tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post5061597100372861897..comments2024-01-17T00:45:37.075-08:00Comments on Bud Meyers: The Origin of ISIS Bud Meyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-5428987224666778202015-12-08T11:49:55.024-08:002015-12-08T11:49:55.024-08:00I'm only guessing but, I believe the average A...I'm only guessing but, I believe the average American citizen is more at risk from a mass shooting by a young "Christian" white man with mental issues who legally purchased a semi-automatic assault rifle, more so than they are from a foreign Muslim pledging an allegiance to ISIS. Of course, if Iran gets a nuke, that could change. But for the time being, most Americans are more at risk from someone who is texting-while-driving. But the mainstream media is driving the ISIS fear (and playing in to the ISIS strategy) by their constant 24/7 micro-reporting of terrorism — because that drives advertising ratings. But it also gives ISIS a lot of free publicity, which only helps their recruiting efforts.Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-68525284257930830712015-11-24T13:29:19.654-08:002015-11-24T13:29:19.654-08:00Vladimir Putin announced Russia will resume export...Vladimir Putin announced Russia will resume exporting nuclear technology to the Iranian regime. Russia has also contracted to supply Iran with S-300 surface-to-air missile systems.<br /><br />And Iran wouldn't share this with ISIS -- who blew up Putin's airliner? So it's odd that the Russian attacks have heavily targeted rebel groups seeking to bring down Assad, who is closely allied with Russia and Iran.Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-79263137271351226562015-11-18T05:54:09.673-08:002015-11-18T05:54:09.673-08:00The video in the link below reportedly recorded ou...The video in the link below reportedly recorded outside of Aleppo, Syria and posted online Tuesday, features rebels from the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army firing a U.S.-supplied anti-tank guided missile at what it is clearly a U.S.-made Humvee. Rarely do the weapons and equipment of a conflict come together in a single video to highlight how America now fights its wars, but there it is.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhKTnvBTQGUBud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-56095544130215623892015-11-18T05:51:39.215-08:002015-11-18T05:51:39.215-08:00The fight against Islamist extremism has become mo...The fight against Islamist extremism has become more complicated than ever. Liz Sly, who has spent more than 15 years covering the Middle East, writes from Baghdad that “it may already be too late and too difficult … for any swift or easy solution to the tangled mess the Middle East has become…” From her dispatch on the front page:<br /><br />“What Jordan’s King Abdullah II referred to as a ‘third world war against humanity’ has, more accurately, become a jumble of overlapping wars driven by conflicting agendas in which defeating the Islamic State is just one of a number of competing and often contradictory policy pursuits. In those four years, four Arab states — Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen — have effectively collapsed. Civil wars are raging in all of them. World powers have lined up on different sides of those wars. And the chaos has given the heirs to the legacy of Osama bin Laden the greatest gift they could have hoped for: the gift of time and space.”<br /><br />The Brooking Institution’s Bruce Riedel says the challenge for the U.S. is vastly greater than right after 9/11: “We now face an enemy that has more sanctuaries and operating space than ever before. The battlefield is now much larger than it was before.”<br /><br />“It seems unlikely that the Paris attacks will generate a more coherent international response,” Liz writes. “Saudi Arabia, America’s most powerful Arab ally, is preoccupied above all by the challenge posed by Iran and is expending its military energies on fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen. Iran has prioritized the projection of its regional influence through Syria and Iraq to the Mediterranean, funding and arming proxy militias to defend its interests in Shiite-dominated areas of Iraq and to quell the anti-Assad rebellion mostly in the areas around Damascus, the Syrian capital. And Turkey’s attention is focused mainly on its domestic Kurdish problem and on the perceived threat posed by the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish enclave along its border in northern Syria.”