Category: Terrorism

Was Osama Right?

****Please this is only a post of an opinion of several people….it is posted here as an engine for thought and conversation….I by NO means am implying anything other than a source for discussion****

Back in the 70s when there were numerous terrorist attacks there was an argument the “one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter”….this is a paper from a grad student…..

The ‘One man’s terrorist…’-cliché challenges the notion that ‘terrorism’ and ‘freedom fighting’ are mutually exclusive concepts where the former is always illegitimate. “The question of who is a terrorist,” writes Ganor (2002:287), “depends entirely on the subjective outlook of the definer.” By definition, the slogan will almost hold true by definition, if taken to its logical extremes. After all, it only takes ‘one man’ to consider the act freedom fighting for it to become such – and this ‘man’ can very well be the terrorist him or herself. The power of the slogan thus derives from its implicit invitation to assess a terrorist act from the perspective of the terrorist; emphasising the importance of critically reflecting on what factors influenced the choice of resorting to terrorism. But this subordinates a means or tactic – terrorism – to an end or strategic goal – fighting for freedom. As such, the slogan implicitly holds (paradoxically) that ‘terrorism’ is inherently bad while ‘freedom fighting’ is good, and that labelling an act freedom fighting precludes it from also being viewed as terrorism.

https://www.e-ir.info/2018/11/29/is-one-mans-terrorist-another-mans-freedom-fighter/

Interesting right?

Discuss.

Now Osama…we all know him as the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and was later killed by SEALs for his “crimes”.

Now think about something…..what if Osama had legit gripes?

You’re not supposed to utter these words, but what the heck: Osama bin Laden had a point. No, his grievances, as well as those of his followers and sympathizers, didn’t excuse the mass murder of 9/11—not by a long shot. After all, I am a native New Yorker whose family and neighborhood were directly touched by the horror of those inexcusable attacks. Still, more than 17 years after the attacks on the Pentagon and twin towers, it’s worth reflecting on bin Laden’s motives and discussing the stark fact that the United States government has made no moves to address his gripes.

Now is as good a time as any. The U.S. military remains mired in wars across the Greater Middle East that have now entered their 18th year. The cost: $5.9 trillion, 7,000 dead American soldiers, at least 480,000 locals killed and 21 million refugees created. The outcome: more instability, more violence, more global terror attacks and a U.S. reputation ruined for at least a generation in the Islamic world.

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/assessing-osama-bin-ladens-legitimate-grievances-17-years-on/

An interesting thought, right?

Again…..Discuss!

NOTE:  Once again I offer these for discussion not that it is an approval by IST….

Learn Stuff!

After some thought I feel that I will get little discussion for most know this person from biased news reports.  But I still would like to see what others think.

Those 9/11 Conspiracies

Closing Thought–10Jan19

May I see a show of hands….how many have heard the 9/11 conspiracies ………does not matter which one just the conspiracies in general.

Do you believe any of the conspiracies?

In case you have not heard the theories (I would find that hard to believe…but hey anything is possible)…..I can help you with the search….

The 11 Most Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

Surely you have heard or read one or two of these theories….I mean unless you have been locked away with an iron mask…..

The hackers of Dark Overlord have done a bit of hacking and have found some “truth” about the attacks…..

A hacking collective known as The Dark Overlord announced on New Year’s Eve that it had broken into the computer systems of a law firm and obtained files related to the September 11 attacks – threatening to publicly release a large cache of internal files unless a hefty ransom was paid, according to Motherboard.

Dark Overlord’s demands targeted several insurers and legal firms, including Lloyds of London, Silverstein Properties and Hiscox Syndicates. It is unclear what exact files were stolen by the group, however the hacking collective tweeted “We’ll be providing many answers about 9.11 conspiracies through our 18.000 secret documents leak from @HiscoxComms and others.”

https://theantimedia.com/dark-overlord/

There will always be something “new” about the 9/11 attacks….and a wealth of answers to unasked questions.

