Double Standards and Conflating Details

On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the governing organization for the Palestine, launched an unannounced attack on Israel, intentionally targeting civilians. This attack included house-to-house slaughter of families, rape, torture, kidnapping, and of course murder. These are war crimes.

The world over, a widespread reaction was solidarity with the Palestinian people. And that’s quite curious, considering the Palestinian people did not attack Israel on October 7; Hamas did. This conflation between a people and their government set up a scenario for purposeful misrepresentation of the entire affair.

Some refugees prefer to stay home. Who knew?

In the present environment of American politics, some say bringing refugees to the U.S. is THE solution to the Syrian crisis. But there are other perspectives, such as the perspective of some refugees themselves.

 

This refugee from Syria expresses gratitude for America’s military action in response to the gas attack on Syrian civilians, which appear to be the work of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. He also mentions the fact he and his fellow refugees don’t want to be forced out of their homes and into some foreign country. Some in the American media, such as CNN’s Brooke Baldwin, fish for criticism of President Trump and his immigration policies when interviewing refugees. Debora Heine at PJ Media wrote on this story in CNN Narrative Fail: Syrian Refugee Slams Clinton, Obama; Praises Trump.

“With all due respect, with all due respect,” Kassem began. “I didn’t see each and every person who was demonstrating after the travel ban…. I didn’t see you three days ago when people were gassed to death….I didn’t see you in 2013 when 1,400 people were gassed to death. I didn’t see you raising your voice against President Obama’s inaction in Syria that left us refugees,” he said, completely deflating her expectations.

“If you really care about refugees, if you really care about helping us, please — help us stay here in our country,” he continued.

Others who have looked into immigration have reached a similar conclusion. Rather than play politics and act as if racism or xenophobia are the motivation, those who are willing to make an intellectually honest assessment of the crisis recognize immigration is not the solution the refugees need. Just like the Syrian refugee who wants help remaining in his home, Roy Beck shows good reasons to question the open immigration narrative by discussing the practical details that actually affect the people involved.

bias, crisis, foreign affairs, government, ideology, immigration, military, news media, politics, president, public policy, tragedy, unintended consequences, victimization, video, war

Officials Admit Released GITMO Detainees Have Killed Americans

original article: Obama Administration Makes a Shocking Admission About Released GITMO Terrorists
March 23, 2016 by JOE PERTICONE

An Obama administration official responsible for overseeing the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Wednesday that released detainees have killed Americans.

Paul Lewis, the Defense Department’s special envoy for the closure of the detainee program at GITMO, said to Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA):

“What I can tell you is unfortunately there have been Americans that have died because of [Guantánamo] detainees.”

“When anybody dies it is tragedy. We don’t want anybody to die because we transfer detainees,” Lewis added.

And while Lewis did not elaborate on the exact circumstances of specific deaths, nor did he say under which administration the deaths occurred, he did note that “most of the detainees transferred from Guantánamo were transferred by the Bush Administration[.]”

Despite acknowledging transfers have resulted in the loss of American lives, Lewis said in his opening statement that closing GITMO’s detention facility is a “national security imperative,” adding:

“The President and the leadership of his national security team believe that the continued operation of the detention facility at Guantánamo weakens our national security by damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, draining resources, and providing violent extremists with a propaganda tool.”

Currently, 91 detainees sit in the detention facility, many of whom are part of the too dangerous to transfer list. One of those individuals is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who the 9/11 Commission report identified as the principal architect of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

While the facility cannot be officially closed without Congress repealing several laws that prevent such action, the large number of transfers and released terrorists has displayed blowback.

Still, the administration persists that the facility must close. “We believe the issue is not whether to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility; the issue is how to do it,” Lewis said.

bureaucracy, foreign affairs, government, military, national security, politics, terrorism, tragedy, unintended consequences

CHATTANOOGA TERRORIST: THE DYLANN ROOF OF RADICAL ISLAM

original article: CHATTANOOGA TERRORIST: THE DYLAN ROOF OF RADICAL ISLAM
July 21, 2015 by JOEL B. POLLAK

On the surface, Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez and Dylan Roof might seem to have little in common but the brutal nature of their crimes.

The former was a Muslim terrorist who killed five U.S. servicemen and wounded several others at a recruiting office in Chattanooga last week. The latter is the white supremacist who slaughtered nine innocent people at a historic black church in Charleston last month.

Given the somewhat opposed nature of their respective extremist beliefs, they might even have been expected to hate each other, at least privately.

And yet as the psychological profile of each killer begins to emerge, there are striking similarities.

