You might have to worry about Russia soon...

I'd be all for nuking ISIS if it was possible. Of course it isn't possible to nuke them without killing a shitload of innocent people.

About Israel causing more deaths than IS, IS has killed approximately 16,000 in Iraq since the beginning of the 2011 insurgency, and they have killed thousands in Syria since the civil war there begun. That is more than Israel has killed since 1965.

That 16000 aren't citizens. Most of them would be Iraq army and local militias.

According to wikipedia of those 16000 about 12000 were civilians.

What, do you think ISIS doesn't target civilians?

No, what would make you say that? Rhetoric perhaps? I suppose I'll be labelled an anti-Semite soon enough. Either way, I was commenting on the hypocrisy of western governments getting all het up about this particular beheading. I don't see it much worse than what said governments are engaged in themselves.

whereami wrote:You might have to worry about Russia soon...

Russia is not part of NATO nor "the West" the country I live in is said to belong to - actions of Russia are not associated with my country. Russia did not want to build military base in my country.

About imperial ambitions of Russia, with regards to Ukrainian crisis, I hear in media all the time .. we will have to see but as of now I do not view Russia as threat. But who knows? I do not have a crystal ball to read future from. I only have opinion.

Cthulhu's Trilby wrote:Murdering journos to get the US to stop bombing reeks of desperation to me.

They didn't murder a journalist to get the U.S. to stop bombing. They murdered a journalist to demonstrate to the wider Muslim community that they can strike at the West more effectively than can other Muslim factions.

Arjan Dirkse wrote:

mrjonno wrote:Problem is there anyone in the region if they defeated ISIS wouldn't act just as badly as they do but against a different group of people. I do trust NATO not to randomly murder people (sometimes they are not so bothered about collateral damage but its not deliberate). It takes a really strong society not to repay mass murder with mass murder and I'm not sure there are any in the Middle East

I think the current Iraqi government, and even the terrible Syrian government, are by far preferable to having IS as a major power in the region, even if there will be some form of retribution.

I'd rather have all of them coexist in a balance of power. The Iraqi government is a puppet of Iran, the Syrians are aligned with Iran, and Iran is by far the most dangerous government in the area, with rhetoric about destroying the U.S. and with nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs to prove that they are seriously dangerous. At present, anything that weakens Iran in the area is a good thing.

Iran has nuclear weapons?? Wow, I learn something everyday.

It seems like at least 400 British-born Islamists fight with IS, and to those can hundreds more from other Western countries be added. I hope the hand-wringers will have the decency to shut up when the terrorist scum is offed by US airstrikes. They have chosen sides; no need to come back to the comfy West.

I doubt anyone will be sorry to see these whackjobs vaporized. The problems will come if the innocent citizen death toll gets too high.

Warren Dew wrote:

Arjan Dirkse wrote:

mrjonno wrote:Problem is there anyone in the region if they defeated ISIS wouldn't act just as badly as they do but against a different group of people. I do trust NATO not to randomly murder people (sometimes they are not so bothered about collateral damage but its not deliberate). It takes a really strong society not to repay mass murder with mass murder and I'm not sure there are any in the Middle East

I think the current Iraqi government, and even the terrible Syrian government, are by far preferable to having IS as a major power in the region, even if there will be some form of retribution.

I'd rather have all of them coexist in a balance of power. The Iraqi government is a puppet of Iran, the Syrians are aligned with Iran, and Iran is by far the most dangerous government in the area, with rhetoric about destroying the U.S. and with nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs to prove that they are seriously dangerous. At present, anything that weakens Iran in the area is a good thing.

Iran is no threat to the US whatsoever.

If anything this common struggle against IS could be an opportunity to get closer to Iran. Peace in the Middle East will never come while we keep antagonizing Iran, and right now we have our chance with a relative moderate like Rouhani in power.

Islamic extremists seize Syrian military base then behead captured Assad soldiers

ISTANBUL — Islamic extremists captured a major government military airport in Raqqa, eastern Syria, on Sunday, completing their takeover of the entire province and dealing a humiliating blow to President Bashar Assad.

The victory is further evidence that the Islamic State is determined to widen its grip on the region. Since it launched its brutal assaults in June, the Islamic State has captured half of Iraq and one third of Syria and operates an Islamic caliphate armed with US weapons and financed by booty seized during its lightning raids.