Anything new that you have read or heard?

Time to put my mind in neutral for awhile…..TTFN!

Another American Captured

Another American has made the news…but this one is not an accused spy…..this is one is a terrorist…..this one is allied with ISIS (you remember them right?)……

Warren Christopher Clark, American, 34, has made news….he will get his few fleeting moments in the spotlight….

This person has been captured with other ISIS fighters in Syria…..

At least one American—a former substitute teacher from Texas—has been captured with ISIS in Syria, say Kurdish forces. The Kurds say they captured a second American as well, but the citizenship of that man is much iffier, reports the New York Times. In a news release, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces say they caught Warren Christopher Clark, 34, with ISIS fighters in northeast Syria. Clark graduated from the University of Houston and worked as a substitute teacher of English as a Second Language in Fort Bend before taking similar jobs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, reports the Houston Chronicle. Clark has been in the news before, when investigators at George Washington University turned up a resume and cover letter he once sent to ISIS looking for a job.

“Dear Director, I am looking to get a position teaching English to students in the Islamic State,” Clark wrote in the letter, which was found inside an Iraqi house. “I believe that a successful teacher can understand a student’s strengths and weaknesses and is able to use that understanding to help students build on their understanding of the English language.” NBC News reported last year that Clark had converted to Islam around 2004 and become radicalized online. The Kurdish military group says it also captured an American named Zaid Abed al-Hamid, but it wasn’t clear whether Hamid was actually a US citizen. The US military has not confirmed the capture of either man yet, reports Stars and Stripes. If confirmed, they would be the fifth and sixth Americans captured on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, per the Times.

Will the CIA do its “thing” to wrangle intel out of this guy?

This dude is so screwed!  As he should be!  Can you say which way to the nearest “black site”?

Thusly, He Spake!

FLASH!

Big Yawn!

Last night, just mere hours ago, our Dear Supreme Leader went before the people of the “boob tube” from the Oval Office (a first, btw) and told us all about the “crisis” on the border.

To begin with there is NO “crisis” on the border…..As usual he made little sense and spouted his usual LIES and bullsh*t……

President Trump called the situation at the US-Mexico border a “humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul” in a national address Tuesday night—but he stopped short of declaring a formal emergency in order to get a border wall built. In his brief speech, the president again called for $5.7 billion to build a wall, which he said would actually be a “steel barrier,” reports Politico. In a quick rebuttal, Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of “manufacturing a crisis” at the border, per the AP, and she and Chuck Schumer reiterated that Democrats would not pay for any such barrier. The president, meanwhile, maintained that the wall “would quickly pay for itself,” arguing that its cost would “indirectly” be covered by savings from the new trade pact with Mexico.

Trump also said that “our Southern border is a vast pipeline for illegal drugs,” and he again asserted that criminals crossing the border were endangering American lives. The impasse over funding for the proposed wall is at the center of the partial government shutdown, now in its 18th day. The president said the government “remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security,” per the Washington Post. Countered Pelosi: “The fact is: President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing a crisis, and must reopen the government.” The White House has been considering the possibility of Trump declaring a national emergency, a controversial move through which he would divert military money and resources to build a barrier without congressional approval.

Like I said…the usual BS…..a “crisis” of his tiny brain….but the analysis…..at least that darn “caravan” crisis has been averted (another of those things from a tiny mind).  Nothing new in his rhetoric…..same crap he spread 2 years ago….why was an Oval Office speech necessary?