Both men were young loners in their mid-twenties. Both were involved, to a greater or lesser extent, with drugs. Both may have struggled with mental illness. And both seemed to find some kind of solace in extremism. They imagined idealized civilizations that would place them in the midst of, or at the pinnacle of, an elite that wielded authority over masses of other people. They chose targets who were among the best, the exemplars, of the society they lived in.

It may ultimately prove difficult to link directly Abdulazeez to a global terrorist group, (though he apparently researched Anwar al-Awlaki online). But it may not have been necessary. The nature of social media allows anyone to discover radicalism, carry out a “lone wolf” attack, and achieve instant martyr-stardom.

Likewise, it was impossible to connect Roof to an actual white supremacist movement or group (though the media tried, mightily). He held the Confederate flag in photos, but he named himself “the last Rhodesian.” And how many ex-Rhodesians can he possibly have met?

Perhaps there are clues in these two cases that might point toward a generic profile of the “lone wolf” terrorist in the new social media age. What is more certain, however, is that our society has reacted to each case differently.

With Roof, the community felt the need to purge itself of the symbol with which he had associated–namely, the Confederate flag. With Abdulazeez, the green of Islam illuminated the Empire State Building the next day (and the president, for unknown reasons, declined to lower the U.S. flag to half-mast in mourning for the fallen men).

True, Islam is recognized as a great monotheistic religion, a civilization that has made immense positive contributions to the world. And while support for extremism is more widespread in the Islamic world than Western liberals would like to believe, a very tiny minority of Muslims are terrorists. Yet there is more evil perpetrated today in the name of Islam, including slavery, than is done today under the Confederate flag.

That is not to say we should ban the banners of Islam. We should, though, be more sensitive about indulging them.

bias, culture, diversity, extremism, hate crime, hypocrisy, ideology, islam, liberalism, military, news media, pandering, philosophy, political correctness, progressive, racism, relativism, terrorism, tragedy, troops

Petraeus: U.S. is now losing in Iraq

original article: Petraeus: U.S. needs to reevaluate ISIS strategy
June 3, 2015 by CBS

NEW YORK — The U.S.-led coalition is keeping up air attacks on ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Yet, the Islamic terror group still controls important territory and cities, including Palmyra in Syria and both Mosul and Ramadi in Iraq.

Former CIA Director and retired General David Petraeus, who has commanded U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, spoke with Charlie Rose on the “CBS Evening News” about the challenges the coalition faces in the fight against ISIS.

The situation on the ground in Iraq and Syria is “worrisome,” Petraeus said, calling the loss of Ramadi to ISIS “both an operational and a strategic setback, a significant one.”

“This is a moment, I think, when you sit back and say, ‘What do we need to do in the military arena? What also do we need to do in the political arena?'”

ISIS is “clearly a threat to the United States, to our allies and partners around the world, and of course, very much in the region, where it’s fomenting instability, violence and so forth — and indeed, far beyond Iraq and Syria,” Petraeus said. “It’s also into North Africa. It’s even trying to recruit in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

As far as the strategy to fight ISIS, Petraeus said the U.S. military needs to reevaluate its strategy.

“I don’t know that you need a whole new strategy. What you need to do is look at what you have, figure out where you need to augment,” Petraeus said.

Among the possible changes he outlined would be adding advisers at the brigade or battalion level, rather than the current division level, and deploying joint tactical air control teams on the ground — despite the risk of losing American lives.

“There is risk, but there is also risk of losing this fight,” he said.

Petraeus said allowing the participation of Iraqi Shiite militias with ties to Iran would be “a very last resort.”

“What we need to do is focus not just on the military,” Petraeus said. You can’t kill or capture your way out of an industrial strength insurgency like this, Charlie — really, an industrial strength conventional force, because that’s what ISIL has actually come to be. You need to have the political component, and without that, without that, you’re not going to solve the problem.”

Asked if the U.S.-led coalition is winning or losing against ISIS right now, Petraeus responded, “These are fights where if you’re not winning, you’re probably losing, because time is not on your side.”

He went on to say it’s “arguable now in Iraq, we’ll turn it around. We will win again in Iraq, I do think that Iraq can definitely be handled. I think that it can be kept intact.

However, “We’ve got to do a lot more in Syria,” according to Petraeus.

“This is already a long war, it’s become longer because of the advent of the Islamic State, and we have to recognize that. And we have to be in it.”

Democrats, foreign affairs, government, iraq, islam, military, terrorism, tragedy

Someone should remind Hamas that Qatar said they were a humanitarian organization

Nancy Pelosi told CNN’s Candy Crowley that Qatar hails Hamas as a humanitarian organization.

original article: Amnesty report says Hamas committed war crimes against Palestinians
May 27, 2015 by Don Melvin

(CNN)Abductions. Beatings. Torture. Summary executions of political opponents.