[snip]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/08/24/ ... yrian.html

There's a lot of conspiracy bullshit going around about IS. IS is a US creation, an Israeli creation, the leader is a Mossad agent, IS answers to Obama, the US plan to blame IS for a "false flag" attack...it's quite silly. A Dutch PvdA politician was apparently fired from her function in a cyber terrorism task force for tweeting that IS is a "zionist hoax".

IS is an accident of the Iraqi political chaos and the Syrian civil war happening simultaneously in the two neighboring countries, spilling over the borders and forming one, jihadist movement looking to form an extremist Islamic state. That's it. Nothing else to explain.

Yeah, but what about the illuminati??

whereami wrote:Yeah, but what about the illuminati??

Do you think they could enlighten us? That it's just a Bavarian firedrill? And will wiser heads prevail?

Arjan Dirkse wrote:There's a lot of conspiracy bullshit going around about IS. IS is a US creation, an Israeli creation, the leader is a Mossad agent, IS answers to Obama, the US plan to blame IS for a "false flag" attack...it's quite silly. A Dutch PvdA politician was apparently fired from her function in a cyber terrorism task force for tweeting that IS is a "zionist hoax".
IS is an accident of the Iraqi political chaos and the Syrian civil war happening simultaneously in the two neighboring countries, spilling over the borders and forming one, jihadist movement looking to form an extremist Islamic state. That's it. Nothing else to explain.

Hog wash: how to sanitize unpalatable truths with distraction tactics.

Why do you call it "conspiracy bullshit"? Easy phrase that trips off the tongue? We already know that Al Qaeda was a CIA creation to tie up the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. We already know that the handle of Osama Bin Laden was "Tim Osman". We already KNOW that the truth of most matters is to read/listen to official US propaganda pronouncements & simply reverse them.

When the neocons couldn't get rid of Saddam, they concocted the 9/11 terror & accused him of being party to it with AQ. They lied openly & deliberately. They got rid of Saddam & a million others together with the Iraqi infrastructure. Brought in AQ & helped it spread by adverts, munitions, money, planning, etc.

Did the same in Libya. The richest & most stable country of Africa became one of the poorest & most anarchic. Did the same with Syria. Even flew rebels from Libya to Syria & Turkey to kick-start the mayhem.

When AQ became a nauseous name, they changed its title to ISIL, then ISIS, now IS, to cover up the subterfuge. They have training camps for them in Jordan & Turkey. They're recruited from Saudi prisons & elsewhere for cancelling prison terms & good salaries. They've trained their 'caliph' while in prison, they've supplied them with money, 'intelligence', weaponry, & military logistics.

When an imperial hegemon, such as the United States elite oligarchy wants to preserve & enhance its global reach (read PNAC) it doesn't pussyfoot around, it causes as much mayhem as possible. It divides in order to conquer. If it can destroy millions of lives & livelihoods & lay waste to cities, all the better.

And as we can see now, its own citizens are in the cross hairs. So keep on dreaming. Better to die in your sleep than when wide awake... less painful that way, eh?

Warren Dew wrote:

Cthulhu's Trilby wrote:Murdering journos to get the US to stop bombing reeks of desperation to me.

They didn't murder a journalist to get the U.S. to stop bombing. They murdered a journalist to demonstrate to the wider Muslim community that they can strike at the West more effectively than can other Muslim factions.

Firstly, we're not even sure that they murdered a journalist. It could have been a Hollywood stunt. Secondly, if they indeed cut his head off, it was by explicit or implicit orders from their handlers in Washington. Do you think their handlers give a rat's arse about bottom feeders wandering around taking snapshots? After all, the White House had already given orders for the decapitations of tens of thousands of people. And that was done without any protests from the treasonous mass presstitute media. But you didn't hear about any of that, did you?

If they want to send a message to the Ummah, they've got hundreds more westerners to decapitate... snatch one off any street for a start. No, the reason for that vile video was to give a pretext for the Pentagon to invade Syria, as we hear & see the collective psychopathocracy already murmuring. It's way too much fun to stop now... yeehaaa!

Warren Dew wrote:

Cthulhu's Trilby wrote:Murdering journos to get the US to stop bombing reeks of desperation to me.

They didn't murder a journalist to get the U.S. to stop bombing. They murdered a journalist to demonstrate to the wider Muslim community that they can strike at the West more effectively than can other Muslim factions.

I should think Al Qaeda might argue with that.

You forgot the aliens, Galaxian. Never forget the aliens..