President Trump delivered an address on the “crisis” at the US-Mexico border Tuesday night—and fact-checkers started work as soon as he got to the word “crisis.” The Washington Post, which calls Trump’s description of the situation “misleading and bleak,” reports that the president said there is a “growing humanitarian and security crisis” at the border, but there is no new security crisis at the border and apprehensions of people trying to cross illegally have fallen from a peak of around 1.6 million in 2000 to 400,000 in fiscal 2018. The Post notes, however, that there is indeed a growing humanitarian crisis caused by the increasing number of families with children attempting to cross the border. More:

  • “The federal government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security.” The New York Times call this remark false, noting that while Democrats are refusing to give Trump $5.7 billion for a border wall, they have offered $1.3 billion for other border security measures.
  • “Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.” Politico calls this statement “misleading,” noting that most fentanyl sold in the US comes from China, and while most heroin in the US does come from Mexico, the vast majority of it is smuggled through existing border crossings, so a wall would not significantly improve the situation.
  • “The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico.” The Post awards this claim Four Pinocchios on a scale of one to four and accuses Trump of misunderstanding the economics. of trade deficits. “Congress must still appropriate the money, and the trade agreement has not been ratified,” the Post adds.
  • “America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation but all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages.” The AP considers this claim dubious. Researchers have found that immigration both legal and illegal ends up delivering a boost to the economy, though Americans without high school degrees don’t tend to benefit.
  • Senator Chuck Schumer, who you will be hearing from later tonight, has repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past, along with many other Democrats.” Schumer and other Democrats did indeed vote for a fence along 700 miles of border in 2006, though it was far less substantial than the barrier proposed by Trump, who has called the 2006 version a “nothing wall,” the Post reports.
  • “At the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall.” Politico reports that congressional Democrats have not requested a steel barrier—and have said the material used in the barrier does not affect the shutdown debate.
  • The AP notes that in their rebuttal, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of shutting down the government and “holding workers hostage”—but “it takes two sides to shut down the government.”

Kinda reminds me of the word ‘bullsh*t’ hidden under a fake sneeze……

I tried something different…..I took a sip of bourbon every time Trump used the word “Crisis”……and by 10 minutes into the speech (wait that was the length of the whole thing) I was already feeling tipsy….

This is a “crisis” that was generated in Trump’s tiny mind…there is NO crisis on the Southern border…

There was nothing substantive about the speech…..not even the opening was genuine……my analysis…..”Begging For Bucks”, the new Trump reality show in the making.

Down here, Gulf Coast, there is a fish that will bite on anything even an empty hook….we call them “Croakers” because of the sound they make when caught……these fish  remind me of the Trump supporters….they will bite on anything Trump feeds them….accurate info or a lie…..matters not to them.

Finally, the rebuttal delivered by Schumer/Pelsoi…..these two looked stiff and phony….they stood there making themselves appear like a famous painting, American Gothic”….I could not listen to their meanderings through the English language…..the Dems would have been better using AOC  for the rebuttal, the Left loves her and would be listening.

All in all another waste of time….but the bourbon was soothing…..

That War on Terror

9/11 was the start of a long war on terror.  I have written many articles on this “war” (archives will get you to them all)…and in all those posts I have tried to point out one thing…

The War on Terror is a war on a tactic not an entity……and as such needs a new approach…..

But first, this war on a tactic…..

The United States is engaged in an unusual global war, fighting a tactic rather than an enemy nation. Unlike traditional warfare, it is possible that this war between the US and terrorist networks will not produce a clear winner. The US and its allies have been involved in military engagements over the past decade and a half, costing the US taxpayer an estimated $1.5 to $5.6 trillion dollars. The longer the US remains embroiled in this armed conflict, the less likely it is that such a war ends favorably from an American perspective. While US defense strategy will need to include counter-terrorism efforts for decades to come, it is time to end the war by beginning to reframe the narrative behind the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

In the context of the GWOT, terrorism refers most frequently to random attacks on civilians by groups who seek to conduct religious war against the United States. In using these terrorist tactics, these groups specifically intend to sow widespread fear. Recent polls show that a growing number of Americans feel “less safe” than they did before 9/11.

https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/stop-fighting-war-against-tactic

Every country is trying to fight this GWOT the same way….traditional, even Napoleonic tactics, this will not win this so-called war…..