These are among the allegations made Wednesday against the Palestinian group Hamas in a damning new report by the international human rights watchdog Amnesty International.

During last year’s Gaza conflict, which took place in July and August, Hamas used the chaos to settle scores and carry out “horrific abuses . . . some of which amount to war crimes” against fellow Palestinians, said Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Amnesty International.

‘Brutal campaign’

The report alleges that Hamas forces waged “a brutal campaign of abductions, torture and unlawful killings” against Palestinians it accused of collaborating with Israel. But some of the victims were supporters of Fatah, Hamas’ political rival.

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic organization that operates in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere in the Middle East. It controls Gaza, while Fatah, a secular party, controls the West Bank.

The U.S. State Department has included Hamas on its official list of foreign terrorist organizations since 1997.

Amnesty: Killings in public, with children watching

Among the allegations made in the Amnesty report:

• Hamas forces carried out “the extrajudicial execution of at least 23 Palestinians” and the arrest of dozens of others.

• Six men were killed by Hamas forces outside al-Omari mosque in Gaza’s Old City “in front of hundreds of spectators including children.”

• Palestinians abducted by Hamas “were subjected to torture, including severe beatings with truncheons, gun butts, hoses and wire or held in stress positions.”

“It is absolutely appalling that, while Israeli forces were inflicting massive death and destruction upon the people of Gaza, Hamas took the opportunity to ruthlessly settle scores, carrying out a series of unlawful killings and other grave abuses,” Luther said.

No action has been taken against the perpetrators, the report said.

“Not a single person has been held accountable for the crimes committed by Hamas forces against Palestinians during the 2014 conflict, indicating that these crimes were either ordered or condoned by the authorities,” Amnesty said.

Hamas’ military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, was responsible for many abuses, according to the report.

‘His arms and legs were broken’

It cited the case of Atta Najjar, a former Palestinian police officer who had a mental disability. Najjar was serving a 15-year prison term after having been convicted of collaborating with Israel, Amnesty reported.

On August 22, Najjar was taken from prison and killed, according to Amnesty.

His brother retrieved the body.

“There were marks of torture and bullet shots on his body,” the report quoted the brother as saying. “His arms and legs were broken … His body was as if you’d put it in a bag and smashed it. … And from behind the head — there was no brain. Empty.”

Torture and cruel treatment of detainees in an armed conflict is a war crime, Luther said.

Amnesty called on the Palestinian authorities, including the Hamas administration in Gaza, to cooperate with independent investigations, among them one conducted by the Commission of Inquiry set up by the U.N. Human Rights Council in July.

abuse, extremism, foreign affairs, islam, military, oppression, terrorism, tragedy, war

Bob Woodward: Wrong, Bush Did Not Lie Us Into Iraq

original article: Bob Woodward: Wrong, Bush Did Not Lie Us Into Iraq
May 25, 2015 by Jack Coleman

Future commencement speech invitations for Beltway media eminence grise Bob Woodward effectively evaporated, at least in the Northeast, after his appearance yesterday on Fox News Sunday.

Woodward, who’ll be known in perpetuity as the stable half of the reporting duo who brought down Richard Nixon for a scandal that now appears paltry compared to the vast money-laundering scheme dignified under lofty title of Clinton Global Foundation, admirably did his part to puncture a sacred liberal myth — that Bush lied and people died. As Woodward sees it, only the latter half of that equation is correct.

Air Force general court-martialed for speaking about God?

original article: Air Force general who spoke of God in talk should be court-martialed, group says
May 17, 2015 by Fox News

An Air Force general who recently spoke about how God has guided his career should be court-martialed, a civil liberties group is saying.

In a speech at a National Day of Prayer Task Force event on May 7, Maj. Gen. Craig Olson credits God for his accomplishments in the military, and refers to himself as a “redeemed believer in Christ.”

The Air Force Times reports that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has taken issue with Olson’s remarks, is calling for the two-star general to be court-martialed and “aggressively and very visibly brought to justice for his unforgivable crimes and transgressions.”

The group authored a letter to Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Walsh, arguing that Olson’s speech violates rules within the Air Force, which prohibits airmen from endorsing a particular faith or belief.

The letter, posted on the group’s website, begins, “This demand letter is sent to you on behalf of countless members of the United States Air Force who are utterly disgusted and shocked by the brazenly illicit and wholly unconstitutional, fundamentalist Christian proselytizing recently perpetrated, on international television (“GOD TV”), and streaming all over the Internet and in full military uniform, by USAF Major General Craig S. Olson on Thursday, May 7, 2015 during a VERY public speech for a private Christian organization (The “National Day of Prayer Task Force”: NDPTF) headed up by Focus on the Family founder, Dr. James Dobson’s, wife Shirley Dobson. “

“. . . disgusted and shocked by the brazenly illicit and wholly unconstitutional, fundamentalist Christian proselytizing . . .”