<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-long-war-against-islamist-extremism-has-become-more-complicated-than-ever/2015/11/17/0b255c26-8c8e-11e5-934c-a369c80822c2_story.htmlBud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-22507468547897967932015-11-18T05:13:02.735-08:002015-11-18T05:13:02.735-08:00Why are only just NOW bombing ISIS's oil truck...Why are only just NOW bombing ISIS's oil trucks. Why didn't we do this 2 years ago?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-26216698787923279282015-11-17T16:44:10.873-08:002015-11-17T16:44:10.873-08:00Fine post Bud. I'd just like to say that this...Fine post Bud. I'd just like to say that this tragedy in paris plays right into the hands of the neo-liberal right wingers and 1%. It's classic divide and conquer of the working class by devoting countless media hours to a threat posed by jihadists. Just like communism was during Rayguns tenure, so now is the fight against radical islamists. It takes Bernie off message when there really is no need for that, but of course that fits in nicely with their plans. Hopefully this will blow over by the time the first votes are taken for the Democratic nominee. And, not for anything, assuming HRC wins and the fear mongering of the right continues to garner massive media attention, it could well spell the destruction of her presidential aspirations as the Rethuglicans will not hesitate to push this issue to it's most extreme. The radical right knows that the best way to get working class people to vote against their own best economic interests is to create some scary bogyman to take their attention away from their dire economic lives.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840237717017411534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-41118623640889225462015-11-17T08:33:40.807-08:002015-11-17T08:33:40.807-08:00For The Record, Yes, George W. Bush Did Help Creat...For The Record, Yes, George W. Bush Did Help Create ISIS<br /><br />"ISIS was created by the Iraqi coalition authority, which ousted the entire government of Iraq. It was when 30,000 individuals who are part of the Iraqi military were forced out. They had no employment, they had no income, yet they were left with access to all the same arms and weapons.”<br /><br />Jeb Bush is now saying: “Knowing what we know now, he [his brother] would not have invaded the country."<br /><br />https://medium.com/@HuffingtonPost/for-the-record-yes-george-w-bush-did-help-create-isis-e2083e8005bfBud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-27394454772844871442015-11-17T08:22:08.823-08:002015-11-17T08:22:08.823-08:00Anonymous To Isis: We Will Never Let Up
https://...Anonymous To Isis: We Will Never Let Up <br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAUZnDIWu2IBud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-4276937697520903562015-11-17T07:30:31.894-08:002015-11-17T07:30:31.894-08:00ISIS wants deeper U.S. engagement in the country. ...ISIS wants deeper U.S. engagement in the country. Expanding the conflict may seem like a self-destructive move. But for some analysts it is squarely in keeping with what the group advertises as its overriding, apocalyptic mission: to lure the world’s unbelievers into Syria for a final, Armageddon-like battle. In the short term, the Islamic State is almost certainly betting that it can survive a counterattack. <br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/for-the-islamic-state-paroxysms-of-violence-portends-apocalypse/2015/11/16/7020482e-8c99-11e5-baf4-bdf37355da0c_story.html<br /><br />5 stories you should read to really understand the Islamic State<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/16/5-stories-you-should-read-to-really-understand-the-islamic-state/Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-70062782415174331162015-11-17T07:27:39.958-08:002015-11-17T07:27:39.958-08:00Anonymous hackers' group declares war on ISIS
...Anonymous hackers' group declares war on ISIS<br /><br />http://www.cbsnews.com/news/anonymous-hackers-declare-war-on-isis/Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-56536511572646183512015-11-16T15:45:35.463-08:002015-11-16T15:45:35.463-08:00ISIS: Rogue State or Organized Crime Gang/Mafia (B...ISIS: Rogue State or Organized Crime Gang/Mafia (By Bruce Webb | November 16, 2015)<br /><br />http://angrybearblog.com/2015/11/isis-rogue-state-or-organized-crime-gangmafia.html<br /><br />====================<br /><br />The Rashidun Caliphate<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashidun_CaliphateBud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-84852981969129129332015-11-16T12:19:10.015-08:002015-11-16T12:19:10.015-08:00From the Daily Beast...