This is an excellent paper written by a grad student in International Relations…..

Confronting new threats requires new thinking. Anachronistic understandings of security primarily arise from ideological suppositions that not only continue to frustrate prudent policy but also create increased insecurity. State failures, and the geopolitical disorder that followed, were born out of policies generated by reified thinking as to what constitutes material threats in a world order transfigured by the end of the Cold War. Yet Cold War thinking remains the guiding principle when approaching contemporary threats to state and international security alike (Jacob, 2017, xviii). Interrogating ideology—a category that begs attention in international relations—helps account for counterproductive security practices. An examination of Cold War theories, global “war on terror” practices, and the passé interplay between the two illuminates the ideological and structural checks that vex geopolitical order in this new century.

https://www.e-ir.info/2018/10/18/cold-war-theories-war-on-terror-practices/

The chance of a terror attack as not been lessen if anything it has made more likely.

So is the ‘war’ a waste of money?

Thoughts?

Closing Thought–26Dec18

AS the year slowly comes to an end I would like to write about something that we seem to be suffering from but few want to admit it….domestic terrorism…..a subject that few are thinking about…..which does not make it go away.

Back in 2009 a report was released predicting the rise in right wing violence…..and since Obama was president the toads in Congress squashed the report…..and since it was the tools in the House then this responsibility for these attacks falls on the GOP in Congress…if they had listened then some of this crap could have been avoided……

Last year, a white-nationalist army veteran was charged with second-degree murder after he drove a car into a group of nonviolent protesters in Charlottesville, Va., killing one and injuring 19. Earlier this month, a far-right-wing army veteran shot and killed two people at a Tallahassee, Fla. yoga studio.

According to a new report posted Sunday by the Washington Post, the yoga studio victims were among at least 20 people who have been killed this year in the United States in suspected right-wing attacks (compared to “just one fatal attack in 2018 that may have been motivated by left-wing ideologies.”) This comes amid an “uptick in right-wing terrorism,” as the report puts it. The FBI has documented this phenomenon as an increase in hate crimes.

https://thinkprogress.org/right-wing-domestic-terrorism-rise-obamas-dhs-warned-a57940206352/

The problem is all the reports in the world cannot prepare the country for these Lone Wolf attacks…..which is domestic terrorism…..

The more we learn about our War on Terror the more we realize what a pack of crap it all is.

Time to see you guys tomorrow…..have fun…be well, be safe…..

Afghanistan? Seriously?

Note:  I know this is a lot to read….but Americans are dying is it not time to ask the hard questions and demand the hard answers?

For 17 years I have been writing about our war in Afghanistan…..my position is that we should have gone in and punished those that planned and carried out the attacks on 9/11 and then we should have left the country to its own devices for if there was a threat again we could always return to punish.

The longer we stay the louder the voices get for us to withdraw and return home…..I read a lot and some of the sites are not on the withdrawal page….

Recent events in Afghanistan have reenergized those in favor of a U.S. military withdrawal. “Let someone else take up the burden,” urged one opinion piece in Slate. Another in the UK-based Guardian newspaper bluntly noted: “It’s time for America to end its war in Afghanistan.” Some media reports have also suggested that U.S. negotiators in Doha, Qatar have agreed to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan as part of a negotiated settlement with the Taliban.

Yet without a political settlement, which is still a longshot, a U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan would have serious risks. Chief among them would be the resurgence of terrorism and the deterioration of human rights—including women’s rights—that come with a Taliban victory.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-strategy-afghanistan-perils-withdrawal

And then there are those that see what I see (I cannot believe that a conservative site and I would agree) the longer we stretch our occupation out the more chance are that we could lose……

There’s a prevailing maxim, both inside the armed forces and around the Beltway, that goes something like this: “The U.S. can never be militarily defeated in any war,” certainly not by some third world country. Heck, I used to believe that myself. That’s why, in regard to Afghanistan, we’ve been told that while America could lose the war due to political factors (such as the lack of grit among “soft” liberals or defeatists), the military could never and will never lose on the battlefield.