– letter from Military Religious Freedom Foundation

The group, which believes that the American flag and the U.S. Constitution are the only religious symbol and scripture, respectively, for those who serve in the military, also wants other service members who helped Olson to be investigated and punished “to the full extent of military law.”

During Olson’s 23-minute talk, the Air Force Times reports, Olson spoke of “flying complex aircraft; doing complex nuclear missions — I have no ability to do that. God enabled me to do that.”

“He put me in charge of failing programs worth billions of dollars,” Olson said. “I have no ability to do that, no training to do that. God did that. He sent me to Iraq to negotiate foreign military sales deals through an Arabic interpreter. I have no ability to do that. I was not trained to do that. God did all of that.”

At the end of his speech, Olson asked those in attendance to pray for Defense Department leaders and troops preparing to be deployed.

Olson is the program executive officer at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, where he is responsible for more than 2,200 personnel, according to the U.S. Air Force website. He was commissioned in 1982 following graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy and has extensive operational, flight test and acquisition experience.

abuse, anti-religion, bias, bigotry, bullies, censorship, discrimination, extremism, first amendment, free speech, government, ideology, intolerance, military, oppression, philosophy, political correctness, progressive, relativism, religion, separation, video

When will it be time for good people to do something about ISIS?

original article: ISIS is using severed heads as soccer balls and we’re training our troops THIS?
April 13, 2015 by Michele Hickford

So let’s just set the scene here.

A refugee fleeing for his life in Syria reports he saw ISIS terrorists beheading civilians and playing soccer with their heads, according to WND.com.

“I saw severed heads,” Abdel Fatah said. “They killed children in front of their parents. We were terrorized. We had heard of their cruelty from the television, but when we saw it ourselves…I can tell you, their reputation is well-deserved.”

Sixteen-year-old Amjad Yaaqub said, “In Palestine Street, I saw two members of Daesh (the Arabic name for ISIS) playing with a severed head as if it was a football.”

Yes, our savage enemies are beheading innocents and using the heads as footballs, when they’re not impregnating nine-year-old girls.

Meanwhile, in the good old U.S. of A., the most fearsome military force in the world is being trained on…wait for it…wait for it…when it’s okay to kiss a girl.

As The Free Beacon puts it, “an issue that could “dramatically affect” the mission of the United States Armed Forces is telling soldiers when it is okay to kiss a girl.”

The Free Beacon says the Air Force said the course will educate Airmen “about the serious cultural and societal issues that could dramatically affect our mission.”

“The Air Force is the latest branch to employ the services of Mike Domitrz, a speaker and author known for his “May I Kiss You?” training session, to teach servicemembers about consent and sexual assault prevention.”

“On Thursday the Air Force awarded Domitrz’s company, the Date Safe Project, $10,000 for three training sessions.”

“Domitrz’s 60 to 90 minute sessions offer a “unique combination of humor and dramatic story telling,” the Air Force said in an attachment detailing the contract terms.”

Speaking of “dramatically affecting the mission,” the Air Force is consideringscrapping the A-10 Warthog, one of the most potent aircraft in our arsenal, but nah, we can get along without that.

Oh and don’t forget…we’re paying hormone treatments for Bradley Manning’s gender reassignment, and spending time and resources attempting to train women for combat infantry courses they can’t pass.

But don’t you worry! Our military has its eye on the ball – even if it is someone’s severed head.

abuse, crisis, extremism, foreign affairs, government, ideology, islam, left wing, liberalism, military, national security, pandering, philosophy, political correctness, politics, public policy, relativism, terrorism, torture, troops, war

“Microaggressions”, “Trigger Warnings”, and the New Meaning of “Trauma”

chrishernandezauthor

When I joined the Marines, I met a man who had survived a helicopter crash during a training exercise. The first time I saw him his head and face were covered in burn scars. A balloon filled with saline, that looked like a dinosaur’s crest, was implanted in his scalp to stretch the skin so hair could grow. Something that looked exactly like the checkered buttstock of an M16A2 was imprinted on one side of his head. He greeted me when I checked in to my unit, and totally ignored the shocked expression I must have had when he approached. He shook my hand, asked a few questions, then left with a friendly “See you later, PFC.” His demeanor left me with the absurd thought, Maybe he doesn’t know how strange he looks.

He had been assigned to my reserve unit while undergoing treatment at a nearby military burn unit…

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