping on toes will,.begin….every agency will have its fave tactic and the battling will begin….as a matter of fact is has already begun…..
the CIA has already been covertly equipping Syrian rebels at the instruction of the White House, but has come to find the fighters increasingly disorganized and radicalized as the conflict goes on, with U.S.-supplied arms winding up in the hands of more radical fighters.
Meanwhile, some turf issues are at play. While officials in the CIA are skeptical of the broader strategy to arm and train the rebels, they are also wary of a plan that would give the Pentagon a responsibility that has so far rested with their agency.
I can understand the CIA’s skepticism…..they have been dealing with the situation in Syria for a long time even while the country was worried about how many children were going to invade from the South. Now they will have to compete with others for resources.
Item 3–The big concern in the hearings I watched was the pressing question….troops on the ground? Of course the admin people echoed the prez…..American forces “do not and will not have a combat mission,” he said. “They will support Iraqi forces on the ground as they fight for their own country against these terrorists.” That is a good thing, yes? But that does not answer the question of WHO will be the unfortunate SOBs to be the ‘troops on the ground”?
Item 4–ISIS is preparing for the coming war……..they seem to be consolidating their forces…….
Jihadists in a Syrian stronghold near Iraq have abandoned some bases and redeployed their forces and armour from other positions, with the US military poised to strike, activists said Wednesday.
The Islamic State group (IS) has “started to empty out many of their bases and positions in Deir Ezzor province,” said Abu Osama, an activist from the eastern region mostly under jihadist control.
Speaking to AFP via the Internet, Abu Osama said all of IS’s known positions in Eshara, a town about 60 kilometres (45 miles) east of Deir Ezzor’s provincial capital, had been “shut down”.
They are making all the necessary precautions to be ready for the onslaught…..now, is Iraq doing the same?
Item 5–Have the Iraqis learned anything from America’s two invasions of their country? The answer is that they may have…….part of the problem with the last invasion was the presence of US soldiers in every town and city…….the Iraqi people felt like they were being occupied……
In a new interview with the Associated Press, Iraqi Prime Minister Hayder Abadi ruled out any move to send ground troops to Iraq to engage in combat, insisting they would be unwelcome.
“We don’t want them. We won’t allow them,” declared Abadi, who said he was fine with the ongoing US airstrikes against ISIS but found it “puzzling” that the US had excluded Iran from the Paris summit on ISIS Monday.
Abadi’s comments come just days after Iraqi President Massoum had commented that the US recruitment of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to join the air war were likewise unwelcome.
Item 6–The Kurds in Iraq are not the only ones being pressed by ISIS……..
Despite the indications that ISIS forces in Raqqa were moving underground in anticipation of US attacks, the group continues to remain on the offensive across Northern Syria, and is once again pressing Kurdish territory.
ISIS has reportedly taken 21 Kurdish villages in the past 24 hours and is once again mounting an offensive against the oft-threatened Kurdish border city of Ayn al-Arab.
I include this in the briefing because it involves Syria and Turkey and also may help to weaken Kurdish forces as they try to protect all Kurds….something that needs watching…
Item 7–France has joined the US in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS targets…….
Less than 24 hours after President François Hollande announced he had approved a request from the government in Baghdad for air support, at least two French Rafale planes attacked the insurgents’ positions.
A statement from Hollande’s office read: “This morning, at 9.40am, our Rafale aircraft carried out a first attack against a logistics centre of the terrorist organisation Daesh [Isis] in the north-east of Iraq. The target was hit and entirely destroyed. Other operations will be carried out in the days to come.”
That concludes today’s briefing……not much to report….that should change in the coming days and weeks as the plan flies into a full court press……please stay informed.
Turn the page.
I recall when I was in the military we were always hearing about the probes the Russians were sending into our airspace….I guess testing our response time in case it was needed in the event of a war with the US and her allies……but after the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War such “war games” were not needed any longer….but guess what, sports fans?