That entire maxim is about to be turned on its head. Get ready, because we’re about to lose this war militarily.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/america-is-headed-for-military-defeat-in-afghanistan/

Then another view of the situation……

These days it seems everything the U.S. military touches in Afghanistan turns to rubbish. It’s possible this war is already over, only Washington won’t concede it.

https://original.antiwar.com/Danny_Sjursen/2018/12/04/what-is-left-for-the-us-to-do-in-afghanistan-the-answer-lose/

The news continues to be anything but good coming out of Afghanistan…..our airstrikes are killing more civilians than terrorist, Taleban attacks and takes control of more and more territory, and our troops keep dying…..

And that last part has me asking…….what are American troops dying for?

What benefit has been accrued to our country as a result of these compounding sorrows, grief and pain borne by such a tiny minority of our fellow citizens?

How much more blood must be spilled in Afghanistan before Washington acknowledges reality and ends the war?

Three more American troops were killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb on Tuesday and three others wounded; their names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. These deaths, along with Sgt. Leandro Jasso who was killed in a firefight last Saturday, bring the number of troops killed in Afghanistan this year to thirteen. Unless major changes are made in U.S. strategic policy, they will not be the last to die.

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/what-are-us-soldiers-dying-afghanistan-37487

That is an interesting question that needs a definitive answer.

Something I have been pointing out for a couple of years now…….

Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz and the other neo-con wild boys who came to power with George W. Bush in 2001 all shared a vision. In their minds, they saw a cowed, conquered Iraq as the stepping stone to a wider conflict that would, in the righteous fullness of Republican time, lead to broad regional transformation and the enforced peace of empire, all of it lubricated by “liberated” Middle Eastern petroleum.

Using Iraq as a jump-off point, they would knock off regime after regime, running up the stars and stripes as they went, and then watch as peace and prosperity unfolded like a desert blossom. That cauldron of seemingly endless conflict would soon become a happy democratic paradise filled to bursting with McDonald’s customers tying the laces of their new Nike sneakers with fingers stained purple from voting. All the wild boys needed was a catalyst, a “new Pearl Harbor,” to get the ball rolling. When the Towers came down, they took their shot, and we were off to the races.

https://truthout.org/articles/after-17-years-of-war-afghanistan-is-all-but-forgotten/

If we have forgotten we are at war then maybe it is time to end the insanity……

You’d hardly know it from the news, but we’ve been continuously at war in Afghanistan since 2001. The war quietly turned 17 on October 7.

Unfortunately, America’s amnesia didn’t prevent Command Sergeant Major Tim Bolyard from being killed in Afghanistan in early September during his eighth combat tour and 13th deployment.

https://original.antiwar.com/Stacy_Bannerman/2018/10/11/if-you-forget-about-a-war-its-time-to-end-it/

Learn Stuff!

Make Mine Dirty!

I wish I was talking about a martini….but something a bit more potentate……..

I am always looking at the news from around the world trying to see what could be the next ‘big’ attack from a group of deranged terrorists…..to me I believe it is going to be a dirty bomb of some fashion….

A few of my posts on the subject of a dirty bomb….

https://lobotero.com/2016/03/07/in-search-of-a-poor-mans-nuke/

https://lobotero.com/2016/02/22/nuke-material-update/

Over the weekend when I was reading my correspondence I found another piece about the subject of a dirty bomb this time in Southeast Asia….

In August 2018, Malaysian authorities reported the disappearance of an industrial device containing radioactive material. The device was lost while being transported from Negri Sembilan to Selangor by two technicians employed at a company that provides testing, calibration and inspection services to heavy industries. There are concerns that the unknown amount of radioactive iridium contained in the device could cause radiation exposure or be used as a weapon, otherwise known as a ‘dirty bomb’. The incident was a reminder that nuclear security demands attention in Southeast Asia.