Confessions of an ISIS Sp...From the Daily Beast...<br /><br />Confessions of an ISIS Spy: He joined the self-proclaimed Islamic State, trained jihadist infantry, and groomed foreign operatives—including a pair of Frenchmen. And now, Abu Khaled says he is ready to talk.<br /><br />http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/15/confessions-of-an-isis-spy.htmlBud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-83997358281321939172015-11-16T12:14:44.376-08:002015-11-16T12:14:44.376-08:00Everyone continues to slam Hiallry Clinton for inv...Everyone continues to slam Hiallry Clinton for invoking 9/11 to defend her coziness with Wall Street. The New York Times editorial board this morning says Clinton “botched” the question and her “badly muffled response” only “compounded the damage.” More from the editorial: <br /><br />“Nearly 15 years after the 2001 attacks, Mrs. Clinton was earning more than $200,000 for a 20-minute speech. Most of those took place behind guarded doors. But one can guess that she and the financial executives were not still talking about 9/11. Her effort to tug on Americans’ heartstrings instead of explaining her Wall Street ties — on a day that the scars of 9/11 were exposed anew — was at best botched rhetoric. At worst it was the type of cynical move that Mrs. Clinton would have condemned in Republicans.”<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/16/opinion/hillary-clinton-botches-wall-street-questions.html<br />Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-23293659404141392402015-11-16T11:53:22.125-08:002015-11-16T11:53:22.125-08:00The Nation (from an article that supports Hillary ...The Nation (from an article that supports Hillary Clinton)<br /><br />Despite her formidable experience and judgment, as a New York senator Clinton made the wrong decision about the Iraq war in 2002 — a decision Sanders blamed for contributing to the rise of ISIS. As secretary of state, she backed the overthrow of Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi and supporting the Syrian rebels; both nations are now in chaos. Thus one of her best campaign assets is also her greatest liability, especially within the anti-war precincts of the Democratic base. <br /><br />Will her Iraq vote be disqualifying in 2016, as it was for many Democrats in 2008? This time around, she has admitted her vote was a mistake, and on Saturday night, she did it again. Clinton also resisted efforts to get her to take a hawkish stand on ISIS in the wake of the Paris attack. <br /><br />Dickerson confronted Clinton about President Obama’s contention last year that ISIS was the “JV,” and asked her if she felt she and the administration shared blame for underestimating ISIS. Clinton refused to bash her boss and focused on the way the ISIS threat has metastasized unexpectedly. But she did note her support for arming Syrian rebels four years ago—a difference with Obama—and defended her role in advocating that the United States back the Arab-states coalition that overthrew Qaddafi.<br /><br />Sanders challenged Clinton on more than just Iraq. “Regime changes have unintended consequences.”<br /><br />Sanders won points on the left for referring to the US role in overthrowing democratically elected governments in Iran, Guatemala, and Allende’s Chile, among others, from the 1950s into the 1970s. And he’s right to note that such bloody meddling led to global resentment that for decades the United States routinely propped up or helped to restore dictatorships around the world. <br /><br />But the comparison was a little bit off, given the context. The removal of elected leaders in Iran, Guatemala and Chile can’t be compared to opposing Qaddafi or Bashar al-Assad (or even Saddam Hussein) — all brutal dictators intent on oppressing their own people and trying to dominate their neighbors, whose reign led to righteous resistance that has too often melded with Islamic extremism and terror. <br /><br />Complicating matters is the fact that Clinton was a skeptic of “regime change” in Egypt; she worried that deposing Hosni Mubarak would only lead to another form of authoritarianism, or an Islamist government. She was technically right, though her skepticism about the forces behind the Arab Spring didn’t win her friends among pro-democracy supporters. <br /><br />http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clintons-best-asset-is-also-her-greatest-liability/<br />Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-31065398668325050612015-11-16T11:45:17.221-08:002015-11-16T11:45:17.221-08:00From the Atlantic....
What ISIS Really Wants: The...From the Atlantic....<br /><br />What ISIS Really Wants: The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it (By Graeme Wood March 2015)<br /><br />http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isis-really-wants/384980/<br />Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7895164153505105997.post-74648033211161876912015-11-16T11:43:36.592-08:002015-11-16T11:43:36.592-08:00Articles from The Nation....
What I Discovered Fr...Articles from The Nation....<br /><br />What I Discovered From Interviewing Imprisoned ISIS Fighters: They’re drawn to the movement for reasons that have little to do with belief in extremist Islam (By Lydia Wilson October 21, 2015)<br /><br />http://www.thenation.com/article/what-i-discovered-from-interviewing-isis-prisoners/<br /><br />To Defeat ISIS, We Must Call Both Western and Muslim Leaders to Account: And that includes the Saudi kings whose funding of Wahhabi doctrine gave rise to the scourge of Islamic extremism. By Laila Lalami November 15, 2015)<br /><br />http://www.thenation.com/article/we-cannot-defeat-isis-without-defeating-the-wahhabi-theology-that-birthed-it/<br /><br />France Should Stop Listening to Saudi Arabia on Syria: ISIS is the most urgent threat to the West stemming from the Syrian war and must be destroyed. Assad’s murderous dictatorship can be dealt with next (By Juan Cole November 15, 2015)<br /><br />http://www.thenation.com/article/france-should-stop-listening-to-saudi-arabia-on-syria/<br /><br />After the Paris Attacks, a Call for Justice—Not Vengeance: The years after September 11 are a powerful reminder that an “all-out war” on terror only creates more terrorism (By Phyllis Bennis November 14, 2015)<br /><br />http://www.thenation.com/article/after-paris-attacks-a-call-for-justice-not-vengeance/Bud Meyershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065020063363023395noreply@blogger.com