While you were worried about the NFL and its stellar reputation things were changing……..
Russian military pilots seem to be getting a little adventurous these days. A pair of US military jets intercepted six Russian aircraft near the coast of Alaska Wednesday evening, reports AP. The Russian pilots never entered US airspace, but instead remained in something called the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends about 200 miles from the coast. Still, NORAD sent up two US jets “basically to let those aircraft know that we see them, and in case of a threat, to let them know we are there to protect our sovereign airspace,” says a spokesperson. The six Russian planes—two fighter jets, two long-range bombers, and two refueling tankers—eventually looped back toward Russia.
Hours later, Canadian fighter jets intercepted two Russian long-range bombers over the Beaufort Sea, near the Canadian coast but again in the international zone. While such incidents aren’t all that uncommon, one US official tells CNN that Moscow was likely expressing its displeasure about a visit by Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko to the US and Canada. Elsewhere, two Russian military aircraft entered Swedish air space without authorization, reports the BBC. Sweden’s foreign ministry called it a “serious violation” and has summoned the Russian ambassador to complain.
Yep, that is right Gertrude….the probes have returned. Russia is once again probing our airspace and our response time……why would they be doing that?…(he asked smilingly).
First, what is it about North Korea that would make a normal person think. “gee, I think I would like to visit”? I mean even a half brained conserv should know the horror stories coming out of the country. But yet you have people that get a tourist visa and jump a plane and go on a vacation to this authoritarian, brutal regime…..why?
Recently an American was arrested and tried as a spy in North Korea…….
North Korea today piled more accusations upon a 25-year-old American arrested there and sentenced to six years’ hard labor. The state-run Korean Central News Agency says Matthew Miller entered the country on a tourist visa from South Korea and deliberately got himself arrested by tearing up his visa in order to become famous, reports CNN. The North says Miller claimed to be seeking asylum because he had attempted and failed to collect secrets about the US government, reports Reuters. “He perpetrated the above-said acts in the hope of becoming a ‘world famous guy’ and the ‘second Snowden’ through intentional hooliganism,” says the KCNA, referring to Edward Snowden.
Pyongyang also thinks that Miller wanted to infiltrate the prison system to investigate human rights conditions and to try to negotiate the release of American prisoner Kenneth Bae. Not much is known about Miller, who graduated from California’s Bakersfield High School in 2008. In an earlier, bizarre story, Reuters reported that he had been in South Korea for several months prior to traveling to the North “pretending to be an Englishman named ‘Preston Somerset.'” He had reportedly been trying to line up artists to adapt Alice in Wonderland in anime form.
Okay, let us be honest….there are two types of people that visit North Korea willingly…..morons and spies…..this guy sounds like the moron, at least to me…….
And now another American has decided that North Korea is the place to be………
The number of Americans in North Korean custody still stands at three after what appears to have been a failed—and incredibly dangerous—attempt by a US citizen to swim across a river border between North and South Korea. Officials in the South say the man was taken into their custody after a border patrol found him lying exhausted on the shores of the Han River, AFP reports. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency says the man told officials he wanted to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last fall, a South Korean man was shot dead by South Korean soldiers while trying to swim to the North, reports the AP.
The man, believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s, is being interrogated by “relevant South Korean officials,” a defense ministry official tells CNN. In 1996, another American, 26-year-old Evan Hunziker, became the first US citizen arrested on spying charges by Pyongyang since the end of the Korean War after swimming drunk and naked to North Korea on a dare. His release was secured after three months by then-New Mexico Rep. Bill Richardson, but Hunziker committed suicide less than a month later. Over the weekend, US citizen Matthew Miller was sentenced to six years for entering North Korea illegally and “trying to commit an act of espionage.”
Someone please explain to me why any American, regardless of mental capacity, would want to go to North Korea for any reason?
Damn we are breeding some really stupid citizens…….must be the fluoride.