While nuclear security is often understood to be about securing nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons, it is also very much about the security of radioactive materials that are under the state’s regulatory, export and licensing control. As defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), nuclear security is ‘the prevention and detection of, and response to, theft, sabotage, unauthorized access, illegal transfer or other malicious acts involving nuclear material, other radioactive substances or their associated facilities’. Although there are no nuclear power plants in Southeast Asia, radioactive sources are widely used for civilian application in medical, industrial, agricultural and scientific research fields. For instance, radioactive sources are present in 17 hospitals in Thailand and seven hospitals in the Philippines.

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2018/12/04/stopping-dirty-bombs-in-southeast-asia/

These types of devices are a poor man’s nuke…..Hell one can make a dirty bomb out of smoke detectors…..we need to be ever vigil for it is only a matter of time before some knuckle-head gives this a try.

Niger Attack Update

Closing Thought–10Dec18

Back in 2017 a US Special Ops team was attacked and 4 members were killed in the West African nation of Niger…..an investigation has been on-going and in May the press was informed…..https://lobotero.com/2018/07/10/niger-update-3/

This is the press briefing……

The results of the Niger ambush investigation was briefed to members of the press on Thursday, May 10, 2018. The Pentagon aired the one-hour long briefing and question and answer period video online. The three briefers were Marine Corps General Thomas Waldhauser (commander of U.S. Africa Command), Army Major General Roger Cloutier (AFRICOM’s Chief of Staff and investigating officer), and Robert S. Karem (Assistant Secretary of Defense International Security Affairs).

The investigation on the deaths of the four Soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group killed in Niger was conducted under Army Regulation 15-6. Defense Secretary James Mattis concurred with its conclusions. The SECDEF has directed the appropriate commands to change doctrine, training, and procedures where necessary.

http://www.sof.news/special-forces/niger-ambush-investigation/

The SecDef Mattis erupted violently when he heard about the inquiry into the deaths……

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was livid last month when he summoned top military officials to a video conference at the Pentagon to press them about an investigation into a 2017 ambush in Niger that killed four Americans on a Green Beret team. His anger, Pentagon officials said, came from seeing news reports that junior officers were being reprimanded for the botched Niger mission while the officers directly above them were not.

Days later, a senior officer who had largely escaped punishment was told he would be reprimanded. Another senior officer’s actions before and around the time of the mission were also under new scrutiny.

This is not the only investigation that is a pile of steaming manure….CYA all around.

ISIS And Al-Qaeda, Oh My!

I apologize for the length of this post…there is a lot to take in….but it is necessary so that we are never caught with out pants down again.

It is really nice to see that some of the hateful bullshit about Muslims has subsided a bit……and the fear mongering about ISIS and AQ has been moved to the back page of the newspaper if it runs at all……but all this just illustrates how easily the American public can be influenced when present with shiny objects of distraction.

Despite nearly two decades of U.S.-led counterterrorism operations, there are nearly four times as many Sunni Islamic militants today as there were on September 11, 2001. Based on a CSIS data set of groups, fighters, and violence, the regions with the largest number of fighters are Syria (between 43,650 and 70,550 fighters), Afghanistan (between 27,000 and 64,060), Paki­stan (between 17,900 and 39,540), Iraq (between 10,000 and 15,000), Nigeria (between 3,450 and 6,900), and Somalia (between 3,095 and 7,240). Attack data indicates that there are still high lev­els of violence in Syria and Iraq from Salafi-jihad­ist groups, along with significant violence in such countries and regions as Yemen, the Sahel, Nigeria, Afghan­istan, and So­malia.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/evolution-salafi-jihadist-threat

First, be certain that neither ISIS or AQ have been defeated…regardless the lies we are told…..they are silent could be the rebuilding stage…..

September 11, 2001 is the date that changed how the world perceives Islamist terrorism. The terrorist group responsible for these attacks was Al Qaeda, which was spearheaded by a Saudi national named Osama Bin Laden. On that day, Bin Laden demonstrated that the world’s only superpower is susceptible to attack on home soil, using civilian aircraft to wreak carnage and murder 2,977 innocent people. From that day, it took the United States and her allies almost 10 years to locate and neutralise Bin Laden. During that time however, Al Qaeda was able to establish a global brand that other jihadist militant groups throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia swore allegiance to. Affiliates were established in Iraq, the Maghreb, Arabian Peninsula and recently the Indian Subcontinent, with the latter three still active today. The terrorist group’s planning and activities have subsequently not been confined to one theatre of operations. Al Qaeda has not been significantly weakened since the death of Osama Bin Laden and has been able to continue their jihad due to their belief system. The following will be detailed as to how this has transpired, covering Al Qaeda’s recalibration before and after Bin Laden’s death, the rise of the Islamic State, their current activities, and Bin Laden’s enduring influence within Al Qaeda and amongst aspiring jihadists.

http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/introspection-and-rebuilding-al-qaeda

Both organizations are rebuilding and solidifying their leadership….but the one terrorist that we can NEVER deal with prior to their attack is the Lone Wolf…….

Terrorist attacks by lone individuals are statistically rare and yet, as we have seen in the past few weeks, they can devastate communities and inflame public fears. The recent attacks, including lone armed gunmen in Louisville and Pittsburgh and the Florida-based singleton mail bomber, Cesar Sayoc, have once again demonstrated the power of a solo actor with malevolent intent. While Louisville and Pittsburgh suffered tragic outcomes, our law enforcement agencies, thanks to exceptional investigative work, identified and apprehended Sayoc before any of his devices detonated and before he could perfect his bomb-making skills.

The cluster of recent lone actor attacks also raises the specter of copycat attacks, a phenomenon observed by criminologists, usually among young males who are inspired by sensational publicity that surrounds mass murders and who exhibit a combination of severe mental illness, criminal records, or a history of violent behavior. However, lone wolf terrorism researchers Mark S. Hamm and Ramón Saaij found that of the 12 lone wolf terrorist copycat attackers they studied, only three were young and only three had mental illnesses. Motive appears to be the biggest difference between copycat mass murderers and copycat lone wolf terrorists. Copycat mass murderers seek fame for themselves, while copycat lone terrorists want to further a political cause.

https://www.fpri.org/article/2018/11/what-to-do-about-lone-wolf-terrorism-examining-current-trends-and-prevention-strategies/

This whole War On Terror is a con job…..first you cannot win a “war” on a tactic (something I have been writing for years)….but let’s look at our War On Terror……

Amply documented but rarely mentioned in mainstream news, ISIS is a creation of US intelligence, recruited, trained and financed by the US and its allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Israel and Jordan.   Those who ordered the bombing campaign are those who are behind the Caliphate Project. The Islamic State militia, which has been the alleged target of  a US-NATO bombing campaign under a “counter-terrorism” mandate, is  supported covertly by the United States and its allies. What this means is that the ISIS terrorists are the foot soldiers of the Western alliance. While America claims to be targeting ISIS, in reality it is protecting ISIS. The air campaign is intent upon destroying Syria and Iraq rather than “going after the terrorists”. 

To understand the background of this complex web of deceit aimed at luring the American people and the rest of the world into accepting a military solution which threatens the future of humanity, get your copy of the international bestseller:

https://www.globalresearch.ca/america-s-war-on-terrorism-the-truth-will-prevail/29427

The War on Terror has been ugly and a pig with lipstick (a fond saying of the GOP)…..

Make NO mistake since the barbaric groups like AQ and ISIS are not front page news they have NOT been defeated and are just waiting for their next opportunity to strike.